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Old 07-30-2020, 11:15 AM   #15
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About detaching your truck camper, it is not unusual to see notices saying the campground does not allow removing the camper from the truck.

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Old 07-30-2020, 01:31 PM   #16
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All good advice above!

A travel trailer meets your requirement to have your vehicle fixed while you live in it. You can do that with a truck camper, but with less convenience.

I assume you have a truck since you are considering a truck camper. You, of course must consider the trucks towing capability. You can tow a heavier TT than you can put in the truck bed. Of course, TT's weigh more due to frame and axles.

A TAB@ or similar tear drop TT's frequently have all the amenities you want. It is extremely small, but would provide good gas mileage. It can be towed with a light truck or SUV. The shower may be on the outside of the TT.

Forest River RPods or similar tear drop shape TT's are bigger but still more aerodynamic than most other square back TT's. Showers are on the inside, but are so small you must sit on the toilet stool to shower.

Casita's and similar fiberglass shell TT's also pull more easily and so get better gas mileage. Escapes are bigger and require a heavier duty tow vehicle.

Note: Very few TT's will have working plumbing when temperatures drop below 32 degrees. Even those advertised as "All season" with "Heated and Enclosed Underbelly" must be winterized for 32 degree weather. There is no "Truth in Advertising" for the TT industry.

I wish you good luck and happy trails ahead!

The problem is that this advice doesn't match any thing I'm looking for. The trailers you mention are ridiculously expensive, even used. And you can't really boondock anywhere with a travel trailer. You can't pull into an ordinary parking space either. I don't need more space than a camper. Plus I want the versatility of being able to park along the street if I need to. I can't imagine being terribly happy in a trailer, unless I wanted to stay in parks everynight for the rest of my life as a nomad.
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Old 07-30-2020, 02:10 PM   #17
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Just a few quick notes in reply to OP's last:

1. I just got out of Custer National Forest, boondocking way back in. I'm in a C, but most of the people I saw back in the boonies had trailers.

2. I'm now back in the Badlands boondocking. Not a great road - large RV's struggle at times. Within a mile of me, I see a couple of truck campers, but probably eight trailers.

3. Trailers are the easiest to level. Just one axis to worry about, and then you crank the front up and down.

4. I would not want to be in an off-the-truck truck camper in a wind.

5. You can buy that truck camper for $4k, you said. You still need a reliable truck to put it on.

6. I see old used C's in great shape with less than 50,000 miles on them for less than $10,000.

But you know best how you want to use whatever you buy, so there's no right and wrong answers here. We're just throwing out opinions. Good luck!
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Old 07-30-2020, 04:15 PM   #18
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And you can't really boondock anywhere with a travel trailer.
Why do you say that? We see many, many travel trailers in the wilds when boondocking. The truck campers we see don't detach the camper from the truck. They drive around with the camper attached.

https://www.rv-camping.org/usfscampgrounds/

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Old 07-30-2020, 10:32 PM   #19
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You're talking about boondocking in the wilds where it's legal and everyone can do it. I'm talking about living in towns along the side of the road at times. Everything I'm seeing says it's much easier to do that in a single vehicle. And I don't want to tow anything. I've never even driven a truck. I crashed a Uhaul van into another one, just pulling alongside it. I'd rather limit my issue there.
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Old 07-30-2020, 11:02 PM   #20
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Do you aleady have a truck, if so what make/model and its GVWC and GCWR. These are weight limits usually located on stickers inside of the driver's door.

If you need to but a truck and camper and stay under $30,000 look for a used combination already setup and matted together. IMO you budget is very tight to get into a full time mobil life style.

As mentioned above rent a couple of different units and try it for yourself.

There are many things you have to master to be happy and a full time RVer. Keep in mind that older units, trucks and RV alike are going to require require repair and updates to keep them going. These are not anything like the reliability you get in a car.

Seems like you want small, but have some space inside, not expensive at all and easy to drive and park. IMO you might want to look at some old Class B+ types of units. This is not real RV classification, but is a cross between a true Class B with a Class C. Your price range is very tight to work within unless you already have a suitable truck.

We studied RVs for a year before we bought our first one. We are in process of replacing our small MH with another small MH and have it narrowed down to a single make/model and now are just waiting for a suitable unit to come on the market somewhere. This time the selection process took us about nine months of research even with some years of heavy experience.

Wish you the best....
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Old 07-30-2020, 11:13 PM   #21
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You're talking about boondocking in the wilds where it's legal and everyone can do it. I'm talking about living in towns along the side of the road at times.
OK... parking in town/city along the street is not boondocking so I think we're all misreading your plan. It sounds like what you want to do is stealth camping.

https://www.thewaywardhome.com/stealth-camping/

Boondocking is in the boonies.
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Old 07-31-2020, 08:43 AM   #22
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Originally Posted by Newtoo View Post
You're talking about boondocking in the wilds where it's legal and everyone can do it. I'm talking about living in towns along the side of the road at times. Everything I'm seeing says it's much easier to do that in a single vehicle. And I don't want to tow anything. I've never even driven a truck. I crashed a Uhaul van into another one, just pulling alongside it. I'd rather limit my issue there.


You need what is some times called a
AWV, or average white van. Then do the conversion that fits you needs yourself or hire someone to help you. As for living on the side of the road in towns. Just keep in mind that especially in small towns you won’t go unnoticed. You can wear your welcome out very quickly. I was a touring bicyclist for some years, and did my share of stealth camping. It isn’t the great adventure it may seem to be.
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Old 07-31-2020, 09:00 AM   #23
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I'm talking about living in towns along the side of the road at times. Everything I'm seeing says it's much easier to do that in a single vehicle.
Sounds like you might be wanting to stealth camp?

If that is the case you will need a van to blend in to try to avoid eviction.

Based upon youtube videos about stealth camping in town, you need as close to a van as you can get.
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Old 07-31-2020, 05:47 PM   #24
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I found what I thought was a decent deal on a truck and camper but my uncle said it would barely get 7 mpg. Can you give me an idea if this set-up would be worth 15k?

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Old 07-31-2020, 06:10 PM   #25
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7 mpg is about normal for that rig.

15k sounds a bit high but I haven't been in the market for a while.

How long has it been for sale?

It's kind of hard to find what you are looking for so sometimes a bird in hand is worth 10 in the bush.

It'd be a good rig for you to get started with and later you can always upgrade to something else.
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Old 07-31-2020, 06:24 PM   #26
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I found what I thought was a decent deal on a truck and camper but my uncle said it would barely get 7 mpg. Can you give me an idea if this set-up would be worth 15k?

1995 F-350 4-DOOR DULLY LICENSE 2020 TAGS 460-V8 C-6 TRANS JACOBS INGINTION DOUG THROLEY HEADERS WITH CATALYTIC CONVERTERS
100,250 MILES P/S P/B ELECTRIC WINDOWS CRUISE CONTROL STEREO WITH BLUETOOTH ORGINAL PAINT AND INTERIOR ALUMINIUM WHEELS NEW BATTRIES NEW STEERING BOX NEW POWER STEERING PUMP BUILT IN AIR COMPRESSOR, ALL FOUR COINERS ARE AIR BAGED ALL FOUR CONERS OF TRUCK, HAVE SCHROEDER VALVE TO AIR UP TIRES OR WHAT EVER, 1993 LANCE SELF CONTAINED CAMPER WITH A/C STOVE OVEN GENERATOR AND ELECTRIC JACKS TRUCK HAS TOW PACKAGE GENERATOR IN CAMPER
I had a 1995 f250 with the same engine, single rear wheel, 4:10 rear end. Without the camper on top, it got 9-10 on a good day. We joked that it took both hands on the steering wheel to get past a gas station. I think your uncle isn't far off on mileage..
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Old 07-31-2020, 06:36 PM   #27
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If you are new to RVing, making your first RV purchase a lasting solution is rare. Many people will trade in and replace RVs perhaps several times before they get it figured out. Also people's needs/wants may change over time enough to warrant a different RV.

If this fits your needs and budget right now, I'd go with it. Just be prepared to put some more money into it. RVs are selling very fast right now. Most are going to first time buyers as I hear from several friends that own RV dealerships. We've missed good deals by two hours twice in the last month.
If you want it move on it.
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Old 07-31-2020, 06:55 PM   #28
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You're talking about boondocking in the wilds where it's legal and everyone can do it. I'm talking about living in towns along the side of the road at times.
Ah, sorry. Yeah, you need a van. A truck camper isn't stealthy. They'll be knocking on your door all night long. I tried that, long ago. You need an extended-base cargo van with few windows.
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