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aminton

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Nov 10, 2015
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I have been dreaming about RVing full time for twenty-five years. Now, I am 68, widowed, active, and find myself hundreds of miles away from my five children and eight grandchildren-- in a condo I hate. I want to sell the condo and buy (as in pay cash) for a Class B RV, and begin RVing full-time. Currently, I am considering a nearly-new Airstream, Pleasure Way, or Winnebago because of high quality in craftsmanship and automotive engineering. Dependability is important. I would prefer not to add the fear of breaking down to my other concerns, although I am perfectly capable of handling myself in an emergency situation.  With my fixed income, RVing full time is the only way I can possibly afford to visit my family and, at this stage in my life, I need to see my grandchildren more than once every three or four years. My problem is a lot like that of others thinking about full timing. How much will it cost? I realize RVing will not be cheaper than living in this condo, but I will have the advantage of being able to travel when I feel like it, staying put when I want to rest, visiting Civil War sites (another dream of mine), and visiting my family without it being a big deal. I have tried to look at costs of full timing like gasoline, propane, RV park daily rates, RV park monthly rates associated with RVing full time, but it is impossible to set up a monthly budget based on unknowns. I end up plugging in the highest estimates in every category, making the cost prohibitive.

Most people think I am insane at my age to consider selling all my possessions and moving into an RV that will also serve as my car. Am I crazy? I prefer smaller living spaces, and I don't need "stuff," so I have no qualms about sizing down to the bare minimum. And I like my own company so spending time alone doesn't concern me. Most RV's are the same size as the "tiny homes" that are so popular right now, and I love those.  What terrifies me is not staying overnight in a Wal-mart parking lot, but waking up one morning to find I have made a horrible mistake, that I can't possibly afford the RV life, and am broke homeless. Are there others out there who are my age, share my limited financial resources, and are making single full-time RVing work? I am an English tutor and writing coach with skills I can take with me on the road to bring in additional income. I would also like to do some volunteer work when the opportunities present themselves. I need solid, honest, advice from someone who has been where I am and successfully, or unsuccessfully, made the transition. This is one of the biggest decisions I will ever made in my life with dozens of people waiting for me to fail so they can say, "I told you so." Many thank you's in advance for reading my post.

UPDATE: NOVEMBER 11, 2015

Last night, I shared my idea of RVing full time with my 13-year-old grandson, and he thought it was "wicked." (Which means I have his overwhelmingly enthusiastic approval.)  Still haven't discussed it with his parents. But I am "amped" (another of his words), and can't wait to get this ball rolling. I have revised a lot of my original plans, thanks to your kind comments and suggestions. I've been looking at Class C motorhomes, as well as, B plus RVs. I cannot imagine being able to handle anything more than 30 ft long. Pleasure Way makes  B plus XL that has a Murphy Bed, but I think it is only 22 ft. long. I also like the layout of the Leisure Way Unity with the corner bed because it is permanent.

I thought if I described in more detail how I intend to use my RV, I could get some additional suggestions from the forum. My children and grandchildren live in Los Angeles, CA, Mission Beach, CA, Boston, MA, New York City, Woodstock, NY, and Westminster/Broomfield, CO. I have additional family/friends in Naples, FL, Chapel Hill, NC, and Bisbee, AZ. with the exception of Bisbee and Woodstock, boondocking would be impossible because of parking restrictions. Usually, you can park an RV on the street legally for three nights or 72 hours (if the person you are visiting buys the permit for around $3 a day.) My daughter, who lives in Mission Beach, says there are vans without permits that simply change parking spots and seem manage not to get a citation. Buts street parking is a problem that I need to take into consideration since my goal is to visit family for a week or ten days (sometimes longer). In beachfront areas like Mission Beach, large urban areas, and even in suburbs like Westminster/Broomfield, I will need to park my RV on the street, if possible, and use it as my vehicle. That is the reason I thought that a low-profile Class B would be a better choice. But then I have to consider the long distance travel from one destination to the next, and I intend to take my time between coasts, stopping for a week or month at a time in one place if it suits my fancy. For that reason a larger motorhome makes sense. After all, the journey is what I look forward to, almost as much as seeing my grandchildren. To be more clear, I don't plan to put lots of miles per month on the RV, or drive straight through to a destination. There may be periods of many weeks when I stay in an RV park. But there also may be periods of many weeks when I live with family members. However, I most definitely want to be able to camp or boondock in the state and national parks whenever possible, and that is not possible in a large motorhome. So choice of RV size is a conundrum.

Fuel, propane, and water capacity are also things I had never considered before posting on this forum. What are the minimum capacities you would recommend for full time RVing? Constantly refueling and/or dumping does not sound like much fun. And what kind of amperage or battery life might you recommend? How long should I consider running a generator to heat or cool if, for example, I am parking at Walmart overnight? I've heard people say it is cheaper to stay overnight in an RV park than run a generator for eight hours.

Living in Oklahoma, I can tell you that the future of the oil business is looking bleak. The daily earthquakes here (3.2 just this morning less than 30 miles from me) are not helping. The federal government is, after three years, finally taking notice.  It could be payback time for oil companies in terms of fines and the costs of litigation. How all this will affect fuel prices, I can't say. But cost of gasoline and diesel is always a concern. That said, are solar panels a good investment? Sorry for asking so many questions. There should be an RV college.

 
Aminton,

I certainly hope it's not true that "dozens of people are waiting for you to fail." I will tell you that you have at least one (me) desperately hoping you succeed beyond your dreams, and I think you will find this forum will give you the support you are looking for, whatever your decision.

While I am not the one to give you the answers you're looking for regarding the expenses etc of full-timing (since I don't have the experience) I will comment on one thing - you said you were considering a "nearly-new" Class B. I think you're already on to one thing, and that is the value in a 5-7ish year old RV. The depreciation in the first few years is very steep, better to let someone else absorb it.

My first RV was a Class B on a Dodge chassis - I had a lot of fun in that rig and the newer ones have much more to offer, including gensets etc that I didn't have.

Best wishes.

Scott
 
I have been a full timer for 12 years and I have never regretted my decision to get rid of all my junk and hit the road. I have visited all 48 of the lower 48 states and all 46 of the National Parks located in the lower 48 states. I am a photographer and I have gotten to photograph a large portion of the country. I specialize in photographing birds and I have photographed over 270 different species.

Are you crazy for wanting to go full time? No you might be considered crazy for waiting so long to fulfill a dream. You aren't getting any younger.

My first suggestion is to forget about a class B. They are way too small IMHO for full timing. Very little room for storing things, very small holding tanks and really small when it rains for a week. You should check out gently used class As such as this one:

http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/classa/2000-Itasca-Sunrise-30041.htm

Don't worry about the specific manufacturer. With used units condition is the most important factor. Get yourself a roadside assistance policy and you will basically be worry free. Yes RVs do break down, but not as often as you would think. Most RVs are not driven very much so you will not find many high mileage RVs for sale. It takes time to find the perfect RV so I would suggest you start visiting dealers and looking at lots of different units to get an idea of what is for sale. Spend a lot of time on this site reading the library, getting to know people and don't be afraid to ask questions, that is what we are here for.
 
Agree with Seilerbird - living "full time" in a glorified van is not living. You don't need a 45 foot palace, but you do need room to relax and put your feet up, space to carry clothing for a couple of seasons, a place for your computer or tablet, a fridge big enough for a few days food  & beverages, etc. A class B doesn' t cut it except for a weekend getaway.

But can you do it? Sure, Should you? Why not? Lots of people do.
 
Full time RV living can be as cheap or as expensive as you want it to be. The first 8 years I was living on $1500 a month very comfortably and doing a lot of traveling.
 
I am humbled by the kindness of everyone. And you have already helped me immensely. I had not thought of the Class B having less capacity than others or considered what it would take to get me through longer periods of time. And I can see that the size is important. I want the RV to feel comfortable, not cramped. I think I have been concerned about maneuverability and being able to park on the street if I need to. Originally I considered the Pleasure Way B+. Is that large enough? I looked at some larger RV's at a dealer here. I think they were Class C or Class A. Embarrassed to say I'm still figuring out the differences. I like the layout on a couple, but they seemed slightly shabby on the inside. I do like the full shower and I think that is available on the B+. The problem is that I live in Oklahoma and the RV dealers here don't carry many brands, so I was unable to compare one with another. And the dealer wanted to sell me a new RV.  I know I would prefer used with less than 60,000 miles. I looked at an 2014 Air Stream a dealer had taken in as a trade, and was amazed at the difference in quality between the Airstream and the dealer brands. I have not yet been able to see (in person) a Pleasure Way or a Winnebago or Roadtrek, and will probably have to travel to Texas to accomplish that step. However, I intend to see as many RV's as I can before I buy.

Though I am not a professional photographer like SellerBird, I am passionate about American history, have made my living writing textbooks and articles about Oklahoma, just bought a new Nikon DSL, and am excited about getting a chance to write about and photograph what I see in the rest of this great country. And I have to ask myself, "If not now, when?"
 
The RV I linked to is located in Houston Texas at PPL, the largest consignment dealer in the country. You should take a road trip down there and look at their stock. Don't worry about parking or driving an RV. You will be spending about 95% of your time living in your RV and only about 5% of the time driving it so I feel it is best to maximize it for living, not driving and parking.
 
Read many of the posts by DearMissMermaid and you'll get a picture of a woman full timing in an older class C and loving it. She carries a bicycle to get around locally, where the class C doesn't do it.
 
I beat you in age to start full-timing by one year--I was 69 when I started and am now 72, and doing just fine all by myself over three years later, thank you!!  Selling my condo and taking off was the best thing I have ever done.

I am still working half-time teaching online, and I did buy new, but I had never driven anything bigger than a mini-van when I picked up my 32' Class C from the dealer!  My son, who had dropped me off and was going to follow me the 75 miles home, was terrified, so he "followed" ahead of me so he would not have to watch me crash. Anyway, three and a half years later, I have not hit anything major--couple of orange road cones once and backed into a tree another time.  You will get good at driving your RV very quickly. 

I disagree that you will be driving 5% of the time and living in it 95%.  That varies with the style of living that you do.  But I do agree that a B is too small. You need someplace to stretch out and a real bed, at least I needed those things.  When you look at motorhomes, consider where you will sit at the end of the day to relax.  What about when you have three rainy days in a row?  Try out the bed and make sure you fit in the shower. 

As far as budget, paying cash for your RV is a good idea.  You can also find volunteering jobs.  Some are referred to as workcamping and involve things like checking in campers and cleaning sites and bathrooms, but others can be at the information desk at a national or state park visitor center, or even giving tours.  The volunteering jobs provide a free campsite for however long you stay somewhere.  Make you sure know how many hours a week you need to work, etc.

The other cost is a towed vehicle.  I chose to not tow, but use an electric bike, just like Miss Mermaid for exploring around campgrounds and nearby towns. I do my shopping in between campgrounds, or just unhook and go off for the day.  (Because I travel solo, I can go 4-5 days without dumping my tanks. so unhooking just means unplugging electric and undoing a water hose.  I can be off in three minutes.) One BIG advantage of a larger motorhome is bigger tanks, so another reason for a small C or A over a B.

Lots of people RV on small budgets, but much depends on what you require.  And FYI, I wish I had sold all my furniture instead of storing it.   

 
The other problem with a B is that you will no doubt have to make up your bed every day because it doubles as a couch.  That can really be a pain, which is why most of us insist on real beds. That way if we want to take a nap, there is no moving stuff around.

Also, I wonder if you can still write textbooks on the road for some extra income???  I have met people our age who do very interesting things to add a bit to our retirement income.  One lady I know writes romance novels and sell them!  Another I met gets free campsites by volunteering at museums to prepare items for exhibit. And I met a couple that ran a marketing business from their motorhome.  RVSue writes such a good blog that she has hundreds of readers, many of whom go through her Amazon link which provides here with substantial extra monthly income.  You can find her through a web search and she lives on less than $1,500 per month.
 
Hi aminton,

I agree with SeilerBird and Gary on buying something larger than a B Van. We looked at B Vans, then decided too small, then looked at C Class RV's, then decided a bit too small and moved toward the A Class units. You can buy a 27 foot Class A that would be reasonable amount of room and there are plenty of RV's in the 30 foot range and a few more feet longer that would be nice.

Take a driving course (something you could do before buying) and that would help you overcome any fear about driving a larger RV. Best and have fun!
 
GO FOR IT!!
We live in western Kentucky.  When our son graduated from college, he considered moving to Las Vegas - 1852 miles away.  I told him to go for it.  If he got there and hated it, it would be very easy and cheap to come back - young, single, no kids.  If he loved it, well....  If he did NOT  go, he would spend the rest of his life wondering    What If....    That was 2005, and he is still there.

To answer two of your questions... 
A  Class A Motorhome is the classic "loaf of bread" shaped unit.  These are generally the largest and most expensive. 
A  Class C Motorhome has the cab of the chassis it was built from.  You can enter from these front doors, just like getting into a truck.  The "house" is built on this chassis and usually has a side door directly into the house, as well as access from the cab.  There are exceptions, but these are generally smaller and less expensive than Class A units.
A  Class B Motorhome looks like a full size van on steroids.  They are smaller and less expensive than their "lettered" cousins.

One source of what it really costs to full time can be found here    http://pastorscott.com/travel/2015-mid-year-budget-report/    Rev Scott and his wife have been full timing for three years so far.  His actual living expenses for this time are available on this site.
 
grashley said:
A  Class A Motorhome is the classic "loaf of bread" shaped unit.  These are generally the largest and most expensive. 
A  Class C Motorhome has the cab of the chassis it was built from.  You can enter from these front doors, just like getting into a truck.  The "house" is built on this chassis and usually has a side door directly into the house, as well as access from the cab.  There are exceptions, but these are generally smaller and less expensive than Class A units.
A  Class B Motorhome looks like a full size van on steroids.  They are smaller and less expensive than their "lettered" cousins.
That advice really only applies to new units. With used units the prices are nearly the same for similar year RVs in decent shape. But condition really is more important than class.
 
For boon docking or Wal-Mart lots, solar panels and extra batteries are a great investment. You can't run the air conditioner, but you can set up a system to use the microwave for reheats and an electric coffee maker.

As for size, that will be for you to decide. Spend as much time as you can in each type. Try everything on for size--bed bath and beyond. If possible rent one or the type you feel most comfortable with. Mentally pre-load it to see if there is enough storage. Do not fall in love with one until you have spent a LOT of time shopping. And, learn to watch the salesmen's mouth. If their lips are moving, they are lying.

You have a lot of trade-offs to consider--size VS drivability being one. Those are all personal decisions that you only can make.

As far as water tanks go, you should be able to get a week or more before you have to dump and refill. A lot more if you use the facilities at one of your children's houses. 

Whatever you do, have fun and spoil the grandkids rotten and buy at least one drum set for each household.
 
My wife and I travel comfortably in a 23' Class C, with the emphasis on travel.  We do not use it for camping but for transportation, however, I believe a single could easily full time in this size.  It is easy to drive and park as it is only 25' bumper to bumper.  We use the overhead for additional storage on long trips, no need to go outside and access the basement.  My suggestion is to go to a large RV show and take a good look at all that is available.  Happy RVing everyone.
 
Given what you have said, my advice is to do it and do it now.  Anything we do that is outside the norm of the current society is looked down at - thumb your nose at them.  I suspect most of us (full-timers) faced similar nay-sayers (I did).  If you don't like the lifestyle, try something else.  These decisions are not life-long commitments.  The really humorous thing is that, after making the change, many of the nay-sayers become the ones that are jealous of your lifestyle because they are unable to do it themselves.

Everyone is different but I would not think planning to "camp on the street" is a very good plan nor a very good way to live.  I would be constantly looking over my shoulder and doing everything I could to maintain a low profile (not using lights or TV after dark, etc.).  IMO, this is no way to live. Once in a blue moon??  Maybe, nothing more.

I am a full-timer and I went on a long road trip this summer - drove 7000 miles this year.  That translates into approximately 140 hours of driving. Compared to the 8760 hours that are in a year, I spent about 1.6% of the time driving my MH (and about 98.4% living in it).  So, I would say your satisfaction with the living arrangement is mighty important (for a full-timer).

Most of your questions are difficult to answer because there is no one "recipe" that is correct for everyone.  I prefer a larger rig that I can live in very comfortably (with my cat for company), have a real toilet, a real shower, carry all my possessions, and have plenty of capacity to boondock for a month at a time (including solar so the generator sits quietly unnoticed - yes, worth the investment, IMHO).  There is a cost to this, of course.  Some folks are happy to get a week out of their rig capacity (water tanks, propane, etc.).  Neither is right or wrong - just a choice - both carry pros and cons.  You really have to try it for a while to figure out what is right for you.  I know several solo full-timers that are very happy with their medium sized Class C, as already mentioned here.

The budget is difficult because, again, everyone is different.  I stay in the west and spend very little on "camping fees" (lots of dry camping and boondocking (on BLM and Forest Service managed land but also state parks). The number varies wildly but when in my typical "living" mode (versus travel mode), I budget $200/month. Short of spending all your time boondocking, on friends property, or on the street; this is probably about as cheap as it gets.  I've seen many RV campgrounds with $400-$700/month rates.  I know some people spend $50 or more per night but I bet not many of them are full-timers.  I budget $25/summer month for propane and double that for winter (southwest).  Since I am dry camping, this is mostly for the refrigerator and cooking during the summer.  Your food/dining expense will be about the same as it is now.  RV's require maintenance, you will be money ahead if you are a DIY type and can do the basic stuff yourself.  If you have to run to a shop every time a lightbulb comes loose, your maintenance costs will be astronomical.  I like to tinker and "improve" and I budget $100/month for goodies for the RV. I also budget for future tire purchase, future battery replacement, and a once per year oil change - all vary by RV and age/condition.
 
Dear JFNM,
Thank you for your reply. You talk about budgeting $200 for when you are in your "typical living mode." Can you explain what that means? I have researched for hours online and I recently read a blog that said that living on $3,000 a month is considered living cheaply. At that point, I wanted to give up. Of course it involved two people, and a good-sized rig, but I am one person who has to live on half that much. $1500 per month is what I have to work with. I teach and tutor online, and I can do that on the road as well, but I don't want to depend on that extra income, or have to tap into my savings every month to get by. Living full time in an RV park doesn't really appeal to me. The prices are high for what you get. A night at Motel 6 is not much more expensive. But boondocking in a national park, sitting under the stars, sipping a glass of wine, and listening to the crickets, sounds like paradise. However, I have to ask if that is realistic. I definitely want a dry shower, real toilet, and comfortable bed. Is that possible when dry camping? And how often do you have to use your heat or AC? Can you stay in a national park long enough to get comfortable, or are you constantly looking for a new place to park? Or watching over your shoulder for the park ranger?  Are you hauling gallon jugs of fresh water?  And what do you do when you feel lousy and need a place to rest and recuperate for a few days or a week? I know budgets are different for different people. But there is so much info out there, it gets very confusing...and sometimes depressing. Thanks so much for your generous advice.
 
That is my monthly budget amount for camping fee's.  The cost of parking in a campground, state park, etc.  As I said, I spend a good bit of my time boondocking on taxpayer owned land (NFS and BLM) which is generally "free" (ignoring the taxes you have paid all your life).  There are some good deals on some state parks as well.  I also find it nice to spend a night every few weeks in a full-hookup site. This allows me to dump and fill tanks as well as do my laundry (I have onboard washer/dryer). 

If you are debt free, $1,500/month is possible, in my opinion.  With a budget like that you won't be doing a lot of driving (due to fuel costs), better not have much in the way of health expenses, and won't be living high on the hog.  I have a number of full-timing friends and I suspect they are living with a budget of about that amount (but I have never asked them).

It is almost a universal rule that you can stay two weeks at any one NPS/BLM spot before you need to move 25 miles (I think, not positive about the exact distance).  There are a few exceptions, such at the Long Term Living Areas (LTVA's) which allow very long stays (6 months??) for a small fee.  I'm quite comfortable in those places for two weeks at a time. I've never seen or talked to a ranger at my site but would welcome an occasional visit. The ones I've met at visitor centers are usually very nice and full of information about the area.

I use my heat (propane) as much as needed to stay warm. Since I chase the sun (southwest and low altitude) in the winter, the overnight temps are only in the 30's and 40's.  I snuggle up in a down blanket and night and mostly leave the heat off until I'm up in the morning.  I rarely use my air conditioning as I go north and get up in altitude to avoid the heat in the summer.  Some days are warmer than I prefer but certainly bearable.  Twice (two afternoons) this last summer I had to fire up the generator and run the AC as I was too hot.

I have a pretty large rig that has large water tanks so it is easy to last two weeks while taking showers and using my toilet.  Smaller rigs have smaller tanks - it's all part of the pros and cons.  No, I do not haul water by hand.

I have never "felt lousy and needed a place to recuperate" though I have not been a fulltimer for a long time like some of the others here.  This is my home and I am every bit as comfortable in it as I was in my S&B.  I suspect I could not say that if I were living in a Class B.

I think people over-analyze, myself included.  Obviously you need to do your due diligence. That said; you will never have all the answers to every possible question/scenario. You just gotta get out there and give it a try.  I actually started several years ago by purchasing a twenty year old RV and I started going out for a week or two at a time.  I found that I loved it. So, I started doing it more and more and figuring out all the logistics (I am still employed and need phone and Internet).  After a couple years of that, I knew what I wanted, traded in my old RV for a much newer, much bigger, and much nicer RV that I knew I could live in.  All that was accidentally timed perfectly with the sale of my home and off I went.
 
I cannot imagine being able to handle anything more than 30 ft long.

You didn't say, but I suspect most of us think you're a single lady so I'll focus on that.  You will be surprised at what you can drive!  A number of us ladies love driving our 40-foot motorhomes towing a car behind.  Someone suggested taking an RV driving course and that's a wonderful idea.  The RV dealer Lazy Days (Seffner FL and Tucson AZ) has driving classes.  Some of the larger motorhome manufacturers have rallies for their owners with driving classes during the rally.  If you belong to the Family Motor Coach Association (FMCA) they have driving courses at their large rallies.  There's also the RV Driving School which my husband and I attended when we moved from a gas Class C to a diesel Class A.  Even though we had driven RVs for many years, it was well worth it because we both learned neat tricks such as how to back into a campground site and how to use your mirrors effectively.  So don't be afraid to think larger.  Although we're not full-timers we are long-timers taking trips several months in length.  A couple of years we have put 14,000 miles on our motorhome, although 6,000-10,000 is more normal (our families are on the opposite side of the country).

Also, the floor plan is absolutely the most important criterion.  This will be your home and you need to feel that you can live in it regardless of the weather or time you're parked in one place.  And, by the way, I don't think a woman traveling alone should be thinking about doing very much "stealth" parking on city streets.  Unless you're in front of a relative's home, you undoubtedly would feel much safer in some kind of campground.  I do believe you may be stressing over a lot of things you're imagining.  Your local area has various types of campgrounds, both public and private.  Go around to some of them and cruise through to see the types of campers.  If you see some friendly looking people who appear to be there for a while, don't hesitate to stop and ask questions.  We've all been beginners and understand how confusing some of the things can be.  We've helped many newbies figure out how to do things.  Fees vary widely.  The BLM land at Quartzsite AZ where we park for our RV Forum in January has a $40 fee for two weeks.  That fee includes use of the dump station where you dump gray and black tanks as well as filling your fresh water tank.  The size of RV will pretty much determine how big those tanks are with a Class B simply not having a lot of room for larger tanks.

We have a wonderful library (see Library button above) with some great articles written by our members.  There's even one that has the various types of RVs so you can familiarize yourself with them.  There also are checklists for buying and taking delivery of RVs.  Finally, there will always be naysayers but you have to do what is right for you.  Go to lots of RV shows and spend time in the various types of RVs thinking about how you would live in each one.  If you have hobbies, where will you store your hobby items?  You're certainly not going to give up the activities you enjoy, but you have to think about how you can continue to do them in your new lifestyle.  Make lists of "must have" items and "absolutely do want" items.  Most of all, have fun planning!

ArdraF
 
aminton said:
I have researched for hours online and I recently read a blog that said that living on $3,000 a month is considered living cheaply.
Hogwash, I lived on half of that very comfortably for many years.
Living full time in an RV park doesn't really appeal to me. The prices are high for what you get.
Actually it is a pretty good bargain compared to boondocking. If you boondock you have no electricity so you will have to run your generator several hours a day to keep your battery charged and even then you won't be able to use much electricity. Generators use about a half a gallon an hour. So after four hours you have burned two gallons which costs about $5 per day. That would be $150 a month for a minimum amount of electricity, plus you would have to drive to the gas station frequently to keep the tank full. Next is water. A small RV holds maybe 30 gallons at the most. Taking very short Navy showers you might be able to make it last a week before you would have to head for the dump station. They cost between $5 and $10 a dump. RV parks basically have unlimited water, meaning more normal showers. They also come with a sewer hookup so you don't have to run to the dump station. RV parks usually come with cable hookups and wifi, which you would not have while boondocking so figure another $50 per month for an Internet connection. When people are dreaming about living in an RV they always think that boondocking is living for free. It is not. You need utilities to get by in life.
But boondocking in a national park, sitting under the stars, sipping a glass of wine, and listening to the crickets, sounds like paradise. However, I have to ask if that is realistic.
Totally unrealistic. Most National Parks do not allow bookdocking and their campgrounds almost always have a 15 day limit and cost a minimum of $10 per day.
I definitely want a dry shower, real toilet, and comfortable bed. Is that possible when dry camping?
It is possible but not realistic for any length of time.
And how often do you have to use your heat or AC?
It depends on where you are living. However just about every place in the country requires one or the other or both. Neither one is cheap, especially when boondocking.
Can you stay in a national park long enough to get comfortable, or are you constantly looking for a new place to park? Or watching over your shoulder for the park ranger?
National Parks are very well patrolled.
Are you hauling gallon jugs of fresh water?
Never, you fill up at a dump station.
And what do you do when you feel lousy and need a place to rest and recuperate for a few days or a week?
I don't know, I always feel great.
 
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