Wheel Estate

Several people have asked me (for real this time) about the type of RV we're getting. Since we will be living in this thing--not just vacationing--we need to take extra care in choosing our wheel estate (a term I wish I could take credit for, but cannot).

A few months ago, I knew everything I wanted to know about RVs: absolutely nothing. Clearly, though, if we were going to make this lifestyle change, I would have to show some interest. The process has been overwhelming and yet surprisingly enjoyable for me.

Initially I figured I would worry about the floorplans and fabric options, and I'd leave the technical stuff (Gross Vehicle Weight Ratings, holding tank capacities, etc.) up to Steve. He has owned RVs in the past and understands those things. Somehow, though, even those details started to interest me, and I'm now more concerned with carrying capacity than curtain style.

We have spent the past few months researching different types and models of RVs. We have read books, scoured websites, driven to the Inland Empire countless times to look at more dealerships than I knew existed, and even toured an RV factory (no free samples, though Elias did get to keep his safety goggles):

We still have some more looking to do, but an early favorite has emerged. I took a camera along last time we looked, so I even have photos to share!

This is a Keystone Mountaineer. (As I typed "Mountaineer," my mind suddenly flashed to the "Canyonero." Not so much because of the vehicle type, but because that would be a great name for an RV. But I digress.) It's a fifth-wheel trailer, meaning it puzzles over the back of a pickup and is towed by the bed rather than the bumper. So yes, we're getting a pickup, too. More on that in another post.

This is Elias's room:

No, not really. Elias gets so angry every time we joke about that. He's no fun.

That's the "basement" storage (yes, it's really called that). I refer to it as the "underground storage," because it sounds more interesting and no less ridiculous than having a basement on a moving vehicle.

This would be Elias's real room:

That's a loft bed/small play area. Yeah, the sucker is TALL (the trailer that is--though Elias is, too). Directly across is the bunk that would be Anna's if/when she ever sleeps on her own:

That's a fold-down bunk above it, too, but we would probably remove it. That would free up some weight and would ease my thoughts of the bed crashing down on little fingers. That bottom bunk is pretty low to the ground, by the way. It's not a loft like the other one.

The kids would even have their own half-bathroom:

At first I was concerned about Anna having access to a bathroom unsupervised. The toilet is a drowning hazard, after all. Then Steve pointed out that RV toilets don't have standing water, so I guess we're good. The really nice thing about this bathroom is that you can access it from outside. If the kids are super-filthy we can rinse them off right there. It's also nice if you're outside and don't want to traipse through the rest of the "house" to go to the bathroom.

Here is the kitchen:

See all the counter space??? Ok, it's not much, but it is the most spacious we've found so far. I also like how the counter divides the kitchen from the rest of the living area. I could even set up a baby gate if we need to (and probably will).

I didn't get very good photos of the master bedroom, but here's the bed:

The bed is on a slide-out. For the RV-illiterate, that means that when you're parked, you push a button and parts of the trailer slide out to create more room. When you're ready to move, you just slide them back in. The loft in the kids' room is also a slide, as are the kitchen and living/dining room.

For some reason I didn't take pictures of the master bath, the living room, and the dinette. There's not much to say about them, except that the shower in the bathroom includes a very deep floor that is sort of like a mini-bathtub. It's way too small for me to lounge in with a book, but is the perfect size for bathing a toddler. The couch folds out to accommodate an air mattress, and there is a flat-screen TV, plus enough room that we can probably still play Wii Bowling.

You'll notice there are a few other things missing. Like the washing machine. That's a whole post in itself, for another day...

What amazes me most is that, with the slides out, it actually feels pretty spacious. It confounds me that it can all fold up small enough to fit in a lane. I have spent the past few days staring at cars and trucks in front of me and trying to imagine how an entire home can fit in that same width. It hurts my brain trying to make sense of it, so I just accept that somehow it works.