I don't have the luxury of years researching everything I need to know to get started. Since I don't have roots and can work remotely, I want to hit the road ASAP. I can't seen to find a source that gives a concise and exhaustive how-to guide. I'm always left with questions. For instance:Everything I need to go off-grid? Basic equipment everyone should bring such as emergency repair kits, hatchets, saws, etc. ? The best way to find caravan groups to start out with?All the places you can safely & legally boondock?Also curious as to what you think the best rig is for a small signature and versatility?Is there a guide to must-see locales? Maybe a kind of itinerary on how to hit all of them?

Sorry to hear you’re losing your home. Presuming you’ve never camped before based on your questions. You’re planning on just going “off the grid”?Good luck working remotely off grid. Slow down and temper your plans a bit. You need a truck, big truck, set it up for a camper. You need a camper. The rest is basically personal effects. Oh and a generator.

Maybe start with reading a bunch of threads here. Very informative. Idk never seen a complete and exhaustive guide on how to do a 180 in living situation, immediately. Budget is a big part of it. If you’re not a camper and not a shade tree mechanic, then you need a rather large budget.

I went from a 26' travel trailer to a truck camper, full-time. I lasted from FL to WA (via TX) and traded it for a 23' travel trailer. I used the whole bedroom area for "stuff" and just left the u-shaped dinette into a bed. Loved traveling in it and it was great for day trips. A basic tool bag (kept in the truck) was sufficient along with a socket set. No room for saws.. never needed one anyway. No solar setup, although my camper was solar prepped. Main thing I learned was to get a camper to fit the truck and the allowed bed weight. I had TorkLifts.. a whole new world. I had no sway, not hard to drive, no rolling. I did put airbags on my 2500 gas truck, LB, CC.I got into horrendous winds in TX and did great with it. I got a Palomino Back Pack, hard side and it had everything. Must sees? Google things to do in xxxxxx… never at a loss for what to see.Good Luck and sorry on the house. Plan B is always good to have.

CMKelin wrote:Everything I need to go off-grid? You will need some way to recharge your battery(ies). Either a Generator or Solar. You can't rely on running the Truck to recharge the battery. If you plan to have a fridge and furnace, you'll need a decent sized battery bank. If you want to run the A/C, then you'll need a generator.Water would be the next big concern, where will you get it? Gas stations may not be too excited to see you filling up large tanks of water. You need to find where low cost or free sources of drinking water are. You also need to know where to dispose of the grey water and black water. Free dump stations are out there, but may not be where you want to be.Basic equipment everyone should bring such as emergency repair kits, hatchets, saws, etc. ? We always traveled with a set of mechanics tools, drill/driver, fuses and duct tape. The hatchet & saw would come in handy if you plan to have camp fires, but not really a necessity. If you plan to boondock alone and your truck doesn't have 4WD, then either a come-along or electric winch with a pull pal would be helpful.The best way to find caravan groups to start out with?Google search or Facebook Groups.All the places you can safely & legally boondock?We've used freecampsites.net. There is also campendium.com and probably countless others. Again, Google is your friend.-Michael

A truck camper doesn't need to be registered, so buy it in a tax free state like Delaware.

Losing home & need to immediately relocate to truck camper

37 Replies

spoon059
Explorer II
Sep 07, 2020
bikendan wrote:
You did say "Not sure how you read the forum" so I was just explaining how I do.

And you are criticizing the way I do. I never asked asked for your explanation. Move along...
bikendan
Explorer
Sep 03, 2020
spoon059 wrote:
bikendan wrote:
I always read the whole thread before responding because i don't want to post something that's no longer relevant. If i'm not willing to read the whole thread, i don't post.

When I'm retired, I'll waste significantly more time to keep you happy. Stay safe, thank you for your service.

You did say "Not sure how you read the forum" so I was just explaining how I do.
spoon059
Explorer II
Sep 03, 2020
bikendan wrote:
I always read the whole thread before responding because i don't want to post something that's no longer relevant. If i'm not willing to read the whole thread, i don't post.

When I'm retired, I'll waste significantly more time to keep you happy. Stay safe, thank you for your service.
bikendan
Explorer
Sep 01, 2020
spoon059 wrote:
bikendan wrote:
You should have read the OP's post right above yours, before posting.:h

Not sure how YOU read forums, but I tend to respond to comments as I see them, not read the entire thread and then go back to comments to which I wanted to reply. Regardless, my comments stand. He bought something, but not at all what he was looking to buy. It will be a struggle for him and it will be far more expensive than simply staying in a less expensive long term housing situation.:h

I always read the whole thread before responding because i don't want to post something that's no longer relevant. If i'm not willing to read the whole thread, i don't post.
coolmom42
Explorer II
Sep 01, 2020
I suggest you go over to cheaprvliving.com and research on how to live in that van. Tons of good info there.

The secret is going to be moving with the seasons to stay warm/cool and travel as little as possible to conserve gas money. Lots of people do this in Arizona by moving up in altitude in the summer and back down in the winter.
spoon059
Explorer II
Aug 18, 2020
bikendan wrote:
You should have read the OP's post right above yours, before posting.:h

Not sure how YOU read forums, but I tend to respond to comments as I see them, not read the entire thread and then go back to comments to which I wanted to reply. Regardless, my comments stand. He bought something, but not at all what he was looking to buy. It will be a struggle for him and it will be far more expensive than simply staying in a less expensive long term housing situation.:h
spoon059
Explorer II
Aug 18, 2020
CMKelin wrote:
I understand but look right above & we already got one.

Now we're looking at Off-Grid power systems.

Hope it works out for you, but I stand by my comments. It's going to be difficult and expensive.
Jebby14
Explorer
Aug 18, 2020
id suggest planning a plan B for when this doesnt work out. That said figure out your power usage and we will help you size accordingly. Id be looking at 3-500 watts solar and a bank of as many 6V batteries as i could afford (hopefully 8). you dont need 4 seasons, follow the season you want. winter where its warm summer where its cool. forget milage, its bad, its not going to get better.

dont be cheap with your charge controller

once you start to be ok with the bad fuel milage add in that you should expect to burn some propane

keep an eye on weights make sure you dont run out of payload.

next up water. figure out your plan for potable, black and gray water and let us know so we can help
bikendan
Explorer
Aug 17, 2020
spoon059 wrote:
CMKelin wrote:

Ideally, we want to spend $15k between a truck & a camper. We want an all-season camper. We don't know about trucks to know what we need.
We've heard that F150s are excellent. Ideally, we want a setup where we can get more than 11 mpg.

Are there any particular trucks you recommend? We heard that diesel gets better mpg but that the cost of maintenance is so high that you might as well go with gas.

$15K for a truck and camper that you'll fulltime in? Doubtful.
$15K for an all season camper? Doubtful.
F-150 for a truck camper? Almost impossible..
11 mpg towing? Unlikely.

Truthfully it sounds like you have done zero research and have outlandish expectations. Simple internet searches will give you lots of answers to your questions. I don't foresee your experiment being successful at all. Sounds like you still have a job, I would just look for more affordable housing somewhere else. Camping isn't a cheap venture.

You should have read the OP's post right above yours, before posting.:h
CMKelin
Explorer
Aug 17, 2020
spoon059 wrote:
CMKelin wrote:

Ideally, we want to spend $15k between a truck & a camper. We want an all-season camper. We don't know about trucks to know what we need.
We've heard that F150s are excellent. Ideally, we want a setup where we can get more than 11 mpg.

Are there any particular trucks you recommend? We heard that diesel gets better mpg but that the cost of maintenance is so high that you might as well go with gas.

$15K for a truck and camper that you'll fulltime in? Doubtful.
$15K for an all season camper? Doubtful.
F-150 for a truck camper? Almost impossible..
11 mpg towing? Unlikely.

Truthfully it sounds like you have done zero research and have outlandish expectations. Simple internet searches will give you lots of answers to your questions. I don't foresee your experiment being successful at all. Sounds like you still have a job, I would just look for more affordable housing somewhere else. Camping isn't a cheap venture.

I understand but look right above & we already got one.

Now we're looking at Off-Grid power systems.