Jump to content


Photo
- - - - -

Living year-round in a pop-up camper


  • Please log in to reply
10 replies to this topic

#1 sashment

sashment

    Newbie

  • Members
  • Pip
  • 4 posts

Posted 11 July 2018 - 07:36 PM

My husband and I, and our two dogs, are planning on living full-time in our camper starting next summer.  We're just wondering if anyone has any experience with this ... any tips on what we'll absolutely need to take and any tricks you've learned.

 

Getting proven, reliable internet coverage is important ... any thoughts?

 

We are experienced backpackers, so we're used to minimal living, but if there are folks who have done this before, it's great to get their advice.


Edited by sashment, 11 July 2018 - 07:38 PM.

  • 0

#2 Wandering Sagebrush

Wandering Sagebrush

    Free Range Human

  • Site Team
  • 10,574 posts
  • LocationNortheast Oregon

Posted 11 July 2018 - 07:44 PM

Reach out to Ray and Kay Fox. They’ve been fulltiming about 4 years now. I’ve run into them several times, lastly in Anza Borrego this March.

https://www.truckcam...r-wheel-camper/

I think they are members here, and also on Facebook as well.

NikonRon might be able to help you connect.
  • 0

I am haunted by waters


#3 sashment

sashment

    Newbie

  • Members
  • Pip
  • 4 posts

Posted 11 July 2018 - 10:47 PM

Thanks, Wandering Sagebrush!  Excellent resource.


  • 0

#4 Missing Link

Missing Link

    Senior Member

  • Members
  • 507 posts
  • LocationFoothills of the Southern Sierra

Posted 12 July 2018 - 12:34 AM

We too ran into Ray and Kay in Valley of Fire S. P.  Went over to say "hello," and ended up spending a great deal of time listening to their stories from the road.  BTW, they are in a Tacoma/Eagle rig, so they really need to make the most efficient use of space.  You will learn a great deal from them.  There are several other "full-timers" in pop ups that frequent this site from time-to-time; perhaps someone on here will refer you to their threads. 


  • 1

2017 F150 with 2017 Hawk


#5 knoxswift

knoxswift

    Senior Member

  • Members
  • 219 posts
  • LocationAshburn, Virginia

Posted 12 July 2018 - 01:43 AM

🍿😁
Going to watch this topic the most I've done was 6 months...
  • 0

#6 DavidGraves

DavidGraves

    Senior Member

  • Members
  • 1,267 posts

Posted 12 July 2018 - 03:23 AM

Howdy

 

We full timed for a year and have made maybe thirty years of summer trips.

 

We have enjoyed greatly volunteering for assorted state or national agencies other than camp hosting.

 

We have been very lucky with volunteer positions where we were actually supporting an enployee in their day to day work.

 

Volunteer.gov is a handy clearing house for oppurtunities.  

 

I am sure you have some reasons for your plan....

 

To travel ? To choose a new home region ? To escape this or engage that ?

 

Those reasons will strongly guide your choices.

 

Travel well !

 

David Graves  


  • 0

#7 sashment

sashment

    Newbie

  • Members
  • Pip
  • 4 posts

Posted 13 July 2018 - 11:01 PM

Thanks, David.  We were discussing just yesterday wanting to volunteer while we're on the road.  Our primary motivation is to simply live with as little noise, stress, stuff, schedule, asphalt, traffic, etc. as possible.  My husband is retired and I can pretty much work wherever I can get internet.  We basically see our camper as a luxurious tent - bear proof, snake proof, bug proof, great windows, and you can stand up in it!   We plan on living day-to-day as we would if we we're backpacking/camping to save on the wear and tear of the camper.  We'll cook outside and try to stay out of weather requiring the use of the furnace.

 

People ask us what our "end game" is when "we're finished" ... at first that seemed like a good question, but as far as we can imagine, why would we want to live any other way (health permitting)?  We have already begun giving away the things we won't need.  Our house is pretty small as it is, but it's amazing to see what one accumulates - I realized we pay our mortgage for what is basically storage of things we never needed in the first place.  My husband and I, and our lab and Yorkie, tend to share the same space when we're at home.  Sitting on the couch or across from each other at a table ... none of this takes more than a couple dozen square feet.  The rest of the space is just full of stuff -- a fridge we forget there is stuff in the bottom of; a bunch of cabinets with duplicate pots, plates, cups; dressers full of clothes that we probably couldn't tell you what they were. 

 

It's kind of funny ... we've talked about doing this for years, and then we'd feel the gravity of mass from the things we own pulling us back to the black hole ... like an event horizon.  And part of the event horizon is unsubstantiated fear ... fear of change is real, for sure, but other than that, I'm going to fear getting a tooth ache no matter where I live.  I'm going to fear my dog's getting old no matter where I live.  I'm going to fear become a geezer ( ;) ) no matter where I live.  I may as well live, while it's an option, where I want to, not with the things I think I want.

 

Aside from loved ones, unscheduled time and an abundance of shade and evergreens is all I need.  No more driving to an office to earn money to drive my car back home to order incense that smells like balsam fir to have it delivered in a giant truck. 

 

Or then again ... maybe we should stay ... ;)


  • 0

#8 Optimistic Paranoid

Optimistic Paranoid

    Senior Member

  • Members
  • 213 posts

Posted 14 July 2018 - 03:41 PM

Getting proven, reliable internet coverage is important ... any thoughts?

 

Go over to the Mobile Internet Resource Center:

 

https://www.rvmobileinternet.com/


  • 0

Regards

John

Rule #1 For Wandering The West: DON'T FEED THE VULTURES!

I Don't Like To Make Plans.  They Cause The Word "Premeditated" To Get Used In Court.

My Body Is A Temple!  Ancient, Falling Apart, Probably Cursed . . .


#9 nikonron

nikonron

    Senior Member

  • Members
  • 576 posts
  • Locationowensboro,ky

Posted 14 July 2018 - 10:29 PM

Ray and Kay are here in Kentucky at the moment, catching up and getting ready to head back west.  Ron


  • 0

#10 sashment

sashment

    Newbie

  • Members
  • Pip
  • 4 posts

Posted 15 July 2018 - 05:39 PM

Thanks for the link, Optimistic Paranoid ... great resource.

And thanks Nikonron for kindly telling us about Ray and Kay.  I guess at this point, if we could find out what there name is on Facebook, and if they'd accept us as friends, we could PM them with a few questions as we gather them.

 

We're still a year about, but it's invaluable to have contact with people who wandered before us :).


  • 0




0 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users