Using Your RV more like a tent

[Terrenski]

I am new to rving and one of the things that scares me about it is the maintenance with plumbing and electrical items as well as costs involved. Has anyone purchased an rv and tended to use it more like a tent to sleep in and use but not to get involved in all the water systems and power situations? To me this would mean:
- not having a generator
-not having ac
-using the city water tank for fresh water but maybe having a porta potty vs using/maintaining the black water tank
-using just the extra batteries for lights, basics, etc and maybe bringing lanterns instead
I know this might me no fridge or microwave and using the rv for living in and the outside fire for cooking, etc.
-probably a 2-3 day trip vs weeks long
Just wondering if anyone does this and what is it like? To me it would be comfortable and less stressful.
Thanks for your thoughts!
Terrenski

[dcb17b]

We have had a few different campers over the years. A few were pop ups and a hybrid and now a 24'TT with a small slide and we have used them mostly as a bed on wheels. I cook,wash dishes,entertain,and spend most of my time outside. It is nice to have someplace that is dry and comfy to lie this ol'body down at the end of the day. Over the years we have used all the amenities that the campers have to offer but not all of them all the time. Camping is about getting out and relaxing and leaving the stress of the day to day behind you for a little while. Buy what you want,use it as you want and we will be here to help/guide you as needed. The systems seem more complicated than they really are. Get out there and camp and enjoy yourself in what ever manner makes you happy.

[Harvey51]

We moved up to a small motorhome after many years of camping with a very basic tent trailer. Funny how quickly we gave up cooking on the campfire. We really enjoy having the house set up all the time, the fridge and bathroom. It has changed our travel habits to carefree wandering, stopping very often to look, walk, have tea, get a Popsicle out of the fridge, and so on. Very much more relaxing. Curiously, we have never used the hot water tank and have never hooked up to anything at a campground. We embraced boon docking. The batteries and tanks serve our needs very well. The only thing I feel the clock running down on is the fridge and I'm prepared to pay with pleasure for a new one when it's time runs out. Meanwhile, we never run it at home.

I was immediately fascinated with the electrical and plumbing works of the RV. The toilet in particular is amazingly simple, yet compact and perfectly functional despite being extremely easy on water. This is one technology that should spread to homes in dry regions. We bought a used MH in 2008 and have had only one serious problem with the plumbing - a broken elbow in the floor under the kitchen sink, which I was able to replace with a rubber elbow on my own. I think it is very helpful for any RV owner to take an interest in the RV equipment - saves worry, money and time.

[FunnyCamper]

OP, I know you are bouncing your ideas off the board to see who might do the same thing you are thinking of doing.

Key point is BUY what you want, USE it the way you want, SPEND your money the way you want and CAMP how you want 🙂

If you haven't owned a trailer before just be careful before a purchase. Make sure it fits your truck to pull, be sure it is in good condition etc. THEN GO OUT AND DO WHAT YA WANNA DO WITH IT 🙂

[doxiemom11]

I think the major reason is people are afraid to learn how to use their systems AND they do not know how to read a manual and figure anything out. We had neighbors with a tt and we found out they didn't know how to unwinterize it - fill the water tank or that there was even a pump onboard that would need to be turned on. They had never put the awning out --- didn't know how to. We helped them that weekend and now they do know how to use things, are not afraid they will break stuff if they use it and are successful campers with or without hookups. And yes -- we and they do cook outside, enjoy the outdoors and spend many hours around a campfire. We also love crawling into our own bed, having a bathroom right there, having hot water any time and a hot shower whenever we want in a CLEAN shower.

[wa8yxm]

I got a class A to use as a HOUSE. This means that, well when you gotta go you gotta go and if it's raining cats and dogs and cold to boot with high wind, I don't get wet running to the men's room up the hill (It's up the hill just now).

I DO, use the park showers.. (Better pressure, more hot water) most of the time but also use my own on occasion.

The major problem is folks are scared of sewage, Once you get over it, not a problem.. The "Poop Volcano" Robin Williams suffered in the movie simply can not happen in real life.. The idiots who helped him to that point.. Oh they happen.. Thankfully so does Jeff Daniels, who really is an RVer.

[Shadow_Catcher]

We have a large teardrop trailer. Teardrops can be as simple or as elaborate as you wish. Ours is at the far side of elaborate with hot water, a shower(exterior) XM radio TV/DVD, AC when we want it, Espar Diesel heater... But it does largely ensure outdoor living. We know of those who have CTC cargo trailer conversions that they did themselves. Check out the Teardrop & Tiny Travel Trailer forum, lots of great builds and ideas.

[beemerphile1]

Terryallan wrote:

beemerphile1 wrote:
No I've never used any of my RVs as tents. I pay for luxuries/amenities and I use them.

I'm curious if you live the same way at home. Do you have inside plumbing or do you have an outhouse?

Do you have heating and cooling?

Maybe instead of a refrigerator at home you store your food in the spring house and the root cellar?

Do you have electric lights or maybe you're still using whale oil lanterns?

Maybe I'm being silly, but if you think about it you will see the point.

I'm curious. Why do you care how I use my RV....

I don't care. I was responding to the OP whom asked the question.

[Terryallan]

beemerphile1 wrote:
No I've never used any of my RVs as tents. I pay for luxuries/amenities and I use them.

I'm curious if you live the same way at home. Do you have inside plumbing or do you have an outhouse?

Do you have heating and cooling?

Maybe instead of a refrigerator at home you store your food in the spring house and the root cellar?

Do you have electric lights or maybe you're still using whale oil lanterns?

Maybe I'm being silly, but if you think about it you will see the point.

I'm curious. Why do you care how I use my RV.

No I don't live the same way at home. IF I did, I'd stay home. No need to tow a trailer for hours, and then live as I do all the time. What would be the point?

I camp. I cook outside, I sit outside. I go inside my TT to sleep, and that is all. We don't allow the kids in there unless they are going to bed. When dry camping. We use the CG facilities. I sit a Aquataner on the picnic table to be used for cooking, and cleaning. I heat water on the fire for sink baths. I use lanterns for light. I do use the fridge, as long as the battery holds out, then we use coolers.

However. When we have hookups. We use all the accessories. Except the inside stove. I still cook outside. Again, Camping. And for many reasons ,I don't want the smell of cooked food in the TT. One is, Bears like it too much. The other. I just don't want it in there.

If I was just going to sit in the RV. I'd just stay home, and save the money.

We only bought the TT because it got to the point that it rained every time I started toward the pup with the crank in my hand. The TT is already up and dry. Just got tired of setting up, and tearing down in the rain. That it had a bathroom. Was just a bonus. More storage space :B

[JiminDenver]

The first time we took the TT out boondocking we intended to use it as a hard sided tent. That didn't last long when it dropped into the 20s and I turned on the furnace. A day later Honey decided that a sponge bath wasn't enough and took a shower and by the end of that trip the concept of a hard sided tent was long gone. Now we expect all the comforts of home.

There are many vintage rigs that are basic. We had a 62 Cree that had a stove, a sink, ( no tanks) two lights and a ice box. We used it like a hard sided tent for 5 years.

Pop ups are another easy and simple choice and older ones can be had for a song. I almost picked one up for $500 as a guest quarters for the in laws.

The right tent can be quite comfortable. We keep out 10x20 tent and when set up, it is nearly as comfy as the trailer with a king bed, indoor potty, kitchen, seating and storage.

[RoyB]

We are tent campers from the 60s and still love to do tent camping when ever we can. Even in our tent camping days we kept adding the more modern conveniences as they came around.

There is only the two of us and a small dog..

Today we are mostly in our OFF-ROAD POPUP setup which has all the modern appliances and serves us well. The only thing we lose out on compared to the bigger hard walled trailer is move around space inside. This make us live more on the outside which is what we like to do anyway...

This is our typical camping setup off the back trails. For us it doesn't get any better than this... With good power management planning, more battery capacity, and good re-charging techniques using smart mode charging we can stay out days on end...


Our truck pickup bed and the OFF-ROAD Trailer front deck provides all the necessary room for camping supplies


It all depends what you can afford and what you want to do when camping...

We watch HDTV just like the big 40-foot plus $200K rigs do... Usually sitting right next to them haha... We both are enjoying our trips sitting around the campfire swapping war stories with friends...

Roy Ken

[beemerphile1]

No I've never used any of my RVs as tents. I pay for luxuries/amenities and I use them.

I'm curious if you live the same way at home. Do you have inside plumbing or do you have an outhouse?

Do you have heating and cooling?

Maybe instead of a refrigerator at home you store your food in the spring house and the root cellar?

Do you have electric lights or maybe you're still using whale oil lanterns?

Maybe I'm being silly, but if you think about it you will see the point.

[Shearwater]

For what you want there are a lot of options.

1. A small Aline or Casita trailer would be great.
2. A minimally equipped class B would also work very well - see www.sportsmobile.com
3. A minivan decked out with a bed and whatever else you might want.
4. A low end pop up truck camper would also work very well.

[opnspaces]

I've used my RV's like a tent many times. Just bring your camping gear, load up the RV and go camping. After you've gone a few times you can start to experiment with all the added doodads like heater, refrigerator, stove, water heater, toilet, and air conditioning.

If anything doesn't work, or breaks during the trip, you still have a roof over your head and a comfy bed. Just put on a jacket, look out the window of your camper with a broken furnace, and feel sorry for the poor guy in a tent a few sites over. Then lay down in your warm DRY bed and do to sleep listening to the rain pattering on the roof.

[clikrf8]

You could buy one of the pop up slide in truck campers like Four Wheel Camper or All Terrain Campers. They can be ordered as shells and you can customize them as you see fit. They are light enough for a small truck if you don't opt for too much equipment and don't overstock. You can have them add as little or as much as you want: compressor fridge or buy your own portable one or stick with the stock ice box; use your own camp stove or have a stove top; there is just a water tank, no grey or black water tanks on smaller ones. You can check out more info on their respective websites.