Community Forums

JNV RV LIFE · 03-23-2023, 09:41 AM

Greetings!
The wife and I have been RVing since we got a Thor Gemini in 2018. Changed to a Thor ACE 27.2 because the wife felt the Gemini was too small and it was. But I loved the way it handled and the milage ti got. Now we are looking to circumnavigate the country and venture into the Northern Territories so we are back looking at a LTV Unity. I would welcome any and all input and am really interested in any full timers who would be willing to share what it costs to be on the road for full year. I know someone out there keeps a excel or quick books of all the costs & expenses.
We are hoping someone will share this with us.

Looking forward to seeing y'all on the road!

John & Val

Jim_HiTek · 03-23-2023, 09:55 AM

Are you asking camper van only? Or all full-time RVers?

Old-Biscuit · 03-23-2023, 10:11 AM

FT in an RV.........

Cost of RV (buy out right, finance?)
Registration (domicile)
Insurnace (ones driving record/credit report, domicile)
Fuel (MPG, distance/frequency of travel)
Campground Fees (Location, length of stay/electric included, up charges etc)
Food (cook, go out)
Entertainment
Routine Maintenance
Break down

FT can be same costs wise as a S&B home, slightly les or lot more
Depends on ones 'lifestyle'

WE FTd for 7 yrs ---traveled weekly, went/saw what we wanted and out overall monthly costs were less then S&B monthly
Met folks that FTd and it was more costly for them

MSHappyCampers · 03-23-2023, 10:15 AM

Hi John & Val! Welcome to IRV2! We’re sure glad you joined the gang here!

Have fun and keep her between the ditches!

Good luck, happy trails, and God bless!

bigb56 · 03-23-2023, 10:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JNV RV LIFE

Greetings!
The wife and I have been RVing since we got a Thor Gemini in 2018. Changed to a Thor ACE 27.2 because the wife felt the Gemini was too small and it was. But I loved the way it handled and the milage ti got. Now we are looking to circumnavigate the country and venture into the Northern Territories so we are back looking at a LTV Unity. I would welcome any and all input and am really interested in any full timers who would be willing to share what it costs to be on the road for full year. I know someone out there keeps a excel or quick books of all the costs & expenses.
We are hoping someone will share this with us.

Looking forward to seeing y'all on the road!

John & Val

We looked at Unity and while the LTV quality is very near the top, they were too cramped for us for vacation use let alone for full timing. That doesn't mean it won't work for you if you can manage and get along in such tight quarters. The dining/kitchen area is so small that only one person at a time can be up, the other has to be seated or go outside, again it may work for you if you are skinny and get along well! Keep in mind also the cargo carrying capacity is very meager so you would really need to be a minimalist. On the good side is the ease of driving and the 15-16 MPG from the Mercedes diesel, but be aware the new ones will be equipped with the 2l engine which looks promising but I haven't seen any real world documented experiences of the 2l pulling 11,000 lbs or up to 15,250 with a toad.
I suggest you join Sprintersource where they have a Unity forum and ask some questions there. If you haven't owned a Sprinter chassis before there are good and bad points about them, just like most others. So far though the Sprinter chassis has worked out well for us and the 15 MPG we get is a huge plus, even though we're not really on a budget it's nice to be able to spend more money on things like nice restaurants instead of fuel.

JNV RV LIFE · 03-23-2023, 01:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim_HiTek

Are you asking camper van only? Or all full-time RVers?

Hi Jim - I guess I should have been more specific. I am looking for those with a class C or B+ since fuel is a big part of the cost and they usually have a Sprinter or Transit chassis. I am trying to figure out what we need to budget on a monthly basis for fuel, sites and travel. Stuff like food, insurance, maintenance and banks payments are going to be there whether on the road or in the driveway.

computerguy · 03-25-2023, 05:57 AM

I am solo in a class a.
2018 $24,300 (my budget was $33k but I was really nervous and underspent across the board)
2019 $25,083 (my budget was $35k but I did really well managing CG spend)
2020 $30,633 (pandemic problems)
2021 $39,308 (pandemic continues so rented a house instead of traveling for first part of year)
2022 $66,044 (41,044 + $25,000 engine failed on '16 RV only 36,000 miles was the 25k, 17k for engine and 8k for housing while RV in shop for months on end waiting for parts)
2023 $41,310 is my budget

Have an emergency fund. I had a $50k emergency budget so when the engine failed it didn't take me out of my retirement dream to travel the country.

dadej · 03-25-2023, 06:43 AM

Have plenty of money in todays economy. Unless you are going to boone dock camp grounds have gotten very expensive after covid. You may eliminate S&B bills but add other expenses. If traveling you have fuel. Museums now days have gotten pricey to get in.
Restaurants: I see a lot of people going out to eat a lot. That can use a lot of your budget in a hurry. Inflation have made the restaurant bill go up also.

I would say what ever you budget is now will be pretty much what it is on the road assuming you don't run the RV 20000 miles per year.

twogypsies · 03-26-2023, 12:02 AM

It all depends on how you do it. How much you'll be driving.... what kind of parks you'll stay ..... are you willing to boondock on public lands .... what kind of activities do you like to do (nature, hiking are free; museums, amusement parks are costly). There are just so many variations that it's difficult to go by someone else's budget. Just read, read, read. It's an awesome lifestyle. We did it for 16 yr and traveled constantly. We also volunteered for national and state parks which gave us a free campsite but that's not why we volunteered. We wanted to give something back to places we enjoy.

You're talking about a B+ or C.... to us that would be too small but I'm sure some do it. Are you going to tow a car for siteseeing, shopping, restaurants? What about rainy, cold days for days at a time? I guess it would be too confining and inconvenient with hooking up and unhooking all the time for us. Our towed vehicle let us explore gravel roads to see a lot of beauty and animals. Think about it carefully.

Just do a Google on full-time RVing Cost and many sites appear. Also check that you can easily travel with your medical insurance. You also have to pick a state for domicile. Texas, Florida and South Dakota are the popular ones. Join the Escapees RV Club for mail service and awesome people to meet up with as you travel. We made life-long friends. Here is one site for budget:

https://nomadsinnature.com/blog/cost-of-rv-living

MevetS · 03-26-2023, 02:40 AM

Too many variables to consider giving a $ amount.

Perhaps consider keeping a detailed accounting on your costs, once you have a RV. Travel for a year and summarize what you have spent. That would reflect your lifestyle, not someone else's. Include maintenance and emergency costs. With a RV you will definitely have those costs, as well as fuel use and campground fees.

Considering all the people who currently RV, it would be doubtful that someone else's expenses would reflect your own. Not only that, but you may have to adjust your habits to fit your budget.

Winemaker2 · 03-26-2023, 06:29 AM

What on the road costs are for you & yours will depend a lot on your style of RVing + other costs. A good indicator would be to understand where you spend currently. Then honestly make estimates of adjustments req'd for being on the road.
We did the above exercise as a prep before retiring, made guesstimate of what would increase$ and decrease$. Did a rough track the first year or two of retirement and were surprisingly close. Learning was we knew more about how we lived, priorities and where we wanted to spend more and less than anyone else could provide for us.