Let me save you some time, by the end of this thread you will be convinced that i'm crazy. Your right. I know nothing about RV's, but we are planning on moving from town out to some property we own, but only plan on being there for a year or so before we leave the state. So my idea is to just buy a camper for me and the wife to live in for that time. When we get ready to move just hook up and leave. So my first question is with these new campers is this realistic, and secondly any suggestions on what to look for in these things? I can't afford a mistake on this one.

 

I have done the full time RV trick many times Rv livin can be as comfortable as livin in a house
1) try to buy the largest RV you can afford
2) If you buy a used RV you will get more RV for your money
3) To live in a RV year round it needs to be setup for cold weather....holding tank heaters....heat tape on water pipes....good windows....and a good grade furnace
4) Try to buy a RV with a washer & dryer
5) The roof is important a seamless rubberized roof is a good choice
6) If you setup in one spot for a long time....protect your tires from rot....I setup my tires on a board then cover them from the sun
7) Livin in a RV full time means it will be heavy because all your processions will be in the RV so storage space becomes important (the more the better)
8) RV livin is different so common items like TV and Phone become a problem.....I solved the problem with Satellite for my TV and Internet connection by using a Data Storm Satellite it gives me highspeed internet and TV in one package

 

Pappyman gave some good tips. Some other observations:
1) Do you wish to use this RV after you leave where you are, like for continued travel?
2) Highly recommend not buying a motorhome if you are going to sit one spot - - maintainence becomes a real problem when they just sit. I would recommend a fifth wheel.
3) Back to statement 1: if you buy a fifth wheel, you must get something that your truck can handle, or buy a bigger truck when it comes time to start travelling. If you buy toooooo big, you will need something like a Ferd 550 to pull it - - horrors. Or worse yet, a Mack. Study carefully GVWR and GCWR issues before making any decisions.
4) Always be looking at weight issues - - we opted to not have the washer and dryer in this fiver due to weight. I am all ready over without the set.
5) You will definitely want slideouts - - it was important to us for our type of travelling that we can still function overnight and be able to use the galley with the slides not extended.
6) Totally agree on purchasing used - - you save 1/2 by locating a nice little used one about 2 - 3 years old.

Good luck
Bob

 

I can give you some first hand info on this subject ... since I currently live in mine full time .

Along with everything given to you so far ... I strongly suggest that once you buy one, park the thing in your driveway and live in it full time for a month. As much as possible, use only the trailers facilities, eat the food you have stored in there, and use the supplies that you have stored in there. This will let you ease into the lifestyle and still have a backup. There are adjustments to make since the walls can get a little tight after a while.

A person could spend a fortune on a nice rv / trailer with all the bells and whistles or they can buy an adequate one that serves the purpose. There are some real cheap pieces of crap for sale ... beware !!!
The basic "shelter" of the RV is no big thing ... you can adapt to anything if you set your mind to it (RVing is awesome !!!) but to really enjoy it you need to take care of the necessary things like structural integrity, water, sewer and power. Do your research to know what to look for in a trailer.

Will you have provisions for the other things on your property or will you be "dry" camping ??

I assume that you will be living in it during the winter months as well ... you need to think about a few things:

How you will protect your holding tanks from freezing?
(potable water as well as grey/black water)

How often you will need to refill the propane tanks?
(hot water heater, furnace, stove and possibly refrigerator will run on propane)

Do you have enough storage space for the extra clothes and blankets ? (outside storage sheds and plastic boxes are a great help)

Summer time brings a few things to mind also:

The air conditioner only works with 110 vac ... if there is no power available, you will have to run a generator when you want A/C. (Sometimes hard to sleep at night with generator noise and you will also need to store gas for the generator).

Look into a California Room. Basically a huge screened in porch that uses your awning as the roof. Put some fake grass or carpet and your lawn chairs in there and wa-la ... you have almost doubled the size of your home and have a great place to sit with the wife and watch the sunset.

Here is a good link for you ... sure helps me at times http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm

Hope this helps ...
PISTOL

 

You have received some great info already, I would like to chime is with a few other things as the wife and I have been fulltiming a little over a year. We stay in Missouri through the winter so cold weather is nothing new.

Staying fulltime you will have alot of moisture in the RV during the winter from cooking with gas and just breathing. You will need a small dehumidifier to remove the moisture. Please look for a quiet one. The one we use is loud so I usually only run it at night when we go to bed. We like the noise then. You will be suprised how much water it removes from the air. Note: During the summer the A/C removes the moisture.

I highly recommend a heatpump. It removes ALOT of moisture from the air and it heats very well down into the upper 30's. Another nice thing about the pump is it is electric so you are saving on propane. At most RV parks you pay a flat fee for electiric so you save money too!

On the road with the RV: We found that when traveling we wanted (needed) access to the toilet and the fridge. Many of the RV floorplans do not allow access to these when the slides are in. We opted for a center kitchen, the fridge is straight in when you open the door.

Water: If you will be setup in one spot I recommend filling the onboard water tank and then putting the hose away. It is a bit of a hassle but beats heat tape, freezing and busting. We have a 70 gal. freshwater tank, I have to fill it twice a week. (Sun and Wed).

We do have a washer/dryer but don't use it unless we are someplace we have fulltime water. We would not have an
RV without the W/D.

We don't skirt our RV. They do make kits to do it. If you get the heated underbelly you will be fine. We don't have storm windows either. We bought a egg crate matress pad and cut foam to fit into our window openings. At night we put the foam in the windows and close the day/night shades. This holds the foam in place. If we bought a new RV we would order strorm windows. But we do just fine without them. We only need the foam when it gets into the 20's or below.

I highly recommend a used RV as well. We looked at alot of new ones and the best price and options came preowned.

If you have any questions please feel free to ask.

Brian

 

We vacation in our FW now but have thought about doing some full timing... some day. The advice so far looks right on. I'd suggest the RV.net forums to cast a wider net and chat with a big group of RV enthusiasts and more full-timers

 

A big thanks to everyone for the quick response, this is gonna be a lot info for my little brain to soak in. That RV.NET sight could keep me lost for weeks with all that info. If it's anything like this sight, they'l have me puttin an over size turbo and injectors on this 5th wheel, just to keep up with everybody else. I know when I bought this truck way back when I didnt even know what BOMBING was until I stumbled across this site, and now I wonder where it will end.

 

I forgot to add in there, we are strictly looking for a 5th wheel. I figured on putting up a car port for it and I already have a barn out there with all the utility connections and a closed up room with utility connections for washer/dryer and storage. Any suggestions on brands either good or bad?

 

You don't say what your present truck is as far as size. If you wish to pull it with that truck, you will have to stay smaller in length.

Look for what they call a four seasons unit. Most of those use a frame wall rather the vacuum wall. Typical four season brands will be Travel Supreme (very heavy), Newmar lines (Mountain Aire, etc), Carriage, Teton, and several others. These will have good insulation, good materials that will hold up, made to hit the road and not fall apart. They all look pretty good when new - - give them some years and some miles and suddenly you see which ones can take the lifestyle.