AKB: RVs

[stater02]

A recent job change has unlocked one of the great wishes in my life - to be a nomad. Work allows me to work from anywhere and honestly, I can't ever see going back to an office for work ever again. In fact, I recently passed on a more lucrative offer because they required relocation and working out of the corporate mothership. Yeah, no thanks....

So, I recently bought my first RV and I'm hooked. I currently live in Minnesota, and the plan is to permanently relocate to Florida to escape the winter and state income tax. In the summer months, we'll return to Minnesota, using the RV to shuttle us back and forth with the dogs (no kids).

My main question is about the RV experience at PSU. Sure, I attended many tailgates, but for those of you who have RVs and go to the games, what is the experience like these days? I'm hearing that they are now requiring parking further away from the stadium and it's gotten expensive. Can anyone give a high level overview of the costs? Do the lots still open up on Friday? Do you also need to be a season ticket holder to get a spot? Where are the RV lots?

As for my first rig, I picked up a used 2018 Winnebago Via. I plan to keep it for a year to learn and get comfortable with owning an RV. I think I'd ultimately like to get into a 40 ft Newmar and trailer our car behind it. So far I love the gas mileage (~14) and handling (Mercedes sprinter chasis). The thing I hate the most about it is how loud it is in the cab, as the diesel engine is up front. It's so loud I cannot take work calls from the road. I am also starting to realize the poor build quality of Winnebago. For example, my wipers stopped working while I was driving through a storm. Also, for a $175K base price, this model doesn't have TPMS, which is kind of unbelievable.

To those that respond - what do you have? What do you love/hate about it? Any advice for a newbie?

 

[RLCookie]

I can give you all the information you want. Up until about 5 years ago you could arrive on Thursday, Friday, or Saturday and pay for parking in the Overnight RV lot (ORV) at that time. Five or so years ago PSU was required for safety reasons to increase the size of each parking space and make them 1.5 times bigger. Because of this they can only accommodate 2/3 of what they previously could. The result of this has created a premium on ORV parking. The passes were sold to season tickets holders who requested one, based on NLC points. As long as that person renews each year they continue to get it. They are sold out and there is a waiting list for those wishing to get one. For a while they had a couple different options on when you could arrive and the price paid for the season. It’s now down a Friday arrival pass and you can pay extra at the gate and go in on Thursday. You can still enter on Saturday but you pay the Friday price.

With all of that said you can still a few people selling single games or in some instances the entire season. As I’m sure you can guess there is a significant markup based on the quality of the opponent. The season pass is $1200 which means each game is approximately $150 face value. You might find Ball St. Villanova, or Rutgers for that price. Everything else will be more and Auburn will probably be as much as the entire season.

Because of the supply and demand problem PSU contracted with The Grange in Centre Hall to offer additional options. The Grange has unlimited space and you can arrive whenever and pay at the gate. They do not sell out. There are pros and cons to the grange. The biggest problem is it’s 17 miles away. They provide a bus to get you back and forth but you’re not at the stadium. On a positive note all the sites have water and electric as well as a dump station on site. At the stadium you’re dry camping in a field.

I’ve heard from a few friends that have tried it and they say it’s actually a pretty decent experience. Two years ago they closed the lot at the stadium and everyone went to the grange. We were there and it wasn’t bad but I personally like being at the stadium better.

In terms of the experience in the ORV lot at the stadium, in my opinion it’s fantastic. I’m there for every home game and have no complaints. They’ve made some upgrades in terms of identifying the roads and the specific sites and the larger spots give you plenty of room to spread out. We have a group of 5-7 campers for every game and we have a fantastic time every week. The campers in our group range from a couple 5th wheels, a couple travel trailers, a Class A motorhome and a Class C motorhome. We’ve got a little bit of everything except a big diesel pusher!

I can’t wait to get back next Friday!

 

[MaconNitt]

On my bucket list too. Not much help from me though. Only have one experience in the ORV lot, was a guest of a friend in 2013, Class C, had a great time, enjoy your first rig!

 

[harjeff]

To add on to what RLCookie said above....

I go to 1 game a year and have had to resort to buying on stubhub and usually pay a premium, but if its not a huge game like Michigan/OSU its not bad about $250-300 for a Friday - Sunday Pass. Some passes are Saturday only, but you can call and pay $120 to add a day or $240 to come in Thursday. Not sure if Covid changes any of this.

You can't beat being on campus and being at the stadium, we had to do the Grange a couple years ago as a snowstorm closed the lots and to me its a much worse experience. I enjoy being on campus and heading up to the creamery on Friday night, going downtown using the Loop busses and just being around all that is going on even perhaps attending some Hockey or Volleyball matches is the chance allows. It is a bit o a walk to the stadium, but not too bad about 10min.

As for the RV I have had 3 Class A...Diesel is definitely the way to go with a rear Diesel. If you have bought a new model I know the quality is down from years ago and last year with the spike in RV Ownership manufacturers have been rushing out units as fast as possible. I have always owned older units starting in 2011 with a 35' Pace Arrow Gas no slide, then a 2000 Georgie Boy Landau Diesel Pusher with 1 slide, and now a 40' Winnebago Ultimate Advantage with 3 slides. One thing I can tell you is always be prepared for something to break, just the nature of the beast in putting your home through an earthquake every time you move it down the road. If your handy and have electrical knowledge you should be able to handle most things as they occur and make necessary repairs, otherwise you need deep pockets as RV techs that are good are hard to find and very expensive. I do all the work on my coach except the chassis and engine as I go to the experts for that and they charge $150 an hour. My current Winny is very well built and we got a real good deal last year and required me to repair a few items, but since I was able to make repairs we are set now and have an awesome coach for about 10-20K cheaper than if I bought one with everything working.

 

[Sullivan]

I'm not an RV guy, but this thread is pretty interesting.

 

[cment]

The above posts are all correct about ORV at PSU. I will chime in on your plans for the current RV and your next one.

Engine Noise - this is the down side of having a front engine RV, but can be mitigated. It is a DIY project and takes a about 7hrs if you are handy and have the right tools. Remove the door panels and add automotive sound dampening material. You may also want to add it to the floor boards and firewall. It will help a lot.

Florida- lock up a site(s) now. It is getting very crowded and pricey down there for snow bird RVers.

Your Next Purchase - keep in mind that the production lines are still short staffed and are still suffering from supply chain issues. I personally would not buy a new unit until 2023 at the earliest. There are nightmare stories out there of people that shelled out 300k+ for units built during the pandemic from known high quality manufacturers (Newmarket/Tiffin, ext) that have turned out to be disasters. Plus you will be paying list MSRP until the supply and demand equalizes. You may want to consider a low mileage used unit built prior to 2020. I am partial to Super C’s due to their simplicity, but you sacrifice a little turning radius and about 4’ of living space.

Good luck with the Adventure. The RV community is great and there are numerous online forums and FB groups that will help you with any problem or question. RVers are so nice and helpful they should be highlighted on one of those Dr. Rick Progressive Insurance commercials. Lol.

 

[Fayette_LION]

A recent job change has unlocked one of the great wishes in my life - to be a nomad. Work allows me to work from anywhere and honestly, I can't ever see going back to an office for work ever again. In fact, I recently passed on a more lucrative offer because they required relocation and working out of the corporate mothership. Yeah, no thanks....

So, I recently bought my first RV and I'm hooked. I currently live in Minnesota, and the plan is to permanently relocate to Florida to escape the winter and state income tax. In the summer months, we'll return to Minnesota, using the RV to shuttle us back and forth with the dogs (no kids).

My main question is about the RV experience at PSU. Sure, I attended many tailgates, but for those of you who have RVs and go to the games, what is the experience like these days? I'm hearing that they are now requiring parking further away from the stadium and it's gotten expensive. Can anyone give a high level overview of the costs? Do the lots still open up on Friday? Do you also need to be a season ticket holder to get a spot? Where are the RV lots?

As for my first rig, I picked up a used 2018 Winnebago Via. I plan to keep it for a year to learn and get comfortable with owning an RV. I think I'd ultimately like to get into a 40 ft Newmar and trailer our car behind it. So far I love the gas mileage (~14) and handling (Mercedes sprinter chasis). The thing I hate the most about it is how loud it is in the cab, as the diesel engine is up front. It's so loud I cannot take work calls from the road. I am also starting to realize the poor build quality of Winnebago. For example, my wipers stopped working while I was driving through a storm. Also, for a $175K base price, this model doesn't have TPMS, which is kind of unbelievable.

To those that respond - what do you have? What do you love/hate about it? Any advice for a newbie?

There are two other RV lots other than the Overnight lot. You can usually find RV passes for these lots on the PSU Ticket exchange. I have 2 games listed here now. These lots are relatively close to the stadium. You can arrive on game day and stay over that night. Must be gone by noon Sunday.

 

[stater02]

Thanks to all who have responded so far! It’s very helpful. Sounds like I’ll need to get on a waiting list starting next year, and pay a premium in the meantime for single game admission.

Is there an RV forum any of you with experience would recommend? I tried a few Winnie sites but the activity on that forum was non-existent.

Electrical problems definitely seem to be the main problem this far. I’m handy, but not when it comes to electrical work. I plan to take it into the shop with a list of items to be fixed. It’s still under warranty so my hope is that the warranty defrays some of the expensiveness of the work to be done.

On another note, the class b rigs seem to be getting super popular. They’re a bit small for even me, but the gas mileage is compelling. But for $200K they feel VERY overpriced.

 

[Wandering Spectator]

The Sam’s Club parking lot is packed with RVs for Friday night before they arrive on Saturday for the daily lots.

 

[cment]

Thanks to all who have responded so far! It’s very helpful. Sounds like I’ll need to get on a waiting list starting next year, and pay a premium in the meantime for single game admission.

Is there an RV forum any of you with experience would recommend? I tried a few Winnie sites but the activity on that forum was non-existent.

Electrical problems definitely seem to be the main problem this far. I’m handy, but not when it comes to electrical work. I plan to take it into the shop with a list of items to be fixed. It’s still under warranty so my hope is that the warranty defrays some of the expensiveness of the work to be done.

On another note, the class b rigs seem to be getting super popular. They’re a bit small for even me, but the gas mileage is compelling. But for $200K they feel VERY overpriced.

Irv2.com is pretty good. I have noticed a lot of the "traffic" on forums has moved over to FB groups. There might be Via group you could join on FB. If you have technical or systems questions, it is best to post those in the techinical threads or the general discussion threads.

Another suggestion - Since you are heading down to Florida, I would buy a spare AC/heat pump unit now to have on hand when/if your unit craps out. Depending on the model they can be very difficult or impossible to source right now and there is no end in sight. For example currently it will take 8-10 month to get a Coleman Mach 8 heat pump.

 

[RGWhirly]

Anyone having opinions on the Forest River R Pods? What is best brand in regards to that type of setup? Thanks.

 

[harjeff]

Irv2.com is pretty good. I have noticed a lot of the "traffic" on forums has moved over to FB groups. There might be Via group you could join on FB. If you have technical or systems questions, it is best to post those in the techinical threads or the general discussion threads.

Another suggestion - Since you are heading down to Florida, I would buy a spare AC/heat pump unit now to have on hand when/if your unit craps out. Depending on the model they can be very difficult or impossible to source right now and there is no end in sight. For example currently it will take 8-10 month to get a Coleman Mach 8 heat pump.

This is very true...reason I got a good deal on my RV was the AC was not working properly. It was a basement AC/HeatPump.....which is AWESOME when it works properly! As basically no noise. When I tried to find a new one last fall they were non existent, so I added a rooftop unit and removed one of my 3 vents, ran a new circuit from under the bed and added a thermostat in the hallway. That allowed me to get by until spring when I finally was able to find a new basement unit....which is really 2 units as it has 2 compressors. Now I only use the rooftop unit as backup and to quick cool the coach when we start out on a real hot day.

to the OP....The Winnebago Facebook groups are great and very heavily trafficked with lots of responses to issues. A quick look shows a Winnebago Via group, that would be very helpful for your unit.

Another good thing to do...go to the Winny website and download all your documentation. My coach is a 2003 and I was able to get the electrical schematics, plumbing layout, and parts book(that included every thing including screws and washers used in the build).