Forum Discussion

annmariec's avatar
annmariec
Explorer
Apr 14, 2019

What kind of RV for FT???

Our family is looking at going full time and we've started our list of needs vs wants for a trailer. But beyond what we want for amenities and a floor plan, what else do we need to think about?

We're planning to travel around the US, following nice weather (our big motivation is just getting out of MN winters), and seeing parts of the states that we haven't seen before. Despite trying to stay where the weather is mild, I expect we will still see fluctuation in temps outside of 50-80 degrees. Do we need a 4 season trailer? We've been researching lots of blogs of full timers and renovators and people don't seem to talk about this that much...

It appears that people are renovating and living out of any and all kinds!
  • 2oldman wrote:
    Question 1: How big is your family?


    2 adults and one 15 month old.
  • Without knowing more about the size of your family, for most folks, IMHO, there are two popular rigs:
    1. Heavy duty 3/4 or 1 ton truck and a suitable fifth wheel trailer. Fifth wheel has a lot of advantages over travel trailer.
    2. Motorhome with towable vehicle. Diesel works better for most due to larger size, higher cargo capacity, ride quality, etc.

    But...as already stated, there are folks out there on the road full time that are happy with travel trailers of all sizes, class C or even B motorhomes, and even a few with smaller rigs such as a conversion van, pop-up or other.
  • One thing for certain, an old Jayco isn't a good start except for a restoration project maybe.
  • If you plan to "follow the weather", the need for a 4-season trailer goes down tremendously. If you plan to stay in the south during the summer, two AC units will be needed.

    There is a facebook page for full-time families. That might be a good place to start.
  • If you watch some of the You Tube channels you will see that folks are doing it with every manner of vehicle. Whats the right one for you is a much more difficult question.
    Are you comfortable towing? You may not want to so TT's and 5er's may not work.
    If you never have, rent the longest U-haul trailer and go pull it around some, do it on a Sunday and find a large parking lot, and practice backing.
    Have either of you ever driven a larger vehicle? If you haven't, you may want to rent a motorhome for a weekend and try it, or rent a Large U-haul truck just to get an idea.

    How do you envision full timing?
    Commercial campgrounds all the time with full hookups?
    Boondocking in the middle of nowhere?

    Commercial CG's get expensive but can work if you plan longer stays, many give price breaks based on monthly space rent.
    With them you always have electric and water but many dont have sewer connections everywhere. You may have to move to dump or carry a tote for waste.
    Boondocking requires larger tanks since you will not have water readily available , nor the means to get rid of it. But with large grey and black tanks many can live comfortably for two weeks or more just off what they carry.

    With a baby along, laundry becomes a question, larger quanities of water for both it and bathing can be more difficult. Plan accordingly.

    Hopefully I gave you a few things to think through as you start your journey.
  • 2oldman wrote:
    Oh, I see you've already posted about this.


    ... and did you use the search function to read the hundreds of threads on this topic?
  • Question 2: What do you plan to use for towing your trailer?