Thinking of Fulltiming..doing research..

[GeorgiaGallaghers]

Greetings from Georgia! We sold a house in Calif about a year and a half ago and moved East to be near the "grandkids and kids!!" ... So much for that idea!!! LOL..but we are missing our friends back in California. We need our space and freedom too.. We are old RVers and have had a Class A rig ...a Cab over and a couple of Van campers.. but are thinking of going full time in the next 6 months or so.. We are researching our options. We currently have a Class B. "99 Dodge Xplorer that was fine for the 2 of us and our dog.. but not for LIVING in . We've been tossing around the idea of a Class C.. not too big..but bigger than what we have.. something with more room.. and a chair and sofa!!
Does anyone out there do fulltime in a Class C? I will be scouring the websites for all the info I can get on the Ins and OUts of doing this.. and how to handle Doctors and stuff like that.. ANY tips would be great.!!
Bob & Patti

[Jim Stewart]

My wife and I fulltimed for 4 years. In my personal opinion, a Class C would be too small. A Class A even in a 34' would be much better as far as space to feel more at home and especially for storage.

When you fulltime, you get to claim wherever you want as a resident State. Just go there and get a Drivers License and Voters Registration using your mail forwarding service. We chose Texas because of no income tax, no sales tax on the motorhome purchase, no asset tax on stocks or bonds and reasonable costs for health and auto/motorhome insurance. You need to be careful on this because where use choose to claim as residence can affect your taxes and insurance costs dramatically.

We used Escapees Mail Service which worked great. As far as medical issues, we had medical insurance that was universally accepted, Blue Cross-Blue Shield. No HMO or in plan area programs, it will not work. The same is true if you are on Medicare for your supplemental. We kept the same Doctors and went back once a year for physicals, lab work and perscription renewals. If emergencies arise, use emergency clincs or the Doctor of local friends.

Determine the type of lifestyle you may fulltime in. If you travel some but basically stay for months in two different locations based on seasons, consider buying a space. If you travel all the time, consider belonging to one of the membership programs which can save quite a bit of money over time.

Enjoy life to the fullest!

[GeorgiaGallaghers]

Dear Jim... Thank you for your advice.. We will think long and hard about it and go to Indiana in May and check out things in Elkhart too.. Appreciate the tips on storage issues and the docs and residency.. That is soooooo helpful!!! Patti & Bob

[RV Wizard]

Bob & Patti, welcome to iRV2.com We are glad to have you join us here and we look forward to reading of your adventures and experiences. They are making some very roomy class Cs today and if you guys light to be close it is certainly doable. When the wife and I went full time over 7 years ago, I wanted to be sure we did not feel claustrophobic and went with a large class A and we never regretted it. If you ever get up to Chattanooga, let me know and stop in for a visit. Take care and let us know how we can help.

[MtManLee]

We went from a 30 foot tt to a class A. We looked at class C's and decided they just did not look or feel as comfortable as the Class A. And with a little looking around we managed to buy a new Class A for less than the Class C's we were looking at.

[GeorgiaGallaghers]

Thank you so much MTMANLee & RVWizard..and thanks for putting the post in the RIGHT Place... I certainly appreciate the advice. Bob thinks the Class A...will 1. Use way more gas than a C...and the "storage" isn't that BIG A Deal.. (*I disagree heartily with that!!But we shall see...after we go to Elkhart next month and to the Berrien Springs Rally.. (We have good friends outside Berrien Spgs..so we will stay with them... and hopefully Bob will reconsider and FEEL the difference once we go in a bunch of BOTH types!!! We won't be able to afford a Brand NEW rig..but we were thinking 2 maybe 3 yrs old. IS it a BIG PROBLEM as the rigs get OLDER (ie over 10yrs) to find places to camp ?? I was reading so much stuff the other day..I got the impression that there are quite a lot of CGrnds that don't want "vintage" units.. I would prefer an older model ..and fix her up like new.. It's such a joy to fix things like that..but we are thinking parts, gas mileage, etc. I will continue reading the archives and learning... Thanks for the help...and we are CLOSE to Chattanooga..we are outside Atlanta (Conyers, GA)... will be heading up to Mich. near the end of May..might try to say HEY on the way back... I'll take the laptop with us.. Thanks ...

[Barbaraok]

We had a Class C before we went fulltiming. Worked fine on 2 week trips, but we could see that we needed more room to carry things. You should figure about 1500# per person, so you need at least 3000# CCC (Cargo Carrying Capacity). There are people who do fulltime in Class Cs, but I think you'll find a Class A more comfortable. We have a 37 footer and it is large enough that we have never worried about having enough CCC - because it is a diesel we have about 5000#. And it is short enough that we are able to get most everywhere we want to go.

Barb

[steelheadbluesman]

Started out in '93 with a 27' Itasca. Bought a 31' PaceArrow in 1999. Got my current rig in 2007, a 36' Itasca. I'm now a FullTimer, and I can tell you that if you are going to have all your stuff with you, size (ergo, comfort and relaxation AND storage) is very important. It depends a lot on how much hobby stuff you want to carry. Class A's rock! Just my 2 cents.

[GoneFishin]

I have to second what Barbaraok said about CCC = Cargo Carry Capacity. Be sure to check each coach or trailer because they all vary and you need to be safe. Find the paper label in the rig to check the weight limits. There may be storage space for lots of stuff, but be sure of how much weight you can carry. This means your food, clothes, crafts, sporting equipment, chairs, appliances and all the other stuff you bring into the rig. They count 2 humans at 154 pounds each. I've read where you need at least 2500 pounds of CCC for 2 people's stuff.

We lived in a 28' 5th wheel years ago and recently had a 2007 class A that only had a CCC of 1000 pounds. We now have a 2008 35' class A with 2 slides and it has a CCC of 4800 pounds. We love it! Not too big, but big enough for us to live in.

Also consider if you will be towing a vehicle and the limitations.

While living on the road in our motorhome we've had to deal with medical issues, surgeries, breakdowns, lost mail, vehicle maintenance, banking, and more. Have a plan and you'll have a good time. Just take your time in getting the rig that's right for you.