RV Fultiming "Winter Camping" Questions

I’m not new to “winter camping” or 24/7 year round boondocking. I live in an area that gets 5 to 7 months of snow (more on a “cold” year), and usually spends 2 of those months at temps of -20F to -48F before wind chill factors (and living on the coast, we get a lot of high winds all year long). I lived fulltime in a tent since 2006 (no electricity, no running water, etc), during that time we had 3 blizzards (one which buried my tent under 9 feet of snow), 2 ice storms, and 5 hurricanes. So, extreme winter camping is a lifestyle for me. I love the cold and snow, I avoid the heat and hot climates.

I’m upgrading. I’m moving out of the tent and into a motorhome. I have not bought it yet, but the one I’m planning to buy is a 1988 Class A 31′ Georgie Boy TravelMaster. (Which has already been customized for fulltime boondocking, thus why I’m trying for this one first.) If they sell it before I come up with the cash to pay for it, I’ve got a few “back-up RVs” on my list, all are 1980s Class As. (After spending 2 years going in and out of every new and used RV, MH, TT, 5Th in the state I came to the conclusion I prefer the Class As of the ’80s.)

So, here’s the thing. I’ve never lived in a motorhome before. This is going to be a totally new thing for me (as well as being the LARGEST living space I’ve had in 36 years – I lived in a 16′x9′ beach cabin before the tent.). And me, living in the types of places I like to live I’m going to have to make sure it gets winterized for some heavy duty super cold regions. (Once in the motorhome I plan to spend a lot of time boondocking between Maine, Quebec, Yukon, Alaska, Colorado, etc, exploring the coldest iciest parts of North America – it’ll likely never see a warm day again once I own it!).

So my question is: what the heck do I need to do to my motorhome to winterize it? Does anyone have any advice on “RV Boondocking” in extreme cold regions

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This post was written by Wendy C Allen aka EelKat, is copyrighted by The Twighlight Manor Press and was posted on Houseless Living @ http://houselessliving.blogspot.com and reposted at EK’s Star Log @ http://eelkat.wordpress.com and parts of it may also be seen on http://www.squidoo.com/EelKat and http://laughinggnomehollow.proboards.com  If you are reading this from a different location than those listed above, please contact me Wendy C. Allen aka EelKat @ http://laughinggnomehollow.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=viewprofile and let me know where it is you found this post. Plagiarism is illegal and I DO actively pursue offenders. Unless copying a Blog Meme, you do not have permission to copy anything appearing on this blog, including words, art, or photos. This will be your only warning. Thank you and have a glorious day! ~ EelKat

Friday 5 for July 15: Long Journeys; A Blog MeMe

July 15, 2011

Friday 5 for July 15: Long Journeys

Filed under: This Week’s Friday 5 — scrivener @ 4:51 am

Hello, and welcome to this week’s Friday 5! Please copy these questions to your webspace. Answer the questions there; then leave a comment below so we’ll all know where to check out your responses. Please don’t forget to link us from your website!

1. What is the longest distance you’ve traveled (in one trip) by foot?
2. What is the longest trip you’ve taken by car?
3. What is the longest trip you’ve taken by plane?
4. What is the longest trip you’ve taken on some kind of water craft?
5. What is the longest trip you’ve taken aboard a bus or train?

Thanks for participating, and have a long weekend!

Comments (10)

MY ANSWERS:



What is the longest distance you’ve traveled (in one trip) by foot?

13 miles walking around Old Orchard Beach, Maine. I do a lot of walking, but never very long at a time, rarely do I travel more than 4 or 5 miles when walking.

What is the longest trip you’ve taken by car?

From Maine to Utah and back in 1978. Been on hundreds of road trips all over the US, but that was the longest single trip and it took 2 years to get there and back.

What is the longest trip you’ve taken by plane?

None. I’ve never been on a plane.

What is the longest trip you’ve taken on some kind of water craft?

The Pirate Ship tour at StoryLand in Glen, New Hampshire, which is basically a trip around a lake, and you have to row the oars – it’s a Gallows-Ship and requires about 70 rowers to move it.

What is the longest trip you’ve taken aboard a bus or train?

About 7 miles on a Trolly in Old Orchard Beach, Maine. Never been on a train or a bus. Too expensive.

This post was written by Wendy C Allen aka EelKat, is copyrighted by The Twighlight Manor Press and was posted on Houseless Living @ http://houselessliving.blogspot.com and reposted at EK’s Star Log @ http://eelkat.wordpress.com and parts of it may also be seen on http://www.squidoo.com/EelKat and http://laughinggnomehollow.proboards.com  If you are reading this from a different location than those listed above, please contact me Wendy C. Allen aka EelKat @ http://laughinggnomehollow.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=viewprofile and let me know where it is you found this post. Plagiarism is illegal and I DO actively pursue offenders. Unless copying a Blog Meme, you do not have permission to copy anything appearing on this blog, including words, art, or photos. This will be your only warning. Thank you and have a glorious day! ~ EelKat

Info about Living in a Car Full Time

EelKat Maine New Member Joined: 07/27/2010 View Profile  Online

Posted: 07/27/10 10:56am

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2007 Keystone Fuzion wrote:

What’s the pro’s and con’s. What is the greatest advantage fith wheel or motorhome, besides the cost difference in purchase and upkeep? What are the diffence in safety concern?

Can’t answer those questions. We lived in a car. No motorhome, not trailer, nothing. Three people, 2 (big) dogs and a 3 cats in a 4 door sedan, for 9 years straight. =P That was 34 years ago, and I was the kid.

I’ve been part-timing in my car off and on ever since (34 years total).

I’ve am planning on going back into full timing next year. Spending this year getting everything in order. I’ve got a friend who’s letting me keep my car (the very same 1964 Dodge we lived in all those years ago) in his garage and things I want to keep but can’t take on the road, in his attic.

This time around I’ll be living in a 1992 Volvo 240. I’m currently looking for a lightweight travel trailer (probably around 12′) for the Volvo, so that I can take a bed, a toilet, and a few days supply of food along with me. 

For me a VolVo with a 12 foot trailer is all I need. It’s just me and 5 cats, so, I don’t have a need for anything bigger. I’m one of those people who would rather sleep on the ground in a sleeping bag, than sleep in a bed, so I would only need the bed when it rains. I don’t need a stove because I tend to eat stuff raw (apples, nuts, sandwiches, etc), and whenever one is around, I tend to do all my eating at SubWay anyways! LOL! 

I’m very much an outdoor person, so I don’t need a house, seeing as I never stay inside. That means I also don’t need a TV, chairs, table, and practically everything else that comes with a big camper/trailer/motorhome. I’m never indoors long enough to use them, so why get a camper that has them?

I don’t need a shower, because I tend to go from beach to beach and it’s a simple matter to bath in a rinse off stall while wearing a bikini. And yes, I have even done that on Christmas day when the below zero wind chill on the beach was -48F. I go to Lobster Dips and Polar Bear Dips on New Years Day too. I got a thing for frigid cold North Atlantic waters. I’m a beach bum I suppose you could say. A good 3/4 of my time is spent at Old Orchard Beach, (off season and in the winter when the best sea shells can be found) where I have many, many, many relatives who let me park in their yards. 

Also, in 34 years, I’ve yet to set foot in a campground.

But yeah, basically, it’s about personal style more than anything else. What do you need? What can you live without? What will just be in your way? A lot of people are like me and would never spend enough time in the trailer/motorhome to warrant having anything bigger than 12′. Than again, there are just as many people who couldn’t survive in anything under 30 feet.

There are a lot of things to ask yourself:

Is it just me? Is it me and my spouse? How many children are going to be living in it? How many pets? How much room does each person/pet need? 

What about money? How will I earn my keep? Am I living off savings/pension? Will I work online? How will I get internet access? Will I sell arts and crafts at shows? Am I part of a traveling band? Will I work are carnivals and campgrounds? Do I need room to store products I sell? Me personally? I’m an artist and an author. I make 100% of my income online by selling my drawings, paintings, and photography via www.zazzle.com and by writing articles for sites such as www.squidoo.com and www.associatedcontent.com and I sew dolls and small cat/dog/pet quilts and other assorted small crafts through www.Etsy.com . All of my artwork is stored on the hard drive of my computer so there is no need of storage space, and the crafts that I make are small, so I keep them in a cardboard box that is about 3 feet square. I don’t have any credit cards and I pay for everything online via my PayPal account or offline via cash on hand. Also, for those wondering how much I make: my income varies from $90 to $200 per month. The most I ever made in a single year was $2,800. My income is less than $3,000 per year and I get by quite well and never want for anything.

Will we be eating at fast food places or cooking our own meals? If cooking our own meals, will it be stovetop, oven, microwave, bbq grill, or campfire pit? Will we need storage space for food or will we be going from WalMart to WalMart and be able to buy what we need one day at a time?

Do we need a toilet or will there be enough rest stop places to go without. (I have an over active bladder problem and have to stop to pee about twice per hour – thus why a toilet is a MUST for me.)

What about health? After a 2 month long coma, my dad is disabled. He has diabetes, his medication has to be refrigerated. In spite of his disabilities, he’s planning to get a motorhome when he retires, the need for refrigeration is a contributing factor that he has to look for when looking at RVs. Because of a heart condition and a bad leg, he can not be more than an hour away from a hospital. He has to map his travel plans around hospitals and Rite Aid/CVS locations. Because of his leg he needs a motorhome that can accommodate a walker and has a wheelchair lift – not easy to find. If you or anyone traveling with you has health issues, you have to look at what their needs are and base your RV buying decisions on those needs.

Than there is towing and drivability to consider. 

For starters: What type of car do you drive? There’s a big difference from a SMART-CAR to a Dodge Power Ram 1 Ton Pickup. What you drive now, will help you decide what you will drive once you start RVing.

If you want to keep your car instead of buying a pickup truck, that will seriously limit your options as anything over 16 feet will be way out of your towing capacity. If you don’t have one already, can you afford a $20,000 – $40,000 pick-up that is big enough to pull your trailer? Or if you opt for a motorhome, will you be towing your car/truck/motorcycle along behind it?

What about gas mileage? There’s a big difference from 50mpg to 5mpg. If you are going to drive a super sized motor home while pulling a car behind it, every day, do you have enough savings and monthly income to pay $100 or $200 or more for gas each and every day? I was pumping gas one day last summer when a guy in an giant mega sized RV was also pumping gas and complaining that he was paying over $500 a week for gas and was going to have to stop using the RV. What are your gas spending limits? What are the mpg rates for the car/truck and the camper you want? Can you afford to go as big as you’d like or will you have to go smaller just to be able to afford gas?

The bigger the camper/trailer the better your driving skills need to be. Some RVs are as big as an 18 wheeler. If you are going that big, you may need to get a bus driver or truck driver license depending on what state you register it in. How big of an RV can you reasonably and responsibly drive… really? Think about it: have you ever driven either a bus or an 18 wheel rig? Before you dish out a lot of money on a super sized motor home, you need to try test driving a few to see if you are personally comfortable behind the wheel of one or not. Some people are, some people are not. 

Likewise, some folks are great at towing, while others are not. You may such at maneuvering a trailer and find a motorhome easier to do or the other way around. Until you get out there and actually test drive one of each, there really is nothing any one on a forum can recommend as to which is better because each person is different.

And than there is towing capacity. How important is it to keep the car you have now? If you plan to keep the car/truck you have now, how much can it safely tow? I have a Volvo. I love my Volvo. I’ve had it for years. It’s maximum towing weight is 3,300 pounds. However, it’s an old Volvo, it has problems…lots of them. I’m constainly having it worked on. It has fits of temperament whenever the temps hit 30F and every time we get a heavy rain. Every one is always telling me I should get a better car, or at least a better Volvo. But you know what? I like this car. I used to this car. I’ve also be told by mechanics that there is now way in hell that this car will tow it’s recommended 3,300 pound towing capacity. They say 2,500 pound tops, and the more I can stay under 2,000 pounds the better. Will, that means I need a VERY lightweight trailer BEFORE I put anything in it, because it has to weigh under 2,500 pounds AFTER I load me and my stuff into it! So that drastically limits the trailer options out there for me. Now if having a big trailer with a lot of space was a high priority for me, I would have to sell the Volvo and get a car or truck with better towing capacity. But for me, keeping this car is more important to me than having a lot of space in the trailer, thus in my case at least, the smaller the trailer the better. I’m still looking at trailers at this point and right now Thor’s T@B and T@-DAH are looking like my best options, because they are small, lightweight, designed to be towed by compact cars, and fit my personal needs. So, yeah, if you will be towing, you have to consider the car/truck you already have and wither or not you are keeping or trading, and match your trailer to what your car can handle. I mean, the last thing you want to do is overload your car and have to buy a new transmission!

As a general rule the more income/savings you have, the bigger you can go. But than again, why do you want to be a fulltimer? Are you planning to do a lot of wilderness boondocking? If so, a car and tent will suit your needs, as the dirt roads to get into the wilderness are not rv friendly (I know – been there, done that. Deep wilderness boondocking is my own personal style, thus why a car and a small trailer are personally best for me). Will you be going to a lot of state fairs and craft shows? If so, you’ll need something with a lot of storage space, thus a bigger trailer or motorhome would be better for you.

So you see, there are a lot of variables you have to consider. Why do you want it? How much can you afford? What are your driving skills? How will you be using it? How many people/pets will be going with you? What health issues are there to think about? Where and how will you get your meals? Where and how will you sleep?

In short, no one answer is right for every one and you may have to buy and sell a few RVs to find the size and type that best suits your personal needs. What I did was to sit down a write of a list of everything I could not do without, and everything I could live without but didn’t want to live without, and everything that would in some way effect my choice. In the end, I found out that for me a Volvo with a 12′ trailer was more than I needed and would suit my needs perfectly. Only you can decide what it is that will best fit you.

Hope that helps.

2007 Keystone Fuzion wrote:

Any regrets on saleing house to go full timing?

We didn’t sell our house. Instead we rented it out, which gave us a monthly income while on the road. It also gave us the option to still have a house to go back too, should at some point we decided fulltiming wasn’t for us, and we still had a permanent mailing address. (Our mail still came to 146 and the renter’s mail came to the new 146-A.) 

“For Fear of Little Men” by Wendy C. Allen
Find me on MySpace and be my friend!

Full-time RVing – Does Size Matter?

Full-time RVing

 > Does Size Matter?


In the 1970′s, we rented our house out and went on the road to become “fulltimers”. For 9 years: me, my parents, a German shepherd, a poodle, and 3 cats lived in a 1964 Dodge 330 4 door sedan. We had no trailer, no motor home, no camper, no RV or any kind, just us and a 19 foot long car, which equaled 6×10 feet of actual living space.

Today 34 years later, I am in the process of restoring that exact same car, buying a 16′ travel trailer for it, and once again going on the road to live full time in a car, this time just me and my 14 cats. Every one I know is telling me I’m crazy, they say, “but there’s no room in a car!”, “you are looking for a trailer that is too small!”

Well, remember that house I mentioned earlier that we had rented out? After our 9 years of living in the car, we returned to that 16′ x 9′ house, (yes, our car was 3 feet longer than our house) added 8 more dogs, 24 more cats, and my mom had 3 more kids, and we lived there for the next 27 years.

When our house burned down in 2006, my mom and my 3 brothers moved into an apartment in the city, my dad moved into a Chevy Malibu, and me and 2 dogs and 9 cats moved back into the 1964 Dodge 330 4 door sedan which I still had/have. Beside the car I built a tent out of a 8×6 tarp and that is where I have lived ever since.

So, for me, this is just every day living.

And now I’m here reading this thread, and seeing people complaining that they couldn’t live in anything smaller than a 30′ rv? OMG! I look at that and ask, How can you live in something THAT BIG!?! I’ve never lived in anything that was even half that size, not once in my entire life! I just couldn’t even imagine living in something so huge! Well, every one is different I suppose, I guess it has a lot to do with where you grew up. I grew up in a car. I know that’s far from normal, but hey, I love it and for me, smaller is better. 

“For Fear of Little Men” by Wendy C. Allen:

Find me on MySpace and be my friend!