Full-timing in truck campers?

I suspect there are as many SKPers, that don't have their mail forwarded, because they live at one of the SKP co-op campgrounds, which are not owned or operated by the people that own the Escapees Club. As Bryan mentioned you can lease or buy a site, which many do and their RV never moves off of it. This is their home, with a physical address, most have a US Post Office mail box, a local phone, etc. They consider themselves to be full timers because they live in an RV all the time. Not really much different than people living in a stick built home or apartment. They become as much a part of that community, as anyone else, they just happen to live in, what most of us refer to, as an RV.

We have a lot of this with other parks here in Florida that once the RV is set up, the RV ceases, being used in any way for recreation, just a living space, which really works well for many people, especially older couples. A number of the campgrounds here, run a 7 and 5 month plan, or some variation of that. You pay for 7 months and then you can be gone for the other 5 months, leaving your RV on the same site. Popular with some of the snowbirds, that then drive their car or fly back north for the summer.

As mentioned, the OPs question has so many variables, it is difficult, if not impossible to answer, because of so many different views on what full timing means to each of us. If someone asked, "how is the game of snooker played", there would be given some very clear answers that most other snooker players would agree with, using the same terms, criteria, etc.

bighatnohorse gave a definition that he thinks is the correct one, but it doesn't fit most of the people that I know, that consider themselves to be full timers. Nice thing is, people get to pick their own idea as to what being a full time RVers, does to be one. Just makes it more difficult to exchange ideas in written form, when there is little agreement as to what is even being discussed, IMHO.

There really are at least two distinct groups of full time RVers, IMHO. Those that travel, using their RVs as a home while they are involved in many activities, hiking, fishing, photography, working, enjoying different scenery, etc and the full timers that live in their RVs, while seldom, if ever moving them. This forum seems to have more members that fit into the travel group.

It appears the OP is not responding to any of our questions here. For me, there are so many variables in Fulltiming, to blindly begin sharing ways of "doing it" is not a time commit I wish to do. But, to answer some of the questions that are being posted is and can be constructive for others, lurking or curious.

As many know, I am in my 6th year of Fulltiming and one of the reasons I asked the OP what type of Fulltiming they are planning, is that I do my Fulltiming differently than most would choose to do. Is the OP Fulltiming for work and they are providing power and hookups? Is the OP going out on the road and seeing the world and staying in Campgrounds? Boondocking? or camping in the back yard of their In-Laws home? Is the OP going to be moving to avoid Cold weather and Hot weather? Yep. Lots of variables.

deltabravo wrote:
I couldn't full time in my current truck camper. The dinette would drive me insane, because it's not a "lounge and get comfortable" seating area.

You certainly voiced one of my pain in the Axx issues for me. The winter months include more time inside the camper, even staying down in the Southern Desert. Sure I've heard it; "The world outside my TC is where I will be spending the majority of my time and being indoors will only be to sleep and eat!" Yeah, that person is not Fulltiming. Because it is just me and the dog, I searched for a folding chair for those times I wanted to ESCAPE the dinette. It took about 5 chairs before I found the one now that works perfectly. It never goes outside, as I learned the hard way because I store it on the bed when not being used or traveling. The legs/caps collect dirt and sand and seem to come out when laying on my bed comfortable. Yes, the Dinette is a big issue and one that will need to be addressed for those that wish to Fulltime.

wintersun wrote:
Problem with a camper is having storage space for everything needed for full time use, especially 4-season clothes storage space.

This is true and without the OP answering whom of us can advise a good answer. For me, I sold everything and left nothing behind. So for me to live a 4 season life, I need to have the clothes and toys to allow me to accomplish this. Thats the other things. Many of us using our TCs have a varied interest in many things. How is one going to carry everything? Easy, as one person told me; "I just donate my clothes after the season and keep what I really need and then when winter comes again, I just by new clothes. As for toys, I just rent the boats, backpacks and fishing equipment when I get to wherever I am going." Lets just say he has a lot more money than I do and doesn't require as much storage space as I do.

bighatnohorse wrote:
Full-timing refers to someone that has all of their mail forwarded by a mail forwarding service, no physical address, and lives in a RV.
The Escapees forum (rvnetwork.com) is one such place that could provide insight to your very simple question.

Yep. I have my mail forwarded. The easy part is with fulltiming, one does not have a lot of bills to pay. But, there are many other complications that arise, like voting, residency, vehicle registration, driver's license and a host of permits. As for Escapees, they cater mostly to the Snowbirds and RV Park types. They have properties that you can annually reserve a concrete slab, tuff shed and handle all your needs for you. They even sell these properties for Fulltimers to park a 5th Wheel or MH permanently. Again, not knowing the style of the OP, we are just spinning our wheels here.


Many elect to go Fulltiming because of economic reasons. They soon learn a hard lesson in that it just makes it that much harder to live this way, when you don't have funds to sustain it. Some do it for the romance, to see the world or our great country. Some do it for work and find that they like the opportunity and convienence. The reason I choose? Because I have been doing something like this since I went on a Solo Cross Country Bicycle trip, when I was 13. I learned then I wanted to it fulltime, someday. Then in 2006 I learned I needed to do this sooner than later, because life is too short. I am in a race, to the end.

Safe Travels.

b

I couldn't full time in my current truck camper. The dinette would drive me insane, because it's not a "lounge and get comfortable" seating area.

I agree with wintersun. Dw and I spent 6 weeks this Past summer in our 11' 3" Lance 990 non slide dry bath model...Yes on a SRW truck.. and although is was fun started to get a little cramped especially with 2 grand kids at times. Another Grandson on the way! We are planning to stay the summer at least 2 months of it next year and longer durations in fall and spring too. Thinking of a big Fifth wheel or a motor home. Figure with my trucks new 19.5 wheels and tires I can haul a good size Fifth wheel. Heck my Father in law hauls a 37 foot keystone Montana Fifth around with a 2005 GMC 2500 stock wheels and only timbrens for last 2 years.

Problem with a camper is having storage space for everything needed for full time use, especially 4-season clothes storage space. A travel trailer costs half as much and provides double the living space, double the holding tank capacities, double the storage space, and a dry bath.

Compare a 11 foot camper's space and cost (including the 1-ton DRW truck needed) to that provided with a 22' long travel trailer, and picture yourselves inside when it is raining or snowing for days at a time.

There is a reason full timers go with 5th-wheel trailers or Class A motorhomes as a rule. It is a matter of both living space and storage space.

Joe, you delivered some of the best omnibus look into the prospect of FT-ing, in any RV. It seems everyone who so-called, full-times, has a different experience, in the short run and the long run. So, I don't see any consensus about a couple FT-ing.
Jeanie and I have talked about FT-ing, but find we have too many 'hooks' that keep us FT-ing in a stick house and part-timing in an XTC.
What are those hooks?
Jeanie's 98 year young mother: born 1916
Close family (kids/grandkids/brothers)
Religious life (Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, Choir, BSF, PEO)
The office of Compline (I conduct and write music for 4 Compline Choirs)
Hobbies (wood cutting, snow blowing, HOn3 model trains, jeeping/rock crawling, composing music, playing the bass trombone)
jefe

Full-timing refers to someone that has all of their mail forwarded by a mail forwarding service, no physical address, and lives in a RV.
The Escapees forum (rvnetwork.com) is one such place that could provide insight to your very simple question.

It is often difficult to know what folks mean, when they say they are full timers. Some will admit to owning a home/park model/double wide, etc. somewhere, that they use for a couple of months a year, while they take care of doctors appts, dental work, etc. but still say they are full timers. There doesn't seem to be any wide spread definition of what the term means here on the forum.

We will often spend up to 100 consecutive nights out, on some of our summer trips to Alaska, from south Florida. But we own a stick built, here in the swamp country. Three months is probably close to our limit, for my wife and I in the TC, then we both need to get home for awhile. We tried full timing in a large Class A for 2 1/2 years and found we didn't care for it. It showed us, that the part of RVing we enjoy, is the traveling, not setting around campgrounds watching the grass grow, which is what we found ourselves doing the last year we were FTing. Only put 5,200 miles on the Class A that last year, with is about average, from what I have read in magazines.

Now that we are extended travelers, we tend to put about 15,000 miles a year on the RVs traveling. Just fits our needs much better. I probably use the term full timer, for the time we did it, as loosely as anyone else. During that time we owned three homes, Alaska, Colorado and Florida, and a ranch in Oklahoma. But the homes were rented or leased out and the ranch house was not livable, but did have full hookups which was nice to have for a couple of weeks at a time.

While we are on our fifth truck camper, if I was going to go full time again, I can't imagine any reason I would take the TC, when for us, our 5th wheel or a travel trailer or motorhome would work much better. Especially since we already own a truck, a trailer would be my first choice. I consider our TC to be our traveling rig, where we seldom spend more than two or three nights in one location and then we move on. Can't be beat for that type of travel for us. If we are going somewhere to stay for a week or so or have more people staying with us we will take the 5th wheel.

Full timing in a TC

Here is one I saw recently

Mamma, the 2 hounds and I just finished a 7 week run from GA to Anchorage and back in our Lance TC. The TC was a great vehicle for the run. But come week 6 we had to have some relief and we couldn't get back to the barn quick enough.

We just didn't want to or enjoy cooking in the TC and cooked outside for the most part. Sleeping was great in the cab over. Not much room for comfy type lounging as we only had a tight dinette to sit on and it got old quick.

We have pretty well surmized that about 4 weeks was the max for us in that rig. For everything else and long slow plodding runs where we are parked for extended periods in places , our 5th wheel is the way to go!