I need the benefit of your experience

by Bill Davidson
(Montreal, Quebec)

I have been day dreaming about full time RVing all my life and I am researching doing it for real. I have always envisaged not having a home base of any kind and boon docking full time. Am I being unrealistic? If so what is the reality? I'm only really contented if I'm driving somewhere and I find a vehicle a lovely quiet place to be. I have a Quebec driving license and my RV is registered in Quebec. I am not sure if a mailing address will be acceptable for medicare or other government agencies. How do others get around it?

I am restoring a 27 year old class B camper. I am a cabinetmaker, a furniture finisher, and a D.I.Y. mechanic. I am custom designing the interior, the bodywork is like a big steel armoir, and I am learning as I go with the mechanics. However, I am having trouble sourcing a generator that will be small enough to fit it under the floor and I want to be able to plug the RV into an external electricity supply e.g. at an RV park. I need a heating system (good enough for a Canadian winter) that isn't going to suffocate or poison me, and again, to be able to plug it into an external propane supply. I need a hot and cold water supply and under floor water tanks and water heater. I would also want to be able to plumb it in at an RV park. Lastly but not least, I need a waste disposal system that can be emptied at a public toilet or plumb in at an RV park. Does anybody know any after market suppliers of these things for a class B camper?

I'd really appreciate any help you can give me.

Thanks

Bill Davidson

Comments for
I need the benefit of your experience

Click here to add your own comments

Feb 09, 2010
 RV Travel Full Time
by: Sharon

Hi Bill,

Full time RVing is the dream of many people who love the open road and want to live their life with the kind of freedom that RV travel provides.

The great part is that the dream is very realistic and enjoyed by thousands and thousands of people who share your enthusiasm for the lifestyle.

Don and I share your sentiment that we are happiest on the open road looking for the next beautiful spot to enjoy quiet serenity. We especially love that part of the RV lifestyle.

Your Class B RV project sounds like so much fun, and with all your cabinet, furniture and mechanical skills I bet it'll turn out just beautiful. How fun that will be to create your own perfect space and be able to take it with you where ever you go. Many folks would love to create custom RV furniture for the interior of their rig.

Finding all the parts you're looking for shouldn't be too difficult. In the USA there are lots of suppliers who sell or can find just about anything you're looking for.

PPL's RV Parts Superstore a division of PPL Motor Homes ships to all 50 states in the USA. Give them a call to see if they will ship to parts to Quebec. Here's their contact information:

PPL Motor Homes & RV Parts Superstore
10777 Southwest Freeway (Highway 59 South)
Houston, Texas 77074-9829
1-800-755-4775
Hours: 8:00am - 5:30pm CST Mon-Fri
9:00am - 4:00pm CST Saturday

Maybe some of our Canadian visitors can help us find a parts supplier near Quebec.

Here's some companies you might consider for some of the parts your looking for:

  • Onan, Honda and Yamaha for generators

  • Ultra Heat, Inc. for holding tank and drain heaters

  • Mr. Heater for propane heaters.

  • Suburban Manufacturing Company for ducted furnances, water heaters, and accessories

  • White Rodgers for programmable thermostats

  • Ameri-Kart for Holding tanks

  • Check out UltraHeat RV water system protection systems designed for cold weather use. They are the industry standard to help prevent holding tank and drainage system freeze-up for cold weather RVing.


I could give you a bunch of manufactures names to check on for different products. Let me know when you can't find something and I'll see if I can find a source for you.

We'd really love to see pictures of your progress as you complete your project and take to the road.

I hope you'll come back and share some with us.

Lastly, most folks in the USA use Escapees for their mailing service. It's legal to use them as a home base for all government documents and delivery.

If anyone knows of a similar mailing service in Canada please post it so others can benefit from your knowledge.

Click here to add your own comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How?
Simply click here to return to RV Q and A


Return to Full Time RVing Home Page