BBC story: America's love affair with motorhomes

"Davy Crockett would have had one," says RV museum curator!

[Syzygy]

The BBC have put up this interesting and entertaining article about America and it's love affair with the motorhome. Thought I'd share it...

[news.bbc.co.uk...]

A modern motorhome will be the size of a single-decker bus and will be powered by a 450-horsepower engine - the kind you would expect to find only in a racing car anywhere else on Earth. In Britain you need a professional licence to drive such a vehicle. In America, all you need is the nerve and the desire.

...one or two RVs are built these days with an on-board garage space at the back, big enough to accommodate a small car.

So, anybody here got one that big?

[grandpa]

Mine was only 24 ft long. I miss her, but at the end couldn't afford to drive her. The beautiful Dodge D-300 truck frame (1969), the boxy cabin (Red Dale), the 308 engine that could barely pull a hill with a full load (oh the cross-country stories); all these were but some of her endearing traits. Life was something special when my address was a license plate number.

[LifeinAsia]

My favorite (that I've seen- never owned one) was one that has a veranda that extends out. Of course, it also has a flat screen TV on the outside so you could watch the tube without having to go back inside.

[wyweb]

I had a 23 foot Shasta for 3 years. I sold it 5 months ago when I finally realized my dream of criss-crossing the country with my dogs and a laptop probably wasn't ever going to happen.

Life was something special when my address was a license plate number

That was my idea too. It had been a dream for years and once my sites actually started turning a profit it looked like I might even make it. That nomadic, Gypsy lifestyle has always gone over big with me.

I don't know. I guess reality set in. Financial reality anyway. I couldn't afford to travel and keep my house at the same time and I wasn't brave enough to cut the house loose. I needed the security of having a place to come back to and I wasn't making enough to pull that off. Aside from a couple dozen weekend trips to various area lakes it just sat there in the driveway taking up real estate that I didn't have to spare.

It was a pig. Big 400 Chevy motor that would get right on down the road. On a good day with a strong tailwind it might get 6 MPG. It was a pure delight to drive though. Aside from hay trucks as a kid, it was the biggest vehicle I'd ever been behind the wheel of and my ego started swelling every time I got out on the road.

I don't know much about "America's love affair with motorhomes." (although I believe it)

I do know about mine though. It's passionate and I hope we meet again.

[lgn1]

Don't get me started. They wanted to cut a bunch of trees down in a provincial park down the road, that had a beutiful forest canopy; just so they could make space for the motorhome campers.

After a public uproar from the community, we got it overturned and our park is protected.

If you want to go camping, buy a tent. If you want to go camping with a motorhome, find a Walmart parking lot.

[grandpa]

..or

If you want to go camping...

I went up to about the 6500 ft level of Kings Peak in Utah, drove in as far as I could (on really bad F.S. roads) and hiked in the last 4 miles with my blanket, tent, and of course, my drums.

[utahoutdooractivities.com ]

If you can drive right into the campsite it isn't much of a campsite and you may as well roast marshmallows in the driveway - saves gas and trees.

Walmart parking lots are the best! Not for camping, but for the overnight stay between destinations.

[Syzygy]

When taking to the road like this in a permanent fashion, how do you deal with the issue of 'no fixed abode'? Is it actually a problem?

[wyweb]

If you want to go camping, buy a tent. If you want to go camping with a motorhome, find a Walmart parking lot.

Oh, I've got plenty of tents. The problem is that I'm old and fat and I don't like getting on the ground anymore.

Actually it's no problem getting on the ground. The problem is getting up. I'm tired and I'm old and I don't want to do it.

I'm as green as anyone friend. In fact more so than most. The footprint I'm leaving is small. I use solar generation to heat my water and recharge my batteries. I collect rainwater because I'm convinced it's the best to drink. The people who were cutting down trees in your provincial park had nothing to do with me nor would I have supported them had I known.

I am a commited camper and I did the tent thing for years.

Now I prefer comfort. I sleep on a mattress rather than on hard ground.

Besides, walmart parking lots where I live aren't very friendly places to be.

[grandpa]

'no fixed abode'? Is it actually a problem?

The biggest problem I ever encountered was providing an address for purposes of identification. I had to stay somewhere long enough to apply for a drivers license. Find a state with long issues - 8 years or more.

If you aren't set financially, be prepared to work as you go.

On the upside, no more junk mail, no phone solicitors, and nosy neighbors are very easy to deal with... just drive on down the road.

Some predictable problems: Regular 'household' maintenance usually occurs miles from anywhere. Flat tires and engine problems are no fun anytime, less fun than that when you're "out there". Changing a fuel pump in a raging lightning storm is possible, provided you have a spare pump. Changing a blown tire in the middle of nowhere is possible, but you'll want hydraulic jacks (more than one) and air powered tools. High winds will blow your house all over the road, and rip the vent covers off your roof.

The Boys Scouts will teach you to "Be Prepared" - living in an RV will teach you why.

[workingNOMAD]

I travelled for four years while working online and no address, just make sure you have some understanding relatives.