Nick and Amber
Hi, my name is Nick and I would like to thank you for visiting rv-sure.com
My wife, Amber, and I purchased our first RV in 2009. I had recently bought a truck to help with home improvement projects, however it seemed Amber had other ideas for its use. Having fond memories of childhood truck camper vacations with her grandparents, she liked to visit RV dealerships and explore with dreams of hitting the road once again.
One day she came home from work and told me about a travel trailer she had looked at and asked me if I would go to the dealership ‘just to take a look at it’. I agreed, and so on the following day I found myself checking out a Forest River Cherokee Grey Wolf 28BHS. I didn’t have a clue about RVs and what to look for, but the trailer seemed nice and the price very reasonable (we later realized the dealership was having a going-out-of-business sale). Another couple opened the door to step in from outside, our salesman turned to them and said “I’m sorry, this one is sold”, I stood and thought to myself “I guess WE are buying it then”. Despite my lack of knowledge, we were lucky, and it turned out to be a good RV with no major issues during our four years of ownership.
Our first RV
We wetted our RVing feet with visits to Army Corps of Engineers campgrounds by local lakes, typically at water and electric only sites, with lengthy visits to the dump stations before we headed home.
We enjoyed this from the first warm weather of spring to fall, even spending Thanksgiving Holidays by the lake. Occasionally we would venture out further for longer trips, McKinney Falls, Lake Texoma, and Caprock Canyon (all in Texas) and Colorado Springs, Colorado were memorable destinations.
Our second RV
Although we were happy with our travel trailer, a purchase of a new-to-me diesel truck prompted us to start visiting dealerships again. This time armed with knowledge from RVing experiences over the previous 4 years we knew the features that we liked in our first RV and also features that we wished were a little different. After visits to several different dealerships we chose a fifth wheel model with a spacious rear kitchen floor plan, a Keystone Hornet Platinum 285RKS.
We now started to visit ‘RV resorts’, all with full hookups, also other amenities such as swimming pools, hot tubs, cable TV and WI-FI internet (although the quality of WI-FI can be hit-or-miss, some campgrounds have excellent coverage). We have enjoyed visiting Galveston, Austin and the Big Bend areas of Texas; Carlsbad, New Mexico; New Orleans, Louisiana; even venturing as far as the Panhandle of Florida.
Our current RV
Over the last few years, Amber and I have regularly and increasingly watched full time RVers on YouTube, noticing there is so much of the USA that we have not yet explored, also that the content creators are young, not old retirees as you might expect. It got us thinking “could we travel more AND still make a living while doing so?”. We became regular attendees of the twice yearly RV shows in Dallas where we looked at many, many 5th wheel RVs, making a list of features we considered desirable for full time living…….. King size bed, washer / dryer hookups, larger refrigerators, a one piece shower, space that can be used as an office on the road, recliners facing the TV rather than off to one side. The closest match we considered to be a Keystone Avalanche 365MB, however it would also be necessary to buy a newer truck with improved tow rating to safely and legally tow the new RV. A later model Ford F350 was purchased. Our house sold quickly, we filled a storage unit and now live in our current RV.
As a National RV Inspectors Association (NRVIA) Level 2 certified inspector, I set up RV Sure LLC to help prospective owners to make educated decisions based on the condition of an RV before committing to purchase, rather than just hope to be as lucky as I was with my first RV. Inspections can be done on any class of RV, take 6 to 8 hours to complete and a detailed report similar to a home inspection report provided to the customer within 24 hours. I also offer repair and maintenance services. We are based in Central Texas, but being mobile, can work while traveling.
I tremendously enjoyed reading your blog and viewing your videos. We are looking to buy Avalanche 365MB or Avalanche 370RD. We are concerned about our truck. I see your truck is Ford F350 whereas ours is Dodge Ram 2500 diesel. Will our truck be all right to tow 365MB or 370RD?
I am torn in half between 365MB and 370RD. We have been talking for a long time about going full time.
Have you looked into 370RD? If so, what are your thoughts on both floor plans?
I noticed 365MB has two doors in the middle room. Why is that? Why not just one door?
Does it bother you having two doors for the bathroom?
I would love to hear from you, please 🙂
Hi, thank you for your comments on my blog and video. It is difficult to answer your question about whether your truck can tow an Avalanche 365MB or 370RD as towing capabilities vary greatly by model year and also within a model year depending on the configuration. I’d suggest checking out the Trailer Life Towing Guides for your model year ( http://www.trailerlife.com/trailer-towing-guides/ ). They have guides archived all the way back to 1999. Another Ram owner will tell you that they can pull anything, dealerships might tell you you’re ok just to get the sale! Did you read my guide on weighing a truck and RV that I did recently? I did that as I heard that the DOT have developed a liking for pulling over trucks towing big RVs and weighing them. From what I’ve been told they are mostly interested in axle loadings, luckily mine are all ok. You might also join the Keystone Avalanche Owners Group on Facebook. Several members there tow with 3/4 ton trucks, there is even a member in the United Arab Emirates who tows with a Toyota Tundra.
I’m aware of the 370RD with it’s huge basement storage, but as I’m several years from retirement the 365MB fits best as I was able to set up my office in the mid-bunk room (I have improved it further too, I’ll show how when I get around to blogging again). We looked at several mid-bunk models from different manufacturers and for us the Avalanche was the best fit for features and price.
I don’t know why the middle room has two doors, the hallway one is typically blocked on both sides by ‘stuff’…. BUT, I did manage to break the dining table / recliners slide-out in February (I fixed it myself). Without the second door we would have had no access to the kitchen for a week while the replacement part came in.
If I’m in the bedroom I use the sliding door to access the bathroom, if I’m anywhere else I’ll use the hallway door. I have no problems with that!
Hope this helps your decision making, Nick