Let's go RVing!

So I was actually looking into small DIY houses (some call them sheds or shacks) as a second option to the insanely steep pricing of home ownership and property rental, but the issue always comes down to "where are you going to build this shack?". Land itself may be somewhat cheap (depending on the area), but there are building codes and other laws to take into consideration. One cannot simply venture into the woods and be left alone... or can they?

This topic brought me to people that were living full time in their RVs and loving every minute of it. These people ranged from singles to retired folks to entire families that now have the freedom to live basically wherever they want. They have no housing payment, no rent, no building codes, no lawn requirements, etc. The most they need to pay for is gas, food, entertainment and, if they so choose, about $150-200 a month to stay in an RV park. Of course you don't really need gas if you're going to park in one of these lots, so it's really either one or the other.

So where do people park when they're not in one of these parks? There is one method that many use which is called "stealth parking". Now I don't support this idea (I personally wouldn't want to be woken up at 2 am by a nosy security guard), but believe it or not, a lot of them simply park at Walmart or hotel parking lots for the night. It seems that some don't even mind because it brings in business. Of course others are not so eager to have 15 RVs lined up in their parking lot, but it seems this is also common practice with truckers as well. But I'm sure we've all come across the random RV in the Walmart parking lot and never really thought much of it. God knows how long he's been there.

With that said, the above should really only be used if you're moving from one place to another. I don't really see a way that you could live in a parking lot for a long period of time without eventually being kicked out. The other option is simply driving deep into the woods and staying as long as you want. Nobody is really going to bother you that far out, but of course you no longer have access to hospitals, food stores, or possibly even cell phone signals. Some may prefer this. I personally think the RV camp is the best idea. In most parks the price usually includes water, electric, cable, wifi, etc. For $200 a month, you can't really beat it and these parks are all over the country.

So let's get into the RVs themselves and their pricing. You're probably going to want to look into used RVs because most new ones will probably run you close to the price of a new house. I've seen new RVs over $100,000. But for the sake of getting by, used class C RVs (late 90s usually) can be purchased for as little as $5,000-15,000. There are 3 types which include:

Class A Motorhomes

Class A motorhomes are the largest. They are the RVs most people think of when you use the term RV. Although different than Class A motorhomes, Bus Conversions are also large (and can be luxurious) and they are the rigs most often associated with stars and athletes that travel over the road from city to city.

Class B Motorhomes

Class B motorhomes are the smallest and are built on a van chassis. Although there are full-timers in Class Bs, they are generally too small to live in for long periods of time.

Class C Motorhomes

Class C motorhomes are also built on a van chassis and are often referred to as mini-motorhomes although they can be as long as many of the Class As. They are distinguished by an extended section over the cab which usually contains an extra bed.

Of course there are many other options available when considering this life style including tents, vans, buses and boats.

There is a ton of information on this subject and a lot of people doing this right now as we speak. I think that as the economy continues to get worse and more people end up losing their jobs and their homes, we're going to see a lot more people start to "think outside the box". Sure, this won't be for everyone, but it is option B for those that think they can make it work especially on a fixed income or with an internet business. Solar panels, satellite dish, wifi, triple A, all of these things can be incorporated into this lifestyle as to not lose the luxuries of home while on the road.

What are your thoughts? I'll leave some links to more information as well as some youtube videos of full timers below.

cheaprvliving.com
rv-dreams.com

Urban stealth camping
Full Time RV Family
Cooking breakfast at Walmart
Living in an RV - Deep in the woods

It's an option for sure. At least in warmer climes. Up north those things have a tendency to freeze up. Or you can get one of these and park it where ever you dang well please!

reply to post by Montana


I was actually reading up a bit on that and I found that people will insulate their hoses with aluminum foil and foam tubing to keep them from freezing up. I'm not sure how effective it is, but I'm sure further research would come up with a solution. Of course there is always the option to drive south when the snow starts moving in. That's one of the things that's really appealing to me about this lifestyle. You can just pick up and go whenever you want.

Doing it in an RV is easy. I did it in a conversion van for quite awhile.

fulltimer in a 5th wheel here. Cold weather no problems BUT I have unlimited power nad propane. Old school buses would be good because you could put a wood stove in it pretty easy. I can answer a few reasonable questions. I'm headed into my 4th winter.

To add you might as well buy new the new ones for 40k$ are quite nice and well insulated use it while life is good and if theing go bad nobody is going to worry about repoing it anyway

People do that out here in California all the time. I've thought of doing it myself, expecially since we pay so damn much for everything.

Originally posted by mikellmikell
fulltimer in a 5th wheel here. Cold weather no problems BUT I have unlimited power nad propane. Old school buses would be good because you could put a wood stove in it pretty easy. I can answer a few reasonable questions. I'm headed into my 4th winter

I'm not actually living in an RV, but it is something that interests me so I created this thread. I hope my information is accurate, it's what I've been looking into. Where do you park? How are the RV lots? How is the internet connection/cable?

Thanks in advance .

I've been watching a lot of youtube videos lately of people doing this. It works really well for individuals and couples. I would like to do something like that but having 3 kids I just don't know how well it would work out.

This link has some great info

Cheap RV Living

reply to post by shelookslikeone


Been fulltiming in my class A for over 4 years now and loving it! (My license plate is "PLAN B" lol)
First 2 years I traveled around doing work camper jobs like campground hosting, clerk at an RV park, etc.
Spent my 2nd winter in Quartzsite, AZ, where you can boondock (park with no electric/water/septic hookups) for up to 6 months for $190 total! Water trucks, propane trucks and septic trucks would come by every now and then to fill you up or empty you, in the case of the septic. It was great! Get a few solar panels, a satellite dish for TV/internet and your all set! If your a crafty person, or have things to sell, you can make a decent living there in the winter. Quartzsite is a HUGE swap meet in the winter.
RV parks can get pricey, $500 month is not uncommon. Many also only allow rigs that are no more than 10 years old in, so keep that in mind when buying a rig.
Parking on public land has limits too. Most national forests have a 14 day limit. BLM lands tend to be a bit more liberal with length of stay.
There are places you can buy land for very little. With a septic and a well, along with a few solar panels and/or a wind generator, your all set. A propane tank completes everything you'll need.
I have not had a problem with my rig freezing in the winter. I use heat tape on my lines that are under my rig and skirt it for winter with no problems, even in snowy locations. Most plumbing lines are onboard and are as warm as the living space is, so no problems there.
There is much more I can add about the joys and headaches of fulltiming, personally I love it! But it isn't for everyone.

reply to post by Elostone


Thank you for your insight into this, it sounds about as much as I expected. I'm really interested in doing this, but sadly it still may be a few years off for me. The initial start up is a bit high, but it seems like once you get your rig, you're good to go. $500 per month? The parks I've seen were about $200. I guess it depends on where you are?