First, I love it. We are 4+ years into a 1 year trip. We took off in June of 2015 and thought we would wrap up in August of 2016. Turns out, we love life on the road and have found an amazing community to connect with.
That said, check out
Fulltime Families. Especially if you or the spouse are Facebook users (it tends to be highly Facebook centric). We connected with this group in September 2015 (3 months after we launched) and they have made a world of difference for us. Finding our "tribe" has been so wonderful for us. Just last week, we rallied with 50 families at the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta for almost a week. Great seeing old friends and making new ones.
A 1-ton truck isn't as cramped as you might think. I know quite a few families of 6 who are doing it and they're all regular/often travelers. Trucks are bigger than cars and SUVs and afford more space.
The chase vehicle isn't a bad idea. I don't like it for us, as I look forward to our togetherness time on move days. But we have friends who swear by driving a second vehicle.
The 1-ton van is the right answer if you don't want to do a truck. Be careful which you pick as their tow ratings are all over the board. Add airbags to help the loaded ride. I have friends who were a family of 8+ dog who fulltimed for years. 2 girls graduated out of the house and one took the dog, so now they're a family of 6. They're just about to make the switch to a truck + fifth wheel after almost 4 years of fulltiming.
And lastly, a lite trailer is fine. A regular travel trailer is fine. A fifth wheel is fine. Class A motorhomes can be fine. The biggest thing to watch is the cargo carrying capacity. I heard the owner of Fulltime Families say that FTF tend to run about 500 lbs. per person. So your family of 6 will easily be carrying 3,000 lbs of cargo. (Class C motorhomes are generally out unless it's a Super C- their cargo carrying capacity is so low, you run out with just putting people in.)
Having buckled the frame on a rig while fulltiming and running overloaded, I don't exceed the trailer's GVWR any longer. Mind the cargo carrying capacity and I wouldn't consider it if it is less than 2,000 lbs.
That family who are down to 6 that I mentioned finally weighed- found they were 2,400 lbs. overweight. I regularly talk to FTF members who have weighed and estimate a good 90% of us are running overweight.
Feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions about fulltiming as a family.
