Why are you still RVing?

[Say]

Over the past 25 years, we have owned, and extensively used, a Fleetwood class C, Skyline Layton TT, and now a JayFlight TT. These were all good rigs for us that required minimal service, and we have had great times traveling around the country “camping”. I appreciate this forum for the opportunity it gives members to discuss, question, share.
What turns me off from the forum is all the negativity, ie: build quality is terrible, dealers are terrible, service is terrible, campground managers are terrible...
For those of you who share these thoughts, I can’t help but wonder, why do you keep RVing if the lifestyle makes you so miserable?

[Magnolia Tom]

I can’t answer for the Debbie downers, but I still RV because my family loves it!

Whatever happens, good or bad, just makes it more memorable. I fix most things myself. My personal feeling is that something is only broken if i can’t fix it. [emoji3]
I have a feeling those who don’t or can’t fix their own rigs are the ones with all the negativity. The rest of us use the forum as a reference to gain knowledge on how to fix something, or improve something.

[Ohiofinlander]

We do because we love it! It's great for our family! It's not work(ok, maybe it involves work), but it's not work! We're not the DD's though.

[crockettlarry]

When my wife and I separated 5 years ago, I did not see our hybrid travel trailer for three and a half years. I had also worked a year at Camping World. After that experience, I didn't ever want to see a camper of any sort ever again.

Fast forward a couple of years and the pop-up bug bit me again. I found the one I really liked last October. It has all the bells and whistles including a shower and toilet as well as a slide-out and king size beds. Residential height countertops. Very nice pop up. But I just got tired of making up a bed and breaking it down. I've got enough truck to pull something much bigger.

I wanted to buy a couple or three travel trailers and rent them on rvshare and outdoorsy. So I went looking at travel trailers to see what I could get. You guessed it. The bug bit me. I brought home my Jayco Jay Feather 27bh a week ago.

But to answer your question. Why do we keep doing it? I enjoy being outside but not necessarily having to do anything like walking through some must see sight. I also enjoy Towing and driving. And there's something to be said about sleeping in your own sheets and bed.

It's kind of funny. I really can't put my finger on one thing or two things or even three things as to why I keep doing it. It may just be the experience.

[2edgesword]

While we're getting older and the process of preparing gets a little harder with age but we still very much enjoy it. Next Fall we're hoping to start snow birding during the Winter months once she retires and I semi-retire (I can work from anywhere there is an internet connection). We'll give that a try and if all goes well we'll increase the time spend away from home base as long as our health allows it. That said I'm sure at some point the pain will exceed the pleasure or our ability to handle things on our own but hopefully that's a ways down the road.

[Kahoneys]

We have had issues with our RV as well as our house. I try to fix small issues in both the RV and house and if it is more than my ability I pay to have it fixed or replaced by a qualified repair person. I use this forum for information and also ask fellow owners questions and have gotten valuable information. Most people only complain when they have issues and that is the norm in all aspects of life. Our daughter and dog LOVE camping (hence his name as our daughter got the honor of naming the dog) and I really enjoy camping and talking with fellow RVers and especially showing off my mods!

[JFlightRisk]

For us, it's a few reasons, although I don't recall complaining about anything (major). It's partially the journey, seeing new sights and places. It's staying somewhere for a while, and not having to mow the lawn (until we get home... to a hay field). The DW likes that she doesn't have to cook anything while we're away. And the best part is meeting new people, who share the same interests, and passion, that's camping. That's why we still do it.

[Siamese]

My wife and I don't "camp". Our trailer is our portable apartment, and we use it to get away from the Michigan winter and spend a month in Mobile, Alabama. And, to travel to other places in the south for a couple weeks in late fall. We visit historical sites and museums for the most part, so you're more likely to find us near a city than the wilderness.

And, we hate motels. And, we want to prepare our own food in our own kitchen, and keep our day to day costs low. So, the 26BH serves our needs very well. Oh, and it allows us to travel with our two cats.

The trailer comes with a lot of hassles. The maintenance, the towing, setting up and breaking camp. We're fully aware of the shortcomings of Jayco and any mid to lower priced trailer, but the shortcomings have been manageable.

Ultimately, it's worth it. We've visited Gettysburg, Vicksburg, New Orleans, Henry Ford Museum, numerous civil war forts, the battleship Alabama, and on and on. There's no other way we could do it so affordably and comfortably.

[THE MEEKER]

My wife and I talk about this often.

We bought our first TT in 2001. We had no money, two small kids and just started a business. The terms were $160.00 per month for 15 years. The rig did not last 10 years. I knew it was a bad investment. But when I come to think of it, it was a great investment. My kids are very close to each other. We have fantastic memories, much of it recorded through video and snapshots, plus my siblings and my wife’s siblings bought RV’s as well and we still travel together.

My kids are very close to their cousins. They are all getting married now and soon will be joining us on camping trips. I am looking forward to grandkids staying with us. Life is good!

The DW and I camp at least one weekend per month from May to October. We connect with each other, our kids, in-laws and friends on each trip. I'm sorry to sound so sappy, but that is why we RV.

[harryjr]

Not exactly in answer to your question, but an opinion on the negative posters. I think it is like a lot of negative restaurant reviews.

"Well it may satisfy you commoners, but my palette is more sophisticated. I'm too smart to be fooled by the cheap tricks that bamboozle all those of average intelligence."

By tearing down others, they think they are elevating themselves. Really sad actually.

[DocBrown]

Find me one auto/truck/rv forum where complaints about things are not the norm. Here's the thing, people use the Internet to complain. It creates a skewed presentation of how things are. Perception is reality. If someone reads a few negative things about something they form the opinion that "X" is made bad and no one should buy one.

That said we've had relatively great experiences. Small issues with the 3 trailers we bought new. But any hassles and the cost involved in ownership are far outweighed by the places we've gone, the many campfires we've had, and most of all the memories.

[RetiredOne]

Originally Posted by Siamese

My wife and I don't "camp". Our trailer is our portable apartment, and we use it to get away from the Michigan winter and spend a month in Mobile, Alabama. And, to travel to other places in the south for a couple weeks in late fall. We visit historical sites and museums for the most part, so you're more likely to find us near a city than the wilderness.

Ha..... very similar...

Wifey and I were talking about that same topic. We tell people we are going "camping".... In reality, it's the farthest from traditional camping in this rig. It's more like a rolling Bed and Breakfast, with all the comforts of our regular home.

Heck, we usually eat better when we're "camping" then when we're at home.

Also, we're using it to be tourists and see as many different place as possible. We didn't buy this rig so we could just go sit in the campground and watch the grass grow.

[jloco]

This is just our 5th season.. The only reason I got into RV was because I got a good deal on a rig that was on a seasonal site on Cape Cod and I was able to jump the wait list and keep the awesome site!.. after finishing our 1st season I ordered a 38FDDS over the winter and had it delivered the following spring.. We use it as our summer place.. It hasn't moved for 4 years! It works out great for us.. I have no desire to haul anything around.. We show up every weekend from May to October, unlock the door and enjoy.

[Camper_bob]

Originally Posted by DocBrown

Find me one auto/truck/rv forum where complaints about things are not the norm. Here's the thing, people use the Internet to complain. It creates a skewed presentation of how things are. Perception is reality. If someone reads a few negative things about something they form the opinion that "X" is made bad and no one should buy one.

That said we've had relatively great experiences. Small issues with the 3 trailers we bought new. But any hassles and the cost involved in ownership are far outweighed by the places we've gone, the many campfires we've had, and most of all the memories.

This. VERY MUCH THIS.

In any hobby, there will be "naysayers" or people who've had bad experiences, or venues where managers or owners have been jerks, or bad drivers on the road that make towing or driving heavy more of a challenge than it really needs to be. There are difficulties and challenges in anything. If you only see the negatives, you're just not looking hard enough (or, as is our nature, you're only LOOKING for the negatives so you can identify problems and decide if you have the capacity or appetite to face those potential problems). There are LOTS of positive posts on this forum. In fact, I would venture to guess that there is at least one positive post on every negative discussion. In several negative discussions there are MANY positive posts.

Now, I will say that in general I find this forum to be more positive than others I'm a member of (that's one reason I spend so much time here). But you have to remember that people who complain do so loudly. People who have nothing to complain about generally say nothing.

Originally Posted by RetiredOne

Ha..... very similar...

Wifey and I were talking about that same topic. We tell people we are going "camping".... In reality, it's the farthest from traditional camping in this rig. It's more like a rolling Bed and Breakfast, with all the comforts of our regular home.

Heck, we usually eat better when we're "camping" then when we're at home.

Also, we're using it to be tourists and see as many different place as possible. We didn't buy this rig so we could just go sit in the campground and watch the grass grow.

LOL! That's exactly what we tend to do.

We visited South Dakota recently. My 4YO son made friends with some kids at an adjacent camp site. I'm not sure they ever left the camp while we were there. Several times we had to go get my son from their "blanket fort" or whatever so we could take him somewhere outside the camp for an experience. When we got back, they were all still there ... doing the same thing...

I thought to myself, "why are they even here? They could do this in their back yard ... for FREE."

We had to explain to our son that we didn't drive 3,000 miles to sit in our campsite all day. We had things to see and do, and we needed to get out and do them. Our rig sat completely empty every day from around 9:00 am to some time in the late afternoon, and often we left again in the evenings.

My boy is an only child, so he gets really sad when he makes friends and can't spend a lot of time with them. Thankfully he's really good at making friends. He was super sad the day they left. We had to get him up and dressed and out of the camper by 7:30 so he could go say goodbye.

ETA: Forgot to say that we continue in this hobby despite the challenges because we love spending time like this as a family. You can't buy the experiences and memories we're creating. This time in our lives is literally priceless. We also went into this with eyes wide open, knowing we would have challenges. And we knew it would be worth it, and it has absolutely been SO worth it.

I'm also a firm believer that it's not the challenges that make the difference, it's how you respond to them. If you have a positive, can-do attitude, you can often turn a "negative" into a positive. Every challenge is an opportunity to make something better. You don't have "problems", you have "opportunities for success".

Sure, you're going to have situations that may literally be hopeless. But as long as you make an effort to keep those in the "outlier" category, you'll be a lot better off.

[Sola123]

Due to the freedom it allows us to have while we visit and see this great country we live in....plus hundreds of other reasons to numerous to mention....

[TCNashville]

It allows me to relax and go fishing.

[Jopopsy]

I do it for the memories and because I enjoy it.

I also do it b/c apparently I'm an idiot w/ disposable income that chooses to pour it down the Elkhart 'hole of foolishness'.

[norty1]

We enjoy the lifestyle.. Closer to nature than a resort or some dude ranch. Fires and friends.
We have a small club of friends that we have been camping with for 20 years.

[gypsmjim]

We've been "camping" for over 50 years. When we "go away" we always take 2 boats, so an RV was out of the question. We always camped in a tent.

33 years ago we bought a simply gorgeous piece of property and have had several RVs on it over the years. Its complete seclusion, but a town and grocery and hardware stores are only 6 miles away. I don't like to pull big trailers, so for us this is the next best thing.

Now, when we "go away" we still take at least 1 boat, but now we "camp" in a waterfront cottage. No cooking to do, no dishes to be bothered with and no problem if it rains.

Our 1964 and 2015 RVs never hit the highway, and I believe that's why we never have any problems with them.

[Thomson]

Since 1988 I have been RVing. Of the five TT's and Fivers I have had the TT's had a couple of minor problems that were easy to fix. One i didn't like the speakers and just changed them out. In 2008 we bought a Montana and had to change out the landing gear because Ventreg said the single motor one wasn't strong enough for the fiver. So three days later and a lot of money we had a bulletproof landing gear that took us to 2018. Some minor problems,leaks, roof sealing; no big deal for ten years. BTW we put 100K miles on it. Did have several blowouts which led us to a TPMS. Then we bought the Jayco and it lives at the dealer. We hope that someday it will have all its problems fixed and were will get to use it. In the past 14 months we have used it three times going to some great places. Someday we hope to do it again. That's why we RV.