Choosing an RV

"How can there possibly so many different makes and models and designs and options in the RV marketplace?" In search of a vehicle that could be both a capable mobile office and a nice place to live on the road, the choices seemed overwhelming. But over time, I learned why there's so much variety, and what makes the most difference. While your needs and considerations might be different, here's some of what I learned in picking out the ideal RV for me.

The term Recreational Vehicle or RV covers a huge range of ways to take yourself and your stuff on the road. So my first task was to narrow my focus.

The photo shows several types of RVs that happened to be near me in an Arizona campground. Top-left and bottom-left are classic travel trailers, which can be towed by most large cars or trucks. Top-center is a Class C motor home built on a truck chassis. Bottom-right is my Class A motor home. Parked in front of it is a Jeep I use for local excursions. Between campgrounds I tow it behind the coach, so it is commonly called a "towed" or "toad" or "dinghy". Not shown is the other common trailer, a fifth-wheeler or "5-er", so-called because it hooks into the rear bed of a specially-equipped truck, which both tows and supports it.

A travel trailer or 5th-wheel might be just what you want, since they cost much less than a motorized RV, you might already have a suitable tow vehicle, you can use the tow vehicle for general driving, and you can separately change your tow vehicle and/or trailer as your needs evolve.

But I need to work on the road, including while rolling down the road (with someone else driving), and it's not legal to be inside a trailer while moving. After some consideration of practical pros and cons, I decided to focus on motor homes.