When the RV life comes calling, it’s hard to resist. The open road, endless campsites and the amenities of home no matter where you go! But shopping for an RV can feel a bit overwhelming – especially if you haven’t done your research yet! So, where do you start?
Read on to learn the questions to ask yourself to help you when shopping for an RV so you can find the perfect model for your needs!
What Is Your Budget?
The number one question when it comes to shopping for an RV is your budget. This is a great starting point for you to figure out what range of vehicles are right for you. This can help narrow down major choices like whether to get a new RV or a used one.
RV prices have a massive range depending on what you’re shopping for. Modest trailers can be purchased at extremely low costs, where massive luxury RVs can a major investment that reflects their interiors as a spacious home-on-wheels!
Ask yourself what your top end is for purchasing an RV – but try to keep it a bit flexible. Like cars or homes, when you find the RV that’s right for you, it often jumps out and feels like you found “The One.” You’ll be spending a lot of time in your RV, so you want to make sure your investment is in the right model!
What Is Your Tow Vehicle?
Your budget isn’t the only logistical concern when it comes to figuring out the best RV for you! When shopping for an RV, you should also make sure you understand your tow vehicle’s limits on what it can and cannot pull. Every tow vehicle and every RV will come with a list of important numbers to consider, like towing capacity, gross vehicle weight rating and more. Pay close attention to these numbers.
Some compact RVs are surprisingly lightweight and can be towed by even modest SUVs. But many trailers out there are going to require you to own a larger vehicle with hefty tow capacity. Nobody wants to get attached to an RV only to find out they can’t actually pull it!
Additionally, if your tow vehicle is a truck, you’ll have a large pool of “fifth wheels” available to you. These types of RVs use a unique fifth wheel connection to the bed of your truck, which comes with its own benefits!
How Many People Do You Plan to Camp With?
From the outside, RVs may look pretty similar. But when you step inside, you’ll quickly realize that even two identically sized RVs can have extremely different interiors! That means you need to think about what your RV interior really needs – and that often hinges on how many people you plan to camp with!
RVs can sleep anywhere from just a few campers to a dozen. Between luxurious master bedrooms, bunkbeds and convertible sofas, there’s an RV for a family or group of friends of every size. While the specific amenities of an RV may be negotiable, you want to make sure you always have enough room for anyone who plans to tag along on your relaxing trips over the years.
Do you plan to just camp with you alone? You and a spouse? Your whole family? Do you expect friends to come along? All of these questions can dictate what type of RV you need to keep everyone comfortable. Bunkhouse RVs can be a great option for big families – but if you don’t need that kind of sleeping capacity, you could opt for a toy hauler instead and to bring your ATVs or other fun bonuses along with you on your trip.
How Important is Off-the-Grid Camping to You?
Shopping for an RV means understanding how you plan to use it. Not every RV is built for the same types of camping trips as others. While they’ll all provide you excellent shelter and some comforts from home, some RVs are better suited for going off the grid than others.
If your RV goal is the dream of parking out in the middle of nowhere and enjoying serenity for a day or a week, you’ll want to make sure your RV is equipped to stay charged away from a hookup station. That means extra battery capacity, deep cycle batteries, and even solar power features to help supplement your daily electronics usage.
Beyond that, you’ll also want to consider things like the size of the fresh water tank, storage for propane, and anything else that may limit how long you can stay away from civilization on your trip. The higher the capacity for storing these critical resources, the longer you’ll be able to extend your stay.
What Type of Amenities Do You Want?
Are you the type of person who wants to explore your destination and only return to your RV when you’re exhausted and ready to hit the hay? Or are you looking for that home-away-from-home that lets you sit down in a heavenly recliner and watch sports even when you’re 1,000 miles away from your house?
Every RV comes with some standard amenities. Things like a place to sleep, store your stuff, and even cook. But what about luxury seating? Big screen TVs? Residential-sized refrigerators or beds? All of these bonuses are things you can find – if you want them!
RVs can provide a complete “home” experience or simply act as a retreat when you need it. When shopping for an RV, think about your dream vacation. How much time do you plan to spend in your RV? Do you think that might change over the years? Answering these questions can help you decide how many luxury amenities you need.
Who Will Be Driving?
When shopping for an RV, knowing who will be doing the driving should be a consideration. After all, if you’re not comfortable towing a large vehicle, you may want to think about some of the smaller RV options. Larger RVs can be more challenging to maneuver. Drivers that don’t feel comfortable towing these RVs may be discouraged from using them at all. The last thing you want to do is get an RV that you won’t want to be taking out every weekend!
If you’ll be sharing the responsibility of driving, talk about your thoughts on towing! RVs are often shared within a family, so there could be several people planning to drive.
When you do finally buy your RV, make sure to take some time to get everyone familiar with towing it in a safe space. This can be an empty parking lot, or space at home if you have it.
How Long Will You Be RVing?
An RV is an investment. It’s something you could potentially be enjoying for years and years to come. Or you may only be interested in RVing for the short term, with no real long term plans after taking a few years to travel and enjoy the world. Whatever it may be, having the right expectation for how long you’re planning to use an RV can help you determine the right type of RV to buy, especially in terms of new versus used.
If you’re just dipping your toes into the RV ocean, it can be a good idea to start small and move up to bigger RVs as you get more familiar with how much you enjoy RVing and what types of additional amenities you want out of one. After all, you could start RVing only to realize you don’t need a handful of the features your RV came with.
On the flip side, if you’re planning to go for the long haul, and maybe even transition into full time RVing, you may want to get as many amenities as you can. It’s better to have more than less, especially if you’re living in the RV!
Contact RV Wholesale Superstore
The professionals at RV Wholesale Superstore are ready to help you find the perfect RV for you and your family. Visit us in-person at 5080 W. Alexis Road, in Sylvania, OH or call us at (419) 786-1126
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