Estimating my cargo - RV-Dreams Community Forum

bobk3d · RV-Dreams Family Member

Estimating my cargo

TRAILERKING · RV-Dreams Family Member

It all depends on the individual. Me.................I'll likely need to pull a 53' semi-trailer behind me.

Barbaraok · RV-Dreams Family Member

Figure 1500# per person. Some will say less, but that is a pretty good figure to use for planning purposes. We never bothered weighing, just made sure we had at least 3000# CCC in any rig we looked at. Our rig had 6000# available, and we used about 4000 lbs. People tend to fill up to the limit!😀

bjoyce · RV-Dreams Family Member

Barb is right again. Some run less than 1500 lbs per person, but some also run higher. For a solo, I would not plan on less.

BiggarView · RV-Dreams Family Member

Barbaraok wrote:
Figure 1500# per person. Some will say less, but that is a pretty good figure to use for planning purposes. We never bothered weighing, just made sure we had at least 3000# CCC in any rig we looked at. Our rig had 6000# available, and we used about 4000 lbs. People tend to fill up to the limit!😀

Emphasis added.... First rule of US Navy supply management apparently applies to civilians. biggrin biggrin

Bob... all the rest of your toys, spare parts, coolers, sporting goods, bikes and the mounting bracket, optional equipment that is/was installed after leaving the factory... just for starters.

Brian

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

When our Mobile Suites was manufactured to our specifications (included Xantrex inverter and extra batteries), the factory weighed the unit after it was completed. Then they placed a yellow sticker on the road-side of the pin box that states that our CCC is 2,805 lbs. When we were getting loading up for full-timing, Jo said she was sure she had too much stuff in the trailer and that we would be overweight. When I went to take the Mobile Suites to where we would be living, I stopped by a local feed store and they let me weigh everything for free. Come to find out, Jo was underweight by about 760 lbs. What with sewing equipment and furniture now, I suspect we've taken up that other 700+ pounds.

So, based on that, Barb is really close, and she's not the only one that has stated that "normally" 3000 lbs per couple.

Terry

bobk3d · RV-Dreams Family Member

Thanks, all.

Of course, being single I have to account for all the common items in addition to my personal things, so the 865# sounds pretty light to me. But honestly, in those categories, I think I have it pretty well covered, I live pretty simply except for my toys. I remember the last couple of times I hired a mover, the weights were about 3000# (2005) and 5000# (2013), and that included furniture and a bunch of family mementos that won't be coming along.

The photo gear and tech, at first estimate, are close to 700#, so that gets to the 1500# range. I currently have extra storage space to work in, so I'll be able to lay out what I'm packing and weigh it. One stand that I estimated at 18 pounds turned out to weigh 12, so that's promising.

I can see that I forgot power cords and adapters, misc cables, hoses, etc.

And I need to allow extra; I'll have some friends traveling with me short-term, but that's more of a truck capacity issue. If I should find a regular travel partner, I suppose some of the toys would have to go. Fair enough.

Well, this gets me into a range to help with research.

But it's getting closer, I've been frustrated for six weeks by a condo board issue that now seems resolved (they finally asked their lawyer, who said the same thing I've been saying all along), so I should be able to get it on the market within a month or two. The goal is to reach California by April, especially if it looks like a good wildflower year. In any case, there's no point in leaving Florida until spring, so I have all winter to fine-tune my packing.

Barbaraok · RV-Dreams Family Member

If El Nino is a strong one, there will be miles and miles of blooming desert between Phoenix and LA come March & April. I always love that drive after a winter with rain - it is absolutely gorgeous!

bobk3d · RV-Dreams Family Member

That's what I'm hoping for! But if it's as dry as the last few winters, I might change my routing.

I'll monitor this chart starting in January:

www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/analysis_monitoring/regional_monitoring/us_3-month_pct_precip.shtml

Also: www.desertusa.com/wildflo/wildupdates.html

Neil and Connie · RV-Dreams Family Member

Dunno what our individual stuff weighs…but our rig if 18,400 dry and about 21,600 loaded so that's about 3,200 pounds of stuff loaded for our full timing lifestyle. That includes 2 recliners, a double wide love seat recliner, 8 solar panels (about 200 or 250 pounds for them), food, and other stuff.

Sushidog · RV-Dreams Family Member

Here's a couple links to similar threads on another forum that may be of help:

www.rvnetwork.com/index.php

www.rvnetwork.com/index.php

Chip

sissys · RV-Dreams Family Member

As all have said, it really does depend on individual needs. As for my husband and I, we "require" very little, full time in a T.T with 2000# ccc to us it was the best feeling to rid ourselves of all the bells and whistles we " thought " we had to have, we also wrote down prior to buying, the items and weight we knew we would keep, helps a lot. Just do what you feel comfortable with, good luck and enjoy!!!!! Michele

bobk3d · RV-Dreams Family Member

Thanks to everybody for, um, ahem, "weighing in" on the subject.

I found the moving bills from my last three moves, 2005, 2006, 2013. Weights were 3000#, 3000#, and 5500#. Of course that includes furniture and everything else. Well that's an interesting starting point.

Geez, I have a lot to get rid of. I rented an extra storage space to sort everything out, and by volume, the answer is, "most of it."

That's actually part of the reason for going mobile, I need to downsize anyway. If I get tired of RV living, I'll have a lot more options if I have fewer belongings. I know couples who have been accumulating things in the same house for 30-40 years... and they're stuck there. The older they get, the harder it is to do the work of downsizing. Kind of sad.

I'm guessing 2500# maximum with all gear, more likely 1800-2000#. Possibly less, my daily living needs as a solo male must be lower than the average married person. My paper estimate of tech & photo gear is about 700#.