Monty as the S & B? - Montana Owners Club

**DQDick** · 09-07-2012, 02:34 AM

My next door neighbors for the last couple of days were very nice folks in a class A. Seemed to know a lot about Monty's, however. Turns out they have a lot in a SKP park in California where there "home" is and travel in the class A. Their "home" is a Montana. It was delivered to the park by the dealer and they don't even have a vehicle to move it with. They do love their "home" however and are always happy to get back to it when they come off the road. There's one answer to the question folks sometimes ask about is the Monty a good rig to full time in.

richfaa · 09-07-2012, 05:46 AM

Well we live in ours 6 months of the year in Florida and the 06 3400 held up very well. IMO this full time rig stuff is a marketing ploy to get you to purchase a high $$ rig. We did over 60K miles in our 06 3400 and lived in it 6 month of every year we had it. We see more folks full timing in mid level rigs than the high $$$$ ones.

exav8tr · 09-07-2012, 11:04 AM

I think the difference is in what we are calling "Full time". I guess there could be two definitions. One is somewhere we live full time, as in your neighbors, and the other is we travel fulltime, as we did for four years straight and many others have done longer. After all, they do have wheels. Maybe the terms "full time living" and "full time RV'ing" need to come into play. We would have had no problem living in ours at a stationary location for awhile as we did the last year we had it, however I think the walls would have closed in eventually. In any case we enjoyed it tremendously and are glad we travelled as much as we did. These are just some rambling thoughts from an old retired fart!!!

Wild Horse · 09-09-2012, 12:46 AM

Just prior to us taking possession of this house, we went and wintered in Branson. We ended up staying six months there, and then a month in KY, and then up here to the new place. While I spent about a year doing the rehab followed by the surgery and a month of re-coup from that...all told, we ended up being in the monty for like 18 months, and enjoyed every minute of it. Matter of fact, as we sit here now we are contemplating going full time. I think factors like I rehabbed the monty (and am doing more now) making it exactly what we want coupled with the fact we love to see new places makes it pretty easy to full time or even long time....but I agree with Rich on the marketing....I don't think you need to spend the big bucks, just find a quality rig manufacturer. I guess the question on whether a rig is solid enough to be a long term "home" might also come down to how durable it is sitting in one place vs. how durable bouncing down the road for 100k miles?

**DQDick** · 09-09-2012, 03:42 AM

Understand, we are full time in the Monty. What surprised me about these folks is that they looked at the Monty as their home and the Class A as their travel vehicle. No reason this seemed odd to me except it's the first time I ever met someone who had both and used them. Everyone else I've ever met were either Motorhome folks or 5th wheel folks. Never met someone who went back and forth.

bigskyjimmy · 09-09-2012, 08:27 AM

We have lived in ours Fulltime for 2 years now through snow, LOTS OF RAIN!(SEATTLE)and hot weather, yes it does get warm up here and NO PROBLEM the new ones are pretty well insulated Just get the biggest one you can afford and your truck can haul and GO FOR IT!

MAMalody · 09-10-2012, 04:16 PM

It is interesting. We have three fulltimers where we are and one has a Class C for a travel rig, one has a camper and one has a 20' tt.

bigskyjimmy · 09-10-2012, 04:40 PM

In our resort we have 22 fulltimers and nothing smaller than a 28 footer but heck some people do O.K. in small spaces, if I was single I could do it and save some cash buying smaller but being married and fulltime WE NEED SPACE MAN!!

TLightning · 09-24-2012, 02:44 PM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by DQDick

Understand, we are full time in the Monty. What surprised me about these folks is that they looked at the Monty as their home and the Class A as their travel vehicle. No reason this seemed odd to me except it's the first time I ever met someone who had both and used them. Everyone else I've ever met were either Motorhome folks or 5th wheel folks. Never met someone who went back and forth.

Actually, what they are doing makes perfect sense. Their "home" is the one that is better equipped to sit and less equipped to travel; their traveling rig, the MH is the opposite. If you are going to move every few days, the MH is lots easier to both move and set up.

They have the best of both worlds.

**DQDick** · 09-24-2012, 04:07 PM

The smallest full time rig I've heard of is the couple in their 70's full timing in a popup. Not something I'd be willing to do at my age, let alone theirs. Gave our popup to our daughter several rigs ago.

Neil.M · 09-24-2012, 05:38 PM

My DW's sister and her husband are full timing in a 17' Casita. They are 4 months in their two year adventure. I am taking bets on the date that one of them does the other in with a tire iron. 17' Casita equals 3 feet of tongue and a 14'X6'8" box and that the outsided measurements. I couldn't live with myself in that small of a rig.

**DQDick** · 09-25-2012, 02:46 AM

Us either!

gkidsdlite · 11-16-2012, 05:24 PM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by DQDick

Us either!

OK these posts prompt a question, how often should we upgrade to a new 5th wheel? Our plan is to put approx 10 to 12k miles on our rig each year!

**DQDick** · 11-16-2012, 05:30 PM

We plan on maintaining ours and upgrading it until we can't full time anymore or for some reason it absolutely needs to be replaced. We love our unit and it's been discontinued so for us it's one and done at this point.

gduff · 11-17-2012, 01:27 AM

Sometimes I think too much emphasis is placed on the equipment to full time in. It may be that it is more about the people and what their expectations and requirements are. I do a lot of distance hiking carrying all my items in a backpack and living in a one person tent. Some do this for 6 months a year, year after year. Not for everyone for sure but ok for some. Some people can full time in a pop-up and others couldn’t do it in a one million plus motorhome. The most important thing is to enjoy the experience and those that one meets along the way. Find out what works for you and happy trails!

Champ_49 · 11-18-2012, 01:25 AM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by gduff

Sometimes I think too much emphasis is placed on the equipment to full time in. It may be that it is more about the people and what their expectations and requirements are. I do a lot of distance hiking carrying all my items in a backpack and living in a one person tent. Some do this for 6 months a year, year after year. Not for everyone for sure but ok for some. Some people can full time in a pop-up and others couldn’t do it in a one million plus motorhome. The most important thing is to enjoy the experience and those that one meets along the way. Find out what works for you and happy trails!

X2, its all what you make of it!!

rexo · 11-18-2012, 07:19 AM

We have lived in a 3400 for almost 7 years. It has held up very well.WE have towed it 55000 miles. the only problems is the tires. It has been from Alaska to Mexico. We winter in Arizona and summer where ever we find interesting. We have owned several stick houses, but would never go back to that again. We love our life on wheels. Just live the life you enjoy, even though it might not be for everyone

**DQDick** · 11-18-2012, 03:28 PM

Since I originally posted this, we ran into a couple in Albuquerque who also travel in an RV and winter in a Monty in the same condo type park in California. I wonder how many folks out there are using Monty's as a stick house.

ols1932 · 11-18-2012, 11:51 PM

We've met people who when we tell them we've lived full time (24/7/365) in our Montana, will ask us, "And you still like each other?" It's all in what appeals to you. As for a definition of full time goes, I would define it as "What do you call 'home?'"

Orv

Champ_49 · 11-19-2012, 12:28 AM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by ols1932

We've met people who when we tell them we've lived full time (24/7/365) in our Montana, will ask us, "And you still like each other?" It's all in what appeals to you. As for a definition of full time goes, I would define it as "What do you call 'home?'"

Orv

Ols I would say thats the most common question we always get also. And your right, it's what you make of it and how you deal with life in general. We are happy doing what we are doing as fulltimers and as of right now have no intenetions of getting off the road.

Dave

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