About to Become Full Time RVers

by Three
(Springfield, MO)

Thor the Truck

Thor the Truck

My wife and I are creeping up on fifty years of age and are about to hit the road full-time RVing after we sell most everything we own. We have already bought the truck. Now we need the fifth wheel trailer. We want to wait until we are closer to finalizing the sale of our home before committing to buying a 5er. My wife and I are both on our notebooks and tablets "eyebuying" our future rig.

My truck is a 2008 F-350 SD King Ranch with Lariat Package, 6.4L PSD, SRW, 3.73 axle ratio, 20" wheels, navigation, satellite radio, and lots of other bells, whistles and upgrades. I welcome any advice regarding the type of rig one might think would be best for full-timers who plan to roam the country like snowbirds might.

We're looking forward to getting out "there" and meeting all the great people who RV, be it full-time or weekend warriors.

We've done the TT thing before several years ago. This is going to be WAY different, though.

Comments for
About to Become Full Time RVers

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Oct 23, 2011
 Getting Closer to Full-Timing!!
by: Richard

We bought the truck a few months ago. The F350 SuperCrew Cab 4x4, 6.4L diesel. So we have half of our rig already. The only thing we were waiting on was for the house to sell. It has sold...tentatively. We await only the closing, which is slated for the 10th of November. We'll be hitting the road to head to Texas on that same day or perhaps the 11th. Once there we'll pick the 5th wheel Keystone Avalanche 290RL which is awaiting us. We'll put a few things in storage, load what we can safely carry, set up a mailing address in our new home state (we've lived in Texas twice before), get our license, voter registration, and insurance for our new home.

It looks as if Whispering Pines in Tyler will be our first stop. Once the weather begins to warm next year we plan to head to New Hampshire where our Navy son is stationed to squat for a few months. Once we experience the Vermont trees change in the Fall of 2012 we'll strike out for Florida. We'll winter there. After that, North America is our oyster. Who knows. Maybe Canada for the Summer of 2013.

Hope to see y'all out there!!!

Rich
Aug 20, 2011
 There's moving, and then there's moving.
by: Richard

Let's not even talk about moving! Melanie and I will soon be doing it for the final time. We've moved so many times that people ask if I was in the military. Near as we can figure the home we're in now makes number 38 during our 32 years together. We've owned 12 of those. Of those twelve ten we're ones we had custom built or new construction. (No, we're not wealthy either!)
Years ago, when I was still employed, someone said that we should just get an RV and roam around like a turtle.

We know that family and friends laughed at us before for moving, but we had a reason for each one. We're pretty sure they think we've finally lost our minds for doing the full-time RV thing. Danged if we do, dogged if we don't!! You just can't win with some people. lol

We don't now, nor have we ever, cared about what others may think.

We have a son who's in the Navy and just got married to a lovely girl. He has a wife to look after him now. We've been empty nesters for four years. We have a house full of stuff, 95% of it we're getting rid of. It's amazing when we look at things realistically and realize that we utilize only a small section of our home and its contents.

For the record, I was urging Melanie to go full-time RVing when we were about to purchase our present home. I guess she just needed one more stick-built house to get it out of her system. lol

We may move back into a stationary home one day, but I plan on it being straight from the rig to a nursing home. :)
Aug 19, 2011
 Our Inevitable Reality...LOL!
by: Kurt The Bass Player

My name is Kurt and my wife's name is Julie. We are 47 and 48 years old respectively. I have been a musician my entire life. I have played the Bass for over 30 years now. We are seriously considering the Full Time RVer lifestyle. We really just started thinking about it. Julie is a fantastic researcher, so I know that will get done before we do anything. We do not own a home.(Never have) We are empty-nesters. Our daughter is in college in another state. I am currently in Graduate school in a Jazz Studies degree and she is working a full time job.

This might sound crazy but after I complete my degree, I think we'll just hit the road! Why not? If a teaching gig comes up, great, but if it doesn't....We have owned our own business, I have taught private students since the 1980's and continue to do so via SKYPE and in my studio here in the home we RENT for $1100 a month! I bet that kinda money would buy a nice rig! We are pretty Entrepreneurial kind of people. A good indicator that this would be for us is this: We have been together for 23 years and in that time we have moved 15 times! In my life, I have moved 35 times not including all the road gigs I have played over the years!! LOL...We get very excited at the prospects of NOT owning a home but OWNING an RV instead!

We'll always have a home base in the home Julie grew up in. I think our plan is to do what everybody else seems to have done. HOMEWORK about all the things to consider, CHECKOUT the different Rigs FOR SALE, and between selling off some of my instruments and maybe using some of our savings, collect a down-payment and hope to finance a Class A MotorHome. I'll be "BASS PLAYER FOR HIRE" on the open road coming to a town near you! LOL...Inevitably, I think we'll be meeting a lot of you after I graduate from North Texas. Thanks for reading my very first post ever pertaining to this subject! To be continued.... Be well.
Aug 19, 2011
 Ready for Full Time RVing
by: Relkins

My Sweetie and I are 349 days away from being Full Timers. Got the truck, and TT, and only have to sell the stick and brick house. We are planning on doing mission work as we go. Already have connected up with a couple of Retired Builder groups. We are presently in major 'Down Sizing' mode which started out to be hard but is getting much easier. We searched every Saturday for 3 months to find the right floor plan. most TTs don't have enough storage for long term living. We ended up with a Primetime Lacrosse 301 RLS, that we just love. Had it our a few times already, and it seems to meet all of our needs. Pros and cons to any RV, boils down to what cons you can live with and how much you have to spend. Then, put on a happy face and hit the road. ....R & A.
Jul 31, 2011
 Each Day That Goes By We Get Closer To Getting On the Road
by: Pamela

First, my apologies for the bad syntax on my earlier comment here. :)

I have come to realize that we will get on the road sooner or later. We have been side tracked quite a bit lately... We hit a tree limb with our 5th wheel camper and now it is in the repair shop. Talking about dragging it out, between the repair shop estimate, and the insurance adjuster, well, need I say more....We can only hope to make it before the snow flies!

All in all, I watch the grand children a little more, and get to go to their birthday parties. Spent a traditional week with my 2 nieces, who are a blast! Swelter in the Missouri record heat and humidity this summer.

Still, I continue packing and getting rid of things, and I think we may be ready to go by September.

I really enjoy the comments here as they are very helpful. I'm sure we will learn as we go also, but the advice given here is not inconsequential.

I hope we can meet a lot of new friends and become more social. We are in the city here and nobody talks to each other in our neighborhood. I remember my camping days when I was younger, and the one thing that sticks out in my mind is that people were friendly in the campground.

Pamela and John F350 diesel dually, and an Elkhart Traveler,1989,36'.
Jul 30, 2011
 Travel Trailer
by: Anonymous

The last thing I'd want to do is take a fiver out west, through the Rockies, etc. We have an old Airstream. For us, the only way to go. It's a 1992 29 ft. It's 20 years old, but with new brakes and tires, it's just as good as new. We love it and find it to be very comfortable. Slides would be nice for more space, but then we'd have to haul that extra weight around. We spend lots of time in Florida, too. But we wanted a trailer small enough to be easy to tow and manipulate. Later, we plan to get a smaller one. If you stay in good weather (Florida or Arizona in winter), you won't spend a lot of time inside, anyway. We've decided after living in ours for as much as a month at a time, several times, that the important things are a good easy chair, good bed, big fridge, and a bathroom we can really use! My husband thinks we need the kitchen, but as far as I'm concerned, he can cook outside or we can go out. If it didn't have a kitchen stove - woo-hoo. Just kidding, it's kind of fun to cook in it and very efficient.

Company doesn't stay long, and that's another plus!
Jul 24, 2011
 We Will Be full Time Rvers Soon!
by: Pamela

We are moving forward with our goal of becoming full time RVers. We are planning to travel and live in Florida because of our health.

We decided to do this in February while we were thee on vacation. My husband and I have become disabled and it has always been his dream to live there. It is beautiful there and while thee on vacation my arthritis symptoms improved as well as my chronic allergies. My husband has liver disease and needs to be more active.

We bought a 89 Elkhart 36' 5th wheel, like new, and a 97 f350 dually diesel with the hitch already installed. the truck is in great condition also.
We can hardly wait! I love to fish and swim, but i am going to miss the 4 grandbabies!

Our delay is the cleaning out of all of our STUFF, It seems like a never ending task. we had a yard sale, to no avail. We gave everything we could away, 2 large truck loads full. plus I took many things to good Will, and we also paid to have a truck full of junk hauled away. We still have stuff! We even have to sell 2 of our cars, and the john Deere tractor. I never dreamed it would take so long...but we move very slow with our chronic health problems. My grown kids and my elderly parents were against us doing this at first. But they can come visit and we are going to be mobile, so we can go home to visit family.

Now our strategy is to have my daughter come and get her stuff out. Then give another load of stuff away. After that, pack the 5th wheel, clean the rest of the stuff out of the house, walk out, and turn it over to the rental agency we hired.

Leave for the wild, blue, yonder!:)

My biggest concern for staying in Florida is snakes. I hate them and I am terrified of them. i read where there are a lot of snakes there. As far as hurricanes go, we will pack up and leave at the first signs of a land fall hurricane.

But the ocean and warm climate and meeting people from everywhere is what we look forward to, along with exploring new places.
Jul 24, 2011
 WAY TO GET WHEN IT COMES TIME TO HIT THE ROAD
by: JEFF ZIMMER

YOU SAY YOU WANT TO GO FIFTH WHEEL WHEN YOU HIT THE ROAD FULL TIME !!! FIRST OF ALL GREAT CHOOSE IN TOWING VEHICLES TO TOW WITH Y'ALL CAN'T GO WRONG THERE !! IT REALLY DEPENDS ON HOW MUCH LIVING SPACE & WHAT TYPE OF LIVING SPACE YOU WOULD LIKE .. RATHER YOU WOULD LIKE REAR LIVING AREA OR FRONT LIVING AREA... THEN DETERMINE HOW LONG A FIFTH WHEEL YOU WOULD LIKE ... I WOULD ADVISE YOU TO GO THE RV SHOWS & DEALERSHIPS TO GET IDEAS ON JUST WHAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SUIT YOUR NEEDS ... IF IT WERE ME I WOULD HIT THE RV SHOWS CAUSE THEY HAVE A BETTER SELECTION TO CHOOSE FROM & YOUR CHANCES OF GETTING A GREAT BUY FOR IS MUCH BETTER THERE ... I & THIS JUST ME JUST LOVE LOVE THE KEYSTONE MONTANA LINE OF FIFTH WHEELS !!! THEY ARE VERY WELL BUILT & I LOVE THERE FEATURES !!!! IN FACT THAT IS THE FIFTH WHEEL I'M PLANNING TO PURCHASE COME TIME I RETIRE & GO FULL TIME MYSELF !!! RIGHT NOW I HAVE A 2002 F250 CREW CAB LONG BED & PULL AN OPEN ROAD 31' REAR LIVING TRAVEL TRAILER WITH TWO SLIDES ...WHEN I RETIRE I'M GOIN TO PURCHASE A F450 DUALLY CREW CAB & WILL BE PULLING A 38' MONTANA FRONT LIVING FIFTH WHEEL WITH A SHOCKED HITCH ON A GOOSENCK HITCH CAUSE I DON'T WANT THE FIFTH WHEEL HITCH ASSY .. IT TAKES UP TOO MUCH BED SPACE ... AS YOU CAN SEE I'VE DONE MY HOME WORK ON THIS & I'M A EXPERIENCED RV'ER !! THE GREAT THINK ABOUT PULLING EITHER A FIFTH WHEEL OR TRAVEL TRAILER IS THIS TO ME .. I CAN PULL IT WHERE EVER I'M GOING DROP THE TRAILER & HAVE A VEHICLE TO COME & GO WHERE EVER I NEED TO .. I SURE HOPE I HAVE BEEN SOME HELP TO Y'ALL GOOD LUCK IN YOUR TRAVELS !!!!!
Jul 24, 2011
 About to Become Full Timers
by: Sean

Me personally, I would avoid the 5th wheeler altogether and stick with a reasonable size trailer. My grandfather (when he was around) proved to me over the years which was a better choice of RV. I will give only for the 5er (Con) 1) Very high profile, subject to winds & roll-overs. 2)High fuel cost. 3) Over weight for truck, and when not hooked up too much power for truck to just tool around. 4) Limited to one over powered truck to haul trailer, very limited in a rental replacement when main truck goes down for the count. 5) You lose the trucks bed capacity can't load anything. 6) Low over head in the master bedroom. Now onto the (Pro's) 1) And only one, tight turn radius.
Jul 24, 2011
 Good Luck with your new adventures!
by: Kylie Chesterfield

Sounds like a wonderful adventure is coming your way. We have be RV'ing for the last 4 months and have only 2 months left for our journey. thechesterfields.blogspot.com May you have a safe and fantastic journey. Keep us updated.

Kylie
Jul 24, 2011
 Our Favorite 5er
by: rvlovers10100

We have been bouncing back and forth between a 5er and a Class A. Recent show we saw and investigated an Open Range 5er, seem to be very well built and priced moderately. I first noticed the dove-tailed doors, which to me, are a sure sign of quality. Some of them have fold down patios that we will enjoy with our puppies. Check them out at openrangerv.com. I do not work for the company but am impressed with the product. Good luck and enjoy your new lifestyle

Thom and Jodi Bell
rvlovers10100@gmail.com

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