Can you help me learn some things about traveling in an RV?

I am looking for guidance so I can learn some things about traveling and
camping in an RV. My wife and I want to rent an RV next summer or fall to
travel for 3-4 weeks in the Montana, Colorado, New Mexico area. I don't know
the first thing about this so I'm looking for some things I can read to
learn about it. Here are some questions I have that I'd like to start
learning about:



1.. How big an RV should I rent?
2.. Who are good companies to rent from?
3.. What is a good book I can have the shows campgrounds as well as
details like which campgrounds get full early.
4.. Are there roads that won't allow RVs on them?


I will no doubt have many more questions once I start to learn about this
but I would really appreciate any advice about how to get started on this.



TIA.



Dick Snyder



(If you want to reply to me by email, please remove the string "REMOVE-"
from my email address.

"Dick Snyder" wrote in message
...
I am looking for guidance so I can learn some things about traveling and
camping in an RV. My wife and I want to rent an RV next summer or fall to
travel for 3-4 weeks in the Montana, Colorado, New Mexico area. I don't
know
the first thing about this so I'm looking for some things I can read to
learn about it. Here are some questions I have that I'd like to start
learning about:



1.. How big an RV should I rent?
2.. Who are good companies to rent from?
3.. What is a good book I can have the shows campgrounds as well as
details like which campgrounds get full early.
4.. Are there roads that won't allow RVs on them?


I will no doubt have many more questions once I start to learn about this
but I would really appreciate any advice about how to get started on this.



TIA.



Dick Snyder



(If you want to reply to me by email, please remove the string "REMOVE-"
from my email address.



Good Morning Dick,

It looks like you are starting to gather information a good time ahead of
your planned trip. Good for you.

There are plenty of places to go to learn more including the following a
nice 'moderated' forum at http://www.rv.net/ . You can find lots of help in
lots of categories there.

Have you firmly decided on a Class A vs TT or 5th Wheel? If not, (even if
you have) read the forums and you will get other folks idea of why they
chose what they chose and why it is right for them.

My wife and I travel comfortably in a 25' 5th wheel, have plenty of room and
can drive the truck to the fishing hole or store without pulling the 'home'
out of the campground. A Class A could pull a 'toad' behind it so you could
have the same freedom to the fishing hole.

Campgrounds? Try http://www.woodalls.com/ or go to the library and see if
they have the Woodalls book. Look it over then decide if you want the book
or the CD.

I don't have much info on rentals, but I did run across one in Chico, CA
that only did TT and 5ers. It is
http://mcdonaldstravelnfun.com/5thwheel-main.html . I couldn't tell you if
they were the best place or the worst.

Good luck to you, have a great time with your info gathering and a better
time on your trip.

--

FMB
(only one B in FMB)

Dick Snyder wrote:
I am looking for guidance so I can learn some things about traveling and
camping in an RV. My wife and I want to rent an RV next summer or fall to
travel for 3-4 weeks in the Montana, Colorado, New Mexico area. I don't know
the first thing about this so I'm looking for some things I can read to
learn about it. Here are some questions I have that I'd like to start
learning about:



1.. How big an RV should I rent?

Don't get one that is too small. For a three week trip you should get
one with a bed that you can sleep in rather than have to make up the
couch or dinet into a bed in a small RV. Class Cs 26 feet and bigger
units generally have a bed. Look for adequate toilet and shower
facilities, too.

Some companies have their own RVs and rent them, others act as agents
for owners and do the work of renting unused RVs. Use the internet and
Google to find more about these places. I assume you will want to rent
at the location of the beginning of your trip. That means finding that
company at the approximate starting and ending point of a big loop.

In my opinion, three weeks in this area is a tight time for RVing. You
have a lot of miles to cover so you will travel a lot. You should plan
on not more than about 200 miles per day and some days with no or very
little travel, otherwise you will just spend all your time driving.
This is a very big country! If I were to do it, I would stay in the
north part of you planned itiniary and spend more time. You can rent a
car locally to drive around when it is inconvenient to drive locally in
the RV.

2.. Who are good companies to rent from?

I have no idea. Maybe others will help with this...

3.. What is a good book I can have the shows campgrounds as well as
details like which campgrounds get full early.

I haven't found any that give detail of campgrounds filling early. We
call ahead during the day to verify that there is room at the campground
we have selected. Normally, this is not a problem except on holiday
weekends. So, plan ahead for that holiday that you will be on the road
and make sure you have a place to stay.

Others have suggested Woodalls campground catalog. We use it and get
one every year.

4.. Are there roads that won't allow RVs on them?

Yes. Lots of local roads in neighborhoods have 10,000 lb vehicle weight
limits. I know ours does. My rig is 14,000 lbs and I park it in my
yard. You have to watch height, too. Typical RVs are 11-1/2 ft high
and some are higher. Old RR bridges on side roads can cut your AC right
off. Be careful. I found one of those this summer and turned around
just in time at the last opportunity.

Great big RVs may be a problem in some states. If you rent a 40 footer
or bigger, make sure you are in compliance with all the state rules
where you travel.


I will no doubt have many more questions once I start to learn about this
but I would really appreciate any advice about how to get started on this.



TIA.



Dick Snyder



(If you want to reply to me by email, please remove the string "REMOVE-"
from my email address.



When you get more questions, go ahead and ask. We all learn from the
questions and the answers. Ignore anyone who is rude on this or any
other forum.

John Andrews, Knoxville, Tennessee

We rented an RV and took a trip for the first time this summer.

I am looking for guidance so I can learn some things about traveling and
camping in an RV. My wife and I want to rent an RV next summer or fall to
travel for 3-4 weeks in the Montana, Colorado, New Mexico area. I don't know


Our original plan was Arizona, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana.
We cut back, focusing on the Wyoming/Montana. And as it was, we
still drove too far, averaging 200 miles a day, and we stayed put
several days at a time.

Our focus was on places out of the way (Yellowstone/Glacier/Banff)
not easily visited by plane. We figured Arizona/Colorado, while
great destinations, lend themselves more to a flying and see trip.

Can't say enough about starting the trip early in the Summer.
We hit the road June 12th and were pleasantly surprised
at the lack of crowds. Evidently July and August are much
busier. So I'd suggest early June or September.

the first thing about this so I'm looking for some things I can read to
learn about it. Here are some questions I have that I'd like to start
learning about:


We took the family on a 5 week RV trip this summer, going from
San Jose CA (home) to
Yellowstone
Rushmore
Iowa/Minnesota
Banff Canada
Glacier NP
7500 miles in all.


1.. How big an RV should I rent?


We rented a 24' Class C, slept 6, which was fine for
our family of 5.

We wanted something somewhat small, for gas mileage
and manuevering. We were concerned about the size,
but were quite happy after the trip and would go with
the 24' again. We had a slide out, btw, which made the
RV seem more roomy when parked.

2.. Who are good companies to rent from?


We rented from a local company ( www.familyrv.com in San Jose).
I'd heard less than flattering things about CruiseAmerica, like
they are the UHaul of RV rentals. El Monte was another
chain that sounded promising, might have gone with them if
we hadn't found FamilyRV.

3.. What is a good book I can have the shows campgrounds as well as
details like which campgrounds get full early.


We traveled mid June through mid July, and only needed
reservations in Yellowstone, primarily because we were
concerned about crowds. Every other place, we never
had a problem finding a place on the fly.

Coleman's guide to national forests, and another called
Don Wright's Guide to Free campgrounds proved
to be the most useful, along with the AAA campground books.

Woodalls is nice too, if you like privately owned campgrounds
like KOA, etc. We stayed at private campgrounds 4 nights
out of the 35. None of them were ever better than any of the
national parks/national forests/state parks. And they were always
more expensive and more crowded. Always was a last resort.

4.. Are there roads that won't allow RVs on them?

Ran accross just two on our 7500 mile trip. Going to the Sun
road in Glacier NP, and Lake Louise near Banff. In the case
of Glacier, we took a Red Jammer tour on Going to the Sun road,
which was much nicer than driving it even if you had just a car.

There are roads that you can travel with an RV that you might
wish you didn't later. I don't regret any of the following roads,
but I won't do them again in an RV (I even have trouble with
the last one in a car)

Beartooth Pass, NE of Yellowstone
Crater Lake rim drive
Pacific Coast Highway

All are spectacular, but can be demanding.

I will no doubt have many more questions once I start to learn about this
but I would really appreciate any advice about how to get started on this.

Go to a RV show and sale, and crawl through the different models to
see what you like about each one.

--

I agree with your idea of using an RV where travel would otherwise be
difficult. However I don't agree either with the plane criteria or
WY/MT. Yellowstone/Glacier/Banff are easily visited by car. They have
great lodges.

On the other hand central Utah and parts of Arizona & New Mexico are
much more easily done by RV.

David Katleman wrote:

We rented an RV and took a trip for the first time this summer.


I am looking for guidance so I can learn some things about traveling and
camping in an RV. My wife and I want to rent an RV next summer or fall to
travel for 3-4 weeks in the Montana, Colorado, New Mexico area. I don't know

Our original plan was Arizona, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana.
We cut back, focusing on the Wyoming/Montana. And as it was, we
still drove too far, averaging 200 miles a day, and we stayed put
several days at a time.

Our focus was on places out of the way (Yellowstone/Glacier/Banff)
not easily visited by plane. We figured Arizona/Colorado, while
great destinations, lend themselves more to a flying and see trip.

Can't say enough about starting the trip early in the Summer.
We hit the road June 12th and were pleasantly surprised
at the lack of crowds. Evidently July and August are much
busier. So I'd suggest early June or September.


the first thing about this so I'm looking for some things I can read to
learn about it. Here are some questions I have that I'd like to start
learning about:



We took the family on a 5 week RV trip this summer, going from
San Jose CA (home) to
Yellowstone
Rushmore
Iowa/Minnesota
Banff Canada
Glacier NP
7500 miles in all.



1.. How big an RV should I rent?



We rented a 24' Class C, slept 6, which was fine for
our family of 5.

We wanted something somewhat small, for gas mileage
and manuevering. We were concerned about the size,
but were quite happy after the trip and would go with
the 24' again. We had a slide out, btw, which made the
RV seem more roomy when parked.


2.. Who are good companies to rent from?



We rented from a local company ( www.familyrv.com in San Jose).
I'd heard less than flattering things about CruiseAmerica, like
they are the UHaul of RV rentals. El Monte was another
chain that sounded promising, might have gone with them if
we hadn't found FamilyRV.


3.. What is a good book I can have the shows campgrounds as well as
details like which campgrounds get full early.



We traveled mid June through mid July, and only needed
reservations in Yellowstone, primarily because we were
concerned about crowds. Every other place, we never
had a problem finding a place on the fly.

Coleman's guide to national forests, and another called
Don Wright's Guide to Free campgrounds proved
to be the most useful, along with the AAA campground books.

Woodalls is nice too, if you like privately owned campgrounds
like KOA, etc. We stayed at private campgrounds 4 nights
out of the 35. None of them were ever better than any of the
national parks/national forests/state parks. And they were always
more expensive and more crowded. Always was a last resort.


4.. Are there roads that won't allow RVs on them?


Ran accross just two on our 7500 mile trip. Going to the Sun
road in Glacier NP, and Lake Louise near Banff. In the case
of Glacier, we took a Red Jammer tour on Going to the Sun road,
which was much nicer than driving it even if you had just a car.

There are roads that you can travel with an RV that you might
wish you didn't later. I don't regret any of the following roads,
but I won't do them again in an RV (I even have trouble with
the last one in a car)

Beartooth Pass, NE of Yellowstone
Crater Lake rim drive
Pacific Coast Highway

All are spectacular, but can be demanding.


I will no doubt have many more questions once I start to learn about this
but I would really appreciate any advice about how to get started on this.


Go to a RV show and sale, and crawl through the different models to
see what you like about each one.

--