College grad couple moving to full-time travel-trailer living!
pianomanian said
01:56 AM Dec 20, 2016
Hi everyone! Ian and Jordan here. We've just graduated with our bachelor's degrees at 26 and 25 years old, and are gearing up for a transition to full-time travel-trailer living.
I received a unique opportunity to live on a horse farm in a travel trailer (which has yet to be bought- questions to follow!) by a reputable family that owns some local businesses. The husband has offered me a space to teach in his piano store, as well as to apprentice me in piano tuning (his main trade). My girlfriend will help out in the store as well, doing office work and aesthetic upkeep of the pianos in the store.
On top of this generous offer for employment, he is also buying the travel trailer that we will be living in (if all works out, for at least a year or two). His family will use it when we find a place of our own (or if I ever get to building our dream tiny-house!) and he has asked me what kind of specifications my gf and I are looking for.
And this is where this forum and community comes in! I just stumbled across this forum while researching travel-trailers, and I thought it would be a good idea to learn from people who are actually living this reality. I want to make sure I give some good input and clear guidelines to our benefactor for what my gf and I absolutely need for full-time travel-trailer living.
Before I started looking into travel-trailers, I spent a good deal of time looking into tiny houses, as this is what I ultimately want to live in. But trailer living is great too! I just don't know as much about it. Some concerns for trailer living include toxic building materials, and what to look out for in this regard. I'm confident my gf and I can live in a space that's about 250-300 sq feet. And 30 ft long seems like a good length. Most important amenities we would need would be a full stove, kitchen and fridge. Bed could be queen size, and it would be nice to have a full bathtub, but not necessary. We would like some desk space for working, and a space to eat and relax. There are utility hook-ups on the property.
I suppose I'm just looking for some general advice, maybe to be pointed to some more travel-trailer resources, or other forums, blogs, places to look at models, etc. I still don't know what's out there in terms of layouts, the good non-toxic models (or at least models that take into account toxicity even if it's not perfect). Any advice for winter trailer living? We're moving in January to Talent, OR, and it can get to 20 degrees F, and snows sometimes. Nothing extreme, though. Any and all advice/comments/questions are welcomed!
Terry and Jo said
08:19 AM Dec 20, 2016
Welcome Ian and Jordan. You will be moving into a part of Oregon near where we are located, as we live north of Grants Pass.
As for the trailer, I'd say that the one that should really be the primary decider of how it is equipped would be your future boss, since they will be the owners of said trailer after you build your tiny house. However, in the size that you are referring to, finding one with a full tub and a full refrigerator will probably be a daunting task. Some of the newer and larger RV's are coming with "full-sized" residential refrigerators, but most RV's will have smaller ones that are powered by either gas or electric.
With temperatures nearing 20 degrees, unless the trailer is one designed for cold weather "camping," one would probably need to skirt the trailer, and possibly have an electric heater in the underbelly area to prevent freezing. One brand that comes to mind to me would be Arctic Fox. I think it is one that is more designed for cold weather.
Good luck with your research.
Terry
NWescapee said
12:37 PM Dec 26, 2016
I agree with Terry, Arctic Fox would be one option. You might also check out outdoorsrvmfg.com/ Outdoors RV Manufacturing or the Nash brand as well. They both have different lines with only some of the units being rated for cold weather. Before we went FT we had the ORV Wind River and were able to stay relatively warm on a couple of winter camping trips to the Olympic Peninsula. ORV is located in NE Oregon, so a road trip to their factory would give you insight into how well insulated the units are as they are built.
RetiredVagabond said
09:03 AM Dec 28, 2016
Congratulations to both of you. I notice by your profile you are living in the Oregon area and both Terry and Jo and NWescappee have some critical advice - staying warm. One of the other items us full time travelers need to worry about is the plumbing freezing when camping in areas that freeze, both internal, external connections, freshwater tanks and waste water tanks. Even the trailers rated four seasons vary in their ability to insulate with wall, floor and ceiling ratings. Also the basements (under bellies) should be sealed and heated.
Another thing to watch for is the storage areas for clothes and your "stuff". It can be pretty limited for two people in a 30' trailer.
While it's doable, do your research thoroughly. There is some great free advice here on the internet. RV-Dreams is a good place to start. Enjoy your exciting adventure!
Hi everyone! Ian and Jordan here. We've just graduated with our bachelor's degrees at 26 and 25 years old, and are gearing up for a transition to full-time travel-trailer living.
I received a unique opportunity to live on a horse farm in a travel trailer (which has yet to be bought- questions to follow!) by a reputable family that owns some local businesses. The husband has offered me a space to teach in his piano store, as well as to apprentice me in piano tuning (his main trade). My girlfriend will help out in the store as well, doing office work and aesthetic upkeep of the pianos in the store.
On top of this generous offer for employment, he is also buying the travel trailer that we will be living in (if all works out, for at least a year or two). His family will use it when we find a place of our own (or if I ever get to building our dream tiny-house!) and he has asked me what kind of specifications my gf and I are looking for.
And this is where this forum and community comes in! I just stumbled across this forum while researching travel-trailers, and I thought it would be a good idea to learn from people who are actually living this reality. I want to make sure I give some good input and clear guidelines to our benefactor for what my gf and I absolutely need for full-time travel-trailer living.
Before I started looking into travel-trailers, I spent a good deal of time looking into tiny houses, as this is what I ultimately want to live in. But trailer living is great too! I just don't know as much about it. Some concerns for trailer living include toxic building materials, and what to look out for in this regard. I'm confident my gf and I can live in a space that's about 250-300 sq feet. And 30 ft long seems like a good length. Most important amenities we would need would be a full stove, kitchen and fridge. Bed could be queen size, and it would be nice to have a full bathtub, but not necessary. We would like some desk space for working, and a space to eat and relax. There are utility hook-ups on the property.
I suppose I'm just looking for some general advice, maybe to be pointed to some more travel-trailer resources, or other forums, blogs, places to look at models, etc. I still don't know what's out there in terms of layouts, the good non-toxic models (or at least models that take into account toxicity even if it's not perfect). Any advice for winter trailer living? We're moving in January to Talent, OR, and it can get to 20 degrees F, and snows sometimes. Nothing extreme, though. Any and all advice/comments/questions are welcomed!
Welcome Ian and Jordan. You will be moving into a part of Oregon near where we are located, as we live north of Grants Pass.
As for the trailer, I'd say that the one that should really be the primary decider of how it is equipped would be your future boss, since they will be the owners of said trailer after you build your tiny house. However, in the size that you are referring to, finding one with a full tub and a full refrigerator will probably be a daunting task. Some of the newer and larger RV's are coming with "full-sized" residential refrigerators, but most RV's will have smaller ones that are powered by either gas or electric.
With temperatures nearing 20 degrees, unless the trailer is one designed for cold weather "camping," one would probably need to skirt the trailer, and possibly have an electric heater in the underbelly area to prevent freezing. One brand that comes to mind to me would be Arctic Fox. I think it is one that is more designed for cold weather.
Good luck with your research.
Terry
Congratulations to both of you. I notice by your profile you are living in the Oregon area and both Terry and Jo and NWescappee have some critical advice - staying warm. One of the other items us full time travelers need to worry about is the plumbing freezing when camping in areas that freeze, both internal, external connections, freshwater tanks and waste water tanks. Even the trailers rated four seasons vary in their ability to insulate with wall, floor and ceiling ratings. Also the basements (under bellies) should be sealed and heated.
Another thing to watch for is the storage areas for clothes and your "stuff". It can be pretty limited for two people in a 30' trailer.
While it's doable, do your research thoroughly. There is some great free advice here on the internet. RV-Dreams is a good place to start. Enjoy your exciting adventure!