New Member, need your advice!

[BisdakYoda69]

Good day everyone! I just signed onto this site to educate myself and look into options.

I live in Texas but work 6 days in a row here in San Jose California and I fly back to Texas for the remainder of my eight days off. My current rent is $1500/month renting a room and I figure it would be worthwhile to invest that $1500/month on a RV, trailer, camper, or any mobile vehicle I could use as a temporary housing while I work my 6 days here in California.

Thus I am seeking advice and recommendations as to what is available out there. I would need a unit that has a kitchen, bathroom, shower, heating and cooling, fridge, power source, etc.

I currently drive a 2020 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off-Road 4x4 that I do take on overlanding trips and I use a ground tent so I am not new to off the grid lifestyle.

Lets hear it guys! Thanks in advance!

[time2roll]

How about just moving to CA? Yes housing is expensive. So is commuting by air and maintaining a second home.

[Alan_Hepburn]

tommyznr wrote:

Another quick google search shows average rent for outside RV storage in the San Jose area for a 25' RV is $300 per month.

What google doesn't show is that pretty much all storage facilities are at 100% capacity, with a waiting list. We had our RV in a storage facility about 5 miles from our house for the past 30+ years - last year they doubled the rent so we started looking to relocate. The ONLY place we found was about 15 miles away and we grabbed it - within a couple of months he was full, with a waiting list. Even facilities farther away, in Morgan Hill, Gilroy, and Hollister are full.

[NamMedevac_70]

bucky wrote:
I don't see where the OP has been ridiculed. He or she asked a question and got several responses with many good points made. He or she is under no obligation to respond but I'd bet he or she is reading every word of it.

Very well said bucky:)

[bucky]

I don't see where the OP has been ridiculed. He or she asked a question and got several responses with many good points made. He or she is under no obligation to respond but I'd bet he or she is reading every word of it.

[NamMedevac_70]

WOW you have a real challenge for this to work financially for you in the highly overpriced silicone valley or SF bay area. I spend a lot of time over there on fishing trips and stay at military bases in their nice budget quarters.

[liamricci]

As i can see here, still lot's of details should be considered before making the final decision. I decided to purchase a new rv last year and the final call is not done yet. At the moment i am in touch with the fleetwood rv customer service by link , checking last couple of options and hopefully by the end of this years we will have our new vehicle.

[CA_Traveler]

Using an average of 4.3 weeks/month that's 13 days a month for a monthly cost savings.

So while storage could be a option it doesn't seem paractical to me. He could not depend on getting the same CG every time and could easily wind up elsewhere at even higher cost. Plus he would need time to move the RV before and after each flight which could mean additional time for overall travel, etc. Plus there are checkin/out times and that could result in extra days.

I just don't see storage as being practical.

[CA_Traveler]

Tom, Misread your post...

[tommyznr]

valhalla360 wrote:

tommyznr wrote:
Wait a minute. This is not as crazy as these folks are making it out to be.

Expanding on what Wanderingaimlessly said.

A quick google search shows a county park near San Jose for $44 a night including electric and water. If you can plan ahead and get reservations for your stays that is doable. Depending on how you handle travel days that is around $600 per month. There is another RV park that I did not look at for times when reservations are a challenge. It is all in the planning ahead.

Another quick google search shows average rent for outside RV storage in the San Jose area for a 25' RV is $300 per month.

That leaves $600 per month for your loan payment to break even.

Certainly there are many considerations beyond these set costs. Granted I did a quick search, a detailed investigation might reveal other challenges but strictly by the quick numbers I could make it work for me.

Assuming 25 work days per month, that's $1100 plus your $300 storage plus fuel to drag the trailer back and forth....If he can find an apartment for $1500/month, probably cheaper and certainly a lot easier and more comfortable. Of course, this assumes, they always have a site for him. If the park is full one week, he may be SOL.

I am not sure how you get 25 work days a month??? OP says work 6 of every 14 days.

It sounds like the OP knows his schedule well in advance and could make reservations that match his schedule. I am not suggesting that it would be easy, you would have to be on top of it well in advance to make it work and have a backup plan if you fail to secure a spot.

Fuel would be an insignificant adder, OP is not driving hundreds of miles to do this.

My quick analysis is how I would do it. But if I did it, it would be because I enjoy camping enough to not care if I just break even or even spend a touch more than the alternative. OP's mileage may vary on this point.

Besides that, the OP disappeared and I am just spit balling a day dream.

[Grit_dog]

tommyznr wrote:

Hard to know what the OP had in mind as he has not come back to clarify.

Yet, appears to have 2 logins or handles here, or the poster Brdnst is just poaching the OP's thread.

Either way, living in a camper for the hot months in SJ, seems not fun.

Having been on the road, during the week, for many job assignments over the last 25 years, I've never been able to make the "live in a RV during the week" thing appear to be the most economical option. (Considering a decent RV and a place with hookups)

[valhalla360]

tommyznr wrote:
Wait a minute. This is not as crazy as these folks are making it out to be.

Expanding on what Wanderingaimlessly said.

A quick google search shows a county park near San Jose for $44 a night including electric and water. If you can plan ahead and get reservations for your stays that is doable. Depending on how you handle travel days that is around $600 per month. There is another RV park that I did not look at for times when reservations are a challenge. It is all in the planning ahead.

Another quick google search shows average rent for outside RV storage in the San Jose area for a 25' RV is $300 per month.

That leaves $600 per month for your loan payment to break even.

Certainly there are many considerations beyond these set costs. Granted I did a quick search, a detailed investigation might reveal other challenges but strictly by the quick numbers I could make it work for me.

Assuming 25 work days per month, that's $1100 plus your $300 storage plus fuel to drag the trailer back and forth....If he can find an apartment for $1500/month, probably cheaper and certainly a lot easier and more comfortable. Of course, this assumes, they always have a site for him. If the park is full one week, he may be SOL.

[tommyznr]

CA Traveler wrote:
Tom, Perhaps your assuming he'll be driving back to TX (about 1700 miles) after his 6 days at work vs flying as he currently does. I was thinking the RV would remain in the area which is about $1300 per month and not having to find a new site.

Nope, he said he flies back and forth.

Hard to know what the OP had in mind as he has not come back to clarify.

I estimated by the way I would do it in some order depending on logistics. I would fly in, pick up trailer from storage, go to my reserved site, set up, go to work for 6 days, dump waste tanks on the last morning of work, drop off at storage, fly home.

Final plan would depend on how and when I can set up and break camp and get to/from storage. My plan includes being able to store my truck at the job site while I am away or I would have to plan on additional storage for that but I assume he already has some kind of arrangement there.

[CA_Traveler]

Tom, Perhaps your assuming he'll be driving back to TX (about 1700 miles) after his 6 days at work vs flying as he currently does. I was thinking the RV would remain in the area which is about $1300 per month and not having to find a new site.

[way2roll]

tommyznr wrote:
Wait a minute. This is not as crazy as these folks are making it out to be.

Expanding on what Wanderingaimlessly said.

A quick google search shows a county park near San Jose for $44 a night including electric and water. If you can plan ahead and get reservations for your stays that is doable. Depending on how you handle travel days that is around $600 per month. There is another RV park that I did not look at for times when reservations are a challenge. It is all in the planning ahead.

Another quick google search shows average rent for outside RV storage in the San Jose area for a 25' RV is $300 per month.

That leaves $600 per month for your loan payment to break even.

Certainly there are many considerations beyond these set costs. Granted I did a quick search, a detailed investigation might reveal other challenges but strictly by the quick numbers I could make it work for me.

You still have to buy the RV, insure it, maintain it, pay taxes, etc. And either drive from TX (not sure what part) tow it from storage to rv park, or fly in and drive a MH. But that's fuel costs.

I don't think anyone said it was crazy. I think the points made are that it takes a lot of considerations and whether the all-in costs are more than the current $1,500 you can simply walk away from. Let's not even talk about depreciation.