Calling It Quits, We Think

[F350guy-JAY]

I posted something similar to this in the general forum but thought I would add it to the fifth wheel side since that's my go to forum. After almost 50 years of owning an rv of some type we've decided it's time to move on to whatever the next phase of our lives brings. It's been coming for a while as we've lost our traveling friends to health and passing in addition to the affects of the aging process on me. We had already decided no more long, extended trips and it really makes no sense to us to hang on for just a few short trips a year.

The downside will be selling the Pinnacle. I hate dealing with selling anything and will probably look for a consignment. If we decide on the November trip I may wait until spring to try to sell it. The other issue is I just had to have to new truck. Big mistake as I will probably have to hang on to the beast for my driver for a while as I'm thinking the depreciation will be hard to swallow. Maybe if I can find a dealer willing to give me a decent deal on an F150 I might do that. Anyway, it's been fun and we're actually kind of excited for what comes next. Already have a 2 week Alaska land/cruise trip booked for next year and looking at a European trip at some point.

 

[norty1]

Man that thread: https://www.jaycoowners.com/forums/f18/going-thru-the-change-109548.html
must have gotten a lot of us old timers thinking! Sorry to see you having to back down but having the courage to admit when it's time.

One we all have to face one day! I want to go out on my own terms.

 

[txloser]

If only this was a seniority based system we’d all get nicer trucks and trailers as others retire from the hobby.

Life is a series of seasons. Sounds like a new season on the horizon for you. Thanks for the contributions here over time. With so many years doing this stuff you’ve got a lot of wisdom to share with us only a few years in. Keep sharing that.

 

[Frosty22]

Dang, One of my favourite Campers. Got family and roots in Oklahoma. Have to grow my own Okra out here.

 

[JFlightRisk]

That's a tough decision to make, for sure. I'm not looking forward to it when the time comes, but it is inevitable. We wish you all the best on the next journey, and please stay around if you wish. You may be selling the 5er, but you're not going to include all of your knowledge and experience. We'll keep you from letting that go to waste!

 

[F350guy-JAY]

Well, decided to come back for an update. No good reason other than to show it doesn't always go as planned. We sold the Pinnacle within 3 weeks of listing it. I included a bunch of rv stuff with the sale since we decided we were done. We sold the Pinnacle on Friday and on Monday I was at my Ford dealer trying to see if I could make a deal on an F150 without getting hosed too badly on trading our new F350 we had just bought 4 months earlier. I wound up trading even for an F150 King Ranch with a tow/haul package, just in case. We didn't get hosed, just sprinkled a little bit. By the way, after driving mostly long bed one tons for past however many years the F150 is our go to vehicle. It is a pure pleasure to drive solo.

Fast forward to last month and we both were beginning to have second thoughts, not about taking long trips but at least having something we could use locally and our 3 or 4 annual 225 mile trips to Branson. We had been doing this for so long that it didn't clear our bloodstreams as expected. We went to the Tulsa show expecting to find a Jayco travel trailer but it didn't go as expected. We wound up finding a Grand Design Imagine that is nice fit for our truck and us. Not liking their "great" show prices I wound up ordering one from a dealer just across the state line in Missouri. It's supposed to be here by early April.

The moral of my story is if you decide to get out of the business keep your rv stuff so you don't have to replace it. Amazon has worn a rut in our sidewalk delivering everything from hoses to a lithium battery. But, were excited and hopefully have a few more years before we do finally say enough is enough.

 

[Frosty22]

Went from "Cold Turkey" to "Downsizing". Good for you you. I like the F150s, drove them for years at work, just got the Wife a King Ranch Explorer. All the new Tech takes getting used to.

 

[Glamper64]

Good story, thanks for sharing.
So basically you made a huge mistake then bought all new stuff
Similar kind of story and maybe something to consider...we decided to sell our RV and everything related last year but to keep the love of glamping going, we purchased a Jayco that was permanently parked on a beautiful large site at our favorite campground. No more towing, setting up, packing up, towing back to storage. Now it's basically like a cottage on wheels...we drive 2 hours north when we can and glamp all we want from May to October .

 

[F350guy-JAY]

Beautiful spot. Not much of that available around here. Mostly state and federal campgrounds around our local lakes.

There is kind of an advantage to getting new rv stuff. Weight was never much of a consideration with anything we had in our past rv life but with the F150 it is a factor. Instead of packing everything we had for the Pinnacle we now are deciding is it essential for what we do and how much does it weigh. Such as, the dealer usually installs 2 12V 75 pound lead acid batteries on the tongue. He said if I wanted to do lithium he would give me a credit for them and install a lithium in the storage bay at no additional charge. I have to furnish the battery and got a LiTime 230ah with bluetooth off Amazon which only weighs 45 pounds vs the 150 the la's would add. Also going with an Andersen wdh which is less than 60 pounds vs standard wdh's which will top 100. Also, got rid of the heavy pots and pans for lighter stuff, etc. Kind of fun starting over.

 

[JFlightRisk]

Nice to hear you're staying with it. Thanks for the updated news. BTW, the DW liked my F150 so much, she traded her RAV4 for one last May. Now we're a two-truck family.

 

[Glamper64]

Thanks, that was the end of last season's winterized pic
Our Provincial Parks don't allow seasonal sites either but most private owned parks have sections for permanent full hook up sites.
I hear you, change is good and so is shopping
It is fun making it yours/perfect and lightening the load with all new stuff
Come on May! We're getting a blast of winter up here right now...can't wait to do the drive and open up the season

 

[F350guy-JAY]

That is nice. Snowing and supposed to be below zero by tomorrow morning. Not right for our part of the world. Supposed to be above 70 by late next week so hanging on for spring.

 

[txloser]

Hope you enjoy starting over with the Imagine. We’ve been enjoying our GD trailer. Well, more me, the other half of we preferred the Jayco for some cosmetic items. From a technical standpoint, warranty response, and general construction It’s been a good trailer the last year and 11k miles.