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Full Time RV living - Page 15

post #281 of 517
6/27/10 at 11:19am
Anybody have any recommendations on an efficient washer/dryer for their rv or 5th wheel. We will be moving into our 5th wheel in a few months and I really do not want to give up cloth diapering my two little ones. It is hard to find any reviews online for rv washers and dryers.
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post #282 of 517
6/27/10 at 7:50pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by VroomieMama View Post
RV living sounds fun! I have a question, but maybe stupid question to all of you. My DH and I have been wondering if infants will need to be in their car seats when traveling in RV?

My dh and I are still curious about this. Will someone please answer our question. Thanks.
post #283 of 517
6/28/10 at 7:08am
Different states have different laws about it. In the state of TX, it is actually legal to have a baby out of the carseat (in the back) but it is NOT legal to put the baby in the carseat on the sofa going sideways down the highway because the law is that you must use the carseat how it was designed to be used (forward or rear facing, but not sideways facing.)

That said, we still put our toddler in her carseat. It is safer than not, and it is still a moving vehicle when all is said and done.
post #284 of 517
6/29/10 at 12:29pm
VroomieMama, it's my understanding that it's usually not possible to install a car seat correctly in a motorhome. You have to use a forward facing seat that is securely attached to the body of the motorhome (not just screwed into the plywood floor). I'd be curious if anyone here uses the front captains chair. Some families remodel their motorhomes to include extra forward facing chairs that are securely bolted so they can safely accommodate carseats. This was one of the reasons I choose to get a truck and 5th wheel. So both the kids could be properly buckled in a standard seat.
post #285 of 517
6/29/10 at 12:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by nicole_marie View Post
Our new digs are almost ready to go! Gosh, I'm SO EXCITED! I just want to live in it RIGHT NOW.

I started blogging about it and posted a sneak peek of the renovations. I'm not a great blogger, but I think it will be a good way to document our journey!

http://livingabsolute.wordpress.com/
Awesome!

We are super cramped right now with the five of us and two dogs. The plan is get something larger. I have been trying to talk my husband into buying an older camper and semi-gutting and fixing it up to meet our needs. He is reluctant to do that. His reason is that he is afraid we might unknowingly put too much weight on it with the additions/replacements.

So, how did you guys keep track of the weight of supplies you were using and adding? I need ammo to help my case here.
post #286 of 517
7/8/10 at 1:47pm

Fulltime Rv living, homeschool, expecting

Hi there! We are a family of 6, very new to full time rv'ing. We homeschool 3 of our 4 and baby #5 is due in Oct. We live in a fifth wheel and have bunk room for the kids. I feel like my head is spinning at the thought of lifestyle adjustment plus homeschooling in an RV AND a new baby to boost! I don't regret our decision to go full-time.....I just need to know I'm not the only one living in an RV with kids, homeschooling, and expecting. Thanks for listening
post #287 of 517
7/9/10 at 7:08am
Welcome TXMom!! Did y'all just move into your RV? There seem to be lots of us families on the road!

We are from TX too (DFW). In fact, we just left there to do a big tour of the NE. We just landed in Memphis last night. Graceland - here we come!

Oh, are you going to stay put to have the baby somewhere, or keep traveling? I know of an EXCELLENT doula in DFW in case you need one.

We considered getting pregnant (decided not to. ) but I wondered what we would do for the birth. Last birth we had a big birthtub, and I would want that again, so I think we would have found a nice birth center. OH - the FARM! Hummm.....
post #288 of 517
7/9/10 at 9:48am
Quote:
Originally Posted by txmom4jc View Post
Hi there! We are a family of 6, very new to full time rv'ing. We homeschool 3 of our 4 and baby #5 is due in Oct. We live in a fifth wheel and have bunk room for the kids. I feel like my head is spinning at the thought of lifestyle adjustment plus homeschooling in an RV AND a new baby to boost! I don't regret our decision to go full-time.....I just need to know I'm not the only one living in an RV with kids, homeschooling, and expecting. Thanks for listening

Hi and Welcome! I only say welcome b/c I have been on the thread for a short time, I am not yet, on my RV however. My dh and I are slowly working our way towards that. We will be putting our house up for sale in the next few months and then after that, it's just about when it sells. We are extremely excited and getting so anxious to go. We have two young boys 4 & 2. They are well aware of our plans. We go look at RV's all the time and talk to them about selling the house etc.
i have already started letting go of a lot of things in the house. Donating, selling etc. But it's not fast enough for me, so I'm going to up the ante here soon.

I hope next year we can plan an MDC RV families on the Road meet up. How awesome would that be?
post #289 of 517
7/9/10 at 10:23am
Hi everybody! Excited to find a full time RV thread Subbing.

We travel with DH's job and are full time in a 1980 Winnebago travel trailer, saving to upgrade to a bigger & newer 5th Wheel in the next year since we are TTC #1 and our current rig is not baby-friendly in the least. His company mostly works in Texas, but one job site could be four hours or more from the next so RVing is really the only thing that makes sense for us right now. Storm work takes us to other states, too. Just got done with a month and a half on tornado aftermath in Oklahoma.

Anyway, just stopping in to say hi! I've only met two fulltimers with kids IRL (ones who actually travel anyway, not counting people who live full time in one RV park and never go anywhere) so it's good to know there are more out there since we hope to be in the "full time RVing with a baby" category in the next year.
post #290 of 517
7/9/10 at 4:59pm
Hi everyone, very inspiring thread here!

My dp and I have just started seriously talking about living in an rv full time in order to save up money to build our dream off-grid little eco home. Whatever RV we end up with would be parked at my parent's house (pending the big conversation with them!), which is also where we are hoping to build once we have enough $ saved up. I know this is a pretty different scenario then travelling full time, but I thought you ladies might still have some suggestions for me My 2 girls are 7 and 2 btw, homeschooled, and my dp works a 9-5 job which he intends to keep until we are all the way debt free, with our off-grid house built mortgage free.

My thinking for the RV is that we would pay to have electricity and maybe a water line run to where we'll be parked... will probably do humanure so we won't have black water, and then I'd hope to build a simple graywater system to filter our graywater... I should be able to do laundry in their house.

Not sure what type of camper to purchase though. Was thinking something cheap and old (since we don't need to do much driving with it - maybe only weekeds at nearby state parks here and there if we need a break from my parents (or if they want a break from the kids!).

So if we bought an old class C or Class A in decent condition for 5-8k in cash, do you think we'd be able to save lots of money (I'm thinking, NO MORTGAGE, NO RENT!)? Will there be a lot of maintenance that I'm not aware of or thinking about? Neither my dp or I are very mechanically proficient. also not sure how exactly we will handle overwintering as it gets cold here.

We'd store a few things that we want to keep for the new house, and otherwise sell/get rid of the rest of our stuff that fills our current stick house.

What do you ladies think?

thanks in advance for any insight!
post #291 of 517
7/9/10 at 6:53pm
Motorhomes are made to move. Buying one to live in and not travel is imo, a waste of money. You would be better off buying a trailer or a mobile home instead.
post #292 of 517
7/9/10 at 7:44pm
Hmm, thanks irishmommy. I will look more into trailers. I was thinking a mobile home would end up costing us more, because I thought I'd probably need to pay more for one, and then we'd have to come up with some kind of foundation, right?... and also pay to get it moved and put onto the foundation... and then when we're done with it, pay to have it removed if we can't find someone to buy it... also wondering if we'd have other fees/property taxes with a mobile home? Well, I'll start researching a little more
post #293 of 517
7/10/10 at 1:00am
starrmama- For what you want to do I think your best bet is going to be a bunkhouse model travel trailer. Bunkhouse models typically have a queen bed in front (keep in mind an RV queen is smaller than regular queen) and bunk beds in back, with kitchen/dining/living in the middle. If you aren't planning on traveling a lot, a motor home is going to be an unnecessary expense. Travel trailers have very low upkeep unless something breaks and needs to be fixed, whereas a motor home would need regular maintenance just like a car but more expensive. Plus it will cost you more to begin with for the same length in a travel trailer, and the 5-6 feet at the front in a motorhome is not really livable space.

I would not do a mobile/manufactured home for the reasons you listed, i.e. transport, proper pad or foundation etc. Again, unnecessary expenses. Although in most states you wouldn't have to worry about property taxes if it wasn't tied down and skirted, if you just have it set somewhere temporarily then it's considered personal property instead of real estate. (I worked as a Realtor for several years so I can at least say this is the case in the state of Washington, most likely similar rules elsewhere.)

I prefer 5th wheels personally because they feel more open inside (higher ceilings) but if you don't have your own tow vehicle that's probably not the best option. With a travel trailer though it would be easy to find someone who has a pickup with a tow package to help you get it to where you want it. Some lightweight models can be pulled by an SUV, but you'll probably want something bigger for a family of four. So if I were you I'd put your money towards buying a 30 to 35 foot bunkhouse or park model travel trailer off Craigslist. (I wouldn't go smaller than that with four people - we just have two in a 27' with no slides and it's awfully cozy for full time living, but then again our floorplan is crap and that makes a difference.) If you can find something that has a living/dining slideout that makes a big difference in livable space and you could probably find something with one in your price range if you're willing to look at late 80s/early 90s models.

I would highly recommend that when you do buy something you take along someone familiar with RVs and make sure the seller can provide hookups so you can test EVERYTHING, including water and electric systems but especially the fridge/freezer and A/C, before you buy. An RV fridge/freezer unit costs about $1400 to replace (not kidding) and a rooftop air conditioner is about $1000 installed. So you want to be sure those are in good working order when you buy, or if not, that the asking price is low enough that you're willing to pay that much to replace them yourself.

Hope that helps!
post #294 of 517
7/10/10 at 1:18am
Thanks WTHamI !

This is super helpful info. My dad has an old friend who knows RVs so I'm hoping to bring him along to look things over before we buy anything, as you suggest... if not him, I'll have to dig around for another expert. Yes, a 5th wheel sounds nice, but I don't know anyone with a dually who is close by to move it for us... would rather not have to buy a towing vehicle ourselves for sure! Hmmm, I do have old contacts with a truck that could do it, but they are 2 hrs away.

Next step is actually talking with my parents to see if they are cool with the idea. Plus I think I'll be on Craig's list a lot!
post #295 of 517
7/10/10 at 9:20am
starrmama- I love your etsy shop. What a great idea! Those cloth diaper cakes are awesome!
post #296 of 517
7/10/10 at 10:59am
Thanks! Actually I was just thinking I needed to change my siggy since I'm going to take a break from the shop while I sort out our plans and work on moving and then finishing the research for the dream house... plus I think I'm breaking a rule ? I created that when I was a paying business member or whatever its called...

But glad you like them
post #297 of 517
7/10/10 at 12:04pm
starrmama I agree that a TT or 5th, 30-35 ft w/ bunkhouse and 1-3 slides would be a great choice. You should easily be able to find someone to move your TT or 5th wheel for you. Is summer heat or winter cold an issue where you are? I would just make sure you get a camper that has what you need for temperature control. You'll need a shady spot and 2 a/c units in the summer if it's 90-100 degrees like it is here. If it freezes there you'll need a 4 seasons camper with proper skirting.

We stayed on our in laws land the last 2 months. We ended up spending all the money on gas because they live 45 mins from town! lol There are no RV parks in town so we didn't have much choice.

tayndrewsmama about weight, we found that we were 400 pounds over when we first weighed. My DH has a ton of tools, and then we had brought too much stuff plus the mods we did. We tried to lighten the load and never move with anything in our tanks. When we do end up setting out again I will be bringing a lot less stuff (far fewer homeschooling books, toys, clothing) so we have headway for more mods, bikes, things we'll actually use. You could weigh all the bits of building materials you use, we will weigh the new laminate flooring before we put it in, but also be sure to weigh your rig.
post #298 of 517
7/10/10 at 3:33pm
Thanks MoonStarFalling!

Yes, we are in KY, but near Cincinnati OH... it does indeed get into the 90s here in summer and very humid, but still gets cold in winter with snow, and below freezing temps regularly. Do I need to try and get factory skirting, or can I use "homemade" versions? I actually just saw a '97 Jayco 30' 5th wheel on CL that's been lived in at a campground year round with skirting and 1 slide and a 12 X 14 addition that can be detached - guy is selling the 5th for 6k and the addition for 2k. Not sure we're ready to buy just yet though. We're not sure if we're going to try and move in the fall or wait till next spring. I think I will be less stressed if we wait (more time to prepare, sell, pack, etc), and then we'd have much more time to get used to RV living before the weather gets cold.
post #299 of 517
7/10/10 at 3:44pm
We have talked a lot on this thread about what everyone has brought like which plug in appliances and such are needed. But I would love to know what has ended up being dumped. If everyone who has or is currently travelling and has dumped stuff, what went? I bet there are many things in common and from that I could potentially help myself pack less to begin with. I have seen and heard so many people say they brought too much stuff and things had to go.

I know when we set off we want:
1 bike per person (4)
Rollerblades for me and dh
scooters for boys
Childrens books and some homeschool material.
Solar oven -kinda big, but not heavy

But everything else, like toys is optional.

So what did you really learn that you didn't need like you thought?
post #300 of 517
7/12/10 at 2:33pm
This is an excellent question. We are preparing to hit the road in mid August. We'd like to spend next year touring in the RV, so our trip in August will be about a month long "trial run" whereby we come home a little more informed about the logistics & make smarter plans.

so far I want to bring:
7 bicycles (one with trailer or baby seat for my 2 yr old)
juice machine and George Foreman grill (the only kitchen gadgets I need)
blow-up water toys
tents for sleeping outdoors
lawn chairs, patio furniture
ONE crate of art supplies
Everyone's laptops
ONE crate of books- mostly field guides, survival skills, etc
Writing journals

We're buying a used diesel RV, converting it to run on veggie oil in September (when we're meeting up with other RV families)

Familiesontheroad.com is a great place to find other families who are doing this, so is NuRVers.com - their message boards have answered so many of our questions. I've been blogging my story of "next month... no next month... no next month" for... well... months now, at gypsymom.com

There are TONS of families doing this, and the FOTR has an annual meetup, too. I think it's in Feb.

I totally underestimated how long it would take us to prepare for this.