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Full time RV Living for a newbie

Trusty_Tres
Explorer
Explorer
Im planning on selling my house, car, and everything else, buying some sort of RV or travel trailer and spending the next foreseeable future on the road. only problem is I have no experience in this area. Im a single guy with a dog and have a job I can work remotely. My plan is to hit all lower 48 states and all National parks. I might make a trip up to Alaska and hit those parks as well. I'm not planning to speed run this trip so I will probably be in it for awhile. I don't need much space, but would like to have a bed I dont have to stow, a small cooking area, bathroom, and a space i can set up a laptop to work from. Im planning to leave out of here in about april of next year, so about 7 months. I've been looking at a Casita and a Tacoma to pull it, hoping to save some on gas by getting a smaller truck. What kind of RV or TT and truck combo would you recommend?

Thanks in advance for any advice you have for a newbie!
31 REPLIES 31

Trusty_Tres
Explorer
Explorer
First off, holy ****! I didn't expect this many responses so fast! Thank you all for your advice. After reading through these comments I think my plan of action is going to be to go to some RV shows and try to get a feel for what I might want, then start renting some that I like until I find one that seems right. I would like to find an older rig to save some money. So maybe something 10ish years old?

2gypsies1
Explorer III
Explorer III
This blogger is doing what you want to do. She's young and workamps. She has a Casita and it's for sale. (Look at the 3rd picture for her Casita information) She ordered one even smaller and more sparse. 🙂 She also has her budget posted somewhere on the site along with lots of good information for a newbie. Best of luck to you! It can be done.

https://interstellarorchard.com/
Full-Timed for 16 Years
.... Back in S&B Again
Traveled 8 yr in a 40' 2004 Newmar Dutch Star Motorhome
& 8 yr in a 33' Travel Supreme 5th Wheel

valhalla360
Nomad III
Nomad III
A 1/2 ton and a 20-25' trailer (both used) is probably the cheapest entry and likely will serve your needs just fine (no matter what you will have to get used to living in a small space).

It's a good choice as the risk is low. If you decide after 6 months, you don't like the lifestyle, you can sell and shouldn't lose a lot of money.

I would also consider is how do you plan to camp? If you plan to be in parks most of the time, no need for generator & large tanks. If you plan to be in remote areas, then you do need these things but work will be problematic because these camping areas typically have less than great cell coverage.
Tammy & Mike
Ford F250 V10
2021 Gray Wolf
Gemini Catamaran 34'
Full Time spliting time between boat and RV

coolmom42
Explorer II
Explorer II
Keep in mind if you work remotely, you are going to need reliable, fast internet access. That is not often available in national parks and forests. So you can stay in them if you wish, but you must be able to access decent internet within a few miles, if you are willing to work in your truck or a public library. If you can work off a 4G phone signal and hotspot, that will give you more flexibility.
Single empty-nester in Middle TN, sometimes with a friend or grandchild on board

coolmom42
Explorer II
Explorer II
SDcampowneroperator wrote:
I think you would not be happy for long in a small tt and truck. For 1 , your concept is to travel to NParks, which have limited services. In that scenario you will want larger water capacities and battery banks than a compact tt has. For life and flexibility in an RV storage and capacity outweighs purchase savings on a smaller unit and fuel. Remember, parking costs are the same.
No to MH. fuel mileage will not be better than a tt truck combo, complexity depreciation, insurance, duplication of driveline all raise the cost of what you are contemplating. MHs are perfect for a lot, not for a single moving occasionally
If I were to do ( Oh wait, I did! ) what you wish, find a 20-26' TT, with good weather capability, a 1/2 T pickup or van with a V 8
The cost trade off will be negligible, savings in site fees in less serviced campsites more than offset the fuel and higher purchase cost.


I agree with this.
Single empty-nester in Middle TN, sometimes with a friend or grandchild on board

DownTheAvenue
Explorer
Explorer
donn0128 wrote:
BAD IDEA!
At least how your leaning. As a full timer yoir going to want eating, sleeping, and work space in addition to a decent bathroom, plus sufficient closet space for clothes. Then there is storage space for stuff. What you looking at might be OK for a weekend when the weather is good. But what if you get stuck for a few days of cold rain? Your going to be stuck inside.
As a single person, start looking for a motor home, something around 30 feet or more. This will give you enoigh room to be comfortable and have plenty of storage. You also need to consider laundry facilities. Laundrymats can be really inconvient long term. No one wants to spend one day a week sitting someplace while your clothes get washed whwn you could be out enjoying life.
If you go a MH route be sure to budget in a toad. Not a frog, but a small car you can tow behind. This will allow you to park and have a small car to move around in.

BTW ALL are RVs, whether it is a motor home, truck camper, travel trailer or a fifth wheel, ALL are a RV.


This is very bad advice, in my opinion. A motor home is expensive to operate , maintain, and purchase, and then you still need something to tow behind it. As for a laundromat, wash all your clothes at once with several different washers and dryers and you are done in two hours!

I think a 24 to 26 foot trailer with a 1500 series v8 pick up truck is what you would like the best.

Edd505
Explorer
Explorer
do some reading here and you will learn a lot about full timing.
http://rv-dreams.activeboard.com/
2015 F350 FX4 SRW 6.7 Crew, longbed - 2017 Durango Gold 353RKT
2006 F350 SRW 6.0 crew longbed sold
2000 F250 SRW 7.3 extended longbed airbags sold
2001 Western Star 4900EX sold
Jayco Eagle 30.5BHLT sold, Layton 24.5LT sold

NatParkJunkie
Explorer III
Explorer III
Before committing to buying something, maybe try first renting an rv for a weekend or vacation to get an idea of what you like and don't like. That's what I did, and I learned a ton about what worked and didn't work for me. Plus learning about what types of RV's work best for me for navigating around different national parks, highways, parking lots, gas stations, etc.
Cruise America and other vendors do RV rentals. They're a little expensive, but a lot cheaper than buying something outright and end up hating. Also check out an RV show to see lots of different rigs all in the same place.
In addition to travel trailers and class C's, check out truck campers. They may be small, but give you a TON of versatility and mobility. (spoiler alert, truck camper is the style I went with....Dodge Ram and Arctic Fox 990). I didn't sell my house and go full time yet, but it works out great for the style of travel that I want to do at this point in my life as a single guy and pet dalmation/pitt bull mix dog.

LadyRVer
Explorer II
Explorer II
I am solo with a cocker spaniel. Currently a 26' travel trailer, no slide,
queen bed, sofa, dinette, all the rest. I could pull it with a 150/1500 v-8, just have not traded my 2500 Dodge Ram yet. Works fine for "us" and I live in it full time.

SDcampowneroper
Explorer
Explorer
I think you would not be happy for long in a small tt and truck. For 1 , your concept is to travel to NParks, which have limited services. In that scenario you will want larger water capacities and battery banks than a compact tt has. For life and flexibility in an RV storage and capacity outweighs purchase savings on a smaller unit and fuel. Remember, parking costs are the same.
No to MH. fuel mileage will not be better than a tt truck combo, complexity depreciation, insurance, duplication of driveline all raise the cost of what you are contemplating. MHs are perfect for a lot, not for a single moving occasionally
If I were to do ( Oh wait, I did! ) what you wish, find a 20-26' TT, with good weather capability, a 1/2 T pickup or van with a V 8
The cost trade off will be negligible, savings in site fees in less serviced campsites more than offset the fuel and higher purchase cost.

gbopp
Explorer
Explorer
Bill.Satellite wrote:
As an additional thought, if you are thinking you can visit all of the places you have listed in 7 months you need to do a serious rethinking of your plans. Alaska is completely out of the question in that time frame and you will only be able to scratch the surface of some of your other destinations in 7 months.

You may want to read the OP again. His journey will start in 7 months (April) and he will be in the RV for the foreseeable future. Plenty of time for his plans.

Bill_Satellite
Explorer II
Explorer II
Do you know the maximum amount of money you are able (or willing) to spend on your setup? That's a really small RV and you are going to feel like you are living in your home closet when it's rainy and cold. Have you thought about what you are going to do to be able to work remotely? Will this require an internet connection, a VPN, large amounts of data? Have you budgeted in the cellular internet connection that will be mandatory?
Any additional details about your plans would be helpful. As an additional thought, if you are thinking you can visit all of the places you have listed in 7 months you need to do a serious rethinking of your plans. Alaska is completely out of the question in that time frame and you will only be able to scratch the surface of some of your other destinations in 7 months.
What I post is my 2 cents and nothing more. Please don't read anything into my post that's not there. If you disagree, that's OK.
Can't we all just get along?

ksg5000
Explorer
Explorer
Your house appreciates in value - your RV depreciates in value. A typical new RV depreciates about 50 percent in less than 10 years. My house appreciates most years.

RV's are nice ..... selling your house to buy an RV is a crappy idea!!!
Kevin

Lwiddis
Explorer II
Explorer II
DON’T! Rent an RV, such as a Class C, for a month. Try out our lifestyle before selling and buying anything.
Winnebago 2101DS TT & 2022 Chevy Silverado 1500 LTZ Z71, WindyNation 300 watt solar-Lossigy 200 AH Lithium battery. Prefer boondocking, USFS, COE, BLM, NPS, TVA, state camps. Bicyclist. 14 yr. Army -11B40 then 11A - (MOS 1542 & 1560) IOBC & IOAC grad

Dutch_12078
Explorer II
Explorer II
Look at lots of RV's and get a feel for what will best fit your needs and budget. Keep in mind that a smaller trailer towed by a pickup has a lot of storage space available if the truck has good cap/topper on it. Large plastic storage bins can make sorting and accessing the items you don't need right at hand at the time easy to find when you do eventually need them. We can go 3-4 weeks without hitting a laundromat for a few hours, so don't let that deter you. We've always been able to find clean, safe facilities when the park we're at didn't have adequate, or any, laundry facilities. Yes, a larger motorhome would be nice, but not for your gas budget. As long as a smaller unit has the features you want and need, it doesn't need to be any bigger. We had a lady friend that fulltimed for over 20 years in a small teardrop trailer towed by a minivan, upgrading only to replace the van or the trailer with new similar models despite being able to afford much larger RV's. She even gave her son and daughter-in-law a brand new Class C as an anniversary present. She finally hung up the keys at 78 due to illness, and passed away a few years later. Bottom line, get what works for your current needs, you can always change it later on as your experiences and needs change your requirements. And if they don't change, you're all set...
Dutch
2001 GBM Landau 34' Class A
F53 chassis, Triton V10, TST TPMS
Bigfoot Automatic Leveling System
2011 Toyota RAV4 4WD/Remco pump
ReadyBrute Elite tow bar/Blue Ox baseplate