This is one of the most common questions we get.

In general, we wanted to keep things simple, and find a balance between a comfortable living space and the right sized “footprint” (read: we can travel most places with ease). In order to boondock as much as possible, we needed to be able to drive down dirt roads in national forests and have enough water for a few days in the woods.

After going through the process, we’ve realized there’s no wrong answer. There will always be trade-offs, and it just depends on how you prioritize certain aspects and the costs.

Motorhome, travel trailer, or fifth wheel?

From the beginning, we were pretty set on going with a motorhome versus a trailer or fifth wheel.

We wanted to keep our footprint as small as possible, and when you have two vehicles that’s pretty difficult. This meant we’d be giving up the mobility that comes with having a car or truck that we could detach from the trailer to drive around town, get groceries, explore camp sites, etc.

We hoped we could find a motorhome that we could drive almost anywhere, and if not, use our bikes or take a Lyft. [If you’ve never taken Lyft before, click here for a credit on your first ride(s)!] 

We also liked the idea that we could easily get up and grab something on the road; stop and use the bathroom without getting out; and avoid needing to detach a trailer to turn around or back up.

While trailers are generally less expensive than motorhomes, we would have had to buy a car or truck capable of towing it, so there wasn’t much opportunity to save any money up front (although our gas bill would have been quite a bit lower and maintenance/repairs are more expensive on a motorhome).

Being our first time and knowing that we were going to be in some pretty remote places, we were also comforted by the fact that if we felt unsafe, we could just start up the motorhome and drive away, rather than having to exit the trailer, hook it back up to the car or truck, and then drive off.

Note: Thankfully, we haven’t been in such a situation yet. 

Class A, B, or C?

Now that we were settled on a motorhome, we needed to narrow down which type would suit us best. There are three main types—Class A, Class B, and Class C—all with their own pros and cons. 

Class A: We were attracted to the greater living area and storage space of the Class As, as well as the huge windshield that provided panoramic views of all the places we’d go. They’re also generally the biggest and priciest class, the most difficult to drive, and the most expensive to repair. 

Class B: While tempting to be able to drive and park just about anywhere, the Class B vans were just too small. There wasn’t enough living space, storage space, or fresh/grey/black water tank space to support full-time living for us.

Class C: Similar to the Class A, but built on a smaller truck/van chassis, the Class Cs are generally less expensive than Class As, a little smaller, and have the bunk over the cab. While we liked that the Class C was more familiar to drive and would probably end up being a little less expensive overall, we hated the restricted driving and passenger views, having experienced them first hand on a trip with friends to Yosemite. We also preferred more of the Class A floor plans. 

In the end, we decided to spring for a Class A that would give us the space we wanted and put us up high enough to see over traffic and with uninterrupted views. We also wanted at least one slide, and these seemed more frequent in Class As.

Gas or diesel?

In general, gas models are going to be less expensive up front, and to maintain, but can be underpowered and get less gas mileage. Due to the higher cost of diesel models (and the fact that most of them are longer), we knew we wanted gas from the start.

New or used?

We were originally thinking we would save some money and get a gently used model that we could modify to suit our needs. If we ended up going this route, the goal would be to find one that was road-tested but not falling apart or sitting unused for years, which brings its own problems. It would most likely be around five years old and have less than 25,000 miles on it.

A new RV would be more expensive, but would theoretically come with a little more peace of mind. Since RVs are mostly assembled by hand, a few issues are inevitable, and it would take some time to break in. On the plus side, it would have more warranty coverage (though we hoped to avoid having to use it, as warrantees can be a nightmare to navigate).

The verdict

At this point, we’d settled on a new or used gas-powered Class A. Now we were evaluating models based on price, floor plan, length, storage space, and tank size. 

There were about six Class As that were 28 feet or less with layouts that we liked and storage space/tank sizes that fit our needs. 

1. 2015-2017 Fleetwood Flair/Storm 26D/E
2. Jayco Alante 26 X/Y
3. Monaco/ARG Trek 26HM
4. 2018 Newmar Bay Star Sport 2702
5. 2018 Winnebago Intent 26M
6. 2014-2017 Winnebago Vista/Itasca Sunstar 26HE

None of them were perfect, but we ended up going with the 2018 Winnebago Intent 26M because:

• Her floor plan included two slides, a very usable and efficient kitchen space, a good-size drop-down bed above the cab, and both the driver and passenger chairs turn around.
• She had the right amount of storage space, inside and out.
• She had big enough tanks: 48-gallon fresh, 45-gallon grey, 31-gallon black. 
• We liked the look of her.

While we were originally hoping to save some money and buy used, the Intent was a new model in 2018 and ended up not costing much more than older versions of the other models (and had more time for warranty coverage) so we pulled the trigger on a new RV!

How’s it working out?

Six months in, we couldn’t be happier with the Intent. We love the layout and the space inside, she can fit everything we originally wanted to bring (and more), and we’re able to drive her to more places than we ever thought possible. Plus, she’s real pretty, and the receiver of many compliments. 

With a 158″ wheelbase, she turns on a dime, relatively speaking. She also has enough ground clearance to handle most of the dirt roads we come across in national forests, and can fit in two parking spaces, which is especially handy in cities.

There have been a few things inside where the craftsmanship is lacking (i.e. drawers popping out, screws falling out of the A/C unit), and the gas mileage is less than we’d like (about 7-8 MPG).

But overall, the good has greatly outweighed the bad. We love our Layla.