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Old 06-25-2013, 06:49 PM   #1
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Name: Steve
Trailer: Back to Shopping
Indiana
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So Close to Purchase but Confused

I started this research on RVing full-time 20 months ago. I follow 30+ blogs of people full-timing in every possible rig. I am less than a year from retirement but could retire anytime and live on my military retirement. I am single.

So you ask what is the problem??

I have test drove C's, A's, sat in different trailers, different tow vehicles and still haven't decided. I have a small home that is paid for but I am hesitant to sell it and sell all that I own to full-time.

I've had advice from friends that don't RV, some that have for many years in small trailers and a couple that have the 38' Class A. Of course all advice is different.

Two weeks ago I looked a t 17' Casita, local area which is a rare find. This man rebuilds them and this trailer was in mint condition. He even said he would tint the windows and change the floor if I decided to buy it. We sat there for an hour talking about his trips over the years in these Casitas. I could see myself being able to live in that but here is the issue and possible delay in making a decision.

I have 2 basset hounds and 1 bloodhound. I'll not give them up for any reason. No matter how bad I want to hit the road and could even sell everything I own (house, old truck, car and everything in the house) I see reluctant in pulling the trigger on making the decision.

Some say to part time and keep the house ... but to do it right financially I need to sell it. I am not sure I would want to be on the road with an empty house with only 3 neighbors that are NOT close (next door).

Yet, it's the dogs that are holding me up on this decision. Can a solo person with 1 large dog and 2 short ones be able to full time in a Casita and a 4x4 tow vehicle?? The majority of time will be spent outside, boondocking, some national parks...travel much like RVsue does. So the Casita would be used for sleeping, shower and bad weather days and nights.

I guess I am looking for other opinions. Be honest, I am very open minded and will listen and hear what you say.

Wanting to buy a local Casita, 17' Liberty, mint condition with some mods and shines like new.....but fear I wont have enough room with 3 dogs, to full-time.

Thanks for your replies.
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Old 06-25-2013, 07:21 PM   #2
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Welcome to the Forum. Glad you found us.
I'm not a dog lover nor single so I'm not a good opinion giver on this........lol.

But I know there are many on here who do travel with dogs.
They should be along shortly.

Again, welcome.
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Old 06-25-2013, 07:31 PM   #3
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Name: Steve
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Originally Posted by carlkeigley View Post
Welcome to the Forum. Glad you found us.
I'm not a dog lover nor single so I'm not a good opinion giver on this........lol.

But I know there are many on here who do travel with dogs.
They should be along shortly.

Again, welcome.
I see in your signature you have a Lil Snoozy .... I love those trailers!!!!
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Old 06-25-2013, 07:39 PM   #4
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Steve,
I too am an animal lover and travel with my 2 rescue labs. Went to a rally in Nebaska awhile back and a lady pulled into the cg with a 13' Scamp. She methodically started setting up and removed not one,two, nor three, but 5 dogs from her tow vehicle. All were rescue dogs and they were the most well behaved animals (better than mine). You do not mention your tow vehicle, I think that is as important as your choice of rv. If the 3 dogs can travel comfortably, then yes, you can do it.
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Old 06-25-2013, 07:42 PM   #5
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Trailer: 2013 Lil Snoozy #161 (SOLD)/2010 Tacoma
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Originally Posted by bhounds View Post
I see in your signature you have a Lil Snoozy .... I love those trailers!!!!
Yep, got me a Snoozy to snooze in......

Here's some pics I took once I got it home:

Backyard Photo Shoot
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Old 06-25-2013, 07:46 PM   #6
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Name: Steve
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cpaharley2008 View Post
Steve,
I too am an animal lover and travel with my 2 rescue labs. Went to a rally in Nebaska awhile back and a lady pulled into the cg with a 13' Scamp. She methodically started setting up and removed not one,two, nor three, but 5 dogs from her tow vehicle. All were rescue dogs and they were the most well behaved animals (better than mine). You do not mention your tow vehicle, I think that is as important as your choice of rv. If the 3 dogs can travel comfortably, then yes, you can do it.
That's a very interesting story about the amount of dogs in a 13'er....

My tow vehicle is a H3 Hummer, I5 engine. Max tow 4,500 lbs - 20% for western mtn travel = 3,600 lbs.

The hounds have plenty of room with the back seat part slide forward..backs stay up to separate the stored items. Plus 1 hounds likes to ride shotgun.

Thank you for your reply.
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Old 06-25-2013, 07:50 PM   #7
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You might not know the answer to that until AFTER you buy that Casita. Once you buy it, you can take the dogs in and see how it goes. I will soon be full-timing also, me and a chihuahua and a parakeet, in a used 16-foot, 2011 Scamp. It's parked in my back yard right now as I'm trying to sell the house out from under myself. The dog loves it, the parakeet is indifferent, and I'm nervous. LOL. However, I think about what lies ahead and get excited, which causes the nervousness to recede. There's a part of me that wants this strange new lifestyle so badly I can almost taste it.

Good luck, Steve. Hope we get a chance to wave at one another once we hit the road.

Sharon
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Old 06-25-2013, 07:52 PM   #8
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Years ago we met a retired couple that were full timing, they had rented out their house so that when the time came to give up traveling they had a place to go back to. We have had dogs but no more, don't want the commitment or restrictions.
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Old 06-25-2013, 07:56 PM   #9
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Welcome!
Sounds like you have "buyer's regret" before you have bought your RV!
I, too, do not have dogs and do not full-time, so I can't speak to that. I do have a cat who stays home and a husband who comes with. Our trips, so far, have been limited to 3 weeks because that's the maximum time we'll leave our cat home with neighbors looking in on her daily. We are not interested in "full-timing" but love our trips now that we are both in retirement. (My husband retired 10 years before I did.)

The unhappiest times in my life were when I was in that "indecisive stage". Once I made a decision I could move forward. One of the best decisions we made, at a young age, was to move to Austria and live there for a year. That trip led to 6 years in Boston and 12 years in Palo Alto, CA. Each move was a new adventure. In the meantime we rented out our home. Luckily, we had great tenants who took good care of our property. We moved back to that home 12 years ago. A lot of living has happened in all that time. (We've been married 40 years)

I feel like our decision to purchase a 13' Scamp two years ago has taken us on another chapter of adventure. In fact we say "Here we go on another amazing adventure!" each time we tow our trailer.

Selling your home would depend on many factors only you can sort out. In the San Francisco Bay Area the real estate market is booming again with most properties receiving multiple offers above the asking price! This is partially due to the improvement in the economy. It's great to be a seller but awful to be a buyer.

It would be nice if you could "Test the water"s before deciding to buy a trailer AND sell your home. Perhaps the seller of the Casita would let you rent it for a trip. You could then get a feel for what it would be like with the dogs.

Wishin' you the best in your decision process. Remember, almost any decision can be modified later.

Happy Camping!
Gilda (Jill-da)
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Old 06-25-2013, 08:33 PM   #10
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Originally Posted by SharonM View Post
You might not know the answer to that until AFTER you buy that Casita.
Sharon


I agree a thousand percent!

As far as full timing with 3 dogs in a Casita, I think that would be a nightmare! Just my opinion, but I know how much room 2 doxies can take up....... Under my feet, spread out on the bed etc during bad weather days! Nothing like being confined to a Casita with two adults and 2 doxies!

As far as selling your home and hitting the road, may I suggest try out extended rv-ing and see if you even like it. Say 6 months on the road, should give you a idea if your going to even enjoy full timing as well as if a Casita would fit for your full timing rig. Casitas are pretty easy to sell if your buy right to start with...


Then make adjustments if needed. Your home would be ok by it self for 6 months wouldn't it? Having owned a rv park, the saddest thing I saw was people who gave up their life to "full time" only to hate it! Of course there are 100's for everyone who hate it that LOVE it! But only you can make that decision if it's right for you............. Good luck, enjoy the experience!
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Old 06-25-2013, 08:38 PM   #11
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Hi: bhounds...My advice is simple...Buy the Casita and try it on for size. The worst that can happen is you have to sell it cause it doesn't fit. You probably won't lose any money...or sleep over it and you might even enjoy it.
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie
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Old 06-25-2013, 09:02 PM   #12
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“In life, I regret the things I didn't do far more than the missteps I made along the way.”
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Old 06-25-2013, 09:04 PM   #13
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Bring your dogs for a test "nap" in the trailer when you look at it for a second time. How quickly you all find your "spots" will give you an idea of how they will like it. We upsized from a 13' boler American when we got a 2nd Rhodesian Ridgeback. They quickly let us know they wanted more room than the front bunk provided. It only took a few moments for them to let us know that a 16 U-haul VT and Trillium 4500 (front bunk) were suitable to them. It took us longer to decide between the two for ourselves. We've since learned that a Bigfoot 17' gaucho would pass the test too.

Look for and follow some threads by Gina D. , she has spent a lot of time on the road with her dogs and has done many nice mods to make everybody more comfortable.

We found lightweight crates and pens that can be configured in a number of ways that adapt to many different camping / travel scenarios. You can buy and resell a good FG trailer after six months and not lose more than a couple of weeks rental of an RV. Chances are you will break even or make money if you change your mind. There is little depreciation on these if they are maintained.

One last suggestion. Check out some dog events locally. Be a dog show, agility, hunting or even racing it does not matter. You will usually find a group there that camp in everything from big diesel pushers to pup tents (not a pun). See what you and your dogs would be comfortable with. I know of one gathering next month not far from Erie PA.
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Old 06-25-2013, 09:31 PM   #14
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All great suggestions and ideas!!
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Old 06-25-2013, 11:30 PM   #15
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I'm not much help since I've only gone camping in my 17' Escape twice now (stupid other things on weekends getting in my way), but with two humans and two dogs (30lb girl and 42lb boy), I will say that my husband got in my way a lot more than my dogs The dogs figured out really quick that being on the bed was the easiest place to be, while the husband tends to block the aisle...
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Old 06-26-2013, 01:25 AM   #16
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I'm still looking forward to full timing in the not-too-distant future. I haven't done any long term camping with animals, but I agree with those stating to give it a try, it might not be as bad as you think. I can tell you, that when I was married, the ex and I had a very small home we started in that was not quite 400 square feet, and in that 400 square feet was the two of us, 2 parakeets, 2 aquariums of fish, 2 cats, 5 pomeranians, 1 spaniel-lab mix, and 1 yellow lab. We had plenty of room and the only time it really got crowded was when we, the 7 dogs and 2 cats all crawled into bed at the same time. The upside was it kept the heating bills down in the winter, nice and cozy warm.
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Old 06-26-2013, 05:49 AM   #17
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With out knowledge of the Casita price, I suggest the following. Don't sell the house. Buy the Casita. Park it in the front yard. Take what you need from the house. Move into the trailer with the dogs. Stay out of the house. DO it for a couple of weeks, months and you'll know quickly.

We moved from the house to the RV when we got our first one just to figure ot our. It was a good trial run. We had decided against pets, unfair to us and them when traveling 7.5 months per year. Personally, 3 dogs is at least 2 too many.

A front yard trial saves selling the house until you know.
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Old 06-26-2013, 06:24 AM   #18
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Welcome and what Norm suggests above is a good suggestion. It also gives you a chance to see what you really need in the trailer coming out of the house. I believe in "Where there is a will, there is a way." We, my husband, my myself and teen and a 75 lb dog and a cat spent 5 1/2 months in a Coleman pop-up in the desert starting in April when summer hit. You have to be organized. Our pets and family members always "cluster" anyway so in our 1500 sq ft home, with now 3 adults, 2 larger dogs and guinea pig, we are usually in about a 10 sq ft space together. Ah, togetherness, I want to full-time alone! With the dogs, do they run like the wind and ignore you when you call them? Do they howl when they are alone? I'm not real familiar with the hounds and I know those characteristics aren't always present. I never wanted a lab because of their "characteristics" but saw this older well-behaved dog............ Energy? The dog wouldn't move if her tail was on fire - Yellow Dog, think Chevy Chase movie! I, too, follow RVSue. As others have said, the resale would go smoothly on a Casita if you get it and change your mind. We rented a house once and learned our lesson. We recently relocated and put everything in storage, as we unpacked it, I wondered why I didn't purge 1/2 the stuff which really had no purpose but to drive up the cost of storage. Always have an "exit" plan in place, what you will do when you decide not to full-time. What I really like are the lots you can to put your camper on with something like a shed/cabin with washer/dryer and some room to stretch out and many of these communities are popping up. Good luck with your decision.
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Old 06-26-2013, 06:40 AM   #19
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Welcome to the forum. My wife and I travel (not full time, but extensively) in our 17 foot Oliver with 3 dogs. We have 2 small dogs, a miniature pincher and a dachshund and 1 large dog, a Doberman (about 100 lb.) We stay outside a lot as do the dogs. They love to travel and are always ready to "go". We've been on many multi-week trips with them and really wouldn't think of leaving without them. We tow with a 4WD Tahoe. I modified the rear area to accommodate the dogs and camping gear. There are only the two front seats, a large middle area for the dogs and the rear for the other stuff. I completely understand about the dogs and your not wanting to leave them. Rest assured it can be done. It can get crowded inside with everybody on board but you will have one less person than we do. Relax and enjoy your retirement.
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Old 06-26-2013, 06:42 AM   #20
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Hillary is right on---da&@ husband is the one who gets in the way!!!!!!! Seriously, I have 2 pugs and would NOT part with them ! They are cuddlers, so I can't imagine a better day than snuggled in a Casita with the rain on the roof!
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