Adventure Vehicle advice for a growing family?

[neilsonwheels]

My wife and I have a Quigley e350, converted and with a pop top (see below). Hypothetically seats and sleeps 4. It has been life changingly awesome, we have gone to some crazy amazing places and have definitely taken advantage of its capability. Our baby is about to turn 1 and she LOVES camping and exploring, so van has worked exceptionally well. Surprise, we're having twins. Anyone have any experience/recommendations for a legitimately capable adventure rig fit for a family of 5? We're considering a truck and trailer maybe (i.e OBI Dweller)? Flatbed FWC? EarthRoamer is out of our budget. We don't want a RTT (I did peruse the thread below).

Will probably be selling the van in the spring/summer too, so if you are in the market please keep us in mind.

 

[rcintx]

Congrats on the twins!

My wife and I have considered a van like your for years for our family of 4. Do you think the vehicle itself helps you get out more? My idea is to have an always ready weekend warrior mobile that is always ready to hop in and hit the road.

You’ve got more experience in vans than I do but what won’t work in a van with two more little ones? What about a larger/longer van like a sprinter?

The only advice I can give you is that travel trailers are great if you want to stay in a campground for several days. IMO, they are a pain in the rear to take on short trips and really up the “Nevermind, let’s just not go” for me. I can’t comment on a truck camper etc. YMMV

 

[neilsonwheels]

Do you think the vehicle itself helps you get out more?

YES 100%. We got a campervan for our honeymoon in NZ and definitely were all in when we got back. Took quite a bit of time and effort finding the perfect rig for us. We've spent ~70 nights in it in the 3 years we've had it. We have a go bag and generally are ready to go quickly which helps immensely. Slower now w/baby.

You’ve got more experience in vans than I do but what won’t work in a van with two more little ones? What about a larger/longer van like a sprinter?

2 could work. The setup doesn't seat 5. It's also pretty tight as is. One option is to reconfigure but it is really dialed in for what we do, except no bathroom (I don't mind but it would be nice)

Sprinters are all else equal more expensive to buy, more expensive to own, and less off road capable. The 4x4 and lift make so much accessible. You can go lots of places with anything but I wouldn't take a sprinter all the places we went. A ford is easier to maintain too.


The only advice I can give you is that travel trailers are great if you want to stay in a campground for several days. IMO, they are a pain in the rear to take on short trips.

thats helpful perspective for sure. We do love the single night trips as well as longer, definitely like mobility and seeing lots of variety on the latter.

 

[Porkchopexpress]

In my opinion, a quigley e350 will hold its value better than most things you could replace it with. When I was a kid, my dad had a van and it was a lot of fun on road trips because you could move around while driving, (as a passenger). I would consider keeping it and towing a light trailer with a roof top tent.

I have a truck camper and I can speak to the negatives:
-You would need a very large one to sleep 5 and likely need a dually to haul it.
-Truck campers rock forward and aft over bumps on freeways because they are top heavy, (it makes me uncomfortable). A flatbed style would probably mitigate this with a more secure truck to camper connection.
-You will not have access to the living area while driving like you do in the quigley.
-It is more of a hassel to mount in the truck bed or take off than you might think. If you don't keep it on the truck semi-permanently, you may be less inclined to use it.
-Climbing up to the cabover bed gets old.
-Climbing up to the entry door gets old, (it sits higher than most campers).

A travel trailer and 4wd tow vehicle is probably a good option so you can disconnect at the camp site to explore. If it's in the budget, maybe a Super C with 4WD?

 

[Porkchopexpress]

The only advice I can give you is that travel trailers are great if you want to stay in a campground for several days. IMO, they are a pain in the rear to take on short trips and really up the “Nevermind, let’s just not go” for me.

Why do you say travel trailers are a pain for short trips? I never owned one but it seems like they would be convenient, just hook up and go?

 

[rcintx]

I could probably argue pro’s and con’s of jut about every method of travel. I keep telling my wife we need a stable of options to choose from depending on the trip. If I could have a trailer, van, tent, earthroamer, dual sport, etc I could always have the perfect tool for each trip. Unfortunately, I didn’t want that 2 billion $ power all a few weeks back.

thats helpful perspective for sure. We do love the single night trips as well as longer, definitely like mobility and seeing lots of variety on the latter.

Why do you say travel trailers are a pain for short trips? I never owned one but it seems like they would be convenient, just hook up and go?

Our first travel trailer was a small pop up camper. Absolutely 0 storage space when the camper was folded down. When you wanted to take a trip everything had to be loaded. Pulling was easy and simple. Setting up/tearing down was a necessary pain.

From there we moved to our current trailer. It’s fully loaded (other than food and clothing} all the time. It is easy to hook up. It’s awesome to have a place to cook and sleep.

The downside is the trip to and from the destination. Pulling a trailer increases travel time and makes stops much more difficult. Perhaps it’s just my heightened awareness of the behemoth dragging behind me that makes it seem worse than it is. Things do always seem to go fine. ??‍♂️

I think the idea of a van for me is a minimalistic setup that is easy to travel in and provides the bare necessities to sleep before going to the next place. I’m sure it’s not always as romantic as it seems, but I’d sure like to give it a go.

 

[Porkchopexpress]

The downside is the trip to and from the destination. Pulling a trailer increases travel time and makes stops much more difficult. Perhaps it’s just my heightened awareness of the behemoth dragging behind me that makes it seem worse than it is. Things do always seem to go fine. ??‍♂️

I have towed cargo trailers so I have some experience. They are more difficult to maneuver during gas and food stops but my truck camper has other negatives. Rough roads stress me out more than towing a trailer because it is so top heavy and every bump is causing extra wear on my truck, especially at higher speeds. You also don't have trailer brakes to help with the extra weight.
Also, I don't know that you can travel much faster with any vehicle that can sleep 5. I think increased travel time is an inevitability.
Another advantage to towable campers that I imagine, (no experience) is that once you set up camp, you can unhitch and explore. With a motorhome or truck camper, you pretty much have to pack up, disconnect any water or electricity and take most everything with you.

 

[rcintx]

I have towed cargo trailers so I have some experience. They are more difficult to maneuver during gas and food stops but my truck camper has other negatives. Rough roads stress me out more than towing a trailer because it is so top heavy and every bump is causing extra wear on my truck, especially at higher speeds. You also don't have trailer brakes to help with the extra weight.
Also, I don't know that you can travel much faster with any vehicle that can sleep 5. I think increased travel time is an inevitability.
Another advantage to towable campers that I imagine, (no experience) is that once you set up camp, you can unhitch and explore. With a motorhome or truck camper, you pretty much have to pack up, disconnect any water or electricity and take most everything with you.

I completely agree with you. I try to convince myself that the journey is just part of it and it is ok if it takes longer. Hopefully, that will get better as my kids get older and the drive isn’t as hard for them.

You are right on the base camp theory. Once we unhook it’s simple to explore, drive into town for supplies, whatever.

 

[Oscar Mike Gulf Yankee]

My wife and I have a Quigley e350, converted and with a pop top (see below). Hypothetically seats and sleeps 4. It has been life changingly awesome, we have gone to some crazy amazing places and have definitely taken advantage of its capability. Our baby is about to turn 1 and she LOVES camping and exploring, so van has worked exceptionally well. Surprise, we're having twins. Anyone have any experience/recommendations for a legitimately capable adventure rig fit for a family of 5? We're considering a truck and trailer maybe (i.e OBI Dweller)? Flatbed FWC? EarthRoamer is out of our budget. We don't want a RTT (I did peruse the thread below).

Will probably be selling the van in the spring/summer too, so if you are in the market please keep us in mind.

Congrats on the twins!

Keep what you have and add a trailer!

Mind explaining how you know a one year old really LOVES camping and exploring?

After hitting most possibilities over the years, the best way is to include a trailer that fits the need the vehicle doesn't, IMO. You can always use the vehicle without the trailer.

 

[Porkchopexpress]

Keep what you have and add a trailer!

I agree. If you sell the quigley, you will probably be telling people how you miss it for the next 20 years.

 

[neilsonwheels]

Mind explaining how you know a one year old really LOVES camping and exploring?


She's overall a very agreeable baby so I guess point taken. But she is by in large happiest in new places with new experiences, is invariably cheerful when we hike, sleeps great in the van, and based on our last trip her new favorite food is rocks - certainly an abundance of those in the AZ desert where we go most often. ?

 

[Todd n Natalie]

A travel trailer and 4wd tow vehicle is probably a good option so you can disconnect at the camp site to explore.

This is what we use and what we do.

Why do you say travel trailers are a pain for short trips? I never owned one but it seems like they would be convenient, just hook up and go?

Our first travel trailer was a small pop up camper. Absolutely 0 storage space when the camper was folded down. When you wanted to take a trip everything had to be loaded. Pulling was easy and simple. Setting up/tearing down was a necessary pain.

From there we moved to our current trailer. It’s fully loaded (other than food and clothing} all the time. It is easy to hook up. It’s awesome to have a place to cook and sleep.

The downside is the trip to and from the destination. Pulling a trailer increases travel time and makes stops much more difficult. Perhaps it’s just my heightened awareness of the behemoth dragging behind me that makes it seem worse than it is. Things do always seem to go fine. ??‍♂️

Same. Started with a tent trailer. Moved to a 21 foot hardwall w/ bunks for the kids. Why easier for packing, set up, take down, unpacking etc... If space provides, leave it home packed and ready to go. We keep our pots / pans, utensils etc in it all year. Just add clothes and food and go.

It's 23' hitch to bumper. So far I've never run into issue with travel time and stops. (Usually fill up before we go) most stops along the way are also truck stops so plenty of room. I maybe drive a few miles slower than usual? So time wise would be pretty close regardless.

Like I said, it's what works for us. Every time we're out we see Class A,B and C's, 35' 5th wheels, travel trailers, truck campers.... Different things fit the bill for different folks.

 

[SDDiver5]

I'm in the same boat as you. I want a GFC so I can go anywhere do anything but with one kid under 2 YO (who also seems to love camping and loves rocks) and hopefully another coming in the short term, I think a base camp option is best and I cant see how we'd fit 2 kids in a GFC. I have been looking for a Winnebago Micro Minni with the offroad package or something similar. Just looking around as of right now but we will see. We have cool "camp" spots very close to us on the beach that we want to start using more often and they are easy weekend trips.

 

[Mashurst]

I think I would keep the van. I have three boys and a wife, and a dog. We have been making it work in the Jeep truck on trips up to 10 days. I have considered adding a big teardrop-type setup, but for now, we use a big canvas ground tent for some trips and a Big RTT for some, depending on the type of camping we plan on. It is a working system, but I have a hard time understanding how your van could not work with a few more kids. You really just need a place to sleep. There are all kinds of options for that.

 

[Todd n Natalie]

I think I would keep the van. I have three boys and a wife, and a dog. We have been making it work in the Jeep truck on trips up to 10 days. I have considered adding a big teardrop-type setup, but for now, we use a big canvas ground tent for some trips and a Big RTT for some, depending on the type of camping we plan on. It is a working system, but I have a hard time understanding how your van could not work with a few more kids. You really just need a place to sleep. There are all kinds of options for that.

The van only seats 4. Seating for 5 would be required.