Motor homes

[Lambda Force]

Are any of you full time RVers? What do you do for a government approved address? It seems strange that somebody who lives in a motor vehicle, and therefore needs a driving license, can't use a PO Box as their address.

[The Annoyed Man]

We booked our first trip - a short one. We're going to be at the Thousand Trails Lake Whitney RV park on the 13th, 14th, leaving on the 15th.

[carlson1]

I hope you and your sweet wife have a good time and get some relaxation on this trip. My first trip out I worked myself to death trying to do everything the first time. Enjoy.

[The Annoyed Man]

I hope you and your sweet wife have a good time and get some relaxation on this trip. My first trip out I worked myself to death trying to do everything the first time. Enjoy.

Thanks Carl. I hope so too. I don't expect the first day will be that relaxing, but that's how you learn.

[jocat54]

Lake Catherine SP in AR may be the nicest State Park we've ever stayed in. Just sayin'....

Arkansas has some great state parks. I few years back we took a month long trip (Late Sept to late Oct) up to Maine to see the Fall Colors and spent some time in Arkansas on the way back. Really enjoyed their parks.
Keep in mind that if you travel to the NE that time of year that a lot of their campgrounds close for the winter in late Sept-early Oct.

[The Annoyed Man]

Lake Catherine SP in AR may be the nicest State Park we've ever stayed in. Just sayin'....

Arkansas has some great state parks. I few years back we took a month long trip (Late Sept to late Oct) up to Maine to see the Fall Colors and spent some time in Arkansas on the way back. Really enjoyed their parks.
Keep in mind that if you travel to the NE that time of year that a lot of their campgrounds close for the winter in late Sept-early Oct.

I haven't been trout fishing since I left California, and I understand that Arkansas has outstanding trout fishing along the White River. I'd like to find out if what they say is true. Fresh trout for breakfast is hard to beat.

[WTR]

As said, don't wear yourself out prepping for the trip, or setting up to elaborately for a short stay.

[miljet]

You might enjoy the forum at
http://www.irv2.com/
While there, check out the Texas Boomers RV Club

[The Annoyed Man]

We got back from Lake Whitney this afternoon. We got down there on Saturday, quite a bit later than we expected to, and ended up setting up everything in the dark. I consider that a successful first test, as I got it all done with no loss of blood or busted knuckles. We enjoyed the solitude, lived simply, realized why people buy great big rigs instead of little tiny ones like ours, but still enjoyed the time together, even in what is a pretty small space for an extended period. My 4Runner towed the trailer just fine, although fuel economy was substantially reduced. Normally, on a trip like that, I'll get around 19-21 mpg, but I averaged 12 mpg towing the trailer.

The bed was actually fairly comfortable, and I got on average an hour more of sleep each night in the trailer than I normally get at home. The tiny little toilet/shower was strictly a "middle of the night" affair, as we had a full sized bathroom and toilet a short walk from our site. We weathered a good thunderstorm on Sunday night, and nothing leaked. We stayed nice and dry. We did have to reel in the awning as the wind picked up before the rain started.

All in all, it was a great trip, and we're already talking about where we want to go next.

[Mxrdad]

Way to go TAM. Getting 12 mpg is a very nice thing pulling a trailer. There were times when I dipped into the 8 mpg which I had to work hard to put that behind me and not ruin the trip. Thats when your happy Texas is as flat as it is. Imagine if/when you take it in hill country or mountain country. Its still worth it though. Good stuff.

Lambda, as far as an address, its been a while, but I seem to remember there were 2 thoughts. The first being using a familys address if you can make that work. If not, a post office box was the next preferred choice. I recall some getting a post office box close to a family member they trusted and they would check the mail for them. I also think most of them did everything they could on line as far as bill paying etc.

Also, Miljet is spot on with that RV website. Its a must have for not only the "lifers" in RV's but also the weekend warriors. Good stuff in there.

[carlson1]

Great job! I always sleep better in our 5th wheeL when it rains. It is a plus with no busted knuckle and cracked bones.

[The Annoyed Man]

Also, Miljet is spot on with that RV website. Its a must have for not only the "lifers" in RV's but also the weekend warriors. Good stuff in there.

Yesterday morning, as we were going through the departure preparations prior to returning home, a lady walked past with her killer chihuahua and we chatted with her for a couple of minutes. Her first question, "So, are you full-timers yet?"

Answer: not with this little trailer! So here are my impressions regarding size..... First, our trailer is way too small to even remotely consider full-timing it. We would have to be forced by desperate circumstances into such a scenario. We're not that desperate. That said, it is easy to see why nearly everybody in the campground of our age group (I'm 64, and TAW is "late 50s") was camped with a large RV with multiple slide-outs and a LOT of room and features.

For instance, we used the campground's toilet and shower facilities for nearly everything except a middle-of-the-night tapping of the kidneys. I noticed that I never saw any of the other guests using those facilities, for the simple reason that they didn't have to. I'm sure their RV's bathroom facilities were more than roomy enough to use for all uses, and less spartan than our little marine-style "wet head". Ours is suitable for travel, but I would want something more substantial for long-term living.

At home, we sleep in a king-size bed - a split king Sleep Number bed which allows us to individually change firmness and angle/elevation of head and feet. With my back issues, this has proven to be near-mandatory to obtain a decent night's sleep without being well-medicated. We are each able to get in and out of bed on our side of the bed. Our trailer has a smallish queen sized bed, which is just barely long enough for either of us (at 5'10", I am the taller of the two of us). It is mounted crossways in the trailer, so one of us has to climb over the other to get out of bed, which leads to what I called "relay-peeing" in the middle of the night. If one of us gets up, the other takes advantage of the moment to get up also to use the facilities.

And then there is just the issue of square footage. We spent most of Sunday evening into Monday morning confined indoors due to a rainstorm passing through. We've been married 28 years and get along very well together and enjoy one another's company, but I can see how we could begin to tire of one of another's presence if we had to live this way full time. The U-shaped dinette, which is fairly large for such a small trailer, thanks to being located in the slide-out, is not really a substitute for a good couch or armchair; so there is really no comfortable place to sit for extended periods. The truth is, a trailer like ours is meant to be an adjunct to outdoor living - simply a place to retreat to for the night, or for passing bad weather. But it is not really a place to live full-time, or for any kind of really extended stay.

The question then becomes, what would it take for us to want to invest in an RV large enough to live in at least semi-permanently? The answer is, we're not there yet......in no small part because we have two precious grandbabies that we just can't get enough of. As I am fond of saying: my grandbabies are #1; all others are #2 or lower! Right now, we live fairly close to them, about 15 minutes away. We're unwilling to spend large amounts of time away from them, so there is no practical way to fold full-time RVing into that piece. If we lived far from them, then long-term RVing would make perfect sense as it would be a way for us to spend large blocks of time with them.

Then there is the financial peace piece (yes, I said it that way deliberately). We are, other than the loan on this trailer and a small credit card balance, debt free. We own our home free and clear. It is comfortable and spacious for the two of us, and we like living in it. Hospitality ranks highly among spiritual gifts for the both of us, and we enjoy entertaining - particularly in the Lord's service. Our home affords us the ability to do that easily and fairly regularly. Since there is no need to invest in a "house on wheels", I have to consider whether or not I want to assume what is essentially a mortgage, all over again, as the price of entry into longer term RV living. Add to that the cost of a tow-vehicle, since neither of our current vehicles — both of which are capable of towing our current trailer — are capable of towing a much larger unit better suited to full-time RVing. Since a large trailer is more affordable than a large motor home, that means we'd have to buy a large heavy-duty tow truck, probably diesel, so there's another $50-$60K (assuming new).

And then there is the cost of storage. We live on a smallish suburban lot just under 1/4 acre. There's no place to store even our little trailer, let alone a large RV. So we rent space at a local storage yard which is conveniently located to our home. We could probably store it more cheaply if we were willing to store it further away, but we're willing for now to pay a little extra for that convenience. It's a covered space at a local facility. There are several large RVs stored adjacent to my spot, and they use two spots like ours; so I'm assuming twice the cost of storage for something in that size range. We don't own any land yet outside of the city (although that is in our future plans), so we don't have a free place to store it. I am willing to discuss storage at my son's brother in law's place in Colleyville, in exchange for allowing him and his wife to use it, but my wife is not as sanguine about sharing it as I am. And then there is the consideration of upkeep costs. If he breaks it, do I pay to fix it? Stuff like that.......

So for now, we are going with what we can afford right now, without going into a large amount of debt to have it. So between that and our family/grandkids situation, our RVing ambitions are pretty limited to what we currently have, including limiting whether or not we can consider full-timing it.

[Jusme]

TAM, I think you have got the perfect set up for your needs and wants at the present time. My wife and I have also discussed purchasing a small trailer similar to yours, and we have to weigh not only the issues you raised (including grandchildren) but the fact that while my wife will be retiring in few months, mine is still several years down the road, so that limits the "free time" we would have to enjoy such an investment. While others may have bigger and more luxurious RVs, I think that if you are just looking for weekends, away, it will suit your needs splendidly. I think that you will also find ways to avoid having to wait out rain etc. maybe buy getting a screened in canopy set up, that will allow you to put camp chairs coolers, and even cots in it with unobstructed views. With cooler weather approaching, your weekends this year, with decent weather are probably slim to none, but come spring, I think you will see a large increase in the time you can spend with your trailer. JMHO

[Mxrdad]

LOL. I like your answer; Not in this little trailer. And you are spot-on with that. I dont care how big of an RV one gets, its never big enough and it takes some time to adjust to the new life style. I am in the same boat with you. My grandbabies are my life and thank the good lord above we live close. I cant imagine not being able to see them whenever we want. I should have skipped my kids and went straight to the grandkids!

I think you have the perfect setup right now being a weekend warrior. Its a fine line between being big enough to move around inside while keeping it small enough to justify pulling it down the road. In order to become a Full-Timer, it takes planning, many "debates" with the wife (aka arguing with wife) and a full commitment on all parties involved. One thought though, when/if you ever decide to do it, you can still find a nice RV park close to the kiddos and when the urge hits ya, hit the road. You can always return when its time to love on those grandbabies again.

But as most things in life, theres always a trade off. It would be great to wake up one morning overlooking the Grand Canyon. Then maybe Yellowstone. Dang, I'm getting the itch again just typing this! If there were unlimited funds, or at least many more Dineros than I have now, it would make it much easier. But with a tight budget, one would really have to plan it out very carefully in advance.

In the past, I have had bumper pull RV's and 1 motorhome. I really enjoyed the MH much more than pulling a trailer. It has been 30 years since I owned a street bike and that was a blast. I understand the sense of freedom while riding a motorcycle. The MH gave me almost the same feeling, not quite, but still more pronounced than a bumper pull. And with a towable RV, you have to make sure your pulling vehicle is up to the task.

* Forgive me if I bounced all over the place while typing this, my phone was lighting up and I was multi-tasking. Hope it made sense.

[The Annoyed Man]

You might enjoy the forum at
http://www.irv2.com/
While there, check out the Texas Boomers RV Club

I tried to join a couple of days ago, and to this moment, I have still not received the email with the confirmation link so that I can activate my account. So the site won't let me post anything. And I can't find a "help" link to contact a moderator to try and fix it. Maybe you could talk to one of their mods for me? I'm registered there as "Annoyed Man" (they have a character limit that prevents me from including "The" in my username). Thanks.