Hello there!

[NoviceFreeman]

Hello RV people,

A little over a month ago I bought a Class C with the intent to live in and work from it full time as a nomad. It's a 2005 Majestic Four Winds which has already been a difficult, stressful, and ultimately empowering experience to repair and build towards working order. I had to rebuild most of the overcab with the help of a friend since it had a very serious mold problem which somehow nobody noticed across all the inspections I and others did before the purchase. Since then I've been doing minor repairs, tearing out the bedframe and building a computer desk in the back room, and getting ready for a full test run of my generator and PC setup. My overall goal is to escape the trap of rent and work towards becoming as independent and free as I can be.

I'm looking for fellow RVers and nomads to learn from and chat with, and this forum has come up frequently in my web searches as a place where people talk shop.

 

[Bearcatrp]

Welcome to the forum. One of the best online. Sounds like you have your hands full. Allot of full timers on this forum. Am sure they will be chiming in soon. Good luck on your repairs. Hope your full timing plans work out.

 

[Ohiosnowbird]

Hello RV people,

A little over a month ago I bought a Class C with the intent to live in and work from it full time as a nomad. It's a 2005 Majestic Four Winds which has already been a difficult, stressful, and ultimately empowering experience to repair and build towards working order. I had to rebuild most of the overcab with the help of a friend since it had a very serious mold problem which somehow nobody noticed across all the inspections I and others did before the purchase. Since then I've been doing minor repairs, tearing out the bedframe and building a computer desk in the back room, and getting ready for a full test run of my generator and PC setup. My overall goal is to escape the trap of rent and work towards becoming as independent and free as I can be.

I'm looking for fellow RVers and nomads to learn from and chat with, and this forum has come up frequently in my web searches as a place where people talk shop.

Well if it’s any comfort, we bought a new 2023 Thor Quantum (class c as well) and there have been so many problems, we’re practically rebuilding it too! People here have been a HUGE help.

 

[RNS1]

Welcome to the forum from WI. Lots of good info in the archives and helpful members.

 

[Adventurous Traveler]

Welcome to The Forum!

Check out YouTube RV'ers Wild RV LIFE. They bought an old Class C as a project after traveling the country in their great Brinkley 5th wheel. There might be tips on removing and re-sealing all the windows, tearing off the rubber roof and replacing it themselves, gutting everything inside and cutting out rot and mold putting in new floors, bathroom redone, custom build shower. They make all their own cabinets (no experience), water heater, AC unit and solar with lithium batteries. And they were able to source everything they needed through E-Trailer.

 

[NoviceFreeman]

Thanks everyone! I look forward to chatting with y'all around the forum!

 

[NoviceFreeman]

Welcome to The Forum!

Check out YouTube RV'ers Wild RV LIFE. They bought an old Class C as a project after traveling the country in their great Brinkley 5th wheel. There might be tips on removing and re-sealing all the windows, tearing off the rubber roof and replacing it themselves, gutting everything inside and cutting out rot and mold putting in new floors, bathroom redone, custom build shower. They make all their own cabinets (no experience), water heater, AC unit and solar with lithium batteries. And they were able to source everything they needed through E-Trailer.

Good to know, I'll find a time to check out their channel.

 

[CharlesinGA]

My overall goal is to escape the trap of rent and work towards becoming as independent and free as I can be.

Sadly, life is not a free ride and even though living on the road can be economical, its really not as inexpensive as you would think. You have to pay to stay in a RV park, if you are "working from the road" you have to have a good internet connection, such as Starlink, and that is not cheap, and expenses such as laundry can become an expensive hassle.

If you plan on traveling alot, then it even becomes more expensive, gas, maintenance, etc.

Just think of all of the angles, and realize that life is expensive, any way you cut it.

Charles

 

[NoviceFreeman]

I do not expect my living to be free of all expense, and especially for anyone else considering a similar plan who encounters this thread, I want to be a lot more clear about my reasons and expectations.

Even after factoring in things like fuel for my vehicle, fuel for my generator, and an Unlimited Starlink Roam subscription, I'm ultimately paying several hundred dollars less to maintain my living than I did while paying rent. This might be different in other parts of the country, but rent on the west coast is ridiculous.

I am also not paying to stay in an RV park. I am staying at friends' houses when I need to, but my real goal (and something I have now done for a week) is to roam around public lands, particularly the abundant national forests of the Pacific Northwest. Public lands are free to camp on for up to two weeks, and then you normally have to move like 25 miles away, which is not that hard (and for what it's worth, the exact distance is not something anyone will actually be checking unless you start to become a problem, which you shouldn't be doing anyways).

With my living expenses reduced, and a physical home that I actually own, I plan to eventually buy some land with nothing on it (which is fantastically cheap compared to land with a house on it, even in the crowded PNW) and enable myself to stay parked in one place for multiple months at a time (if I want to). At that point I won't even need to pay for travel gas, and if I can get an electrical line to my property, I won't have to spend as much on fuel for electricity. Though, hopefully by that point I'll have some solar power as well, so ideally I won't need to pay for electricity at all.

I am also not currently paying for a laundromat. This is something I'm still experimenting with, but right now I'm trying out the simplest possible solution: Two Home Depot plastic buckets, one with holes in it, a plastic lid, and a plunger. It's somewhat tedious and I'm pretty sure I put too much soap in the first time, but my shirts at least came out pretty clean, so I'm calling it a good first test, and I'll see how far I can take it. If this doesn't work out, there are other small clothes washing solutions available for RVs which do not necessitate going to a laundromat, and won't cost me anything more than water, a tiny bit of soap, and a mild amount of elbow grease.

The overall point is that while I know I can't achieve a zero-dollar living situation, I can, and already have, significantly reduce my living expenses to the point where I actually have some spare income again, which I can then re-invest into my home - instead of sending most of my money down the drain of rent for a home that isn't even my own. The point for me isn't to live free of labor and expense, but to take control and ownership of my life instead of living like a serf.

 

[CamperAL]

Hi NoviceFreeman,

If you buy some property to park on, you will need to exercise the RV from time to time. Sitting in one spot for too long can cause problems, like damaged tires. Parked on ground might cause corrosion to the under body of the RV.

Regular oil changes for the RV and other maintenance will still be important. If you have to drive in order to dump tanks, that will exercise the unit just fine.

 

[TheBar]

Realistically you'll do fine in the Pacific northwest until November. RVs are made for camping weather not winter. With 2" of insulation on the roof walls and floor you'll quickly be headed for Arizona. You might think you can add more insulation but you'll quickly exceed the weight limit of the frame and suspension if you haven't already.

 

[IBTripping]

You might consider heading south for the winters. A lot of people spend the winters near Quartzsite Arizona on BLM land. But there are a lot of other places snow birds travel to for the winter.