Medium Size RVs

These make a lot of sense for someone who moves around a lot and wants all the comforts of a RV and doesn't need the space and features of a full-time home.

Mini-Motorhomes

Mini Motorhome

Mini-motorhomes are also called class C RVs.  They are built on van frames with everything behind the driver's cab built by the RV manufacturer.  Some old models were built on truck frames.  With a strong enough engine a class C can tow a runaround car (usually called a "toad").

The purchase cost of class C's runs $70,000 and up. Fuel, maintenance, licensing, and insurance costs are correspondingly lower than for motorhomes. They're a lot more maneuverable and able to go where big rigs can't. And they are surprisingly comfortable: a lot of full-timers do quite well in them.

Travel Trailers

Teardrop Trailer

Travel trailers vary in size and weight over a very wide range.  At the extreme small end there are teardrop trailers costing a few thousand dollars.  With basic tools a person could build his own using plans offered by several persons, for example this one on ebay, for a few hundred.  At the big end they can be as big as some fifth-wheels.  For conventional travel trailers prices run $15,000 to $40,000.

In between is the fiberglass travel trailer. The two biggest manufacturers are Scamp and Casita and there are eight or so more. People who own these trailers praise them highly, more highly than any other RV owners praise theirs. Keep in mind that these owners know exactly what they're getting: all the amenities they want with supreme compactness. The trailers

Travel Trailer

are highly maneuverable and can be towed with smaller vehicles than regular travel trailers. You have to do a bit of detective work to see if your car is big enough: find out from the owner or dealer how much the trailer you're considering weighs and then look in the owner's manual for your car to see its capability. Costs for the smallest barebones units start around $8000 but rise quickly for bigger units and more amenities; Casitas cost more than most of the others.

We should interject some comments here about the safety of travel trailers. If the trailer is big compared to the towing vehicle it is subject to going out of control in high winds and on slick roads, even rain-soaked roads. A fast semi rig passing you can blow you off the road. A serious issue is sway action while going

Fiberglass Trailer

downhill.

What happens in trailer sway is that any kind of sideways action on the trailer (wind or just uneven pavement) causes the trailer hitch to push the rear of the tow vehicle sideways. It imparts a lot of force if the trailer weighs much more than the tow vehicle. When the driver corrects for the sideways push, the trailer is jolted the other way and in a fraction of a second it pushes the tow vehicle sideways again, but harder. In addition, the trailer is rocking on its own suspension which makes the forces even stronger. Going downhill is worse than uphill because the action on the tow vehicle's rear is more sideways, whereas if you're going uphill the weight of the trailer tends to keep the tow vehicle in line.  The Los Angeles Times has posted an illustration of how trailer sway caused an accident.

You can stop the sway by actuating the trailer brakes, but if the hill is long enough you could overheat the brakes. There are some things you can do to help: adding sway bars, stiffening up the tow-vehicle's rear suspension, raising the pressure in the tow-vehicle's tires and the trailer's tires. But it'll still be less stable than any other kind of vehicle.

This instability issue is why fifth-wheels were invented.  Putting the hitch ahead of the truck's rear axle greatly reduces the leverage of the trailer on the tow vehicle and makes fifth-wheels considerably safer.

Pickup Campers

Pickup Camper

The advantage of travel trailers is that they are cheaper than class C's if you already have a car or truck that can do the towing anyway. However, an even cheaper choice is a pickup camper. Truck-mounted campers are very maneuverable and are safer than travel trailers if the truck suspension is stiff enough and the tires are inflated. They have more ground clearance than either class C's or trailers. Space inside is more limited, but people spend most of their time outdoors anyway. Some people use screened canopies to get more space. If you spend a few days at one place you can off-load the camper and take excursions in the truck.