What to look for in a RV
Owning a recreational vehicle changes the game when it comes to family holidays. More space and more comfort mean more roadtrips and exploring the country with your mobile holiday home.
There’s a lot of money that goes towards buying and owning an RV, so if you’re going to make the investment, there are some things to consider and look for.
The use you want out of it
Before you can decide on what kind of RV you want, you’re going to need to analyse what you’ll be using it for. Once you know what you’re going to be using it for, you can start browsing for the RV that will give you exactly what you need out of it.
Some of the main ways that people have been known to use their RVs include:
- As an office
- As a home
- As an extension of a physical home
- Holiday roadtrips
And how many people you travel with, how often you go on holiday and the distances you cover during a roadtrip, will all affect the type of RV you buy.
The type of RV
Now that you have a clearer idea of how you will be making use of your recreational vehicle, you can take a look at the different types to see which will be best for you. The popular types of RVs are categorised into motorhomes and towable RVs.
Motorhomes are broken down into three different classes:
- Class A: These RVs are suited for those who would like to live in their motorhomes and travel around with them. They are the largest and more expensive type of RV on the market, but come with large living spaces, appliances and facilities that make living on board a more-than-comfortable life.
- Class B: Class B, aka the camper van. Driving one of these is a lot easier than your larger class A RVs and they may not have as much of a lavish interior, but they still accommodate a party of two to live comfortably.
- Class C: These are your mid-sized RVs for family trips. They have all the perks of your class A motorhomes at a more affordable price and offer more living space than you find in the class B RVs.
And the towable RV trailers are classified into:
- Travel trailers: Motorhomes will be the pricier RV option and for the same facilities, more convenience and a lower price, travel trailers can do the same job.
- 5th wheels: These trailers are the same as your travel trailers just with added storage space from the gooseneck connector that attaches to the vehicle in charge of towing the trailer. However, bakkies (or trucks) with a flatbed are compulsory to tow this trailer.
- Tent trailers: For those looking to enjoy short roadtrips and sleepovers at camping sites, tent trailers are the ideal buy. They have foldable compartments to extend the space for inside use.
Regardless of whether you choose to go the motorhome or towable trailer route, you’re going to need to look at the options around financing a recreational vehicle before you go anywhere.
The RV floor plan
An important part of an RV, especially if you’re going to be spending most of your time in it, is the floor plan. A few considerations to keep in mind (before deciding on a floor plan) are:
- Entryway: RV floor plans may be comfortably designed, but you walk right into the bedroom at the back corner of the RV and have to walk all the way through. That’s not an ideal area for traffic flow in and out of the RV. Find an entryway that can accommodate a flow of people and that can direct them to where the next step is. For example, walking into the lounge and finding a seat.
- Bathroom space: Find an RV floor plan with enough bathroom space for movement and the ability to get changed without bumping a knee here, an elbow there and a head everywhere else.
- Wall slides: Wall slides extend outside of the original frame of your RV to give your interior more space. Generally, when you’re on the go the sliders are in so as not to be obstructive on the road, so it’s important to make sure that even with them in, the space is still comfortable to manoeuvre in.
- Smart space savers: “Flip-up”, “pop-out”, “slide-out” and “contractible” are all space-saving terms and mechanisms that you want on board your RV. It will make living in the RV more comfortable and will keep things neat and organised.
If you’re happy with the type of RV you have, the logical floor plan and the idea of living on the road, you’re in for an exciting adventure.
