|
Ask and You Shall Be Answered!
We received permission from the people
asking us questions. If you have a question, please send us
an email:
Email@Laura-n-Sasha.com
May 2008: More of an appreciation than a
question, I still felt it should go here:
Hello,
Thanks for taking the time to put together your website.
Fulltiming in a truck camper looks very cool. I did it
in a small fifth wheel for a couple of years and always
wished I could fit in normal parking spots.
I am looking at a Bigfoot with slide out to do some
Fulltiming in. Also, I am reading YMOYL which is great.
For years now I have told my colleagues that when I want
to buy something I take the price of the item and divide
it by my hourly take home wage and then figure out if I
want to work those hours to pay for it. I call it the
formula. They all look at me like I am crazy when I tell
them that so the book is right in line with how I think.
Thanks,
Tom
Our Response:
Hi Tom,
Thanks for the email and the appreciation.
Is it OK with you if I put this comment on the
guestbook? Thanks
I'm not sure if I put this into the
guestbook or not, but it was the first one with the email so
I've put it in this area.
June 2008: Serious Questions about a
bunch of things:
Hi -
This may sound like a really stupid
question, and I didn't have it until Saturday after
arguing with my father. I travel for work, moving every
three to six months, and I'm saving up for an RV so I
can full-time (better than packing every three months
and loading the car and dragging tubs up stairs to a new
apartment or hotel room). I had my mind made up to get
a Sportsmobile - a Sprinter LB with a penthouse (they
should have the penthouse again by the time I can afford
the down payment - they're doing a stress test today, in
fact), but my parents threw a fit about it Saturday when
I saw them. It only has 8 gal propane tanks for the
generator (if you choose propane), and they started
going on and on about how I would be buying new tanks
every other day (but they wouldn't be as heavy as 30
gallon tanks!) and it wouldn't keep it warm, and even if
I got an electric ceramic heater, my electric bill would
be horrible (the Sportsmobiles are very well insulated,
but they've never read anything about them to know
that)...
Anyway, my question is how you guys deal with winters in
something even smaller. What kind of heat do you use,
what kind of generator if you have one, etc.
My parents also couldn't make up their minds on whether
the Sportsmobile was horrible because it was too small
for me or it was way too huge and long (24') for me to
be driving. So I told them they were right about the
tanks and generator, etc., being too small, and the van
itself being too small for me to live in, and I'm going
to buy a bus conversion. :-) And actually, we had a
bus conversion when I was in grade school -> high school
and I loved it (school bus). That's what made me start
dreaming of converting my own bus someday and living in
it full time, way back then. When I started thinking
about it now, though, I figured a van would be easier to
drive, and the Sprinters get such good gas mileage...
My parents ARE being good to me in one way - they are
letting me live in their old camper (they had it for
sale - a 25 ft bumper-pull) this summer since my work
assignment is only an hour from their house. They think
it's going to make me change my mind. :-)
Hope you are doing well!
Laura W-A
Our Response:
Hi Laura,
There are no stupid questions especially when you are
trying to figure things out. I want to answer your
questions but I want you to realize, I do not know
anything about Sportsmobiles except that they are like
Class B types of RVs. That said, most Class Bs are
expensive, but if you do not have a truck to begin with,
then it might be a moot point.
Let me tell you what we have and don’t have so that I
can answer your questions better. We have:
-
Two 20 gallon propane tanks. It usually takes us
almost a year before we have to refill. That is
because we have:
-
An
AC unit that has a heater installed in it (so the
heat is at the top and blows throughout the camper.)
This runs with electricity from the campground where
we stay.
-
A
ceramic floor heater, just in case the AC unit
heater is too much, the ceramic one does it. Neither
of these heaters runs when we are not in the camper.
-
A
second mattress on the bed and a feather mattress
cover, plus a down comforter to keep us warm when we
sleep.
-
The camper has double pane windows, and was built in
British Columbia for snowmobilers. So we know that
it is well insulated.
Also too, we tend to NOT take showers in the camper –
our thinking is why waste propane when the campground
heats the water for us? Less mess and less propane used.
We use the propane for making breakfast, boiling water
for tea and coffee, and heating the water tank for
washing dishes.
What we don’t have is a generator. We do not need it as
of yet, and if you are staying in a campground where
there is electricity, there is no point. So far we have
not found a need for it, but probably will once Sasha
retires. But we shall see on that.
Now, most campgrounds do not charge for electricity,
although that might change with everything else going up
in price. But as of right now, most do not charge. So
using their electricity for heat would be the way to go.
We also set the propane on very low temps when there is
the possibility of a serious cold snap, because the
pipes are insulated as well, but propane has to be used
to keep the pipes from freezing.
So to answer your question in a round-about way, we use
both: propane and electric. But we do not use a
generator.
Onto your next question about size – If you are a
single person, I would not suggest a truck camper, as it
is nice to have someone else to spot you especially if
you want to take the camper off of the truck to use. I
have thought about Winnie Minnie – they seem like such
neat RVs, but very expensive. But a van is only small if
you believe it will be small. The TC is not small to us,
because we are not in it all the time. I can drive the
truck and the camper on top, and have driven with the
trailer, but it isn’t easy, especially when I go from a
car to the truck.
I have heard of people converting the buses to used
veggie oil, but then a bus would need serious
renovations as there are so many windows, and it is
definitely not well insulated. It would be better to
have that van conversion. You might consider renting a
van for a while, to see how well you can drive it.
You might also want to find out at work if there is a
way that you could “travel with the sun” meaning winter
in southern states and summer in northern states. This
way you would seriously cut down on propane use.
I think that being in a RV for a season is a good idea,
to understand how everything works. That way you are
prepared when you get your own.
Hope these answers help you. Also, I plan on posting
some of this on the website. I hope that is OK with you.
She wrote back again with more questions:
Thank you so much for your answer!
I already do try to be kind of a
snowbird - this last winter I was down close to Houston,
then in March came back to KS near my family. Last
summer and winter I was in KS, but the summer before I
was in NH, which was gorgeous. I'm already used to
living with only what will fit in my PT Cruiser (and the
company I work for either puts me up in a furnished apt
or a hotel), but I'm really liking the camper so far -
less space means I'm forced to clean more often. :-)
I'm using the showers at the campground here for the
most part, but the other day it stormed and I didn't
want to go up there. No lightning, so I was going to
take my shower here in the camper, but the wind was
blowing so hard it kept blowing out the pilot light on
the hot water heater, so I had to wait until at least
the wind died down to be able to take one... I ended up
getting to bed later than I wanted.
I'm more convinced than ever that Sportsmobile is the
best choice. They're the most reasonable, price-wise,
of all the class Bs, and they have experience building
for people with pets - I have a parrot and have a large
cage planned for the van, and they have a temperature
sensing system with a remote pager, and even have a
remote starter for the engine so you can turn on the
heat or air if the temp gets out of range while your pet
is in the van. I've had Jerry (my parrot) since 95 - my
husband passed away in 97, before we were able to have
kids, so I'm probably a little too overprotective of
Jerry... I won't be able to do like you do and use the
down covers and keep the heat off while I'm away (I wish
I could!). If I could figure out a way to just heat his
cage, that would be great. I've thought about getting
the heat rocks like they use for reptile cages, but I'm
afraid he'd burn himself. But I definitely want solar
panels, and I could hook his stuff up to solar, and not
have to worry about the rest of the van being turned on
while I was gone... I'm going to have to come up with
something...
Also, everything you said about size and price and me
being single helped reinforce the idea that the
Sportsmobile is the best choice. I looked at a lot of
stuff (online) before I decided on it, and I'm more
convinced now that I'm right. :-)
What's the name of the A/C with heat that is on your
truck camper? Sportsmobile uses Starcool A/C, but maybe
I could ask them for a switch, so I could have electric
heat. This campground has free electricity, too - my
parents tried to tell me that few do, but I'm glad to
hear that it's not like that, at least not right now.
Then again, I had told them that the website for
Sportsmobile says that a lot of people get a small
ceramic heater (like what you said) and use it instead
of propane.
And that is fine for you to use my question on your
website. :-) I'm sure there have to be other people
out there who have the same kinds of questions I do!
Thanks again!
I forgot to respond for the AC question
so here is the answer: Well, I do not know! Oops. When
Sasha gets back, I'll ask him and put the response up here.
July 2008: Can a Person do what we are
doing...But of course! Edited to take out the personal stuff
Hello Laura and Sasha:
I found your Web site and am glad you are sharing your story
about full time RVing.
I am a 48-year-old Colorado woman with no kids and lots of
chutzpah who's recently left her husband after six years of
marriage. (.... but I think it's helpful for you to know
this since I'm trying to figure out my options and you guys
are the full-time RV experts).
Last year, I left my husband because .... and bought a
vintage 21' 1970 single-axle travel trailer in excellent
shape. My reasoning was that I could .... live in the
trailer until I could get my life back together. (I live in
an exceedingly expensive real estate market .... but I kept
the trailer in case I needed a way out. .....
Together, we have a 7-acre horse-boarding business with two
houses, barn, horses, goats, dogs I love, sheep, etc. so
..... My trailer is still sitting on our property. All the
nearby RV/trailer parks are full except one, and that one is
$600/month for space rent and dogs are not allowed.
(Apartments here start at $1,000-plus a month.)
I'm trying to figure out if I really could live in a 21-foot
trailer, and after reading your site, I think I could. When
I was single, I lived in a 280-square-foot cabin for five
years, and I've lived on a 42' boat too. I have accumulated
tons of crap I don't really need, so I feel confident I
could whittle everything down like you guys did.
My trailer has a dinette, a bunk I can sleep in, a couch
along the back wall, a kitchen with stove, frig, oven and
some cabinets and a bath with shower, toilet and sink.
Although you can't tell by the crappy way I'm writing, I am
a professional writer and editor, and currently work at a
college as a public information editor. I also work with a
small publishing house editing books, so I have plenty of
work in this area.
Can I do this? Should I do this? I'm a little nervous about
being a single woman essentially camping out in an RV park,
but I'm gutsy - I've been a river raft guide and a ski
instructor, so I can take care of myself. If I could set a
plan of working hard, living lean and socking money away, in
a year or two, I could be in a much better place. All this
is so overwhelming and daunting. I am glad I made the
decision ...., but yikes! This is scary. I'm thinking,
though, if I can do this, I could inspire other women to get
out of emotionally hurtful life situations and move forward.
So, that went on too long, but I would appreciate your
feedback.
Thanks so much if you choose to respond.
All the best,
Carrie (C2)
Our Response (Sasha went first and I took
out the sort of curse word)
Hello Carrie,
Laura forwarded me your touching email. Thanks for taking
the time to write and sorry about your situation ...
I am at work now and can't write too much, but these are my
comments:
Can I do this?
From your email, I can say, He11 YES!
Should I do this?
See above, He11 YES! Your background seems to fit well and
you seem to have the right mindset.
The good news:
1.
You live in COLORADO. One of the most beautiful of all
states with tons of RV potential for campgrounds and
boondocking. I myself am a CSU grad '79 lived in Ft Collins
and then ski bummed in Summit County 79-84, and man do I
miss it.
2.
Cost of living high? Not compared to our (DC metro) area.
$600/month for a campsite? Try $850 with a long commute into
town. Nothing at all at ANY price near work around here. For
$1,000-plus a month around
here, you have to live with room mates, forget an apartment
at that price. So keep your perspective on this, could be
lots worse.
Sell your "Stuff", ditch the ...and start a new life.
Best thing Laura and I ever did was to sell the house, our
stuff and make our plan to "retire" early. No regrets and we
are very happy.
cheers,
Sasha
Her Response to Sasha:
Hi Sasha: You just put a huge smile on my face. Thanks
for your insights. You are helping me more than you know. As
I move along here, I'll keep you posted on how I do.
I'm a CSU alum too!
My best to you and to Laura,
C2
My Response:
Hi Carrie,
First off, you can do whatever your mind sets you to
do, so it can be done, you just have to get your mind
around it.
That said, the most important aspect about going
full-time is financial. Lots of people try it out and
run out of money. Those that have a plan do not run out.
If you have moved out, is there any way that you can
get your money out of the house and business without
harming yourself? By “tons of crap” do you have this
with you or is it still at the house? Could you sell it
off?
The reason I ask is because getting a cushion before
you venture out is always a good idea, and right now,
you may be punishing yourself for his problems. He is
left with the house and the business while you sleep at
friends’ homes. That’s no good. If you can, get the
money that belongs to you.
If you can’t, then the job you have – is it a full time
job (40 hours or more?) Is it possible to work for the
campground for your site (like a workcamper) for a
certain amount of hours per week, and still do your
other jobs? Most workcampers work on weekends, so it
might work that way.
Otherwise, you might have to buckle up to the $600 a
month for a spot at the RV Park. Make sure it truly is
for RVs that move occasionally, not a place where no one
ever leaves. You want to be in a RV park, not a “Trailer
Park” only because that is not what you are. Plus the RV
is a different beast entirely, with RV techs usually
around and the hosts or managers of the park can help
you out and they know and understand RVs.
I always tell people to figure out their finances and
the book that I use is Your Money or Your Life. There is
a link on the home page (because that book did help us
get to where we are now) to buy the book. While the
numbers may be a little off, the
information
is what is important. It helps you take stock of your
life and your money.
Once you have figured out the money, it sounds as
though you would have no problem with the space. That is
another reason why people get out of full time RVing,
the space is too small. But if you are at friends’
homes, and the other places you’ve lived, I do not think
that space will be an issue for you. Your RV sounds big
(but we live small anyway
J)
to us, with lots of space to be comfortable in. One of
the things I would suggest is changing sides that you
sit on in the dinette, so that the cushions aren’t flat
on one side. Sasha and I do this – we kind of have sides
that we sit on, but occasionally change. Have not yet
had to replace the cushions!
You can always find room for stuff in an RV – we
actually don’t use some places in the Truck Camper
because we have our garage (the trailer). But a rule
that we have followed since day one is, if you bring
something new in, you have to take something old out.
This may be a shirt to a book – if you put too much in,
the RV will be too heavy and not safe.
I see that Sasha has also responded to your questions,
and I hope this has helped. Is it ok if I put the
questions on the website (not the personal stuff, and I
can take out your last name if you want) so that others
can learn from it too? Thanks,
Her Response to Me:
You guys are fantastic. Thank you so much
for your valuable advice! Wow.
The park I'm looking at is more of a permanent "trailer
park" - even the temporary RVs have extras permanently built
around them. There are only a few RV spaces, and the rest
are Park Model mobile homes and the like. Hmmm...what do you
think about that?
There is a resort with RV spots and cool cabins that will be
accepting longer-term people starting in Sept. for $700/mo.
Even though that's pricey, perhaps I should look into that.
And since I've put out the word to everyone I know, I have a
friend who has 11 acres that I could put my trailer on. He
says I have to get a permit but I could do it. What do you
think? I don't know about hookups, etc. Hmmm again...
I'm getting the "Money or Your Life" book right now (I've
heard about it).
I really cannot convey to you what you and Sasha's good
words mean to me. Truly.
And yes, please put my questions on line. If we can help
someone else, how wonderful is that?
We'll be in touch.
Best, C2
OK NOW I think I am blushing - so many
nice words.
August 2008: We had a question on our
guest book as well, so I want to answer it here.
Gary: Wow, thanks for posting so much about
working, camping, and different areas. Do you have any
interior pix of your tc? Would you share info about your
wardrobe? how many pair of shoes fit in the closet? what
kinds of cooking equipment you have? ex. crock pot, thanks.
ps my wife doesn't think it is reasonable for me to try to
keep 80 silk shirts and 132 other shirts, oxford, polo, etc.
Our Response:
Regarding pictures, I will have to get
some new ones up, in the next couple of days, but you can
see old ones here:
pictures of a
clean camper before we put
anything into it. But you are right, I have not put new
pictures of the interior in for a while, so I will do that
sometime in August. Please check back around the
end of August
for those pictures.
Our Wardrobe: Since I
work for a private campground, the shirts are provided.
Also, when I worked for the NPS, again, shirts were provided
on the days that you worked. You have to wash and clean
those shirts, and they are yours until you leave.
I own about 7 pairs of
shoes: flip-flops, Tevas, Crocs, sandal flip flops (slightly
dressy) sneakers, hiking boots, and winter boots. The
sandals are the only shoes in the closet, the rest are
outside or in the trailer. We do not wear our shoes into the
camper. We never wore shoes in our house either, slippers
only. Sasha owns I think about the same amount of shoes:
flip-flops (for the shower), Tevas, Birkenstock-type of
shoe, leather sandals (for work), dress shoes (never for
work), hiking boots, and winter boots. None of his shoes are
in the camper.
We both wear mostly
T-shirts, shorts, long pants or long-sleeve shirts (for
winter). We have sweatshirts and sweaters for
wintertime. I counted Sasha's shirts in the closet, and he
has about 30 shirts - all wash and wear types, none that
need to be dry cleaned or other such nonsense. Wash and wear
baby - the way to go! Actually he and I both have more
shirts than pants, so that you can have more outfits. BUT -
no ties (well, I think he has left one at my parents house,
along with a suit and the dressy shoes - for when we need to
get dressed up down there.)
So I do think that 80 silk and 132
other shirts is a little excessive. But different people
have different needs. Sasha also has a motorcycle suit for
riding to work each day, complete outfit especially when it
gets cold. I have a bunch of sweaters, most of them are not
in the camper, as I do not need them yet. We have a storage
box of winter clothes at his parents house, which we will
switch out when it gets chilly here.
Also, just looking at
some of the pictures of us, you should be able to see the
types of clothes we wear. You may notice that we do not go
to too many fancy restaurants or outings where we need to
wear fancy clothes. Yet your experiences may be different.
Onto cooking
equipment:
-
We have one pot
for our oatmeal breakfast (it is non-stick, with a glass
cover),
-
one frying pan
(again, non-stick, and heavy duty).
-
We have an
infra-red grill which we use outside for cooking,
-
a three-burner
stovetop inside the camper,
-
an oven which we
use for storage of our wine and paper products,
-
a serrated knife
for cutting most things,
-
6 steak knives, 6
plastic knives, 6 plastic spoons, 6 plastic forks (we
wanted things to be light-weight, and these utensils
worked well.)
-
A small crock-pot
-
A dehydrator for
drying foods
-
A tea kettle for
the instant coffee and tea
-
Lots of clear
plastic containers to store food
-
A cheese grater,
garlic press, and plastic brush for marinades
-
Tongs, large
spoon, and veggie peeler
-
Heavy duty plastic
plate, bowls, 8 oz glasses, and wine glasses.
There is other stuff
I'm sure, but you get the idea. We cook meals simply, lots
of salads for dinner, occasionally eat meat, usually have
tortilla for bread and make roll-up type sandwiches. We eat
oatmeal for breakfast, spiced up with oat bran and wheat
berries, plus either dried fruit or fresh fruit. We have the
occasional snacks. Our refrigerator is 6 cu feet, filled
with mostly water, fruit, salad greens, beer, condiments,
yogurt, sour cream, bulk cheese, sliced cheese, and deli
meat. The freezer may hold ice cream, meat (like kielbasa or
sausage), and frozen veggies and bulk hard cheeses.
We have stored at
least 2-3 months of supplies just in case. Most of the
extras are in the trailer. Having that extra space is very
helpful when storing extra food.
Hopefully this has
answered most of your questions, and like I said, I will get
some pictures up shortly.
|
