Evolution as a Camper: My RV Purchases

Your FIRST RV PURCHASE should be the BIGGEST RV you ever plan to own.
~ RV Salesman ~

One thing for sure, we DIDN’T take the RV Salesman’s advice.

Read on to see where this advice came from and my evolution as a camper and RV purchases, and then you can decide which route will work best for you!

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Years ago, I was at an RV Supershow in Houston, Texas, looking at a beautiful 40 foot Class A. Top of the line! Gawking as we were not in a position to buy it (I didn’t even own a travel trailer yet).

As we talked with the salesman about the coach, he said that “Your FIRST RV PURCHASE should be the BIGGEST RV you ever plan to own.”

Wait? Our first RV purchase should be a Class A?  And a 40 footer at that! I’ve never even pulled a travel trailer!

I’m sure many have done just that, but for me, camping has been an evolution from sleeping in the bed of a pickup truck to an owner of the Palazzo above.

Was the salesman right? Should we have bought the RV years ago? I think the best way to answer that question is to share with you my evolution of camping. Then you can choose if you want to jump right into buying a Class A or not.

Getting into Camping

Like many of you, I’ve been camping since I was a child, and over the years, my style of camping has changed (this is key to remember when purchasing any RV).

During my first camping trip with family friends, I learned that six kids should not be jumping together on one side bed of a pop-up trailer (using the camper to tip on its end).

Then years later, I would be camping in the bed of our pick-up truck because we just needed a place to sleep after tubbing all day down the Guadalupe River.

Back in those days, our priority was the activity of the day versus where we would sleep.

I was in my mid-twenties before I began to long for tents and screen shelters to be my temporary home. My purpose for camping started shifting from a place to sleep at night to spend the day at the campground simply camping.

Cabin Camping KOA Style

I spent the 90s staying in camping cabins at the KOA in Fredericksburg, located in the Texas Hill Country.

At least once a year, my daughter and I would explore all that the Texas Hill Country had to offer. This campground felt like a second home to me.

The KOA cabins, with a full bed (you have to bring your linens), bunk bed, air-conditioning, and porch swing was like camping in the lap of luxury for me.

I was also becoming a serious camper at this time. Something few know, even family, is that I am (was) a “certified camping” Girl Scout Leader – San Jacinto Troop #3392.

To become certified, I attended a leader campout where I learned to cut wood for fires, sleep on cots (again) in open-air tents, become part of the cooking chain for a large group of campers, first aid, and more. Bottom line, camping had indeed become a way of life for me.

Fast Forward to my First Travel Trailer RV Purchase – A Casita

Oddly enough, it wasn’t until my husband and I became empty-nesters that we would purchase our first travel trailer – a Casita.

Until that point, we took our blended family of six to the same camping cabins at the Fredericksburg KOA, then notched it up a bit with a couple of stays in the Fort Wilderness Campground cabins at Disney World.

The decision to purchase our first travel trailer happened a couple of years after I took early retirement from my teaching career and began travel blogging. It was at this time I started hearing about a “new” form of camping – Glamping. Then I discovered this book, “Glamping with Mary Jane,” by Mary Jane Butters: (affiliate link)

I purchased my 2006 Casita in 2014, and within two weeks, I had fully “glamped” the interior and started going camping. To read the first post in my very popular Casita Makeover Series, click here.

Of course, our first camping trip in the Casita was back to the Fredericksburg KOA, but we also took her as far away as Crede, Colorado, to the west,

And Fort Wilderness Campground to the east.

To this very day, if you are looking for a well-built and easy to tow travel trailer, I would highly recommend the Casita.

Miss Roxie, the Schnoxie and Shasta Airflyte Reissue

In 2016 my husband gave me a Schnoxie for Mother’s Day, Miss Roxie.

Of course, this new little puppy would be traveling with me everywhere, but when we loaded up her crate, stroller, food, etc., on her first trip with us in our little Casita, the Casita became, well, LITTLE!

It was time to upgrade the square footage.

I say “upgrade” cautiously. While we did upgrade our square footage, we went from a fiberglass travel trailer to a more traditional “tin can.”

Our new tin can was a 2016 Shasta Airfylte Reissue, based on the 1960 model. Mine was #1185/1941.

Yes, she is beautiful! She is also built like many lightweight travel trailers on the market today: traditional wood frame with siding, sitting on a steel frame. Very different than my solid fiberglass Casita.

She also has plenty of counter space, more storage, a larger refrigerator, more seating, a built-in microwave, and even Bluetooth! And did I mention she is beautiful!

These lightweight “tin can” travel trailers are ideal for many campers because they can be easier to tow with regular SUVs. They also have more room than the typical fiberglass models, with a better cost per square foot. And the fact that they come in many styles and layouts, with all kinds of features, you can see why they are so popular.

Of course, I took the Shasta to Walt Disney World’s Fort Wilderness Campground, too.

Having experience with both fiberglass and “tin can” trailers, and I am confident in saying there are plusses and minuses to both, and the choice is truly up to your personal camping needs.

To read my review of my Casita versus my Shasta, click here.  If you have any questions about my Shasta OR Casita, ask me in the comments below.

Our First RV Purchase Motorhome:

While I was still camping in my Shasta, we decided to purchase our first motorhome to make extended stay trips and work simultaneously.

So in 2016, we found a 2013 Itasca Cambria, Class C motorhome with only 6,000 miles! This RV purchase was literally like buying new, and we got her at a very fair price. And while I was a little intimated the first time I drove her, since I’m familiar with driving pick-up trucks, I was comfortable in no time, finding her very easy to operate.

Now is an excellent time to point out that our Casita, Shasta, and Cambria were all used. We decided buying used was best for us and our needs and did well with all three RV purchases.

Buying our first motorhome was a big step. It required a lot of research about brands, YouTube video watching, and getting the most bang for our dollar.

Moving from a travel trailer to a motor home increases the cost of purchase and maintenance. Also, depending on the size of your motorhome, you may need to purchase a tow vehicle so you can get around once you get to your destination.

At first, we reasoned we did not need a tow vehicle, but that changed after our first long-distance trip to the Big Bend Region of Texas. You can read that story by clicking here.

As time went on, we used the Cambria more and the Shasta less as our goals for “camping” (i.e., setting up camp, state parks, glamping, cookouts, hanging around the campground, etc.) started changing to a need for traveling for business, and a home on wheels. We found the Cambria meeting all our needs – it was time to sell the Shasta.

Of course, we have camped at Walt Disney World’s Fort Wildness Campground in the Cambria, too.

COVID, Florida – Texas – Kentucky, and a Class A:

After living 40 years as a Texan, we moved to Florida in the Fall of 2019. Then, when we were settling into our new home, community, and routine, COVID hit.

Our Cambria motorhome became our lifeline escape to the coast and the Florida Keys. Traveling safely in our own home (Florida never fully shut down).

We took so many camping trips in 2020 to escape our land-locked house. As we did, we began to see our Cambria more as a home than an RV. She was a perfect size, too (30 feet overall), so we never had a problem camping in her, even in the most uneven campsites.

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After traveling in our Cambria for over four years,  we had a new travel “need” developing — getting back to Texas and Kentucky to visit with family and the ability to work for more extended periods in Texas (for business).

The world changed considerably in 2020 due to the pandemic. Airline travel is difficult and stressful. I found that road trips that require overnight stays at motels, hotels, and vacation rentals had several restrictions or were downright closed. Plus, I now had to deal with my own redefined comfort level for spending the night in a place that was not my home — was it “safe.”

The time had finally come to seriously consider our first Class A Motorhome, emphasizing “home.” For us, it was a New Class A Diesel Pusher Thor Palazzo 33.2.

Our Maiden Camping Trip

We are taking our new Thor Palazzo on her maiden camping trip in a couple of weeks, and we will be testing out all her systems. And yes, you guessed it, we are staying at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Campground.

Although I take every chance to visit Disney World, we take our first trip there because we are very familiar with this campground. We also love that the sites are concrete and level — a necessity for a Class A. It is also very close to our home, so my first trip on the interstate will be on familiar roads.

I think it is also important to point out that this is the first NEW RV purchase we have made, and part of the reasoning is it comes with a warranty.

The Palazzo is a big coach, 35-foot diesel pusher (but also considered small for a diesel) with lots of electronics and mechanics. I’m still trying to get comfortable driving her, so I don’t want to worry about something in this sophisticated piece of machinery breaking down.

Did we lose money the moment we pulled the Palazzo off the lot? Probably so, but we justified that the piece of mind that will come from the warranty is worth it.

FIRST RV PURCHASE should be your BIGGEST RV?

Well, you just read my evolution as a camper and RV purchases, and for us, the answer to that question is a definite NO!

I could only imagine what would have happened had we taken the salesman’s advice at that time. If we jumped right into owning that BIG CLASS A RV, AT THAT STAGE IN OUR LIFE, there would have been so many experiences and GROWTH that we would have missed! Some of the trips we took wouldn’t even be possible (like our route in the Colorado mountains).

If you feel your circumstances are similar to mine, focus on an RV purchase best for your camping goals and lifestyle. Know how you plan to use it and what you want in an RV. We have owned three RVs before purchasing our Class A, and I would not have traded those other RVs and trips for anything.

When we purchased our new Class A, I shared the other salesman’s advice years ago with our new salesman.  He then shared a story about a family, who have never owned a trailer or motorhome before, who purchased a brand new 45-foot diesel pusher Class A.  The family’s goal was to get out because of COVID, and I get that.

Unlike me, this family made their FIRST RV PURCHASE THEIR BIGGEST RV.  YES, people DO buy RVs that way.

VIDEO TOUR

I’ll be taking a video tour of the motorhome during our upcoming Disney trip to share with you. I will also give you some advice on things to consider (and watch out for) when purchasing a Class A. I’ll also share what we have learned since purchasing her, and I’m sure a lot more advice once we actually “camp” in her.

Until then, I hope you have enjoyed this brief history of Mrs. Padilly’s evolution of a camper.

If you are thinking about making an RV purchase, I also hope you found this information helpful.

May your upcoming camping trips of “living life in the outdoors” bring you and yours great joy!

And might I suggest the perfect journal to record all your trip’s details, and most importantly, memories?  Check out my “Happy Camper Camping Journal and RV Logbook.” I designed it to use on my own camping trips.

Happy Trails,
Mrs. Padilly