Do you think you could live in a nice camper or motor home full time?
We’ve kicked the idea around before. Here are some pictures of our camper which is paid off.
It would cost around $300 a month, which would include city hook ups and utilities.
Could you do it? Have you ever known anyone who has done it?
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68 Answers
Yes sounds like fun. You will have to get your mail rerouted. Your camper is nicer than my apartment. FEMA provides campers for disaster relief. So its possible.
I know it’s possible, but would we be comfortable? I think we would be. The only down side is all the parks around here have limits on how long you can stay in one place, so we’d have to move every 2 weeks or a month.
As long as your winters don’t get too harsh you could do it, it would keep you from spending anything on like furniture, inviting company over might have a down side.
Also some parks do allow longer stays you might have to venture out a bit though.
@Dutchess_III Bad idea right now. In case the government shuts down again. Taking the parks with them. From the debt ceiling.
I think it would be fun for a while, but not permanently. I get a little claustrophobic even in a larger camper.
I’m always a little worried, too, about having only one entrance – I can’t tell from your picture if this is towed or if it has its own engine. Anyway, I would always want a second means of exiting.
If I were single I’d be fine with that. As it is, when I was single and had my own apartment I basically lived in one room of it.
Not with someone who bugs me as much as you say Rick bugs you.
I could probably do it for a while as the lone human, with dogs, but personally I’d rather do a boat.
Looks good.not sure how much time I can spend in it though.. couple of days may be!!
I would like to do what my aunt and uncle did, live in a 32 foot RV parked next to their office. That way, Hubby could have his computer “room”, and we could drive off whenever we want.
I would rather live in a wooden hut, with mud walls and self made clay roof tiles.
@elbanditoroso There are two exits one in front and one out of the bedroom in the back. Plus I think some of the windows can be pulled out. I’ll have to look at more closely.
Winters can be harsh, but we’d be warm and dry in our camper.
@Dutchess_III Is the camper set up for winter conditions, example= insulated tanks, so the plumbing won’t freeze.
Is it insulated enough so it won’t cost a fortune in propane to heat it?
Lot of things to consder @SQUEEKY2. Rick would know what to do.
But then it hit….I’d have put all my furniture in storage! My furniture defines me, defines my home!
I did for about a year and mine wasn’t nearly as nice as yours. However, I was in a friends backyard and had access to the house so I had a full kitchen and bathroom at my disposal.
I was fine with the RV. But I pretty much like living in a single room. Right now I have a two bedroom apartment and spend 95% of the time in my bedroom. But that might not work for you.
What would it cost to store the things from your house that won’t fit?
Dutch. Aren’t you in a tornado prone area? That would be my biggest concern.
@MrGrimm888 :: Getting hit by lightning was the main reason I moved out of the RV. That was terrifying.
I was safe. But I woke up at 4am in a ball of orange and a loud bang and the RV was violently shaking.
Would love it. For a minimalist commitment phobe RVs are perfect. We had one and loved it. The RV park here is 200 a month with showers and hookups. Always full.
The first “house” I really remember was a 40-foot travel trailer. We lived in it for three or four years, a couple traveling and a couple parked.
I still have family that travel a good portion of the year and live in some sort of mobile setup. They’re all right.
I think the downsides are what @johnpowell mentioned, the tiny bathroom that barely flushes and the tiny shower that barely washes. Other than that it really just depends on where you park, because you spend a ton of time outside.
We had some places where it was really nice, wooded, areas with things to do and those were awesome. Caliche parking lots are definitely less awesome.
I think a lot depends on how you view “home”. If home needs to be relaxing and secure, then I don’t think it’s going to make you happy to go back to a camper and try to recharge from whatever life throws at you. But if you’re set up and looking for something a little more interesting, then you really can’t beat having your whole world mobile and ready to roll.
I could live in that if I had to, if I were alone or with an extremely easy-to-be-with partner. It wouldn’t be my first choice…
And yeah, I know people who have lived in much less.
I could easily. However, my wife wouldn’t have any part of it.
She complains that she doesn’t have enough space in her sewing room now.
@Dutchess_III, your link is making me to pay to see your photo, but I’ve seen photos of your camper(s) in the past. Yes, I could do it, especially considering how big it is.
We are going to live in our camper, which is considerably smaller than yours, for several months this summer. There are lots of campgrounds that are not government run, and they are virtually anywhere you could think of to go. We downloaded Allstays, an ap that includes all the RV places in any particular area. (I don’t know if it includes sites outside of the US.) I used it to find several RV locations in your area. Some of them are privately owned and some of them are part of a chain, and many of them will be cheaper than KOA. Non-government camp sites do not require that you keep moving, and you can stay as long or as short as you want. There are a range of prices, and many of them are quite competitive with the government campsites.
As for propane cost, we have discovered that a small camper is heated quite effectively with a small ceramic heater (maybe yours would require two, but it would still be cheaper than propane.) We also have a small crockpot and an electric hot plate so we are not totally dependent on propane for cooking.
@stanleybmanly Probably $50 a month to store my stuff….
Yes, we plan to get one of those space heaters that look like small fireplaces with a video of flames. Plus the camper has heat and air, anyway. As long as we have hook ups, it’s all electric so we really don’t need propane.
Insulation is not as good as in a house, so it might be too cold in winter and too hot in summer. Also, the bathroom and kitchen would be smaller and less convenient than in a house. The advantage is that you can travel the country all year round.
A friend of mine was the last of four sisters. When she left for freshman year of college, her folks sold their farm, bought a small Airstream and traveled the country for a number of years, sometimes meeting up with “caravans” of other trailers.
Unless you really need the money, I would suggest trying it for a month or two before either renting or selling your home.
One thing I’ve heard of is people who settle in a campground with their camper for a season as caretakers/office managers. Free rental and possibly minimal pay.
That’s part of it. Rick is working on getting is both jobs at the lake.
I don’t think I’d want to do it forever, but my dream vacation is to travel cross country for about a year, stopping at National Parks, and seeking out vegetarian restaurants, and writing a blog about that. I love those big giant, fancy motor homes, but my real favorite is a vintage air stream trailer.
The biggest down fall for motor homes is you have to drag a car behind you. That’s why we traded ours in for a pull behind.
I have a friend (late 50s, divorced) who is doing that. He sold his home in Texas about 5 years ago and bought a monster Class A that he registered as a business in Montana. That saved a bundle on taxes apparently. He loves the freedom and meeting people!
He visits here about once or twice a year and uses our house as a home base to travel around and visit the area. We have lots of space and have hook-ups for water, power, and gray water so it is no problem for us to host 2 Class A RVs. Park by the barn and you are out of the way and can stay for weeks!
If you decide to roll around the country you’d better make sure to put my place on your list!
It would depend on what lifestyle you wish to live. If you were looking for a permanent or even semi-permanent location then there are better options. If you wanted a mobile lifestyle with regular changes in scenery and environments then yes, a motor home/travel trailer would work well. You up and leave when you are ready and take to the road to see where it goes.
I would say it was an option for those who are single, retired or without children, not that those with children couldn’t, just that it would make it much more difficult.
But, if you have been pretty sedentary for the past 40 years and both like adventure and travel then yes. Go for it. My wife and I are opting for a middle of the road solution when she retires next year. A year ago we bought a little Casita and I am in the process of hooking up solar panels and gathering up equipment I think we might need. Once her retirement is finalized we are going to take off for four months and tour the Western U.S, including a foray up to Alaska. We figure it will give us a taste of the freedom of the open road without spending a whole bunch of cash. Sure, it is small but we are using it mainly as a shelter from the storm; most of our time is spent outside under shelters or a pop-up tarp and, after forty years we have become well acquainted with each others idiosyncrasies. We are not planning on selling our home or renting it out but will have someone check on it on a regular basis. If we enjoy it, who knows, maybe we opt for a bigger trailer, maybe a motor home and then sell the house (more likely rent it out) and take to the road permanently. There is a lot of world out there to see in what we have left of our lives.
@rojo I’ve got space for you, too!
@LuckyGuy Thanks, heading East is on the list for probably 2020.
So much for the mansion, let’s all go to @Luckyguy’s place : )
I had a colleague who lived in a boat for a couple of years. She had a gym membership that was really cheap – she used it primarily for showers. I’d have to go that route as well if I lived in a camper – I need a lot of powerful, hot water in my showers. That’s never been my experience in campers or trailers.
This camper has hot water. The pressure isn’t suburb, but it’s adequate @Kardamom.
I think it was BellaB that was talking about the water pressure in the shower.
I prefer superb water pressure to suburb water pressure.
And that is the name if my new band: Suburb Water Pressure : )
Of course, it would be easy if one was shorter than the bed in the camper or motor home…
We have a queen bed in ours.
If only all could be so lucky…
Do you have a 40 gallon water heater too??
I suspect it’s a heater that heats the water as it runs though the pipe, rather than a reserved water heater. I forget what they’re called. In a house it would mount on a wall. Here are the specs. Wow. It has a 90 gallon fresh water capacity.
@Dutchess_III Tell us about your home theater system. How big is the TV? How impressive the Surround Sound??
(Is that oil leak coming from YOUR motor home??)
Almost forgot… the parking space comes with wifi!
Pull in, hook up water, electricity, gray water, and type in the wifi password and you’re good to go – or stay.
It’s a pull behind @kritiper, so no oil leaks. We put our own TV in. It’s a flat screen with a DVD player integrated into it. You’d have to ask Rick about the surround sound. It sounds good to me! You can even set it to play outside.
I have my own hot spot I use @LuckyGuy. It’s through my cell phone provider.
I think we should all camp at @LuckyGuy’s place.
I’m going to start setting up the food on the welcoming picnic table. What kind of tater salad do y’all like?
M. JELLO!! But don’t put fruit chunks in it. and DO NOT put cottage cheese in it! Who ever came up with that is mad.
@LuckyGuy I’m disappointed that the building doesn’t look like it wobbles.
@janbb Remember, around here we have to build buildings to withstand 100 pounds per sq ft snow load. Buildings do not wobble.
However, there is a lot of wobbling going on inside the building. You would not be disappointed!
^^ Sounds like a good gelatinous date!
The advantage of a smaller living room is that you can use a smaller TV to get the same surround experience.
What is the deal.with guys and giant TVs and surround sound??
^^^ Makes the porn so much more realistic.
When I watch Die Hard or Star Wars, I want the explosions to rock my living room.
@RocketGuy You just repeated what I said. Kinda. But, like, in your own words. Sorta.
lol! waffles instead of pancakes now!
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