KYD SN10 Class A Video Review
You’ve heard us say that we enjoy being in “learning mode”. Perhaps that’s because we like to try new things, but as self-proclaimed video creators, it’s fun to share new experiences while gaining experience so we can help the community. When we meet people in person, they often mention how much they enjoy us always changing things up.
So this season we wanted to do more motorizing RVing, but didn’t want to be limited to a single type of RV. Thus, we thought we’d kick off SN10 with renting a Class A, B, and C and maybe this experiment would compel us to make a purchase.
Class A Pros:
- Residential feel
- Big windshield
- Feels like an adventure from when you leave the driveway
- Large holding tanks
- Comfort and space
- Large bay storage for anything you want
- Can take smaller tow vehicle into town or Jeep for offroading
- Residential fridges have ice makers 👍
- Depending on the conditions, they are fun to drive
Class A Drawbacks:
- Typically higher depreciation
- From tires to towing, all costs including repairs are higher
- They can be noisy when driving down the road
- Depending on the model, driving in the wind can be fatiguing
- Remote dry camping can be limited
- There are fewer RV sites available for large RVs
- Flat towing setup can be expensive and tires on the toad will wear
- Some dogs don’t like all the vibration and movement in the floor
- More systems can mean more troubleshooting and repairs
Buying a Class A:
In the inaugural issue of E3 Camping Magazine, we wrote an article about buying and selling RVs. In the article, we share the following tips:
- When is the best time to buy an RV
- The three questions to ask before buying and RV
- How to pick the right layout
- Tips when buying private party
- Finance, warranty, Insurance and more!
I’m surprised you didn’t mention that you don’t have a vehicle to drive while parked in a campground.
We tow a Jeep behind our motorhome. When towing a vehicle with a motorhome, you don’t even know it’s back there! We have owned just about every RV type out there, we currently own a Class A but hope to buy a Renegade or Show Hauler Super C next.
Hope you get a chance to use a super C.
Do you own a Super C? I am very interested in them and would like to hear what you think about them,
We are class A owners. I don’t know any class A owners who don’t tow a vehicle/motorcycle. That’s why I was a little surprised to not see Marc and Trish towing in the episode but I completely understand the desire not to add more to the complexity starting out.
We’ve tried the bumper pull and didn’t care for it, not enough room for us. We’re in a 36′ motorhome now and like it much more. But that’s the great thing about RVs, there are so many options. Looking forward to the next reviews. We have never tried the Class B or C routes, but my Dad loves their Class C. Great videos guys, good job as usual!
We have a Class A motor home and will get on the road soon. We bought it used and my husband spent many hours making sure things were fixed and ready to go. We own it so when we need to repair it at least we don’t have to worry about a monthly payment. We are taking our 4 dogs with us so we needed to make sure we had plenty of room to function in. I appreciate all your videos. We have been watching them for over a year and are really learning a lot! BTW, love your dog Charlie and your kids are awesome! Thank you for all the videos you do regarding all your adventures!
It’s great to see you guys adapted to other types of RVs..
We can’t wait to see the rest of this series.
Love your videos, did you engage the tag axle? How do you know when to use the tag? We have a 40ft Tuscany coach we love but it’s not a tag . We have heard with tag axle you don’t feel the winds as much and have more control. Thanks!
The tag axle is to help carry weight. I normally engage mine all the time unless I need to make tight turning maneuvers (like using all 60′ of wheel turn to back into a site). Taking the weight off the tag makes it ‘slide’ easier along in the turn.
Love my class A. But they are expensive. We just bought tires. Ouch. But keep in mind, with a towable, you still need an engine. We started with a fifth wheel because we already had a one ton truck. Didn’t make sense to buy a camper with an engine. But by the time we got the class A years later, we would have needed a new truck to continue with a towable.
You made excellent points on your review. Thanks.
I loved watching your travels. I was really excited about you moving on to a class A.
To me, you were not in the class A long enough to review. I’m totally disappointed, now you are back to the small ones which I believe you will travel in longer unlike the class A. Like I said earlier totally dissatisfied and disappointed getting bored. Use to have very good tips, where have those gone. I was really wanting to see how you solved your problems with a class A.
I totally could not believe you did a half season in a tear drop. Just watched one Sunday on that one where you were freezing trying to cook. Total Insanity.
You are rude. If you don’t like it, don’t watch and shut-up.
You need to reread my post, your misunderstanding my comments. I did not say I didn’t like it, I said I was disappointed. I was looking forward to a longer review of the class A, like all the others.
You need to get a life and stop worrying about others options.
Marc – the quality of your videos has really improved along the way, great work! You can see all the hard work that goes into it. But I need more of Charlie. The whole world needs more Charlie.
Our take. We’ve owned a 25′ Class C, 21′ Travel Trailer, Class A gas 30′ and now 36′ Class A diesel pusher. All have their pro’s and con’s. Also tent camped and boated for 25 + years. Personal comment on your Class A diesel, over 40′ are way more challagning than under 40′. We found that 30-37′ is optimal for 90% of campgrounds, State and National and many boon docking sites. The reason we moved from 30′ gas to 36′ diesel, just needed a little more room for 3 people, less noisy, long term value. Tow vs. Motorhome, did not own a truck but already had a towable vehicle and parts for towing from the Class C, the cost of a trailer and good tow truck equaled the cost of a good used Class A diesel. About Fuel, Our Class A gets 8-10mpg, our car (toad) gets 35-40mpg. Class A gets us to our destination but the car is used for touring, fuel cost may come out close to even. I do my own maintenance so yes Class A can be more expensive if you can’t service yourself. Comparisons are great and look forward to your other reviews. We’ve been watching you since 2017, love the videos and have watched everyone which inspired us to sell everything in 2018 and go full time for retirement, don”t regret a thing.
Your class A review is fair and accurate. Trish you nailed it! My wife stresses the whole time from the passenger seat. Not my driving but every other possible “what if.” I bought her a tranquilizer puppy for our next trip.
You’re right, it’s a big investment. So many systems. I bought a 40′ class A and left the next week for a month in Colorado, 20000 miles away. Of course, I-70 had construction with barrels in the road. I held my breadth many times to see if I’d fit. Then, the $500 oil changes, dashboard a/c always needing repair, roof re-seals, etc. It wears you down. It got too big for me, solo. Now the Airstream is right.
We’re considering selling our DRV 5th wheel and getting a class A, however, to get a comparable interior fit and finish would require purchasing a $400 k + motorhome. You can buy a house for that much. That is very difficult to justify. The struggle is real. 🙄
There is another aspect of maintenance that also needs to be disclosed. There is RV maintenance (maintaining the roof, A/Cs, plumbing and other RV systems) and Chassis maintenance (engine service, tire maintenance, and other chassis systems). We had a 2001 Newmar DutchStar 3852 that we were driving around the perimeter of Atlanta. As we were getting onto I-20 West from I-285, we had one of the two air brake systems go out and a very annoying alarm go off. If the primary air brake system goes out, you are parked until the system is repaired. Imagine driving an entire day with an alarm blaring.
Number 1 for my family is that while I am driving down the road if someone needs to use the bathroom I can keep driving, very very important. We have a 36′ Class A and pull a PT Cruiser on a tow dolly. You are right, when you are underway you are on, and in my situation there is no backing up with a tow dolly so every turn needs to be planned ahead of time. But we love it. I love your videos.
Class A’s are just beautiful. Thanks for the tour and review. Looking forward to the rest of the season to see the other RV’s and weigh the pros & cons of each. I”m still a fan of the Airstream at this point I like it’s simplicity and sleek design…( plus I can’t afford a mansion on wheels) but there are still many more RV’s to consider.
I liked that y’all went outside the box!! Class A’s are a tough breed! Sadly, it did seem like it was somewhat a plug for the Airstream yet again. I get it. You love the Airstream. I am feeling like y’all are always going to be team towable lol! That makes me not as excited for the Class C review now.
You guys are great but a few things in your review surprised us. One you talk about noise and rattling when going down the road. We have an Entegra aspire coach and there is no noise at all and no rattling. I would be very disappointed is there was. You had no toad behind you. I don’t know how you can review the Class A experience without a tow vehicle. You also state you are always on. There is nothing easier and more relaxing to drive then our Entegra coach. You are just not use to it. Our coach is far more comfortable than any other vehicle we have ever driven. As a 30 year career truck driver. When I want a comfortable RV I don’t think about trucks.
We went from a 1 ton truck and a 30′ Arctic Fox travel trailer to a Winnebago Travato 59KL with a lithium system. We get the big windshield effect in our Travato in a much more nimble package that is not stressful at all to drive. It is, however, a rather uncomfortable driver seat for a big guy like myself. Not at all like the driver seat recliner in your class A or the 8 way adjustable seat in our old F350. We don’t need a toad and the class B is small enough to take to the lumber yard to pick up some boards.
I have a Class A, but I’m a mechanically minded old pilot. I like systems and tinkering. Not having slides makes life much easier, but I still have plenty of systems. I like to think of it as my own Millennium Falcon.
Your comments on cost apply if you buy new. My coach, a 1994 Wanderlodge Widebody, cost $47K and I put $10K maintenance into it when I first bought it to bring it up to my comfort level, annual maintenance is around $800 not including tire replacements. With used coaches, once you get the maintenance under control they are like any other property to maintain. My coach is a straight body (no slides), all steel battle tank of an RV. It totes 300 gallons of fuel, 150 gallons of fresh water, and each holding tank is 90 gallons. We can go for about two weeks without needing to refill fresh or dump the tanks and that is without going boondock protocol (probably a three weeks if we did). With solar, LiFePo, and a 15KW generator we can stay powered indefinitely. Many of the sticks and staples RVs can’t do that.
On boondocking, you might want to check your YouTube neighbors the RVGeeks. They have been boondocking in a Class A for over 10 years now. Like anything else, you figure out a system and it works. You just have so little experience with a Class A that you haven’t figured it out.
On safety, depends on the coach.
As I said mine is all steel, like the BlueBird school buses that the company started on. I’ve seen them in accidents, normally whatever else was involved has damage but the BlueBird Wanderlodge just needs some paint buffing.
I recently had a front driver side steer blow out, it wasn’t at all how your rental folks described it. I was able to control the coach without any trouble thanks to having a Safe-T-Plus steering dampener (which they also make for your truck), but I did make one mistake of trying to get off the road the day after major rain storms and took a slide through the mud. The only damage, the tire and the fiberglass rear bumper cover (over the big steel one) cracked from the massive amount of mud that flew up into it from my mud toboggining. Got pulled out, new tire mounted, drove home, washed off 200lbs of mud from the chassis and all is good.
I have a friend that had a car merge into the front of his coach (you know seeing a 40′ long 13′ tall 8’wide block rolling down the highway is hard). The car T-boned itself into the nose of the coach then rolled off along the drivers side of the coach. Due to the speeds being similar, the impact was low. The car probably totaled, the bus just needed a headlight and some paint where the car slid along. Sometimes being a whale is better on the highway.
Lastly, most people seek shelter during severe weather from their RV. With a BlueBird you shelter in the RV. We rode out the last hurricane in the RV as the steel body is actually stronger than the roof of our house. It is a fantastic lifeboat having all it’s own support systems built in. I wouldn’t do that in a modern fiberglass coach, but in a steel coach you can.
Hope to see you review a Super C along with the standard Winnebago Class C (heading to Witch Mountain).
We have a 2017 Winnebago Grand Tour 45rl. Winnebago only made this coach for 2 years. I think Winnebago realized big class A’s weren’t their niche. We call our coach “The Freight Train.” That is what it feels like when going down the road. Intimidating at first but you get use to it. So do the dogs.
We bought it new, knowing there would be issues. The first year we considered as, “teething.” Learning the rig, as well as the “Full Timers” lifestyle. When something goes wrong, you have 2 options, only 2. “Freak out, or figure it out.” Once you understand this reality, your stress level goes why down.
Love you guys!!
Like some of the other folks we’ve owned a number of RVs over the years. In some ways our 1970s 8 ft truck camper was our favorite. It was great year round, used it to ski and camp in Banff lots and it couldn’t be simpler. The family grew and we went into a 19ft trailer and then a 25 ft. Got to be old folks with the family grown up and in their own RVs so went to a 32ft Class C. Took that rig across Canada and the US. Had a wonderful time but didn’t have a toad and found that limiting. Finally retired and replaced the aging Class C with a 36ft Class A and a toad, I completely agree with a more complex rig you are on all the time especially when gaining experience. Both my husband and I share the driving and usually switch off after 2-3 hours. Our first trip was Calgary to Florida to Newfoundland and back to Calgary. We were gone nine and a half months. When we talked about home we meant the RV,
We were in Florida when covid hit March 2020 and beat it home to Calgary. We can’t wait for the borders to open up (both federal and provincial) so we can travel again. In the meantime we’ll keep exploring our back yard, We do have a pretty great back yard with Banff, Jasper and Waterton Lakes National parks and our wonderful provincial parks.
Speaking of back yards; have you ever gone to Glen Canyon National Recreation Area? It’s only two hours from Flagstaff. We took a tour of Antelope Canyon while there, It was really impressive.
When you get your chance to go to Nova Scotia you may want to consider taking the extra time to go to Newfoundland. We stayed for a month and should have scheduled two. From icebergs to the best maintained hiking trails ever it’s a great place to explore.
Bump it up a bit. The newer models have a lot of safety and comfort features. Park our Class A Winnebago Tour 42 and we enjoy our outdoor kitchen and entertainment center. Video console for driver and navigator includes turn signal activated side cameras. Back up camera has audio. Slide through bay allows easy access. Safety-wise the electric induction eliminates carrying propane. Mornings go super easy with Aqua-Hot instant hot water showers
Finally, as a retired safety professional I like the Winnebago steel frame over my head.
We have been full-time 2 years. Started out by studying your every video. Thank you for the inspiration, we love the nomadic lifestyle
Great video. Our family is in the market for an Class A. Based on our mission and types of trips we will be taking, the Class A best meets our requirements (2 kids, 2 dogs, out for several months at a time in the summer, and the ability to bring friends). We rented one over New Years and everyone had a blast. But there are some significant challenges with renting, especially a Class A diesel pusher. It is tough or in our case impossible to find one in our area that is similar to the type we will buy that also allowed dogs. I am guessing you had the same challenges and that led you to a 40ft plus tag axle, since those appear to be better setup for the retired couple versus the active family traveling with kids. But like you said when getting the Momentum, the type of rig you have drives the type of camping you do. I think the large Class A diesel pusher setup requires having the smaller towed vehicle to get to and from locations to get the best appreciation of what the experience will be like. It is what it is, not perfect, but you can get a general understanding of what traveling will be like and we enjoyed your review..
Thanks again for the review…looking forward to the Class C review. Also looking forward to finding out why you bought a car that can be towed four down already…haha
I’d like to add a few negatives…If you tow a vehicle, you must now insure 2 vehicles and maintain 2 engines. That can add up. Also, Class A’s in an accident, review the stats. Talk to some firemen. They’re not as safe as a Class C.
We have a travel trailer and Class C.
Forgive me, but you are right and you are wrong. My wife and I owned a 45 ft. Tiffin, purchased new, for 5 years. this was our first RV. It did take some getting used to but after a while we were as comfortable driving this as we were a car or SUV. Both my wife and I drove the coach and neither one of us felt overwhelmed by the size. I did have to learn how to do some servicing ourselves but it was easy to carry a good array of tools. And as you know if you did not know how to fix something it was easy to find someone in an RV park who did. A great mechanical education. After the first year we never returned to a dealer and learned that they were not the best place for service. You walk into the office of any good RV park and ask for the name of a good RV mechanic and that is the guy who will meet you needs. We found a guy in our first year and he fixed everything from a power steering fluid leak to a refrigerator that was leaking coolant. I could also call Tiffin service anytime, regardless of my warranty being expired, and they will talk you through most all problems.
We loved the comfort of the motorhome and being out 4 months at a time it was like having our home with us. We learned how to find parks that we knew would hold our size and there are books issued that are for “Big Rigs” . We were in no hurry to get anywhere and loved making friends and spending some time to get to know an area.
The thing you are really right about was the cost. It does cost more and we had just retired and could afford the purchase cost. You will suffer depreciation, but all RVs do, Stick to good quality and you will do better. There is a price one pays for quality and comfort and that was important to us. Keep on going and enjoy the time God gives you.
One of the things that scared me away from a class A is if do you encounter a problem REQUIRING going to a facility while on the road you’re subject to whatever is closest, hopefully you can get there, then they may have a long wait list and you may not be prioritized. In that case you just lost your house( or vacation) for a period of time.
It’s easy to find mechanics that well repair trucks in most every town. Additional trucks are safer in an accident.
Love that you’re trying out every different type of RV, can’t wait till your video is a class B.