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I currently live in a medium sized 3 bedroom home that I don't need. I have higher rent than I should and higher expenses due to keeping it cool and both gas and electric. I don't want to buy a house as i'm not sure where my career will lead me in the next 5 years. Renting an apartment is an option but I still wind up in the same situation of zero equity. I've been contemplating purchasing a used truck and fifth wheel and living in it full time. One challenge would be liquidating much of my "junk" but I think that is doable. Anyone on here live/lived full time in an RV? What are your thoughts and experiences?
 
:eek::eek::eek:

Here is what I would do. five years you can have a lot of equity in a home. I would shop around find a nice little house that you can afford comfortbly and fix it up over time. Make sure you buy right and that your mortgage payment is low enough that you can rent it out when the time comes and it can be an investment down the road.

If you can find a little house with a casida then live in the casida and rent the house out so the rent covers most of your mortgage would be even better. If you start young you can do well investing in real estate.

My .02 cents
 
Working in the construction industry, I've known several folks that lived full time in trailers. One in particular came up to Oregon from Bakersfield and spent a full 3 years working in our area as they had no work in their area at the time. He and his wife lived in a 5th wheel in a park and from what he related to me, they were quite comfortable with that living arrangement. He loved to barbecue and smoke, so he would travel with those and set up a smoker in the morning with a full chicken, etc., which would be waiting for him when he got home from work. Point being that you don't necessarily have to give up things you enjoy, especially if you're creative about storing things outside your trailer too. Couple other 'travelers' said the same thing about living in trailers. It's a lifestyle adjustment, but if you're okay living in a smaller space, it can certainly be done.
 
I don't have any experience living in a trailer but I do have a lot of experience living a fairly minimalist lifestyle. All of my possessions would fit in a 5x10 storage unit. Let me tell you, not having a ton of 'stuff' is fantastic!
 
I've never been lucky enough to live in a trailer, but I did live in my truck w/camper shell for about a year more than a decade ago. Some of what I dealt with applies, some doesn't:

1) The biggest issue with living out of a vehicle is getting enough sleep, if you're in a city, getting harassed by cops, and people being loud in your vicinity. In the summer, this is especially a problem because the sun comes up too early and it gets too hot to sleep. Out in the country, if you're on private property, this is really not a concern.

2) With a trailer, going to a trailer park is a decent way to go, the main reason is that way you have someone to watch your stuff while you're at work. Trailer park people come in two flavors: those who will rob you blind, and those who will keep you from being robbed blind provided you reciprocate. Thankfully most are the latter, but you occasionally find the former.

The main reason I lived in my car:

Cost - You can bank a lot of money if you're not paying for even a cheap apt, and if you're living in a place with high rents, it can be much cheaper to not worry about the commute and stress of traffic. I was working in santa monica, most nights I would drive up near malibu and find a place that allowed over-night parking and wasn't too busy. I would wake up with the sun, get some breakfast and be in to work before anyone else. It was excellent.

Mobility - This is the real advantage, if you don't like where you are, nothing stops you from going anywhere. Just crawl into the cab and go.

Given the options and the timescale, if you're going to be there for 5 years, I would follow Skruger's advice, buy a place (just be prepared, it looks like there's currently a housing bubble building, and the southwest is always among the worst), rent out part of it, and live in the other part.

The main problem with a trailer living is you still have a big footprint, if you have a wife and kids, you're always going to have a big footprint. Even just a wife means a big footprint. The other awkward thing, if you're single and looking for a wife/gf, on a 5-year timescale, it can be hard to find a woman who will want to live with you in a trailer at the outset. I think I could convince my wife to live that way now, but I don't think she would have accepted it going in.
 
I've never been lucky enough to live in a trailer, but I did live in my truck w/camper shell for about a year more than a decade ago. Some of what I dealt with applies, some doesn't:

1) The biggest issue with living out of a vehicle is getting enough sleep, if you're in a city, getting harassed by cops, and people being loud in your vicinity. In the summer, this is especially a problem because the sun comes up too early and it gets too hot to sleep. Out in the country, if you're on private property, this is really not a concern.

2) With a trailer, going to a trailer park is a decent way to go, the main reason is that way you have someone to watch your stuff while you're at work. Trailer park people come in two flavors: those who will rob you blind, and those who will keep you from being robbed blind provided you reciprocate. Thankfully most are the latter, but you occasionally find the former.

The main reason I lived in my car:

Cost - You can bank a lot of money if you're not paying for even a cheap apt, and if you're living in a place with high rents, it can be much cheaper to not worry about the commute and stress of traffic. I was working in santa monica, most nights I would drive up near malibu and find a place that allowed over-night parking and wasn't too busy. I would wake up with the sun, get some breakfast and be in to work before anyone else. It was excellent.

Mobility - This is the real advantage, if you don't like where you are, nothing stops you from going anywhere. Just crawl into the cab and go.

Given the options and the timescale, if you're going to be there for 5 years, I would follow Skruger's advice, buy a place (just be prepared, it looks like there's currently a housing bubble building, and the southwest is always among the worst), rent out part of it, and live in the other part.

The main problem with a trailer living is you still have a big footprint, if you have a wife and kids, you're always going to have a big footprint. Even just a wife means a big footprint. The other awkward thing, if you're single and looking for a wife/gf, on a 5-year timescale, it can be hard to find a woman who will want to live with you in a trailer at the outset. I think I could convince my wife to live that way now, but I don't think she would have accepted it going in.

All good points. I'll admit something that has concerned me is inviting a date over for dinner and her showing up to a 2* fifth wheel.:D
 
There is a good channel called Gone with the Wynns that goes into detail about life on the road in their RV. Now they are in a sailboat but the videos are still there. You could always buy a bit of land here, put in water, sewer, and electric hook ups, and then you could live in you RV and hook up to those while you are there, and when you want to travel, unhook them and voila! You don't need to pack because you already have everything!
 
All good points. I'll admit something that has concerned me is inviting a date over for dinner and her showing up to a 2* fifth wheel.:D

An easy way to play it off... buy some large rural property somewhere nice. You can make noise about "this is just where I stay when I'm here working, I spend my weekends on the ranch where I want to build my house".
 
An easy way to play it off... buy some large rural property somewhere nice. You can make noise about "this is just where I stay when I'm here working, I spend my weekends on the ranch where I want to build my house".

Great way to turn that negative into a big positive.

"How big should I build your shoe closet?" :s0114:
 
I bought a travel trailer when I was working out of Seattle driving dump truck and trailer. I lived with a woman friend at first who rented out two rooms in her house. Me and the drug addict ( I didn't know at the time ). Long story short, he went through all my belongings and drank my 12 pack. That was it. I bought into a resort and stayed there for almost 3 years. I'd go home or meet my wife every 3-6 months. I worked my bubblegum of, but made really, really good money. Nice people there with zero problems.. I kinda liked it.
 
There is a good channel called Gone with the Wynns that goes into detail about life on the road in their RV. Now they are in a sailboat but the videos are still there. You could always buy a bit of land here, put in water, sewer, and electric hook ups, and then you could live in you RV and hook up to those while you are there, and when you want to travel, unhook them and voila! You don't need to pack because you already have everything!
Ultimate redneck status lmao.
 
Lived in a 5th wheel for close to 2 yrs in the PNW. We have a 38' 4-season so it was comfortable. Don't recommend in the rainy PNW as there is a long time spent indoors if you don't have your own property (put on a lot of weight over winter). Around here, it would be awesome..especially if you have your own property to work on projects. Good luck!
 
I spent 3 years outside Silver City NM when I was a miner. My TT was in a beautiful place with one other trailer and close to work. Surrounded by peach trees which the deer usually ate before they were ripe. Mine was a 28' toy hauler that I bought cheap and sold for what I had in it. Summers got hot to the point the ac would not keep up. Fortunately that did not last long. I have been cold, but 3 blankets and two heaters kept the place just above freezing. The shower was small for me, big guy, could not go to the bathroom with the door closed. Hot water was a commodity that did not last long enough 6 gallons for my rig.
The unexpected problems of the inverter taking a crap which immediately made the frig stop working when it was on gas. Or the propane tank changer freezing and having no gas heat, or stove when the snow was flying is always fun. Then the fun of the black water tank and the gray water tank. Wait for the black to get full, oh joy. Then flushing it out and using the grey water to clean the hose and remove the smell. This was a weekly event.
If you avoided freezing or 100 degree evenings it might suit you. It is something I hope I NEVER have to repeat. I do not even camp any more.
 
I was a traveler for a long time. I lived out of a 28 ft pull trailer. It was large enough to have a seperate bed room. As a single person it worked out very well. I moved every 6mo to a year. I never had to put up with room mates or apts. If you are the type to keep everything in its place and discard the things you don't need, RV living is not hard.
Sometimes I lived on job sites and other times in parks.
The most difficult thing I had to deal with was tool storage. I had a Knack Job Box, But you either had to keep it in the truck all the time, or set it outside of your trailer. Some parks wont allow outside storage. In a couple places I had to rent a storage locker.
I never stayed where it was really cold for long periods at a time but the heat can get bad! The small stuff you get used to pretty easily.
The last trailer I had was a 38 footer that I got a real bargain on. The problem with it was that more than a few times I had trouble finding a space that it would fit.

In a few weeks I'm going to retire, and the wife and I are looking at a trailer that is small enough to travel but enough room to stay in while we build a house. Shes looking at a 35 footer and I want to stay nearer 27 ft.

Good Luck with what ever you get.
 
I lived in a 32' Holiday Rambler travel trailer in a membership park in Las Vegas for 7 years. I was a traveler electrician and found a good job. The lifestyle was good for me. My biggest suggestion is to get a quality four season trailer. I never had a problem using one AC in the summer and my electric heater in the winter. The propane heater was only needed when it got below freezing. The size of the water heater needs to be 10 gallons for a good winter shower. You also need heated holding tanks. Barbecuing was a great way to meet people. If in a trailer park, stay in the pet area,
they always seem to be friendly. If you're going to be traveling a lot be sure to get a trailer with at least a 80 gallon water tank. In a short time you will find out what you need to keep and what to get rid of. Finally get a good BBQ since cooking outside keeps the mess down. The life is what you make it. Don't gamble!
 
Last time the well quit working for a week I taught myself how to take a shower with less than 2 gallons of water. I started by leaving 2 gallons outside in the sun, by the time I got home it was warm enough to wash with--Lucky for me this all took place during the warmer part of the year
 

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