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Strange reaction from RVer


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My last shift is tomorrow (Tuesday). We have not yet emptied the entire house so its not on the market - no biggy.

 

No matter what, we are leaving Thursday morning as my terminal leave begins and we will not return until June 30th when I check out and be done with work completely on July 1st. Then, with house on the market and no real destination in mind until September I guess you could call it full tiime something. If you happen to run into us know that despite only having 2 chairs setup outside you are always welcome as it only takes a minute to break out another chair or 2. How you arrived makes no difference, just being a member of Escapees gives you enough bonefides until proven otherwise.

Berkshire XL 40QL

Camphosting and touring


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We have been RVing since 2001, but tent camped for 30 or more years before that. Our kids accused us of being station wagon campers because we never set up the tent more 100 feet from the wagon and they backpacked into the woods. This was the beginning of my understanding of stratification in the "camping" world.

 

When we first went out in our RV we used it like a tent, setting up a fairly elaborate outdoor arrangement for sitting and entertaining and eating. Eventually I came to the conclusion that if it was cold enough to need a campfire I could go indoors and use the furnace. If it was nice enough to sit our doors without the campfire I didn't need the smoke in my eyes and when it cooled off to 80, it was time to turn on the AC and enjoy the comfort in my home.

 

We traveled extended time until about 4 years ago and 3 years ago sold the townhouse and most of its contents to become full timers, what ever that means. If asked, we come from Rochester, but we are based in Texas and just joined Jojoba Hills. We consider the coach "home" even though we still have a rental apartment with some stuff, we consider that a summer place :)

 

We were just in a COE over Memorial Day Weekend, our neighbors were part timers in trailers and we found them enjoyable, they expressed a bit of envy of our coach and I merely said it was our only home. I must admit the onslaught of children and dogs over the week was incredible. We took off touring for the day to stay away from the chaos returning after 10 in hopes of finding quiet. So there we had a mix of weekend family camping, short time rving and a couple of extended to full timers in one place. everyone got along.

'12 Phaeton 36 QSH hauling '11 4 dr Jeep Wrangler Unlimited - Rubicon 4 down. Follow our travels Click here

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I had no idea there was a subculture going on here... My wife and I haven't started yet. So question for those in the know. We are a family of 6 w/ a lab. We are planning on joining the "Full-Timers" RV club so to speak. We have never RV'd before so this is a big step for us... and VERY exciting. We are sure it won't be easy.. but enough of that. When we meet new people and they ask us things like.. "Where are you from?" or "We see you have Texas plates, what part of Texas?" or whatever else people ask/say when meeting new people. How would you suggest we respond? I suppose we could say we are from NC.. but that's only half true. My wife grew up there I'm a Marine brat. We aren't from TX so our plates will definitely be misleading. Before reading this first couples pages of this thread I was excited to meet new people and introduce myself as a "full-time rv'ing family", but now I'm thinking that may alienate people. Something I definitely don't want to do. It sounds like asking a person what church they attend in a town of atheist!

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I had no idea there was a subculture going on here... I was excited to meet new people and introduce myself as a "full-time rv'ing family", but now I'm thinking that may alienate people.

 

I honestly wouldn't worry about it. Introducing yourself as a "full-time rv'ing family" is just fine, and summarizes your situation in a nutshell. Anyone who is offended by that statement was likely going to be offended no matter what you said, so move on to friendlier folks.

 

The SKP forums are like most others. You'll find plenty of intense discussion and dissection of topics that the majority of Rv'ers never give a second thought to. Enjoy your new lifestyle and take these types of discussions with a grain of salt!!

Mark & Teri

2021 Grand Designs Imagine 2500RL, 2019 Ford F-350

Mark & Teri's Travels

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It sounds like asking a person what church they attend in a town of atheist!

I thought so too at first. Just remember you can't control how others react to you only how you react to them. Ignore and move on.

 

I am a firm believer that full timers are not homeless; they are just houseless and happier for it. Look at the tiny house movement... no real difference between an RV and a tiny house on the move. Sometimes people just need to be reminded.

Traveling with Shadow and his rubber chicken.

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I thought so too at first. Just remember you can't control how others react to you only how you react to them. Ignore and move on.

 

I am a firm believer that full timers are not homeless; they are just houseless and happier for it. Look at the tiny house movement... no real difference between an RV and a tiny house on the move. Sometimes people just need to be reminded.

 

In our case this is an active choice to full-time. We considered getting some land and building a house, but we weren't sure where.. so the more we tried to decide where we wanted to live the more we realized it was a long list of possible places. That's when we decided to go full-time RV. We figure if it doesn't work out for us at least we'll have visited more places and that should help with our decision on where to settle down.

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We like Beans statement "full timers are not homeless; they are just houseless and happier for it"

 

Lots of subcultures in the RV world with some animosity between varied adherents of the different subcultures. Get to the topic of boondocking and there is a thread at RV.Net about the meanings and flavors of boondocking, dry camping, Walydocking etc that has been going on for 6 years. A lot of the responses are that whatever they are doing is boondocking and everyone else is uninformed, to put it politely.

 

Then there are the adherents of varied manufacturers who look down on others that do not have the same brand as Smitty noted. The upper end coach owners do seem to have a sense of entitlement on the road. We were beeped at and nearly run off the road by a convoy of Prevosts, and we were doing the speed limit. There are RV parks that will not allow TTs or 5th wheelers access. It is about as vociferous (and meaningless) as the truck wars between the Chevie, Dodge, and Ford faithful.

 

If folks are not friendly, the move on. Fortunately as boondockers on public lands, the only folks we have run into have similar attitudes and interests and the interactions have been almost universally delightful

 

Think the term "stratification" used by xctraveler is excellent.

 

Reed and Elaine (currently mootchdocking at 7800' in mountains of northern NM on older son's property)

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Why do we feel there is a need to defend what you do or how you live. I could care less about what people think of our lifestyle, I draw the line at those of any lifestyle who think they should have special privileges or that rules and regulation do not apply to them. We enjoy people and like to be among them. I can not remember folks being
"unfriendly" towards us because we were in a TT or 5th wheel.

Helen and I are long timers ..08 F-350 Ford,LB,CC,6.4L,4X4, Dually,4:10 diff dragging around a 2013 Montana 3402 Big Sky

SKP 100137. North Ridgeville, Ohio in the summer, sort of and where ever it is warm in the winter.

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Why do we feel there is a need to defend what you do or how you live. I could care less about what people think of our lifestyle, I draw the line at those of any lifestyle who think they should have special privileges or that rules and regulation do not apply to them. We enjoy people and like to be among them. I can not remember folks being

"unfriendly" towards us because we were in a TT or 5th wheel.

Totally agree, Rich. I basically could care less what others think. I've "occasionally" had someone make snarky comments about our setup. I just ignore them. Life goes on and most people are very nice. The others I ignore.

Jack & Danielle Mayer #60376 Lifetime Member
Living on the road since 2000

PLEASE no PM's. Email me. jackdanmayer AT gmail
2016 DRV Houston 44' 5er (we still have it)
2022 New Horizons 43' 5er
2016 Itasca 27N 28' motorhome 
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No truck at the moment - we use one of our demo units
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I think we can find such attitudes in any neighborhood. We sold our home last year and became Full Timers, so we can travel and visit with all of the family we have in various states. We have found people in the RV camps all very nice and friendly but yes some who live there permanently are seemingly closed off or not overly friendly to new comers. Others are very friendly.

We are not smokers so are not outside as much as the smokers are and we are mostly in camps in cities where we have family to visit so have our own life styles. So my point is I sure hope no one ever mistakes us for someone with a negative attitude. We always try to say hi to all as most of the time we stay for about 4-5 months. Those who are not outwardly friendly we respect to have their own life and others who are more forward in socializing we are happy to engage in conversations, but we all have our own personalities and reasons for them. We pretty much just live our own life and may be someone somewhere along the way might think we were not friendly enough or held a negative view of us because we never really got out and involved with the people and life in the park? I sure hope not

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In our case this is an active choice to full-time. We considered getting some land and building a house, but we weren't sure where.. so the more we tried to decide where we wanted to live the more we realized it was a long list of possible places. That's when we decided to go full-time RV. We figure if it doesn't work out for us at least we'll have visited more places and that should help with our decision on where to settle down.

Sounds exactly like my journey to full time RVing. At first I was going to buy a small plot of wooded land and build a tiny house. When I realized I wanted to travel more than just stay in the house the leap to RVing full time was easy. So that is what I am in the process of doing too. I have a motorhome being upfitted now and I will be full time in a campervan by Dec 1.

Traveling with Shadow and his rubber chicken.

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Sounds exactly like my journey to full time RVing. At first I was going to buy a small plot of wooded land and build a tiny house. When I realized I wanted to travel more than just stay in the house the leap to RVing full time was easy. So that is what I am in the process of doing too. I have a motorhome being upfitted now and I will be full time in a campervan by Dec 1.

id'e avoid the tiny house if you want to travel as not all rv parks are friendly to them!! tiny homes can get expensive!! and if your thinking of getting a tiny home on wheels you'll have to be connected somehow since there's no holding tanks because the trailer is to low to carry em. just imagine all of the strange looks you would get pulling a tiny house down the road :lol::P

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We like Beans statement "

Then there are the adherents of varied manufacturers who look down on others that do not have the same brand as Smitty noted. The upper end coach owners do seem to have a sense of entitlement on the road. We were beeped at and nearly run off the road by a convoy of Prevosts, and we were doing the speed limit. There are RV parks that will not allow TTs or 5th wheelers access. It is about as vociferous (and meaningless) as the truck wars between the Chevie, Dodge, and Ford faithful.

You want to be treated like a leper who has shown up at the Junior League Spring Luncheon? Try camping in a large fiver next to an Airstream rally....... "I just don't understand how you can stand to pull something that huge around," sniffed one ( huge apparently being equivalent to a sexually-transmitted disease).

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You want to be treated like a leper who has shown up at the Junior League Spring Luncheon? Try camping in a large fiver next to an Airstream rally....... "I just don't understand how you can stand to pull something that huge around," sniffed one ( huge apparently being equivalent to a sexually-transmitted disease).

Please don't broad brush all Airstreamers as being snobs. There are snobs in all kinds of RVs from tent campers to Prevost coversions. As an example some Liberty and Marathon Prevost conversion owners look down on a Country Coach Prevost conversion.

 

You may have encountered size snobbery rather than brand snobbery. Some Airstream owners of smaller units (below 25' look down on my trailer because it's a monster at 35'. How on earth can I even drive it; it's too big. I suspect that there is size snobbery in all brands.

 

Dave

Dave

2008 Airstream 34’ Classic Trailer

Dodge Ram 2500 Cummins CTD

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We have never had a bad reception from anyone in any of the rigs we have had over the years from a bumper pull to several 5th wheels and now a Motor Home.. But there is always someone who wants to and has to be one up on you. They need a bigger rig, they need a special antenna, they need a fancy toilet ( fancier then yours ) but what matters is to enjoy life drive what you can afford and be friendly to others. One of the reasons I feel we get along better with others in general is humor, i am a stand up comedian and my wife even though she does not think I am funny , :wacko: is very nice and open to everyone. We could care less what you have or don't have just have a friendly good time and laugh about it.. We are not full timers and who cares,

 

Just go have fun, get into some Mischief and don't worry what others think., and don't judge others. ;)

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