Full time RVing has intrigued me for years. Each year they have a huge RV show here in Boise with 100s of gorgeous RVs. I walk through the show, going in each RV thinking...this would be really cool to do fulltime.
I operate an internet business that I can do from anywhere. In the last 2 years my business has taken a big hit! Jobs for anyone are hard to come by let alone a 52 year old man that hasn't been in the workforce for about 9 years!
The mortgage is getting hard to pay and I am likely going to need to make a change (freely or forced) in the near future.
I am a single dad with a 12 year old son that is with me 50% of the time. He and I love the outdoors...camping, fishing, hiking etc. There is a nice RV park 1/2 mile from his school that has what I believe are reasonalbe monthly rates ($345.00 + electric).
Neither my son nor I care about having "stuff" (of course he is 12 and likes his video games though) so we don't need anything big or that has a lot of storage.
We do also have a 3 year old Golden Reteiver that we love and would be joining us.
Is the drop in my business a sign that it is time to make a change and is fulltime RVing the change?
Your thoughts???
Thanks,
Dan
Terry and Jo said
12:43 PM Jul 12, 2011
Dan,
Welcome to the RV Dreams forums. You have definitely found a good source of information with participants ranging from owners of slide-in truck campers to Class A diesel pushers.
As for the economic downturn, I think it is definitely less expensive living in an RV than in a stix and brix. But then, we've only been living full time in ours for about two months. We are parked in a mobile home park and I would have to agree that if your electric stays with the lot, the price you mentioned is a good one.
I guess the difficult part at this time might be selling your home to live in an RV. Good luck with all the research and planning. Hope everything works out for you.
Terry
The Bear II said
05:06 PM Jul 12, 2011
A lot of people are seeing the "Signs" these days. Lots of our friends and relatives are looking at downsizing either by moving into smaller cheaper housing, buying more fuel efficient transport or looking into fulltiming.
I would suggest a test.... borrow an RV or rent an RV and spend a month at a nearby RV park with your son to see if you can stand it. The real test is during inclement weather for a week or so where you have to stay inside.
Or maybe a better solution would be to make sure you've done everything you can to drum up more business. What were some of the things you did at the beginning to build the business.
I recently sent out a simple e-mail to my clisents indicating we had some time coming up and were looking for additional work. Now I'm back to having a full schedule of work for my team with a two month reserve of work. If I hadn't sent out the e-mail I would have been struggling to keep my team busy like I had been doing for the last couple of months. This is the second time an e-mail like that worked, so I'm going to send one out every few months just to keep the jobs coming in.
Bill Adams said
05:20 PM Jul 12, 2011
dannick wrote:
Is the drop in my business a sign that it is time to make a change and is fulltime RVing the change?
With my sincere hope that this is the answer you are looking for (from someone who has been full-time since 1997),
YES!!!!
dannick said
06:26 PM Jul 12, 2011
Thanks for the warm welcome and feedback. My business has been online since 1996 and is advertiser driven. With the recent downturn in the economy...while some have increased advertising, most in my particular industry have cut back and many have gone out of business completely.
Your points about renting and RV and inclement weather are great ideas! Here in Idaho, the winters can get mighty cold. What concerns should I have regarding full time RVing in the winter? Again I would likely be at one park throughout the winter (it's not located in the mountains but is in town)
Thanks again! I really enjoy all the info. and people on this site :)
Dan
bjoyce said
06:56 PM Jul 12, 2011
Go south in the winter, there are lots of campgrounds you can stay the season in Arizona, Southern California, South Texas and Florida. The majority of RVs do not handle really cold weather well so you will be spending lots of money on propane. The RV will also feel really small in prolonged bad weather.
Idaho556 said
07:14 PM Jul 12, 2011
Dan
It can be done my son used our 5th wheel Nov- Jan in Idaho Falls which gets cold than Boise for long period of time.
Get some industrial heat tape not the cheap stuff at home Depot. We got ours at electrical supply company. We used Pyrex for water line and wrap with insulation. Also wrap waste line with heat tape, put waste line inside 4" abs pipe and wrap with insulation. And put some skirting around the bottom, plywood works, we had no problems even at -18 for week and half
dannick said
09:27 AM Jul 27, 2011
Thanks everyone for your feedback! Well...I have decided that I will in fact be RVing full time. It will be in a few months when I get the issues with my house resolved.
I went looking at a local RV dealer last weekend and the sales person was very helpful. One thing he mentioned to me is that "lower end" trailers are not designed for full time living. I.E. the toilets aren't designed to be flushed numerous times a day, flooring is inadequate for cold temps. etc.
He showed me a Keystone Cougar that he indicated would be appropriate for full time RVing. Again it will be for myself and my 12 year old son.
This is not the exact model but is very similar. http://keystone-cougar.com/index.php?page=floorplans&coast=west&model=26BHSWE
Thoughts?
Thanks so much!
Dan
Terry and Jo said
11:14 AM Jul 27, 2011
Dan,
First and foremost, I must caution that you NOT depend entirely on the word of ANY salesman. It is important that you be the one to do the legwork in regards to finding out what is going to be the best RV for you. Do your own research into the feasibility of each and every unit you are interested in as to whether it will be a good full-time model.
This is in NO WAY a message to say that the Cougar would be a bad choice. I suggest that you look for an owner's association online that would have a forum where you could read about the experiences of actual owners of those brands/models. Now, having said that, keep in mind that forums will have a number of posts from people looking for a solution for a problem they are having.
Because of that, you may get the impression that the model/brand of interest is a bad unit. That is not necessarily the case. Every unit will have problems.
When exploring on owner's forums, I had the stock question to ask of those members that owned the brand of interest at the time. That question is, "Given that you were in the market to purchase a new RV, would you again buy the brand you currently have?"
Good luck with all of your research.
Terry
53 Merc said
11:23 AM Jul 27, 2011
I would offer the experience a friend had with a Cougar. It does not have gelcoat siding, it is called Filon. Filon has visible fiberglas threads (and you can feel 'em) and he was dis-satisfied with the insulation package. He is from North Dakota, so is up to speed on insulation. He also bought based on the salesman's recommendation. This last year, he upgraded, and lost a lot of money in the deal. Experience is a hard teacher. I am sure you will make a choice based on your needs/wants/wallet and etc. Best of luck in whatever you choose to do. Just remember, a bad day in an RV is better than a good day at an office. If you don't like your surroundings, move!
rclvnv said
01:41 PM Jul 29, 2011
As always, you've been given wise counsel,by those already responding.Just to add a few specifics,based on my own experience.
We've been self-employed all of our working lives.Our core business was sold to a large corp. in 2000,and I continue to do consulting work in that industry,around the country.Assignments are uneven,as I provide expert testimony in legally contested matters.Added to that,and to level things out a bit, we bought a school-based business,which while strong in 2000,has suffered from budget cuts,dramatically. It is our plan to end that in June,as no reform of school funding seems at hand, and students have noticibly less to spend.We are concentrating on trying to build the "expert" business,since it can be done from the road,as I am doing now, 1300 miles away from the "office",where we have our base (we are F/T). Part of our decision to F/T was based on economics,and we live in an area where cold is not an issue. Good,safe,gated RV park rentals in our area start @ $600/mo+electric, 1/4 of what it cost to live in the S&B.I've been advised to look at Mobile Parks who will take RV's but so far,none in my area.
Before buying our current RV, we spent two years looking. What we chose was a result of that search,based on utility, price,features, and "gut". Did we make the right choice,who knows ?, but I must echo the comment that no salesperson can give you all the info you need to process, unless they happen to live in what they are touting (not likely).Insulation and exterior finish were considerations for me for the opposite of your concern, mine was heat and sun exposure. Like most things in life, it's about finding balance.
Another thing to share. A friend,recently learning we were going F/T, told me that when he was 12 years old, he and his father lived in an RV together and traveled the US for a whole year. He didn't remember too much about where they went,but has never forgotten the time they had together.Since he's at least my age (64), that memory has lasted quite some time!.The loving dog will make it even better. Ours have adjusted to the RV quite well,and they travel well,too. We've now just compleated 5000 mi of our 6300 mile summer visit to our children,and back. If we hadn't sold the house,we'd have had to cancel the visits.
Put your mind to this as you would any major life decision,and you'll make the right choices. There are times I get a little queezy and ask "did I do the right thing"?, but in my heart, I know I did. I'm sure not getting any younger,
Richard
rvingft said
03:19 PM Jul 31, 2011
If you want an independent opinion from a RV-savvy source, I recommend RV.org. JD Gallant rates manufacturers on a scale of 1 to 100 on things like liveability, safety and wheelbase-to-length ratio and other features.
He takes NO advertising, has years of experience based on being an insurance adjuster for RV claims and has a staff who collect data from owners. It can be a real eye-opener and will probably save you money and headaches.
Sad but true, there are very few 4 and 5-star rated RV manufacturers, but there are thousands of choices. Just know your first RV will probably NOT be your last RV. I prefer to avoid preventable headaches & hassles with knowledge so I spend lots of time researching before I start negotiating.
Enjoy ... the research is part of the fun of RVing.
dannick said
08:32 AM Aug 1, 2011
Thanks for the great feedback. I have been looking on Craigslist and was curious if there is a service for checking used RVs? Similar to taking a used car to a mechanic to have it checked out before purchasing.
Thanks! Dan
rclvnv said
08:53 AM Aug 1, 2011
Hi, I've never used one,because I've always bought new, but considering all the possibilities for breakdown and wear in a pre-owned unit, (or new,for that matter),seems well worth the price, once you've narrowed down your choices. I'm told they are not inexpensive. Don't know where the best place to find them might be, but very wise move. Remember, low miles and or little use are not necessarily indicitive of a trouble free unit.
Hi Everyone,
Full time RVing has intrigued me for years. Each year they have a huge RV show here in Boise with 100s of gorgeous RVs. I walk through the show, going in each RV thinking...this would be really cool to do fulltime.
I operate an internet business that I can do from anywhere. In the last 2 years my business has taken a big hit! Jobs for anyone are hard to come by let alone a 52 year old man that hasn't been in the workforce for about 9 years!
The mortgage is getting hard to pay and I am likely going to need to make a change (freely or forced) in the near future.
I am a single dad with a 12 year old son that is with me 50% of the time. He and I love the outdoors...camping, fishing, hiking etc. There is a nice RV park 1/2 mile from his school that has what I believe are reasonalbe monthly rates ($345.00 + electric).
Neither my son nor I care about having "stuff" (of course he is 12 and likes his video games though) so we don't need anything big or that has a lot of storage.
We do also have a 3 year old Golden Reteiver that we love and would be joining us.
Is the drop in my business a sign that it is time to make a change and is fulltime RVing the change?
Your thoughts???
Thanks,
Dan
Dan,
Welcome to the RV Dreams forums. You have definitely found a good source of information with participants ranging from owners of slide-in truck campers to Class A diesel pushers.
As for the economic downturn, I think it is definitely less expensive living in an RV than in a stix and brix. But then, we've only been living full time in ours for about two months. We are parked in a mobile home park and I would have to agree that if your electric stays with the lot, the price you mentioned is a good one.
I guess the difficult part at this time might be selling your home to live in an RV. Good luck with all the research and planning. Hope everything works out for you.
Terry
I would suggest a test.... borrow an RV or rent an RV and spend a month at a nearby RV park with your son to see if you can stand it. The real test is during inclement weather for a week or so where you have to stay inside.
Or maybe a better solution would be to make sure you've done everything you can to drum up more business. What were some of the things you did at the beginning to build the business.
I recently sent out a simple e-mail to my clisents indicating we had some time coming up and were looking for additional work. Now I'm back to having a full schedule of work for my team with a two month reserve of work. If I hadn't sent out the e-mail I would have been struggling to keep my team busy like I had been doing for the last couple of months. This is the second time an e-mail like that worked, so I'm going to send one out every few months just to keep the jobs coming in.
With my sincere hope that this is the answer you are looking for (from someone who has been full-time since 1997),
YES!!!!
Your points about renting and RV and inclement weather are great ideas! Here in Idaho, the winters can get mighty cold. What concerns should I have regarding full time RVing in the winter? Again I would likely be at one park throughout the winter (it's not located in the mountains but is in town)
Thanks again! I really enjoy all the info. and people on this site :)
Dan
Dan
It can be done my son used our 5th wheel Nov- Jan in Idaho Falls which gets cold than Boise for long period of time.
Get some industrial heat tape not the cheap stuff at home Depot. We got ours at electrical supply company. We used Pyrex for water line and wrap with insulation. Also wrap waste line with heat tape, put waste line inside 4" abs pipe and wrap with insulation. And put some skirting around the bottom, plywood works, we had no problems even at -18 for week and half
Well...I have decided that I will in fact be RVing full time. It will be in a few months when I get the issues with my house resolved.
I went looking at a local RV dealer last weekend and the sales person was very helpful. One thing he mentioned to me is that "lower end" trailers are not designed for full time living. I.E. the toilets aren't designed to be flushed numerous times a day, flooring is inadequate for cold temps. etc.
He showed me a Keystone Cougar that he indicated would be appropriate for full time RVing. Again it will be for myself and my 12 year old son.
This is not the exact model but is very similar.
http://keystone-cougar.com/index.php?page=floorplans&coast=west&model=26BHSWE
Thoughts?
Thanks so much!
Dan
Dan,
First and foremost, I must caution that you NOT depend entirely on the word of ANY salesman. It is important that you be the one to do the legwork in regards to finding out what is going to be the best RV for you. Do your own research into the feasibility of each and every unit you are interested in as to whether it will be a good full-time model.
This is in NO WAY a message to say that the Cougar would be a bad choice. I suggest that you look for an owner's association online that would have a forum where you could read about the experiences of actual owners of those brands/models. Now, having said that, keep in mind that forums will have a number of posts from people looking for a solution for a problem they are having.
Because of that, you may get the impression that the model/brand of interest is a bad unit. That is not necessarily the case. Every unit will have problems.
When exploring on owner's forums, I had the stock question to ask of those members that owned the brand of interest at the time. That question is, "Given that you were in the market to purchase a new RV, would you again buy the brand you currently have?"
Good luck with all of your research.
Terry
Just remember, a bad day in an RV is better than a good day at an office. If you don't like your surroundings, move!
As always, you've been given wise counsel,by those already responding.Just to add a few specifics,based on my own experience.
We've been self-employed all of our working lives.Our core business was sold to a large corp. in 2000,and I continue to do consulting work in that industry,around the country.Assignments are uneven,as I provide expert testimony in legally contested matters.Added to that,and to level things out a bit, we bought a school-based business,which while strong in 2000,has suffered from budget cuts,dramatically. It is our plan to end that in June,as no reform of school funding seems at hand, and students have noticibly less to spend.We are concentrating on trying to build the "expert" business,since it can be done from the road,as I am doing now, 1300 miles away from the "office",where we have our base (we are F/T). Part of our decision to F/T was based on economics,and we live in an area where cold is not an issue. Good,safe,gated RV park rentals in our area start @ $600/mo+electric, 1/4 of what it cost to live in the S&B.I've been advised to look at Mobile Parks who will take RV's but so far,none in my area.
Before buying our current RV, we spent two years looking. What we chose was a result of that search,based on utility, price,features, and "gut". Did we make the right choice,who knows ?, but I must echo the comment that no salesperson can give you all the info you need to process, unless they happen to live in what they are touting (not likely).Insulation and exterior finish were considerations for me for the opposite of your concern, mine was heat and sun exposure. Like most things in life, it's about finding balance.
Another thing to share. A friend,recently learning we were going F/T, told me that when he was 12 years old, he and his father lived in an RV together and traveled the US for a whole year. He didn't remember too much about where they went,but has never forgotten the time they had together.Since he's at least my age (64), that memory has lasted quite some time!.The loving dog will make it even better. Ours have adjusted to the RV quite well,and they travel well,too. We've now just compleated 5000 mi of our 6300 mile summer visit to our children,and back. If we hadn't sold the house,we'd have had to cancel the visits.
Put your mind to this as you would any major life decision,and you'll make the right choices. There are times I get a little queezy and ask "did I do the right thing"?, but in my heart, I know I did. I'm sure not getting any younger,
Richard
He takes NO advertising, has years of experience based on being an insurance adjuster for RV claims and has a staff who collect data from owners. It can be a real eye-opener and will probably save you money and headaches.
Sad but true, there are very few 4 and 5-star rated RV manufacturers, but there are thousands of choices. Just know your first RV will probably NOT be your last RV. I prefer to avoid preventable headaches & hassles with knowledge so I spend lots of time researching before I start negotiating.
Enjoy ... the research is part of the fun of RVing.
Thanks!
Dan
Hi, I've never used one,because I've always bought new, but considering all the possibilities for breakdown and wear in a pre-owned unit, (or new,for that matter),seems well worth the price, once you've narrowed down your choices. I'm told they are not inexpensive. Don't know where the best place to find them might be, but very wise move. Remember, low miles and or little use are not necessarily indicitive of a trouble free unit.
Richard