Hello from Colorado

[colomap]

My wife and I are mid-forties, empty-nesters and are seriously considering taking a year off work (I can actually stay employed and work from anywhere) and go on a road trip around the US and Canada. But to be honest it's already starting to feel daunting.

I originally thought a Sprinter van would work - mostly because my wife would feel comfortable sharing the driving duties, but now realize this may be too small. I am 6'1" and we will also have a medium sized dog with us. Most beds in vans are way too small in my opinion. We are very low maintenance and have backpacked around the world etc but the van might not work.

But RV's scare me - so many horror stories. Now I'm thinking maybe a Class C for more room. Our RV budget is about $80K tops. 

I also considered a truck with a trailer - just can't figure it out.

To be honest what I'm most scared about is camping - so many people out doing "vanlife". Here is CO you absolutely have to book campsites 6 months in advance or you cant get a site. I wonder how hard it's going to be to camp if I roll up into say Yosemite or some other popular place. I also don't want to be tied down to a strict schedule - so making reservations that far in advance would be hard. 

Anyways - wish us luck  :exclamation:

 

[WanderingRose]

You might buy a tent or pop up, basic gear and try some camping, just to see how you like it.

There are lots of federal campgrounds in Colorado that do not require reservations, where you could spend some weekends, talk with other people, see what they are in, etc.

I like the AllStays app.

I would not buy something and hit the road full time, without some experience under your belt.

Good luck!

 

[Mod1234]

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[colomap]

Thanks for the reply

I've been actively tent camping and backpacking for 30 years. I've also done a lot of climbing and mountaineering around the world. And my wife has as well - and backpacked Central America for 6 months. So we know how to camp! And we have always been minimalist car campers. We really are quite low maintenance. The camping itself doesnt matter to us - even going days without showering etc. No biggie.

As for Colorado - I've been adventuring here for 20 years and I can tell you it is a completely changed place - that is to say completely out of control. In Jan I start booking campsites for June (6 month window) - because if you dont get campsites early you wont get them at all - period. I even tried some first-com first-served this summer and drove around the mountains to 6 different campsites and found nothing but other people wandering around looking for campsites.

So BLM land tends to be where I end up in those scenarios...

 

[mpruet]

Getting a class-C would be ok.  Since you can work remotely, I’m guessing that you have a desk job and are tied to a laptop/computer.  If that is the case, then you would need some work space and internet service (i.e. cellular hotspot).  

For a while I worked remotely, but am now retired.  I initially had a class-A, but after retirement now have a class-B.  I am somewhat of a minimalist, so like being restricted to a smaller footprint.  I got rid of my laptop and workstations and now only use an iPad for all of my computing requirements.  I no longer do software development, so don’t need Linux or MS.  Again I like the smaller footprint and low power requirements of an iPad.  

Prior to Covid, I usually spent the summers in Alaska and northern Canada.  For the past two years, I spent most of the summer in Cuchara, Colorado where I have a fairly small condo.  I rarely have to make reservations.  Yea - CURRENTLY there are a lot of folks doing RVing, but I suspect that will soon come to an end.  I usually boondock with only about one night a week in a paid campground - and that’s usually so I can dump/refill, do some baking (really need 30 AMP for that) and wash clothes.  Otherwise I’ll use some of the apps to find a place to camp.  Yes - restricting yourself to only paid campgrounds can be a bit of a challenge.  

Be aware that most of the BLM land is in the southwest, so you won’t see much of the USA/Canada if you restrict yourself to that.  But again, northern BC/Yukon/Alaska are full of public non-reservation campgrounds - BLM, Forestry Campgrounds, State park campgrounds, and provencial park campgrounds.

 

[colomap]

Yes I work on a laptop and would require some form of Internet access Mon-Thurs - although my hours aren't super "strict" - so if I'm offline at times no one cares or notices. It's very flexible. We are leaning toward a sprinter conversion - probably a RoadTrek - if you have an opinion I'd love to hear it. We are projecting 9-12 months - Colorado>CA>Seattle>Alaska>East Coast>Alabama>Texas>AZ and then home. We have family and friends to stay with along the way. It's good to know about the BLM land - I haven't looked at recent maps and have spent my last 20 years around the desert SW.

Thanks for the reply mpruet!

 

[WanderingRose]

That’s sad to hear about remote campgrounds in Colorado.

My husband and I spent about a month in the Rockies some years back going from one small, no services campground to the next.

I have a ClassB on a sprinter chassis, and love it, but it may be small for a couple with a dog long term.

There are a lot of RV’ers out there, that’s true, but I was out almost three months thru this past summer and didn’t have any problems finding what I needed.

Be prepared to dry camp and not rely on established campgrounds, and you’re good to go.

If you don’t want to be tied down to reservations but also don’t like uncertainty, this may not be for you.

 

[mpruet]

I have a Travato 59K and it works quite well.  But it is small and can be a bit tight with two folks.  However it has a fairly open floor plan, so feels quite open.  Be careful not to get a rig which feels cluttered because when you get your stuff in it, it’ll feel even more cluttered.  

I have cellular access through the big three with a Verizon hot spot and cell phones with AT&T and T-Mobil. My Verizon and T-Mobil have unlimited data in the USA and the T-Mobil has unlimited roaming data in Canada.  If you should go to Alaska you’ll probably find that AT&T has greatest coverage.  My T-Mobil works quite well in Canada (roaming on Telus and Bell-Canada), but in northern Canada, you only get a signal in the towns on the Alcan.  (No service at all on the Cassiar.).   I did get a WeBoost cellular booster which does improve signal reception.

Since you’ve been camping quite a bit, you know the score — gotta think minimal and multi-purpurse.  There are several apps which point out places to camp at.  My current favorites are iOverlander, Campendium, and RV Life; but there are many others.

 

[colomap]

thanks mpruet - any thoughts on Satellite Internet? Too much of a pain to setup the dish and reliant on weather?

 

[mpruet]

Eventually StarLink will be the ideal Mobil internet provider, but they are several years way.  Currently they only support fixed location receptors.  Also, unless they can drastically reduce the size of their antennas, they really won’t work for RV folks.  At this time stick with cellular - any other satellite internet has way too slow in/out ping lag times.  They might work for some streaming and web surfing, but in no way do they work for online functionality. (If only communication were sync and not asynchronous, but asynchronous won. —- type a letter - wait a couple of seconds for the letter to appear on your screen…. ARGGGGHHHH!!!!!

 

[tx2sturgis]

 We are projecting 9-12 months - Colorado>CA>Seattle>Alaska>East Coast>Alabama>Texas>AZ and then home. 

You forgot New Mexico. 

If you scoot on south of that state line, you will find wide open free camping space, in high, medium, and low elevations. BLM land, and National Forest lands that are not nearly as crowded as Colorado. 

Yes the NM state parks are reservation mostly, with some walk-up 'non-reservable' sites at some of the parks.

I've summer camped in several places around Cloudcroft in the Lincoln National Forest and around Angel Fire and Taos up in the Carson National Forest, and on some low lying lands set aside for free primitive camping further south (Albuquerque and Alamogordo areas) and better suited for cool weather.

Most of these areas do have cellular coverage with or without a booster or are a short drive to where you can get a signal.

 

[wb8vyn]

My wife and I are mid-forties, empty-nesters and are seriously considering taking a year off work (I can actually stay employed and work from anywhere) and go on a road trip around the US and Canada. But to be honest it's already starting to feel daunting.

I originally thought a Sprinter van would work - mostly because my wife would feel comfortable sharing the driving duties, but now realize this may be too small. I am 6'1" and we will also have a medium sized dog with us. Most beds in vans are way too small in my opinion. We are very low maintenance and have backpacked around the world etc but the van might not work.

But RV's scare me - so many horror stories. Now I'm thinking maybe a Class C for more room. Our RV budget is about $80K tops.

I also considered a truck with a trailer - just can't figure it out.

To be honest what I'm most scared about is camping - so many people out doing "vanlife". Here is CO you absolutely have to book campsites 6 months in advance or you cant get a site. I wonder how hard it's going to be to camp if I roll up into say Yosemite or some other popular place. I also don't want to be tied down to a strict schedule - so making reservations that far in advance would be hard.

Anyways - wish us luck :exclamatio

 

[wb8vyn]

I've been an over the road semi driver for 60 years. Take it from me please, going on a "vacation" like a rabbit, speeding from high point to high point is a bad idea! you're doomed. Back up, hold up, slow down, waaaay down.
First take stock of what you are going on vacation for?
Society, tv, flyers in the mail all just want you to spend money, lots of money. close your check book, lock it away.
Money will buy you freedom and it's cheap. You NEED food. You NEED comfortable Sleep, you NEED to stay clean.
So, the high points are really down to relaxed time, contentment. Enjoy your partners presence not the "lets hurry" to dinner or hurry to anything!
Take quiet time to watch a kid with a stick pestering a bug some time. You can do that at a local park.
You mentioned your wife's "driving duties", nuts to that. Going on vacation is not about duties. It's not the going, it's about the stopping-- a lot-- for a long time.
There are millions of acers of BLM areas, National forests and parks all over that are free to use and care for. (leave no trace) that you were there. No reservation needed or expected.
So, toss some cloths in the trunk, go to the near by hardware store or sporting goods store, buy a camp stove and a tent for two. some sleeping gear and drive away. Wing it! Get up in the morning and smell the fresh air. make coffee, eat a muffin, fry an egg, then think about the fact that where you are is just fine but there may be a finer place just over the next hill or around the next corner. Heck it might rain, it might get hot or cold.
If the comforts of home are what your looking for, stay home!
Ken [email protected]

 

[[email protected]]

I've been an over the road semi driver for 60 years. Take it from me please, going on a "vacation" like a rabbit, speeding from high point to high point is a bad idea! you're doomed. Back up, hold up, slow down, waaaay down.
First take stock of what you are going on vacation for?
Society, tv, flyers in the mail all just want you to spend money, lots of money. close your check book, lock it away.
Money will buy you freedom and it's cheap. You NEED food. You NEED comfortable Sleep, you NEED to stay clean.
So, the high points are really down to relaxed time, contentment. Enjoy your partners presence not the "lets hurry" to dinner or hurry to anything!
Take quiet time to watch a kid with a stick pestering a bug some time. You can do that at a local park.
You mentioned your wife's "driving duties", nuts to that. Going on vacation is not about duties. It's not the going, it's about the stopping-- a lot-- for a long time.
There are millions of acers of BLM areas, National forests and parks all over that are free to use and care for. (leave no trace) that you were there. No reservation needed or expected.
So, toss some cloths in the trunk, go to the near by hardware store or sporting goods store, buy a camp stove and a tent for two. some sleeping gear and drive away. Wing it! Get up in the morning and smell the fresh air. make coffee, eat a muffin, fry an egg, then think about the fact that where you are is just fine but there may be a finer place just over the next hill or around the next corner. Heck it might rain, it might get hot or cold.
If the comforts of home are what your looking for, stay home!
Ken [email protected]

Exactly!!