kb0zke

40'

We were hosting at a State park when a group came for an anniversary celebration. They rented several sites together, including an extra one, for the food. Unfortunately, the designated food site was the easiest one to back into, and one of their group didn't appreciate the extra work of having to back into a harder site, but that was his problem. The group pretty much kept the road clear, and weren't loud.

At another State park we had a group of smokers for the weekend. They showed up with their rigs, then went home and brought back the smokers and food. On Saturday they fed the entire park! Again, the kids weren't a problem.

As I scanned through this thread, it seems to me that the OP is more concerned about theft of propane tanks than anything else.

A stout chain and padlock will deter the honest people, but someone with a bolt cutters can defeat the lock and chain. Add more chains and padlocks and now you have made it too difficult for you to take the empty tank out and get it filled and the thief still has his bolt cutters. All he has to do is cut a few more places. You could chain a dog to the hitch, but then the neighbors (or the campground) would complain if the dog barked. Again, the thief just has to bring something to neutralize the dog and the bolt cutters.

I guess the short answer is that there really isn't any way to deter a determined thief other than an armed guard. Probably not worth the expense.

It sounds like the OP has a trailer of some sort at home, and home is in a neighborhood that sees a fair amount of theft. Many people keep their propane grills in the garage. Without getting into the argument of how safe that is, it might be that removing the tank and storing them somewhere out of sight may be a solution. In fact, if the tanks in question are the small, grill size ones, maybe the solution might be to arrange with a local propane seller to keep the tanks there when not in use. Part of the agreement might be to have the tanks full when called for (advance notice required). Don't know if a propane seller would go with such a deal, but it wouldn't hurt to ask.

We're SD residents and do some work with our church group, Laborers For Christ. When we work for Laborers, we are paid minimum wage for that State and, of course, have to file a State tax return there. When we work in a State with no income tax, we pay no tax to that State, such as when we worked in Texas. When we work in a State with an income tax, we pay their income tax to them. Our work is long enough that we never hit more than one State tax in any one year, so it isn't all that much of a pain (other than last year when it cost is $40 to file to get an $8 refund). Oh well.

You should probably be members of HSLDA and learn what the homeschool laws are in each State. It might be that you will want to visit certain States only during the summer or only for very brief periods of time. Our children are now starting to homeschool their children, so it has been a while since we had to know anything about homeschooling laws.

You may want to check out some of the Christian sharing outfits, like Medi-Share. One of them may suit your needs.

As you have already been told, there are lots of compromises here, and what suits one family won't suit another. You may end up just making a spreadsheet, listing all of the costs (health insurance, vehicle registration, vehicle insurance, etc.) and then figure out the total for each State and go with the one that is lowest.

Welcome!

It sounds like you have done some research already, and that's a good thing. Buying the RV before you move out of the house may let you transition from house to RV more easily. IF (and that's a big IF) you can park your rig at your current house you can begin to move into it gradually, eventually getting to the point where you are sleeping in it, then basically living in it. All the while, everything is just a few feet away, so when you need the can opener for the first time you can run back into the kitchen, get it, and then leave it in the RV. That isn't possible in many places, though. Check your local zoning laws.

Like others have said, take a bit more time to find a new home base. There are many options for you to consider. One would be the Escapees co-op in Hondo, TX. There is currently a waiting list, so you could get on the list (if it looks like something that would interest you) and later change your mind if you find something else that is better. Another option would be the ERPU program at a couple of Escapees parks (Livingstone, for one). Both of those require you to live in your RV, rather than a S&B, on the park. Kirk lives in another TX RV community that is more or less modeled on the co-ops, but is enough different that you may find it an option. He can tell you more about it.

We retired from the Missouri Ozarks. If you are interested in rural/small town living, that may be something to consider. Dallas County, where we used to live, as no restrictions on what you have on your property, so you could keep the RV on site. In fact, you could live in it on your property while you are building a S&B if you don't find something already like what you want. There are lots of places around Pomme de Terre lake.

The OP hasn't been back since asking his question, but others may be benefiting from the discussion.

The original RV refrigerator in our Foretravel was 20 years old when we bought the coach, and was pretty much dead when we took our first trip. We had already decided that we would replace it with a residential refrigerator. A few minutes with a tape measure gave us the dimensions that we had to work with. A couple of evenings on the Internet got us a short list of residential refrigerators that would work. Jo Ann picked out the one she wanted, and we quickly found a source. The Lowe's in the neighboring town could have it in a week, so we started removing the original (dead) RV unit and prepping for the new one. The delivery guy damaged the new refrigerator, so a week later the new new one arrived a week later - with the manager! We've been using that apartment-size refrigerator for five years now.

We ran into that small glitch, too, five years ago. We were told that we had to have a receipt, showing both of our names, to prove that we had spent a night in the State. We stayed at a beautiful State park south of Sioux Falls. When we registered to vote and showed them the receipt, they said we would be registered in Lincoln County, not Minnehaha County, as that was where the park was. We came back to Sioux Falls two weeks later and stayed at the Fairgrounds. With that receipt we were able to switch our voter registration to Minnehaha County.

To each his own. We have stayed at KOA campgrounds in the past, but not if we can find something better. We've found that they, like other commercial parks, try to pack as many rigs into the available space as possible. We'd much rather stay at a COE park, a State park, or a city or county campground. In fact, we're slowly compiling our own list of city/county campgrounds that we like. We're not at all interested in the exercise room or swimming pool, so why pay for something we're not going to use?

Some people say KOA stands for "Keep On Adding" as it seems that there is an additional fee for almost everything that we might want, and no deductions for the things we don't want. For us, a KOA is an acceptable overnight spot, but we'd never want to stay at one for more than one night - too expensive.

Kirk, are you still using it? We did a bit of research just now and it seems that it has been removed from most things that used to have it.

I believe that the above information is correct for ALL of the mail forwarding services in SD, not just Escapees' service.

Part of the reason why some States have shorter lengths permitted than others may be that their roads are narrower and maybe have more curves. The Interstate Highway system has design standards that are uniform nationwide. Other highways are designed in the States, and don't meet those standards. Particularly in the East, roads may still follow what was, essentially, a foot path. Yes, it has been widened some, and some of the sharper bends have been straightened, but it is still more suitable for a car than for a MH towing a vehicle or a large truck towing a larger 5'er.

While I'm thinking of it, pay attention to height restrictions on your proposed route.

We've driven in rain a few times in the five years we've been on the road. Not a big deal IF the wipers are up to it.

Part of the reason we chose a no-slide MH was that we have a curious cat. She sleeps in a carrier while we're driving. When we stop for lunch we let her out. We like having the coach at a comfortable temperature all the time. As I type this it is 92* here, headed for a low of 72, so both air conditioners are running. Tomorrow we're traveling about 350 miles. The generator will be running, as will both a/c units, and the coach will be comfortable the whole time. That's one advantage of a MH.

On the other hand, we're finding that we are staying in one place far more than we thought, so we're wanting to trade the Foretravel for an Airstream. Yes, we'll have to give up having the coach at a comfortable temperature while traveling, but we're not traveling as many days as we thought we would five years ago.

Remember that what is right for you today may not be right five years from now. So what? Very few people get the perfect RV the first time. Do your research and buy what seems to be the best for you for now. As you travel and use your coach you will find that maybe you would be better off with something else. Trade. Repeat. There is a reason why there are so many RV options available. Not every RV is right for every person.

I generally consider PPL's prices as the bottom end for the condition of the RV. Their business model is to keep the price low so the rigs move quickly. Do some research to see what rigs similar to the one you are considering actually are selling for.

Sometimes a seller really needs to get rid of their rig and are willing to take any somewhat reasonable offer. Others are wanting to get top dollar for it, and are willing to wait for the right buyer. When you find something that suits you AND passes inspection, make an offer. Just remember, though, you are probably not the only one looking at the rig. Particularly with sought-after coaches, you have to be ready to jump when the right one comes along.

Congratulations! Are you on airforums? If so, post the pics there, too. If not, join and then post.

Welcome. Other than the price, it sounds like you are describing our Foretravel. We've been full-timing for five years now and love it. We started out towing a Jeep Liberty, but last year we moved up to a Lincoln MKT. In the interest of space I'm sending you a PM with some additional thoughts.

Back to the original question, there is probably no way that an RV can be both mouse-proof AND usable. The best you can do is make it as tough as possible for the little critters to get in. Anything that touches the ground can be a path for them to come in, so your first line of defense is to reduce those routes. Putting out the stinky slinky and water hose ONLY when needed reduces those two access routes. Yes, that means using the tanks in the RV. Unless you are boondocking, you pretty much have to have the electric cord out, so do what you can to fill the opening for it. If you have drop-down jacks for leveling you have another route for the critters to climb up. Again, not much you can do about those.

Some people put white rope lights out around their rigs. The theory is that the mice won't cross them. We put them out for a few years, and didn't have any mice. However, I was buying the cheap Wal-Mart ones (put out with the Christmas stuff in October), and they would last a few months. When the last set died I didn't replace them, and I saw evidence of a mouse last week.

Once the mice have gotten into your rig, you will have to deal with them. The old-fashioned mouse trap, baited with peanut butter, and placed where they run AND where you can easily get to it seems to work as well as anything else.

Three thoughts on this thread:

1. I usually fill and dump once a week when we're parked for more than a week. When I'm not filling or dumping the hoses are stowed. Why not leave the stinky slinky attached? Sewer flies. Secondary reason is that we've had to leave a park quickly due to imminent flooding. Putting the hoses away, while it only takes a few minutes, is still a few minutes that don't have to be spent when time is of the essence.

2. We used to live on a small farm and frequently had cats dumped near us. We put out some food each morning and evening, and kept water outside, so that those cats would stay around, but not so much food that they didn't hunt some. In the 15 years we lived there we never had a problem with mice or snakes in the house. Now that we're on the road we have one indoor cat. In the eight years we've had her she has gone outside on her own twice, both times when she was less than a year old. The last time she went outside without permission there was a lot of cold, wet white stuff on the ground and she didn't like it at all.

We also had two dogs on the farm. One was quite happy to have her kennel to call her home. The other liked a chain on a run. He could run 50 feet on a 12' chain. There were no obstacles to his chain so that he couldn't tangle himself up on anything. How would you make sure that your chained cat wouldn't get tangled on tires, jacks, etc.?

3. "And, I found over the years, it requires a younger cat to keep up with the coach going down the highway." The picture that comes to mind is the cat, still on the leash under the coach, running as fast as it can as you drive down the road. I'm sure that you don't actually do that, but what DO you mean?

Our story, FWIW:

We started our full-time journey without any campground memberships, just a membership in Escapees. Our plan was to drive a day, stay for some period of time, and repeat. We then joined Passport America on an annual basis, and quickly found that we could save quite a bit of money that way, so after a couple of years we went to a lifetime membership. We also checked out some of the Escapees Parks. We found them attractive, so we checked out a couple of the co-ops and ERPUs, with the idea that maybe one of them might be a good winter headquarters for us. Earlier this year we became leaseholders at The Ranch.

Spot, you may want to do something similar. As was mentioned above, buying C2C or TT new is very expensive, while buying a used membership is much less expensive. Passport America is pretty cheap, and with a one-year membership you can try as many parks as you want. Each park sets their own rules about when and how many nights you can stay for half-price, so they aren't a great choice for long-term stays, but are great for traveling.

Now, if you are looking at C2C or TT just to be able to use their network of parks, and you may or may not make use of your home park, then look at the maps of where the parks are located and chose the one that best suits your planned travels. Just remember that your annual cost for your home parks will be part of your annual travel costs. If you don't make much use of the system you may well find that it is cheaper to just pay the regular rate.

That's my opinion, too. We visited Corpus Christi a few years ago and drove the Jeep out on the beach a bit just so I could exercise the 4WD. Our MH was parked several miles away, so we didn't worry too much about the salt air since we weren't going to be there very long. We were advised to take the Jeep to a good car wash that would spray off the underside of the car.

We were told that if a tow truck had to get you from the beach it was considered a retrieval, not a tow, and the fees were astronomical. There are some boondocking sites near the National Seashore office. There may be a small fee for their use, but it would be FAR less than the cost of a retrieval from the beach.

You might also check into time limits. I'm not sure how long you can stay there, but few places allow more than two weeks.

Several years ago I bought a three-pack of Rescue Tape (red, clear, black) and have used maybe 1/3 of each. When used as designed it works well.

Our s-i-l works remotely and they have talked about going full-time for a year or so. The question that I couldn't help them with was how to handle travel. We prefer to travel on weekdays, so that we are landed for the weekend, but then we are retired. We leave after any rush hour and stop before the afternoon one. How do those of you who have to work set hours handle the travel part? Our son also works remotely, but as long as he gets 80 hours in in a two-week period the company is happy. Yes, sometimes there are meetings at specific times, but otherwise he pretty much sets his own schedule. Unfortunately, he isn't at all interested in the RV life. Too bad, as it would really work well for him.

If you have ever visited PPL you will quickly see why no one here seems willing to rent out their RV.

There are companies that rent RV's, usually Class C rigs. You pay plenty for the rental of those, because they expect that when you bring it back they will have to spend time and money cleaning and repairing it before the next customer can have it.

Kirk, our system is a Voyager purchased from Camping World. The camera is about 40' from the monitor. Our Foretravel is a steel frame for the walls and ceiling, covered with foam insulation and fiberglass on the outside, walnut wood on the inside. I think we paid around $600 for it six years ago. I suspect that a similar system from Amazon would be cheaper.

We have a box that gets all receipts. When it starts looking like it may be an attractive kitty toy Jo Ann starts putting them into the computer. Each receipt is compared to what Quicken thinks it is (info downloaded from CC), and details fixed (not everything at Walmart is a transfer). Those receipts that are important for other reasons are then filed in the appropriate place, while the rest are fed to the shredder.

Should someone decide that we had driven off without paying for our fuel we would have the receipt to prove that we did pay. The receipt would also have the mileage written on it, so it would be easy to prove that the receipt is, in fact, for the fuel we just purchased. The date and time stamp would also support that.

An apparently single man in a VW Van camper is setting up as I type this. Don't know whether he is full-time, part-time, or just here to fish. We met a couple who full-time in a 1973 (yes, 73) Dodge van conversion. They aren't small people, but are minimalists.

A major factor in your decision will be what you want to do. If you are going to set up at a nice COE or State park and then stay there for several days to a couple of weeks, nearly anything will work. If you are planning to set up at a site and use it as a base while you make day trips to various places in the area, you will probably want to have a living space and a separate vehicle for going places. In short, your planned use will have a big effect on what you choose.

Your finances will also affect your choice. The cheapest route is one that lets you use a vehicle that you already own. While few passenger cars can tow much, many SUVs can tow a trailer. Some vehicles can be towed on their own wheels so you don't need another trailer. Check your owner's manual to see what your current vehicle is capable of.

If you will have to trade vehicles no matter what, consider what you are going to be doing. A motorhome can tow another vehicle. While it can be something that is very fuel-efficient (think Smart Car), it doesn't have to be. You can have a Jeep set up for extreme off-road exploring if you want. If you're interested in a motorcycle, you can put a couple on a small trailer. Each could be set up for different purposes.

A truck towing a fifth-wheel or travel trailer gives you a mobile apartment. If you go with a travel trailer you have the bed of the truck available for whatever you want to put there (within weight limits, of course). You could even put those two motorcycles I mentioned above there. The 5'er gives you more space, both living space and storage space, but costs you most of the bed. Watch side-rail height. It is easy to get a truck that is too tall to tow a 5'er. That's not as much of an issue with a travel trailer, unless you start going to an extreme.

Will it get old packing everything up just to go to the store? Maybe. I'm getting a bit tired of packing everything up each Wednesday to drive a few yards to the dump station, but that will only happen three more times and then we move on.

You've gotten several different suggestions here. Consider what we've told you in light of what you think you will be doing. Seriously consider buying used, as once you hit the road you will get a better idea of what you really need and want.