Newbie with some questions-kinda long

[MKOwen]

Hello,
I hope that this is the correct forum for asking questions! I have asked a few already but ......

My husband and I are not yet full timers and do not own an rv but are trying to do our homework. We, at the moment have been considering getting a fifth wheel and possibly a semi truck cab but today I have been thinking that to start we woud do better with a heavy duty truck and a smaller trailer (?) so we can get used to the whole thing, then sell and get something bigger if we feel we need it. I am more interested in smaller and he bigger :-) We'll have to sort that out. I want to travel more at first and he wants to do workcamping at National parks, etc. for seasonal work. We'll probably do both so we do want a trailer (or whatever it is called-fifth wheel?) because we learned that is best if you are going to stay in one place for a time.

We plan on renting our house out. He will retire in about 1 1/2 years. Right now he has a 1 hour commute 4 times a week to his job in Berkeley/Oakland, CA and is getting tired of it. He mentioned us getting our rv rig now and so that we could just find a place closer to stay until he retires. It might be a good opportunity to see what life together in a small space is like without all the rest of the learning we still need to do! Our sons still live here in our home in San Jose at this time so they could stay in the house. We could also start getting rid of more stuff and painting, etc. to get our house set for renters in the future. I'm just wondering wher we would park it and of course we don't want to just run out and buy anything. We haven't even been to an RV dealer or been to a show. I've looked at airstreams online because they have good reviews. Other recommendations for brands, etc. to look at?

Would it be easy to sell a well maintained RV if we decided we wanted something bigger?

I wish there was a step by step list of things to do to prepare that I could look at and fill in or check off to prepare for full timing? Is there?

We have at least a year and a half to figure things out. We would like to do some little trial trips so that we can get a feel too. I have read quite a bit about where to register, mail forwarding, insurance, etc.

Oh! One more thing! I've seen some RV clubs-Escapees, Thousand Trails and Good Sam's. Are these the same kind of thing? Are there others I can look at? What if we don't join one at all?

Thanks! Please let me know if these questions should be asked in another forum. Or if I asked way to many questions for on epost

[ralphie]

It's not easy to sell an RV to upgrade without taking a hit on it, especially if trading it in. Escapees is an actual club. Thousand Trails is camping's answer to time shares but not as bad. Good Sam is an affiliated network of CGs with some commercial sales thrown in, like insurance and road service.

[mwwade]

We bought a smaller class c for our first motor home. It didn't take us one summer to figure out the Rv was too small for us! We made the trade for a much larger super c. I guess my point is to take your time shopping for what you think you like, and need. If you do find something you like, spend the day with it. Try the thing out, get in the shower, sit on the toilet, see if your feet are in the hall way when you do sit down! Just make sure the Rv fits you, and your needs. Do you research, and then ask plenty of questions, and then research some more! Good luck!

[Selah]

I'd have to ask, why do you want smaller? If you are worried about the difference between handleing a smaller rig or a larger rig, don't. You will soon get used to either.

[twogypsies]

Although full-timers have all sizes of RVs, I would recommend looking into medium sizes 30-36' length. It would give you ample room. Moving up from a small one you'll be loosing a lot of money. I would not recommend a big, heavy 5th wheel necessitating a heavy-duty truck as your first RV. This is especially true if you plan to stay in national parks. The RV would fit but that size along with a huge truck might not fit in all the places you want to go.

You mentioned Airstream.... trailers don't have any outside storage space, 5th wheels have more and motorhomes have the most.

To me, you're jumping right into something that requires a lot of major decisions such as still working, renting the house and most of all, having never owned a RV. Why don't you take a vacation by renting one first to see if you even like it and can live in a small space?

Joining any kind of club or membership park should be one of the last things to think about. First you need to get settled in this new lifestyle and re-think how you will be traveling and what kind of places you prefer to stay.

Regarding renting your house out.... that's not done without issues. Would you be storing all of your belongings? Storage fees are very expensive. Getting good renters and keeping up with maintenance and repairs will keep you busy.

Good luck with your planning. It can definitely be done but take it a step at a time.

[Gordon Dewald]

First thing you do is head over to a RV dealer and ditch the salesman. Go sit in some of the rigs. Role play. You are living in it and the weather outside is inclement for several days. How is the living? Do you have room and chairs to be comfortable? Is there room enough to comfortably cook? Can you relax without being in the other persons way? Can you watch the game while he watches a movie?

As you view different rigs and their amenities you will find yourself developing a feeling for what will work and what will not. Washer/dryer (stacked), all electric, residential fridge, location of tv, amount of storage.

IMO more people change units because of floor plan than any other reason.

[MKOwen]

Thanks. So much to think about. I really appreciate your sharing your views on things especially because you have experience!

[MKOwen]

Great suggestion! I think we need to go check some out and rent one to try out how it goes. We spent the night looking t HDT conversions and I think we will end up with a fifth wheel and HDT in the end but, I would like to take our time.

[MKOwen]

Great answers to all my questions.
I like the idea of renting and trying them out and we have discussed that.

I have also thoroughly looked into renting our house out last week and it was overwhelming. We would definitely get a property manager-which is also a big decision and will take a lot of work.

I am looking forward to scaling way down on our posessions, and have already started, but still need to figure the storage thing out. IMO, we will still have a few things that will probably need to be stored. My son has a business that he will most likely need storage for and we would share the cost. Still haven't worked that out completely either.

I am a thorough researcher but I get a bit obsessed and burn myself out but my husband is slow and steady :-) Ha!

[MKOwen]

Also, the fact that a big fifth wheel won't fit at the Grand Canyon will definiteoy be somwthing we need to talk about! My husband really wants to go there!

[Gordon Dewald]

Originally Posted by MKOwen

Also, the fact that a big fifth wheel won't fit at the Grand Canyon will definiteoy be somwthing we need to talk about! My husband really wants to go there!

There will be a campground within a reasonable distance that will accommodate a larger 5er. There will always be tradeoffs and it is your decision which fit your lifestyle.

[MSHappyCampers]

Originally Posted by MKOwen

Hello,
I hope that this is the correct forum for asking questions! I have asked a few already but ......

My husband and I are not yet full timers and do not own an rv but are trying to do our homework.

I would recommend a 5th wheel with whatever truck is required for the size. They are much more stable and safe on the road. I would go for around a 36'. If you're gonna live in it a while you need to be comfortable!
I am more interested in smaller and he bigger :-) We'll have to sort that out. I want to travel more at first and he wants to do workcamping at National parks, etc. for seasonal work. We'll probably do both so we do want a trailer (or whatever it is called-fifth wheel?) because we learned that is best if you are going to stay in one place for a time.

We plan on renting our house out. He will retire in about 1 1/2 years. Right now he has a 1 hour commute 4 times a week to his job in Berkeley/Oakland, CA and is getting tired of it.

Sounds like an excellent idea to me!

Our sons still live here in our home in San Jose at this time so they could stay in the house. We could also start getting rid of more stuff and painting, etc. to get our house set for renters in the future. I'm just wondering wher we would park it and of course we don't want to just run out and buy anything.

I would spend as much time as you can visiting RV dealers and looking at all the options. You might want to go to RVTrader.com and do searches by price range, type, etc., to get an idea of what's available.

You never know. You might get lucky and sell it right away, then again it might take several months. The time of the year can also affect that.

I wish there was a step by step list of things to do to prepare that I could look at and fill in or check off to prepare for full timing? Is there?

We have at least a year and a half to figure things out. We would like to do some little trial trips so that we can get a feel too. I have read quite a bit about where to register, mail forwarding, insurance, etc.

We use Passport America, Escapees, and Good Sam, in that order. They all pay off for us, and we are not fulltime YET.

Thanks! Please let me know if these questions should be asked in another forum. Or if I asked way to many questions for on epost

Good luck, happy trails, and God bless!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

[Finally Time]

You are not going to many, if any, nice places to stay in an RV that are closer than one hour (commute hours) to Berkeley/Oakland. I think the closest is Trailer Haven in San Leandro.