Hi Everyone. Well, after 15 years the RV-Dreams Community Forum is coming to an end. Since it began in August 2005, we've had 58 Million page views, 124,000 posts, and we've spent about $15,000 to keep this valuable resource for RVers free and open. But since we are now off the road and have settled down for the next chapter of our lives, we are taking the Forum down effective June 30, 2021. It has been a tough decision, but it is now time.
We want to thank all of our members for their participation and input over the years, and we want to especially thank those that have acted as Moderators for us during our amazing journey living and traveling in our RV and growing the RV-Dreams Family. We will be forever proud to have been founders of this Forum and to have been supported by such a wonderful community. Thank you all!!
The title is not very inspiring for the speed of a vehicle!! But when it comes to learning all about the full-time RV world it seems like blinding fast and overwhelming.
We currently live in Colorado (north of Denver) and plan to retire at the end of the year and go full-time traveling. We have ZERO RV experience but have done lots of camping, hiking and outdoor activities over 35 years in Colorado. After we were indecisive about where to retire and if to sell, move, travel part-time from a fixed location, etc. etc., we started to investigate RV travel. It started with an RV show visit and following that overwhelming experience of options, we started our internet search. We had lots of ideas on places we wanted to go visit. But what type of RV and all the full-time resultant decisions were a blur. After the RV show we did narrow it down to a 5th wheel. Only 30+ companies and hundreds of models to choose from!! Still blurry. Found that fantastic article by Howard - http://rv-dreams.typepad.com/rvdreams_journal/2016/04/what-fifth-wheel-would-we-buy-today.html. Armed with this data on features and manufacturers, start to create a specification (yes, I'm one of those!!) and I keep adding new ideas where I find them. Looked at a lot of company sites and models. Went to see what we could, viewed others online and still more leg work to do. Also looking at tow vehicles, where to domicile, healthcare before Medicare, clubs, etc. etc.
I have been lurking on this forum for a while, absorbing a wealth of knowledge, looking at other blogs, sites (Howard/Linda, Jack/Danielle Mayer, Technomadia, etc.), watched a ton of YouTube videos and read a book or two. Have made some decisions and a lot of stuff in motion. Less blurry. I'm up to about 20 now. I look forward to learning more from this collective body of wisdom. 100 is just down the road.
Welcome IrishRover. Exciting times ahead for you and your loved one(s). We bought out first 5er in the late 90s, with zero experience, little worldly travelled and very very little knowledge of anything related. All we knew was we wanted to explore the NA big outdoors and be at one with nature where we could. Three years later we bought the MH we have still to this day, and apart from hubby wanting a big DP engine (of course he does! LOL), I wouldn't change anything for the world. Then the toys came into being = kayaks, rafts, seadoo and so the story goes. We've camped in freezing weather waking up to a half inch ice on the inside windows January at Rocky Mountain House AB, just to have a family baking frenzy, hot tubbing at night, and making snow angels during the day. We've spent many a weekend parked at Lake Louise to ski our hearts out with the kids when younger. Today, we no longer winter camp in the frigid north, but boy oh boy do we have wonderful memories we laugh about from those days. We've towed our daughters horses in box with the MH and camped out in Kananaski's Country with our furry friends and family, and can't imagine laugh without an RV of some kind .
Sure, we had tons of frustrating problems at the front end with our MH for almost 18 months, found dealerships to be worse than useless getting things resolved and holding onto our rig for weeks every time. We "thank our lucky stars" for wonderful sharing/caring folks on forums like this that have enabled us to resolve 95% of the issues/concerns ourselves. From fully independent off grid solar design and install (I didn't know a fuse from a plug when we started on that puppy!), replacing fridge for a residential when it failed, replacing old boob tube TV's & trim ideas for the new energy efficient flat screens, all done ourselves and even having had a total engine die issue on I 15, and being towed 90 miles to Pocatello ID, spending a week on their carpark whilst we awaited a replacement engine, oil pan etc.
For sure this lifestyle isn't without it's challenges at times, but with a deep breath and "tis wot tis" attitude when challenges present themselves, we've personally found it's been the most enjoyable times of our lives.
You'll get tons of help and assistance from folks here with way, way more experience than us, in regards to any category related to this lifestyle you can imagine.
Enjoy and make sure you take the time to smell the roses along the way!
SD.
__________________
Breathtaking Alberta. Her Mountains Draw You But Her People Bring You Back
Hey! Slow down. Take one thing at a time. Once you've got that one figured out move on to the next one. It'll all come together in the end. When I started I read everything I could get my hands on, and there's a bunch out there too. As far as a rig, just look at a bunch to get some ideas of what's out there. And like a guy told me, "Buy Your Last One First", which is what I should have done. Good Luck.
I'm already well down the road on selecting the RV and tow vehicle. Just waiting to recover from rotator cuff surgery to go visit final selections. I'll cover more details in the RV and towing sections. This left hand typing is slow!!
