Breaking Camp/Staying Put - RV-Dreams Community Forum

Flashman · RV-Dreams Community Member

Breaking Camp/Staying Put

Sushidog · RV-Dreams Family Member

Breaking camp every few days sounds like vacationing on a tight schedule, not full-timing with all the time in the world. The only reason I would consider such a thing is if my doctor told me I had a very short fuse. If this is the case, I'm terribly sorry.

Chip

Technomadia · RV-Dreams Family Member

For our first couple years on the road, we moved every couple days. It did indeed become unsustainable.

Now we typically stay places longer. We still mix it up.. we do an occasional night or two stop. But then we stay places measured in weeks (5-14 days is a great stay for us). It's the only way we can get in our work hours, enjoy exploring a location, get all the household chores done, plan/research the next stop and feel like we're not on constant rushed vacation.

Clay L · RV-Dreams Family Member

Like most folks we moved a lot the first couple of years or so, then slowed down as we realized we were always at home wherever we were parked and there was no reason to hurry to get anywhere.
Unless we were in transit to someplace and wanted to get there for a reason (like to meet friends) we stayed at least a month to get the much cheaper monthly rates.

bjoyce · RV-Dreams Family Member

You can also choose an RV that makes it easy to set up or break down camp. Friends with older non-slide motorhomes can be up and running in under 15 minutes, which they do all the time at Wal-Mart. You also have the choice of how much has to be unpacked and packed when moving, hours of putting away all the little stuff can be tedious. We are somewhere in between and can move daily, and will do some one night stays when traveling.
Interestingly, when I see someone come in and take hours to get their site set up on a Saturday, I often see those same people take hours to put it all away on Sunday when they leave.

BiggarView · RV-Dreams Family Member

I asked the same question of an RVer who was packing up when we were tent camping at a TT park last summer. His response,... "When I first thought about it, I was worried it would eat up so much time with each set-up break down. Now, we are so good at it we can set-up or break down in less than an hour. It just became part of the ritual... no big deal". As I watched... it seemed just that... no big deal. He was efficient and lost no time doing all the things he had to do and was gone in 45 minutes.

FWIW, Brian

Jim01 · RV-Dreams Family Member

When we first started full-timing, we would put out lights, tables, chairs, mats, whirly gigs and all kinds of stuff. That soon got to be a real pain when it was time to pack up and move. Little by little, we ended up putting out less and less and soon all we had were the essentials for sitting out under the awning and cooking if the weather was nice.

We went from about an hour and a half down to less than a half an hour to get set up or packed up to leave, plus, we didn't have to find someplace in the RV to put all that stuff.

All that stuff outside is nice, but it's a real pain when packing it back up to get on the road again.

Simplifying is the answer.

Jim

Selah · RV-Dreams Family Member

It's not a vacation any more, it's a life style. Staying only two or three days in an area is like setting aside 15 minutes to see a full length movie. You can see the opening but have no idea of the whole picture.
That said, after a few breaking camps it becomes pretty efficient and routine, however never let it get so routine that you forget to do your checklist. You will also learn some tricks to make it easier and quicker such as putting away chairs, grill, etc the night before you leave. It's just not a big deal.

Russ Ranger · RV-Dreams Family Member

The second year has gotten much easier. We each know our routine and we do our quick cross checks before we pull out. A few of the questions/checks were added following minor incidents.

Once our routine was in place the time can be less than 30 minutes, but usually we are in no hurry because we are early risers. The biggest time variable is dumping waste tanks. If it is a nice clean place and there is no one waiting behind me I'll take the time to do a couple complete washouts of the tanks. You learn to love a well designed, clean pump-out station.

Although we move more often than the average person it has become a very easy, no strain process. We don't put any pressures on each other, therefore it has become a comfortable routine that is rewarded with a new location and adventure that same afternoon.

Think of all the time in life that is saved not mowing the lawn or shoveling snow. In perspective the pack-up is no big deal.

Life is very good in the RV.

soos · RV-Dreams Family Member

biggaRView wrote:
I asked the same question of an RVer who was packing up when we were tent camping at a TT park last summer. His response,... "When I first thought about it, I was worried it would eat up so much time with each set-up break down. Now, we are so good at it we can set-up or break down in less than an hour. It just became part of the ritual... no big deal". As I watched... it seemed just that... no big deal. He was efficient and lost no time doing all the things he had to do and was gone in 45 minutes.
FWIW, Brian

Agree.... it takes a lot less time once you get the rhythm, and its no big deal.

We move at least every week,sometimes 2-3 times a week. We are retired- so what if it takes us 40 minutes to pack up? Its pretty much the only work we have to do all day... vacuuming takes only minutes, as does dusting and washing the floor. A fractiion of my time is spent cleaning and doing chores like packing, as compared to when we had a house.

Jo And Craig · RV-Dreams Family Member

I was concerned about the hassle and time spent, as well, before we began fulltiming. Surprisingly, it really is no big deal. As mentioned earlier, it also depends on how much stuff you spread around... inside and out!

NWescapee · RV-Dreams Family Member

We are not retired and very tied to a M-Friend work schedule for my job, so we mostly move on weekends, putting stuff away Friday night including all the work stuff makes for an easier Sat morning departure. Yet another reason we try to stay 10-30 days for most of our stops.

Barbaraok · RV-Dreams Family Member

When we are traveling from point A to point B we don't take anything out of the basement when we stop for the night. We don't even put out the big front slide so it is 15 minutes to park/set up, 15 min to unhook and pull out. When we stay for more than 2 days, then the front slide goes out and if longer than a week, then some items on the patio, otherwise we keep it minimal because we never spend a lot of time at the site when we stop for a week or so - we are off exploring the area.

And it does become a routine - but that does have a drawback in that you must keep going on your routine until it is done. Don't let people interrupt you because that is when a stay gets missed and you have unpleasant results. And for some reason there are some people that want to talk just at the point that you are disconnecting - not the days before when you had plenty of time!

Barb

Camper Chronicles · RV-Dreams Family Member

We deploy hardly anything when we are moving form one place to another...sometimes we don't even unhook the truck...but we like to deploy and settle in a bit so we tend to stay in one place longer to make it worth it. I have noticed a correlation between how much stuff people have outside and how frequently they move.

mike54 · RV-Dreams Community Member

As I'm getting closer to full timing I bring less outdoor stuff & I put out even less stuff. I don't like packing up STUFF every time it's time to move disbelief

I'm even thinking it's time to get rid of the dutch ovens I don't really cook in them anymore since I have to watch what I eat.

Jack Mayer · RV-Dreams Family Member

All of the above......

AND, do not create a lot of clutter with "stuff" inside your rig. If it is not there, it does not have to be "put away". We try to live in such a manner as to not have a LOT of stuff that has to be put away for travel. We have some things, like lamps, but not many.

Our suspension is good enough that we NEVER have to "pack" dishes or glasses. I simply cannot understand how one can live having to cushion everything. Get a decent suspension on a towable and that is not an issue. At all.

It takes us about half an hour to 45 minutes to get ready to go if we have been someplace for awhile. It takes us only 15 minutes if we are going point to point and just doing an overnight or a two night in transit. But we both work at setting up and tearing down. We have checklists and use them. And we do some cross checking on important things.

I realize there are some fulltimers that move every couple of days....for years on end. But we could never do that. We stay a couple of weeks to a couple of months, typically.

marianne57 · RV-Dreams Family Member

I realize there are some fulltimers that move every couple of days....for years on end. But we could never do that. We stay a couple of weeks to a couple of months, typically.

Jack, are there many campgrounds that allow you to stay for weeks or month at a time? Or do you do a lot of boondocking? When we start out next year, I'm thinking we will do similar to you, not wanting to move every couple of days, and just enjoy an area for a while. Was just wondering if there's many places that allow you to stay that long?

Barbaraok · RV-Dreams Family Member

All most all private parks not only will let you stay weekly, monthly, or annually, but are happy because that helps provide a stable cash flow for them. State/Federal parks are usually 2 weeks then move, as are some city/county parks. Look at the park web pages for their rates, most of them will have the different rates.

Barb

Sushidog · RV-Dreams Family Member

On my last computer (that died) I compiled a list of many CGs with low monthly rates, by state, mainly in the south and desert southwest. I did not record anything above $400/month (my planned upper limit), but most were in the $300-$350/mo. range. Some were below $300/mo. For most monthly sites you must pay metered electricity, just like at home, but a few included it (or at least the first $75 or so) in their monthly rates. As you would expect, many of the lower priced CGs are more rural with few amenities, but there were others in the $350/mo range with full amenities, like pool, whirlpool, free cable, free wifi, free lending libraries (books and DVDs), access to a fishing pier, golf course, tennis courts, exercise rooms, etc. Many are smaller CGs found by word of mouth or visiting the area, while a few can be found with simple internet searches for monthly stay campgrounds in your area of interest. And if you find one that you really like and would like to winter over many offer lower seasonal rates (and even lower off season rates) too.

There are many boondocking resources on the web as well, mainly for BLM and Forest Service land out west, but I've boondocked a lot in the Southeast US (mainly in the mountains) too. In short there are a plethora of places to stay in just about any price range you can imagine. Obviously some areas are much pricier than others.

Chip

marianne57 · RV-Dreams Family Member

Thanks Barb and Chip! Chip if you ever get that list together again, that would be a great resource. I've been doing research already, and as we travel, we'll start a list of our own too, I'm sure! Thanks again!