[jyl]

Never had a class A or C but had a cab-over camper on a large 4x4 pickup for a long time. Was nice, I used to take it on pretty rough dirt roads to out of the way fishing spots and so on. Pretty different from the motorhome thing - but ultimately w/ some of the same problems . . .

When you're not using it, its an eyesore parked in the driveway or in front of the house. Your neighbors grumble and eventually so do you. So $50/month to store it in an RV yard somewhere.

When its stored, e.g. over the winter, you forget about it. Eventually you realize you haven't been to the camper in 6 months and the batteries are dead, the tires low, all the same issues as a car that sits in the open for months at a time.

When you're camping, you find a nice spot, get the camper leveled, stairs down, everything set up. Aaah, nice. A couple hours later, you want to get some ice cream at the cute little town nearby. But its too much trouble to pack everything up for a 1/2 hour ice cream trip. So you're pretty much stuck at the campground.

Eventually you realize you're carrying this big vehicle through life and you only use it a small fraction of the time.

If I ever had another "recreational vehicle", I'd get a not-too-large Airstream trailer (the rounded aluminium ones). Vastly more attractive than a traditional slab-sided motorhome/camper, hold value better too (buy used!). Trailers can be stored for a long time w/o the maintenance issues of a vehicle w/an engine. You can leave them set up in camp, while you take the kids for ice cream in the tow vehicle. And the tow vehicle gets used year-round, for daily things, rather than unproductively sitting for 49 weeks of 52.

P.S. Another thing, this one specific to motorhomes. Imagine you're out in the sticks and the thing breaks down. Does Dooger's Autoparts in Nowhereville have parts for a Fleetwood Mega-House RV? Can Dooger's Auto Repair work on the thing? Maybe no and no. If you have a trailer and your tow vehicle is a Ford or Chevy truck, then yes and yes.