Hobbies

[Nwcid]

Been playing around with the idea of going mostly full time (can't sell our house/property) in 3 years when the last kid is out of the house.

We are looking at toy hauler 5th wheels which leaves us with about 4000lbs of allowable weight. With full fuel and water tanks that is down to about 3000 lbs.

We like the outdoors. We want to travel to where there are places to explore either water or land. Currently we have motorcycles, we are SCUBA divers, we would like kayaks and bikes on our travels. All of this stuff is heavy.

We will be selling our current bikes as they are sport bikes and not really good for trails. I am trying to decide between a dual-sport bike that weighs in at about 600lbs or a Trail UTV which weighs in at about 900lbs. The advantage of the dual-sport is that it can be used as a 2nd vehicle and is licensed to use anywhere. The UTV would be nice as it is a sit in, and when properly set up can be driven in many places on and off road, but not "fully" street legal.

For space and weight we have been looking at inflatable style kayaks or rafts. Basically anything that can get us out exploring a lake with enough room for lunch and camera equipment.

Last but not least is our SCUBA gear. This is all heavy and bulky stuff (cold water diving). I don't know there are any good answers to this one, other then don't take it.

Bikes are pretty straight forward. Fairly light weight and easy to front bumper mount.

Being that we can not give up our current residence, coming back as needed to perform maintenance and repairs on the toys should not be a problem.


Do any full timers have a similar situation? Any thoughts ideas or suggestions?

[ThomB]

Originally Posted by Nwcid

Been playing around with the idea of going mostly full time (can't sell our house/property) in 3 years when the last kid is out of the house.

We are looking at toy hauler 5th wheels which leaves us with about 4000lbs of allowable weight. With full fuel and water tanks that is down to about 3000 lbs.

We like the outdoors. We want to travel to where there are places to explore either water or land. Currently we have motorcycles, we are SCUBA divers, we would like kayaks and bikes on our travels. All of this stuff is heavy.

We will be selling our current bikes as they are sport bikes and not really good for trails. I am trying to decide between a dual-sport bike that weighs in at about 600lbs or a Trail UTV which weighs in at about 900lbs. The advantage of the dual-sport is that it can be used as a 2nd vehicle and is licensed to use anywhere. The UTV would be nice as it is a sit in, and when properly set up can be driven in many places on and off road, but not "fully" street legal.

For space and weight we have been looking at inflatable style kayaks or rafts. Basically anything that can get us out exploring a lake with enough room for lunch and camera equipment.

Last but not least is our SCUBA gear. This is all heavy and bulky stuff (cold water diving). I don't know there are any good answers to this one, other then don't take it.

Bikes are pretty straight forward. Fairly light weight and easy to front bumper mount.

Being that we can not give up our current residence, coming back as needed to perform maintenance and repairs on the toys should not be a problem.


Do any full timers have a similar situation? Any thoughts ideas or suggestions?

Assuming that you're going to be needing a pretty stout truck to tow could you mount the scuba gear in the bed? That would get the weight out of the trailer. As for bikes and utility vehicle. Sound like a TW200 or something like that might be good. I bet you could get a couple of those along WITH a utility in the toy area. My brother has a TT toy hauler and can get his Yamaha YXZ 1000R and one of his bikes in the back of that. He did just buy a 1-ton diesel Dodge to replace his V10 Excursion and he said loading up the Dodge with the TT shows no effect.

[marjoa]

Any thoughts ideas or suggestions?

WELL.......

Not criticizing, just making an observation:
Man.......I'm worn out already reading your post. One of the main reasons we went FT was to down size and get rid of all our..." "—fill in the blank as needed—and all the responsibilities that go with it.

Explore YES, but with all you've got going on, when are you going to be able to do that?

My wife & I both wish we would of discovered the simplicity of life we now have a long time ago.

Exhale.......

[Dan McMartin]

Take whatever you want but be prepared to make sacrifices. You might have 3000 lbs of cargo capacity but you'll eat up a bunch with all that stuff. You still have to carry clothes, kitchen gear, tools, etc., etc., etc.

Life is about choices. We both have/had hobbies we enjoyed and are giving up. The wife liked to scrapbook but just too much stuff and scrapbooks are heavy. I had guitars, telescopes, lot's of tools, etc. We're focusing on traveling and seeing the country instead. That's our hobby...along with photography and shooting video but that stuff is pretty minimal.

Try this, for instance. Lose the motorcycles and UTV. Get a Jeep for off road adventures and getting groceries. Best of both worlds. Lose the cold water scuba gear and go lighter or just snorkel. That would giver you a great excuse to spend some quality time exploring Florida. Bikes are light and inflatable kayaks aren't too bad either. Good choices.

I'd focus on finding the right RV to live in and not the one that can carry all that stuff. It's your house, after all. Then once it's outfitted and set up with all the bells and whistles, better batteries, generator (many 5th wheels don't have them), solar maybe and all the normal day to day living items, then see what you have left for weight.

Accommodating all your hobbies as first order of business seems backwards. And if you can't abandon those hobbies, maybe full timing isn't for you. Maybe you need a home base to store all that stuff and you can take it with you selectively on shorter trips.

Not trying to be a downer but full time living is, by necessity, about downsizing and simplifying. You can take some of it with you but not all of it. Again, maybe part time RV living is more your style. For most full timers, not all mind you but most, living a simpler life and leaving all the complicated, time consuming, expensive hobbies behind is part of the appeal. But it's not for everyone.

[vmonkey]

It is a lot of stuff, but I can't see why you couldn't bring your hobby stuff. You have a bunch of great hobbies. None of it is that heavy. It can be bulky but a lot of the scuba stuff can be hung out of the way. The inflatable kayak folds and is light. Bring it with you and if you don't use it, sell it.

[Wundertaker]

Originally Posted by marjoa

Any thoughts ideas or suggestions?

WELL.......

Not criticizing, just making an observation:
Man.......I'm worn out already reading your post. One of the main reasons we went FT was to down size and get rid of all our..." "—fill in the blank as needed—and all the responsibilities that go with it.

Explore YES, but with all you've got going on, when are you going to be able to do that?

My wife & I both wish we would of discovered the simplicity of life we now have a long time ago.

Exhale.......

To each his/her own for sure...would not suggest otherwise. As for my wife and myself, we're with you both. I agree...I discovered all too late in life that we don't need half the Krapp we chase. I can remember buying my Only Corvette...on the way home from the dealership I was saying to myself..."Is this all there is to this thing??? It's just a damn car!!!"

Was stolen year later, got it back and insurance fixed it up...sold it four weeks later....One of the Best Days of my Life!!!

Simple is good....at least for us.

Do what's right for you both...you'll find your way and have fun along the route

[Nwcid]

Thank you for all the replies so far. I was not ignoring this post, I am on a wild fire assignment in central Oregon.

I already have a new 1 ton dually so I am good for the units I am looking at.

I do understand the concept of simplifying things for sure, but these are all the things we want to go do. Maybe FT is not compatible with that..... We were on a cruise in Alaska for a family trip. The whole time we were up there surrounded by all that amazing water and just wanted to dive it. Now if we were to pull up next to a lake it would be even worse.

Not sure where we would store a jeep in a 5th wheel. The units we are looking at are set up with generators and fuel tanks. It will need a battery and solar upgrade for sure. I have solar and batteries on my current unit and can not imagine being without them.

Definatly looking for simpler, but also to finally do some of the things we want to do. Right now I work way too much and it is getting old. Maybe the semi full time thing is a better idea. Each trip out has a focus and take that stuff with us.

I am looking at lots of the stuff I have around now. I am looking at selling a lot of it because it does not get used now and there is a lot of money tied up.

Just looking to see other opinions and see if there are others in similar situations and how they handled it.

[computerguy]

Yeah, I would agree FT is not compatible with ALL those hobbies. FT has it's sacrifices AND benefits.
Only you can decide what you are willing to give up.
For example.
I used to have tons (literally) of tools. I had 3 motorcycles, a boat, waverunner, 2 pickup trucks, 4 BR, 3 Bath house and 3 car garage full of "stuff".
I gave ALL that up. I am left with 3 small tool boxes, a bicycle and an inflatable kayak. I think a frisbee and a softball mitt too.
And I am at the limit of weight I can carry.
Do yourself a favor and start actually weighing the things you want to bring with you. I am pretty confident it will be an eye opening experience. I weighed everything I wanted to bring. Ha. Was 800 lbs over. So I had to trim even further. Your 4000 lb (3000 after water) number will not go very far beyond the basics.
I am guessing you need a DP and tow a double Decker trailer with a 15000 lb hitch for all that "stuff". But then you are not going to be able to boondock the way you may want to.
All about sacrifices...

[Dan McMartin]

Originally Posted by Nwcid

Not sure where we would store a jeep in a 5th wheel. The units we are looking at are set up with generators and fuel tanks. It will need a battery and solar upgrade for sure. I have solar and batteries on my current unit and can not imagine being without them.

If you can fit a Jeep in a fifth wheel, you're not trying hard enough!

Seriously, I've got motorhomes on the mind. Temporarily forgot you were looking at a fiver. In any case, maybe part time is a better choice if you're committed to those hobbies. It's not like full time is the end all be all or the big leagues or something. It works for some but that doesn't make part timing a less viable lifestyle. It's what works for you and your lifestyle, not what works for everyone else that matters. And maybe you could full time with all that stuff, but as I said there will be sacrifices. There always is.

[4x4van]

Don't let any naysayers discourage you. Fulltiming is what "you" decide it is, no one else. Fulltiming shouldn't mean you have to give up what you love to do, it should instead mean that you can do it more often! There are plenty of things that all of us can "get rid of" to downsize, but things that are necessary to do what we enjoy shouldn't be on that list.

There are many Toyhaulers out there, both BP or 5er, that could easily house a UTV, a couple of motorcycles, and scuba gear. Another option is a class A with an enclosed trailer (stacker is way overkill for what you are wanting to haul). My 16' (box) enclosed trailer houses 2 ATCs, a Quad, a BW (fat tire 2 wheeler), and a dual sport Husqvarna. Still room for a 55gal barrel of extra water, tools, riding gear (for 5), workbench, gas cans, camp chairs, extra dirt tires for the ATVs, etc, and my class A tows it easily (the total weight of the trailer, loaded, is just over 4,000lbs). My brother drives a 32' class A and tows a 20' enclosed trailer. In his trailer he has a UTV, an ATC, a Quad, and 2 BWs, along with tools, riding gear, gas cans, compressor, BBQ grille, smoker, etc. I would wager that is plenty of room for your list of toys.

[Stripe34]

I would propose that you keep all the toys since you are keeping your house. You can't play with them all at once, anyway. Just load up the ones that make the most sense for each trip you are on. Remember that you can also rent most or all of that stuff, including UTV etc, in many of the areas where their use is most popular.

HTH -