[QUOTE]Originally posted by Clay & Frances:
Me thinks this is posted on another forum.. Follow this thread too.. thread
It takes all kinds of people to full time, camp, and stay at home.

Me thinks John Harrelson has been a valuable contributor to the Escapees RV Club Forum for several years, and is concerned enough for other folks to compose a very thought-provoking list of things that every person considering the lifestyle of full time RVing should have access to. And, what has occurred here is a two-page discussion so far, with some adding to John's list and others thanking those with fulltime experience for their expertise. And, still others countering with what their own experiences have been.... giving newbies and some of us old timers even more food-for-thought. I commend John for posting on more than one forum..... as a thirty-year fulltimer, he certainly has the experience it takes to advise others in both the good and the bad of this lifestyle. Bravo, John!! Lee

quote:

Originally posted by Clay & Frances:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by Clay & Frances:
Me thinks this is posted on another forum.. Follow this thread too.. thread
It takes all kinds of people to full time, camp, and stay at home.

Amen Lee sis!

Clay, John shares in more than just this forum, and that is a good thang!

That is not a slam or thinking you were slamming John. Quite the contrary, I take that as a compliment to a fulltimer that has my respect, sharing on multiple venues.

I wish I still had the time to do that. My hat is off to John, a truly selfless person who calls em as he sees em, and lets us take what we can use, and leave the rest.

The beauty of these forums is that they do not claim copyright for original posts, and they accept that good info is good info regardless of the website you find it on. But they do protect the copyright of anybody that posts here from a first original work perspective by the time stamps.

Thanks for letting us know he works harder than me, who just posts here.

Huah John!

John isn't an old guy, he just has a lot of miles on him! He is one of the people that I think of when I comment about the only limit to the different ways that you can live is an RV is your own imagination.

Amen, Kirk. Like some others, we get itchy feet after a short time. But we also don't like to move very far.

Living this way just isn't that hard. If something comes up, we deal with it. The resources are out there. No big deal, almost all the time, especially with internet access, which everyone here clearly has.

Happy day,
J&J

Hi Everyone:

When I was thinking of a place called "full timing" I was thinking of me living on this ranch with my church friends and stationary. I had friends that "full timed" travel until their motorhome burned down due to faulty mechanical work done on the wheels and they lost almost everything inside. They were able to detach their car in time to not loose that.

The sad part they had nothing to come home to as their whole world and life was in that motor home they traveled around in.

Do not think they did not enjoy their travels, oh, but they did, every minute of it, but the end was a big blow in their lives.

It took months to get the insurance to pay and they had to go live with their kids for quite a few months and then moved to live with a friend for several more months until they got themselves a mobile home and planted it on their friends property where they live now.

I enjoy my RV. AT least it will be mine in two more years and I am fortunate that I can live rent free on this ranch with my church friends. I have no family and at the age of 63 I never even dreamed that something like this would happen in all my life, but they made me part of their family and lives.

They have two girls age 10 and 7 and they live about 90 feet from my RV and I spend 3/4 of my day with them from breakfast, worship and lunch and afternoon activities.

Part of the morning and late afternoon the girls are home schooled and I spend my free time here in the RV with my pets and computer.

We got a lot of snow, well somewhere between six inches to a foot and enjoying the white and blue skies now.

There have been problems from time to time and this RV is a learning experience, but for the most part it has worked far better than I even expected it to do.

The drawback here has been their solar setup for energy and my heater is draining their resources that they use so I am praying that the Wave heaters work out quite well.

Thanks all for sharing your experiences on the full time road experience as it reminded me of my other friends who really had enjoy the freedom and fun of travel and having a home right where you wanted to be.

John, What is the point? You are thinking like a person in a fixed location. Its all a mind set. We approach things from our point of reference.
Fulltimer: Flush and Dump
Stick Owner: Flush/pump septic system yearly

Fulltimer: Replace propane every two weeks or so
Stick Owner: Pay Gas /oil bill, bring in pellets/wood
Fulltimer: Weed & Lawn Care, turn ignition key
Stick Owner: Mow, chemicals etc...
Fulltimer: Noisy neighbors, eye sores etc., Bye bye
Stick Owner: Talk to neighbor, call police, go to court, talk to association

Our community is a strong/independent group of people. We support each other and have made a powerful subclass of folks. I needed a tool and had more offered to me than I could use! We help each other. I guess what I am trying to say is there are few downsides and way too many positives. I'd rather flush and dump than flush any day of the week. Phil

quote:

John, What is the point?

For the newbies out there, the point is, that fulltiming is not always one big carefree dream, vacation, or escape from all the responsibilities of life, like some may think. We have many more people reading these forums, than those that are posting. Many come here for an education, because they don't have any rving experience. Posting some of those realities, gives others with no experience, a handle on things that will need to be dealt with.

Those of us who have experience rving, know what it's like to dump the tanks, be on the road and finding water to fill the fresh water tank. Having to unhook the propane tank when it's 15deg outside and windy. (That doesn't have to be done in a s/b house). ( I know, rv's have wheels for a reason - go south and it's not a problem). Well sometimes, family obligations, or other reasons may prevent moving when one wants to.

For most of us, dumping the tanks becomes second nature. For a newbie, it can be an overwhelming task. For others, it's an insurmountable problem. Don't think so? I used to work with a guy who would get physically sick if he found a hair in his food. Don't get me wrong. I don't like hair in my food either. But it did not make me sick to the point of throwing up and being unable to eat the rest of my meal like it did him.

The point is, some people deal with things differently than others. Others, for whatever reason, can't deal with certain things at all. So, it's a good thing, to have information of the everyday things that will need to be dealt with when living in an rv.

It's not meant to scare anyone off, or offer discouragement. But, it is meant to offer a dose of reality, because some things are dealt with differently, in an rv, than they are in a house. Being aware of some of those items is just good education.

After being on a couple of forums (including this one) for a month or so, I found myself wondering where the folks are that don't have such a glowing assessment of fulltiming. Sure, you see a lot of posts concerning various problems and aggravations, but where are the ones that say: To hell with this-I can't take it anymore!!! It just made me dig deeper to really find the drawbacks that could make or break this fulltiming dream. Most of have been mentioned in this thread. I pretty much have come to the conclusion that the folks who make this lifestyle work and who enjoy it-despite ups and downs-are the ones who are capable of rolling with the punchs and who actually thrive on the challenges. After several months of reading everything I can get my hands on, and scouring these forums daily, I have decided that my wife and I are candidates to be successful FT's. We'll see real soon. BTW,great thread! Mark and Sandy-Longview,Tx

Jump in.....the water is just fine.

I am glad to be part of this forum and enjoy reading what others have to say about RV'ing.

When I got my RV almost two years ago I knew nothing about them or how they worked and what problems I would have by owning it.

I had a friend who gave me a book about RV's and from reading what it has to say I have learned much, but the language was not really user friendly and if it had not been for a local guy and Katrina I would be in real trouble right now, but with his help I am learning a lot and very happy with my full time lifestyle in my RV.

I could never afford to travel with my 5th wheel, so my lifestyle is both stationary and RV'ing at the same time. The important point it is my home and I am very happy with it.

The RV furnace has become the biggest issue with the RV this winter. Between the noise and drain on the batteries of not only my own, but my friends solar system we are learning the negative aspects of the heater setup.

Learning how to dry camp or boondocking with my RV has been an experience of a lifetime and it is not easy when one is disabled living on a limited income as well, but we are working through it and so far though I need a new Wave 8 heater, the little one we mounted in the bedroom keeps me quite warm and happy.

I have been most blessed by God that He motivated some members in my church to let me move onto their property with my RV and the beauty of living in the country up in the Eastern Sierra Mountains has been wonderful with much joy and experience that I would not be experiencing living in some RV Park in town.

Thank you all for having the courage to share and help others to the RV lifestyle and we all can benefit from the exchange.

MOTOJAVAPHILL ...

You gave some excellent examples of why some people love the fulltime life..

BUT... you only gave the good side... what about the down side...
there is a DOWN side as well as an UP side to everything in life and the RV lifestyle is no exception.

The ONLY purpose of my post is to get folks to think and research ALL of the different aspects of the RV lifestyle...BEFORE jumping into something that could end up being a total disaster to them..

I'm glad you like the fulltime mode Phil and I wish you long and happy years following your dream...
I also love it and for many, many years I followed my dream in an RV of some type.
But all good things usually come to an end... sometimes slowly, sometime hard and fast.

In my case... it was hard and fast... Glaucoma took my sight..
I am no longer a fulltimer who travels the USA every day... but I still live fulltime in my 5th wheel RV and I'm still a full timer in my heart and always will be...

I have seen and experienced both the good and the bad of the RV lifestyle and I believe anyone who participates in the RV life, whether fulltime or part time has also seen both sides..

It's these people, both fulltimer and part timer, who are vitally important to the new people just starting out with their RV..

It's folks like you and I who they turn to for answers to things they have never dealt with with before..

Should I resign from all RV forums and stop trying to help others because I can no longer travel like I used to ?

We are all RVers... whether we travel the highways every day or only a couple of times a year.
We have all seen the good, the bad and the ugly as Clint Eastwood would say..

When things happen that buck us off our dream, many of us jump back in the saddle and take the ride again... and some decide that the ride is not for them...

So to sum it up Phil... please come back and post more things that the new RVer can use to make his decision about the RV lifestyle...

Best Wishes,
John

John, Sorry to sound "flip" about your thread. Your points are sound and helpful. The medical condition you referred to and I was not aware of, can and does affect the full time lifestyle. It is something you cannot drive away from and that really is the essence of the post. No doubt if one is in a stick house you will have people and services available. This aspect should be addressed in more depth for folks including myself. Carol and I contracted with each other for five years on the road, give or take. When five years pass we will reconsider our options and what we want to do. As we age we realize our health and abilities can decline so we want to look at it in increments, God Willing, so that we can make realistic decisions. I would encourage others to do something like this as the bubble can burst.

Yet we are addressing new folks who are considering this life. Is this lifestyle for them, poop tube and all? It is not a vacation although it feels like it at times. I do not see living in my rig as more difficult than my long gone stick house. I heated with electricity and wood pellets. Efficient but not easy although that pellet stove was a gem. I did yard work, oiled the siding, repaired the deck, worked on the barn, fed the horse, mended fences and more while maintaining a fulltime job. There is more to that life which I will not go into and that we have all experienced.
John, you asked me to give some more of that great advice and I am sure you will agree with this:
"A bad day RVing is better than a good day in a stick house".
I sincerely wish you the best and God Bless.
Phil

quote:

Originally posted by ReBob8101:
OK John, I am not here to flame you but now that you have thrown up the red flags, I challenge you to give us a list of the things that you LOVE about full timing. There must be at least a many good things about it as there are bad or a smart guy like you would not have done it all of these years. Don't get me wrong please, I am not being a smart alec here. I am trying to look at this thing from all angles for myself so I can make some informed choices. And Kirk, I have read a lot of your postings and your blog, there MUST be a ton of good things you could tell us to balance all of the negative things that John talked about. You two are some of the ones us newbies look to for good advice. Expound and expand please.
Bob

I would like to second this.

quote:

Originally posted by jharrelson:
I am talking about the price of .... "IN-CONVENIENCE" .... or maybe the correct word is "Conveniences" ......

I have to thank you for this post. It is exactly the sort of thing I'm looking for. I am the researcher in our family. My wife and I have 4 kids: ages 11, 10, 8, 5. We are currently planning on going full-time once our home sells. I'm researching floor plans. I am also researching ways to make living on the road easier and cheaper. I'm looking for the things I need to add/change/upgrade to make our RV 'ours'.

But I'm also researching possible problems and 'gotchas'. I need to know all the 'gotchas' Its not like i can prepare for everything, but I need to at least be mentally prepared. And I can certainly do that better if I'm aware of as many as possible of the dangers, inconveniences, problems I might face.

My wife has chronic kidney stones (medullary sponge kidney). It has affected our lives in that she is not able to get out and about much. Plus she naturally becomes a hermit crab. But she came alive when we rented the RV for a two week vacation.

Two of my kids have asthma and need medication for it. We (read 'my wife') homeschool or kids, so we don't have to worry about learning how to school them. But there are other issues to consider.

Plus we're lazy. I'm NOT a hands-on type of guy. I hate fixing things, though I can and have upon occasion. It just takes me longer and is usually more painful to my knuckles and back than most people who enjoy that sort of thing.

From my research, I know we will have to:
1) either buy the supplies and do some regular maintenance or (more likely in our case) pay someone to do most of the maintenance.
2) either buy supplies and fix things, or (more likely in our case) pay someone to fix things for us.
3) monitor the propane and replace it regularly (how regularly will be determined once we have done this a month or two).
4) be sure our health insurance will be usable where ever we go -- the company changes the benefits based on your home address (this will partially determine where we chose to be our domicile state)
5) find ways to get my wife back to her pain specialist every three months.
6) find doctors along the way for kids, mom's and dad' health problems.
7) do most of the driving myself, but the good thing is that when I don't feel like it, I will be able to just hang around until I do.
8) find mechanics.
9) find places to park.
10) Learn the mechanics of our RV, such as how to monitor and change propane, refill fresh water tank, dump grey and black water tanks.
11) learn how to stay on-line even when driving, as my job requires it of me, unless we drive nights/weekends.
12) set up our RV with an office where I can participate in teleconferences.
13) Determine which cellular service provides the best coverage in different locations (or have multiple services) and purchase antennas and signal amplifiers so I can have cellular telephone service where ever we go.
14) Learn how to pare down our household to next to nothing before hitting the road (which I don't really think will be that hard for me, but might be for the wife and kids).
15) Learn how to get by on only a few sets of clothes for everyone and pack them somewhere accessible in the RV.
16) Learn how/when to purchase groceries for a family of six and stock the RV with its limited space.
17) Learn how to cook in an RV.
18) Learn how to find church services or hold our own where ever we go - which I can and have done.
19) Learn to be with my kids and wife 24/7.
20) Find ways for my kids to interact with others in controlled situations.
21) learn the best places to go to explore with our family.
22) get fishing licenses for whatever state we are in, as my kids adore fishing.
23) learn to fish.
24) learn to cook fish.
25) Learn to like fish.

Am I missing anything?

thanks,
Walter Moore

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Walter Moore,