Downsizing - What the Heck?
Downsizing - What the Heck?
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Sept 2022
After living in our very roomy 40 ft Tiffin Phaeton for a year, we made the decision to downsize to something much smaller. This decision did not come easy, and we knew that it would be a challenge in many ways.
What did we like about the Class A?
The Phaeton was big and comfortable. We found that we enjoyed living on the road, even with the many set-backs that we faced in 2021 and early 2022. We pretty much had everything that we needed -- a washer/dryer, a king-sized bed, a roomy kitchen for food prep, a full-sized refrigerator, lots of storage in the "basement" (that is storage under the living area of the coach), 4 large TVs, even a fireplace to keep us toasty when the weather was cool. It had 4 slideouts that gave us lots of room. You can see my post on Facebook that shows the interior.
What did we not like about the Class A?
There were several factors that played heavily into our decision to downsize.
The first, and foremost was that it was stressful to drive and park. Even though we took driving lessons, I never felt comfortable driving this rig. Therefore, all of the driving was handled by Russ. We had to carefully plan our route and didn't dare rely on Google Maps to safely get us from one destination to the next. We were always on the lookout for potential hazards. You might think that all the stress was on Russ, who was driving, but that isn't the case. I was also stressed and anxious, especially in towns and in campgrounds. Driving in large cities, like Houston, where the traffic was always heavy was excruciating. We did our due diligence when choosing routes and campsites, we knew we had to have something that was large and with hook-ups. Parking and backing up into a campsite...y'all that was the worst. You not only had to watch the sides to make sure your turning radius would be enough, but you also had to watch above for trees or other obstructions and in front to make sure there was nothing in the way.
The second thorn in our side were the slideouts. They are really nice because they give you so much interior room, but they are constantly problematic, at least they were for us. We had major problems with all 4 of them over the course of a year. It got to the point that we dreaded putting them out and pulling them in because we knew something was likely to happen. We had a whole new slide kit put in during our first 2 weeks in the rig. We also had to replace a solenoid in one of the front hydraulic slides and the rubber seals in two others. We eventually learned some tricks to get them in and out successfully, but I have to say that they were a pain.
A third major thing that played into our decision was that we could not be as nimble and spontaneous as we wanted to with the big rig. We had to plan weeks/months in advance in order to make sure we could find a campground that would accommodate us. We discovered that we really liked visiting state and national parks. However, most of the campgrounds in the parks could not handle our rig, and, quite frankly, we needed some access to hook-ups. We did try boondocking (no electricity, water, or sewer), like on BLM ground at Quartzsite, but we had to run the generator quite a bit to keep the coach cool enough. We found places to stay, but that really dictated where we went and what we did.
While there were other considerations, these are the three main reasons that we started to look at something smaller.
What did we choose?
We ended up getting a 2022 Leisure Travel Van Unity Class C motorhome. It is 25 feet and has no slide-outs. We have been in it for a month now and are getting mostly settled and things figured out. Our stress level has come way down when driving it. While I haven't actually driven it yet, I know I can. It is just a little larger than a large SUV. We still tow a vehicle (called a toad), however, not a Jeep Grand Cherokee; it is too heavy. We switched to a Ford Maverick Hybrid truck. It is lighter than the Jeep and still gives us plenty of room, plus it is a hybrid. Quite frankly, some people with an RV our size don't tow because it is pretty easy to navigate most parking lots (like at the grocery store), but we decided we wanted the flexibility of having a vehicle to use, as needed. In our first month, we have stayed in 2 national parks (Grand Canyon and Zion), attended the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta, tried to get permits to hike The Wave (we weren't successful), and made many last-minute decisions on where to go and what to do. We were able to boondock at both national parks and at Albuquerque.
What do we miss? Well, I miss my washer and dryer. I've never really liked laundromats very much, but I am choosing to be thankful for getting the clothes done in a shorter amount of time. I also miss our larger shower. The one in this rig is pretty tight, but I'm learning to live with it, too. We have found that the campground showers aren't too bad, as long as you wear your shower shoes :) The kitchen area is much smaller, but we still cook. We replaced our larger Blackstone with a smaller on which fits in one of the outside bays. It is nice to cook outside.
Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions about this. We'd love to chat more about our process of downsizing.
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