Could a husband & wife live fulltime in a slide in camper on a pickup truck?

[Rbratcherjr]

Any couples with experience with this? Ideas? Thanks.

 

[James AKA Lynx]

That depends on the couple. You will not be living inside, just sleeping and getting out of the weather. Most cannot do it.

A slide in is about the same space as a van. It is up to you to work it out.

Try it for a long weekend and then a week, 2, or 3. Work out the problems for a "Best for the both of you".

Regards, James AKA Lynx

 

[Patrick46]

I have some very good friends (a married couple), who live on the road in a huge semi truck. It has a 14' self contained living quarters on it.

In talking with Pat the owner, he likes using this analogy:
"It takes a 'special' relationship, to live on the road with another person, in a space the size of a "Jail Cell"!

(wonder what he's really trying to tell us???)

 

[Zil]

I traveled with a lover. We made it across Canada down to LA. It fell apart some place around Mendocino. We made it another 6 months, but after I sent her home, she never wanted to see me again.

---

A VW van is not enough room for two happy non conformist.

 

[hippiechk]

Do the two of you spend all of your time together now? Seriously, can you spend day after day in the same room, follow one another to the bathroom, share a very small table and still find you can do your thing on half of it, shop together, go to the laundrymat - together, library -together, take a walk - together?

In my own experience I have shared a wonderful full-time journey with my partner, over a year, and we were both soooo glad it was over! It cost us the relationship and it took work to save the friendship. Our travels were in the pre-cell days and its just sooo much fun to misplace your keys and have to sit on the hood of the rig for a couple of hours waiting because partner was delayed.

Lots of couples do an awesome job of living this life together! I hope if its your choice that you both find joy and delight in each other and in each new day!

And if I managed to find the right person...would I try it again? In a New York minute! *smile* But then I like the passenger seat to face forward because to me its the other room *laugh*.

~hc~ {Joni}

 

[Rbratcherjr]

Do the two of you spend all of your time together now? Seriously, can you spend day after day in the same room, follow one another to the bathroom, share a very small table and still find you can do your thing on half of it, shop together, go to the laundrymat - together, library -together, take a walk - together?

In my own experience I have shared a wonderful full-time journey with my partner, over a year, and we were both soooo glad it was over! It cost us the relationship and it took work to save the friendship. Our travels were in the pre-cell days and its just sooo much fun to misplace your keys and have to sit on the hood of the rig for a couple of hours waiting because partner was delayed.

Lots of couples do an awesome job of living this life together! I hope if its your choice that you both find joy and delight in each other and in each new day!

And if I managed to find the right person...would I try it again? In a New York minute! *smile* But then I like the passenger seat to face forward because to me its the other room *laugh*.

~hc~ {Joni}

My wife & I spend a whole lot of time together as we really enjoy each others company very much. We've spent a few nights while traveling in the slide in camper & were perfectly fine with it but I'm not totally sure about full timing for the long term. I guess we could live in the camper for a week at first then maybe 2 weeks to a month the next time as a way of testing the waters to see if we could stand living in that small (it has slide outs) of a space long term. A deceased aunt & uncle of mine had a 40 foot motorhome & they did great living in it full time to 9 & 10 months out of the year during the retirement years only going home to the house they had in New Orleans for 2 or 3 months of winter. Other than that they lived in the motorhome.

 

[angeli]

In the late 80's, when my husband and I lived in our cab-over camper on an old Ford, we were shifting residency from CA to NM. We lived in that thing for well over three years with our two dogs. The space never bothered us. After that we were in an apartment for six months or so, but the apartment rent and available jobs in Santa Fe soon put us back into the mobile life. After the apartment, we moved into a 16 foot travel trailer, with the same two dogs. Stayed there another seven years. It wasn't always easy. But it wasn't disastrous.

We also had a small flea market/metaphysical fair business together, BTW. So we were working together quite alot. It helped to have things to do by ourselves outside of the trailer. But there are a lot of people in the world who live in very small spaces. Your ability to tolerate that, I think, depends on your expectations and how adaptable you are, and how willing you are to go find outside activities like occasional classes or group events or just some alone time when you need it.

PS - From my observations of others OTR, adaptability and expectations really have very little to do with gender. :angel:

Edited to add: The only time that I can remember the space bothering me was when I wanted to do something like paint a large painting. In that case it was more a logistical botheration, and was not about the two of us. I was able to solve that issue in the 16 foot trailer, painting against the back wall. You can deduce from this that my husband was pretty patient. - A.

 

[Willy]

I've met a number of (older) couples that lived in a slide-in. One, from Winnipeg, lived for years in a larger Alaskan camper, the one with the over-cab bed, and still were when I last saw them. ..Willy.

 

[Rbratcherjr]

I've met a number of (older) couples that lived in a slide-in. One, from Winnipeg, lived for years in a larger Alaskan camper, the one with the over-cab bed, and still were when I last saw them. ..Willy.

Well the bed for my slide in camper is over the cab. I'm 54 & my wife is 43. She's ok for 3 or 4 days & night but fulltime? I'm not quite sure yet. Longer stays in the camper is the way to find out I think....

 

[AimlessWanderLust]

It may not work for everyone, but as far as my wife and I are concerned, the answer is absolutely it's possible. We lived in a small pop-up truck camper for about 18 months, now we have an older hard side truck camper, and have been in it for about 9 months now. The hard side is also larger, but we weren't really looking for larger (just hard sided) and want to go back to something smaller. We absolutely love living in the camper together (along with our 40lb coonhound). We have no desire to go larger or live the "normal" lifestyle!

 

[wagoneer]

in 1989 when first married I built a birth in a GMC step van my new bride a ballerina and myself a studying ballerina hit the road had a ball in the twin bed for two months. We could not keep our hands off each other. Times change. lol Texas great place

 

[Seraphim]

It depends lol.

We travelled in a camper van, but one month was our limit. Folding out the bed took up the entire living space. Having retired, we found a truck camper with a slide: that makes all the difference when one of us wants to sleep and the other stay awake. The slide also provides a bit of privacy in occasion - we are close but still feel a bit of separation when one is in the slide and one on the bed.
We don't FT, DW feels the need to swing home every two months to see family, not because we tire of being in the camper, but we are in the TC as often as not.

We are basically campers, and feel a TC is for living out of, not living in. Suits us fine. If you need to live indoors, I don't think a TC is right for you.

Time for a walk on the beach...

 

[jeanontheroad]

Depends. You don't stop being who you are just because you go on the road. What do you like to do? DH and I both like to cook. He likes to fish and mess around with tools and his laptop and several other things. I like to quilt and use my laptop and various other things. We have different taste in books and movies. It all takes space.

---

Also, while DH can live with clutter if he has to, I can't. Everything has to have a place to be and it has to be there. I want to see some clear surfaces and I don't want to have to spend a lot of time digging for things. That also takes space.

You aren't just going on an endless camping trip. You are moving your life into your camper.

 

[hippiechk]

Rbratcherjr seems to have left this conversation, I am going to lock this thread as it does not seem active.

In addition the OP has answered his own question...by saying he will try to convince his wife this is a viable life for them.