Your full-time RV living unit.

Our trailer, 'Nitsitapiisinni', and truck, 'Mighty Moe'
at Eagle Lake, Susanville, CA

We get lots of questions about being full-timers, but the most common is about our trailer.  Other than the question about whether or not one can afford to live on the road full-time, which I tried to address in my blog  "Can we afford to be full-timers", this is probably the most important issue.  In what are you going to live?   I would never consider a blog telling you what to buy. I’m not you, and I’m sure you’re grateful for that.

My daughter is a financial planner/advisor. On a wall in her company’s offices are pictures of clients who have retired.  Pamela and my picture is on that wall and a lot of people ask her about our experiences and how we full-time.  I started putting this information together so she could share it with them and then decided that it might be interesting to others.

The first thing that anyone must remember is that the living unit you select is your decision. It can not be anyone else’s decision.  No matter how much I love having a trailer and your Uncle Bob loves his Class-A, you must look at all options and try to figure out what fits your wants, need, and budget. You might roll out in a Class-B+ or C.  If you don’t get yourself into overwhelming debt, you can always change. Just remember. Like a car, a new RV is only worth about 50% what you paid the minute you drive it off the lot.

We strongly suggest that you spend the months before going full-time studying units, listening to people like us who have experience, going to show rooms (don’t buy! Just look!), and talking about where you want to be able to go with your unit, how much space you think you need, how much space you actually need (usually a whole lot less than the former), and other similar important issues.

This is 'Willy', a 16 foot 35 year old Fleetwood
Wilderness. We loved this trailer and totally rebuilt it.
This is where we started 

Here is our experience and what we selected.   We started out as not-quite full-timers and spent most of our first three plus years living in a 35 year old 16 foot camper trailer that we rebuilt. We called it Willie, and we loved that trailer. If it hadn’t been for the fact that Pamela had to have both of her knees replaced and one didn’t go well, we’d probably still be living in Willie. But we felt that we needed a trailer (1) that was as short as possible so we can go almost anywhere, (2) had a walk around bed, (3) had a full bath (Pamela needs the tub for her knees), (4) had a nice kitchen (that was for me), and (5) had a double axle.  Here’s what we have today.

1. Our trailer is a 20 foot 2017 Keystone Springdale which we purchased in July 2016. We do not have slides. We don't want slides for three reasons: (i) they frequently need repair; (ii) they leak air and often water; and (iii) when they are in they take up a lot of room, often making the unit unusable. We have a full bath (tube, shower, etc), and queen-size walk around bed. I love to cook, so we have a nice gas stove with oven, medium size fridge and double sink. We replaced the square table with a round pedestal. Our sitting/dining area is at the rear end and has a giant window. After living in 112 square feet, living in 160 square feet with higher ceiling is palatial.               

Nitsitapiisinni in the desert southeast of Quartzsite, AZ
at the 2018 RTR (Rubber Tramp Rendezvous)

 2. Our stove, fridge, hot water and furnace run on propane. On the rare occasion that we have ‘pole-power’ (exterior AC electricity into which we plug the trailer), the fridge and hot water will also run on electricity. We paid $413 for propane for the entire 2017 and we don’t skimp. This is our home. We want to be comfortable. Our furnace is forced hot air with floor vents. Since we have a four season package (partially covered underbelly) the floor vents help keep pipes, etc., under the floor, from freezing. It also does a great job keeping the unit comfortable.  Floor heat is phenomenal. A lot of our friends who do not have floor heat are spending money on supplemental heating units. Many people use inverters to turn the 12 volt power from their battery(ies) into 110 AC, like house current. We don't do that. We live off-the-grid (totally self-contained) over 80% of the time. We just use 12 volt. Why invert if it isn’t necessary?  It takes some of your power to run an inverter. We have some small inverters (150,300) for things which need 110, like or computer chargers, the television and DVD player. Otherwise we don't have anything requiring 110. (fn-1)  It is much easier just to go all 12 volt. We use all LED lights. I even converted some lamps so that they have LED bulbs and 12 volt. LED not only saves a lot of money but are cool in the summer. (fn-2)   
   

3. As I said, we are totally self-contained. The only thing that drives us back into ‘civilization’ is to dump our holding tanks and take on fresh water.  If you think you want to do a lot of boondocking (dry camping off the grid) be mindful of the capacity of the three tanks on the unit - grey (sink water),  black (toilet sewage), and fresh water (potable drinking water). Once you get started bookdocking, there will be lots of us around to help you with ideas about conserving water. 

Nitsitapiisinni in the desert on Palm Canyon Road, KOFA north
of Yuma, AZ. (2017)  When this pic was taken we were
successfully powered by two 80 watt portable solar panels. We
 now have 320 watts on the roof and the portable if we
want/need more.

4. Our electricity comes from photovoltic panels. This is the new solar technology. It is unbelievable! We have two 160 watt panels on our roof, which are more than sufficient for our need, and one 80 watt portables. We had two portables first and keep one in case we want more power for some reason.  The remaining portable has a 50 foot cord so we have great flexibility where we put it and have used it when the roof-top panels are totally or partially in shade. The great thing about the new technology is that it doesn't require direct sunlight to work. It works best with direct sun, but we have actually seen panels produce electricity in moonlight.  Of course, it wasn't enough to run an LED bulb but it was pretty neat to see and confirmed the efficacy of the technology. Our roof-top panels are mounted flat on the roof - no need to prop them up - and on a sunny day our batteries are fully charged well before noon. We have a Blue Sky “Sun Charger 30” which is a top-of-the-line 30 amp 3 stage control panel. Our photovoltic panels go directly to our batteries. We were told by experts, that running your solar through your unit’s system loses power. We have 2- Full River 6 volt AGM 224 amp hour batteries. We can run the furnace all night (fans tend to pull a lot of power) and still awakened with 12.1-12.3 volts. You need to find an expert. Most are in the southwest. Carefully check out the person from whom you buy. Our two panels, control panel and installation cost us around $1,800 in 2017.

Nitsitapiisinni at Annie Creek, free dispersed camping just
outside the southern entrance to Crater Lake Nat'l Park.

5. One last word on your primary living unit.  If you are leaning toward a trailer, I would never full-time in a single-axle trailer. Double-axle units are easier to maneuver and backup, and they are safer in the event of a blow-out.  You also need a good hitch system. We have a heavy-duty Blue Ox. 

      

You can't talk about trailers or fifth-wheels without talking, at least briefly, about the tow vehicle. That's really one of the most important ingredients, and often more expensive than your living unit.  Again, I'm not going to tell you what to buy.  But I am going to make a few suggestions and tell you about what we have. 

       

      As with your living unit, you must take the time to think about what appeals most to you and what is in your budget.  You need to do a lot of research and ask a lot of questions. Don't just buy what the salesperson at the dealership suggests. There is a fairly good chance that they have no idea about towing. Sadly, there is also a good chance that their recommendation will bring them the most commissions.  You need to talk to full-timers like us who actually tow 15,000 or more miles a year. Our 2013 Dodge Ram has about 108,000 miles and the majority of those miles it had a trailer attached. Some people say that for lighter units the Dodge 1500 is the best, but the Ford F250 is superior to the Dodge 2500 for heavier units. Listen to these arguments and use them to guide your decision.  Again, be careful of the budget. 

Mighty Moe - 2013 Ram 1500 half-ton heavy with
tow package,  beefed up rear suspension, 6'6" bed with cap.
We keep our bikes, scuba gear, tool box, camping
supplies and other items in here.

      Here's what we have, and we're extremely happy.  We have a 2013 Dodge Ram 1500 4x4 half-ton heavy with a 5.7L Hemi gasoline engine and 8 ply all-terrain tires.  4x4 is obvious. Our truck has four-wheel drive which helps us in a number of different scenario.  It is most important if you plan to boondock; i.e. go off the grid into the desert and such places. We also have high clearance.  'Half-ton heavy' means that the truck has been modified to make it heftier. We have the tow package plus we have beefed up the back-end suspension.  Our modifications actually raised the truck a good 12 or more inches. It doesn't change the tow rating but it makes it easier for you and the truck. You don't have to go out and buy a one-ton truck with dualies (four wheels on a single axle) on the back if you're pulling a trailer that weighs <5,000 pounds. Mighty Moe, our truck, can easily stop Nitsitapiisinni  without trailer brakes, and I could easily forget that it is attached as we travel.  We don't need more than a half-ton heavy.  My own belief is that you should match your tow vehicle by the low to middle side of towing capacity.  In our case, our truck is rated to tow up to 11,500 pounds with an average of 5,700 pounds.  Nitsitapiisinni weighs in at just over 4,800 pounds with a full tank of fresh water, both the holding tanks empty, and filled with our belongings. Truck and trailer weight just under 10,000 pounds together.  If you're going to be pulling a trailer that is pushing 10,000 pounds you probably want to think of a bigger truck.  

      No matter what you're pulling behind you, or what you're driving, it first of all must fulfill your needs. Is it going to be comfortable?  Can you afford it?   If you buy a quarter-million dollar Class-A on two Social Security checks a month, you're probably not going to be able to make the payments never-the-less go anywhere.  If you have plenty of money and select a small unit like ours when you feel like you need to travel with about half the contents of your 4,000 sq ft house, you're not going to be happy.  Remember this . . . . if you buy well within your budget, and you realize that you made a poor choice or just change your mind, you will be able to trade.  If you over-spend, you're stuck. 

     
      If you have other questions about the cost of full-timing or picking your unit, or just questions about full-timing, don't hesitate to contact me at revance@gmail.com.  

It

FOOTNOTES

      (1) We got the television to watch DVDs. We don't use it much any more since they came out with some neat, small, 12V players. We only use the TV when we want "big screen".  There are 12V televisions.  Buying a small pure sine wave inverter to power ours was easier and less expensive. 

       (2) If you buy an older trailer that has standard 12V bulbs, it is well worth the money to replace all of them with LED.  We have seen the old standard bulbs literally melt a plastic globe.  LED use less energy, therefore cost less to run and take less out of your battery(ies), and reduce heat in the summer.