How to become a full timer 101

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an RV or an interest in RVing!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
See posts with no answers
You're welcome to all of you. I would guess maybe half the information in the article is based on personal experience. The other half is information that I have gathered from the infinite collected wisdom of this forum. This forum has taught me a tremendous amount about RVs and I am honored to be able to give something back. Thank you all for your knowledge.
 
I was sent a private message asking how to make a Google Map. Here is my reply:

Go to Google Maps. Decide how you want the final map to look, i.e. do you want the entire US or just one state or just one city? Get the map looking like you want it to and then click My Maps. Then click Create New Map. Give the map a title, a description and decide if it is public or private. In the upper left of the map is three Icons. A hand for moving things around, a label tool, and a line tool. Just play with it awhile, it is really simple. There are some tricks but it is a learn as you go.

For more info go here:
http://maps.google.com/support/bin/topic.py?hl=en&topic=23523
 
That's another post worthy of the library.  You're really on a roll, Tom.  May the condors grace your GC season with perfect photo ops.  :D

Margi
 
That is an excellent summary of the steps that one goes through when going full time, but enough emphasis cannot be placed on the very first step, making the decision.  Not everyone is cut out for for the life style and for some it will be a huge change.  Without the commitment up front, it won't work.  But once that is done, by all parties involved, the rest falls into place.
 
Ned said:
That is an excellent summary of the steps that one goes through when going full time, but enough emphasis cannot be placed on the very first step, making the decision.  Not everyone is cut out for for the life style and for some it will be a huge change.  Without the commitment up front, it won't work.  But once that is done, by all parties involved, the rest falls into place.
Click to expand...

Thanks Ned. I agree that the decision is the biggest of all and that is why it went first. If it is a married couple then both parties have to be equally enthusiastic or it will be a lot harder to make it work.
 
You mention that a Class A is more insulated...are trailers/5th wheels not very well insultated compared to a Class A (or other motorized RV)?  We are still trying to decide which one is better for us.
 
jdavis3152003 said:
You mention that a Class A is more insulated...are trailers/5th wheels not very well insultated compared to a Class A (or other motorized RV)?  We are still trying to decide which one is better for us.
Click to expand...

That is my understanding. Trailers and 5ers are designed to be towed. If you read this forum regularly you will notice that almost everyone who is new to towing is trying to tow with a vastly underpowered vehicle. So the manufacturers make the towables as light as possible. A class A is usually powered by a big honking diesel that has more than enough power to and torque to haul a very heavy load, so therefore they can put more insulation.
 
jdavis3152003 said:
You mention that a Class A is more insulated...are trailers/5th wheels not very well insultated compared to a Class A (or other motorized RV)?  We are still trying to decide which one is better for us.
Click to expand...

In general, trailers and 5th wheels are not well insulated.  A couple of exceptions:  Teton and Hitchhiker (made by Nuwa).

Jeannine
 
Jeannine said:
In general, trailers and 5th wheels are not well insulated.  A couple of exceptions:  Teton and Hitchhiker (made by Nuwa).

Jeannine
Click to expand...

That must be why I see so many Tetons and Hitchhikers. Thanks for the info Jeannine.
 
There are well and poorly insulated examples in all types of RVs - both powered and towed.

But one big difference between a trailer and a motorhome is the MH has that huge window in front.  That's a huge thermal leak - making the interior hotter in the summer and colder in the winter compared to a trailer that doesn't have all that glass.  Yes, you can pull the drapes or prop an insulated cover over the window, but it won't be as effective as an equivalent amount of insulated wall space.

Motorhomes have the advantage of being able to run the air conditioning as you go down the road (as long as you also run the generator to power it) so the inside stays nice and cool.  You can't do this with a trailer, so there will be some cool-down time after you stop for the night.  But while you're staying in one place, a well insulated trailer will be easier to heat and cool than an equivalent motorhome.
 
No RV is really well insulated - the walls are too thin and too many windows, skylights, etc. for the amount of wall & roof space.  The best are barely adequate and not even close to a site built house, even an older one. The rest are mediocre and the worst are abysmal.

The comment about "lite' models is right on too - low cost and light weight both mitigate against thick walls and lots of insulation.
 
"A very important and often overlooked item for a full timer is a safe. ... That way if there is a fire my stuff will survive. "

A $50 safe will almost certainly not protect your documents in the event of a fire.  A $500 safe would stand a better chance but even then plastic, that is backup DVDs and hard drives, will melt when the edge of paper just char and smolders.    There are inserts, somewhat like a lunch box, that are available to go into a "paper" fire resistant (there is no such thing as fire proof) filing cabinet meant for DVDs and such but I still would keep my backup DVDs elsewhere.

I would strongly urge folks to encrypt their backup data using Winzip or similar, store onto DVDs, and mail their backup data DVDs to a trusted relative or friend on a weekly basis.  I would also put all important passwords, including Quicken, email and the above mentioned backup encryption password in an evelope and keep possibly at that trusted relative.  Or maybe a different relative just in case you don't quite trust them.  :)

(BTW I've been a software developer for over 30 years and have seen it all.)
 
That safe may survive a fire but I doubt the contents would.  It has no fire rating whatsoever that I could find.  One of the questions in the Q&A section of the listing was "Is this product fireproof?" and the answer was "No".
 
Well absolutely nothing is "fire-proof". If you get anything hot enough it will burn. The Q&A question about being fireproof was not answered by the manufacturer, it was answered by RSAXT from San Antonio, whoever he is. Here is what the product description says:

"The First Alert safe product line embodies all that is the First Alert brand, which means providing safety and security for your essential documents and most valuable possessions while affording you the peace of mind that comes from being prepared in the event of a disaster, FIRE, or an invasion of your home or office. "

In order to get a safe that would totally protect the contents you would need to spend at least $500 and you would have a very large, very heavy safe, which is something most RVs would not want to carry around. Plus the average RVer doesn't need that much space. The one I recommended will work for almost any RVer without breaking the bank. We all know RV fires are extremely rare so I feel the safe I linked to will do just fine.

That said I want to add that you should not carry your most important possessions that you absolutely cannot live without in your RV. That is what safety deposit boxes are for in a bank.

I carry a safe mainly so I know where my most valuable possessions are so they won't get lost or stolen. I don't worry about a fire at all.
 
seilerbird said:
Well you obviously haven't seen this safe. It is $49 and it is the one I use. It weighs 16 pounds and you could run over it with a truck and not damage it. I have no doubt it would survive almost any fire.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Honeywell-.28-Cubic-Foot-Anti-Theft-Shelf-Safe/7801926
Click to expand...
Driving over something with a truck and being fire-resistant are two totally different things.  Also note that the keypad would melt in any kind of a fire thus requiring additional assistance to open it.

On that same page in the People who viewed this Item also viewed section are better safes as they explicitly mentions fire resistant.  For example http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=5871659&findingMethod=rr&    Note that to me half an hour isn't sufficient as that's not enough time for a fire department to respond to a remote location and put out the fire.    Indeed their second priority would be to ensure the fire doesn't spread.  First priority being to ensure everyone made it out safely.
 
Who would have thought that a safe could be so controversial?
 
If you  have a fire in your RV that destroys the contents of your safe then you have a whole bunch of bigger problems to worry about than the contents of your safe.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Members online

Total: 743 (members: 28, guests: 715)

Forum statistics

Threads
131,916
Posts
1,387,316
Members
137,666
Latest member
nativoacai
Back
Top Bottom