During the course of the year, we have the pleasure of meeting many prospective RV enthusiasts at RV shows and events. The conversation usually includes questions about the suitability of each type of RV for the family. Here are some thoughts on the subject, for the benefit of those just embarking on their RV adventures.

Many young families with children prefer the low cost hard top tent trailers for weekend and holiday vacations in provincial and state parks. This lightweight unit combines the open-air feeling of being in a tent up, but off the ground with the convenience of being towable by many of today's compact family cars and vans. Most fold-down camping trailers open to a large bright daytime area with sleeping accommodations for six or eight campers. Many owners carry the children's bicycles or a canoe on a roof rack as they travel during the day.

Slide-in truck campers with solid walls, a queen size bed over the cab of the truck, a kitchen counter with a stove and refrigerator, a dinette to seat four and sometimes a washroom fill the bill for the Rver who is interested in getting to the back country roads for hunting, fishing, or hiking. Many people who already own pickup trucks opt for the slide-in camper so that they can use their truck for both work and play. When the truck gets old, you can simply buy a newer model and still keep the same camper. When you arrive at your destination, the camper can be easily removed and the truck driven out from underneath, this gives you a vehicle for sightseeing and backwoods driving. Many slide-in camper owners also tow a trailer with a fishing boat, personal watercraft, or snowmobile.

The travel trailer is easily towed by a car, van, or SUV leaving you free to park the trailer on site in the campground, and use your vehicle for local trips, shopping, and sightseeing. The trailer is ready to live in as soon as you stop at your favourite campsite. It's not essential on a rainy night to unhitch and put up the roof as with a hard top tent camper.

Travel trailers come in sizes of approximately 13-feet to 35 feet, giving a great selection of floor plans. Some families opt for the smaller lightweight units with beds that pull out from each end so that it resembles a hard top tent trailer with solid walls. They can tow the lightweight behind a van for trips to their favourite campground, while other families go for the longer travel units with private bedrooms in the rear. As people tend to stay away from home for longer periods, they select bigger trailers that provide a comfortable bedroom, extra closet space, and a relaxing living area where they can read or watch TV. (Top)

The fifth wheel trailer is designed to be towed with a pickup truck. Its size may range from an eighteen footer towed with a compact truck up to a 40 footer with three slide outs that may require a one-ton truck with dual wheels. Since the fifth wheel trailer is mounted over the rear axle of the truck bed, the trailer tows like a pussycat... with very little sway from passing trucks and buses. One advantage of the 5th wheel trailer is that the master bedroom is over the bed of the truck creating less overall length on the road. The longer units are preferred by retirees who are going to spend a lot of time on the road since they need the extra storage space, comfortable beds, and living rooms as these units will be their home away from home. Some of these large units also come equipped with washers and dryers along with as many as three slide outs for extra floor space. The trailer can be parked for extended periods of time at the destination and used like a house or cottage, freeing the truck up for everyday driving and sightseeing. Even though the 5th wheel will sleep six people, consider the logical travelling capacity - the dinette generally seats four, and unless you have a crew cab truck, your tow vehicle can accommodate only two people. In practice, many of the larger RV units are used by two people who like their space and want lots of room for storage. Both Mother and Dad will feel at home driving this combination on the road, as today's trucks are as comfortable as luxury cars.

If you are interested in staying in one spot in a village-like atmosphere, a park model is for you. These RV's are intended to be used as cottages, not for travel. So look over the parks carefully, be sure that all your interests are met by the campground or resort. Most park models are 35 to 40 feet long and have extra sunrooms or porches added for more outdoor relaxing and entertaining space. Many manufacturers now build these units up to 12 and 14-feet wide, and some have two units bolted together (called a double wide) to give the same floor space as a modern home. These units are not normally self-contained, so they must be connected to electricity, water and sewer lines in the campground or resort. Many townships in Canada do not allow units over four hundred square feet or they will be taxed as mobile homes. Before you buy, be sure to check with the local authorities where you intend to have your unit set up to be sure that it meets local zoning restrictions. Most parks have some type of restriction that the unit may not be occupied for all twelve months of the year. The park model makes an ideal location to enjoy winter sports such as snowmobiling and cross-country skiing. (Top)

The van camper, often called a Class B motorhome, has grown in the past few years to include wider bodies for more interior room. These units have sometimes been called converted vans, since they start life as a van that could be used for delivering flowers or as a work vehicle. The van body arrives at a factory where all the necessary interior living facilities are added. These include a two-burner stove, a small refrigerator, clothes closets, washroom facilities, and a bed. Today almost all van conversions are equipped also with air conditioning. This unit is ideal for the couple that want to cover long distances without actually having to set up camp every night. Just drive in, plug in the electrical cord, top up the water tank, and rest up for the next days drive. It is often used as a second car during the week, and this RV unit can be utilized for camping and many other purposes.

The first step up from the van camper is the Class C motorhome that has a living area, kitchen and bath permanently mounted on the chassis, and a king size bed above the drivers compartment of a standard truck cab. It is often called a mini-liner and comes in lengths from 20 to 31-feet. The shorter units are normally purchased by families who need sleeping space for up to six campers. Both the sofa and dinette break down to form beds at night. RV'ers who intend to spend a long time on the road usually go for the bigger units since they have more comfortable rear bedrooms, more closet space, a bigger bathroom, and a relaxing area at the front. Ladies often feel comfortable driving the Class C motorhome since it looks like a car at the front, with a door on each side that makes it easy to enter and exit. Just remember that it is eight-feet wide and ten feet high, not six-feet like a car. (Top)

Class A motorhomes are built on a large truck chassis with the driving and living compartments all in one area. You can walk upright from one area to another and when stopped, the driver's and passenger's chairs can be rotated to become part of the living and entertaining area. Many Class A motorhome have a large bedroom in the rear with closets and a bathroom, a sitting area with a sofa and chairs, a kitchen counter with three-burner stove and oven, and a four seat dinette. This is the choice of many campers who want the best of facilities and all the comforts of home when on the road. It's possible to tow a boat or small car behind to use at your destination. This can't be done with a travel trailer or 5th wheel. The class A is a class act, if you have itchy feet and don't want to stay in one place for a long time, and want to explore new areas, the class A motorhome is for you.

Bus style Class A motorhomes, generally referred to as motor coaches, are the top of the line in luxury for life on the road. Most of the RV'ers we have met who own Prevost, MCI, or Eagle bus conversions have sold the family farm or the business so that they can live full-time on the road. The bigger they are, the fewer people they sleep. These units usually cost about $500,000 to $750,000 so money is no object - when you drive in to a campground, people know you have arrived. These buses have a large diesel engine in the rear, cavernous storage areas under the floor, and many of them are all electrically powered, with no propane appliances. So they often have to run a large generator to supply enough electricity to operate the electric stove, the electric refrigerator, the toaster, the washer and dryer, and up to three roof air conditioners. Power inverters and generators are popular equipment for the motor coach enthusiast - some campgrounds just do not have enough electrical power for these units.

Before you select your new RV, many factors will come into play. The size of your family, the RV lifestyle you are contemplating, whether you wish to travel or stay in one place, and last but certainly not least, your budget concerns as you embark on the exciting journey into RV'ing. (Top)