Want to live full time - in one spot

[lpthomas]

So, yeah, hi!  I've been talking about living in a camper for years.  I'm about to come into a little money and I'm going to DO IT!  I might hate it.  I think I'll love it.  I just am so confused about what to buy!  Whatever I buy will be used but do I want a big ole hog 1998 Coleman or Prowler type deal....and make half of it a work space?  I don't need the workspace but don't think I'd ever regret remodeling to include a "room" with a table for sewing.  I really want a live/work space!!  But, if I hate it I also want to resell it.  So I guess I write down my options and begin pros and cons?

Also, I want to live full time in it for a couple of years till my youngest graduates from high school in 2022.  How does one live in a camper in IOWA full time, economically.  No boondocking year round here.  Plus I think if you LIVE there, it's not considered boon docking anymore.

Any advice, tips, links you'd like to share, I'd love to read!
Thank you!
...LPT

 

[DannyB1954]

You might want to start in the middle as far as size goes. This will tell you if you need more room or less. Say you went with a van or minivan. You could also use an enclosed trailer as a hobby shop. I guess the first decision is are you comfortable towing something.
Maybe rent an RV for a week or two.

 

[trailer-t]

If "in one spot" means on a private lot or land outside an RV Park, you need to check on zoning and land use restrictions
in your state / County.

 

[highdesertranger]

Welcome LPT 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.

highdesertranger

 

[crofter]

Welcome lpt!

Doesn't it get cold in Iowa?

There are some trailers built for winter use in cold climates. Also one built for fishing on frozen lakes. Or you could super insulate whatever you buy.  

-crofter

 

[tx2sturgis]

Look for a 2 bedroom park model trailer built for your climate zone and have it placed in an RV or mobile home park near your desired area.

 

[jacqueg]

So, yeah, hi!  I've been talking about living in a camper for years.  I'm about to come into a little money and I'm going to DO IT!  I might hate it.  I think I'll love it.  I just am so confused about what to buy!  Whatever I buy will be used but do I want a big ole hog 1998 Coleman or Prowler type deal....and make half of it a work space?  I don't need the workspace but don't think I'd ever regret remodeling to include a "room" with a table for sewing.  I really want a live/work space!!  But, if I hate it I also want to resell it.  So I guess I write down my options and begin pros and cons?

Also, I want to live full time in it for a couple of years till my youngest graduates from high school in 2022.  How does one live in a camper in IOWA full time, economically.  No boondocking year round here.  Plus I think if you LIVE there, it's not considered boon docking anymore.

Any advice, tips, links you'd like to share, I'd love to read!
Thank you!
...LPT

I think that full-time RV living in one place in Iowa depends entirely on your cold tolerance. Most RVs are designed for spring-summer-fall travel. The RVs that are designed for midwest levels of winter cold are not cheap. And even if you personally are fine with living cold, your plumbing may not be. 

If your goal is to cut your living expenses and save money, you might be better off renting a room in someone's house and downsizing into it. That will give you practice on living in a small space, and that will help when you actually buy an RV.

The other option would be to find an RV parking spot on someone's land. But whether you use propane or electricity to heat your RV, it will most likely cost more than a comparably sized room in a house.

 

[ckelly78z]

If you are thinking about Wintering in IOWA, you will need to consider what it will take to keep you, and your trailer functioning, and warm. I would set up some insulated skirting around the entire trailer to prevent wind from blowing underneath you. You may want to look into alternative forms of heat like the the mini-cubic woodstove, or an outdoor wood boiler that could send hot air, and water indoors to you.

You will probably want to seal the windows, and insulate the floors, walls, and ceiling to prevent heat loss, possibly set up a wind deflector of some sort....it's going to be alot of work to stay warm during the upper Mid-West Winters.

 

[Cammalu]

A toy hauler will give you living space as well as a quilting room. If you don’t want to ever travel though a house would be a better option as there won’t be the depreciation that you will encounter with any vehicle or RV.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

Also, I want to live full time in it for a couple of years till my youngest graduates from high school in 2022.  How does one live in a camper in IOWA full time, economically.  No boondocking year round here.

A couple of thoughts from someone who has wintered in Minnesota:

Take a look at an 'Ice Castle' or similar ice fishing trailer.  They are built as a winter shelter.  There is a young lady who wintered in Northern Minnesota last winter in one; maybe she will chime in.

Water and sewer are going to be your biggest problems.  If you have no hookups how are you going to keep your black and grey tanks thawed and where are you going to dump them?  How are you going to keep your water line from source to RV from freezing?

It takes way more wood than you think to heat.  
 - Where are you going to get it?  
 - Where are you going to store it?
 - What are you going to do with the ashes?
Plan on a cord of wood (128 cu. ft.) for every 300 sq. ft. of heated space, more for poor insulation or poor quality wood.
The smaller the wood stove the more often you have to feed it.

Propane heat is easily doable but it will get expensive if you have to heat under the trailer.
RV furnaces are not as reliable as home furnaces.  What is your backup plan if the furnace fails?

In a small space humidity will be a problem, the smaller the space the bigger the problem.  Cooking will probably be your biggest source.

Always have a plan B and a plan C for living arrangements.  Living without heat, without running water, without sewer, without power is difficult anytime - it can be deadly in the winter.

 

[Stargazer]

I lived in a 15 ft camper trailer for a year and a 31 ft fifth wheel for four years, in an RV park in central Texas.  It was my home base while I traveled in my van and Class B.  Neither was made for cold weather, as far as insulation was concerned.  Winters had a few weeks of temps in the high teens to low 20's, more in the 30's.  Skirting was not allowed.  Site rent started at $315/mo plus electric ($100-150/month), ended at $500/mo as they raised rents over time.

Everybody insulated their water hoses with pipe wrap. Mine froze once at the brass connection.  My holding tanks had heating pads.  The gate valve on the black tank froze shut once; I filled the tank with hot water and along with a warmer day, it thawed.  The underbelly was heated if I used the propane furnace but the water line to the water heater froze once.  Luckily the line did not split.  It thawed on its own.

I used electric heat mostly because taking the two 30# propane tanks to be refilled once a week during peak usage was difficult, they are heavy when full.  And why is it they always seemed to run out in the middle of the night??  When using a small electric space heater, I had to shut it off if I used another electric appliance to avoid overloading the circuit and flipping a breaker.  My electric bill, at 11.9 cents per kwh would run between $100 and $150 a month.  Propane wasn't any cheaper.

All but two small windows were well covered, it was dark.  The walls were always cold in winter and all furniture is close to the walls.

RV fridges don't work well in really cold or hot weather.  Some in larger rigs swapped them out for home fridges, if they could fit one through the entry door.

Mouse chewed wiring, in spite of all the steps I took to keep them out of the underbelly.  And believe me, I did it all to keep them out.  Cost $125 to fix.

Checked battery every month or two for water level.  Cleaned the roof several times a year, not a fun thing as it was slippery when wet and I don't do well with heights..

Dumped and rinsed holding tanks once a week.  Some kept their valves open.  They are the ones who had to deal with blocked drain hoses.

You can get a heated water hose (expensive and don't last long according to reviews), a large horizontal propane tank and cover/insulate windows.

You will have to keep a close eye on all systems because when something does break it tends to damage something else. 

In spite of it all, I really liked it  I learned a LOT about electricity and plumbing.  And water conservation -- with a six gallon water heater, there are no long hot showers.  I also became friends with a very good mobile RV tech because when something needs repair, the dealers will keep your rig for weeks or months.  Nobody else was allowed to touch my RV.  I learned that the hard way.

In IOWA, it will be more difficult and probably a challenge to stay comfortable but it is doable.  Personally, I probably wouldn't if I had a choice but that is hindsight and as I have aged, excitement isn't as fun as it used to be.

 

[Stargazer]

And...what Spiff says!  Backup plans!

When I knew it was going to be very cold, I would turn off the water at the source, drain water lines, fill jugs until weather warmed up.

I had three electric heaters so if one broke...or if the furnace broke...and my Mr Heater Buddy and six small green propane bottles as backup for all of that.  And my Coleman camp stove.

And when something goes wrong and it will, it is so fun to crawl around under the RV in cold wet windy weather, or deal with frozen water hoses or sewer lines or empty propane tanks, especially at night.  Woo hoo! 

You can do this?  In IOWA?  Why so many spend winters in the west and deserts, lol!

 

[NctryBen]

Even in Iowa, I’d cringe a bit thinking about living in an rv or anything like it. I live in northern Minnesota. It get 30 - 40 below at times and I’ll take that over minus 25 with a stiff wind. Your much better off staying in sticks and bricks until your child graduates. Unless you can convince your kid to relocate to a warmer climate with you. Just a couple more years... put that money away for two years, let it grow.

 

[DannyB1954]

I was going to mention a few cheap places in Arizona and Nevada then realized you wanted to stay in Iowa. I would say shop for a 4 season RV. they have more insulation. This helps in winter and summer.