How Your Hobbies and Adventures Shape Your RV Choice

Starting with what matters most to you

One of the biggest things I see is people trying to find one RV that can handle everything they enjoy doing. But that’s honestly a tough thing to do.

I recommend taking a step back and narrowing it down. What are the most important things you want to accomplish when you’re camping? It can’t be everything, right? Although sometimes I do get a good laugh when I get that as an answer. 

I honestly just want to know what really matters to you. I’ll start by asking guiding questions to pinpoint the top priorities, giving me a starting point. I usually ask:

• Are your trips more about downtime or staying active?
• What hobbies are coming with you on the road?
• Do you prefer quiet, off-the-grid spots or places with more going on nearby?

Your hobbies directly impact what you need

As soon as you start talking in more depth about your hobbies, the conversation shifts (that’s what I’m looking for so I can help steer it).

For example, if you’re someone who loves fishing, that’s going to change what kind of storage you need. I’ve had people tell me they need space for fly rods that don’t break down, so now we’re looking at longer storage areas instead of standard compartments.

If you’re planning to spend most of your time in national or federal parks, you now have to think about size. There are limits in a lot of those places, so you may need to stay under 40 feet, or even under 35 or 30, depending on where you’re going.

If you’re camping at higher elevations or getting into colder environments, that’s a whole different setup. Now we’re talking about having the right systems in place to stay warm, keep water flowing, and stay comfortable without leaving. And if you’re the type of person who’s going to get somewhere and stay put, especially if the weather rolls in, you need enough water and power on board to actually make that work.

Now you can see how all of that comes from how you spend your time.

Adventures come with trade-offs

Every hobby adds something to your list, but it can also take something away.

You might want to bring a trailer for your gear, which means you need more towing capacity. You might want to stay off-grid longer, which means you need more water and power onboard.

Now we’re starting to narrow down what kind of coach even makes sense.

I’ve had people come in wanting to do a little bit of everything. They want to fish, camp in national parks, bring extra gear, and stay comfortable wherever they go. At a certain point, those things start to compete with each other. So we talk through what matters most and where you’re willing to adjust.

You may not be able to do everything with one RV

This is usually the turning point in the conversation. Trying to satisfy every hobby with one RV can be limiting. It sounds great in theory, but in practice, you may find yourself stretched too thin across too many needs.

What I tell people is that you might end up choosing something that covers more of what you want to do, instead of checking every single box. And that’s okay.

You may also find that what works for you now won’t be the same thing you want later. Some people lean into certain hobbies at different stages, and that can influence what kind of coach makes the most sense at the time.

The key is identifying those hobbies up front and being realistic about what one RV can do.

Match your RV to how you travel

Think about where you’re going, what you’re bringing, and how you want to spend your time once you get there. Those are the most important questions to answer, and knowing those answers will guide everything else, from size to storage to the systems you need onboard.

When you have a starting point, about who you are and what your travel goals are, you’re choosing something that fits your lifestyle. And that’s when the process starts to feel a lot more straightforward and a little less complicated.