Well, Here we go

Hello there all. Today, 12/12/2017, marks the official start of my new life.

Today, I closed on the sale of my house, put a deposit on a travel trailer, and have already begun the proces of downsizing. Oh boy.

Should probably back date here so no one gets the wrong idea. I have been researching and researching and researching a potential alternative full time rv living. Months ago I started. Was it possible? Was it feasible? Could I be ok with the unknown? All questions that ran through my mind. I’ve been desiring an off grid live style for years. I’m a loner, very introverted, and now I desire to leave the rat race, exit stage left of society, and pursue my spirituality and my sanity. I needed to live small. I needed to follow the wind where that took me. I needed to go off the reservation.
So I researched. And googled. And watched videos on YouTube. Bought books (from other full timers - ebooks), comabred floor plans, manufacturers, build quality, reviews, common problems, things to look for, just kinda went RV crazy for a minute.

Moving on, I got fired about 2 months ago from my career as an automotive mechanic and auto parts tech. I was smiling as I was asked to leave. It was envigorating. So I went bac to my stand by job, and started putting pieces together.

I had the perfect set up really. I have a brand new truck. I sold my house to my room mate who will let me store some things here while I go “find myself”. We closed in under two months, and off to the races I go!

So I have a 2017 Ram 1500 Reg cab short bed 4x4 Hemi. I wanted literally the smallest full size pick up I could get, but I’m also a dodge guy so there’s that.

Today, I put a deposit on a 2005 Keystone Zeppelin 241. I saw some excellent modifications done by the previous owners, as well as repair records in the packet with the manuals (AH! Original manual). It’s in great shape. Slide seals are perfect, and I checked on it today, because we got snow all morning and then rain all afternoon, and she’s currently leak free. The slide was out all day and had some snow melt on it, and still, no leaks. I was happy to see that. My budget for a travel trailer was $6000 max. I also knew that buying an older coach was risky. However, I’m handy, and a trained auto mechanic. I’m willing to tackle some challenges to make this happen. My plan is to do as much dry camping nd Boondocking as I can, and will be buying an inverter generator (a quiet one) so I have power at all times because I sleep with a CPAP and need power to the outlets at night.

So yeah, here goes nothing! Cheers to my new life nomad style.

Would love to hear about anyone’s thoughts, opinions, or suggestions. Be kind, I’m a newbie.

Trackrig
Explorer II
Dec 13, 2017
Install four 6V batteries for your CPAP and breath peacefully - and some solar when you can.

Bill
CSCustomCars
Explorer
Dec 13, 2017
Trackrig wrote:
Install four 6V batteries for your CPAP and breath peacefully - and some solar when you can.

Bill

Please correct/teach me; I was under the impression that A/C outlets do not operate unless plugged into shore power or use an inverter generator.

Solar will be a ways off. I have an extremely limited budget, and before I go too crazy with a full outfit, I want to see how much I take to this first.
TechWriter
Explorer
Dec 13, 2017
CSCustomCars wrote:

Would love to hear about anyone’s thoughts, opinions, or suggestions. Be kind, I’m a newbie.

What will you be doing for health care?
allen8106
Explorer
Dec 13, 2017
CSCustomCars wrote:
Trackrig wrote:
Install four 6V batteries for your CPAP and breath peacefully - and some solar when you can.

Bill

Please correct/teach me; I was under the impression that A/C outlets do not operate unless plugged into shore power or use an inverter generator.

Solar will be a ways off. I have an extremely limited budget, and before I go too crazy with a full outfit, I want to see how much I take to this first.

I spent a year and a half researching and installing my solar project. I found 4 130 watt used panels for $65 each, I bought 2 Crown 240 ah batteries, a Morningstar TS-45 controller, a Bogart TM-2030 battery monitor and a Magnum MMS2012 inverter/charger.

I did the install myself and have 3 120 volt circuits powered by the inverter. My wife uses a CPAP machine also and everything works fine. My install cost me just under $2,300 for everything including wiring and hardware.

With that Zeppelin you won't need or likely want 4 panels but you could likely find a couple used 200-250 watt panels that would do everything you need. You may even only need one panel.

I know a guy that lived successfully for 7 years off grid in a 5ver on 345 watts of solar and never owned a generator.
Bill_Satellite
Explorer II
Dec 13, 2017
CSCustomCars wrote:
Trackrig wrote:
Install four 6V batteries for your CPAP and breath peacefully - and some solar when you can.

Bill

Please correct/teach me; I was under the impression that A/C outlets do not operate unless plugged into shore power or use an inverter generator.

Solar will be a ways off. I have an extremely limited budget, and before I go too crazy with a full outfit, I want to see how much I take to this first.

You would install an appropriately sized inverter to power your CPAP machine and this would convert the energy in your 12V batteries to 120V power allowing you to sleep well over night with the generator running.
wanderingaimles
Explorer
Dec 13, 2017
You said you were getting a generator, so you will be doing some charging of batteries that way, most cpap units actually run on 12 volt dc, check your model and a 12 volt cord is likely available. Check your cord, if it has a "brick" in the cord it likely is a transformer. Mine uses less than 5 amps an hour, so 8 hrs = 40 amps, two 85 amphr batteries will only go down by about 25%. If you add even a small 200 watt solar package to get to a true topping off point, you can cut way back on genny use for charging.
Here is a sample kit for 320 watts'
https://www.solarblvd.com/products/12-volt-320-watt-mono-solar-panel-kit-with-free-shipping/

Happy motorin
Steeljag
Explorer
Dec 13, 2017
Sounds like an interesting adventure! Heading south for the winter ?
CSCustomCars
Explorer
Dec 13, 2017
TechWriter wrote:
CSCustomCars wrote:

Would love to hear about anyone’s thoughts, opinions, or suggestions. Be kind, I’m a newbie.

What will you be doing for health care?

I have had health care through the ACA for over a year and plan on keeping it. It’s quite affordable for me (because of my meager income), and covers a lot.

I also have an emergency fund for any serious health issues, and my current healthcare allows for my meds to be shipped when needed, and I have a mail forwarding system in place. I will be keeping my domicile in NY for now. Not a good state for a domicile, but it’s going to work for now.
CSCustomCars
Explorer
Dec 13, 2017
Steeljag wrote:
Sounds like an interesting adventure! Heading south for the winter ?

Yup, first stop is Georgia to visit a dear friend for awhile.
CSCustomCars
Explorer
Dec 13, 2017
allen8106 wrote:
CSCustomCars wrote:
Trackrig wrote:
Install four 6V batteries for your CPAP and breath peacefully - and some solar when you can.

Bill

Please correct/teach me; I was under the impression that A/C outlets do not operate unless plugged into shore power or use an inverter generator.

Solar will be a ways off. I have an extremely limited budget, and before I go too crazy with a full outfit, I want to see how much I take to this first.

I spent a year and a half researching and installing my solar project. I found 4 130 watt used panels for $65 each, I bought 2 Crown 240 ah batteries, a Morningstar TS-45 controller, a Bogart TM-2030 battery monitor and a Magnum MMS2012 inverter/charger.

I did the install myself and have 3 120 volt circuits powered by the inverter. My wife uses a CPAP machine also and everything works fine. My install cost me just under $2,300 for everything including wiring and hardware.

With that Zeppelin you won't need or likely want 4 panels but you could likely find a couple used 200-250 watt panels that would do everything you need. You may even only need one panel.

I know a guy that lived successfully for 7 years off grid in a 5ver on 345 watts of solar and never owned a generator.

Thank you for the suggestion. I will look into getting a solar set up for a reasonable cost at some point in the future for sure.

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Well, Here we go

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