The big PIA with a dually is parking, I just back in to parking places. After a while you get used to it and it ain't no big deal. Oh, and then there's buying six tires, that kinda sucks.:eek1
I don't know what this fine box is, but I saw it yesterday in Ft. Pierce, Florida. Nobody was around, but I haven't seen one before.
not sure but i bet its a not a great insulator. I used the metalic stuff they sell in sheets at home depot then cut to fit the windows and then velcro to pull back sections to allow light. Very ghetto but i use the rig in snow so function is at a premium. Looks like you wont get below freezing but attack any areas where drafts come in and since you have a hookup a space heater with tip over protection might work. Thats not a bad view!
That seems to be the popular solution around here, although in this area it's heat, not cold that folks need to guard against.
For insulation help try furniture blankets, the kind used by movers. I use them in flight to plug up the drafts where my camera deploys through the airplane. You'll also get some sound isolation as well. I'm close to pulling the trigger on a similar vintage class c. For the last few years I've been heading out to So Cal around February for a few months just to remind some clients that I'm still alive. Usually I take the truck and bike and stay with a friend. Even though my friend is great and the invite still stands, I want to do the RV thing. The wife and I did a few months in my parents class A in 03 and I've been itching to do it again. The biggest obstacle for me now is the lack of "sanctioned camp space" near the Greater Burbank Metropolitan area. I don't mind grabbing some shut-eye in a parking lot, but the idea of street camping for two months is out of the question. Plus those sunsets don't look quite as pretty from the parking lot of Ralphs
Mine is a 24' and I've decided that it's about 4' too short. Other than the rear queen, there's no room to kick back. The dinette seat is only good for about a half hour. When I made the leap, I need to find something that would hold my 42" plasma TV.
just been to the NZ Campervan expo at the weekend but my camera died half way round...argh! will post up what pics i took later on today....
24 is what I'm looking for but keep going back and forth on ideal length. Having that lounge space has advantages. For me still the biggest thing is a real bed, not something that has to be converted from a couch or dinette. Is your tv mounted to anything or do you stow it when under way?
Re the TV: It sits on the platform, but is braced w/ 2 channel columns and angle braces that I made from aluminum angle stock. Only the left one is shown. The right side was made after the pix was shot. When on the road, I strap together, although I'm perty sure it would travel ok w/o the strap. Re the bed: My rear corner queen is quite comfy, albeit a pain in the ass to change. I'm still trying to figure a way to change it with a bum leg and arm. I would like another place to lounge, however while the mattress catches it's breath.
Where do you dump? I've been "boondocking" at a couple of races and get-togethers and going straight home where I don't really have a way to get rid of Black and Gray water at home. I have been going out of the way to get to parks and use their stations when available. In the past I have seen rest areas with dump stations (probably in MS) but now that I need one, the ones I went through in TN didn't have them.
I created my own dump station at home. I park our trailer next the house, just outside the kitchen. There's a drain cleanout coming through the wall there. A few adapters later, and I have my own personal dump station. Only problem is that it's about 2 feet above ground. Easy solution though, either buy a Macerator pump, or a Sewer Solution. Personally I use a Sewer Solution which works just fine, though it takes quite a while. If you are lucky, you'll have a cleanout in your driveway, or front yard somewhere you can just tap into and do it super simple, just gravity like a dump station.
Have you tried calling your Dept of Public Works, sewer division? Many towns with sewer processing allow free RV dumping but are rarely publicized. My town didn't allow it but the next town did.
Right on, thank you for the heads up. I've been looking around a bit trying to get an idea of what things would run $$ wise.
We (my wife, three kids, dog, and I) are considering full time RV living. We move a lot due to the military and think we could pay off our rig and truck...instead of paying $2k per month for our rent, we could save more than half of it with the right rig AND pay it off. We are considering the Raptor toy hauler or a higher end model that can be lived in for the next 3-4 years. Feedback we get from friends and family is that we're crazy. I think I would purchase a portable garage for the bikes and/or pay for a storage area for other stuff. We tend to move every two to three years and there are numerous military campgrounds. Our kids are adventurous (2,6, and 8) and resilient. We have 10 more months on our lease and I look forward to the possibilities. I'm enjoying this thread...
As long as they don't send you to Greenland it sounds like a plan to me. I'm not sure about the rules but as you said there are military RV parks at many bases.
May I post a critical view of this plan? Kids need space of their own. This is more than a camping trip. While I may be all wet and they handle it fine, I think for them it would get old very quickly. Even the largest park model 5th wheel would get VERY small VERY fast with three young children. You basically have one bedroom, one (small) bathroom and a kitchen/great room. That's it. Basically a 320 square foot studio apartment. I urge you to really think this one out before pulling the trigger on it. Really understand you will be living in that for years on end. Not a month trip to the coast. Just being able to carry the supplies a family of 5 needs to survive week to week would be a stretch. No going to Costco to save money because you would need to buy in small quantities due to lack of storage space for a case of TP, etc. You get my point. Just think about it. I have known too many retired couples with no kids go batshit crazy trying to full time. 3 kids would amplify the problem multiple times over. It's for the kids, man.
What Sasquatch said x buh-zillion! Let me add some more onion to your shit sandwich. Even the best RVs that will stand up to full time, will crumble under the destructive nature of growing children. In any RV everything you touch, turn, push or pull is done with a gentle touch. They don't do well to with slamming, stomping, yanking or shoving. I would hazard to say that after a few years you're not going to have an RV worth anything. So even if it's paid for what do you do with it? Trade on a new unit and keep paying? Give the kids some walls and real furniture. Do the RV thing when it's just the two if you.