Tacozilla!

[89th]

@Jolly said in Tacozilla!:

@89th said in Tacozilla!:

So, it looks cool. But lots of those pictures were taken with a wide angle lens. The bathroom is probably even smaller than an airplane bathroom. The table (does it fold away)? seems to be a huge waste of space, wouldn't that be better for the sleeping area than squeezing above? Glad it can fit 3 apples, tho.

You are obviously not a RV guy.🤪 Seriously, most tables stow or fold out of the way. And the little bathrooms like that, mean you have to straddle the commode (or sit) to take a shower.

When the kids are just a bit older, rent a RV sometime. Beats the sugar out of tent camping

Ha, it is true I'm not an RV guy... yet. I fully plan to rent an RV and take some good long trips with the kids when they are a bit older.

[George K]

@89th said in Tacozilla!:

I fully plan to rent an RV

We did that in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It's a ton of fun.

Just remember when they say "It sleeps 6," they never tell you how many it "lives." Sleeping kids are easy. Running-around-kids are, well, running around.

Also, let's hope that gas prices come down. The Class-A rigs we rented had 100 gallon fuel tanks.

[LuFins Dad]

You know, I don't find these things to be very cheap to rent. They cost $200-300 a day to rent, plus gas, plus $50-$100 per night for the campsites. I can rent a house for less...

[George K]

@LuFins-Dad said in Tacozilla!:

They cost $200-300 a day to rent

Plus mileage in many cases.

[Jolly]

If you've got something to tow it, the cheapest way to go is a used travel trailer. Most people don't use them very much and one a few years old is generally in very good condition.

It's all in what you like, but somewhere in that 22-23 foot range for a bumper pull seems to work pretty well.

[Jolly]

@LuFins-Dad said in Tacozilla!:

You know, I don't find these things to be very cheap to rent. They cost $200-300 a day to rent, plus gas, plus $50-$100 per night for the campsites. I can rent a house for less...

What about a Class C?

[LuFins Dad]

@Jolly said in Tacozilla!:

@LuFins-Dad said in Tacozilla!:

You know, I don't find these things to be very cheap to rent. They cost $200-300 a day to rent, plus gas, plus $50-$100 per night for the campsites. I can rent a house for less...

What about a Class C?

Those rates WERE for a Class C. https://outdoorsy.com/rv-rental/california

As for a travel trailer, most people can’t tow a little 4ft uhaul trailer, a camper is a recipe for disaster. And even those rent at $150 per night.

I’d rather tent camp… But Karla doesn’t like it, so I could see buying something like the TacoZilla as a compromise.

[taiwan_girl]

@LuFins-Dad Not that you have all this extra time in your life, but you could convert a school bus!!

I think that would be fun

Here is one example

[LuFins Dad]

@taiwan_girl said in Tacozilla!:

@LuFins-Dad Not that you have all this extra time in your life, but you could convert a school bus!!

I think that would be fun

Here is one example

That’s cool but can I drive that in a 4 ft deep creek/river?

[Jolly]

Problem with a school bus is they have no insulation. They get mighty cold in the winter.

[Jolly]

That's a Casita. I think there are two or three manufacturers of travel trailers that build something similar. One piece fiberglass, they do not leak. Ever. Very light, they can be towed by smaller vehicles.

Downside? A little bit pricey for the size.

[George K]

@LuFins-Dad said in Tacozilla!:

You know, I don't find these things to be very cheap to rent. They cost $200-300 a day to rent, plus gas, plus $50-$100 per night for the campsites. I can rent a house for less...

Wow. Just wow.

The first RV we rented, must have been in 1986, iirc. It was a 29 foot Class A. We rented a few 34 footers. That's what in the picture I posted.

You're right. A house is cheaper. And you don't have to pack linens, cooking supplies, dishes, etc.

And add the hassle of finding a restaurant, if you decide to eat out, whose parking lot can accommodate such a rig.

Oh, a Class C?

[89th]

@George-K Yikes, I'd rather rent a large pick-up or even SUV and hitch up a pop-up trailer or something.

[LuFins Dad]

@89th said in Tacozilla!:

@George-K Yikes, I'd rather rent a large pick-up or even SUV and hitch up a pop-up trailer or something.

The pop ups rent for $100-$150 and the pickup will be another $100. The hookup site will be another $60 per night at least. So $260-$310 per night to live in a glorified tent…

Rent a cabin, a house, a yurt, or just buy a really good tent and some gear….

[George K]

I don't have receipts from 25 years ago when we rented, but it was not nearly as expensive as what I posted. A campsite for an RV which included water, electricity was about $25 a night, and if you wanted sewer, it was another $10, if available. That translates to about $65 today.

I think I recall paying about $1200 for a week's rental of a Class-A. The first 500 miles were included, after that there was a fee which I forget.

Of course, at that time gas was a lot cheaper, so filling it up wasn't outrageous, even at 7-8 mpg.

All in all, we ended up with a week's vacation for about $3K - two adults and 4 kids.

[LuFins Dad]

The appeal of an RV extends only so far as it gives me more amenities and at least some separation of space than a standard hotel room. When the costs exceed the cost of getting a suite or renting an AirBnB, the appeal is gone.

[George K]

@LuFins-Dad yes.

It became a real hassle to rent as the kids got older. So much stuff to pack, getting ready to roll to the next destination, etc all became a real hassle. Some rentals will give you linens and cookware (for a fee, of course), but, you're basically packing up a small house and taking it on the road.

As far as privacy, space, goes, it becomes a real hassle with 3 kids, let alone 4. People are tripping over each other, etc. Remember, a 35 foot RV probably only has about 200 square feet of living space - we rented before bump-outs became common, I should add.

At the end, we decided it was easier, cheaper, just to book a suite at a nice resort in Cheddarland. And, you didn't have to cook, LOL.

[LuFins Dad]

Let's combine two of 89th's planned vacations, Disneyworld and an RV:

You can rent this for a week at $1160 - https://www.korvrental.com/eagle-312bh-luxury-travel-trailer-38

The campsite at Fort Wilderness is $744 for 6 nights... So basically $1900 for a week. That's actually not too bad.

Now take into account that I can rent a 1-bedroom villa onsite https://disneyvacationclub.disney.go.com/destinations/list/florida/animal-kingdom-villas-jambo/points-rooms/#default=1/0/0/1/ from one of the Disney Vacation Club Members for $2400 - https://dvcrequest.com/

[George K]

@LuFins-Dad that’s certainly one way of looking at it.

However you have to consider the cost of transportation to get to Disney World. Gas ain’t cheap. Also, you have to consider the cost of food. In an RV you’ll probably be cooking, whereas at a hotel, you have to eat at a restaurant.

And of course if you’re staying at a hotel, somebody makes the beds for you! And, you don’t have to do the dishes.

edit to add: you’re going to need a serious vehicle to tow that kind of trailer also

[LuFins Dad]

@George-K said in Tacozilla!:

@LuFins-Dad that’s certainly one way of looking at it.

However you have to consider the cost of transportation to get to Disney World. Gas ain’t cheap. Also, you have to consider the cost of food. In an RV you’ll probably be cooking, whereas at a hotel, you have to eat at a restaurant.

And of course if you’re staying at a hotel, somebody makes the beds for you! And, you don’t have to do the dishes.

The RV rental service I picked is based in Kissimmee and specifically rents to Fort Wilderness and the price includes delivery to Ft. Wilderness, set up, and pick up. So RV or Villa, you still have the same transportation costs.

The Villa also has the fully stocked kitchen. So you have the whole cooking vs eating out thing covered, too.