A Different Approach to Snowbirding

[HadEnough]

I've been full time RVing for a couple years now and love it.

I've had the opportunity to actually live in such amazing places for months at a time and really experience the cultures and nature. This life is for me.

However, I don't like campgrounds. I don't like social scenes like that, I don't like neighbors and it's just not my style to set up in a little curated area like that.

I have a truck camper and I usually just cram it into wherever makes sense in both rural and urban environments. Yes, I've had it in the Mission District in San Francisco, Williamsburg in Brooklyn, South Beach in Miami, Downtown Chicago, Denver, you name it, I've stayed there for weeks or months with the entire walkable city right outside the door of my truck camper. It's 100% self contained and off grid.

However, some little concerns are bubbling up. I want a bit more space than a truck camper. I picked up a girlfriend and a cat along the way. It's a little tight in here with them. But I still want to be able to get into downtown areas.

This is why people have a TOAD, right? Leave the RV outside the crowded area and drive in to the urban stuff with the TOAD should you so desire?

Do people have pickup trucks for TOADS? Being a full time RVer, it's often been necessary to use a truck for various things. Especially when you are in rural areas. Needing to pick up a 4x8 sheet of something is an example.

I'm thinking of moving up to a larger B Plus, C or Class A RV. However, full timing in one of these without using campgrounds seems like hell on earth. No way all my little parking tricks for the truck camper would work with one of those beasts. Too big to fit anywhere. So, I'd be limited to campgrounds and things like daytime at Walmart, Casinos, Cracker Barrel, etc. Hard to pull into restaurants, quaint areas, etc. But the room would be nice.

The main point of this thread is to ask this...

Has anyone every bought a small piece of land, just to use a maximum of 6 months out of the year as a getaway, set up water and electric on it (I can go to a dump station for black water) and used that piece of land as a seasonal spot for their RV?

What would zoning be like with this? I don't own any real estate so I don't understand how this works. I own boats and RVs.

Could I do this in an area that is less than a 2 hour drive from a Whole Foods in Florida? In Maine? Less than 2 hours from an airport?

Would I have lots of problems or is it considered a vacations property since it has nothing built on it and no permanent residency or dwelling?

I see no mailbox, no permanent RV there, no meaningful development of the land. Just a spot to park with water and electricity. Or even fully off grid if that's easier.

Would this work?

Basically, making my own one RV campground that's in use half the year?

[HadEnough]

RGar974417 wrote:
Just because you have a larger RV doesn't mean you have to stay in campgrounds. There are many places to boondock. Maybe not close to big cities, but sometimes you have to adjust.

Do you have any tips on this subject?

I'm thinking even stopping at a mall for the day to go shopping you'll attract enough attention that you'll have security over there in a flash. And then at night, even worse.

I don't have any first hand experience with this.

[toedtoes]

I would think first if you really want to be tied down to one location with an RV. Buying a lot means that is where you will be - not much different than buying a home.

Since your main desire is to have some more room, why not look at adding a trailer to your current setup. Nothing huge, but one with a shower and kitchen and dinette or couch. That would give you a second bathroom and a place to sit back and relax. The TC would remain your bedroom. With it being small, you can still boondock. For places like San Francisco, Chicago, etc., you could park the trailer outside of town and use just the camper as you do now. When you leave, pick up the trailer and go.

Actually, as I write that, how about a small enclosed utility trailer - that would be less obvious so you could park it in more places. You could furnish the interior according to your specific needs - running out of storage, add cupboards; need room for activities, add a desk/worktable; etc.

[RGar974417]

Just because you have a larger RV doesn't mean you have to stay in campgrounds. There are many places to boondock. Maybe not close to big cities, but sometimes you have to adjust.

[SDcampowneroper]

Pickup as a toad? yes. Consider getting a couple of 80 gal. or larger plastic tanks, one for fresh, one for waste and a macerator pump to carry in the pickup. Then you are your own fill and dump station.
Some of the counties around where I live have a 3 acre minimum, outside city limits but no restriction or zoning on how you use it.
Find an area you like and check with the AHJs there.

[Kevinwa]

I’ve seen truck campers pull Toads. A truck is a good platform for towing.
Also, on a lot a simple burried septic holding tank could work, just have a vac truck empty as needed, maybe once or twice in the six month period.

[HadEnough]

Thanks for all the information so far. I'm deficient in understanding real estate and zoning. And thanks for the introduction to TOADs.

[valhalla360]

Yes, people do get property to park but check zoning laws.

Also, homemade sewer systems can get you in trouble even if there are no zoning laws (health department can still take issue).

Assuming you are in the backwoods, you might never get caught. Closer you are to civilization, the more likely zoning laws and getting caught is.

[wa8yxm]

Do people have Pickup trucks as toweds.. YES

DO people have 4 door sedans as toweds YES
Do people have SUV's as toweds YES
Do people have ____ Fill in vehicle of choice___ and odds are very good the answer is YES

At least one RVer even has a helicopter as a towed.

The only limits on what you can tow:
Weight. For example I can tow, in theory 4,000 pounds or less. Some RV"s up to 10 thousand.
Transmission and other feature of the potential towed.
Not all cars are towable even with modification (My current towed (A Sedan) is modified) Some can be towed 4 down. Some dolly Some full trailer (4 up) some you simply should not tow. PERIOD even on a flat bed tow truck for any long ditances. (Short is ok on a flatbed tow).

[Yosemite_Sam1]

If it becomes too cramp, it's the cat.

Had it been a girlfriend and a dog. Then get rid of the girlfriend.

[HadEnough]

2oldman wrote:
I've seen this in Pahrump NV and Quartzsite. Perhaps their city gov't could help.

What do you do with a cat in a downtown environment?

He’s an indoor/outdoor cat on boats where he can't go anywhere. On RVs he's an indoor cat.

[PartyOf_Five]

I've wondered about this as well- how to get Urban amenities and a home base, without high overhead. I think finding a small house in a small town would be easiest, based on most of your requirements. My friend for example has a smaller house in Lebanon IN -and says he has everything he needs in town, everything he wants in Indianapolis 20 minutes away, and everything he can imagine in (or connecting through) Chicago, 3 hours away. I'm curious what others suggest.

[BarabooBob]

Here in WI, each county & township establishes their own rules. The township that I live in has a rule that any new lots must be at least 40 acres. This is to stop the dividing of farm land into residential lots. This rule was passed over 20 years ago and has stood up to numerous court challenges.
3 years ago, the county that I live in live in passed a rule that if there are no house on a property, you have to go to the courthouse ad pay a $20 per day special use fee. I never heard of this kind of fee before.
Thankfully, the 120 acres tree farm that I own is in another county. We camp on it about 30 days a year and I would be really upset about the "camping tax."
Other counties don't have such rules thankfully.

[Merrykalia]

Look into areas of the country where little to no development exists so you don't have to worry about installing a complete septic system or other things like that. I know in the upper East Tennessee area, eastern Kentucky and Southwestern Virginia, you can find plenty of acres with little to no zoning laws that determine how big or small your house has to be (you can just set up a shed for storage), etc. The best part of that is that it doesn't get humidly hot like it does way down south, nor does it get bone chilling cold like it does up north.

[ScottG]

We have lots of properties here in Wa. like that. Many of them are at or near ocean beaches and some have rules/ordinances that only allow you to park an RV on the space for six months (sometimes a little more) per year.

[2oldman]

I've seen this in Pahrump NV and Quartzsite. Perhaps their city gov't could help.

What do you do with a cat in a downtown environment?