retirement living in a RV

[pastorp]

Anyone ever do this? I'm talking about full timing it in a RV.    I am thinking about this either in a boat or RV.

Regards,

[bulletstuffer]

Did it for 6 months in a 77 chevy van   Does that count?  Would I do it again?  You betcha

Bulletstuffer

[Zulu]

I did it for 6 months in a 79 Chevy van
  It does count!!

[Bigeasy]

Byron-

When I was younger, I really thought about it.  Wanted to buy a big sail boat as a live aboard, but in the end, never did.  Now that I just retired, I thought about it again, but decided no.  I am too set in my ways, and would have to give up too much, and change too many things to do it.  Where does the reloading bench and gun safes go?  What about all my toys?  Kind of stuck in S Florida, if you want to stay warm in the winter.

A motorhome, I think, would be a lot more practical.  Have a small home or cabin as a base of operations, then spend as much time as you want on the road.  I just picked up a new pick up truck camper, and plan to spend this coming summer in it exploring Alaska with my GF and dog.  Pack light, just some camera gear, fishing gear, and the kayak.  Should be interesting..

Larry

[pastorp]

Well stop by while your in Alaska......of course you can't get to where I'm living with the RV, you'll need a boat.   

Regards,

[Dee]

I would mind have a fully furnished and stocked CAVE. A REMOTE CAVE! That really sounds nice. Even the wife likes the idea.
But a small house boat, wouldn't be a bad deal either.

[Bigeasy]

Dee-

You talk about a house boat.  When I was a kid, my father and a couple of his friends got a bunch of 55 gallon drums, and built a framework and deck around them.  They got an old, small camper, removed the axle, and bolted it to the deck, then mounted a small outboard.  I was just a kid, but I remember it didn't go very fast, but was cool.  Me and my friends would fish while the old man and his friends played cards.  Used to get a lot of stares on the lake.  They had it a few years, then somehow it sank.  I was kind of toying with the idea of building a modern version, if I could get it registered...

Larry

[The Hermit]

I have a friend who sold his farm when he retired, keeping a 5 acre piece. He built a 2 stall garage and bought an RV. When he gets sick of traveling, he comes home, parks the Rv in the garage and lives in it.
One stall houses the RV and the other stall he has a furnace,stove,refrigerator, bathroom and a big carpeted living room.
All under one roof. kinda neat and low taxes.

    The Hermit

[Sweetwater]

My folks retired in 1978. Dad had bought a new p/u in the Fall of '77 and the Spring of '78 he bought a new 35ft 5thWheel trailer. No slideouts like you see today, but it had patio doors and a fireplace, tiny but neat. Said he burned popcycle sticks in it! LOL Actually, it was charcoal. They spent the winter of '83 living in it at Presque Isle, Maine. 15degrees below zero at noon. He was a retired telephone engineer and did contract engineering for a bit over 10 years after he retired. He and Mom spent 13 years in that RV (with 3 different trucks) and made 12 trips around the country, staying 2 days ahead of snowline 

18 years ago, I found myself living in a 16ft camper 6 miles up river from Green River, Wyomnig. That was home for 18 months - I was younger then and it worked for me then. My Dad visited in February and he told my mom that it was a brutal experience for him, but that I was doing fine with it. I was just recently divorced at the time and layed off from my job. I'd surely not ask my "new" wife to join me in those conditions. We've had 13 years of being reasonably secure and then layed off. A continuing cycle. I will never be able to retire, but we may end up in a big 5th Wheel if we lose our rent at some point.

Like most, we have way too much stuff for a vagabond lifestyle, and no desire to be "rid of our family treasures". As Larry said, "where do we put the gun cabinets and loading bench"?

Regards,
Sweetwater

[Wyo. Coyote Hunter]

  Since I have been retired, spent a lot of time in a travel trailer....and visited with many full time RV'ers....while it sounds exciting and fun...like Larry, where would I put all my stuff...and over the years I have sold off a bunch of stuff only to miss it and purchase another batch to fill in the void...warm weather is wonderful and I liked being in Az., but warm weather attacts everyone, and many are very undesireable individuals...that plus the illegal imm. problem makes those areas a place I don't want to spend my life...I have seen many changes in the problem with illegals in Az/ in the 15 years or so I have been visiting there...plus even though it is warm to us snow birds, it is still winter. And they get their worst weather then...I have also thought as one gets older living in an RV would be less enjoyable..what happens when one of the couple gets sick??Also the RV becomes less and less valuable each passing year...so as time goes one your "home" becomes worthless, instead of more valuable...The other thing one would want to consider is your ability to deal with people..all of my life, I have lived in very small towns, Less than 2,000 or in the country...I do not feel comfortable around large numbers of people...And as the numbers of folks grow in an area so do the rules you have to deal with..the warm weather attracts those large numbers of folks.....I love my travel trailer.. and we have plans to travel the northwest this summer, but I also want a home to come back to when I am tired, and just want to rest...Some folks love it..but the ones I have met that live full time in a big RV do not seem to be serious hunters or fisherman...it requires too much "stuff"...I could be wrong and I am sure there are some, but this is just what I have seen...

[bilmac]

I'm with the coyote hunter, When I was going to college and a few years after we lived in trailer houses and I hated it. Mostly I hated trailer parks. Crammed together, no yard or growing things and lots of bad neighbors. Why would I want to do that again. I admit the trailer parks in the south for retirees are attractive, but they are also expensive. Is that kind of lifestyle going to be viable if the country goes belly up. 

[Dee]

Dee-

You talk about a house boat.  When I was a kid, my father and a couple of his friends got a bunch of 55 gallon drums, and built a framework and deck around them.  They got an old, small camper, removed the axle, and bolted it to the deck, then mounted a small outboard.  I was just a kid, but I remember it didn't go very fast, but was cool.  Me and my friends would fish while the old man and his friends played cards.  Used to get a lot of stares on the lake.  They had it a few years, then somehow it sank.  I was kind of toying with the idea of building a modern version, if I could get it registered...

Larry

Larry, these new pontoon house boats look like the ticket to me. Kinda look like an rv with floats. But, my home is paid for, and this half acre would be hard to give up. Day dreams.

[pastorp]

A house boat would work on a texas lake or any freshwater where the weather is mild and not very stormy. In southeast alaske they would not work very well unless you just pulled them into a sheltered bay and anchored them. And quite a few people do have float houses but they are not powered and not for traveling.

For a all around live aboard in these kind of seas you need a displacement hull with diesel power. JMO

Regards,

[Dee]

In your part of the country, I figured an igloo, and a dog team would be just the ticket.  I guess a guy could pitch a tent on one of those big iceburgs. That could be interestin.

[pastorp]

We are too far south for any sea ice. We do get a few iceburgs where the glacers calve off. I've been right up close to the icebergs beautiful blueish ice crystal clear. Great for your iced tea. Don't think I want to pitch a tent on one though. I'll stay with a cruser of some type if I go that route.

The RV would be if we retire down south. 

Regards,

[bilmac]

Pastorp,  so you are impressed with glacier ice too. We used to pick it up out of the ocean for the cooler on our way to catch some salmon. Beautiful stuff.