RV living

Yes, people do this, they mostly seem to be Amazon warehouse workers.

Have a Sprinter van that are often converted for Boondocking or permanent travel. Including skiers: van is readily insulated and easy to add a diesel auxiliary heater: most already have them. They put up to 400 Watts of solar panels on board, add an uprated alternator and big LiFe battery bank. #VanLife is a thing.

Tiny houses have a couple hundred square feet. A van, well under 100.
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They are selling for $25,000 and up - way up.
 
Zappa said:
Anyone looking to buy a new RV should check this out:


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efuS1g7GvHc
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That's a very good, very informative presentation.

As I've said before, I live in a campground - in a camper - from May through October each year. I've got a friend down the street who had a roof leak. Defective from the manufacturer, (it's a new camper this year, cost him about 70K). It took a couple months to get it fixed - and he was livid. They ended up tearing out the back wall, and the construction was seriously pathetic.

He's now dealing with a broken refrigerator/freezer - and it's been going on for months. Can't get parts - then the repair guy shows up and tells him that he can't fix it in place, we have to bring the unit outside - and then the repair guy left. Wait, what? We'd already moved it out of its alcove as far as it could be brought. He's having discussions with his attorney now - and using a fridge he picked up from Lowes that's staged outside.

I've got other friends here, who simply can't get parts to do maintenance.

What I've seen over the past year has been an incredible spike in campers, and in camping. People here got locked down - found out that they could go to the campground and flooded the place. Lot of first time campers - tents AND RVs. My friends who boat tell me that the same thing happened there.
 
Woodsloafer said:
RVs are the worst "investment" ever, and I currently have one (my third), I'm a glutton for punishment and throwing money away.
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If I bought it for an investment, I'd absolutely agree. It's my "summer home". We're on our third, the first was self-propelled, the second two have been "park" models - and they've been parked.
 
This is a YouTube lawyer who specializes on car law. He has a whole series on why not to buy an RV due to crappy quality and the fact that they are made from lots of parts from a variety of vendors, impossible to get anyone to take responsibility. Here is one of his video, watch it and then search his channel for RV. Sorry for the kinda dupe there Zappa,

 
If I were considering this, I'd buy a decrepit house with acreage in New Hampshire, and use that as my residence of record and parking space for the RV. That gives you land with water and septic even if the house is not really all that habitable.

Next step would be to construct a huge heated garage, more than large enough to hold the RV, that'll get you through winters.
 
in Fort Myers, along I-75, it is AMAZING how many RV dealers there are and the inventory on the lots, and I'm not talking little Shasta trailers, I'm talking $200K plus Class A motorhomes and hundreds and if not thousands of them on lots.

I will tell you from my experience of owning trailers , and doing insurance claims on RV's, the roofs are the week point and when they leak it is a HUGE repair problem.... either rotting wood and or mold, in addition to damaged inside trim. I used to total trailers rather than try to repair them


PS back to the OP's question from a few years ago, most RV's are not set up plumbing wise to be in freezing temperatures, it is near impossible to protect the plumbing from being exposed to cold air, and you will be going thru propane tanks daily trying to keep it warm on the inside.
 
I know a few people who have RVs. Everything from park models to fifth-wheels. All of them say to avoid buying a new RV buy used and let the original owner handle warranty repairs and failures.

I have been looking at. Small class-c or class-b in order to ferry myself and belongings from NE to my place in Florida. Here in the northwest the RV market is as crazy as the real estate market. Low stock, high prices, and quick sales when you can find one.
 
It all depends upon what you want, how you want to live. I saw people this past weekend with modified sprinters, modified school buses, box-stock RVs, and more than a few vans.

I talked to one of the performers. He and his wife(?) had a modified sprinter, he'd done the mods himself. Lower level was storage for their musical equipment, (guitar, violins, amps, mixers, mics, stands - IE, not insignificant), and upper level was their bed. He told me that they'd just driven back East from Burning Man and a trip through the mountains. They make their living as musicians, somewhat nomadic. He said he'd driven 8000 miles in the last three weeks.

Me? I like my creature comforts, I like living in a community, I enjoy the company of my neighbors, (well - most of them). When I want to wander, I take my bike.
 
if you want to play snow bird and land in FL for the winter, RV spaces are at a premium, in the area of 1500 dollars a month, and they are hard to find.

Many of my FL neighbors have BIG motor homes or long trailers that stay parked all winter as they can not find spaces to travel to in state.
 
Nick Fury said:
You would be suprised how much of what you are looking for resides under an hour from Boston. So tell me how cool are you?
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Have you ever commuted into Boston? One hour outside of Boston is a mere 15 miles away. Where are you going to get any land or affordability that close? Medford? Melrose? Cambridge? Arlington? Maybe right in back bay, heard it’s pretty cheap there
Traffic starts at 5:30 am and doesn’t stop until 8pm.
 
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Kevin_NH said:
If I were considering this, I'd buy a decrepit house with acreage in New Hampshire, and use that as my residence of record and parking space for the RV. That gives you land with water and septic even if the house is not really all that habitable.

Next step would be to construct a huge heated garage, more than large enough to hold the RV, that'll get you through winters.
Click to expand...

Does anyone actually bother to make well insulated RVs? It seems to appear that most of them either leak like a sieve or are designed for warmer climates.
 
I don’t think it’s a crazy idea at all. I’ve thought about it as I’m in a similar situation (no wife, kids, very flexible)
Couple things:
1) if you have access to a parking garage (that it will fit in) this makes it immeasurably better for the winter
2) what kind of office are you working in and what amenities does it have? Ive worked in offices with no amenities all the way to full kitchens, showers, etc. I could easily work, workout, shower, eat dinner, and then mosey on down to the RV at the end of the night.
3) if you are parking in an open lot I doubt you’ll be able to get a hose or any hookups.
4) I agree with some other posters, get a house in NH. Living in an RV 24/7 will get old.
 
Fort Myers Beach off the island and nowhere close to the beach, 20 nights, close to $1600 dollars for 20 nights

Want to be on the beach? OFF SEASON it is about $2000/ month, in season there are no monthly sites but weekly sites are $600 to $900 a week

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drgrant said:
Does anyone actually bother to make well insulated RVs? It seems to appear that most of them either leak like a sieve or are designed for warmer climates.
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Yes. We have a Breckenridge with add on package of New England insulation. The place we bought it from gave us a really hard time about that add on. Said we didn't need it because we weren't living here in the winter. We told them that it wasn't their concern, it was one of our requirements.

Keeps camper cooler in the summer, warmer in the winter and when Michael across the street has a party lasting until 4AM, I don't hear it. [1]

[1] this isn't hypothetical or hyperbole. Michael lives across the street and he has parties until 4AM. We typically leave them before they end.
 
appraiser said:
if you want to play snow bird and land in FL for the winter, RV spaces are at a premium, in the area of 1500 dollars a month, and they are hard to find.

Many of my FL neighbors have BIG motor homes or long trailers that stay parked all winter as they can not find spaces to travel to in state.
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I already have a house in Ft Myers. It includes a place to park RVs too.
 
We go to a number of smaller places (campgrounds) like Onion River up in VT, and especially last year, we ran into a LOT of people that were staying at places like this for 3 months (the smaller cheaper ground), and they were visiting nurses. They all got cheap tow behind setups, get a nice bonus to taking the contract, drive there, pay little for their accommodations (and their contract provides X for living expenses and accommodations, so they keep what they don't spend), and then move to the next contract when done (or re-sign). I thought that was smart as they were making a nice sum for a low output of $, and understood that the trade off was living full time in the RV. On the other end, met more than a few families/couples that sold everything, bought and RV and hit the road never having been in one before besides at a RV show, only to discover that RV living was NOT what they had thought it was and really didn't like it.
 
This is a few years ago and I still hear nothing but great things about them . Another may be Escape Trailers out of CA. Matt


Matt_SERE said:
Is the RV going to be your daily driver, also? That may make it inconvenient for shopping and other running errands around town. If you could go with a trailer, there is a relatively new manufacturer on the market that is rivaling Airstream and is a true four-season trailer.

If I had the money, and could solve a couple of concerns I would buy an Oliver and be done with MA. They are not inexpensive or cheap.

Oliver Trailers: Frequently Asked Questions | Oliver Travel Trailers
Is an Oliver suitable for camping in freezing temperatures?
An Oliver can camp in very extreme temperatures. Because of its thoroughly insulated double shell and the fact that all water lines, appliances, tanks are enclosed within the lower shell, the Oliver is the perfect travel trailer for anyone who wants to brave below freezing temperatures. Remember to always properly winterize your Oliver when traveling between camping sights whenever the potential for freezing is present.
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Matt_SERE said:
Another well known 4 season/winter trailer company is Bigfoot. They also make truck bed campers. If you have a pickup you may look in to a flat bed as the flat bed campers are roomier. http://www.bigfootrv.com/bigfootrv_travel_trailers_2500.html

One physical aspect to take into consideration is the interior height of whatever you buy. If you can't stand in it you will get sick of it relatively shortly if doing a lot of stationary camping/lodging. Most can put up with any inconvenience for a while but putting up fold-up trailers/campers can be a pain in the ass in inclement/cold weather.

Good luck in your pursuit.

Matt
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drgrant said:
Does anyone actually bother to make well insulated RVs? It seems to appear that most of them either leak like a sieve or are designed for warmer climates.
Click to expand...
 

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