That looks like a nice place, they rent out one of the RV’s we’re looking at (the Bambi), and isn’t too far.
I was wondering, when they talk about the payload, do they mean just what can be towed, or what can be towed, along with whatever is in your actual vehicle doing the driving? Doesn’t seem to make sense that they’d include everything in the vehicle being driven, but your post makes me wonder.
This may help
This thread has been so informative and interesting! I would counsel anyone doing this to seriously consider how comfy they’ll be towing something and to invest in the right tow vehicle. Everything from merging onto a highway to slowing down (especially when people pull into the space you’ve preserved for that!) and backing up and parking take not only adjustment but some skill. Clearly, lots of folks adapt just fine, but for some, this is more stress than it’s worth.
Thanks, that looks useful!
I know a few people who have opted for a beefy pickup towing a trailer or a fifth-wheel trailer (where the bed section hitches above the bed of the truck). It’s more affordable and flexible than an motorhome. Then when situated in a campsite or back at home they have a vehicle that is fairly easy to drive and park,
@Colorado_mom , I have driven thousands of miles with both towing horse trailers. The 5th wheel set-up is easier to connect and drive.
Mostly, I had tag-alongs though. I opted for truck and trailer set-up exactly for the reason you mentioned-- to have a vehicle I could drive when I got to my destination. (It was a vehicle that was too high for my mom to get into without help!!) And yes, it was convenient to have a big pickup truck for certain chores around the property and in bad weather.
With all of that said, I would be lying if I said it wasn’t stressful to drive. And more stressful to park! Many, many drivers are oblivious to how long it takes something big and heavy to slow down, and those same drivers are often determined to not have to be behind you. Otoh, truck drivers were always very helpful - holding open a space when I needed to change lanes or merge. And god forbid it start to snow or the roads started to flood. A whole different level of vulnerability! As I write this, I’m wondering if i actually have PTSD! As I said, for lots of folks, this is no big deal, but for someone contemplating this for the first time, it’s definitely a part of the "experience " to consider!
Whatever you do, don’t overload the rig. They become hard to control and a liability if you hurt someone.
People do this with Tacomas all the time, and then claim they’re somehow not subject to the law or physics because it’s a Toyota. Bad idea.
When we built our new rig we designed it around a F350. Fully wet (everything we carry including us, and full gas and water tanks) we still have close to 1500 lbs in capacity to spare.
The upshot isn’t that we can carry more stuff, although we can. It’s that it drives better. It’s a 10,000 lb rig that drives like a car.
You built your OWN rig? Wow! Kudos to you for doing that.
We do too for larger RVs but Class B, camper vans are usually small enough that they are not covered by the HOA type parking restrictions. They generally fit in a regular parking space. That’s one of the attractions for me, since we would not have to pay to store it somewhere else.
We didn’t build it per se. We designed something that had never been done before and then went to multiple manufacturers that made the constituent pieces and had them create it. 
That is still very impressive. I didn’t know you could do this.
Would it be a class C rig? If so, I totally agree that they are easy to drive (we’ve discussed this before in another thread) because of the F350.
It’s technically just a slide in truck camper, but we did some different things that make it more functional and look like a purpose built complete unit.
We replaced the short bed with an 8’ bed replacement that allows the camper to ride at standard height and has tons of outside storage. We then replaced the whole suspension.
It’s the first rig pictured in the article linked. The top pops up 2’.
We just went out to dinner with some friends who had a number of RVs throughout their life, and are very knowledgeable. They said to get an RV that was a double axel, that was important. If I remember correctly (after two glasses of wine) it sounds like it’s really good if one axel breaks that you have another, so you aren’t stranded. And when I research it, it sounds like you can carry more weight, it’s more structurally sounds, and easier to maneuver.
But then I realize that there aren’t many small trailers that are double axel trailers. It would distinctly limit the type of trailer that we’d get, or we’d have to get something larger. Hmm…guessing you don’t need double axels for the lightweight trailers, but if you could get one, it would be better?
Spring (vs Torsion) axels are easy to maintain. But I’ll bet that most owners of trailers don’t maintain them. If they’re periodically maintained, then I’m sure axels won’t break.
Also, loading on the axel is important. And upgraded axels to handle more load are available as well.
Double axel seems a good idea, especially on larger trailers to share weight. I assume it would also mean less hassle with a flat tire.
Speaking of flat tires, that was our biggest complaint on our pop up tent camper. We hesitated to take long trips because at high speeds on interstate the tiny wheels/tires (think lawn tractor) heated up and blew. We carried a spare wheel/tire on back and a spare-spare tire in the camper, since they were a hard size to find. These days I am pleased to see more car-like tires on campers (sometimes even for off-road).
That’s rather alarming!
Yea, no fun at all for my husband changing a tire on I25. The second time it happened, phew… also on passenger side. But we were in WY, headed to Mount Rushmore with kids and my husband’s aunt, with much of the remaining route on back roads with no spare. Luckily we found a farm equipment store a few exits later and had a new tire put on the wheel. Also purchased the extra tire. No more flats after that, but that was probably due to our worries and cautiousness - we mostly stuck to closer places, reached on slower cooler roads.
Gee, one more thing one doesn’t want to have to worry about!
My story was for a pop-up tent camper, wimpy tires. I think the new trailers and motorhomes being discussed here probably have better tires. Still the discussion reminded me of how glad I am to no longer be towing. Oh weather can be a factor too when towing, but at least retirees have flexibility to delay travels when needed.
Just returned from 4 nights camping in a state park. I think I saw every sort of camping vehicle. The park we were in had mostly sites with no hook ups. They have some with electric and water hookups but none with sewer.
One issue with bigger rigs is that one needs to make sure they can fit in the site. Some parks don’t have sites for larger rigs. We spent a few afternoons relaxing and watching those with larger rigs trying to back into their spots was interesting. Lots of couples bickering with each other as frustration grew.
Also a pet peeve of mine is campers who feel the need to run their generator all day. We have a 21 ft trailer and have solar panels and never run our generator. The trailer next to us ran it from 10-8. I think they wanted AC and tv.
Also seemed to be a lot of big fifth wheel drivers who drove way to fast through the campground.