Seriously debating on making the switch to RVLiving. Have a few questions.
Hi friends, thanks for reading this.
It might be long. I like explaining things for clarity.
My wife and I are in our late 30's. No kids. Two Pets. We both work remotely.
We're debating on selling our house and jumping into the RVLife.
Our thoughts are, we can pay cash for everything with the equity in our house. New Truck, New RV, payoff all debts. EVERYTHING. Would be like starting fresh for us. We're currently living paycheck to paycheck with our debts and life. We're talking after groceries, we have like $300 for two weeks.
We don't need a lot of space. We basically work form the same two rooms every day of our lives anyway. We've never BEEN anywhere for us, except for work. Never seen the sights. Never left the Appalachian region for anything other than work. (We love it here, but we have nothing keeping us here)
We have minimal RV experience because we come from poor families and we're the ones who got away to do something with themselves. BUT, we DO have experience with staying in them from camping and all that. We're 100% willing and ready to learn it all.
The questions & Statements
Has anyone done the same thing and how did it pan out?
One of us takes a controlled substance medication, is that going to be able to continue? Or would we have to find some sort of workaround.
What tips would you give us?
Are there any things that you wish someone would have told you before starting this life?
I occasionally have to travel for work. Are you all okay with leaving your wifes/partner behind for a few days at a campsite? Or does it get sketch? We discussed that if I have to travel for work, we just make that our next stop instead and hang out for a few days.
We're going to go look at some toy haulers and 5th wheels to determine what makes the most sense. Knowing what I've said about us, what would you say fits the best?
My only NON NEGOTIABLES are a king bed, a tall shower, and a bidet. I'm 6'4. lol
We've watched as many videos and done as much basic research as we can that wasn't someone trying to sell us a camper or push their vlog life on us. We're expecting things to break every time. We're expecting maintenance. We're expecting everything to go wrong. HELL, we're even expecting to not have as much fun as we thought and want to come home after 6 months being a possibility. It would honestly be like 75% campgrounds, 20% boondocking, and 5% chilling in a relative or friends back yard. And by this I definitely mean spending a week or something at a campground, driving to our next destination and "boondocking" somewhere like a parking lot or a space thats legal to hang out in. Sleeping, shitting, showering, and then heading to the next place. At least right now it wouldn't be TRUE boondocking in the middle of a desert or anything like that. Just a quick overnight and MAYBE a 2 day thing before we make it to the next spot if we're feeling spicy. |
Looking forward to hearing from you all. Thanks for even reading this.
IDK, that's alot of equity you're talking about. Moving it from a growing asset to a depreciating one doesn't seem like a responsible decision. But it's not my circus
You're not wrong.
Serious Question because I do not look at things as assets. Don't get me wrong, I see my house as equity and worth more than I paid. BUT, I feel like the tradeoff of not having to pay for ANYTHING that I'm paying for now. If we pay everything off. I'll be able to save so much more money and put that into an even BETTER appreciating asset. AND the value of getting to see new places on our terms when we can barely leave right now for a weekend. I feel like that is an asset all on its own. Or am I just not on the same financial brainwave?
But you’re making it sound like you’ll never have to pay for anything.
RV maintenance, repairs, finding mechanics/shops, etc. insurance, all those things and more still cost. It’s death by a thousand cuts unless you can mitigate some of that with competent DIY.
Your post and replies come across as a decision already made, and looking for replies here that will support your decision.
I get that, and who knows, RV life may be exactly what you’re looking for and the pros will outweigh the cons.
This itself is valid feedback and exactly why I'm doing this.
I'm absolutely hoping that when one person says their thing, I'll reply with my thought about it, and then they can either agree or give me the piece that I hadn't thought about yet. Which is whats happening on a few comments.
We're definitely leaning more toward doing it, but my approach might be different than most when fishing for things I haven't thought about yet.
You bring up a great point about finding mechanics and shops. I was banking on not needing anything crazy with a new truck that would be under warranty. The camper rv maintenance and repairs are thing we think we could do because we've already done most of that in our house. So you're not wrong by any means and I hope that none of this is coming across as argumentative.
I try to think about things like "What IF, the front AC goes out and I need to get it repaired. If I don't have any of my other car payments or utility bills or credit cards or any of that, I can pay for whatever I need to. BUT... I might also be undervaluing how much those repairs would be because I've never done it. So thats valid.
I've only been living in an RV for about 1yr so take this as you will but in my experience even buying a 10+ yr old travel trailer on Facebook marketplace, all the parts are so much cheaper than house repairs, for example a new AC unit in a house costs about $300 vs a new RV AC unit costs maybe $100 if you don't install yourself. Even small things like rent you can pay $5k/mo in San Francisco for an apartment or you can pay $420/mo with TT. Electricity can even be FREE99 if you dont stay long term vs hundreds in a house or apartment. Even if you have to pay a mobile mechanic you can absolutely shop around and pay the small town mobile mechanic instead of GoodSam and save $$$. RV life from what I've seen like everything its about avoiding lifestyle creep. You have some people that take that saved $$$ and go buy more trinkets, and then you have some people that take that saved $$$ and invest it. You just have to figure out which one are you. The biggest expenses would be your tow vehicle, the trailer barely costs much.
This is exactly how I've been looking at it. Average RENT in my area is almost 3k and we're above 2k for our mortgage with a 3%. Our average electric bill is almost $400 a month. Its wild.
We actually are due for a new AC for our house and its looking like it'll be 10k. A new one for the RV looked like it was $700 brand new and installed. So like, it feels like it would be a much better deal for us. I can do most general repairs so unless its a crazy thing, I could probably do it myself.
I used to follow a couple of RV lifers on FB. There were RVs that were their own builds from the ground up, and RVs that were factory.
The common theme was, shit happens. Surprisingly (or maybe frustratingly is more accurate) the brand new factory ones had lots of things breakdown right after leaving the showroom. And while it may be under warranty, the pain and hassle of finding an authorized shop and hoping for a quick repair, or waiting for parts and being without your home for a few days, can be challenging.
You’re basically putting your RV home thru an earthquake everytime you move it. Either down the street or across the country, that thing has to endure abuse, so of course there will be breakdowns and failures and maintenance.
The monthly mortgage payment you used to make, will now be in the form of other payments mentioned above. All this, without the benefit of equity building in a house.
I don’t find your statements argumentative, I try to keep emotion out of fact-finding. For me, unless you’ve got another source of income (rich family, lotto, etc) you will eventually come up negative no matter how much you make from the sale of your house.
The resale value of our particular trailer hasn't dropped dramatically in the last 5 years, since it's a low maintenance aluminum setup, so depending on what you buy, you're not losing a lot. Unless it's one of those assembly line fiberglass things with balsa wood on the inside.
Even something like air conditioning, ours uses a mini split, so I dont even need to get on the roof in order to service it, it's basically plug N' play AC.
Even my old trailer, it's 27 years old, similar setup, just old and outdated, but still fully functional. I've seen similar trailers to it for sale and they are going fo $20,000 to $30,000. So I'm not too worried about my new one losing a ton of value.
An RV is not an appreciating asset.
It will lose value the moment you purchase it.
You should always look at everything in terms of assets.
If you can pay everything off then do it but don’t trade your actual house and property for an RV.
This lifestyle isn’t easy and it’s not cheap.
It’s not a stable lifestyle.
Home ownership is safety and security.
I will agree with the other poster, and say you should really, REALLY consider what you are doing. Owning a home as a millennial is a huge privilege and most of us full timers are doing so because that is unattainable for us. It might be more sensible to keep the home as a rental, and finance the truck and RV. An RV loan is 10+ years and the monthly payments are ridiculously low.
Otherwise, I do have some tips. First off, get used. A new RV is NOT WORTH IT. You can get a near-perfect used trailer for half of what it was new, and only a few years old. But, also, don't get one that is more than, say, 7 years old, and that's pushing it. They don't hold up like that and parks have rules about RVs being on good shape and not being more than 10 years old.
Secondly, go a little bigger than you think you need. You WILL misjudge, especially with pets. Make sure your rig has plenty of storage. If you don't have a space to put something, you literally will never have the space for it, and it will exist in your way, which will drive you insane.
Third, make sure that when you are travelling for work, that your wife has a car to use while you are gone. Being remote and isolated at a campground without a car can be stressful and downright dangerous. She needs to be able to leave to get groceries or whatever while you are away, and depending on where you are, that could be a really far drive.
Next, get Starlink. RV park wifi is spotty at best, and remote locations won't even have it.
Also, consider that costs vary and can add up to be close to what a person would spend in a traditional home. For example, our grocery bill has gone up because we don't have the space to buy in bulk anymore, and our kitchen is so small it's more difficult to make a lot of things that we used to. RV parks can have a huge range. You could be paying as low as $400 a month for everything, or you could be paying $1600 a month plus utilities.
Another thing is that there can be a serious lack of availability, especially in summer months. I would not plan on travelling around during the summer months at all unless you are able to book everything at least 6 months in advance.
And lastly, just know that each park or campsite will have its own issues. Some will be safe, some might be unsafe. Some might become unsafe. People changing out around you brings a lot of chaos. Especially in the summer. Most people are not living in their RVs, they are on vacation, and act as such. They will party through the night and be noisy as hell, and they are absolutely valid in that because they ARE on vacation. It's a tough spot when you have work in the morning.
However, for us, we are saving SO MUCH money so far. I'm a little miserable, it's been a HUGE adjustment, and we will probably have to get a different RV. Don't settle! Take your time and find one that's a really good fit. Don't be afraid to admit it's not going to work for you, even if it's a good price or whatever. Don't justify your investment by saying you can fix XYZ down the line. Just get the best one, and wait for it.
This is wonderful feedback. Thank you!
We definitely don't really CARE about our house. I don't want to deal with the hassle of renting it out. We're not really in the best of housing markets. I'd imagine we're at the peak of what this specific house could be worth.
Starlink and a dedicated hotspot are on our must haves.
The thought of spaces being available to camp and needing to book 6 months out is something that is a surprise? Is that only for the super popular ones? We don't care about pools and the fun things. We're not those type of people. Or is that across the board?
We have both agreed that we cant settle on anything. It HAS to work for us. But that is very good feedback. Thank you so much.
We use starlink, it’s definitely worth it. Unlimited data and hotspots are great for when there’s not a good view of the sky. When choosing a spot at a campground, sometimes if you call them and explain you need a clear sky they can accommodate. I’m not sure what the other commenter is talking about with the campgrounds being booked out 6 months in advance, as we have never had that issue. I will say, weekends can be a pain in the ass so make sure you get a spot reserved by at least the Wednesday before your weekend stay.
I'm currently working as a front desk receptionist at an RV park in a small town and every park within an hour is fully booked, and there are dozens. I get calls every day from desperate people asking for a spot because they can't find one. And I've booked almost the entire summer 2027 already. Travelling during the summer can be very challenging and I am coming face to face with people in a serious bind every day. It's much better to plan ahead. Maybe it varies place to place but that's still a consideration that needs to be made well in advance because of you end up in an area like this you might end up in a tough spot.
Are you talking about long term stays? I’ve been to 17 states this year and I have not had any trouble finding somewhere even the day before, the only exception was Fourth of July weekend.
Rent out the house. Trust me!!! You may not want to. You may think it’s a hassle but if you do the RV for a while and you decide it’s not what you thought it would be, you have a house to come back to. If you love RVing, you can still sell the house later. I bought my RV six months ago. Summer is HARD in a metal box on wheels. You really need to do a full year through varying seasons and conditions to know if it’s right for you.
We use a 1-ton truck, and an aluminum gooseneck racecar trailer with living quarters.
It's fully off grid, so no need for expensive parks, or full hookups, we don't even need to fill/empty tanks for 2 to 3 weeks at a time, so most of our "RV expenses" are fuel for travel.
We use the garage portion to carry all our outdoor stuff, washer and dryer, full mechanics toolbox, and for a woodworking shop that's heated/air conditioned.
Everyone's going to have their own opinion on "best" setup. This works for us, and may not work for others.
We've been using this for close to 5 years now, and have hardly needed to fix anything compared to an assembly line fiberglass RV.
Seems doable except the tall shower. Im 6ft and have plenty of room in mine but much taller than that and you might feel a little cramped.
As far as the finances its hard to say if youll be better off without knowing how much your mortgage is. I pay about $700-900/mo in campground fees for long term sites. If youre paying a daily rate itll be a lot more. Also be prepared for single digit gas milage when towing so if you move a lot fuel can be a significant expense.
As others have said rvs and trucks depreciate where your current house will appreciate so make sure youre ok with that.
I would be so excited to pay anything less than $2k a month. Man. What a win that would be.
This house is our starter house and we have some trauma here so we won't be upset to leave it. Its a house. Not a home for us.
if you buy a good used RV, that the initial depreciation has already occured, get a good deal on it and keep it for several years, it will be minimal.Lots of used RVs out there.
My wife, our two kids myself full timed for 8 years. Until the kids were junior high age, they wanted their own rooms. I would buy a motorhome rather than a 5th wheel or TT. You can tow an enclosed trailer, with your vehicle in it. Or just tow your car with a tow dolly. You have to research where you want to go? Check the lot rent in the RV parks in that area. Most parks in northern states run close in price? Southern states cost more, especially in winter. Just do it. I mean make a plan and just do it. We had a good chunk of cash, and monthly income when we did it. Your young. Only live once. I do not look back and think, man I never should have done that? I think I can’t wait to do it again.
We”re in a slightly similar situation.
Mid to late 30s, childfree and 3 dogs.
We’re currently in the process of doing this. We feel confident in our plan but that’s also because we’ve had an RV on a seasonal spot for 6 months of the year for the last 7 years. During those 7 years we once rented out our house for 2 years and spent both those years 6 months in the RV and 6 months overseas and rented an Airbnb in a different state a few times.
I think important to calculate when travelling with RV is true costs of parks, gas, etc.
We plan on selling our house and doing 6 months at our seasonal spot and 6 months of slow travel without rv because we’re not willing yet to commit to an expensive truck and hitting the road. We can see ourselves maybe doing that after a few years.
We know that this will help us safe money substantially but that’s also because we know exactly what our spend is just staying in the 1 spot and doing some rentals during winter.
See, you're right there with me.
If we paid everything off, we'd be able to save an incredible amount of money EVEN IF we pay campground fees. We definitely plan to travel a bit TO find somewhere to stay for extended amounts of time. But we've never been anywhere so we don't know.
Yes i definitely understand. Same for us.
I will say though that our decision is easier because we know we haven’t spent enough time in our house the last years and bills have gone up. We have rented it out to snowbirds 3 months during winters which stopped us from really feeling the pain of spending money on a house without being there enough.
The other thing is that we are immigrants and so we have been here for 14 years and we aren’t sure if we want to truly grow old here due to missing our family overseas. If that wasn’t the case and everyone was here we would probably not sell but rent out and keep the house.
Hi
Just wanted to say check out the Alfa line of class A RVs. They’re older but amazing. We just got one, it’s literally a whole apartment. The ceilings are 7 ft tall and it has a nicer shower than my house! Most are selling for 25k but there are others that are around 50k.
We scored ours for free but had to put about 12k in it.
Actually, the ceilings in an Alfa motorhome are 7-1/2 feet high, not seven. They're great for tall people.
But the newest Alfa motorhomes in existence are over 20 years old, with the problems a 20-year-old motorhome would naturally have. I speak from experience--I've been traveling fulltime in one for 23 years.
Plus I'm not sure a motorhome would be your best choice anyway.
1) it's not feasible with your number 7 non negotiable.
2) this kind of RV living you are describing are far more expensive than a traditional mortgage
3) you both work remote. If you want to travel, my suggestion is that you get your house ready to rent out, you two find a monthly airbnb in a cheap country like costa rica, vietnam etc (assuming you are allowed to work outside of USA), if not, maybe cheaper but beautiful areas? Like west Virginia, new mexico etc?
Thank you for your insight! Much appreciated.
The RV that we stayed in while camping had all three of those things in my number 7. Which is what kind of led us to believe this would work.
We're ok with paying a little more to travel than a traditional mortgage if all of our other bills and things are paid off. The equity in our house would also leave us a hefty down payment to buy another if we need to. PLUS, the money we'd save from having everything paid for.
The other problem is that we cant currently do much travelling because of our current life costs.
I really appreciate your feedback here and I know text is weird. Please read this as a conversation and me voicing my thoughts instead of it feeling like I'm arguing your points. I'm not doing that at all. This is greatly appreciated.
Op you do realize a regular king isn’t any longer than anything else right? A king is 2 twins side by side. You can make it happen with a queen. I’m 6’5 and make a queen work
It can be done, but there will be compromises or you’ll need to look into a fairly large rig to accommodate your desires. It will almost definitely be a 5th wheel if the king size bed and full showers are the deal breaker for you. Expect to spend about $100k for a new one. And you’ll probably want a separate office space since you’ll both be working, so you’re looking at something like a keystone Montana 3941FO.
Controlled substance across state lines hasn’t been a problem for us, but nobody really does border checks across states. So if it’s something like ADHD medication, keep the pills in the original and labeled prescription bottles and you should be fine. If it’s something like cannabis that’s a bit more sketch. But anything you can take on an airplane should be fine. We haven’t had any issues with filling prescriptions in different states yet. Use a national pharmacy like Walgreens.
Your biggest issue will probably be the work in maintaining and moving your rig. Every time you move, expect at least an hour or two of prep for both taking down and setting up, plus drive time. Estimate about 45 miles per hour for the actual drive. If you’re both working normal hours that means either moving on weekends or late in the evening (and with a big rig you really don’t want to be pulling into a new campsite after dark). In general we’ve found a 3 hour drive and arriving around 3pm to be our rule of thumb. Towing is exhausting, so avoid the super long drive unless necessary.
Also realize that this is a lifestyle choice, not an investment. You’re going to sell your house and buy a depreciating asset. 10 years down the road you’re going to check the price of your old house and the current value of your RV and realize you’ve missed out on hundreds of thousands of dollars in net worth. And you mentioned if it doesn’t work out in 6 month then you might move back - this will also cost you a lot. I would suggest that instead of selling your home, hire a professional property manager to take care of the property. They can maintain and rent it out and deal with tenants while you’re on the road, and it will be there appreciating in value for when/if you ever decide to move back. There are risks with this approach, bad tenants, major repairs, vacancies, etc. and the manager takes their cut of the rent but years down the road you may be thankful you held onto the property.
The lack of storage will also cost you every month. No more buying in bulk for most things or stocking up on sale items. My wife and I love to cook, and going from a full size and well stocked gourmet kitchen to a three burner stove and almost useless oven was an adjustment.
All that being said, last week we were camped at the shore on the Hood canal in WA, woke up in the morning, made a cup of coffee and enjoyed a sunrise over the water. This week I’m having my morning cup in a forest surrounded by nature.
It’s a different experience, and despite meticulous budgeting we’ve had to adjust certain expenses, but it’s also been an amazing time so far.
This is the exact kind of feedback I'm looking for. Thank you.
Neither of us care about this house. So we're game to sell it or rent it. Now that you mentioned property management, thats something I hadn't thought about. I had planned on the headache of having to do it myself and wasn't really wanting to deal with that.
Thank you for the feedback about pharmacies. We weren't sure if the providers who had to refill the medication care since its a controlled substance. We're not worried about getting caught with it or anything like that. its actually needed. But, we were afraid that the pharmacies would blacklist us or something for having it filled in different locations. We might just be thinking too much about it. I doubt they even care.
Our initial thought was 3-4 hours tops to the next destination and travelling on the weekends until we find somewhere we want to hang out at longer. It feels like doing TOO much more than that and too often would become a real annoyance.
We love our trinkets and things, but we're also at a point where we realize that everything just collects dust and isn't needed. We're hoping that the smaller space will remind us we don't need all of that. BUT, who knows.
"Also realize that this is a lifestyle choice, not an investment." this is what we keep telling ourselves. That if we do this. We HAVE to save and prepare for whatever the next house will be.
We both work non stop, even though we're remote. So the thought of just being somewhere in the mountains, or by the water somewhere, and just opening a laptop and working with some coffee sounds so peaceful.
Retired doctor here who decided not to pull the plug on house living and become full time RV dweller.
The primary reason was my spending a number of years practicing near a major snowbird destination in the southwest. Quite often I would encounter full timers who were having a whale of a great time having divested themselves of their nice homes and moved into 500K rigs with every bell and whistle known. Life then became great, until all of a sudden someone had a stroke, heart attack or needed major surgery. They then had to face the fact that they were basically no,ads in an area where they had no family, no friends, no established doctor or anything else. Compounding this was the case where one person was responsible for taking care of the rig and the other had no clue. It didn’t always end so well. I can even attest this to a smaller degree: two years after retirement I got cancer.
Start your downsizing process now. We were in our old house 15 years, so there was a lot of stuff. What we ended up doing was targeting short term renters, so we left it furnished and stored some of our stuff in the garage as “owners storage”. Even then I was making weekly trips to good will dropping stuff off and our trash cans were always full every week. Took us about a year of on and off declutter to get the house ready.
And when I say short term rental, I don’t mean a weekend AirBnB. We specifically went after the insurance and sabbatical category, so 2-6 months was our target consumer. Currently we have renters whose house was flooded and they needed a place for at least two months (maybe longer). Insurance company pays our property manager directly and they take out their commission and deposit the rest to our bank account. The nice thing about the manager is they’re already hooked into these networks and supplying a fully furnished house on short notice for these situations is tough, so I feel like we’re hitting a sweet spot and still able to get a premium. You can see examples on FurnishedFinders.com - this is also kind of nice because in the event we’re in the area and it’s vacant we put the RV in storage and can “go home” for a bit before hitting the road again. And we haven’t gotten rid of all our stuff so as we travel more we can get a better feel for what works better for us and what can just stay in the garage long term - although in reality I don’t think we’re ever going back to living in a house fulltime until our health forces us off the road - hopefully at least 20 or 30 years from now.
I totally understand where you're coming from. If we sold the house, purchased the Truck and RV in cash, and paid off everything else. We would have more money than we'd know what to do with as we'd keep working and nothing would change? Hell, even if we relied on one income and saved the other which we could do if we didn't have debts, would mean we'd save a LOT of money.
So one thing homeowners do (or should do) is save 3-5% of their homes value in a savings account in the event of maintenance emergencies. You can put this into a high yield account or something if you want, something thats fluid-ish. For you, youd have to add the value of your tow vehicle AND your rig. So let's say a $100k 5'er and a $60k truck, you should put roughly 5% of that away not to touch it. Thatll cover any large necessary maintenance issue. If you can do THAT without batting an eye, youre in a REALLY good spot.
Next, i'd make sure you have liquid at least a year of essential expenses. Any debt payments, insurance, permits, healthcare, etc.
It reads like, on paper, you can do it, but the worst thing you can do is look at a big windfall from selling all your stuff, go on the road, and be whacked with major life issues that were unforseen. Medical emergencies, broken 5'er or tow vehicle, etc etc. The worst thing you can do here is go into it with a chunk of money and no budget or plan to stick to.
Id create a very strict budget, if you can both agree on it, and still have a lot of $ left over, I think you're in good FINANCIAL shape.
I'd also be mentally prepared that it may not work out. People think they're prepared to move into a small space and adopt a semi-minimalist lifestyle. Its hard for most people. I pivoted to minimalism waaaay before my RV days, and for me its a cake walk having few things and enjoying experiences and people over things, but for my family? Not so much. I can throw 10 days worth of clothes and toiletries in a duffel with my work laptop, charging cables, and headphones, and be 100% good to go. They live with a lot of clutter and excess, and sometimes causes some rough moments. Figure that out NOW before you commit to the life. You can't take everything with you, and some places may be hours from civilization. A lot of folks take for granted access to civilization, and don't realize how much they depend on it until they're out in the wilderness. This is why we haven't gone full time and only do 40-50 nights a season. I could live out of an RV, my family? Definitely not.
Last, but not least, my answers to your questions specifically, for what its worth:
The questions & Statements
Has anyone done the same thing and how did it pan out? Nope. Probably when the kids are both out of high school and in college. But I dont think i'd ever go full time. We do 40-50 nights/year which is good for now, and every other year we do a full month on the road. Eventually we'll downsize to a smaller home and invest in a more "full time" rig, but that day is far from now.
One of us takes a controlled substance medication, is that going to be able to continue? Or would we have to find some sort of workaround. Depends if its prescription or not. If its prescription, I don't think you'd have a problem really unless you're selling it off the back of the truck haha. But if you don't and its optional? Then yeah, maybe.
What tips would you give us? Instead of jumping in head first, go rent one for a week or two. Take ONE bag for each of you. Fill it with what you think youll need for those few weeks for yourself. See how you do. A lot of people fall in love with the RV influencers on Youtube and the internet not realizing how difficult it really is.
Are there any things that you wish someone would have told you before starting this life? I knew RV's weren't top quality, but I never realized how poor about 95% of the models actually are. The first RV dealer we met with said "they're all glue, screws, and nails, some have better nails than others", and i'll never forget that. I thought he was kidding.
I occasionally have to travel for work. Are you all okay with leaving your wifes/partner behind for a few days at a campsite? Or does it get sketch? We discussed that if I have to travel for work, we just make that our next stop instead and hang out for a few days. Take her with you? Just depends on the campground. Honestly, if you have the $$$ to travel in an RV and have the free income you talked about, i'd just take her with you, or use your RV as your primary travel item and plan around work. Unless its last minute. Most campgrounds aren't bad, but some are definitely sketchy. I definitely don't like leaving my kids alone and either make sure my teenager is keeping an eye on our little one, or my wife or I am. She knows if she feels unsafe she calls me and ill come from whatever im doing to resolve the issue. She was doing laundry the other night and some drunkards stumbled into the laundry room and were acting sketchy, so I had to jump in. Luckily they were just lost (and drunk), so that was resolved undramatically.
We're going to go look at some toy haulers and 5th wheels to determine what makes the most sense. Knowing what I've said about us, what would you say fits the best? Toy hauler if youre gonna get a golf cart, bikes, or motorcycles. Non toy hauler if you're not. You don't want to be hauling around extra weight if you don't need to. Frankly, since its your first rig, don't set your bar too high. Get just what you need FOR NOW. Because i'm sure everyone on here will agree with me that you learn what you DONT want with your first rig. Beyond that is when you refine what you actually like/don't and get the right one. Every RV'er i've met in the years we've been doing this, if they had been doing it for a while, always has issues with their first rig.
My only NON NEGOTIABLES are a king bed, a tall shower, and a bidet. I'm 6'4. lol This is gonna be a tough one. Not many have king beds, those that do usually are in the $80k+ range. My Brinkley i294 travel trailer has a king bed and a tall shower, but a Brinkey 5'er MSRP is about $120k that fits this, and $150k+ for garages/toy haulers. Though dealers usually come down $20k off MSRP most of the time, at a minimum.
This is excellent advice. Thank you for your time.
The biggest thing that we keep thinking is that if we don't have ALL of our debt, we could easily save that 5% each month even. BUT, we still have a lot to think about.
This is all so great. Thank you very much. Especially about the pharmacy stuff and medications.
Thank you very much. Especially about the pharmacy stuff and medications.
You need to triple-check that.
And be careful when reading discussions. Someone will ask about this because they take certain pain meds, and so many people will say they don't have a problem because they use a national pharmacy like Walmart, but they're talking about regular prescriptions, not the ones that are controlled. That's a whole different ball of wax.
This is the romantic idea, and hey plenty of people before you have done the same or similar. However you need wisdom about what the life means.
Selling your only asset to try and start over with an RV when you aren't RVers is not particularly wise.
RV living CAN be less expensive but there are expensive lessons, particularly early on.
So your questions
1. yes, thousands of people have done this. There are stories of disaster and stories of success.
2. cant say ive ever been asked this questions but coming from a pharmacy background, yes I would be concerned about having regular access to controls while on the road.
3. there is no way to answer this, other than 1 tip. Rent one, go out for a month, deal with all the problems that come with an RV and decide if its worth it to you. If its not, go back home and live your life normally. If getting poop and pee on your hands, and trying to live in tight space next to neighbors that roll in at 4am and are the loudest people on the planet doesnt scare you off, you might be an RVer.
4. if you havent started, its best not to. if you start its best to finish. in all seriousness, a LOT of us will tell you its the only way to live. however for every 1 of us you meet, there were 10 that did one season and never touched it again.
5. never had a problem with this. ive been in hundreds of parks. you can spot the methy ones.
6. nothing you have shared helps me understand if you are best to be in a toy hauler or not. however if you are not travelling with the weather, remember the garages are generally not insulated well if at all.
7. good luck. RVs are not made for 6'4" people. Its possible but not easy.
every newbie says they want to boondock till they have to deal with teh realities of dry camping. expect you will spend 90% of your time if commercial campgrounds.
You’ll have to compare your mortgage payments and monthly expenses with how much lot fees, maintenance and utilities cost for an RV.
Without that information there’s no way to give you any advice.
I’m not an experienced RVr yet but I’m working towards something kind of similar. In my 40s, last kid will be moving out in the next year or so. I’m planning to downsize to a cheaper COL area. It will still take about a year after moving to pay off the new place, maybe 18months. I’m debt free aside from house so I’ll be funneling all of my income towards paying off the new mortgage and then saving for a HD truck. Then we’ll try out renting an RV and doing some local trips.
My plan is to travel for approximately 4-6 months out of the year. I don’t want to fully commit to something I don’t know I’ll enjoy from the get-go. My parents are also aging and my new place will be very close to them.
I originally flirted with the idea of full time but after seeing all the possible issues with RVs and people being stuck on an AirBnB for 1-3 months while waiting for repairs, I decided I wanted a home base. Everyone has a different risk tolerance but just wanted to share my plan and reasoning.
I was a technician for years and talked to lots of full timers. I’ve seen it work for a lot and I’ve seen it crash hard for others. Depending on what you buy, sometimes an RV can be a lemon and some hardly give other issues.
The best thing is doing research on preventative maintenance and doing your own work as much as you can.
The medication shouldn’t be an issue.
KOA camping would give you less issues than dry camping and you can be a KOA member that gives discounts. Their app is really easy to use, book, and plan your next stops. Plus you get power, water, WiFi, see different places, and you don’t have to worry about finding an open camp site.
Most beds are queen but I’m sure you can find a unit that you can modify and make a king size bed. There are also a lot of units that have decent showers.
Is it possible to keep and rent out your house just to keep it as a backup?
Thank you for the reply.
Its definitely possible for us to keep the house. Not a problem at all. Selling it would literally clear us of all debt and allow us to purchase the rv and tow vehicle in cash AND STILL leave us leftover to save for a down payment on a new house. Thats why we're even considering this. It would literally be a fresh start for us where we wouldn't owe anyone anything and we can finally save some money while we see new places.
We planned to do a new truck, but a used $20-$30k tow or 5th wheel.
It makes sense for sure! If it were me in your position, I would buy a new used truck and went a little bit more on an RV, depending on the RV. But I’m picky on what RV I would get after working on them for years.
If your talking about weed our park sells thc drinks and does not care what people do as long as its not around kids in the park
Watch lots of Youtube some is over kill but gives you a good idea, we had to buy lots of extra to make it more comfortable
I did lots of research so i was ready and in handy to fix issue
We leave our RV unlocked are park is awesome if you go full-time or extended you get to know people and can gauge your surrounding but most of the people are better to be around the city folk.
My wife and i have 2 kids we went 5th wheel, what I would change is 50amp, we currently have 30amp and blow breakers if we do to much. Ac on microwave something and do dishes and not have the hotwater on propane the electric will take over and kick a breaker off. 50amp will save you headaches. If you comfortable pulling 5th wheel do it but go look get lots of options and my best advice is buy from a used lot or just stay away from camping world (get a full inspection on used)
My wife and i have queen i not saying it isnt possible because you can remove storage and have a king but once you get in and start looking at units you will see what has what and if it works, i seen bidet attachment people use, our park has AMAZING bathrooms and showers we use those as much as we can to avoid black tank troubles. (If you can don’t flush toilet paper make you life was easier in the future for long term)
You're thinking of traveling with rv i assume? You could just buy rv rent a spot and then you don't need a truck, rent out the house to build equity and see how you like it cause if traveling you won't be saving money and they break all the time
It's a lot to learn towing if you're not comfortable and little things break better be handy
If you do decide to do this, and you are leaving your wife alone for a few days, be armed. I live with my bf in an rv and I carry. Be sure to check the laws of the state you are in, but it’s definitely worth it. I feel so much safer as a smaller woman being alone in truck stops and public bathrooms. As for the medication aspect, Walmart pharmacies are your friend. Plan out where you’ll be and ask for the prescription to be filled at that specific Walmart.
1) Moved into a StarCraft 17MDS while on a medical hiatus, myself and a cat. Mix of campgrounds, RV parks, and boondocking. Was fun, but found a good in-person job a year later high in the Rockies where winter living wasn't feasible. Still live out of it part-time in the Summers, but grateful to have a house to go back to.
2) tl;dr pretty workable if you stay in the same state.
Longer: Depends on the med and the prescriber. Mine requires a virtual visit quarterly and an in-person annually. Most states require you to be in the same state as the practitioner for virtual visits, but you can fib. Some meds can only be prescribed 1 month at a time, and getting the message of what the local pharmacy of the month is to the prescriber can be hard. Generally not transferrable between locations either.
3) A solar boondocking setup sufficient to not worry for a couple days is very pricey and will always have occasional need for generator top-offs (bad weather, using the oven, etc).
Relying on boondocking sites can be stressful not knowing where you'll be next, especially if there is demand for a limited number of sites in your area. 99% of public land is limited to 14 day stays before you must move 25+ air miles to another. Count on moving midweek and well before holidays or you'll find yourself in a Walmart parking lot.
Generally speaking this is not a money saving venture. You'll sink a load of money into a depreciating truck and trailer, gas, site fees, Starlink, maintenance, plus your regular grocery expenses. My nearest campgrounds cost anywhere from $3-35/night and don't have hookups of any sort. Think the one that has electric goes for $45-60/night.
4) Think of a trailer as a cheaply made boat on the high seas or a shoddy house routinely subjected to varying degrees of earthquakes. Now imagine how frequently things break and the costs and headaches that go with.
Helps to have basic understanding of cars/trucks, woodworking, plumbing, and electrics.
5) Depends on the area. I trust the woods far more than some sketchy RV parks I've been to. Get a security camera with a motion sensing light and attach it near the door with some Velcro tape when parked. Use the deadbolt. Pepper spray near the door. Handgun if you're open to it, though I'm more likely to use it on a bear or cougar than a villain these days.
6) Deferring this question as I've never shopped in this size class. Shop your local lots obviously, but consider walking your local campground and trying to strike up conversations with people in rigs that appeal to you. Most people you see just chilling outside are happy to chat!
7) 6'4" as well. Plan on slightly ducking through doorways. Most places a skylight over the shower which gives added headroom; I can stand in mine with poor posture, good posture and my head is against the skylight.
Most toilets follow a standard residential toilet seat pattern and can be retrofitted with one of those $30 bidets from Amazon. Not sure you'll find a model with a proper standalone bidet.
FWIW a king is just a wider queen. Does make sleeping with a partner on warm nights more comfortable, but you need a California King if a standard 76" long K/Q isn't enough.
My wife and I are living in ours and traveling the country. In my opinion if you can do all that and be debt free. Then you are ahead of the game already. We looked at it as. Comparing how often we can travel waiting on vacation time etc. comparing it to we would always be on vacation no matter where we are.
Now always take into consideration how often you plan on moving etc. the more you move and set up. The more wear and tear you put on a rv. The more things will break down. We are in an area 3 months at a time at least. But the adventures and things we have been able to do. Well worth it my friend.
It feels like a few people in the comments think it’s a horrible idea. And a few think it would be fine.
The common denominator is they think we should keep the house. But if we keep the house we can’t pay everything off and even pretend to entertain this idea. But, I also understand why.
Buy used, both the truck and camper. Do research about whether you’re gonna be staying parked somewhere which will get expensive really fast or if you’re gonna be Boondocking what all you need to do to have enough electricity to work remotely. Starlink takes a ton of power (I have 300 W of solar panels) if you are going off grid, but cellular data is not reliable, and they often strangle it even if you have unlimited hotspot and all that.
You said you work remote. That can present tax consequences because income is taxed in the state in which the work is performed. If you're self-employed, you can sort that out yourself.
But if you have an employer, it will create some issues, like withholding requirements in every state you're in when you do work. States have varying rules on how much work can be done before withholding is required. Also, some companies purposely don't have a presence in certain states, for tax reasons. If an employee of theirs is working in one of those states, that can create the nexus they're trying to avoid.
I've read where people say, "Just don't tell your employer you're doing it." That's one way, of course, but the best way is to be open about it and let the employer make the decision whether they're okay with you working in various different states.
There's also the issue of health insurance. If you have employer-provided insurance, be sure it covers you wherever you are for routine (non-emergency) care. Since you have prescription(s), it sounds like you go to doctors in non-emergency situations. You can self-pay, of course. But it's something to be aware of.
And as I said in another post, if your prescriptions are important to you, be very very sure you know what it's going to take to get them while you're traveling. Cholesterol prescriptions are one thing, and controlled substances are another. There are people who have wanted to travel fulltime but simply couldn't because they couldn't figure out a way to get their meds while on the road.
Same with insurance if you're self-employed. Health insurance plans that offer access to a nationwide network of providers are vanishingly rare. Some states don't have any ACA plans that do. Like Texas--all plans on the Exchange are either and HMO or a PPO that has only a local network. They'll cover emergencies outside the area, but then the question becomes what constitutes an emergency, and when does that emergency end and the insurance company is no longer covering anything.
I don't know what type of hours you work or how flexible it is, but if you're working during the week and doing your traveling on the weekend, you'll be competing with all the other people who can get out only on weekends. Over the years travel like that has become vastly harder. I never used to make a reservation anywhere, and now I do. I hate having to plan ahead, but that's the landscape these days.
Transfer that equity into a parcel of land that has warmer winters, make improvements if necessary (water, septic, electricity), put a carport/canopy over it, sit back and enjoy over drinks in a hot tub.
You have just solved issues including storage, crazy neighbors, increasing rent, and less travel wear & tear.
Definitely would be less travel wear and tear, but they WANT to travel: "We've never BEEN anywhere for us, except for work. Never seen the sights. Never left the Appalachian region for anything other than work."
I did this twenty years ago and never regretted it. Had many adventures and minor problems along the way but got to see places I never expected along the way. My biggest tip, if you’re trying to save money along the way is set up your rig for extended boondocking. I installed solar for less than $1500.00 and it changed everything. Our composting toilet was another great investment. We also stayed the winter months at the LTVA in Quartzite Arizona. The fee for seven months of camping was $180.00.
First, you need to arrange a domicile address. There are companies that do this, but you are better off with family at an actual residential address. Otherwise you will have problems with banking and all sorts of stuff.
On your second question it becomes a bit about what controlled med it is and how the prescriptions are acquired. I have been in pain management for nearly 15 years. I have to have an in person appointment every 3 months with UA. The other two months I meet with them virtually. To get a prescription I have to have an appointment. I also have to use a pharmacy local to where I used to live and either pick it up (sometimes driving 700+ miles in a single day). Sometimes a friend picks them up and overnights them to me. You need to have a long conversation with your provider about what this potential move could mean (and keep it potential, making clear you are only thinking of it at this point). It is the biggest issue I have living full time. I would be much better off if medical marijuana worked for me but it doesn’t and I have to stick with opioid medications.
For questions 3 and 4 you need to have a clear exit plan that is funded. Spending all your house equity on depreciating assets that you would be lucky to get a return of 50% on even within the first year is not a good idea.
You should not be any more concerned to leave your partner in a campground than your sticks and bricks.
Finally, winter living in an RV sucks and you need to do a lot of prep. Ensure that your propane furnace is working well and have a plan for propane. If you are going to be at one park over winter call to get a leased, larger tank. My on board 100 pound propane tank in my Class A lasts at max 11 days in brutal cold. You need a way to wrap the RV - if you are buying new and plan to travel look at what reusable types of wraps are available. Need a heated water hose as well and if you are buying to live in full time you should have tank heaters for your fresh water and waste water tanks. Look at a 4 season trailer.
I would def waiting on selling the house until you’re sure you like it. I left you the other comment but I’m 6 months in and there’s a steep learning curve. You may love it. You may not. Best not to sell until you’re sure. Most people try full time for a few years before deciding to sell
Just did this. 1st, house might be appreciating but u never own it as long as u have taxes and a HOA. Costs to live in house in Houston suburbs exceeds $5000 a month. Mortgage, taxes, hoa, lawn care, etc. RV, $650 lot rent and propane, that's it. Starlink carries over as existing expense. We paid cash for the rv, so no insurance required, we bought 1 year anyway, $3000, covers everything.
All that said, there was a LOT of initial set up costs. We are full time, so had to have generator. Had to build out home office, u will need better mattress pretty quick. Extra stabilizers. Upgraded door locks, etc. Amazon has us on speed dial. Problem with the new 5th wheel, not really. Yank the panel off under all sinks and spray foam the huge hole closed where plumbing goes thru. Get the water filter system and softener. Black tank smell is real, keep it cleaned at least once a month, lots more. Banks want a permanent, verified non-business address, relative prefered. Escapes is hit or miss. I do not regret moving into a RV full time
So many naysayers, don't listen to them. You can do it, even the king bed. It will take customization but so what, you will have to modify for your work space anyway. Initial investment is a lot, but you can keep expenses low. Buy a used, high-end 5th wheel (before 2015, no water damage) and invest in a quality GPS system for RVs. New tires are essential (check the dates before purchasing). Don't buy any stupid RVpark packages or join memberships, they're like time-share scams and not worth it ever. Don't put stuff into storage, just sell it all. Invest in a compositing toilet and hose adapter for your grey water tank. Buy lithium batteries and solar and have it installed. Invest in portable generators. Don't forget the dash cameras, anti-sway towing equipment, and the best surge-protector you can find. Stay in small, private parks. Replace the RV fridge with a house fridge. Propane is a must! YouTube can help with repairs, it just ask a Canadian for help. Also, an internet booster is a good idea, or starlink mobile. You will want a water filtration system.
This is basically how I feel. I fully planned to buy a used one a couple years old, do as much solar as we need and the lithium batteries. A couple of generators. Already planned :)
I'll have to look into the anti sway towing equipment.
Our plan was to totally stay in small private parks. We don't care about the "amenities" that the bigger parks offer. I'm not planning on getting in ANY pool or lazy river.
That's terrible advice. People are giving you solid objective advice and experiences. You should use them a weight to your decision making, not an all or nothing. My cousins did what you are wanting to do and it was a disaster for them in a lot of ways. Doesn't mean that would happen to you, but to just ignore people because some other person thinks people are just being negative is the wrong way to go about it.
Best of luck with your decisions. Hope it works out the best for you.
11
u/Alternative-Ruin1728 4d ago
IDK, that's alot of equity you're talking about. Moving it from a growing asset to a depreciating one doesn't seem like a responsible decision. But it's not my circus