OUR RIGS
Our Third, and Current, Rig
2017 35AB Ambition by RV Factory
We are very happy with our choice of a RV Factory Ambition for our full time RV. Our unit was built for another customer who was unable to take possession of it, and since it was almost what we would have ordered ourselves we decided to jump on it, thereby saving ourselves at least a 6 month wait for it to be built.
Our Ambition has a king bed, a washer and dryer, a nice sized shower, plenty of storage in the kitchen and elsewhere, a residential refrigerator, a residential apartment style Brown oven that runs on propane, and comfy seats directly facing the large TV. While we were in our warranty period, we received excellent customer service from The RV Factory. A king sized bed was a “must have” for us and this is the shortest length in The RV Factory’s line where we could get a king.
We removed the generator that came with it and added 1,200 amp hours of lithium batteries and 1,800 watts of solar. We also replaced the mattress that came with the RV with a Sleep Number bed. When I walk in the door, it truly feels like home to me. Sure, one day I want to go to a smaller RV to get into more remote locations…but for now, this is the best RV for us.
Our Second Rig
Outback by Keystone
Before the Ambition, we had an Outback travel trailer. Scott found this beauty on Craigslist in early summer 2016. We were in Pennsylvania at the time and the Outback was in Flint, Michigan. After vetting the seller on the phone we decided it was worth a quick drive up to Michigan over the weekend. What a haul that was! All worth it though, the seller was motivated and the camper was in great shape. We even managed to complete the necessary paperwork at the Michigan DMV and Scott was back at work on Monday.
The Outback took our RVing to the next level. Although I didn’t get the same “being close to nature” feeling that I did in our first camper (see below), I can’t deny enjoying the bigger space, a toilet separated from the shower and a bigger refrigerator. We could store things much more easily in this camper too, so not as much lugging items back and forth from home to the camper in the storage lot.
This is the RV we started full timing in. We decided only three months out to go full time and this was what we had. There was not enough time to shed our belongings on Craigslist and make an informed decision on a new RV before we left. One major downside of the Outback was weight capacity. With both summer and winter clothes for the both of us in the RV, we would have been overweight to tow it. We had our clothes in six Rubbermaid containers that we moved to the back seat of the truck on a travel day and back again when we settled somewhere. That got real old, real fast. We ended up selling this travel trailer to The RV Factory when we bought the Ambition in October of 2017.
Our First Rig
Rockwood Freedom Popup
Scott also found this beauty on Craigslist in August of 2015, only an hour away in Pennsylvania and never used. The owners moved shortly after purchasing it and discovered they did not have the proper tow hitch to bring it with them. They left it with a relative who stored it for two years before putting it up for sale.
Oh how I loved this Pop Up. I loved how all that was between me and nature was a thin canvas wall, allowing me to hear the rain fall, to hear the owls at night, to hear the wings of hummingbirds as they flew by in the morning. I loved being close to nature, yet having air conditioning. I loved having my own bathroom. I grew not to love the wet bath, where you shower with your toilet. I grew not to love the small refrigerator. I grew not to love the effort involved in the set-up and tear-down.
After a 2 week vacation with it, we realized we needed to upgrade. Within a year of purchasing it, we sold it on Craigslist to a couple with a young son. I am not ashamed to admit that I cried as it pulled away with it’s new owner. A part of me will always long for the Pop Up days where I felt so close to nature.
