New to RV'ing. Want to fulltime. First post -- Hi!

Hi everyone. This is my first post here. I don't have a travel trailer yet, but I expect I will soon.

I want to downsize from my condo and simplify my living space and what I have to do for a living, and have the flexibility of moving to another location every couple of months or maybe stay for awhile.

About me -- I'm single, 47, handy, can figure out how to fix or build just about anything, self-taught for every skill I have. I have a dog and a cat. My parents were foreign-service so I lived overseas and moved around alot. I'm used to moving. When I rented, I would move to a new place 3 or 4 times a year for a change of scenery and meet different people. I live in Virginia, but moved to Hawaii twice and back. I drove cross-country from Virginia to California and loved every minute and would love to do it again. My Dad and Grandpa were the same. My grandparents sold their home and spent the remainder of their lives travelling around California living fulltime in a pop-up camper and staying in different parks. So, I'm finding out I'm actually related to these people. :-)

After owning a 1700 sq ft house in Hawaii, I decided that I hated the upkeep and moved into a 400 sq ft section of the house where I lived for 3 years before I sold it. People laughed that I lived in "an apartment in my own house". I didn't even use the upstairs kitchen for 3 years, I just grilled outside all the time and had a hot plate. I didn't feel for one minute that I was missing out on anything, and discovered that I can be very adaptable and content with just about anything.

I got bored with Hawaii after 8 years, sold the house and moved back to my condo in Virginia. I've been back in Virginia for 2 years and am looking for the next move again. I'm thinking travel trailer and going to Florida or Texas for awhile.

So, all that leads me to being really interested in fulltiming in a travel trailer. I've got questions.

Wanderlost
Nomad II
Nov 10, 2016
You're at exactly the right place to ask questions. Welcome to RVing and travel trailers.

First thing is to assess what kind of living and storage space you'll need for one person, a dog and a cat. That will tell you roughly how big a trailer to get.

Now look at your tow vehicle. If it can't pull the size trailer you need, you'll need a more powerful tow vehicle.

Look online for various brands and look at the floorplans. Your brain will fry with all the selections, so do this a bit at a time, and keep a record of the models you like, so you don't repeat yourself (experience....). When you have the floorplans narrowed down, start visiting travel trailer sales lots in your area that carry that model. I know of several down I-95 between Fredericksburg and Ashland that would be a good start. Don't commit to anything yet; you're just getting started.

Look closely at fit, finish, welds, etc. Some companies are sloppy, some aren't, and some are sloppy with one model and not with others. It's annoying...

Look at used models, too. If you're handy, a somewhat worn but still basically in good shape trailer would save you big bucks over a brand new one.

So, what questions do you have for us?
stickdog
Explorer
Nov 10, 2016
Welcome, read on plenty of information here and on other forums, you may want to try Escapees forum.
The two most important things for a fulltimer are North in the Summer and South in the Winter.
donn0128
Explorer II
Nov 10, 2016
You may be a good canditate for full time RVing. First question has to be income? How do you support yourself? If your job, if you have one allows you to work remote, then reliable internet will probably be important. Figure that out, then start searching floor plans that fit your needs comfortably.
2_Retired
Explorer
Nov 10, 2016
Just go to "search:" at the top of the page (on the left side) and type in "full timing" 57 pages of posts! Hope you find what you need. Just a suggestion. Go to several RV dealers and look at everything. From our experience (RVing for 40+ years) it is the layout of the RV that matters most. That, and storage space inside and out. Whatever seems to fit your lifestyle and your plans - that's the one! Be flexible, ask many, many, many questions, and be patient with yourself. Have a great time 'shopping' and best of luck!
bobndot
Explorer II
Nov 11, 2016
You will have to set up a home port address to receive mail , registrations, license, voting , insurance etc . Most people will use a mail forwarding service to wherever you are .
scottkeen
Explorer
Nov 11, 2016
Good morning! Thanks for all the replies and the encouragement. I'm a freelance software developer IT consultant and have clients that I do remote work-from-home. It's not full-time but pays the bills. I'm also happy to do part-time jobs just to fill in my spare time and get out and meet people.

So a couple of questions:

I have a 2007 Toyota 4Runner 4WD V8 SUV which came with the factory tow-package and wiring for a trailer and brakes, and a factory transmission radiator. The tow rating is 7,300 lbs and tongue weight is 1,095 lbs. My only real concern is the shorter wheel-base than I'd have with a pick-up.

1) For travelling mostly around the southern part of the US, what length trailer would you max out with the 4Runner? I've seen people on the 4Runner forum with 25-foot, 30-foot trailers behind their 4Runners.

2) In the months I've been researching, I keep coming back to the Keystone Passport Elite 23RB Ultra-Light. It's a 23-footer and has a dry weight of 4,680 lbs. Is this a decent trailer for fulltiming, given my 4Runner?

3) I have a motorcycle that I'd like to take with me, it weighs 380 pounds. Is there a way to get a hitch on the rear of the trailer where I can put a motorcycle hitch carrier (the bike would be sideways)?

Some examples of 4Runners with travel trailers:

29-foot trailer with 4Runner

26-foot trailer with 4Runner
westend
Explorer
Nov 11, 2016
You will run out of payload weight capacity long before you reach the maximum allowable towing capacity. Check the inside of your driver's side door jamb. There is a sticker there that states payload capacity, "do not exceed **** lbs of cargo and passengers...".

If you want your 4 Runner to last and don't want problems, don't follow the examples of those hauling larger trailers. The 4 Runner is a cool vehicle but it just isn't made for towing. With the 4 Runner, that motorcycle, the pets, a weight distributing hitch, and minimal cargo, I'd bet that something in the 3500 lb range would be a better fit for towing. You can't carry a 380 lb weight on the back bumper of a travel trailer. At least, not without sway problems.
JnJnKatiebug
Explorer
Nov 11, 2016
If you want to carry a small motorcycle your best option would be a rack on the front of the forerunner. You could have some tow bar brackets installed and have a custom removable rack built for the motorcycle that utilized the tow bar brackets. I personally would not hesitate pulling the trailer you like with the forerunner. If you were to be pulling it 15,000 miles a year it would not be the vehicle of choice but for you to move it around every couple of months as you live in it I see no problems as long as you have the proper hitch setup.
scottkeen
Explorer
Nov 11, 2016
Just took photos of the stickers on the 4Runner.

I guess I'm confused about the numbers.
It says that the "Tire Loading Capacity" of cargo and passengers should not exceed 950-lb.
The tow hitch says that with a WDH, the maximum capacity is 7,300-lb, 1,095-lb tongue weight.

Does this mean that the cargo INSIDE the 4runner cannot exceed 950-lb and has no relevance to the tow hitch capacities? Or does the cargo inside the trailer also count towards that 950-lb maximum?
scottkeen
Explorer
Nov 11, 2016
JnJnKatiebug wrote:
I personally would not hesitate pulling the trailer you like with the forerunner. If you were to be pulling it 15,000 miles a year it would not be the vehicle of choice but for you to move it around every couple of months as you live in it I see no problems as long as you have the proper hitch setup.

That's my intention. I guess I needed to clarify that -- I just want to pull the trailer (my home) to a place, park it for 3-6 months or more and live there for awhile until I want to try living somewhere else for 3-6 months. I'm not planning on driving all over the place and camping all the time.

My plan for my first destination would be a RV park near Dallas/FtW where I have family nearby. Live there for 3-6 months then maybe move to Florida to a RV park near my Dad and live there for another 3-6 months.