My wife and I were considering full timing about a year ago and received a lot of encouragement from posters on this forum. So, we 70 somethings jumped in and, after much research, bought a 35 foot fiver and a Silverado 3500 diesel dually, a truck "big enough to stop the camper, not just pull it" – per advice read on this forum.
We were concerned about pulling something that long having only experienced towing a trailer carrying a 16 foot boat. We did some research as did our dealer (we highly recommend Family Camping Outlet in Pottstown, PA) and the dealer found Allen Gingrich (www.RVSafeT.com) for us. We spent 2 days (4 hours per day) working with Allen on driving, backing, turning, merging into traffic, parking, driver/spotter communication, setting up the camper, etc. He even sat in the passenger seat as I drove to our first campground! Allen is enthusiastic and knowledgeable -- he obviously enjoys what he is doing and his enjoyment is infectious. A goal of his is to make sure each of his clients is comfortable behind the wheel and can drive their rig safely before he turns them loose. We also highly recommend Allen and plan to book a "refresher" with him this December.
As newbies, I'd like to pass along only 5 of the many things we have learned during our first 3 months of full-timing: 1) Expect and plan for the unexpected – we bought a new unit to avoid "problems." The control panel and a front leveling jack went out after just a few stops. The manufacturer (K-Z) was cooperative, quickly got the parts to the technician to make the repairs and met their warranty responsibilities without question. 2) Don't be afraid or reluctant to ask for help – we needed help a couple of times already; for example, my wife asked a "neighbor" to help her back me up about 200 feet to an alternate site on our second stop (the assigned site had an overhanging tree that was too low to allow us to pull through or back in under it). Another time a "Campground Angel," as we call them, ran after us as we were leaving to let us know about the vent cover we left open (and we use a checklist before moving!). 3) This really is an OJT experience. No matter how handy you are or how much you have researched full-time RVing, there always are new things to experience or something else to learn. 4) Go slow, this is not all vacation, you still have bills to pay, plans to make, and things, occasionally, to fix – for example, we didn't go slow enough in selecting one of our first sites and I chose a site where I quickly found out that the black and grey tanks do not easily drain uphill. And 5) Per Howard, don't try to see everything – we have slowed down and, until we really get used to this new way of life, we plan on spending about 2 weeks between moves and taking day trips to enjoy the wonderful things this country of ours has to offer.
I am truly sorry for the long post – Peace, blessings and safety to you all.
RonC said
04:35 PM Oct 23, 2016
Great post, and good advice (the slow down part). Safe travels.
el Rojo and Pam said
06:42 AM Oct 24, 2016
Good times! Sounds like you're getting in the grove.
jrzygrl64 said
07:45 PM Oct 24, 2016
Sounds like you are off to an awesome start! Keep up the good work!
NorCal Dan said
08:05 PM Oct 24, 2016
No doubt your words of wisdom will help someone down the road. Thanks for taking the time to share your experiences with us...we all learn from each other around here. It sounds to me like you are well on your way. No need to hurry, take your time and enjoy the scenery.
pkhalin said
04:54 PM Oct 30, 2016
George, this is a great post. Something to go along with item #1 in knowing something may go wrong, is having the patience to go along with that and that ultimately, this too shall pass. If you fret too much over such things, it may not be worth it to you.
My wife and I were considering full timing about a year ago and received a lot of encouragement from posters on this forum. So, we 70 somethings jumped in and, after much research, bought a 35 foot fiver and a Silverado 3500 diesel dually, a truck "big enough to stop the camper, not just pull it" – per advice read on this forum.
We were concerned about pulling something that long having only experienced towing a trailer carrying a 16 foot boat. We did some research as did our dealer (we highly recommend Family Camping Outlet in Pottstown, PA) and the dealer found Allen Gingrich (www.RVSafeT.com) for us. We spent 2 days (4 hours per day) working with Allen on driving, backing, turning, merging into traffic, parking, driver/spotter communication, setting up the camper, etc. He even sat in the passenger seat as I drove to our first campground! Allen is enthusiastic and knowledgeable -- he obviously enjoys what he is doing and his enjoyment is infectious. A goal of his is to make sure each of his clients is comfortable behind the wheel and can drive their rig safely before he turns them loose. We also highly recommend Allen and plan to book a "refresher" with him this December.
As newbies, I'd like to pass along only 5 of the many things we have learned during our first 3 months of full-timing: 1) Expect and plan for the unexpected – we bought a new unit to avoid "problems." The control panel and a front leveling jack went out after just a few stops. The manufacturer (K-Z) was cooperative, quickly got the parts to the technician to make the repairs and met their warranty responsibilities without question. 2) Don't be afraid or reluctant to ask for help – we needed help a couple of times already; for example, my wife asked a "neighbor" to help her back me up about 200 feet to an alternate site on our second stop (the assigned site had an overhanging tree that was too low to allow us to pull through or back in under it). Another time a "Campground Angel," as we call them, ran after us as we were leaving to let us know about the vent cover we left open (and we use a checklist before moving!). 3) This really is an OJT experience. No matter how handy you are or how much you have researched full-time RVing, there always are new things to experience or something else to learn. 4) Go slow, this is not all vacation, you still have bills to pay, plans to make, and things, occasionally, to fix – for example, we didn't go slow enough in selecting one of our first sites and I chose a site where I quickly found out that the black and grey tanks do not easily drain uphill. And 5) Per Howard, don't try to see everything – we have slowed down and, until we really get used to this new way of life, we plan on spending about 2 weeks between moves and taking day trips to enjoy the wonderful things this country of ours has to offer.
I am truly sorry for the long post – Peace, blessings and safety to you all.
George, this is a great post. Something to go along with item #1 in knowing something may go wrong, is having the patience to go along with that and that ultimately, this too shall pass. If you fret too much over such things, it may not be worth it to you.