Some may wonder why we would give up a nice home with a beautiful yard and peaceful setting, for a 5th wheel....a trailer! Well, there are so many reasons! The primary reason is that we want to explore our world and we can't do it just sitting in our home in Newton Kansas. Sure, we could take vacations and then come back to the stationary house but.... look at this 5th wheel!! In many ways, it has nicer features than our stationary home!
Some have implied that it's so small, how could we live in such a small space. Well, after the kids left, we realized we really only used a few small spaces in the house. We sat in our chairs to watch TV, we cooked in the kitchen, we slept on a wonderful Tempur-Pedic bed, we used the bathroom and we sat at the kitchen table. Those same spaces are in our new home too! We just don't have to walk down hallways and through rooms to get to these spaces.
AugustaRV recently merged with RVFactory and is located in Elkart Indiana. The AugustaRV line continues better than ever. We chose AugustaRV because they are the only ones we could find that made a high quality 5th wheel, in the small size we wanted. Again, the small size was important to us because we want to be able to get into National Parks. We don't want to be so big that it limits what we can do and where we can go. We needed the high quality build because we need to be able to live in it 365 days a year, not just a weekend here and there. We also wanted a sturdy build that would hold up to rough roads, varying temperatures and constant use.
Our Ambition is only 34.5 feet long. Still pretty large to the average person but small compared to most 5th wheels out there! This is the smallest Ambition that AugustaRV makes and one of their firsts. Apparently a husband/wife couple asked AugustaRV for a shorter version, so they made one for them. Then, we came along and asked for a shorter version so ... now this smaller version is a standard offer by AgusutaRV.
With the 3 slides out, we have 350 sq. ft.! Our Ambition has:
Goodyear 17.5" H rated tires
12" I-Beam
8,000 pound Axles with disc brakes
6-point auto leveling system
Independent Suspension
Thermopane windows with sun blinds and blackout blinds
Heated underbelly including all tanks
5,000 BTU fireplace
2-15,000 BTU air-conditioners with heat-pumps
40,000 BTU furnace (propane
LED lights throughout
50" LED HD TV
Bluetooth Surround Sound and sub woofer
Blu-ray Player
32" LED HD TV
Sleep Number bed
Outdoor Bluetooth Stereo
All solid hardwood cabinets throughout (cherry wood)
All residential hardware used on cabinets
Soft Close Dovetail Drawers
Induction cook-top
Water filtration system
Convection Oven/Microwave
Solid Surface Counter-tops
2-Fantastic Fans
Ceiling fan
LG 21 cubic foot residential refrigerator
This list goes on and on. But the point is, it's made to be lived in.... in all weather conditions. Well, not a tornado!
Let's start outside. We have learned how to heat and cool, when to use the heat pumps and when to use the furnace. We know how to hook up the sewer, how to clean it etc. We know the difference between city water and water from the tanks and why we would choose to do one over the other. We know how the TV streams and what we need to do to get more channel options. We are still learning but things are becoming much more clear. Remember, we had never spent the night in an RV of any kind until we bought this beauty!!
The storage is massive and so much more than I had first imagined! I brought a lot to the 5th wheel. I have my sewing machine and sewing supplies along with painting supplies. We have camera and fishing equipment too. Plus lots of kitchen supplies.
I have the kitchen organized and functional. Now I just have to learn the nuances of cooking with the convection oven. I also bought an Instant Pot which does the work of several appliances. It is a slow cooker, a pressure cooker, rice maker, yogurt maker... even makes cakes but that's pretty high level so I haven't tried it yet! The refrigerator is larger than I am used to! I love it! No dishwasher but I honestly don't miss it! It's not hard to wash a few dishes after a meal! I bought Correll dishes and all new pots and pans for the induction stove top.
We were not happy with the looks or quality of the two dining room chairs that came with the 5th wheel. So, we sold them on Craigslist and ordered new chairs from a local furniture store. We love them!! The table has a leaf that extends the table so 4 people can sit at it.
I am still working on organizing the bedroom. We are still working so we need clothes for our jobs. Once we retire, we'll have a lot more space in the bedroom. The good news is that we sleep VERY well on the Sleep Number bed! The all-brown tones of the 5th wheel were too dull for me so I brightened up the bedroom a bit! Love all the color! Reminds me of the 1970's! And what is not to love about that huge TV at the foot of our bed!
The living room is cozy! Tom has a recliner and I have a sofa with a recliner at both ends. I bought an ottoman that has a hard surface when the lid is turned over. Tom bought a small end table with storage. Behind the large TV in the living room is a ton of storage! The fireplace is on most of the time! Most of the time it warms up the entire living room/kitchen without turning on the heat-pumps or the furnace.
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Swing away the TV and look at all this storage
behind the TV!
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And the bathroom! I love the shower! The sink is large and we have enough storage for all our personal items.
So, please know that we.... are "living the dream"!! I don't think I've ever felt so "at home" as I do in Honalee!
