Full-time and don't/didn't like it?

Walaby wrote:
Maybe half as expensive, but while you're paying a mortgage, the house generally appreciates. You're paying half but you never recoup any of that... it's all lost to depreciation or rent.

Usually long term parks don't include electric.. they'll put you on metered. But then again, owning a house you pay electric as well.

There's too much other stuff I'd miss, at least right now. I like having my yard. Like my shop out back to work on old cars. Like the pool on a hot summer day after yard work etc... I see myself on the road 3-4 months, and then returning for 3-4 and then back out again, until I can't do it anymore. Then I'll just be here.

Mike

True, if the market is going up, as it usually does. The house needs to appreciate by more than $1,000 per month to win that race. Most don't. But, obviously, the biggest trade off is that you have much less space living in an RV.

Maybe half as expensive, but while you're paying a mortgage, the house generally appreciates. You're paying half but you never recoup any of that... it's all lost to depreciation or rent.

Usually long term parks don't include electric.. they'll put you on metered. But then again, owning a house you pay electric as well.

There's too much other stuff I'd miss, at least right now. I like having my yard. Like my shop out back to work on old cars. Like the pool on a hot summer day after yard work etc... I see myself on the road 3-4 months, and then returning for 3-4 and then back out again, until I can't do it anymore. Then I'll just be here.

Mike

Super_Dave wrote:

DallasSteve wrote:
It's very cheap, if you're just staying in one place and if you can tolerate the smaller living space.

All the places that I would like to stay for extended periods of time don't have real cheap monthly rates. I guess it is all relative. Not to mention if one is also making a monthly payment on the RV itself. In my case, it seems like it matches my mortgage payment on my stick and brick house.

If I was living in one area and not traveling around I could get a nice 5th wheel and pay someone to tow it to an RV park. It wouldn't need to be new, because I wouldn't be worried about dragging it up and down highways. So even with a modest down payment the monthly payment would be around $300. There are lots of nice RV parks for around $400 to $500. Bargain ones run closer to $300. That means your total housing and electric are around $800 per month. Most houses I've seen are around $200K and up. With interest, taxes, insurance, maintenance, utilities, you're probably looking at around $2,000 per month. And that's in a very middle class neighborhood. And if you pay cash for that house you're still taking a hit that accountants call "opportunity cost"; that is, what you could have made if you invested that money somewhere else.

So in summary, I'd say living in a trailer is about half as expensive as living in a traditional house, if you aren't traveling, and comparing apples to apples. Right or wrong?

I constantly dream about the F/T lifestyle, watch YouTube and peruse RvTrader looking at 40ft motorhomes and fifth wheels. We have friends that own both. Even though I love big rigs, it wouldn't be practical for our boondocking lifestyle in Mexico. We can always park the TT and have the SUV worked on if we were to breakdown. A big rig, I'd be lost figuring things out.

That said, we have easily spent up to four and five months in our 24ft travel trailer with two slides. The bedroom alone measures 7ft by 10ft. It's very comfortable and though not top quality it has served us well for 10 years.

I'm different than most folks. I could fit all my stuff into two boxes and be very content. I've never been into accumulating things. That said, we have two outdoor sheds filled to the brim, but not with my stuff. :)

DallasSteve wrote:
It's very cheap, if you're just staying in one place and if you can tolerate the smaller living space.

All the places that I would like to stay for extended periods of time don't have real cheap monthly rates. I guess it is all relative. Not to mention if one is also making a monthly payment on the RV itself. In my case, it seems like it matches my mortgage payment on my stick and brick house.

Some posters want to stress that most people will not want to full time forever. I would argue that nobody will full time forever; nobody will live in a house forever; nobody will do anything forever except maybe in the afterlife. But some people might want to full time for the rest of their life, and some not. I might live in a travel trailer even after I lose interest in traveling. It's very cheap, if you're just staying in one place and if you can tolerate the smaller living space.

Slowmover wrote:
The point is to be outside. Shirtsleeve weather. Some extra clothing to cover a variety of conditions. The pleasure of cooking inside or out.

If my “ideal” was a lumbering, unstable 5’er to which I had to buy a commercial vehicle to drag it with, that sure takes the fun out of solo touring a region. Day trips.

Same with a Moho. It’s flat funny seeing the “toad” that only two people will ever use. A big family group it makes some sense. But repairs and maintenance are a pain as little is DIY. Two drivetrains has to be justified.

THE POINT is that many MAY NOT have made good choice when it came time to buy an RV.

The extra work of “bigger” is a huge turnoff. If not today, then tomorrow.

Highest reliability, longest-life and ease of travel were the priorities I learned as third generation owner of type.

Set-up and take-down shouldn’t be a burden.

There’s NEVER an end of things to do or see. A major city or an unknown region. Any budget.

A life of television has stunted many of you. Most of whom you might meet.

Throw it out, as it’s poison.

No one had them until reasonably priced solid-state portables were available in the mid-late 1970s.

Absolutely NO ONE missed them.

Examine assumptions. The rut you prefer is still just that.
The lifelong slave loves his collar too much to remove it.

An RV is maybe last chance to wake up in an unfamiliar place . . and allow the unfamiliar part of you come forward.

.

Well, unless your profile isn't up to date .... your RV setup is a PU truck towing a fairly good sized TT or 5'er of some type .... which seems to me to be a bit limiting.

It my opinion, the "RV'ing philosophy" of yours above seems to indicate this kind of a rig ;) :

Army11Bravo wrote:
My wife and I talk about going Full Time in a few years, but in all honesty, we will most likely be snowbirds. We love our house and enjoy Northwest Montana, but to be able to leave the snow to travel around exploring other parts of the country for several months out of the year would be heaven.

I don't think a FT lifestyle would suit us. The longest experience in our TT was 6 weeks and we looked forward to a home without wheels.

Six weeks is about it for us ,even southwestern Montana for six weeks fly fishing in the summer, in about six weeks its time to be home. Same in Arizona in the winter ,much less appeal , just warmer then home 4-6 weeks same thing, time to be home.

Bumpyroad wrote:

DarkSkySeeker wrote:

Bumpyroad wrote:
An RV is maybe last chance to wake up in an unfamiliar place . . and allow the unfamiliar part of you come forward.

Very thought-provoking in a positive.

not my quote
bumpy

Oops.

DarkSkySeeker wrote:

Bumpyroad wrote:
An RV is maybe last chance to wake up in an unfamiliar place . . and allow the unfamiliar part of you come forward.

Very thought-provoking in a positive.

not my quote
bumpy