KarnaughAtlas
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Screws for securing items to motorhome floor
Hi there, I posted this almost two years ago, and now I'm finally ready to hit the road. I purchased a well-maintained 2001 Newmar Mountain Aire 3763 on the Spartan chassis. I'm picking it up this Saturday and the first thing I need to do is add a desk to serve as my mobile office. I want to buy something like this: And secure it to the floor using metal brackets. My question is - what's under the flooring? Plywood? Can I just use wood screws to secure the desk? Thanks in advance!1.1KViews0likes3CommentsRe: I need a reality check
Kevarino wrote: I've been thinking of internet access and working for a awhile, but have not put this into practice. I think that getting a small virtual server at an ISP (Internet Service Provider)would allow you to have high bandwidth to do heavy lifting. And just remote into it using windows Remote Desktop, or Team Viewer and maybe webex. That way all the hard work will be done by the server and all you need is a slower connection to view what is going on with the server. Also you could have them do backups and have all data protected. I'm not sure if there would be less monthly data use, but it could help with the performance. The ISP I currently use is he.net but there are 100's of them out there. Kevin This is actually a really great idea. I don't think remote desktop uses very much bandwidth at all, and I could stream all of my media to the server. Thank you!457Views0likes0CommentsRe: I need a reality check
ncrowley wrote: You will really want and need a toad. You will not want to unhook the RV and take it every time you need to go shopping or sightseeing or just about anything else. You can get something inexpensive like a used Honda Fit. I am also a programmer and I work remotely and you will be fine with a very large data plan. However, you will need to carefully check to make sure you will have a good cell signal. There are areas where you have a signal but the speed s very slow, or where there is no signal at all. The other thing that happens is you are at a large park and everyone is using their cell phone for internet and the towers are saturated. I have found very few RV parks with good wifi. They advertise that they have wifi but then you try to use it and with the slow speed and drop outs, you cannot get anything done. I do not full time but I spend a decent amount of time on trips in the RV. Interesting, thank you. I am planning to get a small motorcycle and get a hitch carrier for it - I'd really rather plan to avoid having a toad as I think it would limit my mobility. I've backed up short trailers with long wheelbase vehicles before, it is not fun at all. That being said I do see how relying on a motorcycle might be impractical - but I do want to try it and see if it will work for me. Worst case, I can sell the bike and buy a cheap economy car. I'm not really worried about internet speed for work, aside from the occasional skype meeting my bandwidth requirements are quite low for what I do. As I said I would like an unlimited plan just for browsing and personal use - do you know of any providers that still offer one? PawPaw_n_Gram wrote: Netflix, streaming video don't really fit into the mobile RV lifestyle. Yes, many of the better RV parks offer WiFi - and almost everyone will have a warning that streaming video/ movies is not allowed. Look at the logistics and costs. Many RV parks are located where high speed broadband is not available. If the park has one 2 MPS DSL type line, 20 rigs simply cannot watch streaming video. Where the parks have access to 20 meg or higher speeds, they have to pay commercial rates for internet access. And the rates are based on the number of sites in the RV park. The folks who have streaming video in RV parks, usually are monthly (long term) customers, who pay for a separate phone line and DSL service. Thanks for this insight, I hadn't really considered that. I'm definitely a techie so being without electronic entertainment might be rough for me...but it wouldn't be a bad thing at all for me to learn to do without it.346Views0likes0CommentsRe: I need a reality check
PawPaw_n_Gram wrote: I've met several singles and couples who travel in small diesel C / B+ units over the past year. A small DP class A is going to be over 30'. On a rainy cold day, you are going to have to go to the store in your rig because the motorcycle is unsafe. Parking and such are going to be a real pain. Folks with 24' Mercedes sprinter chassis units (some are called Class C, some are called B+) have almost no trouble going around in their rig when it's not motorcycle weather. (Heck my Ram 2500 is 22 feet long - so where I can park the truck, they can park their Class C.) I would suggest you look at those units - Winnebago, Thor, and other manufactures make good units which get fuel mileage the rest of us envy. (Well, Winnebago/Itasca do make a Class A on the sprinter chassis). Your biggest issue is going to be reliable internet. Because the great locations for solitude are often completely outside cell phone coverage. I find an ATT smartphone with tethering capability and a Verizon MiFi give me 40GB of data per month capability - and one works well whenever I have cell service. But I still am without cell/ internet about 1/2 of the time in really great locations away from cities. (If 20-40GB per month is not going to work for your business - you might need to reconsider the whole RV thing.) I had considered getting a Verizon MiFi or something similar for data needs. 40gb should be more than enough for work, though I'd really prefer an unlimited data plan for personal use as well (netflix, streaming video, etc). In your experience do most RV parks not offer WiFi? I'm also happy to stay in more populated areas for the most part in order to keep cell service - I can visit the more out-of-the-way spots on my vacation time. Regarding the RV, my top choice right now is a Tiffin Allegro Breeze, the 28' model. From what I've read it's very nimble and fits in two standard sized parking spaces, which I think would be perfect for my needs. I've visited a couple at RV dealers and I think with some modifications it will be perfect (I plan on removing the dinette and having a custom desk/workstation put in its place). 2oldman wrote: I'll pretend I'm your father: That's great son, but remember, getting old will happen to you. I'm hoping you'll see this as a temporary situation, not for life. There's a lot of life after 60, and you'll need money - lots of it. Most of us on this board are old and/or retired. You do not want to be forced to keep working in your 60s and beyond. Plan ahead. And watch your health. Thank you for the advice - I appreciate it. Actually I have a very healthy retirement plan, my company is employee-owned and we have one of the top ESOPs in the country, on top of a 401k I've been contributing to since I was 17. Health insurance with a network of providers all over the US.201Views0likes0CommentsI need a reality check
Hi full timers, I apologize in advance for the large post! I have dreamed about this lifestyle since I was a kid. Now I'm in a position where I might actually be able to make it a reality in the coming year. Some background: I'm a 27 year old male. I am a software developer and have the ability to work remotely from anywhere. I make enough money to afford the payment on a new RV and campground fees with minimal stress, on top of current bills (cell phone, internet, etc). Why do I want this lifestyle? There are number of reasons. 1) Freedom: I don't want to be tied down, I want the ability to pick up and leave whenever I want. I want to be the master of my own space and my own life. 2) Solitude: I like being alone. In fact I love it. With the exception of a dog, I see this being a completely solo endeavor. In the event that I want to settle down with someone I don't foresee continuing the full time life with them. 3) To see the continent: Obviously I want to experience North America in ways not possible with other lifestyles. My plan: I want to purchase a small diesel class A motorhome. Small because I want to be as agile as possible and have as many options as possible regarding parking lots, camp sites, etc. Diesel because I want the reliability that comes with a diesel engine. I'd like to avoid flat towing a car if possible, so my plan is to buy a small motorcycle and haul it on the trailer hitch. This will get me around town economically when it isn't practical to drive the RV. Obviously this would cause an issue in inclement weather, but I feel confident that I can get around that with some planning (cook at home instead of going out, make sure I have plenty of supplies, etc). I don't want to travel very quickly. I plan on staying a minimum of one week, and probably a month or more at each location. I will need a stable internet connection and electrical power in order to do my job and I don't think I'll get much of that on the road - so I plan to travel short distances between campgrounds on the weekends, maybe boondocking between destinations, and staying put for the work week. I've been doing a lot of reading and trying to learn from the successes and failures of various bloggers and forum posters. I think I have a pretty good idea of what it's really like, but of course you can never know until you try it. So those of you who have been there and done this - where are the holes in my plan? Thanks in advance!11KViews0likes37Comments
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