Community Forums

Scotty14 · 03-14-2012, 12:46 AM

Hi, everyone, Happy to be in this Forum. I have been checking out this Forum for a few days now so i figured i would ask a few questions to begin with.

I am currently living in Hawaii Oahu and am a retired Navy Veteran. Working at Pearl Harbor Naval Ship Yard. I am Planning to Retire in 4 to 5 years and return to the Main Land US.

Started planing to Rv full time and saving up for a few years now. Home base as i would call it. Thinking of Washington state, no state tax, ( I am a native of Seattle), BUT they have high sales taxes and other county taxes along with their rapid transit tax. Or South Dakota (Rapid City) no State taxes and low sales taxes.
I have started planning to purchase a Fifth Wheel Keystone Cougar Lite 23'-26' two to three years old to start with. Along with a F-350 Super Duty Diesel. Would like some advice with these questions. Thanks again for your time

Fred1609 · 03-14-2012, 11:20 AM

Having been a visitor in Hawaii and not having seen any 5ers I would assume that your first sniff at a 5er will be when you get back to the mainland. Figuring out what rig is best for you is a very personal thing. Sort of like asking advice as to what kind of house you should buy. While you have the time, start researching. There is so much info on this forum with good knowledgable people. Full time can mean so much. Are you gonna be boon docking? Are you sticking mainly to RV Parks? Are you gonna remain in one area for a season or do you intend to run across the country? These are only a few things to consider but you get what I'm trying to say. Define the mission and then determine what will best meet your needs. In the mean time, do check out the forums including the keystone forum and start to figure out what you need to become a full timer. And

Steve N Sal · 03-14-2012, 11:26 AM

Howdy and welcome aboard. I'm sure you'll get plenty of information on your questions here. Plenty of great people. Hope you enjoy the site. Hope your reitrment plans all work out and you'll be able to enjoy the rving lifestyle when it does. Good Luck and THANKS for serving our country.

SarahW · 03-14-2012, 01:16 PM

Howdy Scott and welcome to the board. Check out the "Full Timing" section of the forum below. Also, you might check the Escapees forum, which is dedicated to full-timing. Escapees Discussion Forum Good luck.

WheelingIt · 03-14-2012, 01:41 PM

For fulltiming residence most people chose either TX, FL or SD since they're all income tax free. There are organizations in each state that help you set-up a mailing adress and get settled. Before chosing on a state you should look at

- health insurance costs
- vehicle registration costs
- vehicle registration requirements (inspections, special license? etc.)
- vehicle insurance costs

Good organizations are:

TX - escapees
http://www.escapees.com/

SD - alternative resources
http://www.alternativeresources.net/

SD - my dakota address
http://mydakotaaddress.com/

FL - good sam's
http://www.goodsammail.com/

FL - my RV mail
http://www.myrvmail.com/

There are others too! We ended up in SD (with alternative resources) simply because insurance costs were cheaper for use there, plus we didn't need a special license for our big rig (TX would have required a special license for our size).

cargovan · 03-14-2012, 05:32 PM

Half the fun is planning, so enjoy yourself!

Van.

bsirby · 03-14-2012, 06:40 PM

Hello and Welcome to IRV2. Good luck on your decisions.

historyljc · 03-14-2012, 09:40 PM

Hi Scotty, welcome to the forum. Good luck with your future plans.

MSHappyCampers · 03-15-2012, 10:20 AM

Hi Scott! Welcome to IRV2 It's good to have you join the bunch here! Hope everything works out for you to get back here and get started RV'ing! Thank you for your service to our country! Good luck & God bless!