Hershey Rv Show is 13 football fields of RV Heaven. More RVs than I have ever seen at one time.  There were so many RVs to visit we had to go for three days just to see everything. Then we were so tired we took a day off to just hang out at home and went again on the last day just for a couple of hours to see our favorites.

Picking out the right RV for full-time living is a daunting task when there are so many options to choose from.  Here is what you need to remember if you decide to go full-time.  5th wheels, pushers, and travel trailers are not made as well as houses, they take 24 to 48 hours to make. The big manufacturers are building for the masses, so they design what they think most people want.  They are designed for the weekender (the family who only camps only 5-7 weekends a year), who is there to party and go home two days later.

Fulltimers camp 365 days a year, but we are not camping we are living in our RV. We look for different things like lots of storage, kid areas, separation from kids, larger fridges, kitchens, and better quality. I wanted to look at toy haulers, 5th wheels, and coaches.  We own a bunkhouse, Mountaineer 350 QBQ, that we are very happy with.

Fun stuff we did at the show

The girls really had a great time even though it was super hot and we did a lot of walking.  They got candy from almost every vendor because they were all giving it away for free. They played games to win stuff so the vendors could get our names. We always love looking at new RVs, especially the big fancy ones to see how the rich and famous life.

Tips for going to the Hershey RV show: wear good walking shoes because we did an average of five miles a day. Bring water from home, they charged $4 for one bottle at the show.  Get stamps when you visit a section so you know where you have been.  We took brochures from everywhere and then just narrowed it down when we got home.  If you really plan on shopping the three-day package is the best because by the fourth day you will need to relax and on the fifth, you can narrow it down to those few you love.

Here are the RVs we picked for Fulltime Families:

Toy Haulers

XLR 422AMP – Toy Hauler with back and side decks. We liked the layout and thought we could take out the second bathroom and make that into a desk or craft area.  We also don’t need the loft, which can be used as extra storage or taken out and add a big cabinet in the garage. I also heard (but don’t quote me) that if you go to the factory they will work with you on some changes, but remember the price may go up.

AUGUSTA RV – LUXE TOY HAULER – coming next year. These are costume-built RVs and we loved the quality that was put into these RVs. I loved the white cabinets (most RVs add dark cabinets which make them feel like a tin can). You can get a residential oven and fridge and a convection microwave.  This company will do whatever you want (just takes money), but the build time is over a year.

NEW HORIZON – TOY HAULERS – These are also custom-built toy haulers. They will work with you to make sure you get exactly what you want. The only drawback is they make most of their RVs for couples, not families.

Bunkhouse

Montana Mountaineer 350QBQ – This is what we own right now and love it.  We have bunks in the back and a master bedroom upfront.  There are some issues with our camper that I would love to change like: the residential fridge, replacing cabinets because they are peeling, the cabinets were lighter, and no carpet in the bedrooms. I do love that the kids and I have separation, there a large closet in our room and kids’ room, and a large area for kids to play in their room. Sadly they do not make it anymore.

OPEN RANGE RF376FBH – This is the kid’s favorite because it has a mini-fridge in the bunkhouse. I liked it because there was no carpet on the slide. It is basically laid out like ours but the bunk bed is over the hitch( front area). We didn’t like it because the master bedroom had no upgrades and the color was great and awful. With that in mind, I am sure we could pick browns instead.

Pusher (coaches and class C)

COACHMAN SPORTSMAN  SRS 360 DL – This one was my favorite coach because it had the salon hideaway bunk beds. They are located over the sofa and dinette.  You can leave the bunk down while you are driving. It also is one of the only coaches that doesn’t have a bathroom at the very back of the coach. The only drawback is that there is not a closet or any place for the kid’s stuff but there is a lot of storage underneath.

DYNAMAX CORP Isata 5 Series – Class C series motor home and was my husband’s favorite. It had a Ram 5500 chassis and was around 36 feet so you could get into almost any campsite with no problem. The kids didn’t like the fact that there was only one closet and nowhere for their stuff.  He pointed out that there is a lot of storage underneath and we could pull a Jeep or car behind.

Retro/truck campers or Alaska bound campers

Riverside Retro 195 – These were my hubby’s ultimate favorite because they were small and had no slides. It is also accented with fun bright colors which I loved.  He would love to get rid of our camper and just have one of these, but he is dreaming.  I thought it would be good just for a couple of months to use while we head to Alaska and back.

Lance 1172 Truck Camper This actually comes with a slide and one girl could sleep on the sofa and the other on the dinette bed. I am worried that they would be too tall to fit into the beds.

Airstream  Flying Cloud 30 Bunk – who wouldn’t love an Airstream. Not only do they look cool they are durable, well thought out, and just plain awesome.  There is a whole lot of storage and I have no idea where I would put my craft table but I would take one if someone was offering one.