Fulltiming in 34' travel trailer - RV-Dreams Community Forum

Bkjones · RV-Dreams Community Member

Fulltiming in 34' travel trailer

Dog Folks · RV-Dreams Family Member

We have been full time, for 6 years now, with three adults, and two small dogs in our trailer. It is 34 feet long, with the rear slide open. We tow it with a 2005 Dodge 3500 with a Leer top on the back for extra storage. Both are paid for.

When we did the research for this lifestyle, the best advice we ever recieved was to enter the lifestyle debt free. In 39 years of marriage, we have always been in debt, but no more! So we pass this advice onto you.... Stay Debt Free! That is the most important item.

We chose this size trailer to be able to stay in the smaller State and Federal campgrounds. It has worked out well lenghtwise, and we are not as tall as the average 5th wheel. Yes, I know 5th sheels tow better, but with a good hitch like a Reeese Dual Cam or a Hensley, a travel trailer will tow just fine.

Remember, this will be your home, so pruchase quality items for it.

The type of unit is personal to every camper, and this was ours. We are happy with it.

Team Murc · RV-Dreams Family Member

We can relate!
We will start our semi-full timing in our 26' Sunline then make a decision on a 5th wheel somewhere down the road.
A little scary to go from a 2200 sq ft home to trailer but we're game!

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

There are some that full-time in a travel trailer. There is even one couple who are in a Casita and another couple in a slide-in truck camper.

Be sure and consider the weight issues of your plans for solar and inverter equipment. Inverters and batteries are heavy, so I would suspect that might seriously affect your cargo carrying capacity.

Good luck with all the plans for upgrading, and be sure and keep us informed of your progress. I'm sure others would like to know your experiences.

Terry

MaryBee · RV-Dreams Family Member

Team Murc wrote:
We can relate!
We will start our semi-full timing in our 26' Sunline then make a decision on a 5th wheel somewhere down the road.
A little scary to go from a 2200 sq ft home to trailer but we're game!

Brings back memories! We used to have a 18ft Sunline TT and we just loved it! We could pull in anywhere cuz we were small and it towed like a dream!

Of course..over the years we have upgraded and grown larger and larger in size but I really miss our old Sunline sometimes! :)

Technomadia · RV-Dreams Family Member

We started out in a 16' T@b teardrop travel trailer (45 sq ft of space). We were in that for a year. And then we moved up to a 17' Oliver (fiberglass) trailer for the next 3 years. We loved life in them both - and they both had solar and designed for off-grid high-tech living.

We opted more recently to try out life in a converted vintage bus, mainly because we like to shake things up. We're in the process of designing our electrical systems, and have gotten as far as installing a 500 AH Lithium Ion battery bank that has a lot of benefits for off-grid power storage and small spaces & weight limitations. We'll be adding many watts of solar to the roof as well.

Debt free is an awesome thing, and really allows for a lot more agility. Paid for is an excellent quality. So is knowing your rig.

And heck, nothing says that you can't trade in for something different down the road if you find it's not suitable for your full time lifestyle. So I'd say - if your instincts are saying it's workable, go for it!

Best wishes!
- Cherie

MaryBee · RV-Dreams Family Member

Technomadia wrote:
We started out in a 16' T@b teardrop travel trailer (45 sq ft of space). We were in that for a year. And then we moved up to a 17' Oliver (fiberglass) trailer for the next 3 years. We loved life in them both - and they both had solar and designed for off-grid high-tech living.

We opted more recently to try out life in a converted vintage bus, mainly because we like to shake things up. We're in the process of designing our electrical systems, and have gotten as far as installing a 500 AH Lithium Ion battery bank that has a lot of benefits for off-grid power storage and small spaces & weight limitations. We'll be adding many watts of solar to the roof as well.

Debt free is an awesome thing, and really allows for a lot more agility. Paid for is an excellent quality. So is knowing your rig.

And heck, nothing says that you can't trade in for something different down the road if you find it's not suitable for your full time lifestyle. So I'd say - if your instincts are saying it's workable, go for it!

Best wishes!
- Cherie

Cherie,

Your bus looks awesome! Was on your blog the other day trying to research what kind of internet system I want to put together and saw your office set up...looks fantastic to me!

Right now for my internet, I teather with my (Sprint) cell phone and I want to get a booster of some kind for those places we get into that are in the fringes and I only have 1 bar of service.I was going to also get the Mellincom Advanced plan on the Verison network so I have internet on both Sprint and Verizon but dang...they are not offering that right now. :(

I too think that "debt free" is the way to go when fulltiming...If you like your "set up" and are comfy with it then give it a try see how things go. 34ft is plenty of room to fulltime with especially if your TT has slides to make your living space larger.

Everyone has to do what is "best for them"...we all have different tastes.

We are going into fulltimeing "debt free" our truck and fiver are paid for
and because we are not of "retirement age" that is an important factor for us as our only income will be from my internet business and any money we make workamping.

Like a previous poster said...you can always change down the road if things are not working out for you. Good Luck!

Ckerr · RV-Dreams Family Member

We will be starting our full time adventure in a 23 foot travel trailer with no slides. I'm sure we will be fine in the beginning because it is paid for. Once we get some other things taken care of we're looking for something larger, but like most folks have said, paid for is good!

Bill and Linda · RV-Dreams Family Member

Everyone’s situation and the need / capacity to carry “stuff” is different. My Mom and Dad full-timed in a 31’ and then 34’ Airstream pulled by a 2500 Chevy Suburban for almost 30 years. They finished up work, traveled the US and Canada and loved the Airstream, fulltimer lifestyle. This was a choice of lifestyle and had nothing to do with being able to afford or keep a house while they traved.

It just depends on you. Can it be done – absolutely it can.

Bill

Bkjones · RV-Dreams Community Member

Well, things moved along much faster than we expected. We listed the house for sale, had a contract two weeks later, and closed two weeks after that. We have been living in the trailer for about a month now. We're still working and saving and could be traveling and/or workamping starting next April. We are very excited to get on the road.

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

Congratulations on the quick sale. We agonized through three years to get rid of ours. Now, if we could just retire and start traveling.

Good luck with your future travels and lifestyle. We hope everything in your life is as good as you imagine it to be.

Terry