EARLY AMERICAN RV
“In my day” my crusty Hoolie friends tell me, “hard core dirt bike riders, and I mean ‘old school’ hard core…used to camp out in the southwestern deserts every weekend from October to May with nothing more than a used paint tarp for a sleeping bag and a 9MM to ward off the scorpions and the coyote”.
Their dirt bikes, they tell me, were loaded on the back of beat up ole work trucks or towed behind borrowed family cars on home made trailers. They, rebellious teenage boys and die hard daredevils mostly, would stay for days and days at a time in their dust and sand desert “spots” with no thoughts of the comforts of home at all…..just for the joy of free style riding. They lived on nothing but adrenaline, beer, beef jerky, cigs, and fuel. Fresh water and real food were for the weak. Toilets were for the dainty. Showers were….well, they just weren’t an option. Sometimes they ate cactus for breakfast. Needles and all.
Flash forward thirty years or so. These same guys got married, got rich, or just got “over” the dirt in their skivvies and the joy of watching their buddies relieving themselves on their truck tires all weekend. I am guessing the cold beef jerky and the cactus meals lost their charm too.
At some point, some guy, some where, after some days of dry tent camping in the desert told himself that….
“I need a trailer to haul my toys to the dez. Nothing fancy….just something enclosed, and big enough to store a coupla motorcycles and maybe a three wheeler, and that is it.”
“OK, maybe I need to bring enough gas to keep the toys going for a week. I also need space for tools, spare parts, and riding gear. And an air compressor. ”
“It would be great if I could sleep in it, so it should have a bed. I’ll be getting hungry, so a fridge, a grill, and a stove are in order. After I eat, well, eventually nature takes it’s course, so I want a bathroom. With running water. And a shower. So make that hot and cold running water. Enough for a week. I’ll be bringing my family, so times that water by four, and since the BLM frowns on dumping, er, anything, in the desert, I’ll need some holding tanks too.”
Well, we all know that “Necessity is the Mother of Invention”…..soooooo
Some one invented the Toy Hauler. Coulda been invented by endurance style race teams (Dakar, Baja) wanting to get their teams and themselves to the desert early for pre runs, and to set up support teams at remote locations, and stay there for awhile.
But I doubt it.
More likely, it was a dad wanting to make the wife and kids comfy in the dez so he could ride with his “boyz” on the weekends (just like the old days)….with no noise from the peanut gallery. And then, lo and behold, the wife and kids began to ride too. The desert experience became a family event, and Toy Haulers became the perfect RV for desert camping and riding.
Right? Well, no…..not so much……at least not for me!!
When I finally decided to take the plunge into OHV riding and desert camping, I bought a Class A RV, not a Toy Hauler.
Here were my choices and why I got a Class A for Desert Camping:
Toy Hauler:
Upside: Toy haulers are the very best for remote desert camping. It is exactly what they were designed to do! They have big tanks for holding lots of fresh water, big holding tanks for waste, and the most efficient space for toy storage that converts to usable living/sleeping area after the toys are removed. Toy Haulers take your family, your toys, and your basic comforts and put them right in the middle of your favorite playground. How great is that? All you need is a good strong truck.
Downside: You will a good strong truck to pull a Toy Hauler. It is called a Tow Vehicle, just like the ones used for Travel Trailers and 5th Wheel Campers, and is not something that you would normally use for day to day use. You have to get exactly the right TV for your rig and to manage your total weight, including truck, toys, kids, water, food, and crap that we like to bring to set outside.
Let me digress here for a moment. I want to know how some how folks go on Everest hikes (where they actually have to bring their own air to breathe) with only what they carry on their backs, yet I can’t get to the desert without bringing enough junk to build and support a small space station. I’m just sayin…I would like to cut down.
Anyways, this Tow Vehicle will be more truck than most of us will ever need for any other use. If you do use it for every day, brace yourself for some SERIOUS fuel bills, but envious looks from the guys and girls at work. Big trucks make big impressions.
Also, be forewarned…..with a TH, your family will ride in the truck with you, while you pull the living space behind. Kids get bored and loud on long trips in small spaces. No matter how fast you drive, you will not escape the noise in the back seat. Also, whichever adult is not driving becomes your “co-dog” when they are strapped in next to you and don’t have the freedom of movement that comes with a Class A or Class C. If you won’t let mom drive, she will talk to you while YOU are driving…and visa versa. Mostly to give you instructions on safety and alert you (repeatedly) to upcoming hazards. Actually this is a plus if your co-dog comes with volume control and an “on/off” switch. Otherwise, it can be very annoying.
Another downside to using a Toy Hauler for desert trips (and there aren’t many), as pointed out by my Hoolie friends Phildo and Pam, is that after your long drive to the dez….which usually follows a full day at work, which is usually preceded by a day or two of shopping and packing after full days at work….. you have to unload all of the toys to make your garage space into a living space. This can be a drag late at night with sleepy kids and grouchy parents. In a Class A or Class C, you can stop at your spot, drop your anchor (or lower your jacks) and go straight to the campfire, stopping only for an adult beverage, and to tell the kids to GO TO BED!!! No assembly required.
Class C:
Upside: Well, this is the best for maximum sleeping space, hands down. Nice part of a Class C is that many times there are two queen beds in the design, so no need to convert a dining table or sofa or any other living space to bed space. My Hoolie friend Chris had this to say when I asked her how she and husband John selected a Class C for desert camping:
“We decided on our Winnebago 31′ Class C because it had enough sleeping room for my 2 boys to sleep without having to put down the dining table every night. Plus if we invited other kids to stay with us, we had room for the extra kids simply by putting down the table. Also, we wanted a bedroom for ourselves. It was only 3 yrs old when we bought it, was in great shape, with 3 extra feet it gave us the extra bedroom and it was within our budget. It also gets better gas mileage than a diesel A.”
Another important feature that Chris pointed out was the completely separate toilet from the shower (“a must for me” she explains, “with dad and two sons camping with me!”). This feature is available in most Class A and Class C’s and but was not common in Toy Haulers until recently.
Downside: Driver doesn’t have greatest visibility. Cab is kinda low. Not the greatest storage space, but not bad. Toys do not go into a standard Class C. They must be towed in a separate trailer with the Class C as Tow Vehicle. Many Class C’s do not have large towing capacity. Make sure to know all of your towing and weight capacities before taking this (or any) option. Class C’s, like Class A’s, have limited fresh water and holding tank space. Be prepared to leave your dez spot halfway through your stay to dump tanks and return to camp on any family desert trip lasting longer than three to four days.
Class A:
Upside: Family travels in comfort . Like a class C, kids do not need bathroom or lunch stops. Lots of overhead storage inside, and “basement” storage outside. Driver’s seat is very high and comfortable with a captain’s chair and huge windshield. Class A RV’s are easy to use for short camping trips, just like Cl;ass C’s. Afternoon beach trips are a breeze. “Start and Go” is all that I need to do for most summer day trips, which is what attracted me to my Class A.
Downside: Class A RV’s have a very small holding tank capacity, and limited towing power for older models. This is a serious flaw for dez camping and OHV riding. The Boy and I cannot last in the dez (or anyplace) without hookups for more than four days, tops. I run out of black tank and gray tank space, way before I run out of fresh water. Also, Toys do not go into a Class A. You must tow a trailer for your toys, and understand the towing capacities of your engine and chasis.
Recently options have opened up that combine most of these vehicles’ best features, and you should see the stampede of desert riding families buying them up. Gone are the days of “used paint tarp sleeping bags, 9MM, and cactus breakfasts”. New “toterhomes”, Class A Toy Haulers, and Class C Toy Haulers have become very popular and are more and more visible every time I go to the dez.
I ended up getting a Class A as my “entry level” RV because it was versatile and met my needs as desert toy hauler and as a ready to go, easy peezy, beach camper. I researched the engine (a Chevy 454) and found out that I could tow a small trailer with toys, and I that had air bags to drive comfortably over some rough desert terrain. I looked at the basement and there was a “pass through” compartment for my son’s surf board!! Sold!!.
Making the choice of which style RV fits your family for desert camping is only the first in many decisions that you have to make when starting out.
Which brand?? Well, that is a no brainer.
We all know the answer to that!
The best brand of RV is….