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Full Time Living Recap (Almost 1 Year)

DallasSteve
Nomad
Nomad
I am making this post in part for my own benefit and in part for others. I have posted and read here for at least 5 years in preparation to try living in an RV full time. My goal was to see other parts of the country in retirement. I did this for 11 months from March 2020 - February 2021. That's basically the height of the pandemic. Terrible timing, which is the story of my life, in a lot of ways. But I don't regret the experience, which is the theme of this message.

I had planned to buy a truck and travel trailer, but after considering my budget and the different options I decided to get a motor home and pull a Jeep Wrangler. I went new with both because I wanted to avoid repairs as much as possible. I wanted the smallest RV that would be comfortable for me and my wife. I picked the Winnebago Intent 30R, which is about 31 feet long and has 2 slideouts.

The reasons I got out were as follows:

We wanted to see other places where we could live and my wife could work (she's not retired). She found a place she liked so we decided to rent a place and stay here for at least a year.

I was tired of living in the small area of an RV. Our new rental house is like a mansion in comparison and I feel much more relaxed.

The stress of planning a cross country trip and then driving this big vehicle and now paying much more for gas and probably some minor repairs/maintenance were taking the fun out of this.

After you've seen one state or COE park, you've basically seen them all, in my opinion, with a few variations.

In summary, for me, an RV is not good choice for year round living in the same place because of the season changes. Here in South Texas the A/C would be droning on the roof almost 24/7 during the summer. So it was either sell it or store it. Prices appear to be good right now due in part to the pandemic so I wanted to "get while the getting's good". I calculate that I didn't spend much more in total during our time in the RV, including depreciation, compared to living in Dallas in an apartment for the last year. So it didn't damage my retirement finances. In fact, if we miss the RV lifestyle we could do it again some day when my wife doesn't want to work any more.
2022 JAYCO JAY FLIGHT SLX 8 324BDS
2022 FORD F-250 XL CREW CAB 4X4
All my exes live in Texas, that's why I live in an RV
18 REPLIES 18

MikeDupont
Explorer
Explorer
You gave it a shot in a way that worked for you, and found out that it isnt for you. I see no problem with this, even if you had lost significant money (so long as you could afford it, of course). How many people are out there wondering 'what if' they had tried it.

We made a list of WHY we wanted to go fulltime. I wont go into details as our situation is unique, as is everyone else's. But anyone thinking of going FT would be well served to have some (at least) vague idea of what they'd like to get out of the experience.

ajriding
Explorer
Explorer
Nobody's post is meant to be a reflection on anyone else. Just take whatever info you can glean, in the end I dont think people are looking to get a feel for each individual member's personality, just sharing info and knowledge, given that most post are just reactions to a general idea, not necessarily directed solely to the OP's, but rather the OP and the lurker who might be looking for some similar, but not exactly identical, information on RVing.
happy trails

LouLawrence
Explorer
Explorer
Big ain't always better be that home, RV or RV vs. home.
We have lived in our 40' RV for 20+ years (not in one location, thank God!) and for the last 2 months we have been living in a 3 bedroom 2 1/2 bath condo. We HATE the condo and just want our RV home back again. It's much more comfortable.

DallasSteve
Nomad
Nomad
ajriding wrote:
Buying two new vehicles then complaining of depreciation when you lose half the value as soon as you drive it away

I only lost 7% depreciation when I sold the motor home plus the 6% sales tax which is never coming back. That's not nearly "half". The Jeep will lose some value in a year, but they tend to hold their value well and I have to drive something, so that is no different whether I'm living in an RV or a house.

Edit: The point is, I think you miss-characterize my comments by saying that I complained about depreciation. I mentioned depreciation is saying that I didn't spend more than living in an apartment for a year including the depreciation. So that's really the opposite of complaining. In case you didn't read my original post carefully here again are the 4 reasons that I gave for getting out of full time RV life, and none of them were depreciation:

The reasons I got out were as follows:

We wanted to see other places where we could live and my wife could work (she's not retired). She found a place she liked so we decided to rent a place and stay here for at least a year.

I was tired of living in the small area of an RV. Our new rental house is like a mansion in comparison and I feel much more relaxed.

The stress of planning a cross country trip and then driving this big vehicle and now paying much more for gas and probably some minor repairs/maintenance were taking the fun out of this.

After you've seen one state or COE park, you've basically seen them all, in my opinion, with a few variations.
2022 JAYCO JAY FLIGHT SLX 8 324BDS
2022 FORD F-250 XL CREW CAB 4X4
All my exes live in Texas, that's why I live in an RV

ajriding
Explorer
Explorer
You are one of those people on that cable TV show "Going RV" where newbies go to an RV lot and look at RV's and have really really bad opinions of RV based on them having never been camping or ever been in an RV.
"oh, this fridge is too small"
"the bedroom is too small"
"the closet is too small for ME"
"I dont want to have to fold down the bed every day"
"not enough TVs in the camper"
"I dont like the stripes"
"propane stove, ick"
just on and on, not that you are this dumb, as this TV show highlights the worst things newbies at RV lots say or do... But, sounds like you made a series of bad decisions. Buying two new vehicles then complaining of depreciation when you lose half the value as soon as you drive it away is not a full-time RV issue, that is your personal economics issue.
Too small a space is another bad decision, and makes it sound like you really are not the RV type...
Yes, it is bad to RV in hot places in the summer or cold places in the winter, but being mobile you could have planned it better and been in comfortable places more.
I would have towed a used trailer with slide-outs (bigger foot print than motorhome) and an over-compensated truck to tow it. One insurance payment instead of two, one motor to maintain, one transmission etc... Buying used you either do not lose much or break even or get lucky and sell camper for more than you paid, which I always do.
Buying used and paying cheap enough you spend less than the new one would depreciate as soon as you drive off the lot, so even if when you get done you just abandon the camper somewhere you come out ahead of a new one... that is if cost is priority over maybe more reliability of a new, but new ones always need to be fixed, where possible some used ones have already been fixed. 1,000 possibilities here so hope beginner forum users dont try to explore every single one of them...
Anyway, congrats for getting out there and seeing the country, you made memories. Yes, it is hard living in an RV, so much more comfortable in a big house where you can spread out, but you make sacrifices to do the traveling. This is just an individual thing, some people enjoy roughing it, and some people dont want to. There have been times where Im stuck in RV in places that are not destination worthy and I get bored and am ready to give up, other times I pinch myself everyday that I wake up to the vistas and location and cant believe Im there....

DallasSteve
Nomad
Nomad
There have been several comments suggesting that if I wanted to have more space I should have bought a larger mobile home. Sure, but size is a trade off as you probably know. Larger means it will cost much more (purchase, fuel, insurance, etc.) and it will be harder to turn, park, and fit into many campgrounds. The park where we spent last summer in Arkansas was a good location and price for us (others were not) but it had only one space left and our 31 foot rig just barely fit. One or two feet longer would not have fit that last space. That's probably why it was still available. Going up to 40 feet or longer would also surely require a diesel motor and that would mean even more cost and the setup I had was about as far as i wanted to push my retirement budget. It was sufficient to live in, but it was a little tight. I can't remember the number of times that I banged my head or arm into a corner in the motor home.
2022 JAYCO JAY FLIGHT SLX 8 324BDS
2022 FORD F-250 XL CREW CAB 4X4
All my exes live in Texas, that's why I live in an RV

ReneeG
Explorer
Explorer
Dale - keep us posted on your occasional travels and how your new traveling companion likes the road.
2011 Bighorn 3055RL, 2011 F350 DRW 6.7L 4x4 Diesel Lariat and Hensley TrailerSaver BD3, 1992 Jeep ZJ and 1978 Coleman Concord Pop-Up for remote camping
Dave & Renee plus (Champ, Molly, Paris, Missy, and Maggie in spirit), Mica, Mabel, and Melton

Scottiemom
Nomad
Nomad
We fulltimed for 15 years. It was a great adventure. While we did make it to Alaska, we didn't see all 50 states because we worked our rentals in the summer. But we had a great time. My DH died in October. I sold my 40' diesel pusher, but I kept my 22' B+. I have a house now and won't be fulltiming, but still plan to travel several months out of the year.

Our travels are chronicled here:

Blog

I actually had my blog printed into 7 different volumes (1500+ pages) for my grandkids. I want them to be able to read about the adventures of their grandparents!

Dale
Dale Pace
Widow of Terry (Teacher's Pet)

Traveling with Brendon, my Scottish Terrier

2022 Honda Odyssey
2011 Mazda Miata MX-5

2021 Coach House Platinum III 250DT
Fulltimed for 15 years, now living in Florida

http://www.skoolzoutforever.blogspot.com/

PawPaw_n_Gram
Explorer
Explorer
To be fair, 2020 was a real poop of a year to try to learn about RV traveling and full-timing.

The first thing that happened to him early was getting more or less ordered to stay in place for a month or longer.

We headed to Arizona from Texas in late June, and lost a bit over a hundred dollars in cancellation fees as our two months planned in New Mexico state parks was wiped out starting July 1.

I think you've missed the opportunity to experience what state parks have to offer as far as diversity. Even last week, I had to cancel three TX SP reservations due to come changes. Before, I almost never reserved COE or SP's. Now I can't go to one at the last minute. Which s***s for a roving RVer.

Better luck next time Steve.
Full-Time 2014 - ????

โ€œNot all who wander are lost.โ€
"You were supposed to turn back at the last street."

2012 Ram 2500 Mega Cab
2014 Flagstaff 832IKBS TT

n0arp
Explorer
Explorer
Put bluntly, if you spent 11 months out there, you didn't see anything. We could spend a year in most states and still not see everything on our list in those states.

It reads to me like you hardly gave it a real chance. Since your goal was simply to find a new place to live, and it sounds like you found one, you got what you needed out of it... even if the experience could have been much more enjoyable for you with a different rig and a different mindset.

Going park to park isn't for everyone, especially not us -- but I think calling all parks the same is a gross exaggeration.
2000 Country Coach Magna 40',
4380W solar, 22.8kWh LiFePO4@48V, 450AH AGM@12V
2020 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon 2.0T, cloaked on 37x13.5s

Dutch_12078
Explorer
Explorer
There's no question that fulltiming isn't for everyone, but for those of us that love it, it's a great way to experience life to the fullest. We've only been fulltiming since 2008, but we are starting to acknowledge that we may have to hang up the keys as we approach our 80's. Maybe in another 5 years or so. Our current 34' single super slide gasser has served us well with minimal maintenance needs, and we're quite happy with the space we have. Several years ago I asked my wife what she'd like to see changed in our coach, and the only thing she could came up with was a new shower door to replace the old pleated one that had gotten hard to clean. About a week later I installed a Nautilus RV retractable shower door and she still likes it. We move fairly often since we favor state and national park campgrounds that typically have 14 day limits. As far as the "seen one, seen them all" comment, I couldn't disagree more. Every park we visit and revisit has its own character and special features that we find enjoyable. It might be as simple as watching the daily deer "parade" at Ft Clinch SP, FL or Ft McAllister SP, GA or watching the ships passing in and out of the St Lawrence Seaway's Eisenhower Lock at Robert Moses SP in upstate NY while sitting in our coach or under the awning, but each one is unique in its own way. We also have a private lakeside site in the southern Adirondacks where we sometimes stay for a month or two at a time while visiting family nearby and catching up on some medical appointments. As said, its not for everyone, but some of us wouldn't have it any other way...
Dutch
2001 GBM Landau 34' Class A
F53 chassis, Triton V10, TST TPMS
Bigfoot Automatic Leveling System
2011 Toyota RAV4 4WD/Remco pump
ReadyBrute Elite tow bar/Blue Ox baseplate

Lwiddis
Explorer
Explorer
Glad to hear you might resume the RV life when your wife retires. Our beautiful country has many more wonderful places to see for you and me.
Winnebago 2101DS TT & 2022 Chevy Silverado 1500 LTZ Z71, WindyNation 300 watt solar-Lossigy 200 AH Lithium battery. Prefer boondocking, USFS, COE, BLM, NPS, TVA, state camps. Bicyclist. 14 yr. Army -11B40 then 11A - (MOS 1542 & 1560) IOBC & IOAC grad

Sjm9911
Explorer
Explorer
Props to you for giving it a go. I wouldn't ever want to rv full time. I get what your saying. Good for you and congrats on the new location.
2012 kz spree 220 ks
2020 Silverado 2500
Equalizer ( because i have it)
Formerly a pup owner.

bgum
Explorer
Explorer
While I don't agree with your comments I am glad you found out the camping life isn't for you before you got in too deep. Now you are free to move on to another endeavor in which I hope you are happier.

We thoroughly enjoy travel and camping but realize full time is not for us.