How Many FT RVers?

by Sandy
(Houston, TX)

Does anyone have an idea about how many full time RVers there are in the US?

Comments for
How Many FT RVers?

Feb 09, 2010

full timer
by: Howie

In my humble opinion, I would think being a full time RV'r would qualify no matter if you are in a class a, class c, 5th wheel or pull behind. I have seen a couple 5th wheelers that have put quite a few class A's to shame when it has come to luxury, ammenities and the like. Yep, I think if you are in some class of RV that you are living in all the time and are mobile some of the time, that would qualify you. Personally I like the idea of having one location as a base and then be out and about whenever and wherver I like. Always home you know.

Feb 02, 2010

Type
by: Jim

My comment was in reference to a class a. When you factor in trailers, that are insured with the tow vehicle, that will skew the #s. Maybe king-dome or similiar services could peg the #?

Feb 02, 2010

Full Time RVing Numbers
by: Sharon

I guess it's a mystery how many full-timers are actually out there and what qualifies you as one.

Feb 02, 2010

Not quite...
by: Sean

The 30,000,000 number is not full-timers, just the number of people actively using their RVs.

The full-time number is hard to pin down. For one thing, no organization is really tracking it. For another, "full time" is hard to define conclusively. If you own a house or apartment, but are never there because you prefer the RV, does that make you "full time"? If you live in your rig all year long, but spend most of that time at an ownership park, where you've built a kitchen, guest cabin, and other amenities, are you a full-timer? How about folks who have no house, live in their rigs for six months, and spend the other six months cruising -- are they full-timers? What if you live in your Airstream all year long, but it's in a trailer park and it hasn't moved in six years, and doesn't even have wheels any longer? If you're living in your van behind the Denny's, does that count?

Give how hard it is to pin these things down, and how little tracking there really is, I tend to view most estimates as being on the high side. When we went full-time over five years ago, I did some back-of-the-envelope math and came up with a wide range of anywhere between a quarter million to one million full-timers, living in what most of us would call an RV that is mobile and moves more than once a year. That would not include people living in their cars because they have no place else, or people living in conventional RVs that are permanently stationed somewhere, whether that's a trailer park or a private plot of land.

Of course, I have no proof whatsoever that my math is any better than that of anyone else.

-Sean

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Feb 02, 2010
Rating

Submitted by: Sean

Title

Comment
The 30,000,000 number is not full-timers, just the number of people actively using their RVs. The full-time number is hard to pin down. For one thing, no organization is really tracking it. For another, "full time" is hard to define conclusively. If you own a house or apartment, but are never there because you prefer the RV, does that make you "full time"? If you live in your rig all year long, but spend most of that time at an ownership park, where you've built a kitchen, guest cabin, and other amenities, are you a full-timer? How about folks who have no house, live in their rigs for six months, and spend the other six months cruising -- are they full-timers? What if you live in your Airstream all year long, but it's in a trailer park and it hasn't moved in six years, and doesn't even have wheels any longer? If you're living in your van behind the Denny's, does that count? Give how hard it is to pin these things down, and how little tracking there really is, I tend to view most estimates as being on the high side. When we went full-time over five years ago, I did some back-of-the-envelope math and came up with a wide range of anywhere between a quarter million to one million full-timers, living in what most of us would call an RV that is mobile and moves more than once a year. That would not include people living in their cars because they have no place else, or people living in conventional RVs that are permanently stationed somewhere, whether that's a trailer park or a private plot of land. Of course, I have no proof whatsoever that my math is any better than that of anyone else. -Sean

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Feb 02, 2010

Research
by: Jim

To find the answer to that, I'd do research with the auto insurance association. I know I was asked if I full-timed in the rig.

Feb 02, 2010

RV Travel Full Time
by: Sharon

The Complete Idiot's Guide to RVing, published April 03, 2006 states that there are more than 30 million Americans who are living the RV lifestyle and the millions of others who are thinking about taking the plunge.

I am not sure where they got that statistic, but I wouldn't be surprised if that number were even higher today in 2010.

We have also seen a surge in the number of construction workers who travel and live in RVs in disaster zones like the hurricane Katrina and Ike. During the recovery thousands of contractors move into the areas to help with repair and recovery efforts. Some of these workers decide the RV lifestyle works better for them.

Today's economy is forcing people to consider jobs in different areas of the country. An RV gives them the freedom to move around as necessary and with less expense than a fixed location.

With the baby boomers coming into retirement and a bad economy that has some folks looking for a more frugal lifestyle focused on health, happiness, and peace of mind with less about the pressures, constraints, and monotony of a more stationary lifestyle.

I'd be interested in knowing if anyone has an updated statistic of the full time RVing community.