40' or 45' Question

[niles]

We are shopping for a used Series 60 Prevost - under $300K ... after looking at several very beautiful coaches the question has come down to 40 or 45. We are currently living in California, but intend to full-time for a few years so the extra space of the 45' is very tempting. Our question to POG members is what are the disadvantages of a 45' in respect to road, parking and campground restrictions? Are all states as restrictive of 45's as California?

[Lee Bornstein]

Niles:
We have a 40' XL Liberty, we live in it full time and prefer the 40' unit because it allows us access to many of the National Park and National Forest Campgrounds that we visit.

Wife and I would like the additional space a 4 slide 45' coach provides but with 45' most of the places we visit are too small for that size coach.

Lee

[Ray Davis]

Also remember that technically you need to get a Class B (modified) license to drive a 45 motorhome in CA. I believe it's only in CA, but that's where I live too. There has been previous discussion of issues traveling the 10 FWY through Blythe.

Ray

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Except for the previously mentioned issues a 45 foot coach is a huge improvement over a 40 foot coach in terms of livability.

We've had both and we will not go back.

Niles, if you want to get a clear picture of the direction you want to go ask the question in this way......

For 40 foot coach owners, would you step up to a 45 footer?

For 45 foot coach owners, would you step back to a 40 footer?

[Troy Stone]

I have a 40'...If you can find a 45', go 45' and prevent the 45' envy my wife has!

Next if ever will be 45'. Right now my current rig is working so well I am not sure if I will ever "need" another one.

Then the question begs...XL or H?

[Jerry Winchester]

We thougth the 40' coach would forever fit our needs, but we will have a 45' coach next time. That extra 5 feet is like adding a whole addition to your house (10% larger), so after being in and around and driving a 45'er, we will have one.

But I would have been challanged to park one at Fishing Bridge in Yellowstone. I had to straddle those poles in the back then lower the coach to level it with one of the poles sticking up in the engine compartment.

[Ben]

I've been living full-time in a 40'er and it has the just the right amount of space for me... but I live alone and I could see how extra space would be useful if I were to add a girlfriend to the mix.

I have been tempted by one 45'er, but it's more for the features it has that I would like (like a shore cord reel, keyless entry, stacked washer/dryer, etc.) than it's length.

My opinion is that the layout, interior decor, etc is more important than the length. I would not turn down a 40'er that had a perfect layout and the right style... but if I was not able to find exactly what I wanted, then I'd most likely go with a 45'er because having the extra space gives you more flexibility.

I have run into quite a few places where I wouldn't be able to park a 45'er and a few where I wouldn't want to drive one (or wouldn't be legal to do so)... like Big Sur, CA. You'll have to evaluate how often you plan to park in the real sticks and research where you can park a 45'er. It's just like having a 40'er compared to a 27' RV... the longer it is, the more limited your parking options are... you won't notice it so much unless you start with a smaller rig and trade up to a larger one. If you start with a 45'er, then places you can't park are just like what it's like in a 40'er in that you simply ignore them and find a place you can park.

Suggestion: read a book called "The 4-hour work week" by Timothy Ferriss (even if you're retired). I just finished it. It's the best book I've ever read and has the possibility of changing the way I approach life... after reading it, I'd consider buying a smaller rig and traveling the world... no need to retire. I'd be more concerned with if my rig would fit in a shipping container than if it would fit in a campground.

[Jeff Bayley]

I was reading this thread but Ben took the words out of my mouth. A good floorplan on a 40' can beat a bad floor plan on a 45'. Of course a good floorplan on the 45' is the way to go.

Ben and I both skip the RV parks most of the time so the lenght restriction is immaterial depending on your style of traveling. I've heard that a lot of older folks prefer the 40' as it is easier for them to manage and manuever. I'm doing my 2nd stint in NYC with a 45' and get around just fine but do admit that the vodka drink after going through the city is almost mandatory.

One thing not mentioned yet would be if you were going to consider towing a trailer and if you gave a darn about the legal overall length. I pulled that 30' trailer all the way from CA to FL without any question with my 45' rig and I'm pulling another trailer now (not through the city) and have yet to be questioned going from FL to Dallas and up through Ohio to NJ where I've left it stored until shoving off to Florida (tommorow). I guess it's just a matter of time but so far Johnny law man has just watched me cruise on by. I have to admit that negotiating intersection turns with that trailer is hairy. A 22" stacker would be perfect if I get ready to build one.

I'd buy the one you find with the floor plan you like and the one that is the better deal. Oh , did I mention I have the 2004 45' Angola for sale ? (shamless plug).

[niles]

Thanks for all the input ... now I'm really confused! Guess we will continue to look and shop ... The floor plans that best suit our needs have been Parliament conversions ... anyone have an opinion, pro or con, on Parliament?

[Gary & Peggy Stevens]

did I mention I have the 2004 45' Angola for sale ? (shamless plug).


No hold on Jeff....... You have a 2004 45' Angola, or a 1994 45' Angola? I just wanted to get the facts straight, or is too late after the Vodka Martina or two ???? :confused:

Have you tried a Bombay Blue Sapphire Gin, Martini, OOOOOH SO SMOOTH.;)

Gary S

[m stuller]

Niles: I drove a 40 foot Bluebird for years and have recently moved on up to a Liberty 45. My personal experiences is that there is very little difference in mileage, manaoverbility and parking between the two lenghts. My perspective on size is bigger the better. You never have enough storage while traveling, if you plan to live in it a while the extra space is worth the trade offs that have been mentioned by others.

Ideally, you dont want to buy a few coaches to get what you want. The cost of buying and selling, taxes and fixing items you will break in learning how to operate the coach is expensive. Do your homework, fine a coach you love, then look at others to insure its the right one. All coaches have a heart and soul. If a previous owner loved her, took care of her and treated her well, in all probablity the coach will serve you well. However, buyer beware, if your prespective coach was rode hard, abused and neglected you will be in for a real heart ache. There are to many complicated mechanical items that you dont want to be replaceing.

I also always say, pray over it, He wont misguide you!

Matt

[Jeff Bayley]

Gary-

Currently I'm punch drunk from little sleep which is a good think becuase the Grey Goose I bought (for Martinis) got wasted on Vodka and Cran Cherry (Ocean Spray, got it try it) so I'm all out except for Jack Daniels, Crown Royal, Captain Morgan and Seagrams and for some reason I don't have the pallet for anything but Vodka (The Cran Cherry spoiled me) so I guess I just have to stay awake if I want to keep the buzz going.

Thanks for correcting me, It is in fact a 1994 not a 2004. That was a typo.

I'll sell me 1997 Royal and go back to the 1994 Angola becasue I like that coach better all the way around. Back to floor plan talk. I like the kitchen better in the Angola, both couches lay down instead of one in the Royal, there is twice the storage with no apparent loss of space. It's got a nifty hideaway toaster and built in coffee maker, (neither on this coach). It's got Granite tile instead of some ceramic stuff in the Royal. It's got automatic pocket doors instead of manual pocket doors and as silly as that sounds I really like that feature. It's got 4 roof airs instead of 3 like this coach (and most others I think all have 3 airs instead of 4). It's got a 20kw gen instead of 17.5k on this one. It's got a 42" TV which I was able to make fit nicely due to the N/S layout of the bed instead of the cross queen. It's got better lighting. The list goes on. I should just list them both for sale and keep which ever one is left over.

Anyway, the above is not just a shamless plug on the Angola which I love but also to point out to Niles how many little things can make a difference. In my case, I knew a lot more about what I liked and didn't like after I got into my second Prevost and I'm not sure if all the neck rubbing and hand wringing in the world can prevent you from seeing other coaches and saying "Oh, I wish I had that or this". There is something neat on almost every coach I've been in that I would put into a "dream coach" if I were to have one built. Example: The Angola has a trash compactor and this coach doesn't so empty a small kitchen garbage bag twice a day usually. I walked onto an Entertainer coach yesterday at Prevost in NJ and they had a nifty trash shoot which appeared as a little door in the kitchen counter but went into a 40 gallon bag down in part of one of the bays. I thought that was cool and it would get rid of the garbage can in my kitchen.

The features and workmanship on most of the enterainters I've been on is every bit as nice as the main stream converters. If I were ever to have a coach bulit there is no question I would get an entertainer company like Senators to build one for me. It would be several hundred thousand dollars cheaper than the "name brand" converters and you know what else ? They make those coaches more durable to take the abuse of the knuckle head bands they carry around but they still look just as nice inside. I might think about buying an Entertainer and leaving one row of 3 bunks in place and ripping the other bunks out and remodeling half the coach. The company that builit it would be the obvioius place to have it remodeld. The Enterainters have smaller galley's and bathroom/shower combinations (to make room for all the bunks) but I like the size of the small bath and kitchens in favor of extra room elsewhere. The prices of the used Entertainers is lower than the "Star Coaches" which is what they call our floor plans and sufficientley lower that I think it would offset the cost off the remodeling. I think the supply and demand is on our side if buying an Entertainer.

Ooops. All that talk kind of watered down my stuff I guess. Anybody got a compelling reason against this idea ? I'll tell you another thing. I don't think those buses get neglected when it comes to maintainence because when I've met the drivers at the Prevost shops they are completely benign to the service cost. They don't pay it. They just pull in and say "fix this and fix that and make sure it's all perfect". I think this is one of the reasons the rest of us private owners take it up the short hairs with the Prevost service bill. Those drivers just sign and drive and they outnumber us 20 to 1.

[garyde]

Hi Jeff. At the last POG. There was a round table discussion with 3 Converters. They all said the entertainer buses were stripped down versions of a Private Conversion. They did not have the same Generators, Tanks, Wiring, Plumbing, Heating, etc. as the Private Conversions.

[Jeff Bayley]

Hey Gary-

I guess I would say.......consider the source. Did you say that the information came from the converters ?

Next time your at a Prevost location getting parts or service just find some of the Entertainer buses either inside the shop or in the parking lot. Drivers are often with them and are friendly and will let you look inside. I don't think you'll find them as described. They all have 5 roof airs and 20kw generators for one thing. The ones I've been in have all had fine wood work and counter tops and nice lighting and they all have kick ass sound systems and video and top notch sattalite and jacks for plugging in computers to use the buses on board Wi-Fi and stuff like this. I don't know how many major players there on in the Entertainer industry but I know there are a butt load of them in Nashville and I think that is the Meca for the Entertainer business which is one reason you'll find one of the 5 Prevost service centers there. It is the only service center I've never visited. Entertainer companies don't go after building coaches for private owners as that is not their niche but I'm pretty sure they would make one for someone if you just brought them your own floor plan or told them what you wanted. Personally, I'd like a bus with one set of bunks in it. The bunks convert to either sleep two high comfortably or three high with a bit tighter space as you would expect. When you consider that these things sleep up to 12 people you can imagine how the floor plans are laid out for maximum efficiency and not an ounce of space is wasted. The last one I saw was made by Senator which is a big player.

Just look inside a few of them.

[Joe Cannarozzi]

Gary

I would agree with Jeff.

Ours started life as a VIP charter and it has exactly all the same components as all the big motorhome converters install.

[Ray Davis]

Actually, I think at the round table, at least one of the guys was just a service facility, not a converter. He had experience working on all types of units, both entertainer and motorhome alike.

I believe the comments were that although they put in much of the same stuff, the workmanship is not up to par with the converters. They sited the fact that the entertainer units are pumped out in a matter of a few weeks.

I believe much of their comments were directed to onboard electronics and wiring of the bus.

I don't know if it's true, by any means, but it was the consensus of all three on the panel that the entertainer busses are not built up to the same quality as the main line converters.

Ray

[garyde]

I should clarify a little. LibertyCoach Sales Rep, Parlament Coach Service Rep, and l believe a Zimmerman Rep or Prevost Rep were at the Round Table meeting. We were discussing the differences in length with the Entertainment buses as well as the Conversions which are used at NASCAR for the VIP drivers, etc. The comments were many of these buses are not built for Continuous use. They are designed to be driven from event to event and parked and opened up. So, they re not engineered like the Private Conversions which can be lived in full time. I am sure many of the entertainment buses are ok for private use, if they were originally designed for such a purpose.

[Ben]

I don't think the Zimmerman guy was there... instead it was someone from excaliber coach... he used to work for Prevost and now does coach modifications... I don't think he actually does any actual conversions... more like after market slides, etc.

[Ben]

If someone were to buy my Prevost today, I'd be in one of these tomorrow:

http://www.earthroamer.com/galleries/xv-ltexterior/crw_0174_std_std.jpg

After reading "The 4-hour Workweek", I figured out how I could live on something that small. You can check out the details at EarthRoamer.com ("http://www.earthroamer.com/tab_xpedition_vehicles/vehicles.html"). Now I just have a plan a bit more before I put the bus up for sale.

[garyde]

Hi Ben. That looks like a Dingy to me. Who says you can't have your cake and eat it too!

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Two comments Ben....

Your Prevost will still be going strong when the converted pickup truck is long gone.

I'm wondering if you are giving your love life any thought. I can't see the pickup truck a babe magnet like the bus is.

[Ben]

Maybe I should elaborate on why this might be a good transition for me:

1) My Prevost has to either be plugged in, driven a long distance, or have its generator run every 1.5 days just to keep the refrigerator running. Run more stuff and it's even more frequent that it needs more juice. If I use the generator, then I have to change the oil/filter quite frequently as well. Many times it pays better to just pay to park since then I can use everything without having to try to conserve so much and I'm not always parked in an area where the sound of the generator would be welcome. With the EarthRoamer, I can run the fridge, ventilation fan and a few accessories off solar indefinitely, so I can park the vehicle at the airport when I fly out without having to figure out a special parking place.

2) With a single air conditioner and not many electrical needs, I can run just about everything with a standard 120v 15 amp hookup... which means easy parking at friends homes, etc or when storing the unit in a covered garage. It has a 30-amp plug, but that's mainly so you can charge the batteries faster while you might be running everything. I can run the air conditioner overnight on battery alone, but would have to idle the engine a bit if I wanted to run it non-stop all day/night, but with four windows, two vents/fans, I don't expect to have to do that unless I'm in Las Vegas in the summer... after all, I don't run the buses air 24hrs unless I'm plugged in and that's rare.

3) Being 4x4 with front/rear winches and only 25' long, I can go to remote locations and park in tiny campgrounds and having access to an electrical plug is not essential (I'd attach a small motorcycle and mountain bike to the back in case it broke down and so I can get around without "breaking camp").

4) This thing costs about $100K less than my Prevost, which is enough to live off of for 2+ years and gives me a lot more to invest so I am not as dependent on my career for income, which means for freedom!

5) I can ship this sucker overseas and explore far away lands (like Iceland, New Zealand, etc.).

6) It's built with marine-grade electronics and super insulated (I've talked with people who full-time in one and have spent a good amount of time in a Minnesota winter, etc.).

7) I can fit my essentials in it and will only be doing without stuff that I really don't need... similarly to when I moved from a house onto the Prevost, but just one step further.

8) It will have a 3 year warranty on both the truck and camper, so my expenses for maintenance/repair will be more predictable.

9) I can easily park at any event that I'm speaking at and not have to worry about things... since it would take up 1.5 spaces in a parking lot and the solar will keep up with the fridge and other stuff I have plugged in.

10) 10-14 MPG will be a tradeoff... better when I'm going long distances compared to the buses 6-8MPG, but less than my Jeep's MPG.

11) The ceramic stovetop (which looks just like what's in my Prevost) runs off of diesel as does the water heater and camper heater, so everything either sucks from solar or diesel and with a 90 gallon tank, I can last for quite a while. If the battery gets too low, then I can idle the engine and it's two alternators will charge the batteries (I've talked to multiple owners, including full-timers and they don't need to do that very often).

Sure it won't be alive at the time my bus dies... but I don't plan on owning any single bus for that long and since this is based on the F550 chassis, it should easily handle the weight of the camper. It also won't have the ride of a Prevost and won't have quite the luxury... but it does have granite counter tops, stainless steel sink, real wood dovetailed cabinets and a lot more... it doesn't feel like a "cheap camper".

I'd rather have a "camper babe" than one that requires a bus... there are many women who are into exploring the world and would find this to be a great adventure... especially photographers.

It's certainly not for everyone (or even many people), but it sure aligns with my desires. I've really enjoyed living on the bus, but am flirting with the idea of an EarthRoamer. Please feel free to pick apart the decision... I'd love someone to talk me out of it now, before I get too attached to the idea... but just keep in mind that I'm not trying to talk YOU into doing it... buses offer a great lifestyle and I'm not knocking that at all... it's just my particular situation and desires that are steering me towards an EarthRoamer.

[garyde]

Ben, I think the driving theme of you thoughts are to reduce even more than what you already have done by moving out of a house. If your goal is to travel less encumbered, you are on the right track with the outcome of less and less stuff. We are all in our own way , trying to figure it all out. Good Luck.

[JIM CHALOUPKA]

Well Ben, Your the only one that can live your life. If that there thing your talkin about suites your fancy, I say go for it. Your an asset to the group and have many friends here. Even if you do sell the Prevost you don't have to quit POG! When you get to be a geezer there will be another Prevo with your name on it I'm sure!:D ;)

[jello_jeep]

Ben, I think you would be wise to rent a similar unit for a month before you sell out and switch. How insulated can a tent be ? :)

A month long shake down would let you know first hand what you are giving up, and give you a first hand look at what you are getting out of and into..

Just my .02

[merle&louise]

Ben,

I'm jealous. I looked at the unit on the website, and it is really neat. I wish that I could buy an EarthRoamer and travel the back roads. If I were single, I would have one in a heart-beat.:D

Jello has a good point, but my guess is that you will not be able to rent an EarthRoamer to see if you like it or not. It seems that you have thought it out throughly, and your arguements make sense. Certainly, the fuel consumption calculations make sense with diesel at $3/gallon. I like the solar/inverter concept as well.

If you do buy one, I think that it would be a good topic for a mechanic's corner at POG IV. My guess is everyone in the group would be very interested in seeing how it functions. I know I would.:D

Go for it!

[dale farley]

Ben,

If for some reason you decide against this new venture, or if you decide to delay the purchase for an extended period of time, you might want to consider covering the top of your bus with solar panels. That should greatly extend the functionality of your current systems.

When you sell your current bus, you will probably take a significant depreciation, but you may have already recovered most of that on your income taxes. Fortunately, you will also be able to depreciate anything you drive, so you are in a much better position (tax wise) than most of us. Good luck in what ever you decide.

[Ben]

I've found one I can stay on for two nights, but don't know of anyone who'd like me have it for a month.

I went from a 5 bedroom house to a 40' bus without ever sleeping on one... I do a lot of research first, so it's not a casual decision. I've been following this company for about three years now.

The camper is very well insulated and is an all-season vehicle (heated water tanks, etc. to make sure they don't freeze, etc.).

[Orren Zook]

Aside from being slightly claustrophobic, how will you transport all the equipment that you need for your work in that vehicle? or after a year in the downsized environment of your bus, did you find that you require less to live and work comfortably?

[truk4u]

Ben,

Great looking machine, but I doubt you can run an A/C off the 2000 watt inverter. I had several CC's with 2000 watt inverters and they don't even wire the A/C's through the inverters. I also have one of those quiet Honda 2000 watt generators and we tried to run my son's 5th wheel A/C and no good. There's just too much starting amperage.

The solar panels would be great in the day time, but without a generator, your only alternative would be running the engine and again, I doubt it would handle the A/C.

If the A/C system is something new and fancy, then all of the above might be pure BS. Let us know....

PS - Chicks dig Prevosts:D

[JIM CHALOUPKA]

Ben, In our conversations you were looking for a 45' Prevost, what happened:eek:

[rfoster]

Hey Ben: Before I jumped I would cruise thru Elkhart and Mishawaka, Middlebury, Indiana to check out the el cheapo Slide in Campers. There used to be a lot of those guys that would custom build you anything you want. You could probably haul any of em on an F350 Crew Cab Chassis 4x4 an depending on your wants have the best of both, keep the bus and tow the truck.l It would be like adding a room or a true little vacation home.:o

In a previous life 25 plus years ago, I used to be in the RV mfg business before Jimmy Carter and gas crisis and at that time Elkhart was the Mecca of the RV world and Manufacturing of same was concentrated in northern Ind. Nothing they made at that time would compare to a Prevost

Just a suggestion, the camper part could be sold off separately after you are done with it and the pickup is always a easily sold item and with hold a stronger resale than the converted one with the back of the cab out of it.
Good luck.

[Ben]

Orren... some people would consider a bus to be "slightly claustrophobic" compared to a house... I didn't. Chop off the bed and bathrooms and compress them into a much smaller space and you've already cut out 18' of the bus. The EarthRoamer has a king sized bed in it, which is much larger than what I currently sleep on and it's shower isn't much different in size than what I use right now. The rest of the bathroom is almost non existent in comparison, but that's where I only shave, fix my hair and brush my teeth, which I could do anywhere.

I'd mount a 24" iMac to the wall that is next to the refrigerator and put it on a swing arm so it can be out of the way when I'm not using it and I'd remove the two back seats in the cab and install printers and photo gear. I work in a very tiny space in the bus... just one side of the dining room table, which is about the same as I'd use up in the smaller rig.

Truk... The A/C runs fine of the inverter. You can run it all night off battery juice alone (no solar needed) and then when the sun comes up, it will start sucking from there as well... but you can't run that indefinitely without running the engine. I rarely run the bus A/C all day anyway. I'm in Arizona right now and only ran the A/C yesterday for part of the time I was driving, otherwise it was off and I'd assume it would be the same on the smaller rig. I actually think I'd use it a lot less on the smaller rig since it has so many windows are are easy to open and two fans. They have around 60 of these on the road and none of them have generators... all of them have A/C and I've heard no complaints from owners about problems with the A/C so far.

Jim... I was tempted by a 45'er, not looking for one. I liked more of the features it had (keyless entry, stacked washer/drying, shore cord reel, integrated into the roofline awnings, updated paint, etc.) more than the extra 5'.

Roger... I have no desire to tow something like this. A large part of the idea is to not need to find a 60'+ parking space each night (I boondock most of the time). Also, being able to explore more twisty and bumpy roads without having to leave the bus behind. If I was going to tow something that was better than my current setup, then I'd get the smaller Jeep-based EarthRoamer, but I think I'm fine with my current jeep for now.

[win42]

"Also, being able to explore more twisty and bumpy roads without having to leave the bus behind."

Ben: when you attempt to do the above in that plastic and wood wonder held together by wood screws, be careful the cabinets overhead don't fall in your lap on one of those excursions.

Been there done that. That's why we all drive Prevosts.

Either way good luck to you always.

[Ben]

I'm also looking into more robust platforms for a 4x4 RV... specifically the ones at www.unicatamericas.com ("http://www.unicatamericas.com"). But at 2-3x as expensive, it would be a nice ride, but not nice on the pocketbook.

[bill&jody]

when bill asks what i would do (with the bus and fulltiming) if something happened to him, i say i would move into a small B and much to the dismay of my family - keep on the road. whoo, did you just change that idea. this thing is way cool . . . and i wondered what you would do with the back seat - i wouldn't have much use for it either. i think it would be hard to share even with a camper girl, unless she had her own tent.
so . . . what happened to the boat idea? whoops - don't want to start a war here!
very cool!
jody

[Ben]

The yacht is for whenever I'm done exploring by land... I think I still have a few years to go before I'm done RVing.

Camper girl can sleep with me in the king sized bed that's in the EarthRoamer... no tent needed.

The Unicat has just as much space as a Prevost and costs about half as much new.

[Ben]

OK... howz about I buy this 4x4 bus:

http://www.68awdbus.com/buspic1.jpg
the owner is only asking $10K for it ("http://www.68awdbus.com/").

so that I can possibly drive like this:
Dakar Video ("http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gUMFN8JPpU")
(the last 10-20 seconds are the best)

Just kidding... I'm still thinking that an EarthRoamer will be my next vehicle.

[ajhaig]

Ben,

I'd take a pass on the "short bus".

You should hang on to the Prevost until we bump into you at a park... otherwise I will never be able to figure out PhotoShop!

Your new book is great.

AJ

[Jim S]

Ben,

Just thought I'd chime in as I've been watching this company for several years also and have had a number of discussions with them. Hope to fly through Denver this fall and take a side trip to their facility. I'm enamored by the technology, and if your age, would buy one in a minute. However, I'm NOT your age :mad: , my wife wouldn't allow it :o , and I've got a bad case of MPD :eek: . Wish I could tow one as someone else suggested.

Good luck with your decision and keep us posted. BTW, where can I easily purchase your book......I'm new to Photoshop and need all the help I can get !

When you're driving through Montana, feel free to stop by for a wilderness campsite in our front yard !! :D

Cheers,

Jim S

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Ben is still young and tolerant of little inconveniences.

Once he moves out of his Liberty into the equivalent of a pickup with a slide in camper he may enjoy some of the opportunities not available to him in the bus because of its size, but after going through the "been there, done that" phase the luxuries of the Prevost will start to become very important.

My idea of roughing it is if the campsite isn't level or concrete.

[Ben]

Jim,

You can find my books at Borders, Barnes & Noblel, or on-line at amazon.com

-Ben

[garyde]

When Jon spoke about the back bed of a pick-up it brought back memories for me when I had a 72 GMC Truck with a 64 slide-on over the cab camper. It used to belong to my parents. It was great for week end trips to the lake towing a boat or a week at Shasta Lake in N. California. I was 26 at the time and it was fine at the time but very basic. No A/C, water pump , bath or shower. Two people could not pass one another without one sitting down.
Good Times!

[rfoster]

Gary: You're giving away your age when you start talking and posting about the good ol' days. Careful, you could be accused of being an old fart.:cool:

[JIM CHALOUPKA]

Ben, You need to find the right women!! Then you won't have any free time to let your mind wander and wonder about decisions like this. You just say" Yes Dear "and do as your told:D :eek: :eek:

[Ben]

Jim,

I hear enough about those kinds of problems from everyone on this board. Just search for "wife" on this board and see how many times it is in reference to a limitation put on someone.

Women are great, but I wont' put up with any sh*t they dish out, which is why I'm not married. It's by design. I'd love a good companion, but am not willing to be chained down by the wrong one, so it will take me a while to find someone who is compatible with my lifestyle.