We started living in an RV over a year ago. We had an idea of some features we wanted. For others, we just lucked out. For others, we could have done better, but we just had to live with them. We are now in the process of choosing our next RV and are going through the selection process again. Using our experience, I thought I would share some ideas about how to find the best RV type for you to live in full-time.
The best RV type for full-time living is the one that is best for you. Choosing between a van, a travel trailer, a fifth wheel, or a motorhome is the first step. If it is to be a motorhome, choosing between Class A, B, or C is the next step. If you have chosen a travel trailer, fifth wheel, or class A or C motorhome, you’ll also need to decide whether to choose a toy hauler model.
Below, you’ll find what we learned about how to choose, based on the size of the RV, ease of setup and tear-down, ease of driving or pulling, and size of your family.
Best RV Type for Full-Time Living
The best type of RV for full-time living is the one that is best for you. People live in vans, travel trailers, fifth wheels and motorhomes. You should probably consider:
- Size of RV. Do you need 40 sq. ft. or closer to 400 sq. ft. to live in?
- Ease of setup and tear-down
- Ease of driving, pulling.
- Size of family. Will it be a single person living here, a couple, or a family of six?
Having a list of features you need and want for your new home will help you decide which RV it is.
Is a Van Your Best RV for Full-Time Living
A van is probably the smallest type of RV you can live in. Behind the driver seat, a Chrysler minivan is about 7 feet long and about 6 feet wide. This gives about 40 sq. ft. of living space and it’s about 4 feet high.
At first glance, they are very easy to set up when you get to the campsite. It seems all you have to do is find a relatively level place to park, and you’re done.
This is a little deceptive, however. First, if the ground is not level you may have to set up blocks to drive onto. The other thing to consider is that most people who live in vans have transitions they make during their stay. For example, they may have to transition their units to prepare for sleep. In the morning, another transition might be necessary to be able to cook breakfast or make coffee. If they’re set up with a toilet, another transition might be required in order to use it. So it’s easy to set up when you first get to a campsite, but you keep having to make these transitions to make it work.
Vans are probably the easiest RV to drive because you don’t have to pull anything.
Because of their small size, and tight quarters, vans are most popular with single people. Obviously, larger vans can be better equipped and more appropriate for couples.
Is a Travel Trailer Your Best RV for Full-Time Living
When we say travel trailer we mean a bumper pull trailer; one pulled by a ball hitch at about bumper height. We’ve camped in a 13-foot bumper pull trailer, measured bumper to hitch. The living space was about 8 feet long and about 6 feet wide. that gave us about 48 sq. ft. of living space. The bumper pull trailer we live in now is 32 feet long and, with two slides, we have about 300 sq. ft. of living space. Unlike the vans we talked about, we can stand up in our space. There are many trailers that are bigger than ours, so bumper pull trailers come in a wide range of sizes.
They get more complicated to set up and tear down as they get bigger.
No matter what the size, you have to be able to back them up. Because of the way they connect at the bumper, I understand this is more difficult than backing up a fifth wheel.
If you have a bigger unit, you need to worry about lining up steps, slides, awnings, and power, water and sewer connections when you arrive.
Levelling the unit is easier if you have power jacks. Sometimes it can be challenging to decide what part of the unit needs to be level. Because RVs are lightweight, they are not solid. At the moment, our trailer is level near the fridge, but if you put a level anywhere else, the bubble may not be between the lines. I’ve learned that the fridge needs to be level for it to work properly, so that is what I worry about most. I also don’t like sleeping with my head lower than my feet.
Some travel trailers have auto-levellers that make this easy.
Once your unit is level, you can start opening up slides, awnings, and steps. You can also make the water, sewer and power connections at this stage.
If you have mobility challenges, one advantage of bumper pull trailers is, once you are in the unit, everything is on one level. There are no steps to go up or down to get around inside your unit
As you get into bigger models, bumper pull trailers are probably the most difficult RVs to pull.
Because they come in a range of sizes, travel trailers are OK for singles, but are more often picked by couples or families. Bunkhouse models are designed for families.
Is a Fifth-Wheel Trailer Your Best RV for Full-Time Living
Fifth-wheel trailers get around the challenges of pulling bumper-pull trailers. Moving the connection point over the rear wheels of the pull vehicle makes it easier to drive and more stable on the road, according to fifth-wheel lovers.
Fifth wheels range in length from about 24 feet to 45 feet. At 8 feet wide, this gives between 200 sq. ft. and 300 sq. ft, without slides. With slides, the biggest one I’ve seen online was about 380 sq. ft.
When I saw my brother-in-law packing up his 45-foot fifth wheel, I decided a fifth wheel was probably not the best RV for me. He had a lot of things he had to do to make everything fit in his truck and get his truck connected to the fifth wheel. Maybe he was nervous with me watching, but he seemed to have to get in and out of the back of his truck several times to get some heavy things where he wanted them. If you’re able-bodied, it probably won’t be a challenge for you, but I am not, so it would be a challenge for me.
As with the travel trailer, you’re going to have to know how to back it up. Properly positioning it so the slides, awnings, power, water, and gas connections will work is the first step.
Then you can level it. Levelling a fifth wheel is pretty much the same as levelling a travel trailer. How difficult this is to do depends on how automated it is. Power jacks and automatic levelling are available for some units.
Once it’s level, slides, steps and awnings can come out and connections can be made for power, water and sewer.
According to my sister, it took her and her husband about half an hour to get things set up when they arrived at a campground. I think it took a little longer to pack up when they were leaving.
Like travel trailers, they are ok for singles but are more often picked by couples or families.
Is a Motorhome Your Best RV for Full-Time Living
Motorhomes range in size from about 19 feet for a small class B unit to about 45 feet for a large class A.
We chose a motorhome because we believe it will be easier to set up and tear down as well as easier to drive.
It does get more complicated because often if you’re living in your motorhome you tow another vehicle to use for short trips.
Even if you’re towing a vehicle, it seems easier to disconnect the towed vehicle before you back into your site. Then when you’re backing in it’s one piece so you don’t have to worry about that bend in the middle..
Set up is easier because usually, you have controls at the driver’s seat so you level the unit from there.
When you’re driving, you need to be careful to avoid getting into situations where you need to back up the motorhome while it’s connected to the towed vehicle.
Because we are not planning to tow a vehicle, we anticipate that driving will be easier than it would be with any other type of RV.
Many singles, couples and families choose to live in motorhomes.
There are some differences between class A, B, and C motorhomes…
Is a Class C Motorhome Your Best RV for Full-Time Living
Class C motorhomes range in length from about 20 to about 40 feet. You can recognize a class C because the front of it looks like the front of a pickup or flatbed truck. People like them because they are much like a pickup to drive. Many singles, couples and families choose to live in class C motorhomes. They are all on one level, but you lose the cabin for living space. Also, they often have sleeping space over the cab, which might not be ideal if you have mobility challenges, like me.
Is a Class B Motorhome Your Best RV for Full-Time Living
I think of a class B motorhome as a glorified van. Starting at 19.5 feet long and 7.1 feet wide they are the smallest motorhomes. They come from the factory already set up to be a motorhome and they are probably the easiest RV to drive and park. I know of some singles and couples who live in class B motorhomes. They are too small for families.
Is a Class A Motorhome Your Best RV for Full-Time Living
Class A motorhomes vary in length from about 28 feet to over 45 feet. They are easy to recognize because the front end looks more like a bus than a truck. They are all on one level and most have driver and passenger seats that swivel so they can be used as chairs in your living room. Because they are bigger, they can be more difficult to drive than other motorhomes. I don’t know of any singles who live in class A motorhomes but they are popular for couples and families.
Is a Toy Hauler Your Best RV for Full-Time Living
Travel trailers, fifth wheels, and class A and C motorhomes come in toy hauler versions.
Toy haulers include a room and a ramp so you can bring your toys such as motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles, side by sides or golf carts.
The garage areas can often be converted into living space when the toys are removed at a campsite. The ramp can often be turned into a patio.
Families may choose toy haulers because of the added living space, and for the toys… I have also seen singles and couples living in them.