Full time in smaller RV

[PeggyandTony]

My husband and I hope to start full timing in the next few years. We are not new to RVing. We have been camping since we were children. Once married we have tented, upgraded to a pop up , then a 24 foot TT and finally a 35ft 5er. We enjoy staying in state and national parks rather than private campgrounds. We have found that with this type of camping that size matters. We are considering downsizing to a shorter TT or 5er. In the 25-30 foot range. We were wondering if anyone is currently or has previously full timed in this size RV. We would appreciate any advise and things we should consider.

Peggy and Tony

[hinterland]

We started Full Time last fall in a 26.5' and upgraded to a 30' with a rear kitchen this Spring. We have everything we need aboard and we are small enough to fit into smaller parks.
There is a website and youtube channel that shows some of our journey and experiences in you are interested in taking a look.

[vtchris]

I am single and have full timed it for the past 8 years and counting in a 21' Toyota class C Motorhome.

[Roy_Lynne]

Thanks for the post as we have a 30 footer and both of us want to downsize to a B. (We watch Tiny House Nation and figure we can do Tiny RV Living) I'm often told, its way to small, but I love the idea of 20 MPG, and have absolutely no issues with finding a parking space, even in the oldest, tiniest, National Forest Campground we would find a place to camp.

[RoadXYZ]

Opie431 wrote:
If you are still reading you answers, we have a TT with bunks plus the bed for us. The bunks are great for storage.

Wish we had gone that route ... as we get older and travel along the West Coast is still nice to have warm clothes which requires more space than our present RV ... but too old to trade in for something large at this time. Shalom.

[RoadXYZ]

PeggyandTony wrote:
My husband and I hope to start full timing in the next few years. We are not new to RVing. We have been camping since we were children. Once married we have tented, upgraded to a pop up , then a 24 foot TT and finally a 35ft 5er. We enjoy staying in state and national parks rather than private campgrounds. We have found that with this type of camping that size matters. We are considering downsizing to a shorter TT or 5er. In the 25-30 foot range. We were wondering if anyone is currently or has previously full timed in this size RV. We would appreciate any advise and things we should consider.

Peggy and Tony

Have lived/full-timed in a 30 ft. travel trailer for 12+ years, doable for us ... we enjoy the outside though and have traveled less these past 4 years than before ...

[Opie431]

If you are still reading you answers, we have a TT with bunks plus the bed for us. The bunks are great for storage.

[TRAILRIDER125]

I lived in a 31' TT for 17 years. I had plenty of room. I now plan on fulltiming in a 24 Motor home. I haven't tried it but, it looks like plenty of room for me!

[kennethwooster]

Were in a 32' 5th wheel. Were not full time although I could full time in it. This is a Cameo with large slides which gives plenty of space.

[4X4Dodger]

I full time in a 32 foot travel trailer with two slideouts with one other person with whom I do not have an intimate relationship with and my dog. My trailer has two distinct sleeping areas.

Getting into National Parks, BLM and NFS lands was also a high priority for me.

I see many many folks out here full timing in smaller rigs of all types.And most seem very happy with their choice. In fact I run into many many more folks who say they want to DOWNSIZE rather than the opposite.

I do think however that a 5th wheel wastes a lot of space as compared to a similar length TT. and you lose the vast majority of your P/U bed storage space which can be very handy for sure.

If it was me I would give serious consideration of a Regular TT. and Get a Canopy for the TV.

[4X4Dodger]

Mandalay Parr wrote:
If you think you can do it...then go for it.
But I would think bigger is better for full-time.

Bigger is NOT better if it keeps you from going where you want to go.

[JimK-NY]

Solar and big AGM batteries make a huge difference. I really do not want to run the generator unless it is hot and we need a/c. Even then we only run it for a while in the late afternoon or evening. If it is too hot to sleep at night without a/c, it is time to travel elsewhere. We are able to get by with 2 solar panels even though my wife has a CPAP and the refrigerator is totally electric.

Our "toys" are mainly lots of photography gear, a handful of books, computers and some DVDs. We have a kite, art supplies, archery gear and some other small items. We rarely use them. Photography and travel in the national parks is sufficient.

[FunnyCamper]

JimK-NY wrote:
Six years ago my wife and I sold the house and took off full time in a truck camper. We also had two cats. We had plenty of space and took way too much stuff. Now we have resettled and only travel 3-6 months of each year. I keep cutting back and cutting back and still find I have too much stuff that is never used. This past year I cut the tools in half. I also cut back on clothing again and find I can still go 3-4 weeks between Laundromat stops. I have plenty of specialized clothing for extreme hot, cold or wet weather.

I recommend traveling small and light. I also recommend taking steps to eliminate or minimize the need for hook ups. I have two solar panels, agm batteries and a generator for when I must have A/C. With some care, I can take a daily shower and still go at least 4-5 days on a water tank refill.

I so like this post, less stuff, travel lighter without as much 'junk' to haul around. I am right there with you....we had the entire house packed with us when we started RVing long ago....now we are down to very little. Like you we travel light. Our 'toys' we bring is our most important stuff in our toyhauler....I always think, I loved when we tent camped long ago and traveled so light and never missed anything extra, so we kinda put that value on our RV....even if you can bring it and store it, why bother 🙂 We have a genny but solar does interest us....our new TT TH will have solar wiring. something to look into for the future.

[FunnyCamper]

colliehauler wrote:

FunnyCamper wrote:
we are currently downgrading. we are just like you....we do state/federal campgrounds over commercial and we need that smaller size for ease of getting a site and thru the narrow roads loaded with trees in every possible worst position 🙂

we have 40 ft 5th toyhauler. going to a 29 ft. travel trailer toyhauler. (34 total with tongue). losing like 5 ft. and some height to make it easier on us.

key is like everyone said, get the floorplan that suits what you want. size isn't as much a matter as long as your happy with the feel/comfort and more in it. We got everything we needed in our 29 ft TT toyhauler that we have in our 40 ft 5th toyhauler. just more compact.

best of luck to you in finding what you want!!

Similar story, I have a 32' 5er TH and bought a 17' TT TH to go to tight campgrounds. I did not sell the larger 5er but use the small TT as a supplement.

I met a older couple from Canada that full timed in a 17' Casita tt. They cooked outside. They would leave early in the morning exploring the area and return of a evening. For them it was perfect.

I love this! A 17TT TH as a supplement 🙂 We thought big about keeping the big boy and getting a second, but in the end we said, nope, just one is all we want so we just went for smaller, but oh yes, we were surely considering what you did LOL

very cool you have best of both worlds, bigger and smaller 🙂

[JimK-NY]

Six years ago my wife and I sold the house and took off full time in a truck camper. We also had two cats. We had plenty of space and took way too much stuff. Now we have resettled and only travel 3-6 months of each year. I keep cutting back and cutting back and still find I have too much stuff that is never used. This past year I cut the tools in half. I also cut back on clothing again and find I can still go 3-4 weeks between Laundromat stops. I have plenty of specialized clothing for extreme hot, cold or wet weather.

I recommend traveling small and light. I also recommend taking steps to eliminate or minimize the need for hook ups. I have two solar panels, agm batteries and a generator for when I must have A/C. With some care, I can take a daily shower and still go at least 4-5 days on a water tank refill.