We easily fit in many, many public parks with our 40' motorhome & Jeep.  We've stayed in national parks (Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Glacier, Zion, Bryce, Grand Canyon, etc.) and without reservations.  We also fit in many national forest campgrounds, state parks, Corp of Engineers, county and city parks.  Get the size you think you'll be comfortable living in. You'll find your spots!  Good luck!!!

  On 9/30/2018 at 12:24 AM, mickeyblueyes said:

........or worse having to sell in a year or two because I did not think it out right..

I had a brand new Heartland Cyclone.  It felt good at the show, but once we started using it, the comfort went away and the plethora of problems arrived.  Got rid of it in a year.  Best move I ever made.  The cost was worth it.

thankyou all so much I got a boost of confidence just by reading the last bunch of replies.

someone asked,I had a 2003 Dodge Dually with 120,000 miles on the truck and 20,000 on a brand new motor(long story bypass filter failed spun bearing) Cummins

so I have a very stout truck with no pollution,no cat,no def fluid. I hauled 30,000 lbs of wet compost a month ago so I’m pretty sure the 18,000 from the 5th will be ok.

going to upgrade fuel storage to 160. Air ride seats,cameras, nav. System.

maybe a hauler bed? If they don’t cost too much.

thanks for the info about parks, and yes it’s all push button set up and auto leveling now..

It is quite normal for you to experience some nervousness as you take such a major step. But that is good in that it makes us take time to be sure about our decisions. Do not let it overwhelm you but use it to your advantage. 

  On 9/30/2018 at 5:50 AM, tfavorite said:

I would be concerned about fulltiming in a Keystone trailer. Not sure but I don't believe they are warrantied for full time use not to mention the question of whether it will stand up to full time use. I would take a look at Grand Design as a minimum or DRV for full time living.

I don’t believe it’s possible to tow a DRV 5 th wheel with my current truck. As it only has 120,00 miles I struggle with the thought of getting rid of it.

  On 10/3/2018 at 5:22 AM, mickeyblueyes said:

I don’t believe it’s possible to tow a DRV 5 th wheel with my current truck. As it only has 120,00 miles I struggle with the thought of getting rid of it.

DRV makes a fine trailer, but they are very heavy, and quite expensive. Don't let anyone tell you that you "need" a DRV to fulltime. You simply do not!  99+% of fulltimers are in something "less" than a DRV and doing fine. 

Thanks for the vote of confidence, I seem to be feeling like a pauper because I am not getting a DVI or a New Horizons trailer. I sure would like to have one with a heavy duty truck and a car on the deck, but I don’t know that I want to go all in at $250,000 to introduce myself to fulltiming. I feel like I’m overdoing it by buying a brand new Keystone. But I’d like to treat myself and wife to someplace special and new. I also don’t want regrets that I did not buy a Super high end unit either. I have watched Kens videos about his New Horizons unit and they sure are impressive. 

We loved our New Horizons but I wouldn't buy one as a first RV. Experience goes a long way in determining what one wants in an RV. Your lifestyle changes over the years as do your physical needs. We "never" wanted a MH, loved 5th wheels. As we have aged and with some physical problems we have moved to the dark side and bought a MH. We have now adapted to a MH and the changes we had to make to adapt. We are very comfortable with the MH now, rough going for a year or two but we had trailers and 5th wheels for 35-40 years.

Our first trailer was used after that we have always bought new and have never regretted it. Every RV we bought has been fine, never had to go back to a dealer for any repairs. Yes, there are lemons as there are in cars and anything else you buy, yes the dealers and mfg. could do a much better job with customer service. There are many happy RV owners who never post on any of these forums.

  On 10/3/2018 at 8:53 PM, mickeyblueyes said:

I seem to be feeling like a pauper because I am not getting a DVI or a New Horizons trailer.

I know how you feel as we went on the road in a gasoline-powered class A that was only 36' long!  But I will tell you that after 12 years when health required a home base, we still had the financial ability to buy our home without going into debt because we went with an RV that fit our budget. You need to get the most that you can for the budget that you have, and then just enjoy life, even if there are those who know that you are doing it wrong.  The lower priced RVs do show the wear and tear of daily use more quickly and to keep them in top condition will require more maintenance on your part but it can be done. We have known two couples who bought top of the line RVs and then soon left the road because of financial problems. I have also known many happy fulltimers who live in a Montana by Keystone.

I commend you for taking a conservative approach to the issue of how much to spend. 

Thanks Kirk,

I do want to be able to return to a residential setting if God forbid health issues force  it. The return on used RV units is frightening, I haven’t signed on the dotted line yet, so what ever is supposed to happen will happen. Which means if I’m supposed to have a used high end 5 th wheel, than somehow one will present it self to me in the course of getting ready. Other wise it’s a moderately priced Keystone.