First time... full time.

Since you plan on long term parking I have a few suggestions. If you're not moving regulary I would say go with a single rear wheel gasser one ton much easier as a daily driver, cost of diesel upgrade buys a lot of gas, and a 5th wheel trailer that is compatable weight wise. Take a look at true 4 season trailers since you may take a lucrative job in a true four season location. Also look for 2-4 year old models and save a bunch.
We traveled 7 1/2 years in a used 5er before our present rig which at our age will be our last and as they say you can't take it with you so enjoy it while you can.

The biggest thing if you're working + fulltiming is to make sure you go in with a plan for income. The RVing side of things is the easier side to figure out. I have quite a few friends who went into fulltiming as families with no RVing experience.

When shopping for rigs- try to make a friend or take someone who knows about RVs and trucks. I'd hate to see you get into a lemon of a unit.

Rig size- for just 2 people, you can be as short as 20' and as long as 40'. The longer you go, the less places you'll fit into. Depending on the type of camping you like, that could be a problem. (Or not- we're in a 42' fifth wheel and have been happy with where we can get in. Though, there have been some places we would have liked to stay.)

For costs... they vary greatly. If you boondock a lot, you'll save on nightly fees but you'll have a sizable investment in battery + solar power + backup generator. If you stay in RV parks, you'll have the nightly cost. The longer you stay, the less expensive it is (nightly is the most expensive, then a little cheaper for weekly, and then a lot cheaper for monthly- though then you get into paying separately for electric).

Depending on where you are, Thousand Trails can be a way of saving money. But they come with use restrictions.

What we found, I budget $50/night for RV parks. In the last couple of years, that has ran the gamut from $32/night in 2015, $45/night in 2016 and again in 2017. My goal for 2018 is to be at or below $30/night with a focus on camping club membership use (Thousand Trails, Passport America, and Harvest Hosts) and boondocking. Right now through mid-March, I'm at $18/night in Florida. We'll see how it goes.

But while our housing expenses have gone down (truck, camper, lot rent + utilities), a few other expenses have sky rocketed. I work online and REQUIRE internet service daily from 9-5. Between my cell phones and cellular internet, my bill runs $350/month or so. As well, our fuel costs have jumped significantly because we drive a big truck every where we go. (Not to mention traveling from location to location with our house in tow.)

The other big cost is our exploring/edutainment costs for us and the kids. We eat out regularly because we're constantly in new places and want to try the local fare or we spend money on attractions and touristy things. We offset that some with museum memberships that have reciprocal entry to other places, but it still gets expensive. For instance, Meteor Crater was a roadside stop as we drove from one location to another but we dropped $50 for just a couple of hours of exploring (totally worth it for us, though!).

Lastly, you mentioned satellite internet - it's slow and expensive. It's good for a backup to cellular internet, but I wouldn't rely on it for day to day use. For internet options, THE place to go is:
http://rvmobileinternet.com/

DutchmenSport wrote:
If you go with the F350, you'll never have problems towing (pretty much anything). So you have LOTS of options on trailer (TT or 5er, Toy Hauler or conventional trailer). Considering you are the type of people that just don't like to settle down (or be tied down) with a specific location or real property, this life style is a good fit for you.

The only REAL problem with full timing, is the initial decision to downsize your possessions so everything fits into your new living domicile. I think that is probably the hardest decisions that has to be made. If you are already living a minimalist lifestyle, than you'll have no problems adapting to the space of an RV (of any kind).

Good luck! Your plan is entirely feasible in my opinion.

We already downsized to almost nothing to move to California from Florida! We moved with what we could fit in the bed of a Tacoma with a cap!

Well, we have some cash saved up. We will have to buy a truck and the camper. I can trade in my current 17 Tacoma and pretty much break even because they hold their value so well. I am aware of most of the costs and I think the biggest is going to be price and availability of the site in our very expensive area. It doesn't help that we live in the same area of the massive wild fire that destroyed 9000 homes and businesses a few months back. This has a tied up all of the "less expensive" places to live including camp sites. However, my job is unique in that there is always jobs that pay well all over the country. The company I work for pays very well so I will stay as long as possible.

If you go with the F350, you'll never have problems towing (pretty much anything). So you have LOTS of options on trailer (TT or 5er, Toy Hauler or conventional trailer). Considering you are the type of people that just don't like to settle down (or be tied down) with a specific location or real property, this life style is a good fit for you.

The only REAL problem with full timing, is the initial decision to downsize your possessions so everything fits into your new living domicile. I think that is probably the hardest decisions that has to be made. If you are already living a minimalist lifestyle, than you'll have no problems adapting to the space of an RV (of any kind).

Good luck! Your plan is entirely feasible in my opinion.

I'm not full-timing it, but it seems to me yours is the sort of situation where it could be advantageous to do so. Best of luck, whichever way you go.

Points to consider and research:

New versus used RV costs. If you have cash, great. But if you take a 15 year loan to buy a depreciating asset, besides a big monthly payment, you’ll still be liable to pay off a big chunk of the loan after you get bored with it and sell for whatever you can get for it.

Income stream - similar to the $2000/mo. apartment example you gave, you’ll need enough to cover your RV “rent.” Costs of insurance, maintenance, fuel, propane, expensive repairs, etc.

Then there is weekly, monthly or nightly RV campsite rental. Utilities may be extra in long term rentals. Everybody has fantasies of pulling off the road to camp free in the woods, but it’s not quite that simple.

SDcampowneroperator wrote:
Look into how you can accrue value. Apartment rent? money gone. at least with an rv you have a chance, depreciation wont take it all. Mobility is the best idea. you are not a slave to the job, because of mobility, you can move easily to a better job

Exactly!!! Besides, we may be full time online with our jobs/ business soon anyways. With satilite internet anything is possible.

Mandalay Parr wrote:
I've been full-timing for 11 years.
You may call me and we can discuss in greater detail.

You rock. Thank you! My wife and I are not afraid to take risks and try something some people think is crazy. I have lived in a few different states and she is from Costa Rica. We dont like the current market for buying (inflated house prices, raising intrest rates, etc) and we are not ready to settle anywhere. Even if we get into a lease we are stuck for a year and it can make it hard to save. I will probably take you up on your offer once we are back in the states. We are in Costa Rica right now.

Mickeyfan0805 wrote:
I can't speak to full-timing directly, but your post does make me wonder how much experience you have with RV'ing in general. The RV life comes with a lot of blessings and some real challenges, and from everything I've read, full-timing is not nearly as cost efficient as it appears on the surface. Some background info on how much experience you have would probably be helpful to those who could give more direct input.

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