Anybody here do the RV life?

I don't live in one, but I've had a couple 5th wheels.


Cons: The maintenance doesn't stop. Parts can be a pain to get. They depreciate pretty quickly.

Pros: no grass to cut

Most everything. I've had issues or multiple issues with slides, leaks, air conditions, plumbing, electronics, relays, vent fans, generators...

Some things are easy to take care of, it's pretty easy to replace an air condition or fix a fan. Leaks can cause huge problems, quickly. That's a big deal and a lot of effort if you need to replace flooring or ceilings or walls. Plumbing can be a pain because of accessibility. Crawling up in the belly of a camper to work on busted or leaking fittings isn't fun.

Most things are an easy fix, it's just that there are always little things to fix.

Any of the big brands are made as cheaply as possible with the cheapest components as possible and it shows.

Out west is fantastic as there’s a lot of BLM and state forest land and you can just pull over and park and camp in most places. Maybe not have a fire. But stay the night.

You burn the hell out of gas I know that. But an actual rv was fantastic I was able to get everything together and drive away while the coffee was brewing and my kids were waking up, and then the wife cooked breakfast while on the road.

Personally plan on doing it when retired and just chasing 50degree nights and 60 degree days around the country

I just got back from our last trip of the year.

Wife and I have been living full time in our Renegade Super C, beginning May of 2022.

The life is great but it's not for everyone.

Here is a RV forum you can ask questions and get great answers.

LINK

Word of advice, painfully gained. Rats love to make their homes in the walls, and absolutely LOVE Pex. Had to have mine completely replumbed (thank you Walker Climastor). Luckily my policy had Vermin coverage, so State Farm picked up most of the tab. And your roof will either leak, or be about to leak. Results may vary, I can tell you the salt air in Grand Isle is hard on EVERYTHING.

My 12v refrigerator didn’t last 2 years. We changed it out with a small residential model. No real issues otherwise. I have a 2021 5th wheel.

Should get a boat and live on the Great Loop.

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Just thinking about escaping the bullshite and getting on the road. What are the pros and cons?

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There are a LOT of issues living in an RV that many people do not consider.

First and foremost is you have to dump holding tanks. They will get fricked up worse than a soup sandwich if you try to leave them open all the time....all the solids will stay in the tank while the liquids drain. Its a disgusting, foul smelling literal shitty thing to have to deal with.

They are also hard to air-condition properly. Most are not well insulated to begin with and most have more AC than they need to compensate for this. This means the AC system does not properly dehumidify the air efficiently, so you have cold air blowing moist air which leads to mold and what not. This is largely responsible for the notorious "RV Odor" that isn't coming from the holding tanks...combined it is almost omnipresent in every RV. When it is not it is usually due to the RV not being used which leads to a typical stale, musty odor.

They are a pain in the arse even in mild winters. Unless you are set up pretty permanently even 8 hours at 25 degrees can lead to busted water pipes because the undercarriage is exposed to the elements. I have to winterize ours in central Georgia or it will have to be replumbed in the spring. You absolutely do not want to use any of the RV water system anti-freeze...it is vegetable oil and stinks to high heaven and tastes horrible. It stays in the system a LOOOOONNNNGGGGGG time. When we use ours in the winter we dry camp or I have to reinstall the heating element in the water heater and them remove it and blow the system down when we put it back to bed. If we were living in it this would be necessary several times a year.

They are not quite. Unless the noisy inefficient AC is running you can hear your neighbors farting.

Speaking of neighbors - ride through an RV park. There is usually an "element" present. Its worse in parks that offer long term rentals.

There are a lot of things people don't consider. Propane in the winter is a pain....you either have to constantly replace the small tanks or lug around a heavy assed one.

Speaking of propane...most RVs have a 5 gallon 120 volt or propane water heater. Unless you were in prison or the military and can take a shower in 2 minutes your not going to like showeing in it. If you have a woman along for the ride she sure as hell ain't going to like it. Many now have on demand water heaters which fixes this problem.

Most RVs have a 30 amp 120 volt service, some have a 50 amp 240 volt service. Either way its unlikely you will be able to run a microwave, coffee pot and AC simultaneously. Not a problem until you forget, trip a breaker and have to cimb under the bed to reset it.

Speaking of electrical issues, most RV parks suffer horribly from voltage drop....many will actually warn you of this when you start hooking up. Tripping a breaker on the land side in the middle of the night is a pain in the arse.

I like this one, I've been kicking around the idea of making me a box truck camper.