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Old 03-19-2016, 09:27 PM   #21
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Then again there's the you-build-out the shell approach.......although not fiberglass, it's light and cheap.

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Old 03-19-2016, 10:00 PM   #22
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Originally Posted by honda03842 View Post
"The notion of living in a tiny space is more romantic than the reality of living in a tiny space." Roger H.

We've lived in large spaces and tiny spaces. We've had more fun in the small spaces and it's plenty romantic.

Of course everyone has their own vision of life and what meets their needs. We're happy in our small bed and love our small trailer. As to costs, my camping fees for a year are less than my town taxes for a year.

In our view happiness is not related to trailer space, the amount of things we can fit into our RV, or the size of our bed. My first mentor told me the purpose of life is to maximize happiness. We're happy in 92 square feet in our Scamp 16. It may be hard to believe but I bet Floyd is just as happy in his Scamp 13.

Isn't happiness inside?
Happiness isn't what this is about. This thread is about someone asking about the practicality of what it's like to try to live a working life in the Coast Guard with a spouse, an orange cat and a greyhound; and how well that would fit into a tiny fiberglass trailer. That's a significantly different life from contentedly roaming in retirement without constraints.

And as far as your camping fees, you're not trying to stay full-time in the San Francisco Bay Area. And you're not taking into account the costs of commuting from where they have to stay, which may be further from where they are now; potentially substantially further depending on what they can find for trailer/RV parking with hookups.

I've lived the first version in a metro area in CA. That's shaped my vision of what the second version would look like as well... but that's a topic for a different thread.

The OP doesn't need a version of what works in retirement for folks who are content and can pick their campsites as they please and who likely also have a lifetime of camping under their belts who knew what they were getting into; he needs a primer for what it'll be like trying to live in the Bay Area under very different conditions from those under which you have retired and travel.

The "romance" of living in a tiny trailer can pale quickly if your partner isn't as excited about it as you might be. That lifestyle is very different from apartment living, especially if you've never camped in a trailer much. You're fortunate in that you and your wife both enjoy the lifestyle you've chosen and I think that's awesome. It's only fair though to give the OP the facts of what the thorny parts of it will likely be as well as the 'rose petal' parts.

As I said, I've lived that lifestyle myself. I'm trying to help give the OP a balanced view of the challenges that they'll face daily in a metro area trying to live in a small trailer with little experience with that lifestyle. I'm not trying to dissuade nor encourage them either. I think it's fair, though, to give them enough information about what it'll likely be like for them in order to make informed and intelligent decisions for themselves.
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Old 03-19-2016, 10:22 PM   #23
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Name: Paul
Trailer: In the market for 13ft Scamp/Uhaul
California
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Roger makes a lot of good points. I'm looking for the advice that is hard to hear as much as the reasons that make it great. It's more about the lifestyle that living in a trailer would give us, rather than the price savings, so my original post may have been misleading.

We couldn't afford to buy a home in the area and gain equity, so living in a trailer would, if nothing else, allow us to leave the area with a great camper to show for our time in the bay area, and while it will definitely try our marriage in ways not yet understood, I think it is an adventure and a lifestyle that we are heading into with open eyes and willing to take a chance, and if after a couple months it's a total failure, then we're the type of people who'd be willing to call it a failure and go back to brick and motor living, all-be-it with the added bonus of having found a way to live without a great deal of our "stuff."

I really do appreciate all the advice. And a "stick" trailer may work better for us, more room, more creature features, but we love the little eggs. One of the posters here made a great suggestion, that our first trailer doesn't have to be the perfect or last trailer. Try something out, see what happens, and adjust accordingly.

I think we're going to do it. We just have to find the right rig, and the right tow vehicle to make it happen. We talked a lot today, and I think we're going to trade in our crosstrek for a Toyota Tacoma, or similiar/larger truck and maybe look at getting a commuter vehicle for the extended travel times that will likely result from our move into a trailer.
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Old 03-20-2016, 07:09 AM   #24
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Paul, the two-vehicle approach makes a LOT of sense, and will actually give you a lot of freedom to explore on your off-time, and will give you the ability to tow more square feet if you want/need to.

The other thing I'd urge you to do is to investigate your parking accommodations and line something up before you end up buying a trailer. Otherwise you're adding to your issues by having to pay to store an RV somewhere because you can't find a place to park it within a reasonable distance. Commuting to the Bay Area every day from the Central Valley, Salinas, or Fort Bragg isn't going to be any fun. I suspect that finding a tow vehicle and trailer will be a piece of cake compared to finding affordable long-term accommodations for them in the metro areas.

Good luck with your adventure!
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Old 03-20-2016, 07:15 AM   #25
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Name: Steve
Trailer: 2018, 21ft escape— 2019 Ram 1500 Laramie
NW Wisconsin
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There are times that our Casita is a romantic little cottage for two but that only works for a limited amount of time. We took a 7 week trip last fall and that trip was stretching that limit .We have been married for 46 years and realize at times you need your space or solitude , which is hard to find in a small trailer. I do not doubt their are couples who could co exist in a broom closet but not us .
I have several friends that were on nuclear submarines and they talked about the issues of living in a confined space in close proximity to others and maintaining civility. I know a FG trailer is not a sub but if it rains for 3 or 4 days straight it may feel like one.
We would not attempt to live full time in a small trailer because we know ourselves.
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Old 03-20-2016, 09:58 AM   #26
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A Tacoma is a good choice (though there are others). You can pull a larger trailer if you choose to go that way. I have a 98 Tacoma, which is the smaller version than modern Tacomas and only has a 5000lb tow capacity. A new one will have higher capacity.

But that 5000 pound capacity allows me to pull something larger like my 17' Bigfoot, which by the way is more spacious than any other 17' fiberglass trailer out there. It's basically the shape of a stick trailer, but built as a molded fiberglass trailer. Not "egg" shaped but otherwise the same as all the other trailers on this site.

I went with the Bigfoot because I plan to live out of it in the summer. And I agree with Roger: truly making a life work with a trailer as a home is different than being retired and choosing to travel extensively in a trailer.

Norm is still completely right also, but I lean towards Rogers advice in this case. For really living, the eggs are small. All any of them have is a narrow aisle for floor space. It's just a "hallway". If there's a dog on the floor, all the floor space is taken up. These trailers aren't meant to stand in, unless you're cooking or going in or out, but not "hanging out", standing up.

I chose Bigfoot because there is space. I've had 3 people inside, all standing up, and not in each others personal space (though that varies person to person), with room left over for someone to walk through. We were not shoulder to shoulder. It's 8' wide, and doesn't taper, it has straight walls. 8' wide from floor to ceiling.

For me, with the reality of daily life: going to work, needing work clothes (which includes both nice stuff and stuff that can stand up to a be trashed by field work), hanging out during possibly days of wet weather, having a dog, having everything I own, meant a larger trailer than I really had thought I wanted. I don't care how much you simplify. Fitting all of your possessions in a trailer is HARD. I've been working on it for over a year now. To live anything like a normal life and still have what you need on a day-to-day basis without running to a storage shed multiple times a week is HARD.

For me, as a single guy with no plans to complicate my life anytime soon, I look at this as a fun challenge. But even as something of a minimalist and simple guy, I've hit a point where I look at what's left of my stuff, and have a real hard time getting rid of anything more. I'm down to being able to fit it all, but having lived out of a camper before, I don't want to live with every space completely crammed full of junk. Getting down to where there is some spare space here and there and you don't feel like a hoarder is tough. Especially for someone like me who likes to do my own work on things, so I need tools.

Sounds like you're committed to give this a shot and that's great. You'll learn all this stuff as well or better than anyone giving you advice right now, so that's pretty cool. Be sure to tell us what you learn! Moving into such a tiny space will no matter what be an experience. Doing it with a significant other and pets will amplify that. Whether in a good or bad way is up to the people and the relationship...
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Old 03-20-2016, 01:35 PM   #27
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Frankly, Paul, if I were in your shoes, I'd be looking for a 36' liveaboard sailboat at one of the Marinas... I've even thought about that as a "retirement home" to escape the Iowa winters.

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On Edit:

I just did a little research, and it looks like if you could get a $65k boat with a 10 year loan, your monthly would be around $650, and your slip fees would be about $400/mo... about half what rents seem to be going for in Alameda. And if you could find a less expensive boat you'd be better of even than that. And surely as a Coastie, being a liveaboard would appeal to you? (this from an old Navy vet <grin>)

And if you're stationed on Coast Guard island... you're just a dinghy commute away every day!

Just sayin'...
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Old 03-21-2016, 12:38 PM   #28
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Name: Paul
Trailer: In the market for 13ft Scamp/Uhaul
California
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Roger H View Post
As a Coastie, being a liveaboard would appeal to you?
For me, yes, for my wife, not so much! But I would love that as a single man.
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