Figuring it out

[EscapeArtist]

Hi everyone! I am excited to be part of this group. I reach full retirement age in 5 yrs, 7 months and 23 days (but who's counting). I have tent camped for 4 years, and began thinking about traveling in a van a year ago. I believe my grown sons and families now really believe me. I had no idea this was such a phenom until I found the YouTube videos. I am now addicted to them. I plan to "practice" in my small SUV this summer. I was gifted a cot that fits (sort of), and have made screens, curtains, and trimmed my "necessities" to give this a shot. I leave the end of this week for about 10 days. Thanks to the videos, I feel I can give this a fair trial. I am going to begin test driving vans this month, and make the necessary arrangements to have the purchase and build made well in advance of the "big day". I would love to attend a caravan, and maybe next winter I can make that a reality in my "practice" vehicle!

 

[Wabbit]

Hi EscapeArtist and welcome. Doing it in your SUV first is a really good way to start this off. I ordered so much crap in my planning phase that never made it inside my van. I found I liked simple. Basically a steel tent with everything organized in totes, lol. Best of luck and I hope you enjoy your practice trips!

 

[GypsyJan]

Clever to do trial runs in the SUV....by retirement time you should be a pro! Plus it is a good excuse for road trips in the meantime. 3 years & 9 months til I hit the road full time (but as you said, "Who's counting?!!"). I just used half of a week's vacation to test tweaks to my cot mattress arrangement and a change of layout. It really confirmed that I am heading in the right direction for retirement....can't wait!

 

[rvwandering]

Welcome to the CRVL forums EscapeArtist! Have fun practicing and don't forget to come back and tell us all about it!

To help you learn the ins and outs of these forums, this "Tips, Tricks and Rules" post lists some helpful information to get you started.

Most of our rules boil down to two simple over-riding principles: 1) What you post should provide good information (like your introductory post), and 2) Any response to someone else's post should make them feel glad they are part of this forum community.

We look forward to hearing more from you.

 

[ckelly78z]

I have 8 years until retirement, I may start out slow in my long bed F150, with a topper cap on it, build a bed, have some pull out organized totes, and do some practice runs like you mentioned.

Good luck to you, and happy trails.

 

[RoamerRV428]

HI....sounds like you are ready to hit the road and not look back! 5 yrs will fly by, older ya get the time just moves quicker LOL

I got 4 yrs to full road freedom. Sell the house and we will be gonzo!!! omg I am chomping at the bit for this to happen NOW but we have to wait til kid is thru high school. ugh.....but sooner now than later

 

[eDJ_]

Welcome to the CRVL forums.

I think you'll be making a good choice.

Let me invite you to read my profile (click the black cat avatar upper left) and learn how I got into it when I first started out.  There are a couple links there (and below) that you may find helpful for setting up a rig and for traveling in it once on the road.

All the best

 

[travelaround]

Welcome to the forum... I am just now getting started too... enjoying my first adventure in a familiar place. We can do this!

 

[heartseed]

Welcome to the forum, EscapeArtist!