How to live in a travel trailer?

[dsb12]

I've been thinking about this for a few months. I'm a student and I don't really like being locked into $500-600 rent to pay when I'm trying to pay for college. I found a few cheap travel trailers for sale that I may take a look at but I don't want to jump into anything yet because I still have a few concerns about electricity and water.

I need the oven, stove, and fridge working because I eat about 4,000 calories per day (sometimes 5,000, I'm a powerlifter) so I have a lot of food to cook and keep in the fridge. I also need electricity for my laptop and printer for school work. It dies quickly so I need it plugged in all the time. TV and a lamp as well. Where do I get electricity for all of this when there are no RV parks near my college? I don't really want a generator because of gas and noise. Do some local businesses/motels let you hook up to them for a "fee?"

I'll also need to shower. Where would I fill up on water? If it's too much of a hassle, I could shower at the gym to save water.

Thanks

[ErinP]

My 14 year old is planning to live in his car when he's in school. He's a tightwad. lol

Are there any trailer parks around campus? (My college had three, and it was a small school). Trailer parks will often have RV hookups...
Really, all you need, I THINK, is a steady power supply.

Again, I THINK, you can fill your water tank(s) every few days or whatever, and empty your black and grey water tanks at the same time. An RV park (as well as gas stations, and even motels, depending on area) will often let you use their dumping station for a small fee on a per use basis. Dragging it out and resetting every few days or so would probably be your biggest hassle.

[Ramblin Wreck]

Link below is an article on a Duke student who lived in his van while attending college. Worked for him.

Good luck avoiding college debt. It's a millstone around the neck of many graduates for sure.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nati...icle-1.1370463

[whipsaw]

You will need full hookups if you want to shower in it. Otherwise, your grey water tank will be full almost daily. As far as power, you can run a solar charging system for the battery and that would be plenty to run the laptop. Propane runs your furnace, stovetop, oven, and fridge. You will need to carefully consider WHERE you will park it before you buy it. This country now has so many laws that it is oftentimes illegal to live in an RV, even if it is on your own property. Oh, and around here RV parks cost $500 per month plus power. It is cheaper to find a roommate situation

[whiterock]

way back when I was in college, late 60s early 70s, it was pretty easy to pick uyp a early 50's era mobile home for almost nothing. Lots of small trailer parks in the college town. It cost us $50 a month to park and water /sewer was provided. Also gas lines and water lines ran throughout.
I was in a 8x35 footer for a year, then moved up to a 10 x 50 for the last 3 years. Had to pay gas and elec and phone. No cable or dish at that time, just rabbit ears on a black and white tv. There were 2 of us oversized Texas boys living together.
couldn't imagine a college town without multiple trailer parks then.

[dsb12]

Originally Posted by ErinP

My 14 year old is planning to live in his car when he's in school. He's a tightwad. lol

Are there any trailer parks around campus? (My college had three, and it was a small school). Trailer parks will often have RV hookups...
Really, all you need, I THINK, is a steady power supply.

Again, I THINK, you can fill your water tank(s) every few days or whatever, and empty your black and grey water tanks at the same time. An RV park (as well as gas stations, and even motels, depending on area) will often let you use their dumping station for a small fee on a per use basis. Dragging it out and resetting every few days or so would probably be your biggest hassle.

There aren't really any trailer parks around the school. It's in Detroit. There are a few places I could possibly park though where I could maybe pay someone but I'd rather not live in the city. It would be broken into if left unattended and most students commute from the suburbs anyway.

There are a lot of trailer parks in Warren and Southfield I can check out. I imagine they can't be too expensive for a travel trailer because the mobile homes themselves are real cheap. I'm going to give a few of them a call.

Thanks everyone

[ErinP]

because the mobile homes themselves are real cheap. I'm going to give a few of them a call.

Here's another option.
When i was in school, a popular solution was to buy an older trailer house, rent to a roommate for about the cost of the mortgage, and sell at graduation for about what you paid for it.

[PNP Katahdins]

What about a used conversion van? Then you wouldn't need a tow vehicle, too. Shower at the gym. Just need a place to park with electric available, and water source. Maybe look for a newer laptop with better battery?

Good luck to you, and stay safe.

Peg

[homesteader824]

I lived in a 14 foot trailer for a few years on my rural property. For water I carried gallon jugs from the nearby well. I had an outhouse. I didn't use the water tank and it didn't have a toilet or shower. I was also driving a truck at the time, and it reminded me of the accommodations you had with a truck sleeper.

[topofmountain]

Without an RV Park to put a trailer in a trailer isn't much of an option. I lived in a TT for a few years before I met my wife. Then she & I have lived in a TT for most of the 16 years we have been married. I love RV living. But we live in RV Parks.
In fact we have two TT one is up near our homestead property. We have it in a RV Park. We pay a $50/mo storage when not there then pay daily/weekly/monthly depending on how long we are there. I will be moving it to our property this summer. We need to lay down about 40 yds of gravel on the road & where the TT will sit. Then I plan to use solar power, we have a septic & water on property now.

[JawjaBoy]

A friend lived in her dad's Airstream for 3 years while she went to college. She got a lot in a local trailer park and just hooked it up to the sewer line and service pole.

Plenty of room for one person, but if she had more than 2 or 3 friends drop by at the same time it got crowded quick!

[Raymond James]

I cannot image living in a travel trailer without hook ups. I would look again for trailer parks. Also check with the university and city/state parks. Most city state parks will have restrictions on how long you can stay. I have staid near LSU football stadium - no waste water hookup (they did have a dump station) and they had bath rooms and showers.

Unlikely you could find someone to park it on their property as most cities/ suburbs have restrictions on parking travel trailers. However if you can that would work. You need access to a sewage line to hook into, a frost free hydrant and 30 amp electric outlet. Some people with trailers set this up on there property where there are no restrictions.

I would go on a RV website like Good Sam Club and ask if anyone knows of where you could park it.

[SLFarmMI]

If you're set on an RV park, if you look in Warren, stay north of 10 Mile Road.

[jennigrey]

Do you have a truck to pull a hypothetical travel trailer?

Some people will rent out an RV site with hookups next to their house.

[Fire-Man]

Originally Posted by dsb12

I've been thinking about this for a few months. I'm a student and I don't really like being locked into $500-600 rent to pay when I'm trying to pay for college. I found a few cheap travel trailers for sale that I may take a look at but I don't want to jump into anything yet because I still have a few concerns about electricity and water.

I need the oven, stove, and fridge working because I eat about 4,000 calories per day (sometimes 5,000, I'm a powerlifter) so I have a lot of food to cook and keep in the fridge. I also need electricity for my laptop and printer for school work. It dies quickly so I need it plugged in all the time. TV and a lamp as well. Where do I get electricity for all of this when there are no RV parks near my college? I don't really want a generator because of gas and noise. Do some local businesses/motels let you hook up to them for a "fee?"

I'll also need to shower. Where would I fill up on water? If it's too much of a hassle, I could shower at the gym to save water.

Thanks

Its do-able. Stove, oven, fridge, heat and hot water can be run on propane. Have a couple extra propane tanks.

If you look around, you should find someone that will let you park for a fee----say a big farmer, that would like to have someone on his place to watch over it, might could park close to a barn to get a electric hook-up, maybe even water if you are lucky. Might could find a person that would let you park in their back yard etc. You could tell these land owners it will only be you, no visitors etc(go see your friends, do not let them come see you) maybe you could feed their animals, help some for a parking fee.
Electricity can come from a couple extra batteries that you have hooked up in your vehicle---have a inverter hooked to these batteries to get enough electric for a few hours of usage. These batteries will recharge by your alternator as you travel back and fourth to school etc. Water can be hauled in by using a plastic barrel/tank, you can even hook up a cheap pump to this tank to transfer the water to your holding tank on the camper. If you are not lucky enough to hook or make a septic tank, Your grey water can be hauled to a dumping site and you can use a porti-potty and dump it in a proper place. Its Very Do-able! Good Luck!

OH, I Lived full time in a camper---off grid for over 6 years.

If you are in a area that the temp gets down really cold-----you will spend alot trying to heat a camper---or freeze.

[Conhntr]

A laptop needs little power and you can find a 12v charger if you end up on battery (solar) propane for fridge and cooking. Id worry the most about emptying the tanks. Even without showers and conserving you will be hauling one of these

Every couple days just to dump waste and cooking/cleaning/tooth brushing water.

I doubt you will get cheaper than a sublet option but you will probably like it better!
I spent my 2nd year of school sharing a 750sqft apartment with two other people!!! And i only liked one of them!!!!

[Zapthycat]

You can use some batteries to power things, solar to charge the batteries, propane for cooking and refrigeration. You can go to a camp ground to recharge if needed too.

I always liked the idea of living on the go

[Cygnet]

I live in a fifth wheel.

You definitely want a trailer made for cold weather, and in good repair. I'm having good luck with a 96 Avion, but it wasn't cheap to purchase, even as old as it was. (My gas bill was around $150 last month, FWIW, but I keep the thermostat at 55 degrees and only bump it above that if the weather's really nasty and I'm worried about pipes freezing. I have a heated mattress pad so I stay warm at night. I suspect it would be a lot higher if wasn't being careful to conserve gas, or if I cooked in the trailer.)

Cooking in a small trailer can be a real challenge. I don't. Everything in my kitchen works, but the temperature in the fridge is unreliable and TINY, the oven is only good for burning things, the range top is tiny, and I have very little counter space. Fortunately, I live on my father's property, so I either cook in his kitchen or on my BBQ grill, outside. Cooking inside the trailer is just awkward. (And when doing dishes, I tend to run out of hot water before the dishes are done.)

Hot water tank on a trailer is typically ten gallons. This is ample for a quick shower, but not for a long soak.

The toilets on trailers are stinky, temperamental, and not for the faint of hard. Ideally, to put this delicately, you want to try to deposit your solids in a regular toilet somewhere. Otherwise, you risk (no matter what you do) building up a pyramid of poop in the holding tank. If the tank sprayers can't deal with it, you'll need to ram a stick down into the holding tank and stir things around until they flush out. Trailer toilets do NOT have p-traps, they dump everything straight down into a tank. I would literally rather deal with an outhouse than my trailer's toilet.

Trailers can rock back and forth when it's windy. If you're prone to motion sickness, take this into consideration.

On the upside, they are cheap, and much more private than a dorm or apartment.

I LIKE my trailer, but it's a higher end trailer and is like living in a luxury apartment. I also have fairly minimalistic needs and I don't try to cook in it, other than the occasional pot of coffee or microwaved meal.

[Conhntr]

Originally Posted by Cygnet

Otherwise, you risk (no matter what you do) building up a pyramid of poop in the holding tank.

Excuse me sir. I belive the proper terminology for that situation is "poopsicle" ive found the toliete in mine worked for me, i knew to flush early and often and that is the one place you can use alot of water. The grey tank always fills way faster than black tank. But whenever i had friends go on a trip there where always problems cause they tried to use it like the one at home and its not the same!

[fordy]

Originally Posted by dsb12

I've been thinking about this for a few months. I'm a student and I don't really like being locked into $500-600 rent to pay when I'm trying to pay for college. I found a few cheap travel trailers for sale that I may take a look at but I don't want to jump into anything yet because I still have a few concerns about electricity and water.

I need the oven, stove, and fridge working because I eat about 4,000 calories per day (sometimes 5,000, I'm a powerlifter) so I have a lot of food to cook and keep in the fridge. I also need electricity for my laptop and printer for school work. It dies quickly so I need it plugged in all the time. TV and a lamp as well. Where do I get electricity for all of this when there are no RV parks near my college? I don't really want a generator because of gas and noise. Do some local businesses/motels let you hook up to them for a "fee?"

I'll also need to shower. Where would I fill up on water? If it's too much of a hassle, I could shower at the gym to save water.

Thanks

...............You've found an area to really save some $$$ ! BUT , any trailer you purchase should have the Under carriage , COMPLETELY , covered ! The older Holiday Rambler , tongue pull travel trailers were made this way . I'm talking 1990's up to about 2005 or so . They are heavy , well made trailers i.e. The Alumalite's is where you should focus your attention .
................You need to understand that trailers have (2) electricial systems......12 volt DC , and conventional 120 volt AC systems . The greater your understanding of the electricial and plumbing systems on a trailer , the better your diagnostic ability to find and fix problems before they cause major damage . Also , you will understand that some problems you can FIX , and some will require you to seek help from professionals !
..................THE MOST important part of a trailer to evaluate is the .....ROOF , IF it has leaks , water infusion into wooden support walls and floors will cause delamination and the fiberglass will separate from the wood structural support system and destroy the trailer ! I can't stress this enough ! Good luck , fordy