This is something that is near and dear to my heart. Trying to find the best RV for full time living. For my wife and I to hit the open road, we need a lot. But we’ve looked a lot and may have narrowed down the options.
We had many things to satisfy when it came to finding an rv for full-time rving. Some for you may or may not be relevant. But I hope at least, it makes you think.
Here’s a great video of an older couple who talk about moving to a full-time rving lifestyle.
We Are Newbies!
Now, let me start by telling you that we have everything to learn. It may be a bit naive, but true never the less. We’ve only owned a pull behind pop up tent trailer manufactured some time before world war one. And it did eventually become a relic of the scrap yard. For the past four or so years, my family and I have camped our vacations in tents. Now, this is something I know I DON’T want to do full-time!
But let me continue. We have three children, so it does make this a bit harder for us. Most RV’s with bunk units are designed with two children in mind. And we wished to not have to be setting up beds from table tops or couches every night. I’m sure that will get old really quickly.
Our search started by looking for the best RV for full time living within the motorhome category. A motorhome would definitely satisfy many of our needs, but one we kept coming against was sleeping arrangements. The best we could find for full-time bedding in a motorhome was double bunks right beside the master bedroom. Not only does it allow sleeping for two kids only, if you have older children, it’s definitely a romance killer if your kids are less then ten feet away!
But many of the other traits of motorhomes drew our attention. If we didn’t have kids, I would definitely steer towards a diesel pusher or maybe even a mid size class C unit. Very, nice and would suit two people quite well!
Next we looked at travel trailers. To give us the room though, that we would need, it could possibly be a difficult pull. So, enough said here. We haven’t looked much further.
Next we started looking at 5th wheel units. Now, this has our interest. We definitely loose the option of being able to have coffee brewed on the road and the kids sitting at the table doing homework while moving. But with the Ford and Dodge trucks offering nice leg space in the back seats, all of our kids, including my son, who is approaching 6’1” has lots of leg room.
But again, there are very few 5th wheel trailers that offer more then double bunks. But they do exist! We’ve been looking at two or three units that offer 3-4 beds in the back. Far away from mom and dad at night. Hello romantic evenings!
So that’s were we are right now. Searching and researching the right unit for best RV for full time living. We are now looking deeper into the options that could make or break a full-time rving lifestyle. I’d love to hear your comments about what you’ve encountered. Please feel free to comment below.
We have been fulltiming for nearly 2 years – around north america with two small children. Be careful when looking at the fifth wheels. We bought new (twice in two years) and are dissapointed. Both brands have not stood up to full time living. We are now looking seriously at building our own. Or having one custom built. Not cheap but neither is the 6 months of time we have spent either waiting for repairs or being out of our camper completely as it has been repaired.
But RVing fulltime. Best thing we have ever done. Fabulous countries USA and Canada. We are from australia.
Love to be in contact with another – young RVing family!!
Jordan
Thanks for your insight! That could save me and many others a pretty penny. So, you are finding that price does dictate quality in a big way when it comes to RV’s!
Thanks again, and I’m glad to have hear your comments regarding best rv for full time living!
Cheers,
Frank
My wife and I are considering full-time RVing since we have relatives spread throughout the USA. After watching the National Parks- America’s Best Idea episodes, we have definitely decided to “go for it”. Any advice on getting started is appreciated.
Hi Jeffrey, when considering what you are doing, you need to find the best rv for full time living that will suit you and your family. My recommendation is to try and meet some others close to you that are doing what you want to do.
Also, spend a lot of time trying out RV’s. Go lay in the beds, see if your wife can cook in the kitchen, does the living area suit your needs, etc. I’ve discovered quite a bit about full time RVing just by asking questions.
Best of luck to you and I’d love to hear how things go for you!
Frank
I would like to go full time rving but could someone please tell me with the cost of camping ground and fuel going up all the time can you do it with around $1000.00 a month i know all about boondocking and have read every web site i can find, my thing is fishing and camping staying at wal-mart is not for me i can set at home and go spend the night in a wal-mart parking lot, i know ever one live differ but can you stay at a place that has full hookup ever night on the money i am talking about where you can enjoy yourself thank you very much.
Hey Jimmy,
First off, thanks for your comment. What I would do is recommend that you look out for the ‘camping club’ memberships that you can find in the USA. I have friends who travel about 3/4’s of the year and purchased one of these and they swear by it. They are expensive on the outset, at around $6,000 to get involved. But long term, you can pay for this in a year easily in camp ground savings. With it you can find a ton of nice sites that are free or under $10 per night. That will keep your fees as low as $0 per month or as much as $300 per month, after you pay the initial outlay.
This is something that I’m checking into right now. It’s pricey in the beginning, but will give you and I what we want in a nice campground while watching a budget.
Thanks for your comments on best rv for full time living.
Frank
Thanks for the info let me know how it comes out, i would very much like to do this i don’t mind working for my site i just don’t won’t to do with out my a/c, water, and a good shower in the evening my thing is fishing, camping and cooking out, not setting in a wal-mart parking lot or out in the desert with 50.000 other rver watching the sand blow by, if that what someone like ok just not for me, i thank a lot of people get it to this full time with out a lot of thought, i like to know how deep the water is before i jump in but thinks again
We’ve been camping as RVers for over 30 years. Over that period of time we have encountered some of the best and some the worst that RV living, and camping, has to offer, both part time and full time. We’ve enjoyed travel trailer camping and camping with a 5th wheel, family camping as well as just the two of us and even with all of that time spent on the road, we haven’t grown tired of it. We finally settled on a 5th wheel since the entire coach was livable, as opposed to giving up 3 feet or more with a tag-along or a motorhome. Regardless of what you choose, at the end of the day, when you come back to the comfort of your own RV – your home. You look out of your windows and see totally different surroundings to the home that you love while the inside is completely familiar, warm and welcoming.
We have three kids too. I’m about to dust off my blog and start recording my thoughts.
Mainly, we can cheat the space situation a little, because on kid is 4 and still sleeps right in between us each night. So, we just have to find beds for the 13 years old and 11 year old.
So, we have a 29 foot class C (Forrest River Sunseeker). The bunk above the driver is for on girl, and the couch gets made into a bed each night.
Space in sleeping arrangements turns out not to be the biggest problem in my opinion. The build quality is what is driving us crazy!!
I’m chasing water leaks, drawers that bottoms fall out of, plastic parts that snap off, sliding doors that pop out of their tracks, and an under storage that the screws are falling out of.
Basically, space is a concern, as we are considering upgrading to a larger kitchen. We don’t have a pantry, and some of the cabinets are just plain hard to get to when trying to reach up from the sink/stove area.
Which is what brings full-time vs camping into perspective. When camping, you don’t mind crouching or reaching to get to a cabinet. You’re just happy that you have them.
When living full time, you start to think about it a lot.
I am now researching brands that have real wood drawers (not just the front side real wood), and just tougher build construction. I would now actually consider buying an older one if someone has redone a lot of wood-work.
We just don’t like the way trailers pull, especially bumper pulls, but also 5th wheels chug forward and back. We have a daughter that is extremely sensitive to motion. So we like the way an RV goes along.
More expensive yes.
Final thoughts, we are still considering a class A. Some have 2 bunks, and really, if the couch living room has a large slide, I don’t see why one kid wouldn’t want that couch with a curtain floor to ceiling. That would be a great room.
As for mom and dad getting romantic time – we find time when kids are sent to local library, etc. The biggest killer of romantic time is when your RV is falling apart. That stress out of the way and you’ll be happier…
Best of luck!
Great points Travis!
Man you hit a lot of good points. Many that most don’t talk about but are very important. I’m actually pretty impressed that you are doing things in a c-class unit. They don’t afford much space at all, so my hat off to you. You hit the nail on the head and what you mentions needs repeating. If you were to put together a longer article mentioning your points, I’d be glad to add you as a feature author here on Best RV Living!
Thanks very much for your insights,
Frnak
I know this is an older post, but I found it refreshing finding another family of 3 going full-time. We have 3 girls, 5,4, & 2, and have been full-timers now for nearly 8 months. I absolutely love it. We got a used 2002 Class A 36′ Bounder for a great price. When we started, we knew absolutely nothing about RVing. I dove into researching as much as I could find out and looked at available models in our price range to try to find the best option.
Biggest concerns I looked for were the following: Storage space, sleeping space/layout, & kitchen space/layout, inside cabinet space, and closet space. I was pretty satisfied with what we got. But after going recently to an RV show, I have a much better knowledge of possibilities.
In the class A we have lots of basement storage, but newer models have even bigger basements. Currently we sleep in the back room, and the girls are small enough that all three fit sideways on the sleeper sofa. We also have the dinette as an added option when they get a little bigger. Obviously it’s a hassle each night and morning, but we deal.
Looking at newer models, different layouts, and even 5th wheels, I agree with most bunks being too close to mom and dad. The best sleeping arrangement was in a travel trailer with a back room with 2 sets of bunks, a night stand, and the bottom of one bunk turned into a small dinette! But a travel trailer is obviously no option for us. A great option we found was a toy hauler that had loft beds in the back, and since we wouldn’t need the hauler area for anything, we talked about converting it to a play/bedroom for the girls to give them space.
I thought we had decent closet and cabinet space compared to other older models, but after seeing what’s out there now, I was so jealous. Especially in the fifth wheels that have almost walk in closets! I’m frustrated most with my kitchen area and counter space. I really would like an island or wrap around. I hate having the linoleum floor be the “no play area” while I’m cooking. The kids are on my heels and I fear them getting too close to the oven while they play and I have no counter space for chopping and such. I have to use the table as a work space.
Love reading peoples’ different perspectives and situations. I love full time rving and never want to turn back. Even settled permanently at a rv site, it beats the burden of owning a home, is cheaper living, and gives you the option to travel when and where you want!
Kristin
My wife and I are considering full time RV living for a while. I’m retiring from military svc and will have a small retirement but nothing great. We’ve never RV’d before and this would be our only home. We thought we’d rather do this than pay rent and come away with nothing. Truck is a 2000 3/4 ton Chevy. Factory pull wt limit 8800 lbs, I can re-gear both differentials and get a factory pull wt limit of 10,800. This will cost between 2 and 4K dollars, estimated. Looking at new units only for now. Older units have me concerned about past maintenance. I have an opportunity to park in a family campground as a camp host in trade for all fees ($375 mo). I don’t know anything about brand quality but I can’t purchase top end. So, anyone care to comment on this newbie’s ambitions?
klaw
Hi – I’m getting ready to by a new RV to live in full time (stationary – no truck to pull it with). I’m single, so a lot of options. I prefer small and cozy, as I’m a minimalist and don’t need much, and I also don’t do a lot of cooking. I came close to a beautiful 5th wheel by Grand Design, from their “residential” collection that is supposed to be best for full-time RVing, but decided because I’m financing a new one, I didn’t want anything I can’t afford after I retire in a couple of years. So I’m going for either a 24 foot or 30 foot Forest River Wildwood trailer. I lived in a 5th wheel about 10 years ago and loved it. I like the idea of just paying space rent (once I get the loan paid off in about 2 years), with low utilities and propane, as well as low maintenance (hopefully). I saw a video from a couple who are full timers, and they’ve had several different RVs over the years, and Forest River really came through on their warranty and were very responsive. So I should be in my new RV within a couple of weeks and I’m very excited about it!! Maybe one day I can do some traveling too!
Best of luck to you Kathy! Please be sure to post back any developments!