There’s a long standing argument within the RVing community, which is better, trailer versus motorhome? Is it better to have a class A or class C motorhome and tow a car behind it, or is it better to have a trailer and tow it with a pickup truck?
Trailer Versus Motorhome – Which is Better for Boondocking?
Specifically for boondocking, we find that more campers prefer having a pickup truck towing a trailer, rather than a motorhome (Class A or C) towing a car.
The reason is primarily because the pickup truck is more versatile, more tougher built as a tow vehicle, and comes in four-wheel drive models. Most boondockers with pickup trucks typically have four-wheel drive capability to get through more rugged terrain. Boondockers are typically campers who want to be in rugged terrain, and consider trucks with trailers to be more suited for traveling over rocky, sandy, muddy, conditions.
Boondockers often buy and sell several trailers over several years, but keep the same pickup truck. Meanwhile, buying and selling motorhomes tends to be more costly to do.
Boondockers love using the pickup truck bed to store dirty, dusty stuff like patio mats, barbecue grill, propane tanks, tables, chairs, firewood, and other things they don’t want to keep inside their living space.
Another big reason that we commonly see is that boondockers often have smaller trailers, preferring to have a more modestly sized living space with a larger, more powerful, and more versatile pickup truck for hauling and off-roading.
Boondockers love to customize their living space and find trailers much easier to upgrade than a motorhome. Motorhomes are also more cumbersome to repair than trailers.
Interestingly, we see a lot of boondockers aged 55 and up prefer motorhomes over trailers. Meanwhile, boondockers below the age of 55 tend to prefer pickup trucks with trailers.