new and lots of questions

[yimmortal]

ok, I'm 47 and I retired, I'm a single guy. I plan to get an rv of some sort and drive around all the time without any other sort of home....

that's the plan at least....

so, questions:
I'm stuck between a big van that looks like a van and not an rv so I can park anywhere I want and not be in trouble. like Walmart, or city streets, basically somewhere that a van wouldn't look out of place.
but if I have a small traditional looking RV then I'm pretty much stuck in rv parks about 80% of the time I'm guessing?? or can they park on city streets without trouble from police and their tickets? they obviously look like RV's and not delivery vans....

Are we, RV people, looked down upon? are there specific problems with society that I should be prepared for?

Do RV's get broken into like homes? more or less often?

is it difficult to find repair places since we are bigger and a lot of shops won't want to work on our vehicles?

what breaks most often inside an RV?

I like a glass of wine at night. if I'm parked for the night, is that considered drinking and driving?

what would you do different when starting out now that you're all experts and experienced? ha ha

what else can I expect in my future? tell me everything you can think of so I can attempt to be prepared.....

[free_radical]

yimmortal wrote:
ok, I'm 47 and I retired, I'm a single guy. I plan to get an rv of some sort and drive around all the time without any other sort of home....

that's the plan at least....

so, questions:
I'm stuck between a big van that looks like a van and not an rv so I can park anywhere I want and not be in trouble. like Walmart, or city streets, basically somewhere that a van wouldn't look out of place.
but if I have a small traditional looking RV then I'm pretty much stuck in rv parks about 80% of the time I'm guessing?? or can they park on city streets without trouble from police and their tickets? they obviously look like RV's and not delivery vans....

Are we, RV people, looked down upon? are there specific problems with society that I should be prepared for?

Do RV's get broken into like homes? more or less often?

is it difficult to find repair places since we are bigger and a lot of shops won't want to work on our vehicles?

what breaks most often inside an RV?

I like a glass of wine at night. if I'm parked for the night, is that considered drinking and driving?

what would you do different when starting out now that you're all experts and experienced? ha ha

what else can I expect in my future? tell me everything you can think of so I can attempt to be prepared.....

I wouldnt even consider big cube van unless it was hybrid electric such as Workhorse make..
,these regular square boxes get lousy mpg..
I have a TC and parked mostly at WM truck stops and contruction sites when working..
Even on streets was fine as long as theres no sign saying no parking..
Mind you this is Canada..in US it might be diferent story

I have a sign in the window saying No money or valuables inside,,worked well so far to deter thiefs..
At one superstore there was sign saying Caution thiefs work here,,
Didnt even stop there

[2gypsies1]

You mentioned Moab. BLM there is very strict as to where you stay. It's not just anywhere. It's mostly in established campgrounds. Problems occurred because folks were setting up camp anywhere. So keep this in mind.

http://discovermoab.com/blm-campgrounds/

Also, for a single person, a Class B would be plenty big. Many 2-persons travel in a Class B and yes, full-timing. Not everyone needs a lot of space.

Agreed by others that if extensive siteseeing/photography is what you want to do than a small trailer such as a teardrop or Casita might work well for you and then you'd have a vehicle to travel in the boonies with.

Check out this blog. She's single and started years ago in the small Casita trailer she has now. She works for the national parks and has worked during Christmas at Amazon. She even has her budget published on her site. Read through it and you may learn some things and get ideas. There's a whole network of young RVers out there.

https://interstellarorchard.com/

There a subgroup of the popular Escapee RV Club called the Xscapers. These are mostly younger folks and many are working from their RVs via the computer or working at odd jobs as they travel. They meet up as a group, usually boondocking somewhere, every so often to hash their experience out and have fun together.

https://www.xscapers.com/

To answer one of your questions.... we have never and we haven't heard of anyone in our 16 years of full-timing who got broken into and we boondocked on public lands (national forest/BLM) 90% of our time..... and we don't carry. There might be more issues if parking on the streets. Criminals don't go out in the boonies to break in. They're looking for something quick and convenient.

[D_E_Bishop]

A nomadic life style like you are thinking of can be very rewarding and a lot of fun. Now, the "but", for instance, say you're in Moab, There are a lot of camp grounds and sites but, breaking camp everyday may not be convenient only to return at days end and set up camp again. The remote sites at Arches NP, are not always easy to get to and parking is often hard to find while you're driving an RV.

If you want to photograph down in the Canyon, for instance, looking up at Dead Horse Point or the confluence of the Green and Colorado Rivers. Not to likely in an RV that you can call home.

In plain English, camping and exploring are not always compatible when using the same vehicle.

Expand your thoughts to include say a Jeep or Suzuki with a Class B or C. We see folks towing both with smaller RVs. It cuts into stealth camping in some ways but it allows you to go further afield for those shots no one else has.

Our neighbor is a professional photographer, we were invited to dinner at his and his partners home the other night. It was the first time in the house and they have decorated with his and David's photographs. There is one that is one of the most beautiful shots of the Grand Canyon NP, that we have ever seen. He sat and waited for three hours for that shot. Up well before dawn and drive to the site, not always easy even in a VW Westie.

The rest of your questions are sort of easy to answer and you've gotten some good ones, the choice of RV not so much. Take your time, maybe rent as suggested, maybe look around at B's, C's and even small A's and towed vehicles, look at small bumper tow trailers. Lots of really neat stuff available both classic and modern. Spend some time camping in organized campgrounds and parks and wandering around talking to others whose wheels don't get flat on one side. Try Moab in a rented C, find out if it is capable of getting you out into the areas you are interested in photographing.

Just a little bit to think about. Good luck in your search and most of all, Have Fun.

[ncrowley]

Type of RV: Since you are living in the RV full time you will want something larger than a class B (a van). There is not much storage or living room in them. The tanks are smaller so you cannot boondock as long. You will want to have a Class C or a Class A and pull a car. You will use the car on a daily basis and leave the RV hooked up. There is a lot to learn before you purchase any RV so go to the Class A and Class C forums and read all you can.

Are we, RV people, looked down upon? are there specific problems with society that I should be prepared for? No, RV people are not looked down upon. You find RV people are generally very friendly and welcoming, and people that do not RV will not give you any problems. They may envy you. I suggest you read messages on the full time forum.

Do RV's get broken into like homes? more or less often? RVs do get broken into but it is not common. You need to be careful where you park.

is it difficult to find repair places since we are bigger and a lot of shops won't want to work on our vehicles? Yes repair shops for RVs are not as common as repair places for cars, but there are out there and not hard to find.

what breaks most often inside an RV? There is no way to answer that. There is nothing that always breaks. There is nothing that will never break. Depending on whether you purchase new or used, you will need to set aside money for maintenance.

I like a glass of wine at night. if I'm parked for the night, is that considered drinking and driving? No

You have a lot of research to do. Go to the forums and read, read and read some more. Go to RV dealers and walk through lots and lots of RVs. Look at the specifications for the RVs you want. Can they pull the car you want to pull? Can your car be flat towed or do you want to get a different car? What brands are the most reliable? Do you want to purchase new or used? Do you want a Class A or C? If a Class A, do you want diesel or gas? Where do you want to park and how long do you want to stay at each site? For example, if you plan to park the RV for 6 months at a time, a fifth wheel may be a better choice.

All of these issues have been discussed in great detail in the various forums.

Good luck.

[jwandvassie]

Are we, RV people, looked down upon? are there specific problems with society that I should be prepared for? No. Just the opposite.

Do RV's get broken into like homes? more or less often? My guess is much less often

is it difficult to find repair places since we are bigger and a lot of shops won't want to work on our vehicles? No. RV dealers can be found easily

what breaks most often inside an RV? MMMmmm . Trim and cosmetic stuff.

I like a glass of wine at night. if I'm parked for the night, is that considered drinking and driving? No legal expert but it will vary by state. Pretty sure that here in Florida, the key must be in the ignition.

what would you do different when starting out now that you're all experts and experienced? ha ha Nothing. I'm one to research and do my homework thoroughly as you are doing. 30 years and 4 TT's later. Lots of YouTube videos on van camping.

what else can I expect in my future? tell me everything you can think of so I can attempt to be prepared..... FUN FUN FUN.

[JimK-NY]

bikendan wrote:
If your aim is to "Stealth Camp", many here will not condone what you want to do, since you're looking to park overnight illegally.

NO! Do not park illegally. Do not park where it is unsafe. Do not park where you will take limited parking used by locals. Do not make a mess or become a nuisance. When in doubt, check with the local police department or business owners, if on private property. Do not try to stealth camp in a busy resort area. Plan on paying to camp in those locations.

Why would one want to stealth camp? Lots and lots of reasons. My last trip is a good example. My wife wanted to take a ferry to Canada for a quick visit with her cousin. There was no place for me to stay so I had to remain with the camper for 2 nights. The choices were the town streets, a casino, or Walmart. I was going to pick Walmart. My plans worked better than expected. For something to do I visited the local archery club. When the club president heard my plan he offered an alternative. I got a key to the parking lot gate, a key to the club house and use of the range in exchange for a small donation to the club building fund. No one was concerned about my truck camper, but a full sized trailer or 5th wheeler would not have even fit in the available space.

[kerrlakeRoo]

Ok you explained a little more on your goal, photography, places like Moab, off the beaten track. Staying for a month or so, and then moving on, exploring new areas.
First off, to stay somewhere a month is going to require more water than most rigs, especially small converted vans can carry. Grey and black tanks or at least a receptacle for the waste. And a reasonable means of getting water and removing the waste.
Purpose designed RV's have those aspects built in to varying degrees. But even then, size of your tanks will usually determine how long you can stay somewhere.
Access to back areas is one I have been fighting in my own head, for maximum ability to get into remote areas, a 4x4 truck with a slide in camper will offer the most flexibility, but for a retired couple in my case, tanks and space would be a major limit on out ability to boondock camp, and unless you are jacking the camper off the truck, a run to town requires taking the "house" with you, which means securing and packing everything before moving.
4x4 truck with a small trailer comes next, Can still get into most areas with any type of fire or forest service roads, will have larger tanks allowing a longer stay without hookups and allows easy detaching of the truck to go further into remote areas. Trailers can be as large as you feel you can tow and still get into the areas you wish to visit. Tank sizes can easily get you a couple weeks or more of off grid camping.
As you increase the trailer size, and look toward 5er's as well as travel trailers your ability to get remote goes down as the size of the rig goes up. Need to scout roads to ensure turn around room become a concern.
Class B, camper vans can give you similar freedom to move as the truck camper with the limits being that most are not four wheel drive, and do not have the suspension and ground clearance to allow the same freedoms that the TC guys have.
Larger motorhomes again will not have the ground clearance as a 4x4 truck, with their longer wheelbase will be more problematic on going off pavement, but are still capable on gravel graded roads. Tanks can be large enough to support a single person for weeks at a time. Most have generators aboard for electric production, and have household type amenities.

As to where and how to find places to stay without trying to hide in towns, watch a few you tube video's. One of the members here has a channel called "Grand Adventure" and in one episode details how he finds his remote locations in national forest and other areas.
There are numerous others as well that show different methods for everything from site location to tours of specific areas and how to's on all things rv, from solar to black tank cleaning.

RV's are like the rest of life, everything is a compromise, make the best choices you can, and take all that those choices allow you to experience.

[JimK-NY]

I will describe our experience and maybe it will fit your needs and plans.

When we retired, my wife and I sold the house, put excess keepsakes in storage and took off with the 2 cats in a truck camper; specifically a Northstar Igloo. We had 2 solar panels and the biggest (300 AH) AGM batteries I could fit in the battery compartment. If you like to travel this is a good choice. We had the mobility and easy of driving a pickup truck with enough conveniences to live full time. We stayed in National Parks, BLM and forest service campgrounds, did some boondocking, stayed overnight at Walmart or Flying J parking lots. We even did some stealth camping. We spent a few days on the street in front of my sister's house. We spent almost a month near another relatives house in a very exclusive neighborhood. In both cases we spent time with relatives and doing museum, city tours and the like. For those who are concerned about the legality. I can only say laws and regulations are often very vague and are often intentionally vague to support LE actions if needed. Make sure you can legally park overnight. Do not take limited parking spaces that are in use by the locals and do not make a nuisance or mess. If you are concerned, check with the local police station. Let them know you want to "park" overnight. You do not need to use the evil word, "camp". They will understand what you mean. We even had the police suggest the best places to stay for a day or two.

Travel in a TC can be very inexpensive. We rarely stopped at RV parks or expensive campgrounds. We easily got by with solar panels. We have learned how to cook, wash, get by and take Navy style showers with only a 3-5 gallons of water a day. Propane lasts us a month or two per tank. In hot weather we used a few gallons a month running the generator for A/C in the late afternoon. If it is too hot to stay without A/C overnight we would move on. In 2 years of full time living we averaged $7/night for camping.

[2gypsies1]

yimmortal wrote:
I'm stuck between a big van that looks like a van and not an rv so I can park anywhere I want and not be in trouble. like Walmart, or city streets, basically somewhere that a van wouldn't look out of place.
but if I have a small traditional looking RV then I'm pretty much stuck in rv parks about 80% of the time I'm guessing?? or can they park on city streets without trouble from police and their tickets? they obviously look like RV's and not delivery vans....

It seems you're talking of a regular cargo van rather than a Class B RV that some folks here are thinking of.

A cargo van is not going to have plumbing, toilet, shower or kitchen facilities..... unless you redo the inside.

Therefore, you are going to be constantly looking for places to do your bathroom/kitchen things.

I'd recommend you consider a small RV. There are plenty of gorgeous free boondocking spots throughout the country - even with a lake or river view - without having to park on residential streets... and yes, you will get noticed and most often, not favorably.

Also, it seems it would be hard to 'kill time' all day long day after day until time to park on the street to sleep. Parking on national forest or BLM lands would give you an opportunity to sit outside or go for a hike in beautiful surroundings until time for sleep. Waking up to those beautiful surroundings would also be a plus. Take along a small grill and enjoy the outdoors. You can't do that on a city street.

Good luck with your decision.

[SDcampowneroper]

Hmmm.
I think I've already met this guy, or several dozen or more like him.

Stealth camping wears out real soon for a full timer, as it requires moving constantly, concern with dead batteries, full or empty tanks that require dumping and charging. Particularly in a small unit with limited capacity.
Wheres the cost saving or the lifestyle freedom when so much of that life is restricted by those concerns?
Off grid living still requires fresh and waste water, debris handling. Those are not free. Hunting down free dump stations can cost more in time and fuel than a campsite.

For the OPs wishes, As a financially independent person certainly he can afford the time. Jack Kerouacs 'On The Road' could be a fine read

[gbopp]

yimmortal wrote:
I want to see and experience everything I can, everywhere I can....

When you travel, use the side roads and stay off the Interstate Highway System as much as possible.
It's the best way to see America.

[Matt_Colie]

Yim,

One thing that have not seen here is the suggestion that you rent something that is similar to what you might want and see if you really like the idea. If you buy something and then decide to trade up or down, no matter, then money will quickly be an issue.

As to a residence, there are places that specialize in providing permanent resident status for people in your planned situation.

As to campgrounds, we used to sail a cruising sloop, car camp, tent camp and now have an classic (maybe antique) motorhome and in the last decade which adds up to about 18 months on the road, we have probably paid for less than two dozen campsites not counting organized rallies. If you coach is self contained, you only need a dump and potable refill about once, maybe twice a week.

Do you know the classes of motorhomes? (These are descriptive and not value judgements.)
Class A - The drivers place is inside the coach. Most are based on highway buss shells. Up to 44' long and 40+K#. Ours is not one of these it is 20+ft, 10K# and only slightly large than a big van.
Class B - These are van conversions and/or stretches. They look like a van but may have a raised roof or an extended tail. These are best for "Stealth Camping".
Class C - This is the type that have a truck/van nose with a travel trailer on the back. This is a very wide class.
Class D - This is a recent and unagreed class. This is the type that are a medium duty truck chassis with a house on the back. Stealth camping is out.
Most fit in one of these categories, but sometimes only with a shoe horn. (Truck Horn?)
Where a modified trade van or a schoolie fits in here is an open topic.

There are organization you should learn about and look into and unfortunately, I only know of two and that would be the Family Motor Coach Association (FMCA) and Escapees (SKPS). I know that there are others, but that is what I know.....

Matt

[yimmortal]

and stealth camping is not illegal necessarily, I don't do illegal things. but I can't imagine parking on city streets in a big rv wouldn't be frowned upon....

[yimmortal]

ok, thanks for the helpful people .. as to my plans... my theory now is to go to somewhere, lets say Moab for example. I'll park there for a month or two, see the tourist sites, embrace the area, and then when I've seen enough I'll head on to somewhere else for another month or two.....
I'm a nature photographer, explorer, I love meeting new cultures and interacting personally with them. I want to see and experience everything I can, everywhere I can....
I'd love to do more adventurous stuff, but at my age my body objects often... skydiving was an experience but nope, the body didn't like that one! ha ha