RVing We Will Go

[flyangler]

TLDR Summary: 2022-23 3/4 ton pickups to towing trailer, Ford, GM or Ram? 6.4L HEMI? 
 

OK, this thread will probably turn into a snarkfest but it’s worth putting it out there because I need some opinions.

 

My wife and I are empty-nesters to stay that way as far as I’m concerned, and we’re looking for something to occupy us in the next phase of our life. We love to travel, particularly Europe, but at this point we’ve come to realize with 10 to 15 years left to aggressively travel in us there’s more of the United States that we haven’t seen. 
 

i’m fairly comfortable I can work from the road wherever we can get a decent, cellular signal, and possibly where we can’t if I decide to step up the star link. That’s a decision for down the road but right now I could easily put in two or three weeks on the road at a stretch without a problem. Technologies made it such that. As long as I have connectivity I can work. Expectations are 90 to 120 days traveling 3 to 4 weeks at a time. As far as distance goes possibly spending six weeks going up to Alaska in August 2024 is on the adventures list , driving through the Rockies on the way there  
 

So over the past few weeks, we’ve been looking to buy an RV and thought we were interested in getting a C class but that all got undone this weekend. Given I needed a new truck, it didn’t make sense to buy a C, which means you’re buying a truck as well as the living quarters. And then you need a little vehicle to drag behind it, so you can actually do things when you get to a place where you’re hooked up. So with no desire to buy two more vehicles, So we started looking at travel trailers and now we own a travel trailer.

 

Yesterday we put down a deposit on an Airstream International 27FB that will be delivered in May. While my current truck specifications suggest it could pull that around, it is suboptimal for any sort of lengthy adventures. Given we think we could get up to traveling 3 to 4 months of the year, with me working from the road, a new and more capable hauler is called for. 

 

So right now I’m looking at three-quarter ton trucks with the obvious choices being the Ford F250, the Chevy/GMC 2500, and Dodge Ram 2500. At this point, I decided on gasoline rather than diesel, because the trailer we’re buying doesn’t require the extra towing capacity you get with diesel, and I don’t feel like dealing with the **** that goes along with owning a modern diesel these days. 
 

This truck will also be my daily ride for 8-9 months of the year. I plan to own it for 5+ years and if I was ready to drop $90k ok a new Denali, that is the budget for this too. My 2016 likely brings $25k in trade. 

 

So without people telling me that new trucks suck, and none of those manufacturers built a decent truck in the last 20 years, talk to me about the brands and longevity. And anyone with information on the Dodge Rams of the last couple of years I would really appreciate hearing that. Particularly the 6.4L HEMI engine. 

[MitchellNJ]

You mean you didn't want to build one yourself and have a 50 page thread?

[Ditchbag]

How much does your trailer weigh ?

[flyangler]

Other thoughts:

performance and utility are important, but just as important are features and comfort given the amount of time that’s going to be spent in this as well as it being my daily ride.

 

Towing package a must. 
 

Not sure which transmission, low or high.

 

We don’t need an off-road package, particularly with 33 inch tires – my parking garage at the office has limited overhead space and anything jacked up is going to be a problem

 

[hobobob]

Let's bring belmos camper thread back up.

[mitchell master]

Seems some new/newer pickups have been folding up like wore out lawn chairs with slide in's in the back.

[makomakoman]

Sounds like a great adventure, Spaz.  
 

I still wouldn’t rule out diesel just yet.  
 

 

[Whiskyb]

Take it to the rv forum

[JimP]

K, we towed a 25 Airstream for years with an Excursion, V-10.  Had a ball.  Got a Ford Diesel F-250 and we didn't even know the tAirstream was back there.  Saved our ass once when I made a wrong turn in Silverthorne, Colorado and dragged it up and over the Continental Divide with all the attendant hair-pin turns.  The Diesel just quietly - and safely - dragged it over.  Any 3/4 will do you but I am partial to Ford's since I've been there/done that with them.  

 

Retired from the military and bought a Class A and spent a year full-time RV'ing and home-schooling the kids before I thought I'd kill them and I went back to work.  Sold the RV (wife didn't like it as she thought it too big - it was a Monster!!!).   Starting to look at retiring/retiring and am in the process of filtering the net stage of our life, sans kids.  Looking at a fifth wheel.  There's a really neat XL 150 Fifth wheel out there that can be towed by a Ford F150.  Wife wants to go back to an Airstream but I'm not sold, I am partial to having an in-house generator for the boon-docking, Walmart, off-road sites.  But man...nothing tows like an Airstream. 

 

  Also, I am not discounting the slide-in Camper.  There's a company out there that makes a monster slide-in complete with slide-outs, generator, washer/dryer, etc.  It's a heavy bitch and requires a dually Diesel to mount so we need to look a that.  The pros are you can drag your boat everywhere with you.  One of the things I want to do is to chase the fall Striper run from Maine back to the Chesapeake. Cons are gotta buy a dually and the slide-in is as much as a small Class A.  

 

  If you can swing it, buy the Ford Diesel.  You can lock gears in and out, put it into ascent/descent control and literally take your foot off the pedal and let it drive itself. That is a HUGE plus for being int he mountains.  Although the GMC Duramax/Alison tranny is a great combo as well.  

 

  My inlays drag a 30 foot Airstream around with a F 250 gasser and have no issues.  So it's hard to go wrong with any of them.  Although Dodge has the Cummins, I'm not partial to the body/MOPAR.   

[woowoo2]

rv forum dot net

 

Edit:

The Tesla wont tow it?

Edited February 11 by woowoo2

[Bernie12]

 coincidentally the LGBTQ  community are big RVers ...

[Sandflee]

Get a real RV and hitch a mini Cooper to it

tour for a few years and sell it 

 

retired couple down the block have one, they have had it since 2015 cost around 200k

spends 350 days a year parked in the driveway

Edited February 11 by Sandflee

[Ditchbag]

@spaz where the hell did you go ?

[PlumFishing]

23 mins ago, JimP said:

K, we towed a 25 Airstream for years with an Excursion, V-10.  Had a ball.  Got a Ford Diesel F-250 and we didn't even know the tAirstream was back there.  Saved our ass once when I made a wrong turn in Silverthorne, Colorado and dragged it up and over the Continental Divide with all the attendant hair-pin turns.  The Diesel just quietly - and safely - dragged it over.  Any 3/4 will do you but I am partial to Ford's since I've been there/done that with them.  

 

Retired from the military and bought a Class A and spent a year full-time RV'ing and home-schooling the kids before I thought I'd kill them and I went back to work.  Sold the RV (wife didn't like it as she thought it too big - it was a Monster!!!).   Starting to look at retiring/retiring and am in the process of filtering the net stage of our life, sans kids.  Looking at a fifth wheel.  There's a really neat XL 150 Fifth wheel out there that can be towed by a Ford F150.  Wife wants to go back to an Airstream but I'm not sold, I am partial to having an in-house generator for the boon-docking, Walmart, off-road sites.  But man...nothing tows like an Airstream. 

 

  Also, I am not discounting the slide-in Camper.  There's a company out there that makes a monster slide-in complete with slide-outs, generator, washer/dryer, etc.  It's a heavy bitch and requires a dually Diesel to mount so we need to look a that.  The pros are you can drag your boat everywhere with you.  One of the things I want to do is to chase the fall Striper run from Maine back to the Chesapeake. Cons are gotta buy a dually and the slide-in is as much as a small Class A.  

 

  If you can swing it, buy the Ford Diesel.  You can lock gears in and out, put it into ascent/descent control and literally take your foot off the pedal and let it drive itself. That is a HUGE plus for being int he mountains.  Although the GMC Duramax/Alison tranny is a great combo as well.  

 

  My inlays drag a 30 foot Airstream around with a F 250 gasser and have no issues.  So it's hard to go wrong with any of them.  Although Dodge has the Cummins, I'm not partial to the body/MOPAR.   

This thing is sa-effin-weet. camper is like a condo. 
 

 

[flyangler]

40 mins ago, Ditchbag said:

How much does your trailer weigh ?

6,100 empty with batteries and propane. 
 

https://www.airstream.com/travel-trailers/international/specifications/?floorplans=27fbppl

Edited February 11 by flyangler