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

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Gizmo....I was tempted to test ride one of those new 1600 BMWs.  But talked myself out of it......we know where it goes from there.  ;)

Wendy I envy you.  That soutwest part of Colo. is probably my most ideal area......and we look forward to getting back there.  Places like Lake City, Telluride, Delores and even the Ismay Trading Post, all of which are in this ride report...  http://www.cvoharley.com/smf/index.php?topic=74330.msg1027168#msg1027168
 
Love the blog and the pics of my backyard. When Mike worked at Hovenweep National Monument, we drove McElmo (CR G) once a week and 50% of it was unpaved. And Ismay was an operating trading post. When you passed Walmart, you were 1/4-mile from my house :)


Wendy
 
Ismay Trading Post was operating when we passed through last summer.  Off the beaten path but a really nice, tranquil ride/drive.  That's why we chose to go that way.  It's roads like that, that we'd miss if we were to go to big in the RV line where I think a road like that is still do-able in our current F-250 and 27' 5er.

 
We started out in a 32 ft class A with one slide, two of us and one small dog. It got real small in a hurry. We are now in a 43 ft four slide, and would not want anything smaller. That said, give it a go in what you have now and see how it goes. Good luck.
 
Many people on this RV Forum started out fulltiming with a trailer and converted to a motorhome or started with a small motorhome and moved up to a larger motorhome.  Some have started with motorhomes and changed to some type of trailer once they started to "wind down" and travel less.  The advise to begin with what you already have is worthy of consideration because right now you don't even know if you'll LIKE fulltiming, much less the home on wheels.  If you use your current RV and you find you like it, then great because you already have what meets your needs.  If you don't like it, then you can worry about finding something more suitable to your needs.  And, if it turns out you don't like the fulltiming lifestyle (it's not for everyone), then you haven't lost much by putting a lot of money into a depreciating asset.

ArdraF
 
I am very comfortable full-timing alone in a 32' Class C with two long slides, one on either side.  The advantages of living alone are that I can go four days without having to dump my grey water and I have lots of storage for clothing and belongings.  I spend a lot of time inside because I work half-time online, but don't feel at all cramped, thanks to the two slides.  I also have more storage space underneath than I really need.

I chose a Class C because of the sleeping room for my kids and their families a few times a year and also because it was easier to drive because I am very short.

I think if there were two of us, it WOULD get a little cramped after a while.  I do admire those couples who can live together in a very small space for a long time.
 
the economy and other factors appear to have re-defined the entire "full timing" subject. It used to be a retirement thing, but now I'm thinking the term RV, may get retro-defined to be "Residential Vehicle".

Here at my RV park I know several other families that have re-grouped into RV living.

We are in this category a couple years early after my wife's medical obligations overruled my mortgage obligations.
It's ok with me, I was loosing the maintenance war on my old house and was ready for a change.

My wife, my wonderful 17 year old daughter and I  are in a 36 foot double slide.  Yes, it took some adjusting but after one year we are still happy and are actually closer together (ha ha) than we were in old our house.

IMO Several things that should be considered about what size RV is best...

1. the interior layout is very, very important, knowing we were full timing this was the number one thing we shopped for in our RV. M/H's seem to come in two flavors...seating/sleeping capacity and "older couple" living room comforts.

2. the climate you live in, many people do a lot of their RV living outside under the awnings.

3. storage, how many keepsake items do you want to keep?

4. how much road time you're going to do? this opens the whole gas/diesel  or 5th wheel debate.
 
I could probably be happy in a very small space, but I want to go full-time while working. That means I need space for an office onboard, and I don't think I could be happy without an indoor-outdoor space, like a toy hauler garage converted to a porch area.

So I'd add to your question: at what point does the size of your RV start limiting you in terms of where you can go? When is your rig too big to get into state parks and other scenic campgrounds. I'm not really enthused about crowded, paved RV parks.
 
Setting Out Soon, from what I've read on these forums (and have experienced with the state parks here in Calif.) 30' generally seems to be that limit size for state and national parks.

Seiler would probably know that for sure....since he's been to all the national parks in this country.
 
JCZ said:
Setting Out Soon, from what I've read on these forums (and have experienced with the state parks here in Calif.) 30' generally seems to be that limit size for state and national parks.
Click to expand...


We're 28-foot, 31 with the bike rack on. We've stayed at lots of state and national park campgrounds. Many of the California beach state parks have a limit, usually 30 or 32 feet, but we've never found one we didn't fit in and I've seen bigger rigs in most of them. And a lot of them can handle 40-foot or bigger. As for national parks, there are only a couple we've been to that had limits in the 30-foot range (Natural Bridges is 26, Navajo is about 30), most can handle larger rigs. Now when you start hitting National Forest campgrounds, there are LOTS of those with size limits. They were mostly built for tents and truck campers and you'll have trouble in many of them if you're over 30-foot.


Wherever you go, enjoy the trip.
Wendy

 
California Big Trees State Park has a Max. Camper Length (motorhome) and Max. Trailer Length of 30'.  http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=551  I don't think it's so much the length of the actual camp sites but the narrow, twistie roads that travel through the park with trees that are right up next to to the road.

 
Main reason for the size limit at so many of the California beach parks is that they were originally parking lots, converted to campgrounds. You can find size limits for many campgrounds and for specific campsites at reserveamerica.com


Wendy
 
Maybe I need a 30' toy hauler with a back porch and a side porch feature of some kind too. Roll in small and open it up like a pop-up book.
 
I fulltime in an 18 foot bumber pull work and play and am happy as a clam going on 18 months. I think I would be lost in a bigger place but I have recently been looking at videos of class a toy haulers. When I eventually sell my homestead in MO, I will likely move up to a bigger rig because I miss having a dog but while I am comfy in my little trailer, I think even a chihuahua would make it feel crowded.
 
My husband and I have been living in a 35 foot class A with no slides with an 85 lb dog and two cats for the last 7 months.  Like the earlier poster, medical obligations overcame rent and utilities.  We are very happy with the size of our rig.  I do have hobbies like sewing that take some room.  When the sewing machine is out there's no table left.  But the rest of the time the machine lives next to the cat box under the little table behind the passenger seat up front.  We've had to employ some creative storage options of that nature.  The real challenge is coming in a couple weeks when my husband's children come to visit!
 
hello,

  my wife and I and our boxer/lab and sharpei/hound live in a 34.5 ft TT with 2 slides, nice floorplan (wife picked it), : )  if we were to go up in size, it would be 36 ft, maybe 2 more ft.  we just started full time 8 mos ago and we love it.  but 34 - 36 ft seems to us a good size as far as driving it and parking it goes.

  bill & jodi
 
slides over length is what really makes an R/V bigger, the 34 foot long full body slides are huge inside.
 
I'm of the "state of mind" school of thought.  Your two seats on two bikes with no roof makes our situation seem positively palatial.  The DW and I have lived in a 61" long truck sleeper while working the freight lanes for over ten years, and love it.  We see our S & B maybe 20 days a year.  Sacrificing space now will (hopefully) provide a much larger 5er for retirement soon.  In the meantime, we have all the comforts of home, and are very content with our micro suite.
 
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