Getting Started in Full Time RV Living

[jgs90249]

Although I've had some experience living in an RV, it has been limited to occasional Drives and 90% set up in a park close to an Air Force Base. I'm a Retired AF CMSgt, getting ready to retire from Boeing. My Wife and I are planning on selling off what we don't need, the house etc.. and moving into a Montana 3402RL. We are going to pursue this as full time living and traveling as needed to see what we want to see. I know, from reading several posts in the forums, there are more experience MOC members that have gone down this road and I would like to here what suggestions and recommendations you have for us. As we've been trained, if you don't know go get someone who does and learn from them. Please help. Thank you.

[jcurtis934]

A nice part of full timing is that we can sit in sw florida during the winter and not be concerned with crappy weather. We keep four long plastic sealable bins in the pass-thru for clothes, etc that we may need and don't need them taking up space in the closets. We took our dvd collection out of their plastic holders and put them in case logic binders that zip closed...a lot of dvd's in a very small space. I use a color nook for reading novels, the wife an i-pad for same purpose. We ditched the heavy, poor quality fabric recliners that came in our 3800 and bought stress free recliners that are very light in weight and far more comfortable. Same with mattress...replaced immediately with select comfort mattress so that each person can be as comfortable as possible and can vary their comfort setting as needed. I carve in stone, so I devoted some space in the front storage for sculpting tools, various stone. Have to do this activity outside, but I can still create when I need to have that mental release. Just a few things to get you thinking. John

[bigskyjimmy]

Yep Gotta have good SECURE WIFI,we use the Verizon Jetpack it is a little pricey but well worth it,also if you like TV get a Satellite we use the Dish Tailgater "Pay as you Go" no contract for 54 bucks a month(you can see it in my pic) they work great and YES Like was said before get a good Mattress or Topper for sure

[1retired06]

Resolve medical plan, legal residence, mail, financial/bills, banking, and a plan if you have to stop fulltiming for any reason. Take a class on RV maintainance and repair if you do not know how.

[drillagent]

We're not retired yet, but we'll drive off the post for the last time in about a year and a half. We've already started prepping for our full time adventure.

Go to this military campground website. http://www.militarycampgrounds.us/
It has a listing of every military campground throughout the U.S. They average about $20 a night, and there are enough of them, I don't think you'll ever spend a night on the road.

We've already set up our South Dakota residency and mail box. Here is the company we used. http://www.dakotapost.net/

The house is ready to sell and we'll close next month.

We're going to use the remaining time to make improvements and upgrades to our rig while I'm still getting paid. If you want good general non-Montana specific information, then go on over to RV.net. LOTS of folks there asking/answering questions about what to do, what to take, and where to go.

What trailer do you have? How old is it? How much storage do you have? Does the DW like it? I live by the old mantra "If Momma ain't happy, nobody's happy".

[PackerFan]

Noticed you are over 62 years of age so recommend you pickup an "America the Beautiful" discount card to use at campgrounds owned by the National Park Service, Corp. of Engineers, Forest Service or any other Federal Parks. It can also be used for discounts on their admission prices to National Parks. Get one for yourself and your wife. Well worth it and they only cost $10.00 for life!

[Virginia Young]

We just started our full-time lifestyle November 1st. LOVE it! Sold our house a year ago last August and went ahead an moved in our fiver. That gave us 14 months to get used to it before hubby retired and we hit the road. Got to Davenport, FL, on November 2nd and absolutely love the winter here. We have already made so many friends and have a great social life. You can always find someone to help if you have a problem - either on this forum, or in the park. I never have missed the house and love my little house on wheels. No regrets. I'm sure you will be just as happy.

[DQDick]

First of all, we hope you love the full time lifestyle as much as we do. Our initial advise would be don't sell all your stuff, store your favorite hobby items or tools etc. Some of the stuff we thought was essential when we started we no longer carry and some things we thought we couldn't make room for we now consider essential. Another thing to consider as you short is weight and space. Light weight dishes and cooking utensils and things that fold and store easy will be very useful as you prepare to go on the road.

[JandC]

Welcome John, we are just coming up on the 2 year mark for full timing. We have learned a lot, much of which came from this forum.

TV/MONTANA: The standard tires that generally come on most Montana units are underrated once everything gets loaded. We added over 2,000 pounds of personal gear, clothing, appliances, tools, etc. We run Goodyear G614 tires with added TPMS and have never had a tire issue. From the start we have a set procedure for hooking up and unhooking. My DW and I each have our responsibilities and she double checks what I am doing. If we get distracted by someone we will stop everything, wait until the distraction if gone, then start over. We have never gotten overconfident, in a hurry, nor have we dropped our rig on the bedrails or injured ourselves.

ON THE ROAD: If we are planning a several state trip we will pre-plan it somewhat in advance. Depending on where we are going and what time of year we may even make advance reservations at some CG's. I only run 250 to 350 miles per day. My perfect travel day is to leave around 9am and be off the road by 3:30 or 4pm. I always use major truck stops for fueling while towing Montana. Stations like Pilot have truck lanes that you can easily fit in, windshield washing brushes that are 6' long, and fresh fuel because they are literally pumping thousands of gallons a day. I run with a Rand RV GPS that is suppose to warn me of height restrictions on my route. However, I also consult a Trucker's Road Atlas prior to the days travel to make sure there are no low overpasses between points of travel.

I could keep going but these are just a couple of the things that I think are important starting out. We truly love all parts of this lifestyle. I enjoy fishing on the beaches of SW Florida January through May. I enjoy towing my rig across the country. I enjoy pulling into new places, and I enjoy coming back to familiar places and seeing old friends. For us, there is no down side.

[Bigboomer]

John,

First, Thank you for your service to our Great Nation.

We have been FTing for 2 1/2 years now and love it! Like others have said, make sure you do a lot of research, ask lots of questions here as the wealth of knowledge is amazing on the MOC.

Our biggest issue was paring down our "stuff" since we could not take it wit us....not easy but we did it. Second most important thing that we feel is making sure you set up solid budgets to help stay within your means.

Good luck,

Les and Sue

[Retired]

John, retired myself in 2006 from the Army (COL). Sold the house and spent the next 23 months full timing with DW, 4 kids, 2 dogs. Bought a house, working again towards my 2nd retirement once the kids are all out of college. Advice given above all good. I'll double tap on the TPMS. Had one and it saved me on 3 occasions. Prior to not having one (and not full time), I had a blow out on our 32' trailer, $1,500 in damage. With TPMS, no damage, just had to change the tires. We also used military campground almost exclusively. We had a Hughes net dish, and dish network TV. Hughes net probably not as big an issue now with all the smart phone hot spots you can create, and RV parks with WiFi. We also brought along a weather radio to let us know about storms in the local area. Gave us a heads up on putting the awnings in, or seeking shelter in the event of a tornado.
If you get the itch to travel outside the USA, you may want to consider space A trips. We left the 5th wheel and dogs with my Dad (also a retired E9) and flew to Germany. My DW and I liked it so much we plan on packing warm and cold cloths and flying wherever the space A flights take us to see the world. Dad had a friend who did that for about 6 months out of the year for about 15 years. As a CMSgt you'll have access to VIP quarters wherever you land, and Hertz rental cars are available on every base. We used space available quarters while in Germany and never got caught short (as a retiree you can only reserve a room 24 hrs in advance and only for 3 days, but can renew for 3 more days on the 3rd day if still available).
Hope his helps, and enjoy your travels.