Living on the road living arrangements

Hi,

I am new and not even sure if this is the right place to post this question.

I have plans to be mobile/rving full time for the next several years.  Right now I am in the planning stage.  Most of the time will be spent boondocking for at least 15 days a month, probably more.

I have a Chevy Silverado 3500, but that is all at this time.  My traveling family will include me and my three dogs, one of which is a large dog.  I have gone through various scenarios in regards on living on the road and what my rig will need to be like.

I have the water and gas covered, but the living quarters are still way up in the air.  I have thought of buying a camper, even considered the pop-up campers.  I have thought of pulling an off-road trailer behind a camper, but they lack the space I need to carry what I need.  I have considered a Flip-Pac and pulling a trailer and I have also considered buying a canopy for my truck and converting a cargo trailer or toy hauler into my living quarters.  In the process of figuring out my living quarters, I am making myself a bit nuts.

My future plans are to eventually settle in New Mexico and establish an off-grid home there, but want to have some place to live while I am working on it.  That is why I am trying to have living quarters that will also work when I do go there and can be lived in without purchasing something else.

I hope I am making sense.  Again, if I am not posting in the appropriate forum I apologize.  :-\

Thanks 

I would find traveling with 3 dogs much easier in a motorhome. But a lot depends on how your dogs do traveling and where you can fit them into your vehicle.

Wendy

Typical problem!
Took me 3 yrs of reading the forum to narrow the choices down to a 36 ft used class A for my first rig. Kept it 3.5 yrs while working on my list of must have features.
Along the way I rented a class C a couple of times to test things out.

If your chev. is a crew cab, then a smaller 5th wheel would be the answere. The dogs would do well in the rear section of the cab while traveling, some of the rear bed space can be utilized for hauling,  and the 5th would be large enough to accommodate all while in camp mode.>>>Dan

Thanks for your responses 

I know a lot of people have motor homes, but I want to utilize the truck I have now.  It is a dually with a crew cab, luv my truck  ;D

The 5th wheels seem so big and to me seems hard to maneuver.  Luv the size of them, but could I maneuver them into place by myself?  I have been thinking about a 25 or 27 foot trailer and adding a canopy to my truck, so I could carry around my extra stuff.  My dogs luv the truck, so driving with them in there would be fine.

Any info concerning a 5th wheeler would be appreciated.

Thanks 

5w's are a bit tougher to back up than a travel trailer, but have better road manners when traveling. But if you can back a conventional (travel) trailer, you can back a 5W too. The technique is different, but the results are the same.

If you think you prefer a travel trailer, go with that. Just buy a good quality hitch, such as the Reese Dual Cam or Equalizer. These have built in sway control as well as weight distribution.

With three dogs, I would want plenty of space.

We have tried class A, Travel Trailer, and a Fiver.  Our final choice was a fiver.  Hooking up was easier, backing after some lessons from son who is a long haul driver was easier.  Just remember it turns faster that a TT.  We can work in it as it has a small desk but an even bigger table.  Storage is great and we can still carry things in the truck.  We lived on a 42' houseboat for 6 years and the Sundance has even more room.  Good luck with your decision.

Have you read the Fulltiming 101 article in our library?

http://www.rvforum.net/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=435:fulltimeprep&catid=29:fulltiming&Itemid=45

The huge majority of full timers live in a class A and there are lots of reasons why. But no one ever buys their last RV first so go ahead and get a 5er. Just be ready to trade it in on a class A in a year or so.

We travel full time with 2 large goldens.  We live in a 5er, large and pretty easy to manuver, we also love our truck!  We do not boondock but could if we had reason to.  I suggest a fifth wheel.  When something goes wrong, and something will, your house is safe and your truck can go in for service.  With a motorhome, your home goes in for service.  A popup is great for weekends, but I think you would tire of it quickly.