Planning my RV adventure

[Kimbacat]

Hi Everyone

I am at the very beginning stage of planning my RV adventure. I hope to be going on the road by Jan. or Feb. 2020.

I just don't were to begin in the planning. I do not have an RV or vehicle yet.  I would like to test the waters 1st and was thinking about getting a pickup truck and a truck camper.  
At first I was thinking about buying new, then I thought that may not be a wise choice. Not until I get a feel of sleeping in one and living outdoors full time.

I have camped all my life from childhood and I'm reaching towards retirement age now.  I love to travel and explore whenever I can. 

Which is the practical way, if there is one?  Do I get the truck camper first, or the pickup truck first?

What has been your past experiences when you were starting out at the beginning, that would be of help to me and other beginners?
Are there any helpful links out there that I can read to gain knowledge?   

I am so thrilled to have found this great forum!  Nice to meet everyone.

Thank you for being here for me.

 

[highdesertranger]

Welcome Kimbacat to the CRVL forums! 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.

if you want a truck camper you need to get the truck first. the truck will decide what camper you can get. have you ever driven a truck camper?

highdesertranger

 

[Kimbacat]

Thank you highdesertranger for the welcome and the info.  No I have never driven a truck camper. Have drove vans and SUV's last 30 years. Why do you ask?
Are they difficult to drive?

Kimbacat

 

[wildbill]

Aloha,
I have begun a journey as well.....I have my truck and a small Shasta Compact vintage trailer.....it's a scarey time for me, but exciting as well.
A lot of friendly people on here with good advice.....and then there is me....hahahaha
Welcome and keep us posted please.

Wild Bill

 

[ckelly78z]

Welcome to the forums.

To someone who has never driven a large truck, with a top-heavy camper on it, it can be daunting, and a handful if not properly set up on the right truck (weight wise). You could always rent a small RV for a week, to get the idea of camping, or possibly rent a cargo van, and temporarily use it for a weekend getaway.

Get yourself a portable cot, a good sleeping bag, a cooler, along with some totes of food, and kitchen supplies, and give it a go. Doing this several times will very quickly give you a sense of what else you need, and what you don't.

 

[annabell]

It can be scary and exciting to plan on being a nomad.

Maybe this sounds silly, but watching a lot of youtube videos helped me figure out what kind of vehicle I want. The first video I watched was of a woman living in a very nice tricked out 21' trailer pull, and I thought that was the amount of space I needed. The more videos I watched, the more I realized I didn't need that much space, and that I wanted to be able to get more places than a big trailer could go, plus the expense of fixing up that kind of trailer the way that person's was was most likely more than I wanted to spend.

Then I started looking at buying a cargo trailer and fixing it up. I thought that was the right trade off between space, cost, and "freedom" so to speak.

Now my plan is to buy a van.

I am in no way an expert- I am still in my house, and will have to be here until my son graduates from high school in three years. My point is that looking at different options for a long time can help you figure out what things are most important to you (i.e. cost, ease of use, space, ease of parking, etc.).

Have you ever camped? If not, you might try starting with some weekend camping trips with a rented van to get out and see what kind of comforts you can't live without.

Best of luck!

 

[Gypsy Freedom]

i second the idea of renting something and giving it a try for a weekend trip

not sure what you are driving now but maybe a weekend car camp trip as if you were living that way would start to give you ideas of what you have to have and what you can do with out. transitioning from sticks and bricks to full time on the road can be a big change. if you have the finances you may want a decent sized RV with a toad. or you may find a midsized van covers all you need. one thing is likely. your idea of what you need and want will change quite a bit in the first year or so. buying used when you think you have a good idea of what you want will make it easier to adjust down the road when you figure out what you want.

i have not lived in a sticks n bricks for over 20 years. but in the 4 years or so since i went full time mobile i have gone through 3 different rigs trying to work out the best for me. started with a small car for 2 years then a minivan for almost 2 years and now transitioning into a short bus.

 

[highdesertranger]

your bigger truck campers can be a white knuckle drive, especially if they aren't set up correctly. they are very top heavy an can be more than a handful in a high wind even if set up correctly. my suggestion is somehow get some experience driving one before committing to one. highdesertranger

 

[badmotorscooter]

I'm still a few years out also.

Still living in my house.
My idea is to convert a 10 x 12 wooden frame shed to a self contained mini home.
It has electricity and I currently use it for a work out/weight room and tool storage along with my bicycle.

It has two small windows and minimum insulation. I will set up solar, water tanks, 12 volt fridge, potty, heating and make it truely independent from the main house. It will be a good way to learn and then transfer my stuff to a van or trailer when the time comes.

I just started clearing it out recently. I think I will gain invaluable experience with little risk having a back up house. I know it's kinda like cheating, but I will make a real effort to not use anything in the house.

 

[ckelly78z]

Badmotorscooter, that is a good idea about converting a shed on your own property, you will be able to use it as a test area for future mobile living. I would like to do something similar with my old round steel sided corn crib for a place for me and the grandkids to "camp".

 

[RoamerRV428]

just rent an rv for a long weekend

see if you can even handle a small Class C and if it is enough room etc

do not BUY unless you even know any of this suits ya it probably will but I would experiment a bit before I even think of putting hard earned money into a rig.


rent first......find a place that rents and go see/enjoy/drive something and go 'rv'ing/camping' and see if it truly is what you want.


best of luck to you

 

[MG1912]

I am going through the same calculus as you, OP (also looking at getting a truck and truck camper). I plan to shop for the camper first. That way, I can consider all the campers available in my area to choose the one that best suits my budget, lifestyle, and needs. Once I have a camper picked out, choosing a suitable truck is a matter of payload capacity (generally the wet weight of the camper plus 1,000 lbs is the rule of thumb on some reputable truck camper-specialized websites) and possible suspension/tire/wheel upgrades. (edit: and bed length! Some campers will not work on a short bed, and some won't work on a long bed). I want to be able to go off the beaten path a bit, so I want a 4x4 Single Rear Wheel (SRW) truck with a crew cab for storage. That will limit my camper choices to sub-3,000 lbs wet, as 4,000 lbs is generally the most payload you'll get for a 1-ton SRW HD truck with a crew cab. I know plenty of folks exceed their vehicles' payload specs and even their axle GVRWs with their truck campers and don't have problems. I am choosing not to.

I really like the Northstar camper models, which have casette toilets that completely eliminate dependence on RV parks and dump stations.

I just left Afghanistan this morning, and if all goes according to plan, I may have my camper in very short order! Wish me luck, and please do keep us up to date on your plans!

 

[B and C]

^^^Sooo, it sounds like you're picking a camper based on the truck you don't have. It appears you already picked a truck (maybe not make).

 

[Kimbacat]

your bigger truck campers can be a white knuckle drive,  especially if they aren't set up correctly.  they are very top heavy an can be more than a handful in a high wind even if set up correctly.  my suggestion is somehow get some experience driving one before committing to one.  highdesertranger

Thank you highdesertranger. This is very helpful info and advice which I wasn't aware of. 
I will look into getting some experience driving one. Does anyone have any suggestions as to where I can find a place to get experience driving a truck camper?
Kimbacat

 

[Kimbacat]

Aloha,
I have begun a journey as well.....I have my truck and a small Shasta Compact vintage trailer.....it's a scarey time for me, but exciting as well.
A lot of friendly people on here with good advice.....and then there is me....hahahaha
Welcome and keep us posted please.

Wild Bill

Wild Bill
Thank you for the welcome. You're ahead of me having the truck and trailer. I'm trying to decide which kind of home on the road will be the most practical for me and my cat. I have a lot to learn before I decide.

Best of luck with your journey. 

Kimbacat

 

[MG1912]

^^^Sooo, it sounds like you're picking a camper based on the truck you don't have. It appears you already picked a truck (maybe not make).

Yes and no. I've narrowed the range of trucks down based on price and capabilities (most importantly, payload). I have decided on a SRW truck for off-road capability, which significantly narrows down the choices of campers. Most campers are well north of the payload capacity of a SRW truck, and some campers will not fit in a long bed if they were made for a short bed, etc. Most hard-side campers that will match a SRW truck are around the 2,300 lbs to 3,000 lbs wet weight, and some SRW 1-ton trucks have surprisingly low payload capacities -- as little as 2,000 lbs or so, which is too little for anything besides a pop-up camper. But I haven't settled on a truck yet. As I mentioned, I'll buy the camper first. I think that's the way to go because if I find that I really like a particular camper model that fits a long-bed truck, but I've already bought a short-bed truck, what then?

 

[maki2]

when you are shopping for vintage items such as trucks and campers it can get tricky because of the variety of sizes available. So really there is no one way best way to do this. There are more trucks around than there are campers. But some of those old campers only fit a limited number of trucks. For some of the older trucks it can be difficult to find a newer camper to fit it.

My suggestion is to focus on finding a combo, someone selling their truck that comes with a camper. Both in good condition of course!  It might take a little longer to find that but it makes sure that you have the right fit between the two.

For instance here is a craigslist ad for a truck with one of the lighter weight pop to campers being sold as a combo unit. They are even adding all the gear such as chairs, dishes, bike rack, tarp, bbq, etc into the deal. These types of deals are available somewhat frequently.
https://seattle.craigslist.org/see/cto/d/everett-ford-f250-truck-camper-kitchen/6934517795.html

 

[Kimbacat]

just rent an rv for a long weekend

see if you can even handle a small Class C and if it is enough room etc

do not BUY unless you even know any of this suits ya  it probably will but I would experiment a bit before I even think of putting hard earned money into a rig.


rent first......find a place that rents and go see/enjoy/drive something and go 'rv'ing/camping' and see if it truly is what you want.


best of luck to you

RoamererRV428

Thank you for your great advice. It makes perfect sense to rent first to get a feel of what does or does not
suit me.
I will be renting something first, before buying for sure. Thanks again.

Kimbacat

 

[eDJ_]

While you are considering rigs which would serve you best,   take a look at the links below this post.  The one at the bottom is about traveling.  You don't have to have a rig to use it.  It is info for going on the road or being out there already.......and a place to learn and prepare.

The links at the right....."Trip Planning" are some amazing empowering tools.  Not hard to learn to use.  Once you're familiar with them going on the road won't be so daunting.   Below that,  "Staying Awhile"  can help you find places to spend the night where you would feel safe and comfortable in your rig. 

All the best