Opinions Sought from Experienced Full-Timers

[RUSSELL5000]

I have been thinking and studying up on what is required to go full-time.

One obvious requirement is truck and trailer. Truck is simple (Ram dually with Cummins/Aisin fits the bill just fine); trailer is more complicated. I know that I want a trailer large enough to carry stuff along for some comfort, but not so large that it will be limited on public lands (state parks, national forests, national parks, wildlife refuges, etc.) – I know I want to spend significant time on public lands.

Seems to me there are three general approaches:

(1) Purchase a new trailer from a high-end manufacturer; an example is Airstream or Mobile Suites by DRV. Included in this category would be the custom manufacturers like Spacecraft. The only drawback I have identified with buying from a high-end manufacturer is the cost – lots of money for a new trailer.

(2) Purchase a used trailer from a high-end manufacturer and do any required repairs and replace items that wear. “Wear items” would be tires, brakes, interior floor coverings, perhaps the roof membrane, etc. I see two drawbacks to this approach: (1) it will take significant time to find a unit that meets my particular wants and needs that has been well taken care of, and (2) it will require an investment of money to repair/replace items as well as an investment of time to repair/replace (as I expect to do some proportion of the work myself). The advantage of this approach seems to me to be significant cost savings.

Question: Do you think it possible to find good quality used units from high-end manufacturers? I see many ads on rvtrader.com – just don’t know whether they are of any substance.

Question: Do you think there will be any problem in finding quality shops to do the required repair work?

Question: Do you think there is enough years of useful life in trailers from high-end manufacturers to make such an approach realistic?

(3) Purchase, either a new or one/two year old used, trailer from a mid-range manufacturer (e.g., Arctic Fox). Do any required enhancements (e.g., upgraded tires) and keep the trailer for four or five years. It looks to me like you may be able to buy two mid-range trailers for the cost of a high-end trailer. I just don’t know how long one may expect either type of trailer to last, so I am not sure whether this approach costs more or less.

I expect that I will properly maintain any trailer. I am starting to think that what I want to do is search diligently until I can find a three year-old to five year-old high-end trailer that has been maintained well and is reasonably close to what I want.

What do you think?

Thanks.

[Blackcell]

DRV, Excel, New Horizon, NuWa, and Carriage (if you can find a 2012 or older Carriage).

Heartland Bighorn & Big Country and Keystone Montana are extremely popular and see more of them on the road than any other so that must say something positive. I will say given you plan to full-time that floor plan is king aside from the overall condition & features. Probably preaching to the choir, but Your preferences, your life style, your quality of life standards, where do you want to go and of course your budget/savings can only be answered by you.

I can't top "n7bsn" comments. Well said. I think you are taking a sound and very logical approach. Keep at it and believe you'll find your dream rig at the end of the rainbow.

Some RVs depreciate far faster than others. The worst you can do is finance or take out a second mortgage on a new rig.

Recommend searching on full-timing blogs (even Youtube) and find those with brands/models and similar life styles that conspire with your goals. Note that some of the used especially the high end brands that were previously full-timed can be heavily customized to the previous owner; especially if outfitted with solar, battery setup, water filtration, AC units, generator, residential fridge, etc., so be extra vigilant during (electrical) inspection time and ask alot of questions.

I've only had 3 minor issues with my current fiver (in sig).

I plan to full-time once retired and if that were tomorrow or next year I'd be seriously considering a new DRV, Excel, or New Horizon, then the Dually or HDT truck, pay cash for both and hopefully and finally live (debt) free. Still working on a exit strategy just in case.

[rkortes]

RUSSELL5000 wrote:
I have been thinking and studying up on what is required to go full-time.

One obvious requirement is truck and trailer. Truck is simple (Ram dually with Cummins/Aisin fits the bill just fine); trailer is more complicated. I know that I want a trailer large enough to carry stuff along for some comfort, but not so large that it will be limited on public lands (state parks, national forests, national parks, wildlife refuges, etc.) – I know I want to spend significant time on public lands.

Seems to me there are three general approaches:

(1) Purchase a new trailer from a high-end manufacturer; an example is Airstream or Mobile Suites by DRV. Included in this category would be the custom manufacturers like Spacecraft. The only drawback I have identified with buying from a high-end manufacturer is the cost – lots of money for a new trailer.

(2) Purchase a used trailer from a high-end manufacturer and do any required repairs and replace items that wear. “Wear items” would be tires, brakes, interior floor coverings, perhaps the roof membrane, etc. I see two drawbacks to this approach: (1) it will take significant time to find a unit that meets my particular wants and needs that has been well taken care of, and (2) it will require an investment of money to repair/replace items as well as an investment of time to repair/replace (as I expect to do some proportion of the work myself). The advantage of this approach seems to me to be significant cost savings.

Question: Do you think it possible to find good quality used units from high-end manufacturers? I see many ads on rvtrader.com – just don’t know whether they are of any substance.

Question: Do you think there will be any problem in finding quality shops to do the required repair work?

Question: Do you think there is enough years of useful life in trailers from high-end manufacturers to make such an approach realistic?

(3) Purchase, either a new or one/two year old used, trailer from a mid-range manufacturer (e.g., Arctic Fox). Do any required enhancements (e.g., upgraded tires) and keep the trailer for four or five years. It looks to me like you may be able to buy two mid-range trailers for the cost of a high-end trailer. I just don’t know how long one may expect either type of trailer to last, so I am not sure whether this approach costs more or less.

I expect that I will properly maintain any trailer. I am starting to think that what I want to do is search diligently until I can find a three year-old to five year-old high-end trailer that has been maintained well and is reasonably close to what I want.

What do you think?

Thanks.

We're not full timers (yet) but have owned a few rigs. RV's tend to depreciate super fast in the early years. One author says:

DEPRECIATION - Starting with MSRP the depreciation is 30% driving it off the lot, another 10% at the end of the first year, and 6% for each year following. We all know that no one pays MSRP for a new coach with typical discounts of 15 to 25% depending on the model. So here’s a typical actual depreciation schedule. Here's the link:

RV Depreciation

I like to buy rigs that are a couple of years old where the original buyer adds all kinds of cool after market stuff and then sells because they 1. Want a bigger better rig. or 2. Found out the RV life is not for them. There are even some distressed sale opportunities out there, but it's not really nice mention capitalizing on other people's misfortune.

[silvercorvette]

2gypsies wrote:

silvercorvette wrote:
I am not a full timer but will be as soon as I sell my house.

If you full time it the class A can be equipped with a real full size refrigerator and a dish washer. There are other reasons to get a class A if you full time it, the A is going to have more storage room and the ability to live off grid in comfort.

If you plan to live off the grid then don't think about a 'real' refrigerator and a dish washer or washer & dryer. You'd need a LOT of solar, batteries and running the generator a lot. In addition, your holding tanks wouldn't be large enough for all the water you're using.

I guess I did not explain myself, I was not talking about weeks at a time. What I was talking about spending weeks at a time off grid. I have not wandered too far from the east coast lately but many years ago I would spend a few days off grid in places where you could spend a weekend without seeing another soul. I do not know if it is still done but back then they worked on the honor system, I filled out my info with name and plate number along with cash and dropped it in a box. At the time I considered what could happen and the possibility of something bad happening and. No one would find my body for weeks. I was glad I traveled with the ability to protect myself. If I am able to sell my house and full time it I would like to venture off the beaten path for a few days at a time. If I had no other options I could live quite comfortably in my 5th wheel. But I have become spoiled and pampered by having a French door fridge with in door ice dispenser, I sure as heck do not need a dishwasher but it would be nice to have. My current fiver has central vac, DirecTV dish, sleep number bed, washer/dryer etc. But if I am going to give up my house I would like to have all the latest cool stuff offered in modern RVs. I have been preparing and doing research and it seems as if the "A"s and super "C"s offer stuff that is not available in other class RVs

[2gypsies1]

silvercorvette wrote:
I am not a full timer but will be as soon as I sell my house.

If you full time it the class A can be equipped with a real full size refrigerator and a dish washer. There are other reasons to get a class A if you full time it, the A is going to have more storage room and the ability to live off grid in comfort.

If you plan to live off the grid then don't think about a 'real' refrigerator and a dish washer or washer & dryer. You'd need a LOT of solar, batteries and running the generator a lot. In addition, your holding tanks wouldn't be large enough for all the water you're using.

[silvercorvette]

pianotuna wrote:
Hi,

Propane is much harder to come by than gas. It also has less energy per pound. It may be needed for doing cooking, space heating, and water heating. When you run out at 2 am it won't be fun for the rest of the night.

I tend to run my rv 100% electrically. When I was part time I rarely needed more watts of solar--but now that I'm full time I could use quadruple the wattage.

For many areas, generators can not be run constantly. For me that mandates having a good size battery bank (circa 1000 amp-hours), or a smaller bank (500 amp-hours) and lots of solar for recharging.

I had a Propane generator in my truck camper and it run thru a small tank in a day trying to keep my small truck camper cool, it was expensive and hard to find. I was real low o propane one time and probably wasted an hour driving to a fill station and when I got there it was closed. Another time I waited more than 1/2 hour to get my tank filled and I eventually gave up and drove away without getting it

[silvercorvette]

I am not a full timer but will be as soon as I sell my house. If you go fill time you probably want something with a lot of room. I would go with a 5th wheel especially if you have a dually to pull it. I have a 2009 Holiday rambler that is 33 feet long and with 4 slide outs it has tons of room. I just upgraded my 2010 Dodge dually crew cad diesel for a 2014 Chevy dually crew cad diesel with 4 WD. The Chevy gets better milage than the dodge and it is more comfortable. The Dodge was OK when loaded but had a harsh ride when it was not loaded.

As much as I love my 5th wheel I am thinking that a class A would be a better choice for full timing it.

If you full time it the class A can be equipped with a real full size refrigerator and a dish washer. There are other reasons to get a class A if you full time it, the A is going to have more storage room and the ability to live off grid in comfort. I bought my trucks new but my 5th was bought used. If you go for a used camper you can save a lot of money.

[tinner12002]

CuriousBill wrote:
Hi Don,

Good advice.

I am going to jump in with a question. What is your thinking in not recommending a propane generator?

Thanks . . . Bill

In my experience with friends that have them, propane runs cleaner but they aren't very economical in such a way that your using your cooking and heating fuel. So when your run out of fuel you can't do any cooking or heating of your RV if necessary. Easier to get gas for gen.

[usnret]

I suggest you read the blogs from Full-timers, you will pick up lots of valuable knowledge. That is what I did along with talking to full-timers when I had the chance. I posted a lot about my full-time preps in my early post as do many full-timers. So check the archives of the bloggers to help you with your prep. No use in reinventing the wheel. Good Luck

[Nolan]

We are coming up on starting our 12th year of full time RVing in the same trailer. Same truck too. See sig. Bought the trailer new, the truck was four years old.

As RVcrazy has said check out http://www.kansasrvcenter.com/ Haven't heard anything bad about this place.

[davidaf]

Besides the obvious word of advice, re due diligence, inspections etc on any unit you will buy, become a good handyman! I couldn't imagine dropping my "house" off at a dealer for 3 months to get piddly things repaired. Being able to self repair is invaluable. You may minimize some issues with a higher end unit but, they have issues too.

[pianotuna]

Hi,

Propane is much harder to come by than gas. It also has less energy per pound. It may be needed for doing cooking, space heating, and water heating. When you run out at 2 am it won't be fun for the rest of the night.

I tend to run my rv 100% electrically. When I was part time I rarely needed more watts of solar--but now that I'm full time I could use quadruple the wattage.

For many areas, generators can not be run constantly. For me that mandates having a good size battery bank (circa 1000 amp-hours), or a smaller bank (500 amp-hours) and lots of solar for recharging.

[CuriousBill]

Hi Don,

Good advice.

I am going to jump in with a question. What is your thinking in not recommending a propane generator?

Thanks . . . Bill

[2gypsies1]

RUSSELL5000 wrote:
I know that I want a trailer large enough to carry stuff along for some comfort, but not so large that it will be limited on public lands (state parks, national forests, national parks, wildlife refuges, etc.) – I know I want to spend significant time on public lands.

We successfully full-timed for 16 years in both a 33' 5th wheel and a 40' motorhome - many times staying in the same public campgrounds. We never found that the 40' kept us out of public parks but you do have to do a little more research. Most often we didn't make reservations either.

We stayed 95% of our time in national parks, state parks, COE, national forest campgrounds, boondocking on national forest and BLM lands, county and city parks. This was also true of our summer spent in Alaska. We really don't like private RV parks. Some of the national parks included Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Glacier, Zion, Bryce, etc.

However, most of our travels were west of the Mississippi although we did do some in the east but we just didn't like the crowds.

Get a RV that will allow you to be comfortable inside. You'll find places to stay regardless of size.

[n7bsn]

SCVJeff wrote:
...
There are deals to be had on quality gear, often in and around retirement areas like Palm Springs. Hubby dies and the partner left decides to cash out. Sad but that's life.. Keep an eye on the papers..

The parents of some friends have a condo down in the Arizona, every spring they start looking for a "widow" unit. They find one that is a great deal and then take it north and use it all summer. About now they sell it at a great deal (that usually makes them a little money) and head back down to Arizona.

Wash, Rinse, Repeat.