Dear Dr. R.V. Shrink:
My wife and I have spent most of the winter in a fourteen foot travel trailer with two dogs. We just wanted to see if we would enjoy this RV lifestyle. We do not. I think it is because we started the experiment with a camper that is too small. I could kick myself. It was my idea not to spend a lot of money on a bigger rig until we knew if we were going to like traveling this way or not. Now I think we would love it if we had more room. My wife is just plain fed up with the whole experience. I can’t convince her that most of our problems and discomfort have developed because of our cramped quarters. We thought we were going to arrive in the sunny south to paradise and the temperature would be perfect everyday. We discovered that it can often be cold and we end up trapped in our little box. I jokingly call it “two dog days” but my wife fails to see the humor in it. Any suggestions on how to proceed in my attempt to convince her it could be a totally enjoyable adventure if we just had a bigger rig?
--Cramped in Las Cruces
Dear Cramped:
First, tell her she is your main squeeze. See if that breaks the ice or your jaw. To proceed from there I would go for a long walk around the campground. If the small space is truly the only problem, you and your wife should be able to look around any campground and observe how others are coping. The choice of RV floor-plan's is endless. You should be able to find one that would fit your personal needs. Some people need more space than others. Walking the campground and studying RV options is a hobby for many new RVer’s. It is a great way to compare what particular things you dislike about your setup and what you may need to solve them. Once you get a 14 ft. trailer started down the road, it won’t cost much more to roll a 24 ft. That extra ten feet can give you a bigger kitchen, bigger bath, bigger sleeping quarters, bigger living space all around depending on the floor plan you choose.
You can take a horse to water but you can’t make it drink. If your wife finds other issues with this lifestyle other than cramped quarters, a rock star bus won’t solve your problems. You need to have a heart to heart talk, discover the real issues and tackle them one at a time.
If you can get out of the dog house, you both might find this is the perfect lifestyle.
--Keep Smilin’, Dr. R.V. Shrink
6 comments:
We honeymooned in a 30" no slides Class C, bought a 34' 5th wheel for several years of travel nursing, traded it in for a 29' Class A for the 4 years years we were off the road, and now a 35' Class A. We've never had problems, but the extra space makes a real difference. 14' and 2 dogs yet! We're both older and stiffer and fatter then when young, so more space makes a big difference. Rent a bigger RV (30' +) for a week or two and she might change her mind. It gets very confining when you stumble over each other and dogs.
We love our dogs, but it makes a HUGE difference when you don't bring them along.
This is why I advise folks to start out in an affordable USED RV and camp close to home a few times before venturing too far away. This gives them the chance to see if they need bigger or smaller at an affordable price. Walking around the campground is better than an RV show as you can ask owners what they like/dislike about their current/past rigs.
We started in a pup tent, then moved up to a 6 person tent to hold 3 kids, 2 adults & 2 dogs. You've got to WANT to do it and WANT to be there, not to mention, gotta love the one(s) you're with!
We now live in our 40' 5th wheel, and even that gets a little cozy at times, but we still love traveling & we still love each other. Good luck!
Four years ago my wife had never done any camping in an RV. So I shopped and bought a 21 year old used top of the line 31' Travel Trailer for $2400.00. By being careful and knowing what to look out for you can avoid a DYIer's nightmare. The trailer does not have any slides but... With a separate bedroom, queen size bed, nice kitchen and bath and comfortable living area, A/C, DVD/Surround Sound 2 TV's,etc. Well, she immediately fell in love with the RV lifestyle. Since then we have been doing extensive research for the RV we will retire in.
We have had a "B" class Pleasureway van conversion then graduated to a 24 ft. "C" as we were building our dream home and needed bigger accommodations on site. Living in that for five months got a little cramped but it was mostly for sleeping as we were working long hours and had the great outdoors. Then we bought a 31 ft. Class "A" with two slides and we're in heaven. That's probably as far as we can go until we move away from our country home as I can't get anything bigger down our windy mountain driveway.
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