How small is the RV that you're fulltiming in?

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JCZ

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 9, 2012
Posts
420
Location
Sacramento
I may be retiring sooner than I planned.  They're putting our project on the market and if it sells, due to my pay scale, I'll be one of the first that the new owners replace.  So, in my research I have a couple of questions:

1.  How small is the RV that you full time in and what type of RV? (It's the two of us and our Maltese in a new 27' all seasons 5th wheel).

2.  Is it possible to draw social security and unemployment at the same time? (Didn't even occur to me...I just assumed it was allowed but my wife's not so sure).
 
Two and a dog would be tough in what I am in - I am in a Fleetwood 18.5 foot 5th wheel, but it is just me and as one with years of experience living aboard several sailboats ranging from 23 to 47, I am quite comfortable in small spaces. I also try to spend as much time as possible outdoors, so other than sleeping, some cooking (I grill out a bunch) and the bathroom, I find it is more than adequate.

I AM however in the market for a much bigger unit, I am seriously looking for a Cougar 24.5 which will be like moving into a huge condo!!

You make do with what space you have....

Good Luck.

Jim

BTW - Not sure on the unemployment and Social Security question, but they would both be considered income and if you make too much you will be penalized on your taxes....
 
Yes you can collect SS and UI at the same time. They are apples and oranges and don't have any effect on each other.

http://www.aarp.org/work/social-security/info-10-2012/can-i-get-social-security-and-unemployment-benefits-at-the-same-time.html

I am a single male and I started out full timing in a 20 foot class B. That sucks. I upgraded to a girlfriend and a 32 foot class C and that was way too tight. So we upgraded to a 39 foot DP with 4 slides. That had plenty of room but the GF sucked so I left her. Went back to a 20 foot class B. That sucked so I got a 27 foot class A. That sucked so I upgraded to a 32 foot class A. Much better but still not ideal. I would really prefer to be in about a 35 footer. The main problem is I have a very small kitchen and zero counter space.

Here is the problem with small RVs. Very small holding tanks, very little storage room and when two people move around they are always bumping into each other. You are going to be driving your RV maybe 5% of the time and living in it 95% of the time. It is best IMHO to get a vehicle that is as large as possible since living in the RV is the main function of an RV for a full timer.

In short, you can full time in any size RV, but the smaller the RV the quicker you are going to be wishing your RV was bigger.

And don't forget the 10 foot rule. Whenever you have an argument with your partner the RV becomes 10 foot shorter. :-[
 
We ran into a couple in AZ some years ago who full-timed in a class B van.  They were really happy and enjoyed the lifestyle they had chosen.  We have also talked to people in 35'-40' units that seem to be unhappy with it.  I think it may be more of an attitude than a space consideration.  Two people who really want to be together can apparently live in almost anything and a couple who isn't sold on what they are doing, or who they are doing it with, will still have problems in a big rig.  If you two are totally committed to doing this, take off and see what happens.  If you need more stuff and space to spread it around, go larger.  My wife and I used to spend six months each winter in a 21' trailer with no slides.  We spent a lot of time outdoors and it worked fine for us.  Now our trailer is larger and it still works fine.  The trailer size isn't as important as you would think.
 
Regarding collecting Unemployment and Social Security.  When I was laid off just prior to being able to file for Social
Security, One of the questions on the Unemployment Application was, Are you collecting Social Security.  I was not and would not be collecting SS until the unemployment eligibility period ran out.  I don't know whether that would have disqualified me or not, but suggest you check with the Unemployment office to avoid any issues.
 
Everyone's wants & needs are different so you will have to figure out just how much space you need to be comfortable.  As a consideration, you might factor in what full timing means to you.  Are you planning on staying in one spot for and extended period of time, with little to know movement, or are you planning to travel and move frequently? 
 
This is an interesting thread and one I've not seen. Based on my own observation, I'd say most full timers are in the range of 36 to 44 feet for class A and perhaps slightly smaller for fiver's. Very few are class B and C's are not real popular either.

We full timed (two of us plus a small dog) for over two years in a 32 foot double slide class A and were comfortable. We had a 22 foot class A before that and found it too small. Our current class A has three slides with one being full body. We've more than adequate room and nearly adequate storage ;D (there's never enough).

On the unemployment question; I'd think they might suspect you wern't actually searching for a job, but otherwise there is no connection between the two. The exception being that SS is taxable above a  certain income level.

Ernie
 
Bob Buchanan said:
I'd sure like to read her description of the departing . . .  :) Maybe she lurks here??
I would like to read it also. Nope, she doesn't lurk here or she would have traveled to Florida, found me and pulverized me. :eek:
 
The largest RV in the world is smaller than a typical one bedroom apartment - so living full time will be a challenge space wise. I'm a solo RV er and could always use more space. Am now confronted with a small storage unit that has a rising price each year that I'm having to deal with because of the "things" that I want to keep that won't fit in my RV.  When I put something into my 34' with 15'slide RV, I must remove something of equal weight and size.

Also, couples may have different interests and need space to explore those interests - for example one may want to do quilting and the other make fishing lures - or watch different TV shows and such.

One or more slides would also be important, IMO. I describe that as living in a room vs. an aisle.

Anyway, mine is 34' and I can't imagine it being large enough for a couple with a pooch.

 
We travel 8 months out of the year in a 28-foot motorhome, 2 of us and a 90-pound dog. Bigger would be better but we do just fine with what we have.


Sounds like you already have a 5th wheel so why not try it out in that ? If it works, great. If you decide you must have something bigger, go shopping.


Wendy
 
I suspect that the definition of 'big enough' might depend on how much time you actually spend 'indoors' daily, and what your daily activities are. Many Folks are outdoors or otherwise away all day, and use their RV merely as a bedroom and to cook occasional meals. These folks would likely be quite happy with a 'smaller' RV. We bought our first motorhome specifically to tow a boat; we spent all day on the water, and came back to the coach at night. We left again after breakfast for another day on the water. That 29 foot motorhome with no slideouts never felt too small.
 
Size is optional on fulltiming. I've seen people who have huge mega rigs and those with the bare minimum in size that are having a blast. My friends did over 100,000 miles in a very old  Class B, and they are still married.

I've been fulltiming alone in a little old Class C 28 footer, going on my 4th year.

The past few months, I've had on an old friend traveling with me in my Class C with my dog and we have NO slide outs. We have had an absolute blast. Oh and we have NO toad. We do share a bicycle in that we take turns riding it. We spread outdoors with the stuff stored in the basement, such as table, chairs, patio mat, umbrella and so on. That gives us more "room" weather permitting. We like the outdoors, and open windows.

We go hiking, but not always together.  Neither of us care to own a ton of junk, we like it simple, that gives us more time to relax and keeps the budget much lower than most folks. We even cooked all our meals, only eating out on our last day together. We have a simple rule, no yelling unless the rig is on fire.

While we do a lot of things together, we also did a lot of things separate. 

I cracked up the Camping Worlds salesman recently. We stopped on a "break" to do some sightseeing in the store. I bought an RV part for $4. But since they let us walk the dog in the store and such we decided to check out all the stuff for sale, give our legs a workout from driving around. Finally at the checkout with the $4 part the salesman was trying his best to sell us a membership (for discount buying) and I told him I didn't spend enough to warrant it. I said "I already have everything I need except this $4 part!"

Having a lot less junk has a ton of rewards. Less to clean, less to maintain, less to pay for, less to worry about!

There is no one shoe fits all.. I have met a ton of folks that have to take it all with them and keep adding to the pile. Some people need to own lots of stuff to be happy and others are happy without the excess.

 
Quite a few years ago we knew two widowed sisters who lived in a 22-foot Class C.  Because it was the same size and layout as ours it was easy to make a comparison.  We two were quite comfortable taking extended trips but we were still working so spent more time in our stick house.  I remember being amazed that two women could live in such a small space.

If either of you has a hobby that takes up a lot of room, you're going to need more space because you don't give up doing what you like to do just because you change your home and travel a lot.  Many women who fulltime want to have their sewing machine and all that goes with it.  Men and women might want fishing poles and tackle.  Even as long-term travelers, we each carry a few weights for exercising.  Think about what you have in your stick house that you simply cannot live without and you'll begin to realize how quickly all that stuff begins to weigh and take up space.  An example is paperwork.  A lot can be computerized and done online, but not everything and you might need to carry some paper records.  All of this is what makes purchasing an RV so challenging for everyone, not just fulltimers.  You'll figure it out after a while.

By the way, I agree with Wendy.  If you already have a new fifth wheel why not try it out before making a change.  That will give you a far better idea of what you're going to need long term.

ArdraF

 
For some reason several people answering the question here don't understand the question the OP is asking. The OP did not ask what size rig is the best for full timing, or what size should be used for full timing. The question is "how small is the RV that you're fulling in?" Think of this as a poll.
 
Some of us read beyond the subject line to what appears to be the intent of the message. Maybe JCZ will clarify his question.
 
Sure Tom.  I think Seiler understood the question. 

First I'd like to thank everybody that has replied.  To clarify.....we've been traveling the country living out of saddlebags and tour packs on our Harleys.  We're not shopping, we already have a new 27' 5th wheel.  Being new to RVing we just want to have as realistic expectation as we can have prior to starting out. 

We've spent approx. 30 nights in it in the past nine months and have traveled all up and down Calif. and the Sierra Nevada Mountain range and down to Quartzsite.  But after traveling all over the country (and Canada) living out of the saddlebags and tourpacks of our touring Harleys.....it still seems like we have room for everything with room left over.  We still have room underneath and inside and feel like we have everything we'll need.  But we're not naive....we may be in for a surprise and that's where we're trying to get a realistic picture.

We spend most of our time outside.....exploring the areas that we're in.  Initially we just want to travel and then move along although we'd certainly not be opposed to volunteering or work camping in an area that we both like and plenty to do (Durango, for example).

We have taken advantage of some options that may help while we're inside.  Instead of the couch we got the two rocker/recliners, we also went for the second TV in the bedroom and I've hooked up two sets of wireless headphones.  Our 5er also has the option of moving one of the flatscreens outside with a mount and hookups on the side of the trailer.

Also, please know that our dog is a Maltese......9 lbs.  So she doesn't take much space at all.  She rides up on the console in the Super Duty that I had a cover sewn out of a black towel and large elastic bands (to take off and wash) so she doesn't slide around.

We met a couple up in Mt. Lassen that are full timing in a small molded fiberglass trailer (Casita, if I remember correctly).  They were in a class A for years.  I asked them about the adjustment from a class A down to a very small TT.  They said that there definately some adjustments as one might imagine however, it was the most freeing experience they've had since they started full timing.  In comparison, almost non existent maint. other than the truck/van......that the expense was nearly non existent compared to the large RVs that they'd had over the years.....that they can get in to the smallest campgrounds.....even just pulling over on wide areas, next to a river, etc. for the night.  And fuel expense is very minamal compared to what it was in the large class A's allowing them to move every few days or every week if they chose to and cover more miles in a day if that was their goal.

On the cuff, those all sound appealing to me.  As time goes by, we may find that living in it full time is not near the same as spending a couple of weeks at a time in it or traveling the country living out of motorcycles.  Let me just say that on the bikes we experienced things that many people just don't ever consider in a lifetime....riding cross Death Valley in 112F....a freak snow storm while riding across Hwy. 50 (billed as America's Lonliest Road) on Memorial Day weekend.....thunder storms across the Dakotas......hail so big it dented our front fenders......normal Nor Cal summer temps of triple digits and winter temps as low as 15F and you have to just keep going because there's just no where to get away from it....no overpass to get under or town to stop in until it blows past.  I say all that to say that we're very, very grateful for the warmth and comfort of our truck & trailer when it's raining out or when it's really cold out or the A/C of the truck seats or in the trailer when it gets up in the triple digits and we're in total comfort.  So, so grateful for all the nice people that we've met while riding across this country and look forward to the many more that we'll meet on our RVing adventrues.
 
Sounds like you've got it figured out. Hit the road in what you've got and enjoy. You may decide later that you want something different, something bigger, maybe a motorhome with a trailer so you can take the Harley's along. But that's part of the fun and part of the experience. Enjoy the journey.


BTW, you mentioned 2 of our favorite places .... Durango (we're in Cortez when we're home) and Death Valley (lived there for 4 years and 112 is balmy compared to 130+, maybe you should go back :)  )


Wendy
Cortez CO
 
JCZ, sounds like what you have may be perfect for you and as mentioned, enjoy it.  By the way I can well relate to your motorcycle travel experience.  I have logged well over 200K traveling all over this country aboard BMW motorcycles and experienced the range of weather you described.
 
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