Maggie's Farm

Slide outs have a kind of yin and yang to them. The do give you more room and in some cases make a dramatic difference. But in some designs they make the interior an impossible terrain to navigate unless the slide out is deployed. That last factor makes the Walmart or other "stealth" camping difficult. Another negative is that they do "break". The motor and gear housing is a light cast aluminum or pot metal and very weak. There is a lot of pressure on this component at the end or beginning of the slide movement. And this small component costs $900 plus installation. They do leak and more then one person traveling through snow country has gotten snow dumped on them while driving. Some slide outs I have seen appeared to be there simply to increase the cost or to prove they could put one more slide out in the unit. There is something called a "travel block" that inserts between the inner surface of the slideout and the outer wall of the unit to prevent movement or strain on the slideout while traveling. Good in mountainous or winding roads and essential when that motor unit suddenly breaks.

The $400,000 Motorhomes serve the same purpose that a 500 series Mercedes, or 7 series BMW serves; to show everyone you are rich.
The Motorhome can fit different niches for different people. The ability to stop in the middle of nowhere Nevada or New Mexico is appealing and can't be accomplished staying in a hotel. Driving to Alaska is an adventure and hotels are not always easy to find. If you live East of the Mississippi motor homes are used differently then if you live West of the big muddy. Some folks get into their motorhome one day and drive away with no set destination, no reservations and they don't come back for 6 months. If you try that planning on hotels it will set you back as much as the motor home costs and you will not always have a place to stay without reservations. Motor homes are not for everyone but my advice is try it. Reserve a motor home in Las Vegas and fly out. Drive to Zion for a few days, then to the Grand Canyon, Mesa Verde, Chaco Canyon, Canyon De Chelly then Yellowstone (my early spring itinerary). Yes, you can go to all of these places by car and stay in some very nice lodges or commercial accomodations too. But somehow the motorhome just seems easier and allows schedule changes on a whim.