Vehicle-less?

[ghost]

Hello everyone!

This may be a bit off topic but is there anyone out there living in a trailer without a vehicle?  I am an avid cyclist and my ideal set up is living in a 5th wheel and being able to ride my bike to work and everywhere basically.  I came very close to finding a park but it's border-line too far of a ride into town.  For $200 more a month than park fees I could rent an apartment right downtown and easily use my bike for everything.  Plus, have the money I saved from buying a 5th wheel as a solid emergency fund...  I would have no debt and my bills would just be rent, internet, electric, and cell.  About $1000 total per month in the town I'm looking at.

 

[BlackNBlue]

Sure, tons of people live in trailers with no vehicle. Whole parks of them in just about every town in North America. But it's not RV living (cheap or otherwise) at that point...

If you want to keep it at all mobile, the biggest problem I see is what to use to move the trailer around. I think U-Haul or Home Depot trucks have bumper hitches, but I'm not aware of the possibility of renting a truck for a day or two that has a fifth-wheel hitch. Barring time crunches, I suppose you could always find someone on Craigslist who'll use their truck to move your trailer as an odd job.

 

[DesertDweller]

You might also want to consider a Class C or A rig, that way, if you want to move it, just start it up and drive away, hassle free. The rents in the RV park you mention seem a bit high, but we're in AZ and they must just be a lot cheaper out here.

 

[ArtW]

If you haven't a tow rig I would definitely look at a motorhome rather than a 5th wheel

 

[ghost]

You might also want to consider a Class C or A rig, that way, if you want to move it, just start it up and drive away, hassle free. The rents in the RV park you mention seem a bit high, but we're in AZ and they must just be a lot cheaper out here.

I am in between a brand new Nissan NV 2500 V8 and converting it into an RV (I use that as my company work van now).  Or a 5th wheel permanently parked at an RV park and keep my car that I have now.  Can you please give me an idea of what RV parks cost per month in AZ?  I'm open to all areas as long as they are not the North East 

I guess with a converted Nissan NV I could stay on BLM land in AZ for free max 2 weeks until I move to a new spot?  Do you think I could stay on BLM and be near a big enough city to find work?

Thanks!

 

[ghost]

If you haven't a tow rig I would definitely look at a motorhome rather than a 5th wheel

I was thinking of finding a nice RV park and just living there permanently.  If I really wanted to move the 5th wheel I would try to contract someone to haul it out of state for me.  I would prefer to keep my Subaru WRX 2016 that gets 35mpg.

 

[highdesertranger]

just remember at this time of year the lower elevations of Arizona are 110+. highdesertranger

 

[DesertDweller]

I am in between a brand new Nissan NV 2500 V8 and converting it into an RV (I use that as my company work van now).  Or a 5th wheel permanently parked at an RV park and keep my car that I have now.  Can you please give me an idea of what RV parks cost per month in AZ?  I'm open to all areas as long as they are not the North East 

I guess with a converted Nissan NV I could stay on BLM land in AZ for free max 2 weeks until I move to a new spot?  Do you think I could stay on BLM and be near a big enough city to find work?

Thanks!

I'm not sure about a lot of the RV parks in my immediate area, as they have seasonal rates that would be lower in summertime. However, you may want to google some phone numbers and call them. We're in Golden Valley, AZ, which is in the northwest area of the state. It's ten minutes from Kingman, 30 minutes from Laughlin, NV. Also, check out Lake Havasu City, population about 50K. There are several RV parks in that area, as well as a ton of BLM land between there and Parker, AZ. Perhaps some job opportunities there for you? The one my dear David called once was about $340 per month in Parker, and about $200 per month here in Golden Valley. You may also consider Nevada, somewhere outside Las Vegas. There is a lot of BLM land in NV, so I thought I'd mention it. 

It will depend on what type of work you do as far as job opportunities. It just seemed to me that PA can get rather cold in winter in an RV, and it would cost you a fortune to stay warm. Not only that, but the fact that you can't move it on your own, especially if you wanted to travel to another region of the country. If jobs dry up in one place, you could just start the engine and move on. 

 

[akrvbob]

Most National Forests don't plow the roads and you can't stay in them in the winter. In the desert it's very easy to park fairly near to bigger towns, but you'll run into some very bad heat. That'll mean you have to run a generator to have an AC. Some towns you can park within 20 miles easily:

Victorville, CA
Barstow, CA
El Centro, CA
Yuma, AZ
Parker, AZ
Kingman, AZ
Lake Havasu, AZ
Tuscan, AZ
Pahrump, NV
Bob

 

[GotSmart]

Then there are details such as flash floods.  Rair, but one of those can ruin everything.

 

[akrvbob]

If you can get within 10-15 miles, an electric bike would make boondocking a viable option. Ideally you do most of the pedaling and the electric is a supplement. Today's batteries make 30 miles round trip do-able with you mainly doing the pedaling it helping with hills and as you tire.

It would be best if your employer would let you come in and charge it inside. Then it's easy.
Bob

 

[ghost]

Most National Forests don't plow the roads and you can't stay in them in the winter. In the desert it's very easy to park fairly near to bigger towns, but you'll run into some very bad heat. That'll mean you have to run a generator to have an AC. Some towns you can park within 20 miles easily:

Victorville, CA
Barstow, CA
El Centro, CA
Yuma, AZ
Parker, AZ
Kingman, AZ
Lake Havasu, AZ
Tuscan, AZ
Pahrump, NV
Bob

You're the man sir 

 

[Fivealive]

You would be more comfortable near one of those small towns, however dwelling and working out of big cities is not impossible, thousands of folks do just that.  I am currently working and dwelling in the bay area, doing freelance IT work.  San Jose, San Fran and Oakland are all very tolerent of folks parked and sleeping on side streets. Just don't try a bay area Walmart because they all ban it.  I've also worked and dwelled on the streets of LA San Diego Portland and Seattle without any issues.   I do the cycle approach, I'll stay in the big city and work for a while then I'll go travel to remote places for a while, etc etc.

 

[USExplorer]

I stayed in Detroit last year next to a hippie couple squatting on an abandoned lot with their fifth wheel. They ran temporary hoses and extension cords from the nearby occupied house that I was staying in.

I would like to add some more places you likely could live within 20 miles of on public land.

Jackson Wyoming (lots of good paying jobs in the summer)
Henderson Nevada
St George Utah
Cedar City Utah
Santaquin, Payson, Spanish Fork Utah
Flagstaff and Prescott Arizona

 

[Photogal39Travels]

USExplorer

Jackson Wyoming (lots of good paying jobs in the summer)
Henderson Nevada
St George Utah
Cedar City Utah
Santaquin, Payson, Spanish Fork Utah
Flagstaff and Prescott Arizona

Very true. I've been to all of these places. They all have their own uniqueness & beauty.

 

[eDJ_]

It is an interesting concept if you are pre "mobile".  

Say a guy has something like this and can put it in a trailer park not too far from town.

Then imagine the bicycle at the back end of it is his bike that he rides in his commuting.


If he needs to move the trailer he rides bike over to U Haul and gets one of these $19.99  a day Pick Up's
or Vans and moves it to where ever he wants it.

I'm guessing that these Pick Up's & Vans could be rented for one way service.

But in this you'd have the combination of a "Tiny House" and "Mobility on Demand".

Here holding a membership to any of the Gym's (like Planet Fitness) would serve for a place to clean up if the trailer didn't have such a facility in it.

But a person could work and travel in this manner if they didn't have a tow vehicle.

 

[bullfrog]

Tadpole did the above except when he bought the trailer seller agreed to transport and set up to show us trailer systems worked. Tadpole had a job at Lake Powell and it came with employee trailer lot. When job was done he just sold to new employee. We rented Uhaul but had to modify our hitch to fit the Uhaul hitch to tow our trailer to our next seasonal job, had a tow service lined up just in case at 2 dollars a mile just in case, but Uhaul was better because we used box to haul goods needing transport any way. It can be done but be sure job will last long enough to pay for next move or you may be forced to sell.

 

[ghost]

It is an interesting concept if you are pre "mobile".  

Say a guy has something like this and can put it in a trailer park not too far from town.

Then imagine the bicycle at the back end of it is his bike that he rides in his commuting.


If he needs to move the trailer he rides bike over to U Haul and gets one of these $19.99  a day Pick Up's
or Vans and moves it to where ever he wants it.

I'm guessing that these Pick Up's & Vans could be rented for one way service.

But in this you'd have the combination of a "Tiny House" and "Mobility on Demand".

Here holding a membership to any of the Gym's (like Planet Fitness) would serve for a place to clean up if the trailer didn't have such a facility in it.

But a person could work and travel in this manner if they didn't have a tow vehicle.

Bingo!

 

[DannyB1954]

Curious why you want a 5th wheel when you don't have a pickup. A bumper pull will make available a whole lot more people that could move it for you. Most pickup trucks have a receiver hitch.
Also here in Nevada if a moped has less than 50cc, you don't have to register it. You can't go on major highways, but I don't think you would want to ride a bike on one either.

 

[highdesertranger]

another point, just because they will rent you a truck doesn't mean you can tow with it. there is a whole different contract if you want to tow. those 20 buck rentals are for in town without towing. highdesertranger