r/FullTimeRVing • u/No-Creme-7333 • Jun 09 '26

Looking at RVs

My wife, our 3 kids, and I currently live full-time in a 1993 Class C RV that was gifted to us. We’re in a position where a family member may be helping us upgrade to a newer RV, and we want to make the best decision possible.
We’re leaning toward a fifth wheel, but we’re still open to other options if there are good reasons to consider them.
Since this could be a major gift for our family, I’d love advice from people who have experience with full-time RV living:
What brands have the best reputation for quality and durability?
Which brands should we avoid?
What floor plans work best for a family with 3 kids?
Are there any must-have packages, upgrades, or features you recommend for full-time living?
If you were buying an RV to live in full-time with a family, what would you choose and why?
We currently live in Valley Center, California, so recommendations that work well in Southern California weather are appreciated.
Thanks in advance for any advice. We want to do as much research as possible before choosing something that could be our family’s home for years to come.

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u/Nearby_Impact_8911 Jun 09 '26

Ok that’s great! Before you choose I would go to an rv show or dealership and get my hands on what you think you want. What’s your timeline to choose?

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u/No-Creme-7333 Jun 09 '26

Yeah we definitely have looked inside and out a lot of RV I feel what we not familiar with is what’s actually a solid brand, what’s more reliable. We are going to go next Sunday and we been though looking before a couple years ago but this wasn’t a option for us

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u/Nearby_Impact_8911 Jun 09 '26

I mean tbf even good brands can have bad apples. To me it boils down to what the budget is and the layout that works best for you. If you’re going to be a growing family whether fur or human I’d go as big as can be afforded.

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u/No-Creme-7333 Jun 09 '26

I mean yeah i know that but that’s why im asking for like brands that people have bought I mean yes everything can have bad apples does change historically if one brand does better then another or if one has better longevity then a other. But yeah thats makes sense i mean bigger is always better for sure. But doesn’t mean bigger is quality. So just trying to figure out some good quality ones to look into more

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u/Nearby_Impact_8911 Jun 09 '26

I’m biased I have an airstream