Mr Stubs
Taste my rainbow, bitches
Grey or black water?
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Unconventional Living?
- Thread starter Ted_Kaczynski
- Start date
Poriggity
Ketchup Dog
I might have to bow out of this thread....... But not entirely*
Wife and I took a ride up to Tyler yesterday so I could buy a set of SxS wheels & tires I found on CL. Just outside the city limits of the town we live in, there was a house* for sale. It literally checks off all the boxes we had in our heads about what we want......
-2.5 acres
-2012 built house*
-30 X 60 Shop!!!!!
-Surrounded by farms
-Concrete driveway
-Fully fenced
-Gated entrance
-Impeccable property maintenance
- Outside city limits (no zoning BS)
-Awesome price
When we got back yesterday I had my wife inquire about it. I'm all in if we can get the deal done.
*Its a mobile home, so would I still be trailer trash?
filedata/fetch?id=21665&d=1590942321
I dig it!! Good luck bro!
Wheelerfreak
Chronically stupid
I'm in a similar situation. I grew up in a tiny house with five kids, worked summers at the grandparents ranch in a tiny house with no power or running water and then the wife and I lived 25 years in a 750 sq ft house. Fuck that anymore. After 50 years of that shit, we now have a similar property. Barns, RV shed, garages and acres to enjoy out in BFE. Only ours is not a trailer but rather a mud hut...Adobe house.
trampas
Don't Re Member
YotaAtieToo
Thick skull
The issue I found with full timing in a rv is that alot of them are cheap pieces of shitmine included. Running on propane for the water heater and stove sucked.
I have a plan to build an rv out of a 53ft drop frame van trailer, like a ghetto fabulous version of Spacecraft Mfg. Everything will be fullsize and use higher end materials. Kind of want to make it a toyhauler, but dont want to lose the living space.
After the fire, almost everyone I knew bought a trailer. A lot of them went with grand design, which is supposed to be top of the line. Even the 5th wheels that retail for $100k had issues right away.
I wish you could buy one that wasn't trying to look all fancy, but was just built sturdy.
I'd like to do something out of an enclosed trailer one day. Just the basics, built for ease of maintenance and function.
CDA 455 II
ANFAQUE2
Gatorgrizz27
Well-known member
- Joined
- May 20, 2020
- Member Number
- 756
- Messages
- 874
I’m still on the “conventional” route, house in the suburbs and rent a shop on the due of town to run my business out of. Plan is hopefully to buy 5-10 acres and put a shop up on it by the end of the year. Won’t be living out there but I’ll put some type of cabin/outdoor kitchen deal to have a place to hand out and relax.
Also working on getting a couple small revenue streams going besides my finish carpentry business to have some “easy money” coming in without having to physically be there and working. I’ve setup my enclosed trailer to easily convert to a basic camper, I’d like to be able to hit the road for a couple weeks every 2-3 months.
I’m not really suited to the “drifter” lifestyle, I’m fairly antisocial but like to keep in touch with a handful of close friends. I get bored being by myself for long periods of time and am not going to become best friends with some stranger at the bar like many do.
Also working on getting a couple small revenue streams going besides my finish carpentry business to have some “easy money” coming in without having to physically be there and working. I’ve setup my enclosed trailer to easily convert to a basic camper, I’d like to be able to hit the road for a couple weeks every 2-3 months.
I’m not really suited to the “drifter” lifestyle, I’m fairly antisocial but like to keep in touch with a handful of close friends. I get bored being by myself for long periods of time and am not going to become best friends with some stranger at the bar like many do.
Poriggity
Ketchup Dog
Sadly the RV industry does as a whole does not give a shit about quality control. My travel trailer was 20k, and I've had some issues that I just fixed on my own. My brother has an $80,000 42 foot 5th wheel, and he just got it back from the dealer for tons of warranty work. $20k or 80k, they are all lacking quality control.
HillbillyDeluxe
Not a Junior Member
I might have to bow out of this thread....... But not entirely*
Wife and I took a ride up to Tyler yesterday so I could buy a set of SxS wheels & tires I found on CL. Just outside the city limits of the town we live in, there was a house* for sale. It literally checks off all the boxes we had in our heads about what we want......
-2.5 acres
-2012 built house*
-30 X 60 Shop!!!!!
-Surrounded by farms
-Concrete driveway
-Fully fenced
-Gated entrance
-Impeccable property maintenance
- Outside city limits (no zoning BS)
-Awesome price
When we got back yesterday I had my wife inquire about it. I'm all in if we can get the deal done.
*Its a mobile home, so would I still be trailer trash?
filedata/fetch?id=21665&d=1590942321
You're lucky thats in the wrong direction of where I wanna go, otherwise Id be on it
montrose818
Banned
IMHO enclosed trailers are built 100x better than than toy haulers or travel trailers. I know its too much to convert to a TT, but if you need to haul toys or want a drop down rear, enclosed might be the ticket with some modifications.
I stayed until end of sept in a semi trailer (dry van) but it was mainly working most every day and just falling asleep on the couch i had inside. End of september I bought a sweet 40' race trailer, gooseneck. It has a closed "work" area with a sink and a pad to sleeo, but no shower or toilet. I stayed there until 12/31. I was renting an office near where I parked, and also used the local (semi) gym.
Its got triple 7200 axles with alcoas, insulation, alum inside, two ACs. H&H brand. Its very very well built. I might put a compost toilet in, but shower would probably not be worth the effort. Setting up solar on it.
Would like to get 5-10 acres in Acton/Agua Dulce area and park it there. Not the plan A retirement plan, but plan B maybe, or maybe take some time away from the city at some point.
#trailertrash
I stayed until end of sept in a semi trailer (dry van) but it was mainly working most every day and just falling asleep on the couch i had inside. End of september I bought a sweet 40' race trailer, gooseneck. It has a closed "work" area with a sink and a pad to sleeo, but no shower or toilet. I stayed there until 12/31. I was renting an office near where I parked, and also used the local (semi) gym.
Its got triple 7200 axles with alcoas, insulation, alum inside, two ACs. H&H brand. Its very very well built. I might put a compost toilet in, but shower would probably not be worth the effort. Setting up solar on it.
Would like to get 5-10 acres in Acton/Agua Dulce area and park it there. Not the plan A retirement plan, but plan B maybe, or maybe take some time away from the city at some point.
#trailertrash
YotaAtieToo
Thick skull
That and they all use basically the same cheap ass components.
The "park models" were slightly better in some ways, full size appliances, ect.
Anyone live in one in a cold area?
88mitsu
Dumpster Defense Squad
I've been sleeping on a couch for 2 years, is that unconventional living?
Mr Stubs
Taste my rainbow, bitches
Depends on if you own the couch or not.
Kowboy
White Trash
Yes. Hard to keep 'em warm for damned sure. Most are very poorly insulated. Plan on some kind of window coverings for insulation. Gotta run the furnace to keep the heated holdin' tanks thawed out. So don't even think on the stock propane bottles. Contact a local service and have at least a hun'erd pounder delivered and filled regularly. Insulate and heat the hell outta your water hose and tank knife valves if not already heated. When I first started in a RV and had a cheap-ass Wilderness camp trailer, I skirted it with hay bails and put electric heat lamps under it. Worked well.
Most RV's are garbage and only meant to go on a campin' trip or two ev'ry year. Not made to live in. Durability just ain't there. And neither are vapor barriers in the walls. Folks put out a lot of moisture into the air with showers and cookin' ... and just breathin'. Destroys the walls. Worser in the winter. Mandatory to run an exhaust fan when cookin' or showerin'. DRV and Luxe are only 5th wheels I'm aware of that claim they're geared up to live full-time in. And they cost as much as a house. I've been livin' in my DRV for 4 months now so we'll see how it holds up. I know Thor bought out DRV a few years back and there was a definite drop in the quality control of the build.
And bouncin' down the road beats the shit out of 'em too. Less ya move 'em the better.
Park models have bigger appliances but aren't any more durable. Particularly when bouncin' down the road. They just ain't made to move much.
Realistic'ly, RV's are a poor choice for housin' . But a good fit for me right now.
Ted_Kaczynski
On A Journey
Our Montana is built pretty well for the price, and is rated for 4 seasons full time living so the warranty won't be voided.
We lived in a travel trailer and it held up fine as well. There are always small things to fix, I haven't had any major issues in almost 2 years.
We lived in a travel trailer and it held up fine as well. There are always small things to fix, I haven't had any major issues in almost 2 years.
woods
I probably did it wrong.
- Joined
- May 22, 2020
- Member Number
- 1120
- Messages
- 5,165
Folks bought a nice Class C to travel in. The truck is great. The camper....ehhhh....Its a bit cobbled together. You can tell there's a bunch of chincy stuff. sink was leaking. Dining table wobbled. The rear ladder to the roof was barely mounted. All the cabinets were crooked. Nothing really major, but the little things are annoying. Took a few months to go through and straighten things out a bit. They offered the camper to us to travel in a couple times a year. Going to be fun. We had an absolute blast in the truck camper.
rugger
TheOrginalMiataGuy
I'm living a minimalist lifestyle in an apartment in the city. I like being close to restaurants. I don't like being this close to inconsiderate people. I save huge money by not having a garage and house to maintain. The downside is that I'm no longer building equity. I'd be happy picking up a little cabin on some land.
Seriously, how much extra work was it to type out your down-home speech patterns instead of just typing in English? Good info here, just tough to read.
CDA 455 II
ANFAQUE2
Kowboy
White Trash
CDA 455 II
ANFAQUE2
You bring up some excellent points to definitely be considered.
I'm seriously wondering where Airstream is in regards to said points.
nOOB question:
Would a longer travel trailer have more problems than a shorter one in regards to frame-flex?
Frame-flex=making/causing problems.
FIFY
Why don't you police your own shit before whining about others. :rolleyes:
Excellent point--just had to get out on pretty shaky ground to make it.
I spend a lot of time on the RV forums, which are generally focused collections of idiocy. But I've never seen this brought up as a concern. But for perspective's sake--there's largely cantilevered structures like a cabover bunk on every truck camper and many motorhomes. So maybe everyone considers a trailer frame as an absolute bastion of rigidity in comparison.
Gregj50!!!!!
Boob
Gray... but the wife will take a leak if she’s gotta go in the middle of the night!!!
Gregj50!!!!!
Boob
Kind of!!!!
Kowboy
White Trash
Unfortunately, Thor also bought out Airstream. I've heard that they're still bein' run independently tho and have maintained their own QC standards. I can't confirm or deny that. I don't know much 'bout 'em 'cause I got no int'rest. A trailer without slides ain't roomy enuf to live in and there ain't room for me to stand up in their showers 'cause of the curved roof.
Potentially ... without a fuckin' doubt. The American RV industry is a fascinatin' bid'ness model. Huge profits 'cause they done perfected the art of makin' a $30k trailer look like a $100k trailer. Easy to do on the interior with particle board and wallpaper for example rather than real wood. And they sell a buttload of 'em 'cause they look fancy. The average consumer has no concept of quality construction materials. They just want it to look pretty. And it will for a while I reckon. But not for long if'n a fella's livin' in it.
But the huge cost savin's is the actual construction of the exterior of the trailer. 2 x 2 wood studs stapled together with a touch of insulation. Light duty frames with cheapest axle components and tires possibly obtained. 'Cause nobody seems to give a shit how they're built ... they just want the inside to be pretty. Simple enuf. So a longer trailer had damned well better have extra strength over a shorter one. But don't be surprised if'n all they did was extend the two fuckin' frame rails. Which makes 'em flex more. And flexin' is exactly what fucks 'em up goin' down the road. A stiff frame is mandatory. Yet most manufacturers don't even mention it. Ironic'ly, after the pretty interior, the next biggest sellin' point is bein' lightweight. For fucks sake, how you reckon they make 'em so light?? Reckon a frame with a 6" rail weighs less than an 8" rail?? Folks don't give a shit why they're lightweight ... they just want to tow one behind their fuckin' minivan. Or a 30-footer behind a half-ton. Amazes the shit outta me.
Check out Arctic Fox for example. Half their website is showin' off their frame. That's good shit. I lived in one for 8 months and they're very well built. Just wanted more room so moved up to my monster DRV. Only time will tell how bad I fucked up.
montrose818
Banned
Arctic Fox is the only TT I would buy.
Arps
Well-known member
What year and floor plan DRV?
*darcy*
Member
- Joined
- May 26, 2020
- Member Number
- 1434
- Messages
- 17
Colin started traveling for work a few years ago and with kids growing and multiplying we bought a 44' toy hauler. we started traveling as a family last year and were on the road 252 days in 2019. we still have the house in Tennessee but i personally would love to clear it out and let it go. some land and a hookup for the camper for a few years would be great until we decide where we would like to settle down again. the kids love the rv and the adventure, 6, 3, and new baby 2 months old... we are going to try to get back out this fall when the covid stuff calms down.
