Hello Everyone...... VERY NEW here and begining the process of lots of Research - RV-Dreams Community Forum

hasanchez · RV-Dreams Family Member

Hello Everyone...... VERY NEW here and begining the process of lots of Research

cherylbrv · RV-Dreams Family Member

Welcome to the group! I also started my research about 3 years before we were finally able to full-time. I'm sure you'll find lots of great advice and tips here. My first caution: this is a lifestyle change; it is not a full-time vacation. Although you can change scenery as often as you'd like ("home is where you park it"), there's still the day-in-day-out of every day living.

If you've never RV'd before, I suggest going to as many RV shows as possible - go inside them all and pretend it's your home (stand at the stove and pretend to cook, sit on the sofa to watch tv, sit on the toilet -- is it comfortable?

Barbaraok · RV-Dreams Family Member

Why are you so sure that a 5er and truck are the right thing for you? There are lots and lots of variable that go into the choice of which type of RV to get and to rule out any others when you are just starting doesn't make a lot of sense.

Barb

hasanchez · RV-Dreams Family Member

Barb and Cheryl,

Thank you for welcoming us. We have already been to about 3 RV shows.....and there is just "something" about 5th Wheel trailers, along with it's Slide Outs that make the living conditions much more roomy and comfortable. My wife, Ann, has really enjoyed, and has made comment to, the big difference between a hitch trailer with a few slide outs and a 5th Wheel trailer more spacious slide outs. As I stated in my intro comments.......that has most certainly, and continues to be, an educational process. From a Tow Vehicle to Trailer "stability" standpoint, and from what I've been reading, the 5th wheel option still seems to be "the way to go". I'm still learning.......

Anyway.......I still have loads of questions for many of you experienced RV'ers who have traveled across the United
States many times.

Henry Sanchez
Sacramento, CA

BiggarView · RV-Dreams Family Member

Welcome Henry & Ann. You will find researching to be interesting, daunting, confusing and rewarding. Knowledge is power and diminishes fear as unknowns disappear.

We are still 3 or 4 years away from FTing, but we have already determined a managable budget and that it is very doable taking into consideration what we hope to accomplish and do when we hit the road. Following the various thread on numerous subjects is expanding our awareness, clearing up doubts and things we were ignorant of.

Barb's point about locking into a 5er mindset as being premature is valid. Examine the lifestyle you envision, weigh the pros and cons of the RV types that will fulfill your aspirations before commiting to one type of RV over another. That being said, I can say that we are leaning strong toward a 5er based on what we have decided so far, but, and this a big BUT, it's not carved in stone...yet. Anything could happen to change your plans and needs between now and then. You may decide not to keep the "home base" in CA, you may decide to go the FTing route. The point is keep an open mind during your reasearch.

Enjoy, a new paradigm is about to unfold in your life.

Brian

Camper Chronicles · RV-Dreams Family Member

Welcome Henry. If your looking for some example budgets of what it's costing some newbies, please check out my blog where I post my monthly budgets. I will say we aren't very good at this yet and I am certain over time it will cost less but right now it's running between $3800 - $4200 a month for us.

Trace

camperchronicles.com/budgets/

Barbaraok · RV-Dreams Family Member

Henry,

Why have you ruled out a motorhome?

I would suggest that you read the blogs of people who post regularly to get an idea of all of the different ways to fulltime. Plus you'll get some great ideas about places to go that might not have occurred to you yet.

Barb

hasanchez · RV-Dreams Family Member

Brian,

Thank you for your advice. Whether it's a hitch trailer or a 5th wheeler..........we like the fact of being able to disconnect the trailer. As for a mobilehome.......aside from having to deal with two vehicles (if we're towing a smaller one behind like most people do)........if the moblehome's engine breakdown.......then the entire "home" has to be sent to the Mechanic for repair (worse case scenario). Then......you're stuck without a home while it's being repaired. You guys are the experts........my ears / eyes are wide open to your comments. One thing is for certain, but my wife and I enjoy driving and enjoying the sights (whatever those sights may be). Until we are fully retired.......we are not in a position to FULLY travel throughout the country as the "fully retired" folks are. We are SO looking forward to that moment.

I have SO MUCH to read and digest regarding our future plans. Of course........budgeting for this lifestyle will be a major factor.

Thanks again.

Henry Sanchez

Sacramento, CA

hasanchez · RV-Dreams Family Member

Trace,

That's pretty handy to know. I was figuring around 5K or, hopefully, a little less. Not including an Emergency Fund.

Thanks.

Henry

hasanchez · RV-Dreams Family Member

Barb,

Thank you for your suggestions. Again, we have already attended 3 RV shows......jumped into a lot of trailers and mobile homes. Our Gut Feeling, at this moment, will be hauling a trailer (hitch or 5th wheel). In looking at a lot of National Parks and State Parks RV campsites........it appears that the "average" maximum allowable length for trailers is approximately 30 feet. So......we're focusing on see many National Parks and State Parks. Again, we're just starting this process.

Henry Sanchez

Sacramento, CA

Barbaraok · RV-Dreams Family Member

9 years and never had a problem with federal/state parks. In fact we are at a COE park right on the confluence of the John Day & Columbia Rivers. Love Corps of Engineers parks, the Corp really knows how to build them. Our MH is 37' and we pull a car and never have a problem.

Also, don't be surprised if you find that you don't spend much time in national/state parks. Since they have gone to online reservations, between Memorial Day and Labor Day you will find all of the parks booked Thursday-Sunday by the end of the first week in January!

How are you planning on fulltiming? Moving frequently or staying for months at a time. Having a big truck as a daily driver versus having a small toad that gets great fuel mileage to go see things within a 75 mile or so radius? Lots of things to think about.

Barb

hasanchez · RV-Dreams Family Member

TRACY,

Just read some of your chronicles. Wow.......you are most certainly opening up my eyes (budget wise)...........so many categories to think of. I'm afraid that my wife and I will be starting off on the same foot by financing our RV and Tow Vehicle from the outset. But, it's not the end of the world...........we'll just incorporate it into our BUDGET!

Henry Sanchez

Sacramento, CA

hasanchez · RV-Dreams Family Member

Hi Barb,

Well, again, we were looking a State / National Parks websites. Only going by what we're reading. But.....seeing how you guys are the experienced one........I have have to make a mental note of that (regarding the length). Otherwise, getting a 35 - 37 footer isn't to bad either. To answer your question.........NOT SURE at this present moment whether we'll go FULL TIME or not. My wife seems to think that it sounds like fun and and a adventure. I am of that same mindset. But being the retired military guy that I am........I sure want to have a good "Game Plan" locked in (to the best of my ability) before we take the first step. Having said that.........I AM very excited about even thinking in this direction!!!

Henry

BiggarView · RV-Dreams Family Member

Lee and Trace wrote:
Welcome Henry. If your looking for some example budgets of what it's costing some newbies, please check out my blog where I post my monthly budgets. I will say we aren't very good at this yet and I am certain over time it will cost less but right now it's running between $3800 - $4200 a month for us.

Trace

camperchronicles.com/budgets/

my emphasis added...

Trace, hopefully, soon enough you'll have that RV payment monkey off your back, that should help a lot. smile

Brian

BiggarView · RV-Dreams Family Member

Henry, since you have a fairly long window, you have the benefit of time to work on your side and build a fund dedicated to your rig purchase. Perhaps you can realign some things in your current finances with an eye toward the idea that you can start cutting them now since they may no longer part of a future scenario. Just a thought.

One other thought, you mentioned the idea that your future "home" could end up in the shop and that caused you some concern. An esteemed RV-Dreams family member with plenty of experience under his belt, Jack Mayer, once similarly advised me to "not let the things that are the 1% issues interfere with the enjoyment of the 99% normal expectations" (this is paraphrased but essential his point). You will probably not be in the shop for inordinate amounts of time, especially if you do the routine maintenance necessary, it should not be something that dominates your thinking. Yes it's there, but don't sweat it.

FWIW, Brian

hasanchez · RV-Dreams Family Member

Brian,

That's SOUND advise Brian. It's really appreciated. Our home will be paid off in about 2 years, which will certainly open up fund availability for us. There are some really nice JAYCO brand trailers out there that we have enjoyed. I think we have seen 10 different brands. Keystone "Montana" 5th Wheeler seems to be catching my eye as well. The shopping & research continues!

Henry

pkhalin · RV-Dreams Family Member

Hey Henry,

Welcome aboard. As you've already seen, there are lot's of folks out here with great and sound advice.

I'm not saying you should go that way, but we have a 2013 Montana. We bought it new 2 years ago and have done some camping in it and have enjoyed it so far. We've also JUST started full timing. That being said, they are plenty of units out there that offer so much. Have to find out what's right for you. By the way, thank you for your service.

Happy trails!

mds1 · RV-Dreams Family Member

Henry and Ann,

I can't add much additional advise to what others have suggested. I do want to welcome you to the forum.

I regularly read and participate in five forums. Here at RV Dreams they also have a chat room. Seems like most people log in just after dinner, especially on Friday and Saturday. You can ask them any question you have. What a great bunch of folks. Ask for Dee when you get in the chat room. She will make you feel welcome. Her husband, and hence her also, are retired military.

My wife, Karen, and I plan to go fulltime in about four years if our budget works out. I've discovered we are not unique in that we are going through the same process, in much the same order, as many of the others before us. It is no longer shocking when I read a post from another describing their process or how they made their decision - thinking to myself - Wow I just thought about that also. For example, we started off thinking we would go fulltime in six years. Like others, we moved the date up.

Again, welcome to the forum Top (that's a First Sgt. for none military). I'm hoping to learn from you as well. I've learned from all those that posted before me as I read what they have to say. Thank you to them for taking the time. And Trace is an extraordinary planner. Love her blog.

-- Edited by mds1 on Wednesday 12th of August 2015 04:06:10 AM

-- Edited by mds1 on Wednesday 12th of August 2015 04:08:39 AM

hasanchez · RV-Dreams Family Member

Thank you for your very kind words. My wife and I HAVE walked into a 2015 Montana. I enjoyed the "attention to detail" within this 5th Wheeler. It was the very same type of good workmanship as the JAYCO 5th Wheelers we have hopped into. We did look at a Cougar.....in my view........it was evident, to me anyway, that the workmanship was no where near up to par, as compared to the Montana and JAYCO products.

However, I do have a question for you, how long is YOUR 5th Wheeler? Although Barbara has made some fine recommendations to me as I begin this process..........I am wondering whether or not, as you were researching and deciding on YOUR 5th Wheeler.......whether or not MAXIMUM Length capacity's (when it comes to driving through National Parks and/or States Parks) was a consideration? The reason I ask is..........as I was looking at the California State park camping facilities..........the majority of the maximum allowable length's (for the trailer) where 30 feet. Not sure if I should be concerned if we eventually purchase something a bit longer that that........seeing how we plan on driving throughout the United States and Canada. How concerned should we be?

Henry

hasanchez · RV-Dreams Family Member

Mark,

I appreciate the Heads Up regarding the Chat Forum. That's one area that I have not gone into yet. I don't mind "chatting".....but I am, at this point anyway, reading through the Community Subject and just sitting back and cruising on through it all. I still have over 2 years to go till my 2nd retirement in my current job. I retired from The Army in 1998. So, it's been kind of cool knowing that I will, God Willing, be able to do it again. Exciting times for my wife and I.

I am looking forward to yacking with you some more when you have the time!

Henry

BiggarView · RV-Dreams Family Member

Henry, if you haven't already, go to Howard and Linda's RV-Dreams.com website and peruse their various research pages on all kinds of stuff, including how they made the decision, and the time leading upto their going full time.

here's a couple to start you off...

http://www.rv-dreams.com/preparation.html

http://www.rv-dreams.com/journal.html ...Scroll down on this one, for an account of the process they went through. An excellent read.

FYI, Brian

hasanchez · RV-Dreams Family Member

Thanks Brian. I'll do that right now. Appreciate it.

Henry Sanchez

Sacramento, CA

pkhalin · RV-Dreams Family Member

Hey Henry,

Sorry for the delay in responding. My rig is a 3582RL. Exterior length is 39' 2". I'd like to say we researched to the nth degree, connected all of the dots, all that good stuff. Truth is, we went to this 'show' with no intentions of doing anything. We walked in the unit and, to make a long story short, the wife said "I REALLY like this!", more than once. I got the hint. You know the phrase 'happy wife, happy life!' So, we'll make it work. Now to be additionally honest, with each new unit we've gotten, we continued to go to shows, sales, dealerships, etc., checking out quality, features and the like, and what we could afford. This kind of fit the bill for us. This is the 4th unit since 1999.

As far as length concerns, we're just starting the full time mode and we'll see how things go. Most Colorado State Parks I believe accommodate larger lengths. And I've been in Moraine Park in the Rocky Mountain Nation park (near Estes Park), and Blue Mesa, which is near Gunnison CO. Blue Mesa was wide open and we had zero issues. Moraine Park is a wooded area, had some larger sites but I don't recall there being that many. And some of them not so easy to get in to.

But there are a lot of folks on these forums who have been on the road a lot longer and have far more experiences than me. They should be able to provide some insight. There have been some forum discussions on this in the past. You possibly could use the 'Search' feature to check that out. Hope your research goes well.

hasanchez · RV-Dreams Family Member

Thank you for the reply. Again, because of my current ignorance regarding this lifestyle, which, by the way, is exciting us more and more, I always thought that I should concern myself (I mean.....REALLY concern myself) with Length issues (which would include the length of our future Tow Vehicle). Maybe I'm thinking in the wrong direction? It's our intention to be on-the-road, at this present moment anyway, at least 9 months out of the year. Maybe it's wishful thinking.......but that's on my (our) bucket list.

Again.......thank you for your insight. Things are starting to add up and sending me (us) in the right direction for our future retirement!

Henry Sanchez

Sacramento, CA

Talensnana · RV-Dreams Family Member

Henry,

The great thing about this lifestyle is that how we live it may be different, but the fact we are living it matters. When we started we never thought about fulltime. We just knew we wanted to travel some and hotels were not a good option especially since we travel with 4 parrots. We bought a older Rv to start out and see if we would like it. We figured if we hate it, we would just sell it. From that first trip we were hooked. Again full timing wasnt a thought. Fast forward 2 years later, numerous visits to dealers, shows, and driving thru RV parks talking to people, we decided it was for us. We ended up selling our older Class A for a Newer one with slides. For two years we were part timers. Last August we went to a RV Dreams Rally (which I would highly recommend) and we have not moved out of the Rv yet. We have been fulltime for a year now.

One idea is that if you have not been rving yet, you might want to consider renting one and taking a trip. A few weeks ago we were visiting with a couple in the Rv park that was doing this. By renting one, it just reinforced to them that rv-ing was for them.

As far as your concerns if your home was in the shop, we experienced this in June. We took our Rv to a truck stop for some basic work and they discovered a big crack on the steer tire axles. We ended up boodocking in their parking lot for 10 days while we waited for the heavy part, and they installed it. It was much easier and not as bad as I was concerned it would be. The people were great and they tried to do everything possible to make sure we were comfortable.

We are a big boy Motorhome and tow (86') and it does take a little more planning, but we can always find a park we can fit into. We do prefer Private parks over State, National and COE parks so I can't be much help with that. The few we have stayed at has been nice.

Good luck and just remember however you choose to live the life doesn't matter as much as just living the life whether is is part-time, full-time or any-time.

Patti

soos · RV-Dreams Family Member

We live in a 5th wheel that is "only" 36 feet long but when we show up to a park, people think our rig is bigger because its a wide body. Sometimes wide can be as bad as long, sometimes it doesn't matter. We always say we are 40 feet long, which helps people account for our width. The reality is, no matter how long, how short, how narrow or how wide you are there are some places you will fit, and some you won't. Sometimes its the HEIGHT that is an issue in state and national parks. They don't always like to trim the trees.
In the eastern part of the country, size really matters, and you'd probably need to be under 32' to fit many places. Out west there is a little more room, and many sites seem to be bigger.
If you REALLY want to spend MOST of your time IN national parks, then get a really short, low profile rig. Other than that, it will become second nature after a while, to find places where you fit.

Or, do like us, and buy a truck camper to take to the places where the big rig can't go. Its a whole different world :)

Sue

hasanchez · RV-Dreams Family Member

Patti,

Thank you for your comments and suggestions. Really appreciate it!

Henry

hasanchez · RV-Dreams Family Member

Sue,

Great suggestions. Good food for thought. I don't want to complicate this more than it needs to be...........I just want to have a good mind set as to what we need to be looking for (size-wise) in order to NOT regret getting something large or smaller to accommodate most camping areas (Public or Private). So much to learn !!

Henry

jrzygrl64 · RV-Dreams Family Member

Welcome to the forum! The one thing to keep in mind - and Bill and I find this to be more and more true all the time - there isn't a right or wrong answer for how to do this lifestyle. We all find our own way as we go. By gathering as much info as possible you open your eyes to all possibilities - which is an awesome thing to do.

I just posted our first year end summary - which includes some numbers - that might help you out.

bkamericanodyssey.com

Tracys budget posts are excellent - btw!

Good luck in finding your way!

hasanchez · RV-Dreams Family Member

Thank you Bill & Kelly............sorry for the very long delay in your response dated August 29th, 2015 for crying out loud! We have now gone to 5 RV Shows. I am thinking about driving to Arizona (which has been highly recommended by a lot of folks) to attend, what I assume......HUGE RV shows there.

Any recommendations which city in AZ these shows would be in? Maybe RV Show Websites for me to look at so that I can plan a trip there?

Henry