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Boomers and luxury van life


jerryneal

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21 hours ago, JimK said:

So let us both take a trip to, say, Yellowstone.  I drive in to Norris or Mammoth campgrounds and am likely to find a camping space.  My truck camper will fit into any available space. You are unlikely to find a spot you can fit into.  

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In fact, we not only found a space but it was reserved for us as we were resident volunteers who were preparing to spend the entire season there.

16 hours ago, JimK said:

I am over 70 and don't see what more comforts I need when traveling.

We are also over 70 and Pam is no longer able to climb into a truck camper! When we owned our 36' motorhome we owned no other home. Today we have a home-base again and now travel in a 20' travel trailer towed with our truck.

13 hours ago, JimK said:

Yes, your version of camping is different than mine. 

What we have in common is that we are both RV'ers and we both have found the perfect RV for the lifestyle that we wish to lead. The beauty of the RV lifestyle is that the only limit to the different ways that one can live in an RV is the imagination of the people who live in it. Back when we moved from a tent to a popup we thought the cassette toilet was wonderful but sure don't want on now. Yet we are all part of the RV community and share the ability to travel about and stop where we wish even though those stops may be in different places. For me, the best part of all is that we have had the ability to change our accommodations as our lives changed. I remember when we used to look at those traveling in a motorhome and scoff at them because they were not camping. At that time we not only considered a tent the only proper way to camp, we considered the best means of travel to be on foot or horseback. When we were raising our 3 sons we thought that our pop-up was the best RV of all. We then moved to a self-contained travel trailer and found it convenient and even luxurious! When our sons had all left home we tried a  small motorhome and believed we had found perfection since we were traveling weekends to square-dance festivals with friends. When I retired we moved into a 36' motorhome and sold the house, at last finding which RV is the best! After health problems got in the way of fulltime RV living we bought a home-base and a small travel trailer (slightly smaller than our first self-contained) and once more have the perfect RV for our current style of travel. 

My conclusion is that RV travel is wonderful and that there is an RV out there to fit just about any lifestyle you wish! Just about all of the types are perfect for someone but none are perfect for everyone and most of us find that as life changes so to does our idea of what is the perfect travel style. 

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

            images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQqFswi_bvvojaMvanTWAI

 

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12 hours ago, sandsys said:

I guess I'm lucky. Using a damp washcloth on the critical areas daily let me do a full shower once a week. My water heater was 2.5 gallons but I never used all of it in a single shower. I would turn on my water heater, set a timer for 10 minutes, then turn the heater off. That made the water temperature just right without ever turning on the cold water so I didn't use water trying to get the mix of hot and cold right.

I did eat a lot of freeze-dried meals so I used a couple cups of water for dinner most nights.

Linda

And if not taking daily showers works for you then that is great.  Just like eating MRE's for dinner.  But there is probably only a really small percent of the population that would be willing to purchase an RV that would require living under those conditions.   I used to get paid for traveling and living under those types of conditions, but I was much younger then, wore olive green, and carried a black plastic rifle.  

Joe & Cindy

Newmar 4369 Ventana

Pulling 24' enclosed (Mini Cooper, Harley, 2 Kayaks)

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When I still in my sixties and suddenly single I bought a used Class B++ (Fully self contained) and loved it. The fellow I brought the little RV from said "it is small but excellent for where we go. Just plan on pulling in to Hampton about every third night." I didn't do that being single but I did appreciate shower in places other than in the  little RV.

A great vehicle to travel a short distance and sleep in your own bed close to the outdoor. I never had a VW van/camper but I thought is was a great idea minus the horsepower.  I understand the younger generation on this one.

Clay with 40 foot FW and re-married

Clay & Marcie Too old to play in the snow

Diesel pusher and previously 2 FW and small Class C

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9 hours ago, JimK said:

I love my cassette toilet and would not want a standard toilet and black tank.  There are just too many places without dump stations nearby.  There can be problems even in major national parks.  I frequently stay at Mammoth in Yellowstone.  No dump station.  The next nearest campgrounds are the two in the Lamar Valley and Norris.  No dumps.  Remote campgrounds, forest service campgrounds and BLM campgrounds rarely have dump stations but there will always be an outhouse.  I can dump my cassette in any outhouse or any regular toilet. 

There is nothing fun about dumping a cassette toilet or a black tank but there are way, way more places to dump a cassette. 

I guess, I have a 115 gal gray tank and a 50 gal black tank with a macerator and a 75 ft 5/8 inch discharge hose, so I can pump out in a lot of places. But with 50 gallons, can go at least 10 days before having to worry about it at all.

Foretravel 40ft tag 500hp Cummins ISM  1455 watts on the roof, 600 a/h's lithium in the basement.

 

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16 minutes ago, jcussen said:

I guess, I have a 115 gal gray tank and a 50 gal black tank with a macerator and a 75 ft 5/8 inch discharge hose, so I can pump out in a lot of places. But with 50 gallons, can go at least 10 days before having to worry about it at all.

I have no idea what you mean by pumping out "in a lot of places".  I hope those places are actual dump stations.

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2 hours ago, FL-JOE said:

That may be a bad example.  We have been to Yellowstone twice, first time in our 39' fiver then in a MH.  We were fine going into the park during the day in our F350 on the first visit and then on our Harley during the second visit.  Didn't really feel the need for a nap or to sit around in zero gravity chairs.

Like I said in my original post, a tiny house or luxury van camper may be great for some.  As full timers it isn't for us and I still think they are silly.  

Sure you can drive into the park on a motorcycle or in any vehicle.  But you will need to carry your lunch, anything you need, and you will have to use the outhouses in the Lamar Valley and many other places in Yellowstone. 

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11 minutes ago, JimK said:

I have no idea what you mean by pumping out "in a lot of places".  I hope those places are actual dump stations.

Same places you have to carry your cassette toilet tank to. It is a garden hose. Any toilet, outhouse, sewer clean out  etc,

Foretravel 40ft tag 500hp Cummins ISM  1455 watts on the roof, 600 a/h's lithium in the basement.

 

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9 minutes ago, jcussen said:

Same places you have to carry your cassette toilet to. It is a garden hose.

I hope you are not going to dump 50 gallons of black water into a flush toilet or even an outhouse.  I am even reluctant with dumping 5 gallons of waste.  I only use those possibilities when no one else is around.  I make absolutely sure I have not made any mess or I clean it up.  I also make sure to prop open the door and ventilate the area before leaving.  I guess you also know that many of the outhouses in the national parks do not empty into the ground.  They are pumped out on a regular basis and certainly not made for dumping 50 gallons at once.

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10 hours ago, JimK said:

I love my cassette toilet and would not want a standard toilet and black tank.  There are just too many places without dump stations nearby.  There can be problems even in major national parks.  I frequently stay at Mammoth in Yellowstone.  No dump station.  The next nearest campgrounds are the two in the Lamar Valley and Norris.  No dumps.  Remote campgrounds, forest service campgrounds and BLM campgrounds rarely have dump stations but there will always be an outhouse.  I can dump my cassette in any outhouse or any regular toilet. 

There is nothing fun about dumping a cassette toilet or a black tank but there are way, way more places to dump a cassette. 

I guess, I have a 115 gal gray tank and a 50 gal black tank with a macerator and a 75 ft 5/8 inch discharge hose, so I can pump out in a lot of places. But with 50 gallons, can go at least 10 days before having to worry about it at all.

Nice thing about big tanks, you can pick where you want to dump. I normally pick a big commercial rv park. I can afford to do that every 10 days or so.

Foretravel 40ft tag 500hp Cummins ISM  1455 watts on the roof, 600 a/h's lithium in the basement.

 

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20 minutes ago, jcussen said:

I .......

Nice thing about big tanks, you can pick where you want to dump.......

There should be no picking about it.  You need to go to a regular dump station.  That works for you and for many others.  I am often in more remote areas, often for more than 10 days.  Anyway it seems a matter of RV lifestyle choice.  Many others not only choose big RVs, then want to stay in campgrounds with hook ups.  That is great.  It keeps those people away from the areas I want to visit.

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3 hours ago, Kirk Wood said:

In fact, we not only found a space but it was reserved for us as we were resident volunteers who were preparing to spend the entire season there.

We are also over 70 and Pam is no longer able to climb into a truck camper! When we owned our 36' motorhome we owned no other home. Today we have a home-base again and now travel in a 20' travel trailer towed with our truck.

.......

Sorry to hear you and/or Pam are losing your mobility.  I only did one session as a campground host.  It took way too much time and I felt stuck in one area and not able to enjoy it.  I am also concerned about physical ability and mobility as I age.  That is one reason I maintain an interest in photography and hiking.  If I sit around the campground, I will not only lose strength but I have a tendency to overeat.

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1 hour ago, JimK said:

I only did one session as a campground host. 

We do very little of that either. We have done a few but mostly we volunteer at wildlife refuges, national parks, and historic sites. I take a lot of pictures but don't hike nearly as much now that Pam isn't very mobile since I don't know that I should hike alone where there isn't cell phone coverage. But working with visitors and projects at refuges keep us from sitting around and boredom is never an issue. I do still take a lot of pictures. I should spend more time in editing and culling the pictures that I take but so far don't seem to "get around to that." 

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

            images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQqFswi_bvvojaMvanTWAI

 

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2 hours ago, JimK said:

There should be no picking about it.  You need to go to a regular dump station.  That works for you and for many others.  I am often in more remote areas, often for more than 10 days.  Anyway it seems a matter of RV lifestyle choice.  Many others not only choose big RVs, then want to stay in campgrounds with hook ups.  That is great.  It keeps those people away from the areas I want to visit.

Thanks for the great advice on where to dump. You should have been at Quartzite this year, well over 100,000 dry camping without hookups, many of them big rv's. Had a 5th wheel on one side, and a popup trailer on the other.  I even lit off my generator for while to allow a guy to use his charger to bring up his batteries. He had a couple of small panels, but we had a couple of overcast days.  We all got along great, one guy with a old but beautiful 73 Gmc motorhome went to town and bought a bunch of firewood so we could have a bonfire.

Foretravel 40ft tag 500hp Cummins ISM  1455 watts on the roof, 600 a/h's lithium in the basement.

 

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9 hours ago, Kirk Wood said:

My conclusion is that RV travel is wonderful and that there is an RV out there to fit just about any lifestyle you wish! Just about all of the types are perfect for someone but none are perfect for everyone and most of us find that as life changes so to does our idea of what is the perfect travel style. 

x2. We went from backpacking to tent trailer to VW camper to Class C to Class A to custom conversion van. And they were all right for us at the time.

Linda Sand

Blog: http://sandcastle.sandsys.org/

Former Rigs: Liesure Travel van, Winnebago View 24H, Winnebago Journey 34Y, Sportsmobile Sprinter conversion van

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9 hours ago, FL-JOE said:

And if not taking daily showers works for you then that is great.  Just like eating MRE's for dinner.  

Since I don't hike nor do other activities where I work up a sweat I don't need a daily shower. If I did do those things I'd want to shower before going to bed that night.

Mountain House freeze-dried entrees are a long way from MREs. I've had both and I'd never do MRE's again but I sometimes eat MH meals even now that we are off the road. MH cooks real food then freeze-dries it. It doesn't try to put together a bunch of dried ingredients then pretend they made you a meal.

Linda Sand

Blog: http://sandcastle.sandsys.org/

Former Rigs: Liesure Travel van, Winnebago View 24H, Winnebago Journey 34Y, Sportsmobile Sprinter conversion van

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21 minutes ago, noteven said:

Ok everyone, I need you to sit down for this shocker: 

I drink the water from my on board fresh water tank. 

May have you beat, I worked up a sweat the other day working on my enclosed trailer and turned on a green garden hose that was hooked up directly to the CG water outlet and drank from it.......felt like I was in the 60's again!!!

Joe & Cindy

Newmar 4369 Ventana

Pulling 24' enclosed (Mini Cooper, Harley, 2 Kayaks)

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1 minute ago, FL-JOE said:

May have you beat, I worked up a sweat the other day working on my enclosed trailer and turned on a green garden hose that was hooked up directly to the CG water outlet and drank from it.......felt like I was in the 60's again!!!

omg! omg! 

where are the hall monitors when we need them!

"Are we there yet?" asked no motorcycle rider, ever. 

 

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11 hours ago, noteven said:

I drink the water from my on board fresh water tank. 

 

7 hours ago, JimK said:

When I was a kid we used to drink untreated water out of lakes and streams. 

I've done both but try not to let others know.  :P

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

            images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQqFswi_bvvojaMvanTWAI

 

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7 hours ago, sandsys said:

And overtreated water in swimming pools--not on purpose, though.

Linda Sand

OMG.....I hope not the same pools we used to pee in!!!!

Joe & Cindy

Newmar 4369 Ventana

Pulling 24' enclosed (Mini Cooper, Harley, 2 Kayaks)

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When I was a kid it was indeed safe to drink out of lakes and streams.  I was taught to avoid stagnant water around cattle but that was about the only precaution we took.  Now giardia is everywhere and there is almost no safe water.  I am not sure what happened.  I guess we should blame global warming.  It is a handy, one-size-fits-all, reason and no one wants to argue and be considered a denier.

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3 hours ago, JimK said:

  Now giardia is everywhere and there is almost no safe water.  I am not sure what happened. 

Simple ... starting in the 1960s too many "back to the earth" types headed back into the woods and didn't follow proper procedures to dispose of their feces.  They pooped next to a running stream or lake, didn't dig a deep enough hole to bury their poop, etc.  Runoff then carried giardia into formerly pristine lakes and streams.  

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