Researching RV Living - RV-Dreams Community Forum

Someday · Someday

With experience comes knowledge and over time this leads to wisdom that can be gratefully imparted onto others taking a similar path. Long time RVers, Full Timers, Extended Timers have learnt so much and made some of the mistakes that they can help others avoid. Out of curiosity, what are the one or...

LifeBeganInaWinnebago · LifeBeganInaWinnebago

I have always thought I would never sell my house to full time. The thought of not having a home base with all the things I find comfortable scares me. But after upgrading to a MH from a pop-up and spending several weeks going from Kansas to the east coast I did not want the vacation to end. When we got hom...

NWescapee · NWescapee

Just wondering if anyone has made the switch from Americas Mailbox to Escapees in SD? Both are in Pennington County so licensing / insurance costs should be the same. Because we run a small business we have to have the Platinum plan from Americas Mailbox which is their most expensive plan, and they ch...

RonC · RonC

Can you actually boondock on solar ... and have air conditioning? How many solar panels and how much battery wattage is needed to do this? -- Edited by RonC on Saturday 4th of June 2016 09:22:53 PM

BillyandKris · BillyandKris

Hi. Is there anyone out there who have their legal residence in Arkansas and are full-time RVers? We sold our house in AR, but prefer to keep our AR residence since we will eventually buy another home in AR. We would like to ask some questions regarding our address for things like Drivers License, whi...

Tom and Mare · Tom and Mare

The research is done for us, time to start living. Hitting the road today! Thanks for everyone's help and inspiration.

BoAndRach · BoAndRach

I know I've seen topics like this before, but can't seem to find them. What tools do you use to plan your travel routes? I'm not really looking for "how to find a camp ground, etc." but looking more for tools that can help find the best route that can accommodate a large rig (e.g. avoiding low...

Bobc · Bobc

well getting ready for full time advantage and a new Big problem has come up it was bad enough that it took all most 6 weeks to get the truck registered and insured now i am ready to go pick up our brand new 5 th wheel trailer and we can not find anybody that will insure the trailer for full time use and being p...

Someday · Someday

We all know the immense advantages of being able to throw caution to the wind and hit the road travelling our wonderful continent but ............ Curious what your biggest fears were and how you got over them prior to finally taking that leap of faith into FT RVing? Likewise since you've been FT (ho...

WanderingB · WanderingB

Howdy everyone, I'm 25 years old, and my husbands (27) job requires moving every 6-9 months. We take trips in-between jobs but I'm always looking for ways to maximize our income during the lulls. I'm a freelance writer and I'm sure a lot of you are aware, writers make GREAT money (sarcasm). I found t...

two 4 the road · two 4 the road

We called our auto insurance company and they told us that the F450 was classified as commercial vehicle and that it would be $2,400 a year! We called our old insurance (State Farm) and they gave us a figure of about $1,300 a year and did not mention anything about it being commercial. We would love to kno...

Future Fulltimers · Future Fulltimers

I have not heard much mentioned in various blogs about any concern or problems with crime while fulltiming. Concern over personal protection is something that all travelers have to be aware of and are not unique to RVers, but property protection would appear to be an additional concern to fulltime...

Torn_But_Not_Ripped · Torn_But_Not_Ripped

I've re-written this post a hundred times cause I didn't want to sound to terribly morbid lol But, has anything happened that made you seriously re-evaluate full timing and going back to sticks & bricks? Point blank, I am scared if I die or DH dies, what will happen to the other. Going from a paid f...

PrairieRV · PrairieRV

I'm just researching motorhomes at this point. I've been in several and looked at lots of pictures. They usually have nice upholstery, wood finishes, fixtures, etc. and are mostly quite attractive and pleasing environments. However, I have some art that I want to keep and have in my living space...

Camper Chronicles · Camper Chronicles

So after a year I finally tackled the job of emptying the black and grey tanks and truly it was not that bad. This completes one of my "big three" concerns about what would happen to me if Lee was incapacitated in some way. Next up learning to hitch/unhitchc the truck comfortably by myself a...

Hdrider · Hdrider

While we were researching the fulltime RV life style we spent countless hours on Linda & Howards sites and expense pages as well as other RV'ers out there and found them very helpful. In return we have done a yearly update on our experience on the road the last 3 years in hope it might help even one p...

Geos · Geos

I don't have an RV yet but I'm shopping for a bus conversion in the 35'-40' range. I'd like to save $$$ by going toad-free. I'm wondering if anyone else with a large RV is toad free. Thanks for any feedback.

Flashman · Flashman

This is probably covered elsewhere, so forgive me - we are planning to change our residency to Texas in June 2016. We chose Texas over SD primarily for insurance reasons as my wife will not be Medicare eligible for another couple years and I've been reading that SD is not a good place for residency as...

Torn_In_TN · Torn_In_TN

Ok, so here we go... DH and I have been married just over 20 years. We are coming out of a bankruptcy early 2017. At that point, everything we have will be paid for free and clear. Including the house we've been living in our entire marriage, and he has had for 30+ years. We have a small TT that we've had fo...

In Laymans Terms · In Laymans Terms

We are trying to decide whether or not to store - indefinitely - our larger, more expensive pieces of furniture and tools. So I am looking for personal knowledge and experience from anyone who has stored their items in non-climate-controlled conditions. Our belongings will experience temperatur...

bobk3d · bobk3d

I'm sure this question comes up often, but darned if I can find it. I'm trying to guesstimate how much cargo capacity I need for for full-timing. I guess people do it in all sizes and shapes, the trailers/5ths in my price range have absurdly low capacities. It's amazing, some manufacturers use the same...

Camper Chronicles · Camper Chronicles

Hi all, Looking for opinions or experiences here. Which do you think or have you found costs more in general. The reason I ask is in my brain it would be cheaper to stay still, less gas etc, but many folks who have done this awhile move very frequently and keep their costs very low. So what's the scoop...

tracyn · tracyn

How to receive mail when fulltiming

suse1023 · suse1023

I normally enjoy dramatic weather, but I suppose that's easy to do from the comfort of a stick and brick compared to an rv. on the farm we had the generator, 500 gallon diesel tank, a fresh water stream behind the house and a big woodlot, so power outages or high winds or deep snow didn't really bother us b...

PD CFK · PD CFK

A search for vacuums turns up mostly old posts. I'm thinking of getting a replacement for the Dirt Devil (aptly named, by the way) and am interested in the Dyson Stick. Can someone give me info on which is the most economical and useful one, and where to purchase it. There are so many on line, it is con...

Wildflowerz · Wildflowerz

There is nothing better than soaking in an epsom salt bath to sooth the aches and pains of aging. Our travel trailer has a bathtub/shower combination which has come in handy a few times. Dh and I are in the planning phase of going full time and we are researching the best motorhome option for us. I haven'...

hogsheartrvs · hogsheartrvs

This may seem a silly question - but here it is: Did any of you keep holiday decorations for the RV and/or to take with you in the storage of your RV, for any reason? We are getting ready to go through our attic, as one of the steps of purging stuff, prior to going full-time. And, holiday stuff is the majori...

EggerMar · EggerMar

Hi all.. We have a Class A diesel pusher and are going full time this spring. I'm wondering what fulltimers do when they have to take the RV in for service.... It can sometimes take days or even weeks to get looked at for repairs or just general maintenance like oil changes or 60,000 mile check ups. Wher...

Second Chance · Second Chance

I’ve found another good thread on the forum about laundry, but the discussion was all about laundromats vs. on-board washers/dryers. We have selected a fifth wheel that is prepped for W/D in the front closet, but we’re not sure we want to add the weight to the front of the RV (only have a ¾ ton truck). We’...

MPMomof3 · MPMomof3

Full-Timers: If you were to make a list of the top ten most useful items in your RV, what would they be?

Topic		Started By	Replies	Views	Last Post
	Words Of Wisdom From The Wisest RVers - Please Share Your Pearls Of Wisdom (Preview) With experience comes knowledge and over time this leads to wisdom that can be gratefully imparted onto others taking a similar path. Long time RVers, Full Timers, Extended Timers have learnt so much and made some of the mistakes that they can help others avoid. Out of curiosity, what are the one or...	Someday	14	3495	07:41 AM Nov 16, 2016 by TheNewhalls
	Full Time RV Living (Preview) I have always thought I would never sell my house to full time. The thought of not having a home base with all the things I find comfortable scares me. But after upgrading to a MH from a pop-up and spending several weeks going from Kansas to the east coast I did not want the vacation to end. When we got hom...	LifeBeganInaWinnebago	27	6321	05:50 AM Nov 5, 2016 by Camper Chronicles
	Switching Mail Forwarding Companies in SD? (Preview) Just wondering if anyone has made the switch from Americas Mailbox to Escapees in SD? Both are in Pennington County so licensing / insurance costs should be the same. Because we run a small business we have to have the Platinum plan from Americas Mailbox which is their most expensive plan, and they ch...	NWescapee	19	4689	03:11 PM Oct 26, 2016 by Judy L
	Boondocking (Preview) Can you actually boondock on solar ... and have air conditioning? How many solar panels and how much battery wattage is needed to do this? -- Edited by RonC on Saturday 4th of June 2016 09:22:53 PM	RonC	10	3579	08:34 AM Oct 26, 2016 by LifeBeganInaWinnebago
	Arkansas Residence information needed (Preview) Hi. Is there anyone out there who have their legal residence in Arkansas and are full-time RVers? We sold our house in AR, but prefer to keep our AR residence since we will eventually buy another home in AR. We would like to ask some questions regarding our address for things like Drivers License, whi...	BillyandKris	0	1651	01:37 PM Apr 30, 2016 by BillyandKris
	Day 1 (Preview) The research is done for us, time to start living. Hitting the road today! Thanks for everyone's help and inspiration.	Tom and Mare	9	2993	05:34 PM Apr 29, 2016 by Tom and Mare
	Beginner's Question - Travel Routes (Preview) I know I've seen topics like this before, but can't seem to find them. What tools do you use to plan your travel routes? I'm not really looking for "how to find a camp ground, etc." but looking more for tools that can help find the best route that can accommodate a large rig (e.g. avoiding low...	BoAndRach	21	6386	10:07 AM Mar 26, 2016 by NWescapee
	Take care of one problem then comes another (Preview) well getting ready for full time advantage and a new Big problem has come up it was bad enough that it took all most 6 weeks to get the truck registered and insured now i am ready to go pick up our brand new 5 th wheel trailer and we can not find anybody that will insure the trailer for full time use and being p...	Bobc	26	5045	07:53 PM Feb 24, 2016 by SuzieQ
	Biggest Fears Before Going FT And Biggest Challenges Since And How You Overcame Them (Preview) We all know the immense advantages of being able to throw caution to the wind and hit the road travelling our wonderful continent but ............ Curious what your biggest fears were and how you got over them prior to finally taking that leap of faith into FT RVing? Likewise since you've been FT (ho...	Someday	11	3181	12:52 PM Feb 22, 2016 by cherylbrv
	Traveling Jobs (Preview) Howdy everyone, I'm 25 years old, and my husbands (27) job requires moving every 6-9 months. We take trips in-between jobs but I'm always looking for ways to maximize our income during the lulls. I'm a freelance writer and I'm sure a lot of you are aware, writers make GREAT money (sarcasm). I found t...	WanderingB	5	3170	05:36 PM Feb 20, 2016 by PIEERE
	Who has the best insurance rate on Ford F450? (Preview) We called our auto insurance company and they told us that the F450 was classified as commercial vehicle and that it would be $2,400 a year! We called our old insurance (State Farm) and they gave us a figure of about $1,300 a year and did not mention anything about it being commercial. We would love to kno...	two 4 the road	19	5744	08:00 AM Feb 17, 2016 by Bill and Linda
	Concerns or Problems with Crime (closed) (Preview) I have not heard much mentioned in various blogs about any concern or problems with crime while fulltiming. Concern over personal protection is something that all travelers have to be aware of and are not unique to RVers, but property protection would appear to be an additional concern to fulltime...	Future Fulltimers	46	12214	11:40 AM Jan 25, 2016 by Terry and Jo
	Going back (Preview) I've re-written this post a hundred times cause I didn't want to sound to terribly morbid lol But, has anything happened that made you seriously re-evaluate full timing and going back to sticks & bricks? Point blank, I am scared if I die or DH dies, what will happen to the other. Going from a paid f...	Torn_But_Not_Ripped	24	3137	02:44 PM Jan 22, 2016 by Neil and Connie
	Wall Art in an RV (Preview) I'm just researching motorhomes at this point. I've been in several and looked at lots of pictures. They usually have nice upholstery, wood finishes, fixtures, etc. and are mostly quite attractive and pleasing environments. However, I have some art that I want to keep and have in my living space...	PrairieRV	8	1639	01:15 AM Jan 22, 2016 by Lynn and Ed
	It only took me a year to empty the black and grey tanks lol (Preview) So after a year I finally tackled the job of emptying the black and grey tanks and truly it was not that bad. This completes one of my "big three" concerns about what would happen to me if Lee was incapacitated in some way. Next up learning to hitch/unhitchc the truck comfortably by myself a...	Camper Chronicles	2	1384	09:06 PM Jan 18, 2016 by BiggarView
	3rd year update (Preview) While we were researching the fulltime RV life style we spent countless hours on Linda & Howards sites and expense pages as well as other RV'ers out there and found them very helpful. In return we have done a yearly update on our experience on the road the last 3 years in hope it might help even one p...	Hdrider	10	1862	06:04 PM Jan 5, 2016 by NWescapee
	40' bus/rv without toad? (Preview) I don't have an RV yet but I'm shopping for a bus conversion in the 35'-40' range. I'd like to save $$$ by going toad-free. I'm wondering if anyone else with a large RV is toad free. Thanks for any feedback.	Geos	21	2764	07:22 AM Dec 31, 2015 by Lucky Mike
	Health Care (Preview) This is probably covered elsewhere, so forgive me - we are planning to change our residency to Texas in June 2016. We chose Texas over SD primarily for insurance reasons as my wife will not be Medicare eligible for another couple years and I've been reading that SD is not a good place for residency as...	Flashman	2	1286	10:52 AM Dec 2, 2015 by Camper Chronicles
	Yay or Nay (Preview) Ok, so here we go... DH and I have been married just over 20 years. We are coming out of a bankruptcy early 2017. At that point, everything we have will be paid for free and clear. Including the house we've been living in our entire marriage, and he has had for 30+ years. We have a small TT that we've had fo...	Torn_In_TN	8	1697	01:17 PM Nov 24, 2015 by PIEERE
	Does furniture survive long-term storage? (Preview) We are trying to decide whether or not to store - indefinitely - our larger, more expensive pieces of furniture and tools. So I am looking for personal knowledge and experience from anyone who has stored their items in non-climate-controlled conditions. Our belongings will experience temperatur...	In Laymans Terms	14	2342	10:28 PM Nov 12, 2015 by jrzygrl64
	Estimating my cargo (Preview) I'm sure this question comes up often, but darned if I can find it. I'm trying to guesstimate how much cargo capacity I need for for full-timing. I guess people do it in all sizes and shapes, the trailers/5ths in my price range have absurdly low capacities. It's amazing, some manufacturers use the same...	bobk3d	12	2342	09:37 AM Nov 4, 2015 by bobk3d
	Opinions Wanted: What Costs More Moving Frequently or Staying Still? (Preview) Hi all, Looking for opinions or experiences here. Which do you think or have you found costs more in general. The reason I ask is in my brain it would be cheaper to stay still, less gas etc, but many folks who have done this awhile move very frequently and keep their costs very low. So what's the scoop...	Camper Chronicles	18	3096	10:03 PM Oct 14, 2015 by legrandnormand
	Receiving mail (Preview) How to receive mail when fulltiming	tracyn	7	1624	05:32 AM Oct 8, 2015 by Julie and Casey
	what do you do in severe weather? (Preview) I normally enjoy dramatic weather, but I suppose that's easy to do from the comfort of a stick and brick compared to an rv. on the farm we had the generator, 500 gallon diesel tank, a fresh water stream behind the house and a big woodlot, so power outages or high winds or deep snow didn't really bother us b...	suse1023	30	2889	12:11 PM Sep 28, 2015 by Sushidog
	Dyson Stick Vac (Preview) A search for vacuums turns up mostly old posts. I'm thinking of getting a replacement for the Dirt Devil (aptly named, by the way) and am interested in the Dyson Stick. Can someone give me info on which is the most economical and useful one, and where to purchase it. There are so many on line, it is con...	PD CFK	9	2062	05:04 PM Sep 18, 2015 by PD CFK
	Do you miss having a bathtub? (Preview) There is nothing better than soaking in an epsom salt bath to sooth the aches and pains of aging. Our travel trailer has a bathtub/shower combination which has come in handy a few times. Dh and I are in the planning phase of going full time and we are researching the best motorhome option for us. I haven'...	Wildflowerz	15	2138	07:11 AM Aug 31, 2015 by Camper Chronicles
	What To Do With Holiday Decorations - Purging to go full-time (Preview) This may seem a silly question - but here it is: Did any of you keep holiday decorations for the RV and/or to take with you in the storage of your RV, for any reason? We are getting ready to go through our attic, as one of the steps of purging stuff, prior to going full-time. And, holiday stuff is the majori...	hogsheartrvs	16	2217	11:45 AM Aug 12, 2015 by Allpeds
	What do you do when....... (Preview) Hi all.. We have a Class A diesel pusher and are going full time this spring. I'm wondering what fulltimers do when they have to take the RV in for service.... It can sometimes take days or even weeks to get looked at for repairs or just general maintenance like oil changes or 60,000 mile check ups. Wher...	EggerMar	13	2460	11:14 AM Jul 22, 2015 by NWescapee
	Full-timing laundry questions laundry fifth wheel (Preview) I’ve found another good thread on the forum about laundry, but the discussion was all about laundromats vs. on-board washers/dryers. We have selected a fifth wheel that is prepped for W/D in the front closet, but we’re not sure we want to add the weight to the front of the RV (only have a ¾ ton truck). We’...	Second Chance	33	8494	11:48 AM Jul 19, 2015 by Someday
	Top Ten Most Useful Things (Preview) Full-Timers: If you were to make a list of the top ten most useful items in your RV, what would they be?	MPMomof3	40	3922	04:52 PM Jun 6, 2015 by MPMomof3
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