Lifestyle Before you full-time: Is it right for you?

[Nuthatch]

This is a good, frank article on what it is like on the road from someone who lived in a conversion for 6 years.

Read it and consider what her has to say about the changes necessary to your way of life. Make an educated choice.

http://www.bidstrup.com/fulltime.htm

 

[nomifyle]

you're so right, not something to be jumped into without careful consideration. It can be really stifling, but you can pretty much have all the comforts of home, just not much space. DH and I have quite a bit of experience traveling and living in one with him working construction jobs and then living in one more than once after katrina.

Judy

 

[Nuthatch]

Judy, thanks for your comments.

I had an employee who left her work to join her husband on the road (for his highly paid work) with 2 children in an RV they spent a fortune for. She home-schooled and they lasted, oh, 8 months. She hated it sooner than that, but it took her that long to have an exit strategy, including divorce.

Not for everyone.

 

[summerthyme]

That article should be copied and made a sticky at the top of this forum... in large, blinking lights!!!

LOTS of considerations, and not everyone agrees with Dennis that "as long as I have a motorhome, I'll never be homeless"!!!

Also... I haven't lived in one since I was a teen, and wasn't paying attention to the details then. But, I've heard the utility costs on these things can be VERY high. Plan for it, especially if you're heating and/or cooling it for more then brief periods.

Summerthyme

 

[Publius]

Have not looked at the link but I have done both tents and camper and I read many want a camper for a bug out but many do not understand what their in for and in short time the camper is just a shell you can stay in and depending on location and providing you have the equipment with you to really ruff it and the knowhow to go with it. Sadly some things we have gotten use to, it's a little hard to learn to do without and for many unthinkable or barbaric.

Putting Bug Out Aside, Using a camper or motor home as a home can get expensive heating it with propane even with a custom built snow bird, as for AC cooling its easier if its parked in shade of trees but the bigger the camper the more it's going cost you and in more ways than I care to list, so bigger is not always better and no matter how big a camper you get storage space is limited and living in a tent for few weeks will teach you to travel lite and take only what you need.

 

[ejagno]

Summerthyme- I echo the "as long as I have my RV I'll never be homeless" because until you've been there you really have no idea how precious and valuable even a small tin box can be.

We had fulltiming forced upon us following Rita. We had never even owned an RV before this time so it was a huge learning experience in a short amount of time. Some of these lessons included:
(1) The locks on the cargo bays are standard and my key fit everyone elses cargo bays as well.
(2) Noise levels cannot be shut out or in by closing the door.
(3) Skylights are wonderful, unless they are over your bed during a lightening storm.
(4) People do not seem to respect a closed door and lights out in an RV like they do your sticks and bricks.
(5) Housekeeping in an RV is much like your tiny first apartment in that one opened drawer is monumental in that it makes the whole house look upkept.
(6) You now look at everything you buy simply for it's space saving and functionality aspects instead of bigger is better.
(7) Wind has become your worst weather nightmare and you can plan on spending many nights bolting out that door to get the awning rolled back up during a sudden storm.
(8) For the first time in your life you discover what a wardrobe capsule is and you are amazed at how many outfits you can create with so few clothes and accessories ranging from after 5 to casual picnic wear.
(9) You learn that every single drop that goes down that sink is waste therefore you utilize every pint as though it's your last before letting it drain.
(10) You learn the art of dorm room cooking using the most versatile, energy efficient and multi use appliances available to man that can cook without producing alot of heat in as little time as possible.
(11) You realize quickly that if it's breakable, it will get broken. Therefore you think fine dining is served on Melamine or Tupperware.
(12) Ice is going to be your new GOLD standard. It's precious and rare therfore you treasure every single cube.
(13) Privacy is a memory.

The biggest problem we had was DH inviting all of his buddies over or the kids inviting their friends over for the night. You can't move without everyone feeling it when the RV moves. You can't sneak out in your PJ's for a glass of water or to use the potty without everyone seeing you. There is no room to have a private little area all to yourself to read or simply have a moment to think alone. You can't watch tv in the living area and DH watch the game in the bedroom without drowing one another out in this small space. Every single thing you do affects someone else.

All of this is not to scare you. It's simply to let you know that you must be ultra aware of every single thing you do since it does directly affect others.

 

[Nuthatch]

ejagno--those are some real helpful points. Thank you for posting them.

What did/do you do when you needed/craved that privacy or room to move around in?

What was maintenance like?

 

[rafter]

We've lived in a rv for about 10 out of the last 20 years. Either because we were building..then selling, or because we were in a area we couldn't afford to buy after selling, but just 'wanted to be there'. In fact I'm sitting in one right now, with another week or so work on the house we will have been building ( I swear this is the last one, but how knows..)

And we have lived at both extremes....We have lived at 10,000' in the winter in Colorado (off grid)...at 9000', at 8700', at 7000', at 6700' and now in Mo.
And also on the National Forest in Colorado.

I figure we have pretty much seen it and done it ..in everything from TT from 18-32 feet...to 5th wheels 28-40 feet...to MH's...to a tent.

If it can it will break at the most unfortunate time...Mother Boards in furnaces will break in the coldest, snowiest part of winter and you better have the money to replace them...or have back up heat.

Water pumps go out a lot..have a spare.

It is not cheap to run the a/c in a hot climate...or heat in a cold one. Last winter in MO, our avg electric bill ( we ran elec heaters as we didn't trust the propane furnace ( you get that way after living in one for years) ran $500 a month!

Our summer bill in MO runs $175-$200, of course in Colorado in the summer it was only around $50....or we were running a generator, which can be pricey with gas prices.

We aren't ones to sit and do nothing in one..so we are always out doing something, building, or gardening here in MO...Working, exploring, gold prospecting, in Colorado. So that helps to not feel confined. But on days you don't go out it gets a little close.
We have always bought the ones with the most windows, and that has really helped.

I love to cook! But it is very difficult in a rv. I didn't have a problem in our 40' 5er, but did in everything else. Of course we cook outside on the gas grill which is a must have in a rv. Camper world sells small ones if you are mobile and don't want to have a big one. The ovens in rv, suck. You must have a unglazed tile in the bottom of one in order to 'spread the heat' and not burn stuff.

If you are rich and want to travel and have fun....they are wonderful!

If you aren't and they break down and you have no money...they are hell!

If you can't afford to buy something and want to live cheap...head for a national forest and live for free, but expect to have to move every 10 days to 2 weeks if the forest staff finds you. IF they don't you can stay unlimited. But you will either have to go after water and dump or haul water in and poo out.

If you want travel with the seasons and you have the money to do that they are also great.

Big thing....don't sit in them 24/7!!!!

 

[summerthyme]

ejagno... I agree. But, as I've found out recently... some do NOT. To the point of near nervous breakdowns a full week into the "adventure".

For me, ANYthing I owned and could call home- as long as I had God and hubby- would be better than a rented apartment or being completely homeless.

But not everyone is wired that way...

Summerthyme

 

[rafter]

ejagno... I agree. But, as I've found out recently... some do NOT. To the point of near nervous breakdowns a full week into the "adventure".

For me, ANYthing I owned and could call home- as long as I had God and hubby- would be better than a rented apartment or being completely homeless.

But not everyone is wired that way...

Summerthyme

I totally agree. I hate renting! You might as well open a window and throw the money out of it. So the rv is the best ( which is why we did it) alternative if you can't afford a house. Even if you have to pay lot rent it is better because it is cheaper!

You also have to flexible. Things go wrong, the weather changes, etc. If you must have everything perfect and live a structured life, then this isn't probably for you. ( of course I'm not sure that life exists anywhere...it never has for me)....

 

[ejagno]

ejagno--those are some real helpful points. Thank you for posting them.

What did/do you do when you needed/craved that privacy or room to move around in? LEAVE FOR A FEW HOURS.

What was maintenance like?

Not as bad as some people I've heard about but mainly because we stayed on top of everything and didn't let things get out of control. A small leak was handled immediately and not put off until the floor was rotten or the wall mildewed. When the a/c went out it was immediately replaced. The key is to make sure you don't let the little things fester until it becomes a major issue. Like I mentioned earlier, don't let that awning stay out when the winds are picking up or you could be spending $2300 for a replacement or lose it and face having rain water coming in through the roof edges as well as the doors and windows.

 

[Nuthatch]

My guess is that you spent some time being attentive to the RV: eyeball inspection of sorts regularly. Did you have a system to that, a monthly checklist? Or did it just come from being attentive to details in general? For instance, did you check fluids when you gassed up, or inspect the roof at a certain time of year, etc.

 

[biere]

I am renting a house that was built in 1939 and while the owner bought the property maybe 5 or so years ago not much was done on upkeep and what not.

Cleaning out the gutters is more than using a ladder and using your hands to clear out the gutters. I need to get the ladder back out and snake the down spouts because somewhere in the past when the downspouts wanted to come off someone put some screws right through them and they are clogged up. Plus what I cleared out of the gutters was way more than a years worth of junk.

I don't pay much in rent due to the stuff that needs done around the house but right now a camper and its inspections would be about equal or easier than what this house needs.

I am always trimming dead stuff out of trees or when it rains I go out and trim the long stuff that drops down and hits the house.

Lots of hack repairs from who knows how long ago and what not as well.

Anyway, a house needs careful watching and upkeep as well. I have owned a single wide but it was in soso condition when I bought it and the folks who bought it from me wanted my land and not the trailer so condition of trailer at that point did not matter.

I am not about to say that running something down the road does not require more upkeep and care than a house but depending on what you are dealing with it might be a wash.

I keep leaning towards the serious 4 season campers without the rubber roof membrane that needs coatings and replacement way too often in my book.

I understand why airstreams hold their value these days but that is not to say an air stream won't need upkeep because they need plenty of care as well.