To tow or not to tow

My husband and I have been reading your column for about a 12 months. We are almost ready to retire and travel. We have made the decision on a small, diesel, Sprinter Class C motorhome with a couple of slides. The short, expandable unit we ordered seems perfect for travel. The problem can be the addition of a tow vehicle.

I think we should pull a small car and my husband affirms it defeats the whole purpose of staying small and agile. He affirms the Sprinter chassis can be small enough and gas efficient enough to drive 100% of the time. I contemplate the hassle to uprooting our home on wheels every time we go sightseeing, shopping or out to diner. My husband continues to argue the economic side of this issue. We enjoy your input, so could you please give us some insight on this issue?

To tow or not to tow in Tucson?

This is one of those issues where one size does not fit all. Pulling a toad is usually a personal decision. If you’ve go through this column for a while you probably know my reaction already.

On an economic basis it would be cheaper to haul a tow vehicle. It is usually simple math. Most persons will put three occasions the usage on their toad as they will on the mother dispatch. Just in gas savings, this should make your decision. You can also add accelerated depreciation on your new motorhome as you rack up miles that could be allotted to your toad.

The convenience issues are pretty apparent. If your husband is certainly concerned about pulling a second vehicle, he should talk to the many persons that do. A towed vehicle songs effortlessly behind a motorhome, it’s quick and simple to unhook, and it puts a very small damage in towed usage.

Here is an example of what you will experience every single day get on the road. Awhile ago we were in Moab, Utah. It is usually impossible to camp in Arches National Park (a reservation-only campground) unless you make a reservation six months in advance. Some campgrounds are first-come, first-served. It is usually as much as a 100-mile round-trip into the Canyonlands National Park campground to observe if there is usually a space available. It reminds me of the famous Clint Eastwood quote, “You’ve gotta inquire yourself one question: ‘ Do I feel lucky? ’ Well, do ya, punk? ”

Most people, like us, end up camping in one of the many BLM campgrounds in the area and taking activities into the leisure areas. We end up putting over 100 miles per day on our toad. The viewpoint storing lots are jammed with traffic and tight. Often we can’t even find a car parking spot for our small Saturn, let alone a small motorhome.

Not everyone travels the same way. If you are constantly on the move, a single vehicle may work out just fine, but consider all the details before you make a decision. You can usually put the decision off until you have a few miles under your belts. A few shakedown outings will switch your perspective on many aspects of RV travel.