We Got the RV!

After officially deciding to embark on this journey, we had to figure out what kind of RV we needed. Initially, we thought about just snagging a mid-level travel trailer; if we decided it wasn't working out, we could get out of it pretty easily, and if we wanted to continue but increase the size or type of trailer, we could upgrade at any time. A few conversations with some experienced RVers, plus the lack of space ended up pushing us away from going with a travel trailer. We next considered going with a motorhome, especially after touring several of them. No doubt about it, a motorhome is the way to go for comfort on the road, and the idea of living and driving in the same unit appealed to me. Unfortunately, motorhomes aren't really designed for families our size, and especially not for full time use. The kid's "room" would simply be bunks in the hallway, and we would be stuck with only one bathroom. Not to mention, we would have to spend quadruple the price or more to get anywhere close to the same amount of space we would have in a trailer.

That led us to fifth wheels! The stability when towing, extra space that really worked for us, and the reasonable pricing all lined up to funnel us toward purchasing a fifth wheel. Over the last three months we've researched, searched, and studied on different manufacturers, dealerships, makes, types, styles, and options. Because of the space we knew we would need, plus knowing we were looking for a bunk house RV (a fifth wheel designed with a bunk room in the back to accommodate several children), it helped us to narrow down the field, giving us fewer options to sort through. After finding a couple of models we liked and touring them at a few different dealerships, we finally settled on the Forest River Salem Hemisphere 356QBQ, a 42' long monster with a master bedroom and a bunk room, two full baths, and several nice amenities that we knew we'd appreciate while on the road, including an outdoor kitchen.

After a lot of research, haggling, finagling, playing hard ball, and working the system as best I could, I ended up getting the trailer for almost 40% off of the MSRP! Now we have one full week to get everything loaded into the RV and remaining items out of our house. We'll let you know how the week goes and post pictures of the trailer soon. Stay tuned...

~Jonathan