The all encompassing RV thread

[fattyflattie 4640]

18 minutes ago, horn4life said:

I would usually try to buy used, and I would be looking for older owner who bought PRIOR to covid.

This was a big factor for me.  We found the one we wanted, brand new, and while sitting in it discussing some of the details with the wife, it started leaking (happened to be shopping on crappy rainy day).  And this was one of the more “quality” brands that you’d expect at least less of that.  We found an ‘18 that was bought new beginning of ‘19 for about 50% of what similar ‘20’s were going for.   Lots of little things added up to me feeling comfortable the guy took really good care of it during his brief ownership, and off we went.  There are several things that I wanted different or thought I did when I was first looking than where we landed, but those concerns have since been alleviated, mostly. 

[horn4life 3838]

18 minutes ago, fattyflattie said:

This was a big factor for me.  We found the one we wanted, brand new, and while sitting in it discussing some of the details with the wife, it started leaking (happened to be shopping on crappy rainy day).  And this was one of the more “quality” brands that you’d expect at least less of that.  We found an ‘18 that was bought new beginning of ‘19 for about 50% of what similar ‘20’s were going for.   Lots of little things added up to me feeling comfortable the guy took really good care of it during his brief ownership, and off we went.  There are several things that I wanted different or thought I did when I was first looking than where we landed, but those concerns have since been alleviated, mostly. 

Yeah the first owner said the only real problem they had was the vanity coming off the wall halfway into their first trip.  Which explains... no vanity!  They were detailed, insured the shit out of it, and gave me the most fantastic binder of information imaginable.  Had set up and break down on laminated cards, the attention to detail was mind blowing.  A LOT of folks buy an RV take a couple trips, change focus and it sits a while and then they dump it.  In fact I need to send her a thank you text again.

[JMFP 1126]

2 hours ago, thunderlounge said:

Was looking pretty hard at a TT last sep/oct. Had a gut feeling to walk off for a while, so did. Worked out for the better at the time, but now trying to plan ahead and go for it in a year or two when everything supply-wise gets back to normal for a while. 
 

Good thing is it will give me time to really figure out what I’d like. Class A/B and tow a ride. Or a TT/5th and drive around the tow vehicle? 
 

Who knows. Been going back and forth on it a good bit, so we’ll see.

Everyone camps different and has a different "perfect" setup, that's why there are so many different types/models.

We traded in our TT last fall for a fifth wheel. I've got three girls and we just needed more room. Having the separate tow vehicle is big to us for the way we camp, we like to use our trailer as much as possible instead of hotel rooms when we travel for the kids' dance and whatnot plus having the pickup there to haul the honeypot to the dump station, or kayaks to the lake, or just to go out to eat is a necessity for us.

In (hopefully) ten years or so we will be down to one kid at home and won't need the fifth wheel anymore. I'm dreaming of a super C toy hauler when that time comes.

 

 

[thunderlounge 8407]

9 hours ago, utee94 said:

Most class Bs aren't particularly well-suited to tow an additional car behind them, so keep that in mind.  I definitely wouldn't want to have to break camp every time I needed to go somewhere.

So the travel trailer and tow vehicle work best for us right now, but eventually I think we'll probably move on to a Class A moho and we'll tow our Jeep behind it.

 

Some can, but from what little bit of searching I've done you have to be really careful. Not just towing capacity, but the rear connection for the trailer too.

 

8 hours ago, horn4life said:

To me it would be the question of, How am I going to travel.  IF you are going for long extended periods then I can totally see a class A with a small towed vehicle.  With the depreciation on most RV's in most other situations I am going with a more expensive tow vehicle and a 5th wheel.  Simply as I will likely get a lot more use out of the tow vehicle when not traveling.   The change at saving some depreciation, greater overall use and flexibility of a large Truck tow vehicle would make me lean that way.  If I am taking a couples years off living out of the thing? I am class A and towing a smaller vehicle.

I think that unless you are bit bad by the bug, right now the longer you wait, the better off you will be on price. and MUCH MORE IMPORTANTLY-- QUALITY!

RV's even at the higher levels are notorious for crappy construction and lack of quality control. Think of this potential crappiness being on steroids, for the past year.  Cranking out whatever rolls off the line as fast as they can to make try and fill as many orders as possible, while the demand was there.  All while having supply line issues and regular line worker absentee nightmares from covid.

I would usually try to buy used, and I would be looking for older owner who bought PRIOR to covid.

 

It would be mostly a typical south when it's cold, further north when it's hot type deal. I hate to use the snowbird term, but pretty much. Ugh, makes me feel 30 years older.

Within that basic scenario would be the ability/desire to wander a bit at whatever latitude it is. Get tired of a spot after a few weeks or something, pull up and go somewhere else. Can't see any stay being under 2 weeks for the most part, and most would be a month or better on average. Of course there would be the occasional intended short stay for whatever reason, but that's the exception not the rule.

During the summer it most likely would be a bit more stable as we come back and stay around friends and family mostly.

Not 100% sure on giving up the permanent residence. If keeping one then will definitely be downsizing a lot and ensuring there is room to park the rig when not in use over the summer.

As far as timeline, it's going to be a few years I think. Realistically at least 3, probably closer to 5 before this can all be kicked into gear full speed. Plenty of time to figure out the setup and whatnot. Definitely not in any hurry, that's for sure. New or used isn't stuck in stone. Something in good shape is. If new, first thing I do on my own is a full seal on the roof, and some other things (that won't void the warranty, of course.) Get up under it and add line-x where needed, better tires/wheels, etc.

Depends on the setup, but whatever is needed to get going.

 

7 hours ago, JMFP said:

Everyone camps different and has a different "perfect" setup, that's why there are so many different types/models.

We traded in our TT last fall for a fifth wheel. I've got three girls and we just needed more room. Having the separate tow vehicle is big to us for the way we camp, we like to use our trailer as much as possible instead of hotel rooms when we travel for the kids' dance and whatnot plus having the pickup there to haul the honeypot to the dump station, or kayaks to the lake, or just to go out to eat is a necessity for us.

In (hopefully) ten years or so we will be down to one kid at home and won't need the fifth wheel anymore. I'm dreaming of a super C toy hauler when that time comes.

 

 

 

Damn this is spot the fuck on. Can't tell you how many long ass nights from last spring through fall I spent looking over nothing but fucking layouts. Like this, hate that, fuck that shit, how in the hell is a trailer this much and doesn't have X?

Finally found a few different ones that were pretty good. Not every single thing, but the best overall compromise. From there it was finding a good manufacturer with that layout and the right features, etc. without getting gang banged. Had it narrowed down to 4 different trailers across 3 different lots, and was about a week or so from going for it. Note, all were built pre-covid supply issue bullshit. Speaking of which, it was definitely one of the selling points for the dealers. All 3 were sure to mention that trailers built before March were getting short, and the supply wasn't keeping up. Also if we needed to order one, it would probably be at least April if not mid summer before it came in.

Between all that covid shit, and some other things, my gut instinct said to hit the brakes. I did, and it was the right move. That would have been a TT, and used more for weekends and vacations initially, with possibility of winter getaways if it worked out. Either way, good that I held off in the long run on several fronts.

 

As for which setup I eventually get, that's still up in the air. Going to drop back and start somewhat from scratch, think about overall need/use, and then look at setups. I think if I were to go with something like a Class A, then I'd need to get a decent little vehicle to tag along. So Class A + new ride. Class B's are neat, post at the end of the last page reminded me of that, but probably going to be a bit small in the end. Could get a good 5th wheel and a new truck for it for about the same or a tick less than just a nice Class A. Doubt that I would end up with a TT and a new truck, but maybe. Mostly not since the 5th is going to tow better overall. Won't be towing all the time, but will be towing distances overall. So that's probably a thing.

Have a lot of research to do, but plenty of time to get it done and keep up on it at least.

 

 

[thunderlounge 8407]

7 hours ago, JMFP said:

Everyone camps different and has a different "perfect" setup, that's why there are so many different types/models.

 

Had some more thought on this.

Some of my basic req's are:

- 80" length bed. King pref, queen ok. But residential size, not RV size. My feet hang off an RV size, so no dice.
- With slideout(s) in, can't block the fridge or door.
- Prefer a door off the bedroom (if possible, and not often on a 5th wheel)
- Kitchen layout that makes sense (good use of space, not an after thought thrown in)
- Pass through bathroom between bedroom and main.

Saw several TT layouts in Flagstaff, Heritage Glen, Rockwood, and Keystone that fit the bill overall, each with their own perks and whatnot. Shouldn't be too big of a thing to find a good, livable layout when the time gets closer.

[fattyflattie 4640]

One thing we learned real quick like and in a hurry was we MUCH preferred a bed that wasn’t part of a slide. So north south bed if that makes sense.  Look into Grand Design too. They seem very well (relative) put together. 

[horn4life 3838]

It's funny. I think changing your mind is sort of what doing the research is all about.  When the big RV shows come back, those are great opportunities to see what features you like, and mainly the one's you think are musts."  We thought we were going to go with a Toy hauler, and over time we wanted more creature comforts.  We also started off looking at a LOT larger than what we have today.  Part of what we want to do is go hit some state parks, and that was a big part of us shrinking our size.  I was surprised at how short a lot of the spaces in National Parks are after doing a little research.  Once we decided on a trailer, Aluminum frame for rigidity and less expansion and contraction was a biggie.  Insulation (winterization package) and a 15K btu AC were super important as well. 

I narrowed my choices more than once, then went onto the Forums (usually Forest River) and changed my mind completely.  I feel pretty good about my purchase so far, especially fucking good when Snowpocalypse gave us 5 days without power.  Got to test generator running day and night, and found out that the old girl is very well insulated.  I need to do a roof inspection and look for any cracking or areas that need resealing, ASAP.  I am going to really check my frame as I likely need to add some reinforcement to the axle hangers.  The wide stance on axles apparently is notorious for frame cracking over time. 

agree on the larger bed. And one of the better perks was the prior owners had already bought an upgraded temperpedic style mattress, it was the larger 60x80 RV queen.  I need to find a topper for it in Summer as it's a little warm.  I guess we are happy until something really fucks up! The Slide out is pretty small as far as extension length but great for us and the dog.  With a darn good amount of storage.

here's a tour if you are bored- 

 

Edited April 20, 2021 by horn4life

[fattyflattie 4640]

1 hour ago, horn4life said:

Part of what we want to do is go hit some state parks, and that was a big part of us shrinking our size.  I was surprised at how short a lot of the spaces in National Parks are after doing a little research. 

This was disappointing to me when I discovered this.  We have a large family and fill ours up quick, so a “24’ or less” that many of the parks require just wouldn’t work. Of course i found that after the fact, but just kinda stung. I had some trips I really wanted to make.  

[davidg 4057]

7 hours ago, fattyflattie said:

This was disappointing to me when I discovered this.  We have a large family and fill ours up quick, so a “24’ or less” that many of the parks require just wouldn’t work. Of course i found that after the fact, but just kinda stung. I had some trips I really wanted to make.  

Haven't seen any with 24 or less.  Maybe BIBE at the Basin but that's more a function of getting up the road into the basin.  Most of the bigger parks I see the limit as 30' or less.  Our trailer cabin 32' oal but only 28' for the cabin and I think that 28' is the measurement that I would use when considering a site.  Are the rangers coming around with a tape measure and checking length to the inch?

[Hawndoh 2409]

Some state parks simply don't have long enough drives and you would stick out into the road.

I have a 20' bunk trailer so we've never found a park we can't fit into, but we've certainly seen spots that wouldn't work for a longer rig.

Usually there are at least a few spots long enough for the big trailers, they are just harder to reserve.

[horn4life 3838]

Actually I meant to say National Parks.  I think I looked at Grand Canyon and Yellowstone.   Interestingly one of our early considerations were smaller 5th wheels, to combat the  drive length issues. You have a LOT of the usable living space extending into the truck cab.  That necessitated 3/4 ton or larger truck, and no ability to ever put it in my driveway at the house to work on it.  My understanding of the rules is that you need all wheels of your vehicles on the paved surfaces at National Parks.  Which I think is true after seeing some funky parking jobs in some google earth RV spot number searches. 

I read something that inside National Parks nationwide there are only like 13 parks with hookups.  So while I feel pretty confident in mastering the "dark arts" of blackwater, haven't had to drag anything to the dump station and dump it.  Though a honey pot did some with the trailer, I am still a virgin in this dept.  I think the main thing is probably simply empty your black tank into the honey bucket well before the tank might overflow the bucket.  I figure fucking up here is about as entertaining to your neighbors as a 14 point back in disaster.  

 

[davidg 4057]

11 hours ago, thunderlounge said:

 

Had some more thought on this.

Some of my basic req's are:

- 80" length bed. King pref, queen ok. But residential size, not RV size. My feet hang off an RV size, so no dice.
- With slideout(s) in, can't block the fridge or door.
- Prefer a door off the bedroom (if possible, and not often on a 5th wheel)
- Kitchen layout that makes sense (good use of space, not an after thought thrown in)
- Pass through bathroom between bedroom and main.

Saw several TT layouts in Flagstaff, Heritage Glen, Rockwood, and Keystone that fit the bill overall, each with their own perks and whatnot. Shouldn't be too big of a thing to find a good, livable layout when the time gets closer.

 

My requirements where:  TT w/10K GVWR or less, 25-30' cabin length, 1 large slideout with couch/dinette, bunkhouse, outside shower, outside kitchen.  We shopped several different brands that has similar floorplans but didn't like the interior decor and styling.  Once my wife started looking at the Grand Design's it was pretty much a foregone conclusion we would buy one of them. 

We ended up with the GD Imagine 2800BH.  Great floorplan for us even as empty nesters.  Can sleep 4 others as singles and alot more if you are small and friendly with your bedmate.  Couch and dinette on slideout makes the inside feel huge when the slide is out.  We can get to the bathroom, cabinets and fridge with the slide in from the rear door, unless we are parked in our storage building and too close to the walls where we can't drop the rear fixed step.  In that case, I can open the slide about 16" and use the front bedroom door to access all of the trailer.

GD's Imagine 2500RL comes close to checking all your boxes in a 30'oal and the Imagine 2910BH does the same with an addition of the bunkhouse which you might not want.   If you can deal without the walk through bathroom the 2600RB almost the same as ours but with out the bunks and the bath turned sideways.

https://www.granddesignrv.com/showroom/2021/travel-trailer/imagine/floorplans

 

Edited April 20, 2021 by davidg

[fattyflattie 4640]

1 hour ago, davidg said:

Haven't seen any with 24 or less.  Maybe BIBE at the Basin but that's more a function of getting up the road into the basin.  Most of the bigger parks I see the limit as 30' or less.  Our trailer cabin 32' oal but only 28' for the cabin and I think that 28' is the measurement that I would use when considering a site.  Are the rangers coming around with a tape measure and checking length to the inch?

Angelina was one. Can’t remember the other but also Eastward.  Not the end of the world.  We can’t make that size happen and I’m right at 38’ OAL so not sneaking it in there either. 

[horn4life 3838]

Grand Design definitely was one of the trailers we were going to look at, had I not gotten the call back on the Coachman.  HAHA I just looked at the video I linked and the wife would be made if you think we bought that crappy interior.  Ours is an upgrade apparently.  For me I REALLY started limiting my searches to aluminum frame and the Azdel siding, as I think it greatly reduces the chance of de-lamination, when compared to Luann.  Plus the additional higher R factor with weight savings, with my Chevy 1500.

In my search for Azdel and aluminum, we even looked at some of the smaller units like Flagstaff E-Pro and Rockwood Geo-Pro with the murphy bed configurations.  But they just seemed too small for more than a long weekend to us. 

[thunderlounge 8407]

3 hours ago, davidg said:

 

My requirements where:  TT w/10K GVWR or less, 25-30' cabin length, 1 large slideout with couch/dinette, bunkhouse, outside shower, outside kitchen.  We shopped several different brands that has similar floorplans but didn't like the interior decor and styling.  Once my wife started looking at the Grand Design's it was pretty much a foregone conclusion we would buy one of them. 

We ended up with the GD Imagine 2800BH.  Great floorplan for us even as empty nesters.  Can sleep 4 others as singles and alot more if you are small and friendly with your bedmate.  Couch and dinette on slideout makes the inside feel huge when the slide is out.  We can get to the bathroom, cabinets and fridge with the slide in from the rear door, unless we are parked in our storage building and too close to the walls where we can't drop the rear fixed step.  In that case, I can open the slide about 16" and use the front bedroom door to access all of the trailer.

GD's Imagine 2500RL comes close to checking all your boxes in a 30'oal and the Imagine 2910BH does the same with an addition of the bunkhouse which you might not want.   If you can deal without the walk through bathroom the 2600RB almost the same as ours but with out the bunks and the bath turned sideways.

https://www.granddesignrv.com/showroom/2021/travel-trailer/imagine/floorplans

 

I’ll be looking through those later tonight. Not anywhere near ready to buy now, bit will be good to get a short list together to have a start later on. 
 

When looking last fall I found a Vibe with an interesting layout. Not for me really, but I can appreciate the thought behind it. 
 

[thunderlounge 8407]

Sorry, got interrupted and cut the above off. 
 

What I found intriguing with the above layout was that it had a bit of BH feature to it, without sacrificing much space for it like most typical BH layouts. Twin bunks right behind the couch in what would otherwise be a RL layout was intriguing. Not really in the way, and great if needed. When not in use, could be used for storage with a minor tweak. Could even go in and build a false wall there to not look at them all the time. 
 

Wouldn’t have quite worked for me, but I can’t remember the exact disqualifying feature. Might have been bed size or something, but it made it to my final cut list. Been a bit since I thought about it so can’t say 100%.

The biggest factor I think that will drive the setup will be whether I keep a permanent residence or not. If I swapped the house payment for a truck/rv payment, then that would be a little lower (unless I super short note it, which would be fine) or neutral on that part of expenses. 
 

Another option is sell the current house, get a smaller one just outside of town (~1500sqft) with a killer outbuilding/shop that’s about 30x40 (or add one.) Could keep it tight and strictly use gain from sale of current house, and then still be in similar shape with no mortgage and only having to nut out taxes and home owners.

I’m damn tempted to upgrade the truck right now. The dealer has been hounding me since last summer to trade up, and last offer was $41k for my 2016 KR (fully loaded, minus chrome package.) That’s ridiculous. I paid just under $52k for it, and had it paid off last Dec. So I went pricking around on ford’s build site the other night and even at MSRP, that trade-in would knock the MSRP price of a similarly equipped 350 KR diesel in half. 
 

But then reality woke me up and I realized I’m in the same spot as I was when I bought my current truck. Was looking at 250, but my garage is just about 18” short of fitting a 250. So 150 it was. Love the truck though. 
 

I did check at the time and I could have had 4’-5’ added onto the garage for about $10k. Thought had about it too, but the fucking HOA was having none of that. Then though about expanding the width into the side yard so that the face would still be the same depth. Yeah, that would have been just over $20k to do that one, so no. HOA still didn’t like it, even if I wanted to. 
 

Could I park it in the driveway? Technically yes, I could. However hail is a bitch, as is sun and its pesky UV. Not to mention all the transients walking through that love to try open doors and key shit when it’s locked.

So... we wait. 

[utee94 16079]

As mentioned above, be sure to check out the big RV shows.  Having so many different manufacturers represented is awesome for seeing all the different possibilities for layout, and also for comparing features and fit and finish.

 

 

[thunderlounge 8407]

 Been to several over the years. More for boats, but they are kind of fun. 
 

I’ll put that on my radar for next spring or thereafter to track a few of those down. I’m about an hour and a half from 2 larger cities, so should have a good opportunity for shows. 

[fattyflattie 4640]

3 hours ago, thunderlounge said:

I did check at the time and I could have had 4’-5’ added onto the garage for about $10k.

The best money I spent when building my house was adding enough footage to fit a 4 door long bed truck.  Cost me 4k.   I don’t park in garage but let’s wife for the XL with room to spare and cabinets on front wall etc. 

[thunderlounge 8407]

35 minutes ago, fattyflattie said:

The best money I spent when building my house was adding enough footage to fit a 4 door long bed truck.  Cost me 4k.   I don’t park in garage but let’s wife for the XL with room to spare and cabinets on front wall etc. 

 

If I ever build one, the garage alone will be able to spaciously fit 2 350’s, plus have a good work space. 

If not building, then the outbuilding will easily handle all that, plus rv, plus boat, etc. 

Outbuilding may end up with more sqft than the house. 😂

[thunderlounge 8407]

On 4/20/2021 at 9:31 AM, davidg said:

We shopped several different brands that has similar floorplans but didn't like the interior decor and styling.  Once my wife started looking at the Grand Design's it was pretty much a foregone conclusion we would buy one of them. 

Been looking through their catalog over the past few nights. Excellent layouts in areas I’m looking. Definitely on the list when the time comes. 

[horn4life 3838]

One thing I did was find the current models I liked, then searched a few years back for similar models. Simply as I wanted to go used and just buy it to not have a payment.  Then I started doing pretty large geographical Craigslist searches to try and find one of the models I found acceptable.  It took me several months, but I go an amazing deal from a fantastic owner.  Probably could sell at at least what I paid for it a year later.  Which is sort of rare in the Travel Trailer world.

Did see something pretty cool the other day on a motor home that I found interesting.  This motorcycle lift.  Got the big bike up out of the way with what looks like a cable winch to lift it up.

FC0C195E-3F58-4757-B6D6-5B9212597453.heic

Edited April 23, 2021 by horn4life

[fattyflattie 4640]

15 minutes ago, horn4life said:

Probably could sell at at least what I paid for it a year later.  Which is sort of rare in the Travel Trailer world.

We fell into the same type of deal. Pretty rare at least in the hot market we’re in now. The biggest issue we found was finding one that didn’t have funky fridge smell, or funky carpet smell, or whatever.  As many crappy ones we looked at (with crazy high covid prices) I felt blessed when we found the one we did. Immediately apparent guy babies it and did things right, needed money for down payment on house, and boom deal done.  Guy said he had calls later that day at full ask but held it overnight till we plopped cash in hand Monday AM.  Honest guy. Wife took him down about $1500 off asking, somehow.  

[CoachTex 2658]

Second run in the trailer.  Hitting up the Nueces.  

[thunderlounge 8407]

On 4/23/2021 at 11:07 AM, fattyflattie said:

We fell into the same type of deal. Pretty rare at least in the hot market we’re in now. The biggest issue we found was finding one that didn’t have funky fridge smell, or funky carpet smell, or whatever.  As many crappy ones we looked at (with crazy high covid prices) I felt blessed when we found the one we did. Immediately apparent guy babies it and did things right, needed money for down payment on house, and boom deal done.  Guy said he had calls later that day at full ask but held it overnight till we plopped cash in hand Monday AM.  Honest guy. Wife took him down about $1500 off asking, somehow.  

I’m thinking currently that the timeline I’m looking at should be decent enough to where the supply has been caught up for a while, and also the buying frenzy has cooled way off. I guess maybe time is on my side for once.

Timeline now is working around when the wife can draw her retirement, which will be in 3 years. We’ve also talked about her staying up to 5, but my guess is as soon as she can she will file the papers.

May start to put things together right before, but not too far. Maybe 6 months before would be about the earliest. Seems like enough time to settle things down, amd if not I can wait a bit. 
 

Only real downside is I won't get near what I would now for trading in the truck since trade values are high. But also not parking a new one outside for 3 years or a little more. Oh well. Got to balance where you can. 

[Pato del Muerto 53453]

So now that I’m back in Texas, and it’s close to Memorial Day, I’ve started shopping for a gen set that will power the a/c.  Trying to keep to a budget of $500, which seems to put me into the single fuel/open frame/pull start 3500-4000 category. 
 

had been using the little 1500 just to run lights and fridge and power up the battery each day. 
 

also want something light enough to get in and out of the truck bed. 

this 

https://www.target.com/p/wen-gn400i-4000w-open-frame-inverter-generator/-/A-82133247?ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=google_pla_df&fndsrc=tgtao&DFA=71700000012577535&CPNG=PLA_Patio%2BGarden%2BShopping|Patio%2BGarden_Ecomm_Home&adgroup=SC_Patio%2BGarden&LID=700000001170770pgs&LNM=PRODUCT_GROUP&network=g&device=m&location=1026424&targetid=pla-1141135352139&ds_rl=1246978&ds_rl=1248099&ds_rl=1247068&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI0KeXh8GZ8AIV4Qh9Ch3lCQuJEAQYBSABEgKX8PD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

is looking good right now. 
 

any chance I can get by with one of the whisper quiet 2500 guys?  Or find a deal where I can get a pair of 2k at my budget?

[utee94 16079]

I strongly advise against getting open-frame gennys for camping, they're just unbelievably loud.  You'll get tired of it, and any nearby camping neighbors you have, will really hate you for it. 

Inrush current on the startup of the A/C is the biggest challenge.  I don't think a 2500 will handle it.  My Honda 3500 did and my current Champion 3800 does.  A pair of 2000s in parallel will also handle it.  I don't know whether or not you'll be able to meet your needs with your budget, but I highly recommend getting an inverter style, no matter the cost.

[Pato del Muerto 53453]

The one I linked is inverter- just open framed so not quite as quiet. But they are much better in noise and weight, if I can’t get all the way up to the fully enclosed inverter pair. 

[horn4life 3838]

18 minutes ago, Pato del Muerto said:

So now that I’m back in Texas, and it’s close to Memorial Day, I’ve started shopping for a gen set that will power the a/c.  Trying to keep to a budget of $500, which seems to put me into the single fuel/open frame/pull start 3500-4000 category. 
 

had been using the little 1500 just to run lights and fridge and power up the battery each day. 
 

also want something light enough to get in and out of the truck bed. 

this 

https://www.target.com/p/wen-gn400i-4000w-open-frame-inverter-generator/-/A-82133247?ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=google_pla_df&fndsrc=tgtao&DFA=71700000012577535&CPNG=PLA_Patio%2BGarden%2BShopping|Patio%2BGarden_Ecomm_Home&adgroup=SC_Patio%2BGarden&LID=700000001170770pgs&LNM=PRODUCT_GROUP&network=g&device=m&location=1026424&targetid=pla-1141135352139&ds_rl=1246978&ds_rl=1248099&ds_rl=1247068&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI0KeXh8GZ8AIV4Qh9Ch3lCQuJEAQYBSABEgKX8PD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

is looking good right now. 
 

any chance I can get by with one of the whisper quiet 2500 guys?  Or find a deal where I can get a pair of 2k at my budget?

One thing to consider here is the Sound level of the Generator.  When researching National Parks, in addition to seeing a lot of length limitation you are limited in the decibel level of your generator.   I believe the current law is 60 decibels, or lower.  The frame Inverter you have above s gonna be loud as fuck.  The other consideration for me was I wanted to be able to run off both propane and gasoline.  I figured that hauling a bunch of propane in the bed of the truck for a few days on the beach might be preferable to multiple 5 gallon gasoline containers expanding in the heat.

The other thing I learned was that the ONLY thing you really need the extra capacity for is to kick over the AC compressor at the start.  I too wanted something light enough to put in the bed of the truck.  I contemplated spending like  $350 for a "Soft Start" for the AC.  As the 3500 watt range inverters were in the weight class I could still hoist up into the bed alone if need be.  I went with this Champion 3400 watt dual fuel model.  Works great, under the decibel limit and gas/propane can be found most anywhere. Even at the economy setting it will kick on my AC, and run everything else at the same time except BOTH the AC and the Microwave.  I also made sure that I could "pair" my inverter with another one to boost the capacity if later I needed more power.   

You need to do some math to see what your real energy needs are, but even on the eco setting with the slightly lesser wattage of propane my AC worked fine. And in Texas with a wife... the fucking AC is EVERYTHING!  Only other suggestion is be very smart about breaking the unit in, and spend extra money on oil changes in the first few hours of break in.  The technology is such that you WILL be pulling out metal shavings, during break in. So a few extra dollars for oil to make a few early changes is well worth the cost, for the longevity of the unit.

[horn4life 3838]

I also contemplated buying a pair of harbor freight 2000 watt models and linking them.  But they are about $500 each but find a coupon! The reviews for these units looked solid, but no dual fuel was my issue.  Again break in properly!!!

[Pato del Muerto 53453]

The harbor freight 2300/1800 ones say they run at 65 db- which I believe is the same as the open frame 4k one I linked above states. 

[fattyflattie 4640]

@horn4life what is the run time on propane look like?   Although I don’t think we’ll ever get to where we are boondocking, I’ve been beefing up the trailer as such. Extra battery capacity, working to figure out solar next.   But eventually I might pick up a few of those inverter gensets.  I have some larger and much larger (and nosier) already.  But would be nice to have something small enough to easily hump around and daisy chain like that.  

[CoachTex 2658]

I have a question as I am a newbie to this. Taking the trailer out once a month. The rest of the time it sit on a pad next to our driveway not pluggedin.  It will sit about 5 weeks max between pulls. So should I drain the water out of everything between pulls? Should a roof vent be left open when sitting on the pad? When sitting should main breaker be off or on?  When y'all pull is the electric cut off open or closed. Just wanted advise from the more experienced pullers here.  I appreciate it. 

[utee94 16079]

6 hours ago, Pato del Muerto said:

The harbor freight 2300/1800 ones say they run at 65 db- which I believe is the same as the open frame 4k one I linked above states. 

65 dB isn't particularly quiet.  The Hondas top out when generating at max power around 57 dB, and the good knockoffs might get up to about 59 dB.

You have to keep in mind the decibel scale is logarithmic, so an increase from 57 to 65 is almost double.  A 10 dB difference represents twice the loudness.

 

Edited April 25, 2021 by utee94

[davidg 4057]

We generally put our trailer in our driveway overnight after a trip to clean the inside, empty food, and wash bedding and towels. We them put them back in the trailer before hauling to storage. I also pull the water tank drain and empty it and refill propane if needed. If I had easy access to my trailer (ie stored at home) I would close it up, leave power turned on and put a small dehumidifier in it running continuously and then check on it periodically to drain out.

[utee94 16079]

^^^^

We do the same.  After a camping trip, we keep the trailer alongside our house (we have a corner lot) overnight, so we can clean all dishes, wash all linens, sweep and mop, perform any maintenance necessary, and then the next day take it off to storage.

One other thing we do is clean out the refrigerators with cleaners that include bleach, and leave them open overnight to thoroughly defrost.  I also store with all refrigerator doors open.
 

[Pato del Muerto 53453]

I know some people that open the clean water drain as they leave and have it drain while they are driving home. 

[horn4life 3838]

4 hours ago, fattyflattie said:

@horn4life what is the run time on propane look like?   Although I don’t think we’ll ever get to where we are boondocking, I’ve been beefing up the trailer as such. Extra battery capacity, working to figure out solar next.   But eventually I might pick up a few of those inverter gensets.  I have some larger and much larger (and nosier) already.  But would be nice to have something small enough to easily hump around and daisy chain like that.  

I think the Eco mode is like 25% of max but according to the literature my unit will  run 7.5 hours of run time on a full tank of gasoline or 14.5 hours on propane.  Which seem right on my numbers.  I figured that if I was boondocking at the beach I would likely not run the generator for a lot of the day, and run it at night.  I thought about maybe installing some mounts under our be where there is a bunch of storage to make space for two extra tanks.  But that would only be if I got really, really serious about boondocking and then I would be likely dropping the big coin on solar and a shit ton Lithium battery for storage.

[utee94 16079]

2 minutes ago, horn4life said:

I think the Eco mode is like 25% of max but according to the literature my unit will  run 7.5 hours of run time on a full tank of gasoline or 14.5 hours on propane.  Which seem right on my numbers.  I figured that if I was boondocking at the beach I would likely not run the generator for a lot of the day, and run it at night.  I thought about maybe installing some mounts under our be where there is a bunch of storage to make space for two extra tanks.  But that would only be if I got really, really serious about boondocking and then I would be likely dropping the big coin on solar and a shit ton Lithium battery for storage.

Running a standard RV A/C via solar is a major challenge.  A generator is really the best solution.  We boondock a lot during the Texas heat in summer so the A/C is mandatory, and I'd estimate 5 gallons of gas lasts about 2 days if you're running A/C full time.

But, as you say, if you're at the beach then you're likely not running the A/C all day.  I mean, we did when we had infants and had to keep the RV cool throughout the day for naps and such, but once the kids were over 5 or 6 years old, we just keep it open all day and stay outside mostly, and run the genny at night to cool down the RV for sleeping

 

[Pato del Muerto 53453]

I’ve got 3 solar panels and a controller in the camper that need to be installed- but the camper doesn’t have an inverter so that setup as is won’t help with any ac power.  Thought about buying a cheap inverter with outlets  that I can keep in a cabinet and alligator clip to the battery posts when needed for small devices, but I can do that from the truck so it seems redundant- though using solar instead of diesel is probably a good thing. 

Edited April 25, 2021 by Pato del Muerto

[horn4life 3838]

1 minute ago, Pato del Muerto said:

I’ve got 3 solar panels and a controller in the camper that need to be installed- but the camper doesn’t have an inverter so that setup as is won’t help with any ac power.  Thought about buying a cheap inverter with outlets  that I can keep in a cabinet and alligator clip to the battery poles when needed for small devices, but I can do that from the truck so it seems redundant- though using solar instead of diesel is probably a good thing. 

Yeah my understanding is that the controller is simply to keep the batteries charged.  The inverter is what converts the battery power into A/C current.  I keep toying with the idea of solar, but Solar is only as good as your batteries. 

[Pato del Muerto 53453]

28 minutes ago, horn4life said:

Yeah my understanding is that the controller is simply to keep the batteries charged.  The inverter is what converts the battery power into A/C current.  I keep toying with the idea of solar, but Solar is only as good as your batteries. 

Yes. Solar makes dc power. It’s easy to send that dc power to the battery or batteries, but to use any of it as ac power while boondocking you need an inverter. The ac to dc converter that some have to convert shore power to dc to charge the battery isn’t a 2 way exchange. 
 

my little 40 year old camper I just sold didn’t even have that so the only time the battery charged was when it was plugged in to the truck and the alternator was feeding it. 

Edited April 25, 2021 by Pato del Muerto

[davidg 4057]

 
 

The main thing with solar is to consider what all you want to power and then figure out how much battery and solar you would need to power those loads for the amount of time you would want.  As mentioned above, ACs are pretty much a no go unless you spend $$$ for a lot of panels, lithium batteries and big inverters. 

For our trailer, I primarily wanted to be able to run the furnace and lights for ~12-14 hrs off of the battery.  I installed 2 6V 230AH golf cart batteries for storage,  a 20A output MPPT solar controller and have 2 100W solar panels.  I will probably add a 500 W pure sign wave inverter to be able to power a couple of AC outlets.  It really won’t be able to do much other than power a laptop and TV but that’s about all the AC loads I would like run off off batteries anyway.  The microwave would be nice but most take a 1.5-2K inverter to get it started and those are a bit more expensive that I would want to spend.

Solar Powered RV’s and Boondocking is a good FB group if you are considering adding solar to your RV and want to see some installations and ask questions.

[Pato del Muerto 53453]

Just found this- seems too good to be true

Hudson Motors 3300-Watt Super Quiet Portable Inverter Generator, Gas Powered, CARB Compliant, Eco-Mode Feature, Ultra Lightweight for Backup Home Use & Camping https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08HGPKCLG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_QT2MH62FAM6Y0DZJ4ZXY

[davidg 4057]

Maybe, but I would buy toilet paper off Amazon if it only had 6 reviews

[Pato del Muerto 53453]

3 minutes ago, davidg said:

Maybe, but I would buy toilet paper off Amazon if it only had 6 reviews

It’s also the only product I can find from Hudson motors on Amazon 

[davidg 4057]

10 minutes ago, Pato del Muerto said:

It’s also the only product I can find from Hudson motors on Amazon 

If you are worried about quietness I would just get the HF Predator 3500 inverter.    If you buy it before midnight tomorrow it is at least tax free.  Maybe you can find a coupon? Dunno.

Most of our generator use is/will be at our ranch so I wasn’t so worried about noise.  I ended up with a Ryobi 3400W inverter open frame and it has been good for my purposes.  Cows don’t seem to mind either ...

 

 

Edited April 26, 2021 by davidg

[ShaggyBevo RIP 3873]

Read up here- https://generatorbible.com/blog/

BTW- generators less than$3K are on the Texas emergency supplies tax holiday until 12  o'clock tonight.  https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/nbc-5-responds/stock-up-on-emergency-supplies-during-tax-free-weekend-2/2613634/

[troph 25198]

we went to the coast this past weekend.  pretty good time.  I met my partner and her parents on friday with my kids, so I didn't drive it down but I did drive it back.  That was a highlight.  I forgot how much fun it is to haul a fifth wheel across the state.  weather was perfect but we didn't do much because of her parents age (mid 80s).  They drove their 40 foot motor home though from Bryan to Bolivar, so that alone was impressive.  They love crab boils so we went crabbing, caught a few then found the restaurant supplier and bought a couple dozen from him.  that was probably the highlight of the trip.  kids oddly said they had a great time. 

we have it all down to a method and a science now.  took 15 minutes to pack up the back and but for the kitchen mess the kids left the front would have been just as quick.  this year is going to be much smoother and easier than last year, that's for sure.  I wouldn't call it a year to save money on travel but the spending appears to be slowing way down which is great.   Colorado this summer and back to the texas coast a time or two in the fall.

didn't get to fish, the octogenarians wanted to crab and then from there the days just went slower because of their pace.  I'm guessing the fishing gods will reward me soon enough for my good deeds.

[fattyflattie 4640]

2 hours ago, troph said:

didn't get to fish, the octogenarians wanted to crab and then from there the days just went slower because of their pace.  I'm guessing the fishing gods will reward me soon enough for my good deeds.

Nothing wrong will a slow day of crabbing, imo.  I’d take a few of those days right now in a heartbeat.