Which kind of RV to buy for our situation? Details...

[sunnysooke]

Hi there,

We live about an hour's drive from my stepdaughter's school. She is with us every other week. My husband's work is mainly remote and can be done from anywhere. We are considering buying a small RV that my husband and daughter can drive to the city where her school is, and park somewhere, for 3 nights of the weeks she's with us, to cut down on the time they spend commuting and to allow her to participate in more extracurriculars near school, social stuff etc. Here's my question:

- what's the smallest RV you'd recommend, that would sleep the two of them comfortably and that has a bathroom and kitchenette?

I've spent about 5 hours looking around online and have really only gleaned that the world of RVs is HUGE and I KNOW NOTHING about it. We don't have much money, so would be definitely buying used.
Any advice much appreciated 🙂

[NYCgrrl]

Assuming the school's location is an urban area there is no need to study or work in the RV for hours on end. I'd just use it for sleeping and take a seat in a Starbuck's type locale for remote work w/ charging ports and sometimes free wifi. Very common for millennials on my end.
Probably can access the local public library for a change of pace.

[Grit_dog]

kohai wrote:
Rent a cheap apartment.

No such thing in Victoria. Housing and cost of living is ridiculously high. spare rooms go for almost $1000 a month.
Although OP should look at the economics of it. Presumably trying to save the commute from Sooke to Victoria. It's only like 25 - 30 mi. 50km. Not worth the cost imo for an avg of 1.5 days a week.

[kohai]

Rent a cheap apartment.

[jarata1]

OP really hasn't said much

[toedtoes]

If her budget is limited and under $10,000, it isn't going to be helpful to rent. Renting for a week will take out a good chunk of her budget.

I would look at costs of RV Parks. I wouldn't try to stealth camp with my daughter in one city/town for a year or more. Just seems to be sending the wrong messages to her (e.g., it's illegal but we can do it, as well as, you're important but not enough to put money out to do it legally).

[time2roll]

Can you rent a small Class C once or twice to get an idea what this is all about?

[IAMICHABOD]

A lot of good ideas so far,what comes up on threads of "what should I buy" are a lot of good suggestions.

Mine would be Rent one first and see if it would really work for your situation, before you spend your hard earned money and find out later that it is not feasible, then you are stuck with something that you don't want and may not be able to get rid of.

It will also give you a chance to try a variety of RVs.

Canada Dream has a good variety and there may be one that would work for you.
There is a location in Vancouver

[DallasSteve]

If money is a limiting factor I would look at getting a used travel trailer around 25 feet long (at least) and find a cheap RV park near the school. If you're not using it to travel you don't need a tow vehicle and it will be much cheaper than a motor home, Class A or Class C. If you need to move it to another park some day you can rent a truck for a day or hire someone to move it.

[Grit_dog]

Well, it rarely gets cold where you're at, so an RV seems to be a good option.
I don't think you'd want a motorhome, you'll be driving a big "bus" everywhere, daily, weekly back n forth.
The best combo imo would be a pickup/SUV and a modest size travel trailer. Since you'll be living in it sort of full time, dry bath and a floor plan that doesn't require modifying furniture every night.
Other consideration is the cost to park it. Presuming you're going to be using it in Victoria. Better figure the cost of year round RV site. You'll want hookups, hard to boondock in town and also a pain in the.....for day to day use dry camping. Think about what it costs or where you put it the "other" 4 nights when it's not being lived in. It's hard to make RVing cost effective when doing it full time. Especially somewhere as expensive as Victoria.

[catkins]

Do you have someplace to park the RV? Local governments often do not allow "urban camping" and will cite you and or force you to move. RV parks can be very expensive.

Really check out whether a small apartment might be better for you unless you intend to do extensive travelling in the RV. Just a thought................. Good luck!

[Floridastorm]

Don't forget to look at small motor homes that have an on board generator. Otherwise you will not be able to run much of the electrical equipment when not in an RV park. That, of course, let's out a travel trailer as they do not have generators. Van type class B's are much more expensive than a comparable Class C and you have much less room.

[ksg5000]

I would scratch the CamperVan idea - it's just too small to live in for long periods. No privacy, difficult environment for daughter to study, husband to work out of etc. Might even raise issue with Social Services if they think child is being raised out of Van.

[Tvov]

So, do you have a budget? Seems like you might be looking at less than $10,000?

[Pawz4me]

I think you're on the right track looking for a van camper/Class B. I'm assuming you're looking for something that can be parked rather easily and unobtrusively in a city environment? A Class B/van camper is really the only thing that can do that. Things you probably want to consider -- there's no/very little privacy. If your step daughter is a tween or older that may be a problem, or it may become a problem. There's also very little space. By the time you get two people, books, whatever your DH needs for work (a laptop, etc.) and possibly a laptop for your step daughter things can get very tight. Also with an older vehicle you'll want to check how many plugs are available for recharging devices.