Full-timing while working full time in Southern California

I have several concerns, which I am having a hard time getting info on the different forums/pages on the net dedicated to full timing. I have read through some, but they don't seem to answer my questions quite as perfectly as I'd like.

I'm saving up some money (approx. $5,000) for a good condition 70's-90's class C or B motorhome. I'm torn between the two for different reasons, but first a little background info on my situation:

I'll be working full time in Temecula, CA. My main plan as a full timing newbie (and getting to know my costs over time), will be to park at work during the day, and park in a parking lot for sleep right before I lie down for the night, turning every thing of.  I will be getting up early, showering, and moving on. To minimize attention to myself, I will be using a different parking lot each night of the week. Once a week, I'll be going wherever it is cheapest for dumps/refills/laundry, etc.

Bottom line: I want to live in a 20'-26' class C motorhome. I like the idea of having a cab over bed, and a full dinette. I want to be able to go on camping trips with friends and family.

My main concern is that I run the risk of getting police visits every night just for sleeping in it, if not for it's size, just because it's a class c and sticks out like sore thumb. A 20' RV MIGHT solve this problem, since it's not over the street-parking legal length, but 20' or not, it's still a Class C and those are hard to miss. Most cities here in socal don't let you sleep in your rv in public, period. So that's grounds for getting bothered, too. Does anyone who fulltimes and works full time in one area (one with ordinances against sleeping in rvs) manage to do it without rv parks in  class c, by lying low? If you do, what size class c are you in?

My other concern is gas. Do class c toyota chassis rvs (70s-90s models, good condition) get good mpg over dodge and others? I'm thinking realistically i'm going to get 13 on highway, and 20 in town. Does this sound right?

I also plan on boondocking just for the fun of it, pretty much at whim. I could travel farther in a class b, and apparently boondock in places a class c would have a hard time doing so due to small roads and such. I hear some people like to stealth dock in places they may not otherwise be able to. Are there places a class b will be able to go that a class c will have a signifcantly harder time getting to? Or do class c-er's pretty much feel complete freedom when boondocking?

My main reason for considering is stealth. A class b is able to avoid confrontation with authorities for the most part. I'm sure people will know my vehicle as an rv, but i don't think many people would care much about a class b in the street or parking lot as long as it's not taking their parking spot. and it's easier to get away with just pretending you're not in it because to the authorities and onlookers, it could just be someone's primary vehicle. My secondary reason is saving on gas. And my third reason is maneuverability (will I always feel like I'm driving in a big clumsy rv in a class c?).

Worse comes to worse, I'll just pay for rv park fees monthly, or atleast half the month and just call it rent. But would love to do this full time adventure in a class c for no park costs during the work week.

Most things i have read along these lines are experience from people who are fulltime traveling in their rv, have the money to support it, and only drydock in any one town for less than a week at a time. This thread is mainly aimed at people who have experienced the situation i'm planning on getting myself in to, perferably in south california, or places with city ordinances against rvs. How do you make it happen? What did you have to deal with? Also, if you have a link to any threads or pages specifically talking about "fulltime rv drydocking while working full time", i would love to see them!

I posted on rvusa.com but did not get a response from their full time area after a few days of waiting =(. still researching.

Thanks in advanced, rvforums X).

My main plan as a full timing newbie (and getting to know my costs over time), will be to park at work during the day, and park in a parking lot for sleep right before I lie down for the night, turning every thing of.

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When and how do batteries get charged? The little Toyotas don't have much in the way of battery capacity, so just getting through a day and night will take some frugal living. And I don't think you can go a week on the waste water tanks either - they are small.  If you plan on showering every day, you are going to be dumping the gray waste water every couple days.

My other concern is gas. Do class c toyota chassis rvs (70s-90s models, good condition) get good mpg over dodge and others? I'm thinking realistically i'm going to get 13 on highway, and 20 in town. Does this sound right?

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The little Toyota mini-motorhome got decent mileage, especially the older 4 cylinder engine models, but most of them are pretty tired by now. The later V6's are a better vehicle, I think, but lower mpg. Whether you would ever see 20 mpg, though, is questionable. 13-15 mpg overall is fairly typical. The smallest of the 4 cylinder, 18 ft models might see 19-20 mpg in good conditions.

I don't know how the enforcement is like  in Temecula, but I suspect the local cops will get onto you pretty quickly. The night shift guys will soon recognise the rig no matetr where it is parked. Whether they will do something about it depends on local attitudes and whether there are any citizen complaints. Why not stay in a campground? Monthly rates are usually pretty reasonable and you would have water, electric and sewer every day & night.

Gary's points are all very valid.

Any chance you could plug in at work to charge the batteries?

The Toyota's were also notorious for being maxed out on carrying capacity - IE usually over weight. Most used ones I've seem recently were in pretty sad shape.

Even a class B is going to get noticed if you park in one spot for more than a night or two. You could maybe get away with parking at the Casino a couple of nights every so often, but to do this full-time and stay under the police radar is going to be difficult. You could increase your chances by driving to nearby town, but that would increase your gas costs.

Tank capacities: When we had a rig with 45 gal. grey water, 45 gal. black and 75 fresh we could just make it a week for the two of us. This included only "navy" type showers. 
Many class B's will have tanks of 20 to 25 gal for grey, 10-15 for black waste and 30+ for fresh. If you intend to not only shower, but also cook in the rig then I don't see making it a week.

As long as the budget allows for a "Plan B" - the RV Park, then you could always give it a try and see what happens. BUT, if you have to go to an RV park then I think you will be happier with the extra space and comfort of a class C.

just my 2cents.

ken

The later V6 Toyota chassis C's solve the overload problems and 14-16 mpg is often the avg. Few will set the cruise control on 55 and cruise along listening to tape, iPod or radio. When you learn how to use body wipes you will extend your dry camping time no matter the size of your holding tanks and that skill needs to be on any RVers list. 

The Toyota Yahoo group is a good one -I had a long chat their moderator after the QZ Rally. Most of the later models have two batteries and often three installed. You won't want one with a genset for the city and I've seen one with a battery bank in that compartment.

www.toyotamotorhome.org has all the info about them and a classified section, currently lists 19, as well. It was on my list for a long time.

Putting aside the choice of RV for the moment, how does your employer feel about your working for him without having a fixed address? 

Most fulltimers stay in a RV park while working.  Having a fixed address while working makes things easier both for you and your employer.  You need an address to register your RV.  You also need it for tax purposes - so you can get a refund and so the tax agencies can contact you if they have any questions about your return.  Your employer needs it to determine how to apply state and local withholding. 

Living in stealth mode can also affect your ability to be employed - it may be unfair but if you're living in stealth mode, many people will assume your living situation is less than stable.  If hassles develop how will it affect your work performance?  From your employer's perspective, will you appear to be more or less reliable than someone with more conventional living arrangements?  Even something as arcane as your credit rating (which includes things like how reliably you pay your rent or mortgage) can affect your ability to get employment.

Having lived in Cs while working both in AZ and NE, those are good points Lou.

Thanks guys for the awesome replies.  I will be parking in different lots every night  (maybe cycle through 20 of them, and only parking RIGHT before sleeping. This might help keep people from noticing ,it might not.

As far as dumping goes, ill be doing it as often as I need . Definitely  considering solar. CL usually has them  at decent prices. And ill learn how to shower economically.

If I can expect 14 or so in a Toyota I'd be happy.

My cousin lives in a town not far away. She is my registered address, so that's a non issue. I already have my full time job, and I'm a great employee, so my boss could care less as far as i know.  And new employers don't have to know I don't live  with my cousin, at least before hiring me.

I may just have to  take the plunge and see if I can make it work with a class c. Thanks for the info on the engines.

Still have two months  or so before ill decide ,so looking for more awesome replies. 

The three I'm considering are sunradar (Toyota ), 96 rialta  (Winnie B ), lesharo (Winnie B)

The Sunraider was top of the class. There still is, I think, a genuine stock 4x4 v6 for sale, one of only 6 produced C's produced on that chassis. If interested, contact [email protected]. She also may have some leads for you -use me as a ref if it helps. 

My main concern is that I run the risk of getting police visits]

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The reason you risk a police visit is that, in most areas, what you are planning is illegal. Is that really the kind of life you wish to live? LEOs get real upset when they get complaints about the same person over and over (most patrol a specific area and recognize regulars). We still own a couple of commercial properties and a couple times per month our tenants will call police because they came to work late at night and someone is "stealth camping" in the back of the lot. They call because you never know whether it is just someone sleeping or a meth lab or someone waiting to steal the copper from the building after everyone leaves. A couple times per month we get calls from someone wanting to park in the lots overnight for a short time. We have to say no because to allow it could really cause some insurance and zoning issues.

When I was very young and broke, I lived in a very old travel trailer in a really run down campground. It got so hot during the day inside that candles melted and it was real hard to keep ice from melting in the cooler. It wasn't fun but it was legal and was what I could afford while I worked full time and went to school. After I saved some money I was able to "move on up" to a ghetto apartment. Long story longer, these kinds of living arrangements were rights of passage and helped drive many of us to succeed so that we did not have to continue living there.

Good luck in whatever you do. Whatever you decide, remember that whether you agree with them or not, cities/communities and townships do not want stealth campers for what they feel are legitimate reasons.
Edit: Fixed quote.

Odie1234 is giving you very good advice.  Meth labs in abandoned older RVs are a real threat and copper theft just shut down two major campuses in the Eugene area this week.  LEO's are sure to be checking for both violations.

You seem to be treating this issue as an adventure rather than a real need.  You are asking this forum for advice on how to do something illegal.  I really believe you should rethink this.  JMHO.

Margi

Thanks guys for the concern. I don't want to cause the community distress, and the reason I'm asking  the forum is to not get myself in to a situation where I will be causing distress to others and myself. What I was hoping was to hear that people are successfully breaking the law without hurting people or wasting tax dollars on police visits and arguments with companies.

Its sounding bleak. At least with a class c. Still haven't heard from someone who has done this.

Thanks for the sunradar tip !

Again, thanks for the replies guys.

You said that you're a good employee. Perhaps your employer has a place you could park? If they don't have anything, find a cheap campground.

Jake-

A forum member who goes by "Boundiful" was doing what you describe in the San Diego area last year.  I haven't heard much from him lately, but if you search his posts, you can get some idea of what he went through.  It doesn't seem real appealing, but I understand your reasoning.

I live and work in the Temecula area. Don't do it you won't get by long without being hassled.

wayne

Thanks Wendy. If I didn't work retail in a shopping center, I would have a good chance of that.

Thanks Haha. That's exactly the kind of resources I'm looking for while I decide.

Zuk, you have experience with rvs in the area?

Jake, see if you can work the desk evenings/weekends in an RV Park as a work-camper for a break on site rent. You night find an RV dealer, repair shop or  garage complex or a service station that would like an on site security resident. An RV dealer-repair center where I bought propane in w central Tucson had a man working as security living in a class C on site.

Bob. Genius. I had read about the security thing but was not sure about whether it was plausible to do, or just a one off story by some lucky guy. I will have to check around. Someone told me an RV* place nearby charges about 24 hours a month of site labor to stay there each month. Not a bad alternative to paying or if I can't work something out on someone's  property or business.

Not sure how close you are to any state parks but if they're not too far away, you can buy an annual pass that gives you day use, including dump station and showers (additional cost).

Thanks for the tip, wendy. I am not too sure. I don't think we do. Maybe within 20 miles. I will be checking in to that anyway, since I do want to find a nice place to visit near by on the weekends.

Bob, do you know if a a person acting as resident security would actively be patroling for hours? or would they just be there to keep an ear out?

With my job, the best I could do is one or two rounds around midnight depending on what time I'm scheduled for work the next day. Then I'd have to go to sleep for work in the morning. So ideally, they'd just want me there to be someone to occupy the place and listen/call police if anything suspicious is going on, without actively putting in man hours (maybe man half-hours) to patrol the area.