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Newbie Full time in Van

nlewis
Explorer
Explorer
Wife and I just purchased a class b van. We are going to fulltime in it. We will keep our day jobs and only be in the van at night. We have a trip coming up next week in Los Angeles. Since we are new to rv ing we plan on staying mostly at rv parks. But would really like to do some stealth camping on this trip a couple night to get our feet wet. We be there for at least a week. We are getting past the nervousness of this purchase and getting excited. Any suggestions are welcome.
4 REPLIES 4

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RV.net
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ol__yeller
Explorer II
Explorer II
I agree that if you live in your RV and own/rent no sticks and bricks, you are full timing but what you call it is no matter. Also "stealth camping" as I understand it means parking innocuously along the road or in some parking lot somewhere. Boondocking to me means out in the wilderness somewhere probably on BLM land where there are no hook-ups or iron rangers.

The life you are contemplating is not going to be easy. Congrats on keeping your day jobs but society isn't going to look kindly upon those who stealth camp. Cities and towns often have ordinances that prohibit this. Cops will sometimes pressure you to move on and you likely won't be able to enjoy the pleasure of an adult beverage around a campfire at night after a hard day at work. Camping where camping is encouraged is fun, camping where it isn't is work. I'm not condemning you or even looking down on you, I'm just trying to inject some reality into your fantasy.
I am NOT a mechanic although I do play one in my garage!

magicbus
Explorer
Explorer
Songbirds wrote:
... you stated FullTIME and keeping your day JOBS. That is not fulltime but Part time RVing. The only way I know to Full-time RV and work at the same time is to move from Jobs to a job on the road.
That is a novel definition. I think having no stick house and sleeping every night in your RV would be considered full-time. It never occurred to me that you had to change jobs every so often.

Living in a class B will take some planning because you probably will not be toting around enough battery power to spend much time off the grid. You will also have pretty small water and waste tanks to deal with. We downsized to a B and love it, but we do not full-time.

Dave
Current: 2018 Winnebago Era A
Previous: Selene 49 Trawler
Previous: Country Coach Allure 36

Songbirds
Explorer
Explorer
nlewis wrote:
Wife and I just purchased a class b van. We are going to fulltime in it. We will keep our day jobs and only be in the van at night. We have a trip coming up next week in Los Angeles. Since we are new to rv ing we plan on staying mostly at rv parks. But would really like to do some stealth camping on this trip a couple night to get our feet wet. We be there for at least a week. We are getting past the nervousness of this purchase and getting excited. Any suggestions are welcome.


Welcome to the world of RVing. As to your reference, what you refer to as stealth camping is Boondocking-Meaning without anything attached and a bit off the grid. There are lots of ways to camp without staying in costly parks. This link may be helpful USA and CANADA off the grid. So what type Class B motorhome did you both jump into? For a first time away I would strongly suggest an RV park and here is why. 1. Other campers who can provide you with some helpful suggestions. But you need to ask for suggestions as others come over to talk. As some folks prefer to be left alone. Respect other campers privacy and needs of wanting to be left alone. 2. Hook-ups will help it feel more like home and make sure t get a 3-to 5.00 dollar water pressure check-vales as this keep pressure at 40-PSI and won't blow your water pipes. 3. Try not to run your generator while camping as the noise can become an issue for other campers. 4. Make sure you did all you food and provision shopping before you park unless you have a tow vehicle. 5. Keep all fire pits about 15 to 20-foot away from the RV. (SAFETY) 6. Keep one WHITE water hose for drinking water and never use for anything else and keep ends connected when not in use to keep the bugs out. Lots more to tell you. But remember to keep things Simple, Slow and SAFE after all camping is fun and relaxing.

My last tip about your post, you stated FullTIME and keeping your day JOBS. That is not fulltime but Part time RVing. The only way I know to Full-time RV and work at the same time is to move from Jobs to a job on the road. Lots of RV Parks are looking for folks to hire as Park helpers, but you would need more RVing time before you jump into that. As for a case of nervousness, that will soon go away as you learn and work with the new equipment in your RV. So enjoy and take things as they come and you will be fine, try not to JUMP to high when things don't go just right, be cool, ask before doing what you don't know until you learn. Have fun and enjoy.
2021 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Van, showing six tires down, 3400XD, V6, 7-Speed Automatic 24FL, 170-WB, 24'-3", Coachmen Galleria w/Li3, "Next ROAD TRIP" to where?