This is over 35 years of RV experience talking…
What size of RV should I choose?
First time renters are often concerned about renting a larger motorhome. They think it will be less stressful to drive a shorter motorhome, and it should get better gas mileage….right? Not necessarily…
Isn’t a larger size motorhome going to cost more to rent?
Although they cost a lot more to purchase, they do not always cost more to rent. In fact, in many cases our larger motorhomes are are more affordable than our smaller motorhomes. This is simply because we have a demand based pricing structure, so when our smaller size motorhomes start to sell out we increase their price and if we still have open availability of larger motorhomes their price will stay the same.
Driving the motorhome
The reality of driving a motorhome is that once you get on the road, a 24 foot motorhome and a 33 foot motorhome both drive the same. Really, after 15 minutes of driving the stress will start to melt away and by the second hour you will be an “old hand” at driving the RV.
What about the gas mileage?
It is true that a shorter motorhome might get you ONE more mile per gallon, but in reality, they all have the same wind resistance when going down the road….they are all the same width, same height and same frontal design. They all carry about the same equipment; they all have just one refrigerator, one hot water tank, one furnace, one water pump, one toilet, one engine……one of everything….the larger motorhome just has a little more wall section, maybe a couch, more kitchen space/storage and A LOT more comfortable space for the occupants!
What about the occupants?
Just for a moment let’s pretend that your sunny vacation is interrupted by a passing rain cloud. You came with your best friends or maybe your kids….trust me, a little more “personal space” will go a long way in keeping the kids (and adults) happy and at the end of the vacation, your best friends will still be your best friends.
Back to the gas mileage and ease of driving thing….
OK, on a ten day vacation, driving 100 miles per day, the shortest motorhome MIGHT save you 10 or 11 gallons of gas…what is that, $25? Does the success of your vacation revolve around $25? I think not. Ultimately, your gas mileage will be dictated by how heavy your foot is on the gas pedal, that’s what the Shell Answer Man said.
Yes, with the longer motorhome you will have to exercise a little more care driving in tight situations such as in a parking lot or at the campground, but the extra space and tremendous amount of additional comfort will be well worth the few minutes you will be driving in those situations.
Don’t read this paragraph, just kidding.
Why do we have so many more of the larger motorhomes available in our rental fleet? Because we buy so many more of the larger motorhomes than we do the shorter ones. Why do we do that? When we sell the motorhomes to their final family, most of those people have figured out that the smaller motorhomes don’t cut it and almost all of them want the larger more comfortable floorplans…..and those that haven’t figured out that part either have a special use for the motorhome (such as towing an ocean going boat), or often they will be back in one to two years and trade in their short motorhome for a larger one.
This is 30 years of RV experience talking…
Also, be sure to visit our Why Choose A Slide Model? page!