This brought back so many memories of camping when I was younger. That's insane that people just waltz right through your campsite. It's not just us then, peoples' behavior really have changed. It's like peoples' minds are just disconnected sometimes, completely elsewhere. Maybe it's a little of that coupled with people being more self-absorbed/entitled in general.
How long did it take you to get used to pulling that huge camper? We're on the brink of moving out of the condo and buying a house and once we do we'll probably get some kind of a camper too. I'm on the fence about whether to get a pull-behind or a motorhome. We have to really think about how we're going to use it. We had originally thought we'd get a motorhome and use it to drive down to Sedona and live in the winter but the even the Class B's get horrendous gas mileage (8-10mpg). I'm thinking a trailer might be best for just local/regional camping.
Yeah, I think self absorbed and entitled definitely fits the bill on this one. It's absolutely mind numbing. I guess I shouldn't be surprised as courtesy and decorum seem to have left the norm a long time ago. That's a bit of a loaded question on the trailer, so settle in! :) My old truck had a towing capacity of 7700 pounds, it was a 1500 half ton. The trailer unloaded weighs about 6600 pounds, so by the time you add all your gear, plus all the stuff in the back of the truck plus ourselves, we were really pushing the limits of that 7700 pounds and you could feel it. It was a white knuckle experience towing with the old truck. My newer 2500 truck has a tow capacity of like 14,000 pounds, so it's a whole different experience. I still only get about 10 miles per gallon and the truck is an absolute tank which makes it a bit difficult to drive around busy tourist towns when you are traveling. A motor home isn't going to get you much better gas mileage, but you can also tow something fun behind it like a Jeep or another smaller vehicle. That makes going out on excursions easier, plus you don't have to pack up your motorhome and then re park it everytime you want to go out. Also take into account the maintenance. RV's require a lot of it whether it is tow behind or a motor home. Sitting out on the sun can lead to cracks in the caulk and cause water damage. I've already had to have a portion of my roof replaced. I now climb up and check the roof two to three times a season. I'd plan a couple thousand each year for maintenance alone. What you don't use you can bank for when you have a major issue like a leak or a engine problem or whatever.
Thanks for the advice. This actually changed my perspective a bit. I think a smaller Class B might be the way to go for us. I've been looking at the Ford Transit chasis with a gasoline engine and the Mercedes Sprinter with a diesel. It seems the Ford is the better of the two from a maintenance perspective. I'm hearing it's next to impossible to find mechanics who can work on the Sprinters and the diesel motors can be very finicky if they aren't tuned perfectly. I think my mind is made up. : )
Oh, that's right, I forgot you were looking for a Class B. If my wife and I ever went that route, we would probably go with a small class A, but I think there are some really nice Class C's that still allow you to have a "toad" (vehicle towed behind).