Anyone live in a travel trailer/RV?

[Buffy in Dallas]

What's it like? Pros? Cons? Do you own land, rent land, stay in an RV park or "boondock"? How long have you lived this way? Would you change anything?

[Rosco99]

We have home in Oregon but go south to Quartzsite Az. Started with 24 Ft 5th wheel in 99. Switched to 32 ft. Motor Home in 04 with two Slides, fine if lots of travel but. Last year looked at 40 ft 4 slide MH as we have been staying in one park for three months Dec Jan Feb, we both need more Space. Would be nice but budget says no, I do buy occasional lottery ticket. WE have 106,000 miles on MH now, an had pulled the 5th Wheel a lot of miles.

If You buy MH look for 5 or 6 years old with 30,000 to 40,000 miles as the bugs will be out Ours is a gas rig purchased new, wish we had a Diesel 360 or bigger, stay away from Cat PP.
If you go for a trailer buy a one ton PU an get it fixed with new brakes an other fixes, with One ton every thing is Stronger than 3/4 Skip a half it just wont work if you do any hills.

If you boondook realize that you need Solar, plus more 6 volt batterys an extra propane tanks. You also need to haul your Water an sewage. Also drive to laundromat. Some parks are less than $300 / month an most have laundry in park. BLM or Forest Service can be Big PIA. Lots of jobs if you will move around to follow the Seasons. Both in a Park or Amazon, State or Fed is free Space if fills your need an you are thick skinned, Some travelers are big PIA.

Good luck

[Fire-Man]

Originally Posted by Buffy in Dallas

What's it like? Pros? Cons? Do you own land, rent land, stay in an RV park or "boondock"? How long have you lived this way? Would you change anything?

I lived in a 32ft----shorter would have been fine but I bought this one for $200 furnished(long story) I rented out my 4 bedroom 2200sqft home---moved the camper to the back of the farm next to a big private lake. I had already Washed down a well a few years earlier. I got some solar panels and some propane. I lived there for 6 years LOVED IT, miss it. Had "guest" alot. I met my Wife now and she Loved it back there but she needed a bigger place(but not to big) so her Family/Kids could come over----Sooooo I built her a new home---1 br 992sqft on the front of the farm. We Love our New little home. We keep spending the night in the Camper. I Could have stayed in the camper right on---So I would suggest you get yours set-up where it is comfortable. I took the commode holding tank out and hooked it to a small homemade septic tank. I put the camper where it stayed in the shade of tree's about all day. Added a small front porch (un-attached) so I could set on it and watch the sun rise. Miss It!!

[Bellyman]

Originally Posted by Buffy in Dallas

What's it like? Pros? Cons? Do you own land, rent land, stay in an RV park or "boondock"? How long have you lived this way? Would you change anything?

Yes, I live in a fifth wheel travel trailer. Started out almost 9 years ago after Hurricane Katrina decided to flood our house near New Orleans. We parked our first rv in the driveway of the house and lived there for about a year. It was a 32' Jayco travel trailer, no slides. We hooked up to the house utilities. It worked pretty well.

Our second rv was a pretty big upgrade that we bought when we decided we didn't want to move back into the house (even though I was turning it into a showpiece). We bought a used 37' fifth wheel with 2 slides and an F350 crew cab diesel dually. That worked well for us for several years while we bounced around from park to park trying to figure out where to settle down.

About the time we bought a piece of ground in central Mississippi, I found a 39' fifth wheel with 4 slides that I had been wanting for a long time, just hasn't found one. We ended up parking both of those on our 4 acres in Mississippi, the smaller of the two being the "guest house". At that property, we had a septic system put in, a water tap put in (city water, not great, but very cheap), and a "temporary" power pole, also very cheap to do. We had that for a couple of years and had thought we might eventually build a house and settle down there. Not to be. We had cultural issues fitting in (we didn't) and eventually just wanted out. We sold that a couple of years ago and never looked back.

So right now, we have no land of our own to park on anywhere. We do have a storage unit and have a few things at my family's land in Pennsylvania. We're parked there now and hooked up to the electricity in my dad's barn. I hook up a hose every couple of days and fill my fresh water tank. I hook up another hose that I can pump our waste water to their septic system (macerator pump) as needed. It's not idea but it doesn't cost us anything to be here.

Lemme see... Pros... It's easy to move. I can hook up the truck and be outta here in a couple hours if I need or want to be. I can move south in winter if I want or north in summer. It is relatively small, less than 400 square feet, but it is pretty complete as to what's in here. We don't have a dishwasher and we don't have a bathtub. (We do have a very nice and fairly large shower.) But other than that, we have most everything we had in our house when we had it. We have a full queen sized bed. We have a washer and dryer. We have a hanging closet and drawers for our clothes. We have a toilet, sink and shower. We have a fully functional kitchen with a stove and oven (small, sort of like apartment size), double sink, microwave, and an 8 cu ft refrigerator with a small freezer on top of that. (We also have a stand alone chest freezer.) We have a pantry as well. We have a coat closet. We have a central vacuum. We have a built in desk. We have three comfortable chairs, one rocker and two recliners. We have a tv and a Wii. We have central heat and air. We can run our refrigerator and our hot water heater on either electric or propane. We're pretty comfortable mostly. It's pretty efficient to heat and cool because it's fairly well made and a lot smaller than a typical house. It doesn't lend itself to collecting a lot of junk. It's easy to clean. It's self contained enough that when we experience times when the electricity goes out for a few minutes, we barely notice... the lights don't go out, our computers don't shut off... we have to reset the microwave clock. If we added a few more batteries and a few solar panels on the roof, we could just about run the place except for the air conditioning just from the solar. We haven't done that, at least not yet.

Cons... Right now, there's no place we can go that is our own. We either are staying with family or are paying to park someplace, or are working where the campsite is a part of the compensation. I really do not like that we don't have a place of our own to garden and raise some chickens and such. We're parked at my parents' house where we can do some gardening but they don't have nearly enough land and we're frustrated trying to have an acre's worth of garden in 1/4 that space. There are times when the best work situations are not in ideal locations for winter. Amazon in Kentucky is where we've spent the last couple of "peak seasons" (starts in September, ends in January) and last January, we saw temperatures of -5 degrees (F). That was not fun. We survived, but it wasn't fun. But that's where the work was. RVs are a little like have both a house and a car in one package. There is always something that needs doing and something that needs maintenance. Roof seams will need periodic inspection and resealing. Tires are only good for 5 or 6 years whether they traveled anywhere or not. Propane tanks have an expiration date. Appliances do have issues at times and require repairs, just like in a person's home. All things RV tend to be half the size and twice the price. If you like having a lot of stuff, rvs don't offer much room. We'd love to have a much larger freezer and a much larger kitchen and pantry. Not gonna happen in this thing.

We haven't gotten too tight with the "rv community". We tend to stick more to ourselves. We don't have a lot in common with the rich retired people that bought the million dollar Prevost and decided to travel the country. That's not how we got started and that's not how we live. And the funny thing is, we don't travel that much.

Would we change anything... As far as the rv is concerned, there's not really much we'd change about that, at least that's easy to change. We can't give it a huge country kitchen. I'd like to have a newer truck to pull it with but that would cost more than the rv is worth so that's not gonna happen. Yes, we would like very much to have a place to settle down. We could easily live in the rv if need be on a piece of land... been there, done that. But we'd really rather have a more traditional home. That doesn't mean a big home. But we'd like that big country kitchen with room for the wood cook stove, a big pantry, a root cellar (not gonna get that with ANY rv), a big garden, orchard, chickens... We are keeping an open mind about the idea of continuing to live in the rv. We've even talked about a setup where we could park right beside a few extra rooms that we could connect to while we're there, to give us extra space, and yet be able to pull the rv out when we want to go somewhere. And, we've also talked about keeping the rv around even if we had a perfectly functional homestead, whether it's for recreation or whether it's for an emergency shelter, or whether it's for off homestead work opportunities.

Realtors have yet to figure us out. When we look at a place, usually the last consideration is the buildings. They tend to look at the buildings first. Hey, I can build buildings if I need them. I can't build the slope of the land or the neighborhood. And it takes decades to grow mature timber and a LOT of hard work to turn a woods into productive farm land. Someday, I hope we'll find our place. We keep looking. For now, though, we have the rv. It serves us well. Would everybody like it? Probably not.

Don't know if any of that helped or not. Glad to talk more about it if there's something specific you want to know.

[Peasant]

Been living in a 21' 5th wheel for 3+ years. It's stationary, only moved it once since I got it. Currently set up in the back 40 of the farm I work at. Off-grid, electricity from solar, I haul water, and have a compost toilet. I built a porch for under the awning. Also have a 200 sf shed where I keep most of my junk.

If I could do it over again, I'd definitely avoid 5th wheels. I don't have a truck with a 5th wheel hitch and won't buy one since I move the RV so infrequently. If it was a bumper pull I'd have a choice of several trucks or tractors on the farm to move it.

Mine also had a roof leak that I knew about when I got it, but didn't realize how bad it was. Ended up having to replace the entire rear section of the roof. After 3+ years of constant use the floor is also falling apart, will have to replace a good chunk of it. Water heater leaked and caused a fair bit of rot---I've since replaced it with a tankless. RVs, at least my RV, are very cheaply made. I'm constantly amazed at the poor workmanship and low quality of materials.

I wish I could put a woodstove in the RV, but I'd have to completely gut the interior to open up a spot for it, which is more trouble than it's worth. Lipstick on a pig and all that.

Aside from all that, the RV experience has been fine, allows me to live alone (no roommates except the cat) in a really nice little spot out in the country. Not having to pay rent is a big bonus.

[whiterock]

Buffy, I'm thinking you are looking at living on your land and looking at options. Not looking at traveling.
Long ago, like 40 years ago, a friend and I lived in a 50's mobile home. 8' wide and about 30' long if I remember. It was in a trailer park and we were in college. It was tight for a 6' and 6'4" pair of cowboys. Had a fold down couch and that was often occupied by friends. We did ok. Cooked outside the door most days because the little cookstove would overheat the place in Huntsville,TX. Had a small window unit in the kit window that provided all the cooling, and a gas stove for winter heat, but didn't need it often, just fixed a pan of bisquits or make a pot of beans and the place was warm. Closets were ample enough for us.
HIs brother used it later when he went to school. Then he got it back and lived in it for a few months after he got married. It now sits behind the house he grew up in and is used for storage, but on it's last rotten tire.

I found it ok for college living, beat the heck out of a dorm room and much cheaper than the apts were. Cost us $50 a month for parking as I recall. Utilities were pretty cheap at the time. I wouldn't want to live there now though, I need a bit more room just to manuver myself around.
Ed

[Bellyman]

I did forget to mention... fifth wheels have steps and are much taller than a travel trailer. It might make a difference in livability if you don't like or can't deal with steps so well.

Our first rv, the 32' travel trailer was a pretty nice setup. For one person, it would have been great. But with two of us, well, my wife and I were often in each other's way.

Fifth wheels tend to come all the way from total junk up to some really premium quality levels. Ours is kind of middle of the road, not really luxurious, but better than a lot of the cheap stuff out there. We bought used in good condition. (Actually, our current one was a demonstrator used, never really used for anything other than demonstration. Still had stickers all over the place when we bought it.)

Travel trailers (as in bumper pull type) tend to be built towards the occasional use family type vehicles that will sleep 8 or 10 or 12 people and seldom get used for more than a few days a year. The manufacturers count on that when they decide on quality levels for a lot of what goes into it. There are a few well built travel trailers and a few that have reasonable floor plans for fulltime living. But the nicer and better ones are pretty rare. Lots of cheap junk out there.

If I were starting out and didn't own one, I wouldn't be thinking of getting one to park on a piece of land only. If I didn't need it to travel, I'd much rather build a shed that I could make into nice living space any way I wanted it. In my case, I need it to move and be road worthy, at least for now.

How you intend to use it, how many people are going to be living in it and where you're going to be are really large factors in deciding whether an rv will work for you. You didn't mention a lot about that in your initial post.

Anyway, just adding what came to mind. Good luck!

[SFM in KY]

I lived in a 28' 5th wheel travel trailer for 2 years on a ranch in MT, electricity but no other modern conveniences. I was 5 miles from a small town (wide spot on a county road) with a post office, school, cafe, corner gas station and 60 miles from a large town.

I was single, had one large dog and was perfectly comfortable.

[Buffy in Dallas]

Originally Posted by whiterock

Buffy, I'm thinking you are looking at living on your land and looking at options. Not looking at traveling.

Yep. At the moment I'm living with my parents. It will be just me.

I have land available that has a partially built house/barn. Problem is I don't have the money to finish the house out. That would cost probably $30 thousand minimum. Probably more. I'm living on $1,200. a month and that will only last 5 years. (alimony) I've got health problems and can't work to make more. Gotta find a new hubby in the next 5 years.

So... I'm thinking travel trailer. Instant house. I can get one used for about 10 thousand, payments of less than 300 a month, then I can use the House/barn for storage.

I'm having a horrible time deciding what to do.

[whiterock]

Not a good one to give advice on such matters, but, I'm wondering.. How far along is the house on your property? Is it framed up and dried in?, wired? plumbed?

Would it be better use of the money to finish out a portion of the house, say kitchen, bath and bed/sitting room and use the remainder of house as storage and finish it out later one room /step at a time? Would that even be possible in the county that the property is in?

I have no good ideas, just throwing something out there. If the house isn't finished and is/was being built without mortgage, maybe that COULD be an option.

Ed

[Bellyman]

Originally Posted by whiterock

Not a good one to give advice on such matters, but, I'm wondering.. How far along is the house on your property? Is it framed up and dried in?, wired? plumbed?

Would it be better use of the money to finish out a portion of the house, say kitchen, bath and bed/sitting room and use the remainder of house as storage and finish it out later one room /step at a time? Would that even be possible in the county that the property is in?

I have no good ideas, just throwing something out there. If the house isn't finished and is/was being built without mortgage, maybe that COULD be an option.

Ed

I tend to agree! Didn't realize you already have a house in progress. If possible...

[Buffy in Dallas]

Well, my hubby got the idea that he could build a house. He started on it like 6 years ago. We were building it as we got the money. Then before we even got it dried in he decided that he wanted to stay in Dallas. The house is an hour drive and was "too far from work". (and his girlfriend ) So it never even got dried in. It has some water damage and needs a LOT of work.

I can't get a loan because of my credit so I could only put about $600. a month towards finishing it, so it might be done in 5 years.

That's why I'm thinking Travel trailer. Its easier to get a loan for, much cheaper and I could move out there next spring, not 5 years from now. I love my parents but...

[Cygnet]

I have a mid 90's Avion that we picked up for $7,000. It was top of the line when new, and has solid wood cabinets, corion countertops, ceramic tile and nice carpet, etc. It's like living in a one bedroom apartment -- literally all the comforts of a home. I've been in it a year with no complaints. As long as I'm single, I see no reason to move into a bigger home.

Higher end used 5th wheels tend to be less expensive than lower end bumper pulls, simply because nobody wants to pull them with today's fuel prices. My trailer weighs 7 tons dry.

You will want to consider waste disposal (is septic in yet at the house?), water, and propane.

If buying a used trailer, I'd have someone "in the know" inspect it for major issues. And if you're buying from a dealership, I would be inclined to negotiate for them to throw a new roof or awnings in if there's any sign of rot or leakage. They can do it at the dealership MUCH cheaper than you can later at your home, and they my be amenable to doing so just to close the deal. (Really watch for roof leaks. They'll ruin a trailer.)

Also be aware that rodents love travel trailers and can do a lot of damage in a short amount of time.

[Peasant]

Originally Posted by Cygnet

Also be aware that rodents love travel trailers and can do a lot of damage in a short amount of time.

The cat does a pretty good job of keeping them in check.

I did get a nest somewhere in my furnace system a couple years ago, which made it smell like mouse ---- every time the furnace kicked in. Luckily the blower fan died about that same time, so I switched to propane space heaters.

[Cygnet]

Originally Posted by Peasant

The cat does a pretty good job of keeping them in check.

I did get a nest somewhere in my furnace system a couple years ago, which made it smell like mouse ---- every time the furnace kicked in. Luckily the blower fan died about that same time, so I switched to propane space heaters.

Yeah, about the only thing that smells worse than cat pee is mouse pee.

I have three cats in my trailer -- or two and a half, LOL, since one gets booted out to the storage barn whenever he gets too wild. They do keep the rodent population down to a bare minimum, but I've still had mice eat holes through my underwear and towels and eat the wiring to the lights in one of the slides. I have traps out, too, and no food in the trailer except in the fridge or mouse proof containers. That's just part of life in the country in a travel trailer.

And with mice come things that eat mice. I had a large gopher snake living in one of the compartments for the water tanks last winter. The cats were fascinated and stared down the air vents in the floor all winter. Good snake. He was welcome to stay. I get narrow headed and terrestrial garter snakes in the trailer occasionally too -- the first are a threatened species and are almost as big as gopher snakes. I MUCH prefer the snakes to mice and don't mind them as long as they don't have buzzy tails ... but it is a real indication that travel trailers, even good ones, aren't exactly hermetically sealed. There's all kinds of places critters can get in.

(The cats killed a BIG pack rat not too long ago and left it for my on the kitchen floor. Good kitties. I had to apologize to them for throwing a pillow at them at two AM -- I thought they were just running around because they had the zoomies, and didn't realize they were killing something with enthusiasm.)

[Buffy in Dallas]

I may have to get a cat.

Cygnet- No plumbing or wiring in the house. Its basically just a pole barn with a metal roof. No insulation and not all of the windows are in. (holes in the walls) It needs the entire top floor taken off and redone or to make it into a one-story house. (most of the water damage is on the top floor)

My BIL had his dad at the land fishing once. His dad took a look at it and said tear it down.

[ChristieAcres]

Originally Posted by Buffy in Dallas

What's it like? Pros? Cons? Do you own land, rent land, stay in an RV park or "boondock"? How long have you lived this way? Would you change anything?

We are currently living in a 34' motorhome, an older one that is in good condition. It is like camping out 24/7...DH is still getting used to taking turns cooking, etc...one person at a time in the kitchen! Take a little care to watch your feet as you walk past someone sitting down, to avoid stepping on their feet! Yes, DH has stepped on mine a few times, but I am far more careful and haven't stepped on his Seems it should be the other way around, as I weigh a lot less than he does, so I should be the one stepping on his feet (wouldn't hurt him).

Okay, pros:

This is a cost efficient way to live while we build our log home. We can put everything in storage and live comfortably. Our RV is set up very well for us two with plenty of room (we have a couch, two comfy chairs, 2 captains chairs, and bench seating at the dining table for 4). The fridge/freezer is a great size, convection oven works very well, also have an oven & 4 burner stovetop. We have a separate shower and 1/2 bath. Our water heater allows for a nice shower. If we want to go somewhere? We can literally take a 1/2 hour to prep our motorhome for travel, and off we go! Our climate is fairly mild here, won't get much snow, so we can live in our motorhome all year around. We have water/power/septic hookups right here. There are plenty of lights, tinted windows, curtains, blinds, screens on the windows, a circulation fan that works both ways (in/out), and we have an air conditioner. I especially like a tall spice/baking cupboard, door has shelves and the inside shelving slides out as they are deep shelves, so you can get to the back of them more easily. There is a built-in coffee maker that works very well, built in containers for coffee that slide out, and we have a large awning.

Okay, the Cons: Quickly one finds out how much, but how little storage space there is. That takes fast priority decision making. After living in this motorhome for a few months now, I am ready to take out all the Tupperware, pots/pans, dishes, glasses, mugs, and probably other items, too. Then, put only what we need back in. You really can't put off doing dishes or cleaning up after yourself, as it can quickly get out of control. One must be extra neat and tidy to be comfortable. There is no bath, washer, or dryer. There isn't one closet tall enough for my dresses/skirts. I am a Realtor and it is challenging to work without being interrupted, either on the phone, or when I am doing internet work (writing offers, etc...). I have my computer on my lap, so no room for a desk in here. The dining table and smaller coffee table are both too short for my computer use.

We own our land and have been living in this Motorhome for just two months now. Our goal is to live in it, until our log home is completed (within two years). Yes, we would and are changing things to meet our needs more effectively.

DH is building a Utility Log Cabin. This will house a jetted bathtub, sink, a toilet, bigger water heater, washing machine, our clothes drying racks, and a clothes closet. This building will also serve as a pump house for our well.

In time, DH will be building me an Office Log Cabin. I am hoping for 400 sq ft, the maximum not requiring a permit, including a covered porch. However, DH will build to code! This will enable me to work more effectively at home.

If I were to do anything differently? Get an even bigger motorhome with tipouts... That would be for living in it, wouldn't want one much bigger to vacation in...

[whiterock]

Buffy, I'd see about building a cabin type house. TXMEX has one on her place that she lives in. I think she has one room and a bath tucked in. I would do such as that before I would think about living in a camper. One person doesn't need a lot of room, if things are put in right and you don't fill it with lots of oversized and overstuffed furniture.

PM TEXMEX and see if she can give you some ideas.

Also, do a search for Tiny Texas Houses, they are down in the San Antonio area I think, and build using recycled materials, I think they are a might pricey, but the pics of the houses would give you something to consider.

I just wouldn't trust the stability and workmanship of a camper for living quarters for the rest of my life.

Ed

[pintoponyrus]

I have been a member of this forum for years but never participated in any discussions. Now I have something to say that I have some experience. This year I down-sided to a 16x40 metal portable building as I am widowed and didn't want much maintenance and upkeep. I bought it off Craigslist for $20,000. It was completely finished inside and out. Because its a metal building I have no outside maintenance (siding, painting, etc). Its very easy to keep clean since its small.

I have a 210 window AC unit installed in a wall. It keeps the entire house cool. I used electric heaters last winter but will have a wood heater installed by this winter as we have lots of dead trees on the property.

It has a nice sized rooms. The bedroom and living room are at each end. The kitchen and bathroom/utility room are in the center. The grandkids sleep on cots in the living room when they visit.

I was lucky to have bought it from a young married couple who had this building for their first home. They had just moved into a larger metal building on a slab so was selling this building.

The young man was very talented so the inside is gorgeous. He did walls in cedar and the ceilings in pine so its like walking into a cabin instead of a metal building. He put in plenty of cabinets, counter space, storm windows, ceiling fans in every room and plenty of insulation.

Amazingly I have adequate storage, but I still have to be careful about adding more stuff. Before I buy anything, I have to decide how often it will be used and where it will be kept.

Since then I have seen other portable buildings listed on Craigslist. Most are ready to move in....but there is the moving and connection costs which need to be included with the total purchase price. Moving cost was $2000. Then electrical and plumbing hookups. My son and I did the plumbing part and I had our handyman do the electrical. Can't give a set up price on that as I had additional changes/additions done

I am very happy with my portable building. I had previously lived in a large farmhouse which was too much house for one person. I traded my farmhouse for my son's mobile home. They needed more room and I needed less. We live on the same property so this was not a hard move. I lived in the mobile home for a few months. I was only using half the house so still felt like it was too much house. Sold the mobile home to my sister and her family. I had no idea what I wanted or needed. Then saw the building on craigslist and knew that it would be perfect for my current needs.

I highly recommend a metal portable building.

[Seeria]

Honestly, I would see what the area has in zoning laws about things like earthbag homes (or think earthbag cabin). Less than $2k could build your a passive thermal 200sqft home in a month with aid of maybe six people. As it is so small (same size as an RV) it should fall under cabin type zoning, not requiring all the expensive license, fees, items as a regular house.

Also, keep in mind that some counties and states forbid living in a trailer/rv/bus/car on your own land. Check into that.

Best thing about earth bags is they're easy to expand out, cheap, can be done by one person. Build a little warm/cool home now and expand later when you have the funds.