For traveling purposes I believe you'd want a self-contained living unit. Both pulling a trailer and setting up at campsites is not fun; especially so the more often you have to do it.

This is the reason that there's been a rise in the Camper-van in the past few years.

If you're gonna do it. Might as well do it right:
https://earthroamer.com/

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I talk a lot - Give it a listen: http://www.fasttalklabs.com/category/fast-talk
I also give Training Advice via http://www.ForeverEndurance.com

The above poster has eschewed traditional employment and is currently undertaking the ill-conceived task of launching his own hardgoods company. Statements are not made on behalf of nor reflective of anything in any manner... unless they're good, then they count.
http://www.AGNCYINNOVATION.com

Yo!!
That is pretty damn cool.
Thanks for sending.

A pipe dream for many... gotta wait for the kids to be out of the house though.

Find an RV, tow a small car in case you want to explore without your entire house coming with you (Jeep would be perfect), cash out any equity in your home, and sell all your excessive shit.

Depending on your healthcare issues, might be worth finding an online remote job (plenty of those now thanks to COVID) just for the health insurance. Need a plan that isn't geography-based though of course.

Pleasure-way is top tier in small RV’s, imho. But they are not cheap.

Both Cody and Bjarne have pretty sweet setups, albeit for skiing instead of triathlon.

Quit screwing around and get back to work!

ah, my favorite fantasy ;-)

lived in a Ford Econoline 150 for a year, 90-91, and that worked well. Built a bed in the back, under-bed storage and a box which doubled as a kitchen table in front of the bed. Front seats swiveled so could go from driving to cooking in a couple of minutes. Only problem was no bathroom, not an issue in the woods (it's all one giant bathroom !) but travelling between wild areas, had to find a Mickey D's or something..
These days I have a groover for canoe trips which seals well and empties at any RV dump station, would just make a space for that somewhere, possibly on a rear luggage rack..

since we still have college kids sucking down all our disposable income and more, retirement isn't happening any time soon.
I've been eyeing the small Hiker Trailer campers, light and easy to tow, can get an off-road version, not massively expensive.
Pop-up campers are a lot of work to set up, much worse than pitching a tent. I used to camp with a friend who had one, it was too much work for me.

House will be paid off in 2025 if no new thing arises. Theoretically a few years after that, if the kids have managed to find jobs, we may just rent it out for a year or two, get that little camper, and wander off..

A friend who retired early has a custom Sprinter van, solar panels on the roof, under-bed storage for four bikes, two road and two mtb, and a Park Tool workshop built in..commutes between Okanagan valley in BC for summers and Paradise AZ for winters..

Hello Y-Tri and All,

https://pvcycling.wordpress.com/.../08/10/loans-n-guns/

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Cheers, Neal

+1 mph Faster

Ahh, my favorite topic other than nutrition...

We did this - mid-life, while our kids were in grade school. We quit everything and took a year to travel the US National Parks, mostly.

Driving your home (an RV) is much easier to park, but towing your home (a trailer) is much easier to live in. A trailer is particularly great when you have more than 2 people and definitely if you have a dog. There are plenty of hiking trails and interesting little restaurants where dogs weren't allowed, and so we needed a safe, air-conditioned unit to leave plugged-in at a campsite to keep ours cool at times.

Sure, an RV towing a small vehicle would accomplish the same thing, but you don't escape the annoyance of towing, and the huge expense wasn't for us. We bought a 27-ft Airstream and didn't already own a truck, and that was still at least $100k less than it would have cost to buy an RV livable for 4. And when our truck needed work, we weren't homeless - we even traded it in for a new one in St. George one afternoon after a morning hike at Zion.

But if we were in the market for a pop-up that fits in a garage... https://taxaoutdoors.com/

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http://www.extramilenutrition.com

In January I wanted to try this. I followed a friend's advice and rather than buy an RV I rented for a month.

It took me 3 days to realize this was not the life for me. Not in North America at least.

I would like to try it in Europe however to see if the vibe is different.

Well if you go the truck route and it is just you, maybe a dog or wife, this is a nice set up;

https://www.ebay.com/...c:g:v8cAAOSwDdxekhCn

Drives like it is not even there, and all the amenities of a full size RV. Get the electric jacks, then you can just leave it in a campsite and have the truck for your drive around vehicle. This set up also lets you take the road less travelled, especially if you have a 4x4 truck. Dan and I used these for 20 years, he actually still has his and uses it all the time. Goes on in about 10 minutes and you are off and running!!

there's doing it right. and there's doing it right while keeping hold of 80 percent of the money you'd spend on an earthroamer.

if you just start with a RAM 3500, aisin trans cummins diesel 4x4, and then you add a camper built to spec, you've got it all, and it's $100,000 instead of $600,000. furthermore, you still have a truck. you don't have a dedicated vehicle that's only good for the one thing.

but i did see one of these babies driving thru town, guy parked on the side of the road, and i flipped an illegal U to see this bad boy. it's the earthCRUISER, not to be confused with your earthROAMER.

if i was going to sell out, sell out of my real estate, live in the vehicle full time, no going back, native american style, no such thing as real estate ownership, country to country, in a vehicle spec designed specifically for trans-continent ocean shipment, yes, this is what i would do.

but if you're going to remain terrestrially bound to owned real estate, then i stick with my original prescription: camper on a truck that will take it in style.

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Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

I am assuming you are bringing the family or is this just full on run (drive) for the hills :). My ideal is the Airstream built on the Mercedes van chassis, but you can get lower prices with the Ford chassis and non-Airstream branding. Minimum is a bathroom/shower room so that takes up some space. Just need bed for two. A/C and hopefully solar but will need gen I am sure as back up. Garage in back for the bikes and will tow 2 door Jeep behind it.

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I miss you "Sports Night"

Pretty much the setup ST member JayPeeWhy and his wife put together: https://thisbigroadtrip.com/

My wife and I started with an older class A motorhome, but pretty quickly switched to a Dodge Ram 3500 and a 5th wheel. We just bought a house so aren’t living in it full time anymore, but our 35 ft 5th wheel managed myself, my wife, our now 2 year old daughter, 2 dogs, and a bunch of training gear well enough. We lived out of it for nearly a year and a half while I worked as a travel nurse and raced Professionally while she took care of our daughter. There’s certainly some ups and downs, but we’re pretty glad we did it for awhile!

Here’s what our set up looked like a few months back before “settling down”. Though we’ll definitely be taking it on more adventures down the road though.

https://feighathlon.com/2020/02/21/rv-life/

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Adam Feigh
Pianko Law, Speed Hound, Castelli, Sailfish, Base
Feighathlon.com

I did it for 13 years starting in 1990... lived in a Toyota pickup with a shell, then a camper I built myself. I didn't know if I'd like it and was kinda scared at first... but I loved it. Actually I was ecstatic. Getting set to do it again.

Happy to give you pointers if you want.

somebody has a fun dad, and will look back on her enriching childhood.

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Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

Those are so cheap compared to some campers... but they hold up ok?

You're getting lots of good feedback here. It's really quite a rabbit hole and one I've been exploring myself for the last six months. The way I see it, there's two ways to go: what Dan mentioned (basically a 3/4 or 1 ton truck and a fifth wheel) or a camper van. In my opinion, a half-ton truck and a travel trailer is sort of the worst of both worlds. Not necessarily bad... just not really optimum in any sense.

If it's just you and your wife I'd seriously look at a camper van. Take a look at Humble Road van builds. Guy has a YouTube channel that explains his philosophy and how he builds vans. When it comes to versatility, something like a 170" wheelbase high-roof Ford Transit is amazing. You can fit a bed, "bike garage", kitchen, and bathroom into the van, still park it in most normal parking spaces, and not have to worry about camp-site setup.

Fifth wheels are basically a home on wheels. They can get pretty big and surprisingly nice but you can get a lot of bang for your buck. In my humble, unexperienced opinion (talked to a lot of RVers) this is really best suited for staying in place for at least a week if not two at a time as site setup and breakdown takes time and gets old.

We bought one of these this past spring: https://pleasureway.com/models/tofino/

Pop top + futon-style rear bench, sink, small fridge, induction cooktop, LP heater, 200 watt solar system with inverter, decent amount of storage and receiver for bike rack. Everything but a bathroom, which we opted against. Big plus is it's small and nimble enough to serve as second vehicle.

This was awesome. Nice share!

5th wheels are definitely more suited for spending a little more time in one place rather than moving around a lot. Especially when you take into account securing everything down, which gets to be a hassle if you are truly living out of it. Can certainly be had on a decent budget though. We were just under $60k for our truck and 5th wheel together and it’s a pretty sweet set up. Just for one person it’s pretty much overkill even.

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Adam Feigh
Pianko Law, Speed Hound, Castelli, Sailfish, Base
Feighathlon.com

I went the truck and camper route but not a 5th wheel. There are obviously pros and cons to all the choices and for us it came down to flexibility. If if I want to stay in a spot for a few days, I dont want to have to pack up my who;e motorhome, put the awning in, etc. if I want to get a few groceries or beer or even go to a restaurant in town (which you will do when you are away for long enough) Additionally, we are big mountain bikers and hikers and the truck allows me some flexibility to easily do day trips and go to trailheads etc. that i wouldn't be comfortable taking my camper. Before some one says you can buy a 4X4 Sprinter conversion, I do know this. There are still forest service roads I will take in my pick up but not in a Sprinter van. Since I don't have a 5th wheel, I am bale to use the pickup box as storage for sports my gear, bikes etc.

Basically a lot depends on your lifestyle and the activities you want to enjoy.

If you are not the KOA type, I strongly recommend a solar panel (preferably installed) and even a small generator to charge up.

What if you just pulled the plug and said screw it, I’m buying a camper (or alternative) and just traveling around.......... Too far fetched?
Has anyone researched, looked at, or have a “pop-up” type camper (small but roomy enough time basically live in).
Living a pipe dream ...............
Let me dream ok!!??


It's a frequent "dream" - buy the RV, sell the house, and just roam free! Sounds good. I have an uncle and an aunt who contemplated that. My uncle was an engineer - so very detail oriented and always crunching numbers. He came to the conclusion that it would be more costly to do it than he first thought. Giving up the permanent home, he concluded would be a mistake. Costs on the road for the RV, and the work and maintenance were much more than he had anticipated, and then if you have an RV over a certain size, and you can't store it properly on your own property, you'll have to pay for it's storage and it's costing you money even when you are NOT using it.

Probably better to keep the house - and just do road trips with a car, and stay in hotels, or longer term rentals. That's what my wife and I are considering when we get there. But for work, I spend a lot of time in hotels so for me, that's normal and fine. I actually enjoy staying in a reasonably nice hotel, or we have already test-driven a one month rental, in the winter of 2019! That's more our speed!

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

We went this route, pulled the plug in Dec '19 and roamed North America running, cycling and climbing for a year. It was a fantastic experience and didn't regret it for a minute.

We contemplated doing our own build on a Mercedes Sprinter chassis but in the end found one already done by Leisure Travel Vans which saved lots of work, probably some money and got us on the road many months (or years) earlier!

With solar panels, a dry bath with full sized shower and a slideout for a little more square footage it was perfect for 2 people. The advantage of a B-class vehicle is that it's easy to drive, gets OK gas mileage and can be parked anywhere since it's the same width as a regular vehicle.

If you can find someone to rent your property and live cheaply on the road (BLM instead of KOA) it's quite doable.

I have owned a couple of pop-ups and you may enjoy one of those just fine. They tend to depreciate so they are inexpensive to purchase used you have to be careful of water damage. since they draft off of the vehicle going down the road you get significantly better mileage and can use a less capable tow vehicle like a minivan. Even towing a 16-ft hybrid camper the wind resistance reduced us to about eight miles to the gallon. With a pop-up even at 3,000 lbs we probably average 15.

Pop-ups are not great in the cold and you tend to get a lot of condensation inside if you are running the heater. They don't have a ton of storage space inside. Our newest one has a slide out dining room and a little bathroom with a cassette toilet which is quite handy. We seldom cook inside and have never taken a shower inside.

I'll consider it is a fun and inexpensive way to try out camping. The Toyota sienna is well regarded for towing. You have to add wiring for the trailer brakes and for the lighting system but that's something you can do yourself pretty easily along with installing a class three hitch which is not hard.

If I wanted sell out and roam the earth I think this would be a much better way to do it: https://www.sunreef-yachts.com/en/sunreef-70

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Team Zoot

I’ve been researching living on a houseboat. You can buy something for $30-40k and a slip rent of $5-600 a month. There are people spending crazy amounts of money and time to completely redo an old one and then they unload them.. just my latest fantasy I don’t think I will ever follow through

I have a rockwood freedom tent trailer with a 12ft box. I downsized from a 25ft komfort travel trailer. I can’t fit half my camping stuff in the little pop up and certainly you could not full time in one of them even if you were by yourself. On the plus side it fits in my garage and my covid activity is to redo it. I am getting ready to paint the roof with the rubber paint and I have new decals for the sides.

Twenty-three days and 7,000 miles is the longest I've ever been on the road. We did it in 2016 with our family of seven in a 27-foot RV towed by a Ford E350 van. We averaged 8.9 miles per gallon but gas was so much lower than we expected that year (planned for $4 but paid around $2 most of the time) that we saved there. We just did a 12-day trip up to Yellowstone in the past month and I noted again that we are not the typical Big RVer. We tend to cover a lot of ground and only stay places for a night or two. We roll in late and leave late because I usually run/ride in the am and my people like to sleep in. Most folks roll in and stay for a week at a time and sit around and do ... well, I have no idea.

The ability to do it full-time will depend on a few things. Do you like your creature comforts? What do you and your (spouse, kids) people like to do? Living in an RV means you spend most of your time together and do a lot of stuff together. Do you want to travel or just not pay a house payment? Do you like to drive and see new places? My older sister went through a mid-life crisis/decision point and quit her job, used her savings to buy a Class C RV (used) and has been on the road for the better part of 18 months. They pay for a service where you can stay at some sites for a set feet and they do a lot of 'boondocking' where they just pull into a spot in the wild and live there. They have a tiny solar panel to charge phones and get used to doing your business in the woods. They (she has a partner that went with her) head north for the summer and went to Yuma, Az. for the winter where she found a part-time job.

My wife would not likely go for some of the things my sister did, so we are planning on a 35-40 foot Class A in a couple of years. We want to build a small house/garage where we can gather with the family but mostly live out of the RV with our tail-end child who is eight years younger than the rest. I'm not sure how to do it though, because all they are building around here are monster houses on tiny lots at ever-increasing prices. I guess we will see.
We wanted a class A because we like to be on the move and it will be easier to park somewhere in a class A when you have a generator and everything is self-contained. We often find ourselves rolling along at 10 pm wondering where we are going to find an RV park, but with Class A we could stop just about anywhere. We'll probably pull a small vehicle and I'll have to downsize my four or five bikes to one or two. :)
There are A LOT of used RVs on RV trader and some of them are in pretty good shape with low miles. Like I mentioned, most folks don't actually go very far in their RVs.

I did not mention a 'pop-up' anywhere in this because you and whomever is left would have to be willing to give up a lot of comfort, privacy and space in a pop-up. When we were looking recently, I was amazed at how much stuff they can pack into a camper van but for a new camper van you can get a used Class A and my wife would never do the van.
RV sales are something like five or six times normal during the Covid business, so I am hoping in a couple of years there will be a huge selection of used, low-use RVs for sale from which to select our future RV.

Most folks roll in and stay for a week at a time and sit around and do ... well, I have no idea.


The best line.

What do they do??

With probably over 2/3s of the population having almost zero physical activity in any of their days, I'm guessing these folks are doing . . . nothing!

I notice that they sell RV's and the RV'ing lifestyle with all these images of people, kayaking, and fly fishing, and mountain biking and hiking, and trail running, living this SUPER active outdoor sports and rec life . . . but we know that it's really only a small percentage of people that do any of this in North America!

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

We just did a 12 day camping trip in our truck camper. It's fine for just the two of us (plus our cat). Didn't bring the generator, but could boondock if we wanted to.
It's got a bed, a dining table (that could convert to bed), 2 burner stove, microwave, fridge, wet bath, and small storage.
It's taller and catches more wind than the pop-up truck campers, but I think we averaged about 16 mpg including over some of the Colorado mountains. Husband put a sort of fairing on a detachable rack to decrease the wind catching between the top of the truck and the underside of the camper.
It's sort of tight, but way easier to get around more places than when he had a huge 5th wheel. And, we have incentive to not get fat. ;)

https://www.lancecamper.com/truck-campers/825/

We wanted a class A because we like to be on the move and it will be easier to park somewhere in a class A when you have a generator and everything is self-contained. We often find ourselves rolling along at 10 pm wondering where we are going to find an RV park, but with Class A we could stop just about anywhere. We'll probably pull a small vehicle and I'll have to downsize my four or five bikes to one or two. :) //

You do know the difference between a class A and C is just the front end configuration? Other than that, they work exactly the same, same stuff, same pulling capacity(actually more in an equal sized engine in the C). The big difference is just the driving experience, big flat front windows in the A, and a typical van or truck style on the C. C's are easier to drive and get a bit better gas mileage. But as far as parking and other camping assets, exactly the same if you compare same size RV's..C's are also set up more for families with kids(sleep 6 to 10), most A's sleep 4 at most. It is all about the floorpan in a C, bunkhouse, rear bedroom, or rear kitchen, where A's are typically all the same layout...

But as far as parking and other camping assets, exactly the same if you compare same size RV's..C's are also set up more for families with kids(sleep 6 to 10), most A's sleep 4 at most. It is all about the floorpan in a C, bunkhouse, rear bedroom, or rear kitchen, where A's are typically all the same layout...

Not sure I agree with some of the generalizations you made, but yes, if you compare similar sizes they are somewhat similar. However, in our shopping, every A we tried felt a lot more spacious than the c's. Probably in part because the driving seats of the C are not useful when you stop. Most A's spin around and face the dining area and some even had leg rests. They were super comfortable compared to the C's which mostly had Ford van seats, and we have been pulling our trailer with a Ford van for eight years. Not amazing. And layout is all about what you want. We looked at multiple A's with bunks and that could sleep 8. Most C's don't go much beyond 30 feet while the A's were usually in the 32 to 40 foot range. We just didn't find everything we wanted in any of the C's.

I dream about getting an Earth Roamer, but can’t fathom how they are worth the money. How can the top end model be worth $1.7 million? You can build a 5,000 sq foot house for half the price. There’s got to be a huge profit margin on those vehicles.

I love this dream. It is complicated though.

I just did a 3 week road trip with some camping and I loved lots of parts of it. We researched renting an RV. We were looking at the Thor ACE ... which really does seem like a great thing. But having never driven an RV we chickened out.

I think the smaller van that only works for 1-2 people (sprinter, transit conversion) is what I personally would really want. Allowing some comforts while camping - without the challenges of a bigger rig. For example we drove "the needles" near Mount Rushmore and I don't think you can take an RV on that road. Also ... parking and driving them through a city. I know people do it every day but driving through highway construction in an RV or trailering a big unit ... that could be a nail biter. Some folks love the details of the big RVs and Trailers (balancing when you set up, connecting all the cables, etc). We camped in tents in a park that was mostly RVs and I didn't love it ... because it was noisy (for us ... not them).

I also think my preference would be seasonal. I talked to several people in parks who are semi-retired and relocate to parks for the summer with jobs but the rest of the year are somewhere else. I just didn't know that people did that. I'm not sure it's on my to do list but I thought it was super interesting.

I also think my preference would be seasonal. I talked to several people in parks who are semi-retired and relocate to parks for the summer with jobs but the rest of the year are somewhere else. I just didn't know that people did that.//

Ya, I think a lot of people are unaware of this dynamic. I have a friend that owns a 65 space park, and about 20 or so of those spaces are full time seasonal ones. The same people come back every year and live in the park for 5 or 6 months. They actually leave their rigs there all winter, so just drive there, de winterize and fill the fridge, and they are moved in. These folks are the anchor for a lot of parks, guaranteed income. OF course they get a discounted monthly rate, but it is nice to have all those spaces filled before the season even starts. And they have several parties each summer and it is very social in the park because of the seasonals.


I can understand your anxiety driving a big RV, but really, it goes away pretty quickly and you are a pro in no time. Start with a Class C, more like a van/truck to drive, just have to remember you are a lot longer...

Tried it once, RV, with all mod cons, the wife, who considers the Holiday Inn as camping was overheard using the words "not in this lifetime" while on the phone afterwards.

I have friends who did the entire loop of NA in a VW camper. Loved it.
So maybe another lifetime.....:0(

 

I bought a low roof full length Ford Transit 12 seat van. I can pull all the seats out and make it a camper van for boon docking at races. I got a Dometic cassette toilet (a minimum requirement for the wife) and will be adding a bed platform in the back soon with an electric fridge/cooler and drawers for gear. With the low roof I will have to use a hitch rack for the bikes but thats no biggy. Windows are limo tinted and I have curtains for the front three windows that have to have a lower tint for legal reasons. I will need to add a roof vent fan and a roof rack for kayaks and gear eventually.

Its my low budget adventure vehicle that doesnt tie up a ton of money. Some day though it will be an Earthroamer.

Fortunately my wife seems to be happy with minimal conveniences. In fact after our trip in Feb she decided she wanted the camper tailored for outdoor living rather than indoor. So I had to redesign it and start over. Mostly it will be a place to store stuff, play on computers, hang out when the weather is bad, and sometimes sleep. No heat or AC, no shower, no toilet (except for an emergency bucket). Maybe a fridge. Some counter space for cooking, a sink, bike storage. Lots of room; 10ft long floor, with bed over the cab, 80" wide, with big rear door that flips up and serves as an awning. Fiberglass and carbon fiber (hand layup) and foam (PVC) construction. Will probably put solar panels on the hood and have a deployable set as well.

For remote camping... no interest in being in an RV park or campground. Internet once a week when we go to town...

The "cheap" ones are only $500k. And there are good competitors in the $300k range. But ya, I think even that is nuts.

Slowman has the right idea. If you want a "sane" offroad capable camper rig with all the normal conveniences, get a good truck and a slide in. Personally I'd favor an F250 or F350 since the ones with beds have a torsionally stiff, fully boxed frame... unlike the wet noodle frames typical in HD trucks. This simplifies camper mounting (no torsion free mount needed). And the 7.3L gas motor 10spd trans is getting great reviews. Do some modest suspension upgrades, add a flatbed with side storage boxes, and a slide in camper (I'd favor the Bigfoot or Nothernlite with a molded fiberglass shell), and you'll have a rig that will whatever an Earthroamer can for ~$100k new.

Something like this:

Do it! We tried retirement in 2019 and converted a Sprinter 4x4 into our 'adventure platform'. Bikes, paddleboards, running, and hiking gear. Had an amazing time travelling. I would run or ride in some great places, have a hot shower off the back, then drive to where-ever we felt would be another fun place to park. Went as far south as Key West for a few weeks (hot), and even spent all of September in Newfoundland (cold), with incredible scenery.
Unfortunately, we found that we are a bit too young for the full retirement thing, so I'm back working...but almost every weekend we try to turn into a long weekend to find somewhere else to explore.
Go for it!

I have an older (2008) converted Sprinter (144 wheelbase) I love, but if I was going to do it over, I'd go for the Winnebago Revel, Sprinter chassis (same wheelbase as mine easy to drive, fits in most parking spots), and fits a shower/toilet inside, spendy (especially given demand now) but you can still negotiate pretty heavily, 2021s just came out too.

https://www.winnebago.com/...rhomes/class-b/revel

LOL. Nice. Cheapest base model is 490K. Top of the line is close to 2M. With that kind of money, you might as well just buy a helicopter and a team to come out and set up a camp for you. While they are at it, they can bring 7 course meals too.

I live in a camper van and have for over 1.5 years. I also work a full time finance job - we are now remote - so I just traveled the country for 3 months. Im also single and no kids (was not single for a hot bit but 2 would be wicked tight with the way I designed it - which was just for me for race sites so I didnt have to hotel it)

• Propane hot water camp shower
• 15 gallon water tank (any gas station, camp ground, boat ramp, etc usually has hoses and dont care if you use them. For sure water, turn off, soap up, turn on. Not long shower)
• Butane single burner stove
• Full size bed (8 inch matress)
• mini fridge with no freezer - I tend to just eat fresh veggies and go to publix if I want fish/meat to cook that night.
• 6000 BTU portable air conditioner - floor model with hose
• 2000 watt harbor freight inverter generator that runs the AC
• 680 watts of solar on the roof - 4800 watts of battery under the bed
• camper toilet - 5 gallon top fresh tank and 5 gallon bottom - easy to empty at any dump station. Sits in the shower. Drop one of those 40 gal RV bio break down packets in and can't smell much of anything.
• Tri bike stores under the bed as well as 2 surfboards, skateboard, rock climbing gear, free dive gear, sleeping bag, tent, bins with tools/power tools, two large tool boxes, etc.
• 23 inch tv - playstation for those rainy days

Come on Truff, if you are going to describe such a cool vehicle, post some pics!!!

And... they are 4WD! But yikes... last year you could get one for $120k... now $180k?

Vans have some definite advantages, but the only one you can get with 4WD (Ford now sells an AWD Transition) is the Sprinter. And there are many horror stories of the diesel having incurable emissions issues when they get some miles on them. You can add good aftermarket 4WD to a Transition for ~$15-20k, but you still have poor ground clearance. Newer vans just aren't made to take a beating offroad like a truck. If you'll be in town and RV parks a lot they make sense.

You can get most dealers down to about 135 for a 2021, less obviously for a 2020, when I was looking around late last year I had dealers telling me under 110 for a new 2020. 2021 has some nice upgrades, especially the lithium batteries so you can run the A/C without shore power. Having said all that, I love mine and it cost me about 40K all in.

That's getting to be a reasonable price then for a rig with all the amenities. How is your van set up? Do you travel solo?

Lots of these series online. I like this build done in BC with bike specific storage. Lots of tiny house tours etc. A toy hauler trailer conversion might be better for a family.

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http://en.wikipedia.org/...eoesophageal_fistula
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerebral_palsy
2020 National Masters Champion - M40-44 - 400m IM
Canadian Record Holder 35-39M & 40-44M - 200 m Butterfly (LCM)

So where do you set up the bridge and mahjong table, in that thing :0) (in the winter, this is Canada).
And where do I keep the piano....does it get Netflix.....:0)
And in a truck, she said,I can have any car I like
as long as it's a Mercedes.
oh well
pw

The diesel emissions thing scares me, as does the added maintenance expense. If I were going to buy a van to convert tomorrow it would be the Ford Transit Ecoboost, 170" wheelbase, high roof. Can still fit into most standard parking spaces but roomy, engine has some get up and go, all the modern safety features (forward collision warning etc.), should be pretty cheap to maintain and repair.

I used to have a diesel truck / travel trailer setup, and I would do something similar when I push the retirement button. My wife and I would travel around a month at a time, mostly to Colorado and Utah. Fantastic trips and RVs are a great way to explore national parks and do outdoor activities.

A couple of things we learned:

* As much fun as it was to be away from home, I don't think I could live full time out of an RV. I like having a home base, especially since we have so much stuff. When I retire, I plan to downsize our home and get another truck / RV setup, although probably a fifth wheel next time.

* Using an RV for extended trips, you cannot have too much space. Our travel trailer was 34' long (4' was the tongue), which is on the large end for a TT, and it was very nice having plenty of kitchen space to cook and living room space to hang out.

* If you're going to tow an RV, skip the 1/2 ton truck and get at least a 3/4 ton. Even better if it's diesel but not necessarily required if the RV isn't too large. I've done every combination of towing with a 1/2 ton and 3/4 ton truck to pull enclosed car trailers, utility trailers, and travel trailers. The 1/2 ton is okay for short trips but the heavy duty truck is so much better for long trips.

* I liked having a separate truck / RV so that you can separate your living quarters from your mode of transportation. I know a lot of folks tow a small vehicle behind a Class A, which is also a good option and what my parents do with their Class A and a Jeep Wrangler. Class A vs truck / RV is an entirely separate debate.

For anyone looking at a Class A, check out Motorhome Specialists RV near Dallas. They're one of the largest dealers in the country. You don't have to buy from them, but it's a good site to check for market prices.

I have a Sprinter 2500. It's an '07 been xc several times. No probs with maintenance. Mercedes diesel. What I love about it among other things is that I can roll into a rest stop, park in a regular space and climb in the back and sleep, then fire up some coffee and roll on. Trick it out properly and you'll have a blast.
As for housing, 1500 sq ft of well designed prefab on a low maintenance lot is a nice compliment to the Sprinter. Pull the door shut and go.

Freedom isn't free, but it's not expensive.

Great thread. Any thoughts/recommendations on the rooftop tents? Obviously not the answer for the longer travel stays, but seems like a low cost, relatively straight-forward option for the shorter outings. I'm not much of a camper (yet) but entering mid-50's thought it might be fun way to get away w/ the dogs and my bride for a few days at a time?

Assuming you have the kind of vehicle that can hold a rooftop tent, I’ve always viewed those as great if you’re moving around frequently, such as over landing. But if you’re setting up camp in a single place for a long weekend, it’s a lot cheaper and more spacious to use a traditional tent.

Check out a youtube channel called Trail Recon. It’s geared toward overlanding and 4WD, but he has a lot of gear specific videos, including rooftop tents.

Thanks - will check it out. We were thinking the rooftop tent option would be much easier/quicker to set up, as well as more comfortable for sleeping. And while we know if animals are really interested in us, they can climb up on jeep. But my wife likes the idea of being 5 feet off the ground :-)

That's before the emissions issues. The older ones are good.


Indeed. When I was a vagabond in the 90s, I lived on $3k/yr. For everything. Best time of my life.

I too have often thought about going super-minimal. I would do it in a 2011 Ford Transit Connect hi-top mini cargo van fitted out with solar panels/batteries, memory foam bed, places to hang my bike and stash my run shoes and kitchen chuck box.

And then I read the book Nomadland, which looked at the phenomenon of older adults taking their lives on the road. And the scales fell from my eyes.

In some cases they were people who lost income and savings during the Great Recession And were so financially stressed, they cashed out their remaining assets to invest in a perpetually declining asset, an RV, trailer or camper van.

At first, people feel the freedom of the road, and embrace the community of others they find choosing the same lifestyle. But when the money gets tight, the rig needs repairs, medical expenses crop up, these aging adults turn to a cycle of low-paid seasonal jobs.

Some work summer campgrounds or amusement parks, then there’s the sugar beet harvest (actually one of the more funny-scary chapters, as these beets weigh ten to 20 pounds and they’re being thrown at you.) And some work in Amazon fulfillment centers, putting in ten to 15 miles of walking a day.

The book talks about the communities of individuals that crops up on the road and in the various camp spots where people may park for months at a time.

Anyway, the book is fantastic, and it’s being made into a film that should be out by the time we can all go back to a theater together.

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Sharon McN
@IronCharo
#TeamZoot
Clif Bar Pace Team 2003-2018

My wife and I retired a few years ago. We ended up living in Florida. We bought a house with no mortgage and bought a Thor Motor Home. We traveled from here to Virginia/Tenessee twice, once to Galveston, TX. Then we did the biggie. We drove from Florida to Seattle. My right hip went bad during the trip, I"d already replaced the left one 4 years ago. It took us 5 weeks to get across the country. We had lots of fun and saw tons in our travels. We sold the RV in Seattle. We took a 1 week trip to Victoria BC in a rental car. We then took a last minute 1 week cruise to Alaska!! Holy, sh*t, everyone should do that one, its gorgeous!! Then flew home. It ended up being a 2 month vacation.

The RV was a hand full to care for. As we bought a newer model, the only problem we had was a broken windshield from a rock. It was replaced by our insurance for free while we were in LasVegas.

'Garage' under bed accessible from the back, have mounts for 2 bikes but can get 3 in fairly easily, 200W of solar on the roof. Used for camping trips and bike events, so dont usually travel solo, and dont live in it :)

We decided not to wait for retirement and bought a travel trailer about 2.5 years ago. We have no kids but three dogs, one of whom is 11 years old and a tripod and made tent camping difficult because he can't walk far anymore but its great to be able to have them with us rather than trying to find dog-sitters when we want to travel. We have spent around 150 nights in it so far and have rarely gone more than a couple of hours away from home, but just love to get away usually at least once a month. Sometimes just for the weekend and sometimes if we are somewhere within commuting distance we'll stay through the week - this is even easier now with working from 'home'. Finishing a day's work and having a beer by the campfire or waking up to sound of waves crashing on the beach is pretty sweet! It actually played a big part in us deciding to move last year out of the city to a more rural location (with room to store the trailer in our yard) and we ended up living it it for a month during the move. For our current usage the truck/trailer combo is perfect, but we also want to do more major road-tripping once retired and for that kind of travel I think a self-contained RV/camper wins over the trailer.

What was surprising about it? A good number of people in our society are quite poor... of all ages. The poor nomads working crappy jobs to scrape by are the exception though, not the rule. And you certainly won't become one of them just because you go the low budget route.

What was surprising about it? A good number of people in our society are quite poor... of all ages. The poor nomads working crappy jobs to scrape by are the exception though, not the rule. And you certainly won't become one of them just because you go the low budget route. //

That's what I was thinking too, ours would be an affirmative choice to live this way, where the Nomads are forced into it. We actually get to quit it whenever, theirs continues until their situations either improve, or deteriorate to pushing a shopping cart in some park.


I think I'm honing in on what my rig will be. A bit partial to the Mercedes diesel platform, need the triple pop out model though. Then I send it to these guys for the final and most badass retro fit;
https://whitefeather4x4conversions.com

If I decide to go with gas(probably Ford V10), I can get a few more feet, like 27 to 29ft, and then I send it to these guys here for the ultimate family Baja vehicle.
https://www.ujointoffroad.com

If you have a minute, check out the galleries from these two sites, they make me wet...

I've been teaching my daughter to drive in the Costco parking lot late at night and around back there is a small community of 4-5 RVs that are there all the time. They are pretty beat up Rvs for most part.

That build is sweet! Is that a 144" wheelbase?

Yep, build is really great, van is pretty old (220k miles) but with good care these things can last for 3-4x that.

Thanks for the question. And you’re right, the poor have always been with us.

The revelation was that so many people thought it could be a sustainable lifestyle and were caught up short by the realization that they couldn’t handle rising insurance premiums and medical bills, the physical strain of the few jobs available to them or the expense of the RV as it deteriorated with time and mileage.

And not to turn this thread into one focused on whiteness, wealth and privilege, I was educated by the author’s observation that the permanent RV lifestyle — both rich and poor — is mostly white. She wrote that Black and Latino people have not felt welcomed or included in a lot of outdoor spaces, including the RV life. She wrote that boondocking — parking on streets or non-official camping places — is far more difficult for non-white people because they don’t get the pass from many law enforcement officers that white people do.

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Sharon McN
@IronCharo
#TeamZoot
Clif Bar Pace Team 2003-2018

I'm not the least surprised that people fail to budget for what things actually cost them. And they don't prepare for typical "emergencies". If their entry point into this life is being broke and destitute, then they are likely to have problems... like they would anywhere.

I mentioned earlier that in the 90s til 2003 I lived on $3k/yr for everything. Even had health insurance! In today's money you'd probably need $5-6k. I made a very conservative estimate in the beginning that I'd spend $10k/yr or so, and I had $100k saved up. I put the money in long term CDs, and I had $140k at the end of 13 years.

Low budget vagabonds are frequently harassed by cops regardless of race. At least if they are guys... women probably get better treatment. Minorities probably have it worse, but then they do everywhere else, so that wouldn't be surprising. I met a good number of blacks and latinos living this way when I spent some time in Santa Cruz and Santa Barbara, and also at Rainbow Gatherings, but usually I was camped in the boonies far from people.

I looked up the beet harvest. You work your butt off for 2 weeks and make $2k. That isn't bad if you happen to be close, but if you are driving 1000 miles each way to get there, then forget it. The only job I had while I was living in my truck, was a couple seasons at Bryce Canyon at the tail end. I netted ~$15k in 7 months working as a waiter at the Lodge, and got unemployment the rest of the year. 2 years of that netted enough money to last for 8-10 years of not working. If you need to make money then a good tipped seasonal position at a resort is the way to go I think.

You might be interested in the Cheap RV Living channel and site.
https://www.youtube.com/c/CheapRVliving/videos
https://www.cheaprvliving.com/

Thought you might like this. Already 4wd and a quality make (that went out of business recently). A few dollars on wheels, tires, and suspension and it should be decent offroad.

https://www.rvtrader.com/...e-TRIUMPH-5013508349

Thanks, I have seen the born free models before, but nothing this nice and big. This one has a lot of great aftermarket stuff and love the drag wheels welded onto the back, for those whoop dee dooos that catch the rear bumper. No doubt that many of those 50k miles were driven off road. With this size vehicle, I have to look at sleeping spots, 3 young kids and the two adults. I dont mind a squeeze, but they are only getting bigger and more pushy as they grow up. I could make this rig work for a few years though, and it would hit all my good Baja spots, with the right tires as you suggest.

This would end up being about the same price as a similar Mercedes platform RV with the after market 4x4 done, so in the ballpark I'm willing to go when the time comes. The only drawback is it is a ford diesel, and not a cummins. But maybe that isn't an issue anymore, used to be in the old days..

I found that one doing a random search of Ford F550 RVs. Not many on 4wd truck chassis and that one looked like good quality. A problem with many makes is that they start falling apart on rough roads... just aren't made for it. Born Free made larger ones too. Ya, can't say if the Ford diesel is any good. I see plenty of them around here anyway.

A search for Ram 5500 RVs turned up this.

https://www.rvuniverse.com/...s-class-c-motorhomes

Back when I worked for Rev3, we drove a fleet of F450s with the PowerStroke 6.7 diesels.

Phenomenal motors. Would effectively re-locate your house off it’s foundation if you asked it to. That said, they have a known fault with the glow plugs dropping and grenading the motor. So long as you weren’t an unlucky one where that happened to you, they were great trucks.

I now have a 150 SuperCrew with the 2.7 EcoBoost. Getting awfully tempted by the Coleman Lantern trailer with the off road package.

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Editor-in-Chief, Slowtwitch.com | Twitter

Send one of those to U-Joint Off Road and they'll go anywhere



ETA - I see UJOR has already been put in this thread. Oh well, never a bad thing with more pics

If you are referring to the one in the photo above, it is already 4x4.

I definitely wouldn't trust just any RV (even the ones from Ujoint) to hold up offroad. 4x4 gives you better traction for sure, but most RVs are pretty crappy construction, and they do not hold up to rough treatment. A couple hours on rocky/washboard roads is enough for them to start coming apart.

One situation I encounter a lot, is a trail that crosses a ravine or ditch at an angle. This puts an extreme amount of twist on the vehicle frame and camper. The vehicle (van or truck chassis) will be designed to twist; HD chassis have open C-channel which twists very easily so you can keep all the wheels on the ground. The camper on the other hand will not be designed to twist. Rigs designed of offroad use have a subframe added that pivots on the frame, allowing the camper to isolated from these forces.

This is an example of a simple 3 point subframe with a rear pivot that keeps the bed surface flat.

Fast forward from my August 2020 post. We ended up buying a 38' diesel "Super C" motorhome in April 2021. Super C's are basically RV's on an 18 wheeler style chassis, with ours being built on a Freightliner chassis. We tow our Jeep Wrangler behind it and are able to carry 4 bikes with us (2 inside the Jeep; 2 in the bunk area of the RV).

I really thought we'd buy another towable, but I prefer the motor home now that we've had it. More features, huge storage, etc. I couldn't figure out a good way to store 4 bikes inside with a truck / 5th wheel, and it's much nicer having a small Jeep to drive around rather than a huge truck once we're at a destination. The motorhome is so much better on travel days, along with being easier to set up and tear down.

One pain is that the RV is so large that my wife and I had to get Class B driver's licenses, which involved passing a written test and driving test. The tests were easy, but dealing with the local DMV was ridiculous.

No input on retiring early, but commend you for realizing time is limited & realizing there is more to life than just the 9-5 corp. America B.S. What you found you value more is making a life rather than a living. Covid has brought on some pretty wonderful side effects for people in general as a wake up call--but destroyed many lives. Not to discount those who lost so much, but the gains in many aspects may never have happened without Covid. Realizing you are following your heart rather than what society *thinks* you should follow. Congratulations--many have arrived where you have come to now. As for medical--this is another reason health care should not be tied to employment but as a citizen of your country. Imagine the freedom others would feel if they knew they could move between jobs and not worry about losing health insurance--or just take some time off to be with their kids raising them in the younger years.