Thinking about living in an R.V.

Well, I have been thinking about buying a van or a short bus to do a little bit of a camper conversion on and live out of for a while but haven't found what I'm looking for. I have been considering getting a VW bus I have stashed at my dad's house ready if nothing turned up. Today I found a 1984 Chevy class c 30ft R.V. that runs, drives, has a new fridge, furnace and tires. All for $400. The price is definately right but it is a lot larger than I have been thinking about, All of my stuff fits inside the cab of my little toyota pick up so this thing would seem cavernous. Anybody here do the R.V. thing long term on here? What are your opinions on it? I don't think that fuel mileage will be to much worse than the full size vans I was looking at. I really do like the idea of a real kitchen and bathroom, those were the two things that I missed while living in my V.W.'s. Especially in towns like the one I'm in now that have a single 24 hour diner and nothing else that is open later than 9 P.M. My head is swimming with the possibilites that the extra room will provide for starting some kind of side business in though.

 

RVs are cool if you can places to park them.

 

We have a motorhome that we go on vacations in and I just LOVE it. If you are going to be living in it full time my suggestion is to get as big a one as you can afford. I think they are so great. I would sell everything to live in ours full time. You can park overnight at any Wal-Mart store. Truck stops are a great place for a couple hours of sleep. And state and national parks offer free camping sites. Hope you have a wonderful time being a gypsy. (-:

 

My partner's exwife and her current partner live in an RV. They have lived that way for a couple years now. I think she longs for flat ground and more space again.

their rv gets 9 miles a gallon.

 

Sounds like a good idea

If you can afford the RV maintenance and mileage... don't see why that wouldn't be the way to go.

 

Well, this R.V. didn't pan out, the deal was too good to be true. I am still intrigued by the idea. And deals are to be had in my area, there are a lot of high paid energy workers around here that have nothing better to do with their money than to buy shiny new pick ups, R.V.'s, boats, and 4 wheelers so there is a pretty good selection of older stuff around all the time. There is an older Class A on the horizon right now that I hope to look at this week.

 

Watch eBay and Craigslist. I see great stuff on there all the time.

 

I have been considering getting an RV and living out of it.
I know I would have to make some changes in my life, but nothing to drastic. (the biggest change would be relocating my web sever from where I live now to my cousans house - nothing major.)
The only thing holding me back is funding - for now.

 

I went and looked at another R.V. today. I think I need to look for an smaller one than what I am coming across. The one today was 30 feet long I it was way to big for just me, I don't have nearly enough stuff to justify buying something so huge. I think I need to find one of those little old ones that you see made out of a toyota pickup or maybe one of those van's that are converted to a class B R.V. or maybe go with the original plan of finding a van and converting it myself. I would love to find something now so I can have it roadworthy by spring when I am planning to leave this crappy little uber-conservative town.

 

Check out Twodogs' post about living in a van for 21 years. Lot's of great tips and suggestions, even reasonings as to why a larger van is beneficial.

http://www.hipforums.com/newforums/showthread.php?t=291549

 

Hey Duke I lived for 6 months one time in a 24 foot camp trailer it really wasn't that bad and I probably would have stayed longer just up here in northern Ontario it gets a little cold to stay in a camping trailer in the winter even with the furnace running. Now I have a 29 foot trailer that I stay in from about May to the first snow. But this summer I'm building a 16 foot with thicker walls and a woodstove and I'm going to try it out in the winter. If your going buy a trailer or rv I suggest you shouldn't go any smaller than 24 foot and make sure it is fully self contained. 12 volt lighting, 2 large capacity deep cycle batteries, propane stove, 2 or 3 way refridgerator, water storage with 12 volt demand water pump, self contained washroom with black water tank and lots of room for storage. Also I forgot a spare tire; I got screwed one time with out one. Anyway good luck and if I can be of help please drop me a line. Peace and be safe.

KDB

 

osiyo family, I have recently purchased an RV and am living in it full time. I found a wonderful quiet little park and consider it my home. I live alone in a 30 ft. RV and am glad I did not purchase anything smaller. It allows me enough room to move around without feeling closed in or confined to a tiny space. Even though a much smaller vehicle sounds intriguing, I believe it would get old quickly.
I love the idea of being mobile and can live in comfort with all that I need. I live a minimalist lifestyle and love the freedom.
Take care.

 

I have recently looked at a couple more R.V.'s but nothing that I feel s small enough. Everything I own except for my tools fits in my VW GTI, so I really can't justify something large. I am probably relocating soon, so if something doesn't pop up soon I will most likely put it off buying something until spring.

 

I'm looking at a 28' Airstream in Gettysburg on Monday. It's currently owned by a friend who is willing to barter with me for it. I already have a place on top of a mountain in WV, I just have to get solar power set up and figure out the water.

I won't be there much but it will make a nice home base.

 

If you intend to live in an RV, you might find it hard to get insurance for it.

The companies have a thing about that for some reason, but there are carriers out there for it. Might have to shop around. Many RV parks won't allow you in if the rig is too old or no insurance.


x

 

I've lived 10 months a year in a van for the last 7 years. You should take a look at them or a camper conversion. They call them class "B" RV's.
D.H.

 

I used to do a lot of living and traveling in my old VW vans when I was a kid. I liked the Van thing and I have kind of been looking at older domestic vans out of the corner of my eye.

 

I got that Airstream, it's a 25 footer, spotless inside, a few dents outside, two fullsize beds, full kitchen, full bath, new tires. All I need to do is upgrade to a two battery system and get some solar panels. And I need to upgrade the bath to graywater dump and then when I get it moved to its new location I'll have to build an outhouse with composting toilet. Moving it to WV in a month or two. Post pictures this week.

 

Old Airstreams are pretty cool. We restored one at a shop I used to work at. It turned out pretty nice, but I won't be offended if I never have to buff the exterior of another one. I was polishing that thing for over a week straight. It was a '64 Bambi or Bambi 2 if I remember correctly. Its been a few years.