It often is said that when you go, you can't take it with you. Tell that

to RVers.

No matter where they're going, taking it with them is one reason they chose a recreational vehicle.

Their own pillows, their own towels and bedsheets, pots and pans, hobby and craft supplies -- all the comforts of home, and then some - - bring some familiarity to their adventures whether they have a motorized or towable RV.

Indeed, today's RVs are looking more like home all the time. Air conditioning, furnaces, ice makers, flat-screen TVs, washer/dryer combinations, chandeliers, mood lighting, full shower stalls and recliners are keeping RVers happy no matter what type of recreation they enjoy.

Chris Brandt of Appleton has been an RVer for decades.

His third and latest is a 30-foot Class A motorhome, selected by Brandt and his wife, Denise, so they could take their dogs as they travel around the Midwest and Canada.

"It worked out perfectly. It's convenient and there are so many things available now as far as travel guides, maps, the Internet to make things accessible and allow you to preview the amenities in each area," Chris Brandt says. "I take my laptop along. RV parks are now so sophisticated an advanced, any of the ones that are really good offer Internet access in the lodge or even at your site."

Brandt says there are two bibles for RVers: Woodalls and Trailer Life. Both list and rate RV parks. "Less than 2 percent receive the Trailer Life highest scores -- 10-10-10 -- for facilities, cleanliness of restrooms and atmosphere. If we visit a park that ranks 8-8-8 or above, we've never been disappointed."

Some of the best RV parks are associated with casinos, Brandt says. "With most of the casinos being newer, the parks are newer, too. And, just as they do with the hotels in Las Vegas, they price the parks reasonably.

Even if you are not a gambler, I would still recommend casino parks."

The parks Brandt likes have trees and paved sites and streets.

"RVing isn't camping. It's traveling in a very nice vehicle. There's no comparison with setting up a tent. You have color TV, a VCR, 64-channel cable TV plug-ins, phone access.

"Most RV parks have a nice large pool, snack bar, some have a kennel in case you want to leave your dogs for the day ... all the things that make a stay really nice," he says.

Some even have an onsite restaurant such as the Beef Eaters Pub and Grill in the Sundermeier RV Park near St. Charles, Mo.

With an RV, "if it rains, you don't get wet. There are so many luxuries, the only similarity to camping would be the outdoors," Chris Brandt says. "Being one with the Earth is not the motivation behind those with motor homes. Not to say they don't want to be."

Gas prices not an issue

While driving an RV may be a little intimidating, he says, "after a couple of times around the block, you will be in good shape. Once you know that you are driving a building around, you know it takes longer to stop and you become aware of overhead clearance and the turning radius."

He does not see today's rising gas prices keeping a lot of RVers off the road.

"If you can afford the RV, you can afford the gas. Some friends have gone from smaller to larger units," Chris Brandt says. "Many have tried entry level and then bought one as their 'retirement home." Some people even sell their homes and become full-time RVers. There are trips arranged where RVs are loaded on rail flatbeds and travel to other areas. We would like to try that."

Deanna and Don Anderson of Genoa City have a different take on RVing.

As do other RVers, they like having their own bed and other things from home and not depending on hotels or motels or dining out. But they prefer the wilderness experience to the more sophisticated parks.

"We've always been campers. Our daughter was born when we were camping," Deanna Anderson says. "We've camped with both our son and daughter and have had fun, a wonderful life, with it. It depends on your desires and what you enjoy."

They travel with another couple and have toured the Midwest as well as Alaska and the Northwest.

"There are so many wonderful places. We go off the beaten path," Anderson says. "That's also the joy of having another couple with you. If you have trouble, you have someone else to rely on."

Higher gas prices have not caused them concern.

Being able to spend time outside is worth the cost, she says.

"We love the remote campgrounds and the state and provincial parks. We've visited a lot of state parks in Wisconsin ... Copper Falls State Park, around Washburn and Bayfield, along the north shore in Minnesota. It's beautiful there."

A stay at Devils Lake is mandatory for a family get-together, and they love Door County, she says.

Among favorite campgrounds are those operated by the Corps of Engineers.

"They are located near major dams and the camping rates can be incredibly cheap, $8 to $10," she says. "They have a lot of room, and many are in nice wooded places."

Maps and information, Anderson says, can be obtained from the corps.

They"ve had several RVs over the years, and a recent purchase is a new "fifth wheel," a towable travel trailer.

They also own a 1957 antique trailer and occasionally participate with Tin Can Tourists, a national antique trailer club.

"It's a good lifestyle for us," she says.

Mardell Wirtz of Sobieski says she and her husband, Jim, have been RVing for at least 20 years.

During that time, they"ve had two mini-motorhomes and recently purchased a fifth-wheel travel trailer. "My husband got a new diesel pickup, and we"ve always had to tow a car with our motorhomes. Now we can just park the fifth-wheel

and drive around in the truck."

Group activities

Their idea of RVing fun includes participating with a group, in their case the 28 families that belong to the Bayland Badgers Coachmen Caravan Camping Club.

The group has a monthly dinner meeting, travels in a convoy to a spot in the United States once a year and holds an annual state rally. This year it's near Wisconsin Dells.

"The club is wonderful. It's like one big family. We have a pig roast, potluck, games. The guys go golfing. We go biking. Getting together for the campfire is number one for us," she says. "In the RV, you have all of your own stuff, your own goods. I know my bed. We have all of the conveniences w e want.

"If we had a cottage, we'd have to mow the lawn, pay taxes. It would be like owning another home. With this, when we are done, we just put it back in the pole building and plug in the refrigerator."

RVs are featuring more amenities than ever, says Tom Van Boxtel, owner of Van Boxtel RV Super Mart in Green Bay.

A huge trend is slide-outs, in which a section of the trailer or motor home actually slides out about two extra feet.

"With a built-in dinette, couch or bed, it makes a huge difference in how you feel about the spaciousness of the RV. It"s high on people's must- have lists."

Gas mileage is a question salespeople hear regularly, he says, and some RVers might be adjusting by putting their RVs on permanent or seasonal sites and just taking them out for occasional trips.

Van Boxtel says more campgrounds are catering to RVs, with many scrambling to adapt to the larger Class A motorhomes.

Accommodating various needs

The Burlington RV Superstore is Wisconsin's largest RV dealership, catering to customers with such amenities as a children"s theater, a cyber cafe and even seminars about RV maintenance and care.

Scott Remer, rental and commercial vehicle sales manager, says the Midwest is seeing growth in towable sales because more families are buying pickups and SUVs.

Motorhome purchases also are up because of dual-income couples. Those from their mid-30s to mid-60s are using RVs as their getaways, he said.

Those with mobility challenges also are discovering the possibilities with RVs, Remer says.

The Burlington store customizes many RVs to make them more accessible.

"We can provide steering wheel controls, extra doors with multiple lifts, lift systems from front to back, wider aisles to accommodate wheelchairs," says Remer.

Remer says he does not see rising gas prices as having much of an effect.

"If people were using their RV for an everyday trip, it might make a

difference, but these are used for family trips," he says.

The industry is on a growth curve with the baby boomer generation

retiring.

A 2001 University of Michigan study commissioned by the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association determined that U.S. ownership of RVs has reached record levels.

At that time, nearly 1 in 12 U.S. vehicle-owning households-- nearly 7 million households-- owned an RV.

That was a 7.8% gain from 1998 to 2001 and a 38% gain from 1980 to 2001.

The study estimated that the number of RV-owning households will increase to nearly 8 million in 2010, a gain of 15% between 2001 and 2010.

FAST FACTS ABOUT RVS