Driving a 33' Class A

[Cobra21]

I currently have a C, 21' and am considering a 33' class A for some extended travel. Do you think I would be disappointed with the size difference for general getting around. We need some space and comfort, but is this a big sacrifice in maneuverability?
Thanks, Brian

[Cobra21]

Thank you for all the great comments! The 21 with out a slide is difficult for 2 people exchanging places with in. I don't think we could take much over a week in it. Have owned it over 10 years. This is probably a trade off worth the while. We have a 32 in our sights.
Thanks Again, Brian

[way2roll]

Define "getting around" and "maneuverability". If you get to a CG and stay there then I think you will find travelling and getting to a destination not much different than your class C. But if you are going to use it for sight seeing and a grocery getter, then you are going to have issues. While you can park a Class A in a grocery store parking lot, you aren't going to be able to take it downtown, most restaurants, a lot of local attractions etc. Maneuvering in any downtown area will not be a fun experience, let alone parking. Then there is always the thought of having to break camp every time you want to go somewhere. You can rent a car if a service is available but when we had our Class A, we never went anywhere without our TOAD. It's so simple to hook up, it just makes no sense not to be without one. But most RV's beyond 20-ish footers are not "nimble" and can't really be used like a car.

[georgelesley]

We have owned everything from a class B van to a 34’ class A. DW and I both drive the 34” class A. We both agree the length makes little difference. The height and width matter as far as driving goes. I doubt you will find much difference in driving what you have now.

[scbwr]

Our Bay Star is in the 33'range and I wouldn't travel in it without having another vehicle for getting around, sightseeing, etc. I don't have any experience with a class C, but having owned a Dodge dually that was about the length of your class C, I'll say that there is a big difference in maneuvering a 21' rig versus 33' class A.

Having owned 2 travel trailers and then getting our Bay Star a little over 2 years ago, I will also suggest that you think about a travel trailer/fifth wheel with a good truck for towing it. I love the advantages of our class A, but even owning a gas class A comes with a price in terms of service and maintenance.

Also, once you get into towing a car, whether 4 wheels down or on a dolly, it can cost quite a bit for the gear and installation. You may be able to save quite a bit if you can handle the installation of a base plate and required wiring.

[D_E_Bishop]

Our first rv was a 28'6" long 96" wide class A,currently we have a 32'5" class A that is 101" wide. The first rv we drove for several years including a 2.5 month trip to AK without a towed. That convinced me before we made another long trip that I would buy a towed. Now with a longer, wider rv, I find it an absolute necessity. For us a 4x4 is best as we boondock, a mid-sized truck is very convient. For several years we had the rv, a towed and two daily drivers, now my daily is a GMC Canyon that is our towed.

Our current Moho is nimble but not like the first one. Not small town friendly. Right turns onto narrow streets are a problem, tail swing is horrid and dirt roads, I avoid them like the plague.

The three Suzis we have had were great the GMC is okay.

I reccomode the towed.

[DrewE]

In terms of just maneuverability, the class A may even be a bit better than the class C. Class C's often have pretty horrid minimum turning radii.

My experience with my 32' class C has been that the size and maneuverability is not frequently a big issue. Partly that's because I opt not to take it where it would obviously be problematic, such as downtown in large cities. But even so, I have very seldom found it impossible to park reasonably near to where I want to go in rural or suburban sorts of areas. It may require crossing the street or staying at the outskirts of a parking lot, but in general nothing not manageable with a couple minutes of walking.

[MrWizard]

32ft gas, 34ft diesel, 36ft gas
My toad has only 2 wheels and gets about 70mpg
Full-time ... Love the space and the storage

[rk911]

Cobra21 wrote:
I currently have a C, 21' and am considering a 33' class A for some extended travel. Do you think I would be disappointed with the size difference for general getting around. We need some space and comfort, but is this a big sacrifice in maneuverability?
Thanks, Brian

we've been doing this MH thing since 1986 in three different motor homes....a 1985 26' class a, 2000 35' class a and presently in a 2016 40' class a. we didn't start towing a jeep until 2003 so for the first 18-years we used the MH to run errands, go sightseeing, etc. it wasn't much of a problem in the 25" MH we just had to adjust our routines. parking wasn't generally a problem. i even parallel parked it in downtown Metropolis IL.

it became more problematic with our 35' MH. parking in small town store lots became more difficult so we adjusted our shopping routines to early mornings or late evenings. sightseeing was more difficult as we like to pull into scenic overlooks and not just breeze on by. we rented cars when or where possible but even with delivery it was a huge PITA.

so we made the decision to buy a toad and boy did that make our lives on the road much, much easier.

-

[Chum_lee]

One nice advantage of driving a Class A is that you sit about 3 feet higher so, IMO, you can see (forward) much better than in a standard Class C. The larger more vertical windshield helps too.

Chum lee

[K_Charles]

It's hard to make things bigger on the inside without making them bigger on the outside. If you want more room, go for it. 8' longer and maybe 6" wider, you'll get used to it in no time.

[gbopp]

Maneuvering while driving you won't see much difference.
If you don't have a toad and want to use the A for local travel you will find it is not very practical.
You will enjoy the extra room and storage with the Class A.

[bukhrn]

jdc1 wrote:
Small town parking is a pain. U-turns? Forget about it. A "toad" may be needed.

Not only "Needed", but extremely usefull, not only in small town but in getting around in general, not to mention the PITA of tearing down & setting up every time you want to go see something, plus the economics of touring in your toad at 30-38 MPG +/-, vs 7-8 in your MH.

[jdc1]

Small town parking is a pain. U-turns? Forget about it. A "toad" may be needed.