Full timers: how long, and what have you learned?

[lbdesign]

After 4 years in a 22' CCD, I'm feeling cramped and I want to design a Tiny House to my own specs, rather than fitting my life around the lovely design that AS provided me with. I'm wondering if that's just me, or an inevitable reaction.

How long have you been full-timing?
Do you park rooted in one place, or do you travel?
How long will you continue?
What led you to full-timing, and what would make you stop?
What would you do differently if you could?
How much space is enough?
Do you ever dream about a Tiny House instead of your AS?
How do you handle maintenance in something you'd rather not tow to a dealer (and become temporarily homeless)?
What other thoughts would you want prospective full-timers to know?

Thanks in advance for the benefit of your experiences!

[PhilipKS]

I've been living in mine since September of 2011. I still love my Airstream, but there are issues. Since I can't flee south in winter, I have to admit that an AS is not designed for winter living, nor high summer in the SW unless you can park under full shade. Of the two season failure, winter is the one when I think most of living in a brick and stick again. I've moved twice since I started living in a house with more wheels than my car, which is the best advantage of full time living. It is easy to change one's address.

While I've never considered a Tiny House that was not my Airstream, I've often thought of the best solution for the seasonal disadvantages is to build an oversized garage of sorts, with wall of windows on one side (curb side), which could simulate a camp ground living room, especially since I'm living too far north (NE Central Kansas). Add a full bathroom/kitchen and spare bedroom, perhaps, and you have a garage-dominium for your AS. Or go full tilt and build a two story garage, with the upper an apartment for use as a base. Sorta defeats the purpose of tiny house living, though. Oh well.

To answer some of your other questions: I started full timing because I had already refurnished a house twice. I thought it would be easier if I could just move my home into storage if I moved overseas again.

Initially I had to live near my ailing mother to see to her end of life experience. I have some freedom to live where the wind takes me now, but that seems to have been Kansas, a place I love/hate. What I do now depends upon how rooted I become. I need to ensure retirement income so I can truly full time on the road. I need to decide if my roots need to be here (friends, but sadly no more family), or someplace more 'tropic'. Time will tell!

[mandolindave]

There are disadvantages to most lifestyles. Whatever they may be, they get very annoying after awhile, so, many full timers leave the road after awhile.

I planned on living my life out in the country, so I bought a very secluded property, semi off grid. It is a lot of work. I realized that when my body got old and weaker, that I would not be able to handle the physical chores that go along with being semi off grid.

My point is….there is very little talk about getting off the road

[lbdesign]

Philip, I'm sorry about your mom. I also downsized into the AS in order to have the flexibility to take care of my dad. Now that he's gone, I'm deciding what's next as well.
I've also thought of building a Butler building! Or something similar, to shelter the Airstream and extend the living space. Though my wet bath is not ideal, so I'd want a different AS with a separate shower, and then the expense increases to the point where modular or conventional construction could provide a more practical, functional home. I have a nearby neighbor who took a non-Airstream trailer from the 50s, put a shed roof over it, and attached a trailer-sized stick-built addition onto the side of it, doubling his space. So the trailer is the kitchen, and the addition is the living space.

The idea of designing a shelter that suits my needs perfectly is compelling, though.
You could relocate someplace warmer and not too expensive for sure.

Originally Posted by PhilipKS

I've been living in mine since September of 2011. I still love my Airstream, but there are issues. Since I can't flee south in winter, I have to admit that an AS is not designed for winter living, nor high summer in the SW unless you can park under full shade. Of the two season failure, winter is the one when I think most of living in a brick and stick again. I've moved twice since I started living in a house with more wheels than my car, which is the best advantage of full time living. It is easy to change one's address.

While I've never considered a Tiny House that was not my Airstream, I've often thought of the best solution for the seasonal disadvantages is to build an oversized garage of sorts, with wall of windows on one side (curb side), which could simulate a camp ground living room, especially since I'm living too far north (NE Central Kansas). Add a full bathroom/kitchen and spare bedroom, perhaps, and you have a garage-dominium for your AS. Or go full tilt and build a two story garage, with the upper an apartment for use as a base. Sorta defeats the purpose of tiny house living, though. Oh well.

To answer some of your other questions: I started full timing because I had already refurnished a house twice. I thought it would be easier if I could just move my home into storage if I moved overseas again.

Initially I had to live near my ailing mother to see to her end of life experience. I have some freedom to live where the wind takes me now, but that seems to have been Kansas, a place I love/hate. What I do now depends upon how rooted I become. I need to ensure retirement income so I can truly full time on the road. I need to decide if my roots need to be here (friends, but sadly no more family), or someplace more 'tropic'. Time will tell!

[B_Pi]

We are 1 year into our full time AS life. We have traveled through 20 states west of the Mississippi, staying for two months each in Mississippi and Missouri to be with friends and family and help out with post surgery recovery. Nothing beats connecting with family and friends for a non-rushed visit that ends when you want it to. We are rooted in Desert Hot Springs California for 4 months - mainly to winter over in a nice warm place with hot mineral water. We planned on staying in coastal southern Oregon all summer 2015 but our plans have changed to some international travels (without AS).

So far, no serious problems with our 1997 25' Safari. Ongoing pesky issues like water heater not firing without frequent cleaning of igniter anode, gray tank leak when partially filled, smelly gray tank odors which took us nearly the year to figure, thinking it was the black tank all this time etc.

We are very happy living this nomadic life and only occasionally think about and discuss settling down somewhere. Because we have retired, are healthy and active and relatively young, we have lots more to do and see before we park permanently.
Geocaching is something we really enjoy too. If you haven't geocached, check it out. This fun pastime activity has lots of great benefits like exercise, historical discoveries and meeting new people.

When you can pick your location based on weather and activities/interests, the world is wide open.

Living outside of the US is something else we'd like to do.

We'll see...

Best wishes and happy travels.

[timmaah]

Originally Posted by B_Pi

smelly gray tank odors which took us nearly the year to figure

Care to share what it was? We basically have the same trailer as you (and full time as well) and have a grey tank odor from time to time.

[07007]

Six years full time in a Big 43' Bus traveling coast to coast, NE-SW, N-S, NW, SE wintering in Fl and 5yrs in Rockport, Tx north of Corpus Christie.

The joy of having the woman I love riding beside me, seeing what we have seen, meeting so many wonderful people from such divers backgrounds and sharing happy hour from 4-5 in lawn chairs chatting about our days our experiences. Telling good jokes, drinking wine. Going back to the rig and preparing a nice meal and watching a Netflix or Red Box movie. Stay up as long as we want, sleep as long as we want until the dogs take over our daily lives (ie we have truly gone to the dogs!) Seeing sooo many things.

I remember before buying an RV we went to a RV show in Hershey Pa. and attending a seminar about full timing. One of the topics was about having an exit strategy. At the time that seemed to be the farthest thing from my mind and felt that we would be full time forever or the wheels went square. We did not have a strategy and it cost us dearly. Big $ !

As we have gotten older, age related health issues (nah we would not have any of those) are becoming more of a problem. Hard to be on the road and deal with illness that requires longer term care than a office visit. So at age 69 we hung up the keys to the Big Rig and bought a 30' AS and drove from Portland Or (no sales tax) and bought a 3 BR 2 Bath in northern Fl. We lived in the AS for 2.5 months and after the 43' the walls were beginning to cramp our style and temperaments. We are now renovating it to be more comfortable for just the two of us for a few weeks or months of non winter camping.

But now some of my joys are watching movies and TV and seeing places we have been and saying to myself... ya I remember being there and for me it is the memories that we have stored in our minds and the stimulants that come out of the blue and bring back those fond memories of those place and what we did there that are the unexpected joys. As we look forward to the time we have left we hope to continue with grace to continue that journey until the wheel go square.

[safari]

I have been living in a 25' Safari for over 10 years and really like the lifestyle. I mostly stay rooted. I also have a pickup camper for most traveling. I intend to spend the rest of my life (now 78) "trailerin".

Before retiring I had decided to devote the rest of my life to volunteer work around the USA. I purchased the trailer in 1999 and retired in 2006. It's great to go where the opportunities open up. I don't think I will stop full timin' until I become infirm looking to the high 90's.

What would I do differently, well, I would have done far more research before purchasing. I have been shocked with the poor workmanship in the Safari (I bought it new). The exterior is OK but the interior and infrastructure (plumbing and electrical) are trash. I choose Airstream because of the name, bad mistake.

I like the tiny house concept but will probably stick to the AS as I have put so much into correcting Thor's poor quality. I do my own maintenance. Fortunately I am gifted in this way.

If you are considering full timin' look over the unseeable part of your rig. The unseeables are the things that don't hold up well under 24/7 stress

[badkat]

Everyone is very specific on their needs. Just have to figure out yours. We have been on the road 2 yrs and love it. First year you travel a lot then slow down and slow down but still see wonderful parts of this great country. We are not ready to stop. Just got to search your own soul.

[demijac]

Here's our answers to your questions:

Q: How long have you been full-timing?
A: 15 months

Q: Do you park rooted in one place, or do you travel?
A: Our goal is to travel the US and Canada in the Airstream 10 months per
year and spend two months a year at our home base on the Oregon
Coast. Most of the year, we rarely stay in one place longer than two
nights.

Q: How long will you continue?
A: The original plan was to make this an 11 year gig. So far, so good.

Q: What led you to full-timing, and what would make you stop?
A: We were looking for a way to see all of the U.S. and Canada at a more
affordable cost with as few constraints as possible. Haven't thought too
much about what would make us stop; we are loving this lifestyle so far.
Maybe it would take a serious health or family issue to alter our calculus.

Q: What would you do differently if you could?
A: Outfit the trailer with a more powerful combination of batteries, inverter
and solar that would enable us to run more things while boondocking.

Q: How much space is enough?
A: That answer is different for everybody. For us, we like our 27FB Classic -
plenty of room for two full-timers, maximum parking flexibility at
RV parks and campgrounds and easy to pull with a 1/2 ton pickup truck.
We may trade-up to a longer model down the road when we stop moving
around so much.

Q: Do you ever dream about a Tiny House instead of your AS?
A: Yes; but not because we are tired of Airstreaming. It's more about where
we want to live after we stop full-timing. We look at our Airstream
voyages as an opportunity to discover places where we might want to
settle down someday.

Q: How do you handle maintenance in something you'd rather not tow to a dealer (and become temporarily homeless)?
A: We just handle the minor things by ourselves. For anything major, we
rely on Airstream or Camping World dealerships for emergency repairs.
This can be a problem for us because we are rarely in one place for long
and do not have a rigid travel plan or schedule. We make it a point to
look for Airstream dealers who are open to taking us on short notice and
who will also let us overnight on premises during the repair if necessary.
For truly major repairs, we would bite the travel bullet and schedule some
time at the Airstream Factory in Jackson Center, Ohio. We also schedule
a regular annual inspection, preventative maintenance and fix for minor
repairs/warranty issues at our home base Airstream dealer in Oregon.

Q: What other thoughts would you want prospective full-timers to know?
A: Happy wife; happy life!!!! - even more important living in a small space.

And finally, if you haven't considered this already, there are eight Airstream-only parks in the U.S. Their monthly and annual rates are a steal and depending on your membership level, some let you buy lots and build small houses, sheds, shelters and garages. We've been to one in Hillsboro, TX where you can buy property and even build a regular brick house.

Hope this helps.

[lbdesign]

I pretty much stay in one place, so towability is less of a concern for me than I thought it would be initially.
Buying land in a park would be fantastic! If I liked the area...

[dbj216]

In a separate thread we estimated full timing budget is about $3500 a month. There is a lot of variation in this of course.

Do you full timers find this a reasonable estimate of the cost of full timing?

David

[lbdesign]

What are you counting in that budget? Food and incidentals too, or just gas, insurance, parking, propane?

[demijac]

We would love to get our monthly full timing budget down to $3,500. Are you counting total expenses or just Airstream related expenses? We count all expenses; not just Airstream related expenses. You?

[Del Gurney]

This works for me, 4 years now, the trailer has held up very well sitting up on cinder blocks (every 6 mo. I let it sit on the tires for a week because I've heard it's good for the axels).
Surrounded by farm land but only 15min from anything I want/need.
I think it's important to find a place you like, with good people.
Living in a trailer outside - in this rainy climate - would be not so nice.

It can get below freezing in the barn during rare Northerlies/snow so I
have contingency plans and back up heat options.

Only thing I would do different (and am doing now) is restoring and outfitting an 50 year old trailer to my specs. Because it's a bit of a waste that this '05 25' is not being used as it was intended...out on the road justifying the annual tags and insurance cost.

[B_Pi]

Sorry I don't check back here often...
It seems that small scraps of food which get down into the tank and kind of ferment there is the issue. Here's what we do now: leave gray tank valve open when camped (with a sewer connection) and only close it a day or two prior to draining the black tank. You always want a full or nearly full tank when you drain. The gray tank when full is used to flush the p00p out of your sewer line after draining black tank.
Also, add a little RidX to the tanks. These practices have kept us much less stinky.
Cheers!
Also, get a fine mesh strainer at the .99 store or hardware store for the kitchen sink. This helps A LOT to stop food from going down the drain.

[dbj216]

We tried to account for ALL expenses of living full time in the Airstream including health insurance, etc. It is certainly way more expensive if you maintain an empty house while you full time. Living full time in an RV is not necessarily the lowest cost way to live in retirement. But it can be a lot of fun!

David

[terrencecolp]

Living in the Airstream fulltime has been a great experience. It is so quiet I can hear the clock tick.
Owning your domicile is a cheaper way to live if you can fix things that invariably break.
Keeping a trailer clean is a breeze. With so little square footage, I take out the trash every day, and only keep the essential things.

[Eagle & Bear]

We have been full timing in a 29' 1976 AS for over 7 years and put on over 140,000 miles during that time. Have had a wonderful time exploring the US and met lots of great folks along the way. We bought everything that we thought we needed before we left, eat well (at home) and get by on about $3800 a month. You will need to have a separate fund for tow vehicle repairs if you are on the road much. If you want to attend concerts, go on a cruise, travel to Asia or Europe, eat out more than once a week, etc., I'd guess that $4500 a month would do the trick. Installing a solar panel allows us to boondock on BLM and USFS land and save what we would have spent on an RV space.

[WendyW.]

Eagle & Bear, when you say you bought everything before you started out, does that mean your monthly expenses DON'T include TV and TT loan payments? What is your single biggest monthly expense?

Wendy, still looking