Possiblity of full time RV'ing?

My wife and I have been full-time residents in our fifth-wheel trailer for almost ten years and I was for twenty years before that (with only brief fixed house residence). I think we are going to like it.

“Full-time RV” has as many different meanings as there are RV dwellers. Some people keep a house and travel “full-time” for several months. Others don’t have or want a fixed home with the expenses, maintenance, limitations, etc. Some people require a half-million dollar motor home to be comfortable. Many need a new truck and trailer.

We are very comfortable with an older, solidly built and comfortable 32’ trailer with one slide. It is pulled (when necessary) by a faithful old “First Generation” Dodge Cummins diesel pickup. If anything breaks on either (which very seldom happens) we make the repairs personally. We do not aspire to impress anyone with our rig.

Costs for an RV site vary tremendously – probably in a range from about $200 a month to $50 a night ($1500 a month) or more. Take your pick. Those who move frequently and stay in chain RV parks at daily rates will probably pay an average of $25 to $35 per night. At the other extreme, we spent a month at a little family-run park in rural Arkansas last year for $160 including electric, water and sewer.

We have met homesteaders in this forum and elsewhere and visited their homestead to help with projects. That was a win-win situation that brought us into contact with interesting, real people and some beautiful places – and accomplished many projects that homesteaders would have had difficulty doing without help. Lately we have been doing volunteer and small contract work with the Forest Service. In either case, there is no cash outlay for “site rent”. There are all kinds of ways to make things work with honorable and reasonable people.

Both of us are energetic and never idle -- people who enjoy being productive. Our very modest fixed income is more than enough to support our “low-maintenance” lifestyle.

I will be happy to discuss these matters with interested people. I may not show up in the forum for days at a time, so feel free to send an email to obser1@gmail.com

__________________
Whether you believe you can or you believe you cannot – you are usually right.

This does not include flying or moving mountains unassisted or attempting to prove the existence of an “afterlife”.

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..............My trailer is a 99 and turned out too be much heavier after I finally got it weighed than was quoted to me over the phone . My 99 PSD diesel with 4 inch exhaust and 5 position chip with 6 speed manual trany will pull it just fine but an auto would have already blown a gasket due too weight and heat I'm sure . My current plan is to work until dec of 09 as my SS will start on jan of 2010 . Then , I'll renew my basic plan of living in different parts of the country I haven't yet seen which will be most the southeastern states as I've been all over the northwest except oregon and washington . Should the cost of diesel continue to rise , with time , full timers will be doing a lot less spontaneous traveling I'm thinking and be looking into atleast acquiring a small lot on which to park their "home" . I think we're all very blessed to be living in a time and country where we can all move about with relative freedom as we please , and this maynot always be the case in the future . , fordy...

Fordy--
You'll have to take my word on this--you haven't really been to the Northwest until you have come to Oregon and Washington--especially Washington!! :baby04: Lynn

.........Yes , I understand , LOL!! It's just that every time I fillUP it's a 100 bucks . I've seen lots of pics of the scenery and land is about 1,000,000 per acre from how pretty the pics are . Sould I win the lotto , I'll just head on up . , fordy...

I agree! We lived in a Seattle suburb for six years in the 90's. We pulled a 5th wheel all over those mountains on weekends and holidays. If health, family and job conditions were different, we'd move back tomorrow. It's a truly beautiful place to be.

We lived in our motorhome for 3 years with no home. About 3 years ago, we decided to go back on the road, but are not selling our house.

We now have a travel trailer. It is just 30' tagalong with one slide out. We looked at some nice longer ones, just didn't want to worry about how husband would do with something that long. He is an excellent driver and sometimes people would just gather to watch him put "Brunhilde' (our motorhome) in tight places, but I still worry.

We travel with 2 cats!!! That's just plain dumb!!!! I do keep an air purifier going to pick up the hair and am really good about brushing them.

The most we have ever paid for camp fees was in AZ during 'snow bird' time and that was $500. In May, they reduced it to $200. The fees have gone up, however. When we travelled in the motorhome, $150 a month was about the most you paid and that included water, and usually basic cable.

I don't know how it is now, but we joined AAA, and I had gotten an AARP card free and both of those usually got us a discount. There are other clubs out there, also. One breakdown and towing was worth the AAA fee.

I like the togetherness, and I like getting to junk in different places. We also cooked outside most of the time.

We had planned to retire except for a 3 or 4 months a year and travel, but look at gas prices. We have the best timing.

www.rvtravel.com has really great forums including one devoted to FT rving and another for workamping. The folks are much like at HT and CF- very enthusiastic and glad to share knowledge.
Their RV E-newsletter just proposed that RVERS CAN garden- with Earthboxes or with hanging bags- don't remmember which week but in the last 5-6 weeks anyway. Of course, choose your plants carefully- don't want an EARTHBOX full of corn stalks standing 8 feet tall!