RV Reno - Part 1
Deciding what type of RV we would opt for was SUCH a process. There are so many aspects to consider and there was certainly not a perfect solution.
We are a family of six, so a fifth wheel felt like a tough choice because finding something to tow it with that also comfortably seats six people for long travel days was truly a unicorn.
We started thinking that a class A motorhome was going to be the best option for us pretty early on. This is the bus-looking one, and you can get them in gas or diesel. The diesels are often called “diesel pushers” because the engine is in the back and kind of “pushes” the rig along. They have a larger towing capacity and we wouldn’t be too limited on the weight limit of our tow vehicle. BUT…..they are also way more expensive. The gas motorhomes are more affordable, BUT have limited towing capacities for flat towing (which is what we wanted to do). We were significantly limited finding a six passenger vehicle we could tow that didn’t weigh too much AND had a transmission conducive to flat towing. Lots to consider. We ultimately ended up with a 2011 Fleetwood Bounder, which is a gas class A motorhome. This also led to us deciding we would drive separately on our journey and honestly, it’s been a good thing. Aside from paying double for gas (oy……I’m looking at you, California) everyone gets a little time away from each other and we are all happier to see each other at the end of our travel days. :)
The main living area was primarily cosmetic updates, including turning the dinette into an L-shaped situation and replacing the pull out couch with a full on twin mattress day bed and storage underneath. I LOVE the look of what we did but functionally, the L shape is harder to access, especially when the pillows are strewn all over, the table is covered with crayons and papers and cups and random toys, etc. Just keeping it real for you. :)
We tore out the carpet (I literally CAN NOT live somewhere with someone else’s carpet and this just reaffirmed that) and vinyl flooring and replaced it with floating LVP (luxury vinyl plank).
Most class A motorhomes that have “bunkhouses” actually just have two bunk beds along the “hallway” and since we have four kids, we needed to figure out how to give everyone their own space. It was important to me that each girl had their own bunk and no one (including Brendan and I) were sleeping on a bed that had to be set up every night and taken back down every morning. So, we made the painful decision to remove the closet in the main (and only) bedroom and add two bunks. In reality, we don’t actually miss it too much. Brendan and I use overhead storage above the main bed for our clothes and we got creative on storage for the girls. The lower bunk where we took out the closet is actually a crib size mattress and that’s where our three year old sleeps….when she’s not crawling into our bed, of course.
Admittedly a lot of the changes outside of the girls’ bunks were for aesthetic reasons. This was going to be our home for an entire year and I wanted it to feel like home to both myself and my crew.
Probably the most questionable thing we did was taking off the bathroom pocket door so we could use the space it was stored in when open to create open shelving. Sounds crazy, but works for us and we can put an accordion door back on when (if?) we’re ever ready to sell it in the future.
Of course now that we’ve lived in it for four months, I would do several things differently, BUT, nothing we did is unlivable; we’re just realizing what does and doesn’t work in day to day life.
I still dream of a more spacious 5th wheel and have rig envy every time I see one in a park. I envision an entire bunk room for the girls, but I don’t think that’s in the cards for us. I am embracing making the class A work for us and we still find ourselves to be constantly purging and rearranging. So many things I thought we would “need” and we haven’t touched a single time!
All in all, this is a lesson in what you really need to live. And for us, it’s not all that much!
