So you're fulltiming, what are you doing for fun & do u have storage for it?

[Bster13]

I could exist in a 13ft FGRV myself, or a 16ft w/ two people (significant other willing), but I'm wondering if the storage in the TV and the TT are enough for "fun" stuff. I have three versions of FTing in my head:

1) Solo w/ no pets. Rock a 13ft FBRV and a 4-cyl TW (probably a CRV or RAV4 type) and move around every few days, putting on lots of miles. I'd be unhooking to travel into big cities for day short trips, day hikes, riding my bicycle (would need a hitch on the rear of the FGRV), boondocking out west (solar), kayaking in lakes and rivers (I have a foldable Folbot Cooper now, but could do a fiberglass kayak as well so long as I could store it and it not be too much if a PIA to load/unload)

2) As a couple w/ no pets. Move to a 16 or 17ft FGRV. Same hobbies, but one more bike and one more kayak. Probably less boondocking.

3) As a couple w/ a dog. Move to a 16 or 17ft FGRV (too small for 2 people and a tiny dog?). Less trips to the city for fear of the A/C dying and cooking the dog, plus I'd feel neglectful. Less biking riding and more walks or day hikes, and less kayaking but certainly a possibility.

So obviously having enough space to store a small dog and their stuff comes up as a storage concern, then storing two bikes and two kayaks. I guess two camp chairs, maybe a screen room... what other hobbies do you folks do that take up "chunky" space am I missing out on? Not working is wonderful, but I'd go stir crazy.

Thanks.

[honda03842]

What are we doing for fun???? Ginny says no kiss and tell.

We have the no pet rule, written many times.. "no pets, more petting". It's like our little joke. Actually we have a cat and dog staying with us right now, very nice pets but not for our travels. I just can't imagine having a pet in our bed, not even when we had plenty of space at home. Leaving a dog in your trailer can be a problem in some campgrounds, a barking dog when you're away.. no one ever thinks their dog barks.

We towed with a CRV for 7 years. We loved it for it's reliability and operating cost. Now we have a Odyssey that, though we've only had it a year, find it more comfortable and just huge inside. Overall it seems to have a similar operating cost, reliability is yet to be determined.

We don't carry a screen room, too much trouble. We usually carry four aluminum chairs, nothing fancy, two for us and two for guests. We carry no coolers, We usually carry a volcano grill.

We no longer carry bikes but used to carry them. Maybe something to do with age or the amount we used them.

If you have a trailer with a rear door it maybe possible to store Kayaks inside. Definitely they would fit on the roof of our Odyssey and the folding boat may fit in the rear of the Odyssey.

We rarely travel into big cities for day trips, generally we avoid them. Most of our adult travel time was to big cities. Now that's not to say we avoid them all but most, certainly not more than one a month.

We like new things, especially geology, history, presidential libraries, short hikes, anything new, rural towns, outports. Hobbies I've taken up include carving, reading, geology, geocaching, history of new places, probably read 50 books on Newfoundland, new food and people, understanding Ginny better, I collect rocks and fossils, nothing like a serious collector, they just make me feel good. We visit little towns and walk their streets just trying to learn things we don't know.

Ginny says there's so many things to see, scenery, vegetation, trains, ships, food, animals... Ginny was a meat and potato person. Now she loves all kinds of food... every place has their specialty. Searching for new identities. We go to Fogo islands, walk the coast trails, count the icebergs, meet authors, hear musicians, ..

The only thing I've been sorry about is not having more time. !5 years, mostly on the road, and not enough time. We've been to Newfoundland 7 times, we're helping lead a caravan of 15 fiberglass trailers there next year. The tourist bureau has sent me a list of things to do. I was surprised by how many we haven't done. There's just so much to do everywhere you go. On Fogo in a week we visited everyone of the 11 communities, we walked a trail everyday, and never walked them all, every where we go there is more to do more to learn than you can ever learn.

You have lunch in a little place, you invite a local to share your table, he tells you about the icebergs and where to see them, you go to the location, someone pulls up beside you a local author, he recites some poetry from his books and shows you the nearby trail where you count 91 icebergs as big as a football field. The author invites you to his home for coffee, shows you his garden and root cellar, talks about his root crops, the history of the town. The old timer who came to lunch knocks on your trailer door one day and another day, the author invites you to a tea, the people that run the campground bring you some jam made with cloudberries and invite you to a music event, you hike the trail to Marconi's tower, you hike out to a abandoned community, you climb to one of the four corners of the world, the core of a former volcano (Brimstone Head), just part of a week on Fogo Island.

We leave Fogo Island and make a stop over on change island. We end up in a 6 rig campgrounds, we're the only ones. The campground owner is stripping bark to make a wooden poles for a fence, in his barn he's making a bully boat using a rotting boat as a model, we stop at the local B&B, to thank the owner who found us the campground, she's making NL 3 hump bread, 10 loafs, she tells us to come back in a couple of hours for a loaf, we bring a jar of honey for her (we carry it as little gifts, we arrange to come to dinner there, she says what would you like, we have dinner with 3 other couples from away, our campground owner shows us his little museum, plays the accordion, we hike out finding a wonderful cemetery.... Only there for two days.

I know I'm carried away but there is just so much to do, so much to see, little chance meetings lead here and there.... Fun no shortage, only time is short.

[Clyde Steele]

Great post - it made my day!

[Bob Miller]

I know that this will be a contentious topic, but IMHO, pets will cut substantially into the RV'ing/Camping experience. Yes, they provide their own added value, but they also provide a substantial liability that will reduce ones freedoms while touring.

I chuckled about Bryce being concerned about the a/c "Dying", without a concern about how it would even be powered almost anyplace except in those campgrounds and resorts with full hook-ups, which can get very scarce and expensive.

I will get skewered for this next statement, but think about it first.....

"Adding a s.o. is a lot easier than adding a pet to the full timing experience.,. try that first."

[honda03842]

Thanks Clyde.

Change Islands are on the ferry ride back from Fogo Island (there's a map in the attached picture file). There's no charge to stop so we spent a couple of days.

If you want to get the flavor of Newfoundland, the flavor of the end of the road towns, this is it.

https://www.google.com/search?q=Newf...20Bully%20Boat

[Bster13]

Don't get me wrong, I am concerned about the the electrical cost of chugging down A/C all day long, but harkening back to one of my previous posts, it's difficult enough to get a girl to go full time as it is and if paying extra for electricity and paying for a dog on the road is what it takes... well maybe.

It's all a balance and a compromise.

Originally Posted by Bob Miller

I know that this will be a contentious topic, but IMHO, pets will cut substantially into the RV'ing/Camping experience. Yes, they provide their own added value, but they also provide a substantial liability that will reduce ones freedoms while touring.

I chuckled about Bryce being concerned about the a/c "Dying", without a concern about how it would even be powered almost anyplace except in those campgrounds and resorts with full hook-ups, which can get very scarce and expensive.

I will get skewered for this next statement, but think about it first.....

"Adding a s.o. is a lot easier than adding a pet to the full timing experience.,. try that first."

[Bob Miller]

Nope, it's not about "Paying" for power for the a/c, it's about "Finding" it. As a WAG, I'd say that less than 20% of all available campsites in the country have power even available, and in National Parks and U.S. Forest Service Campgrounds it's more like <5%


There are a lot of ladies out there that would enjoy full timing. About three years ago I posted on several sights with that intent in mind and got a number of positive replies, but you may have to expand your scope. Have you considered joining meet-up groups that are into day hikes, or the local chapter of the Sierra Club etc, those are both a good start for meeting like minded individuals.


Maybe we need to add another Forum heading called "ISO".

[Bster13]

Hrmm, another good point (though I don't know what WAG means) about availability. So on top of cost, finding a site where you require 30A service can be a limiting factor even if your TW and TT is relatively small and will physically fit.

[Bob Miller]

Originally Posted by Bster13

Hrmm, another good point (though I don't know what WAG means) about availability. So on top of cost, finding a site where you require 30A service can be a limiting factor even if your TW and TT is relatively small and will physically fit.

WAG = Wild A$$ Guess

Even 20 amp service will work, but will be as scarce.....

[Elly G]

We started fulltiming in a 17 ft last October.
I bought a tow vehicle that had max space; 116 cu. Ft.
Married with 75 lb. Chocolate lab.
Space has not been a problem. We have a grill, screen room, a few potted flowers, and more than enough clothing and 2 laptops.
Dog does cramp our style, but she is 7 and there was no way we would leave her out of our travels. The benefits of her company far outweigh the downsides. She's a good watchdog, makes us get out and walk and starts some great conversations with fellow campers.
If we want to leave her, we make sure it is cool enough for her to survive without ac. There are tons of dog friendly beaches and restaurants should we decide to bring her along. Even most of the national historic sites allow dogs.
We have boarded her 3 times in 10 months.
We enjoy our screen room, more than triples our living space and we can sit out even when it's raining.
Everytime my "housework" takes 5 minutes instead of the sticks & bricks full weekend, I'm thankful I made the leap to fulltime travel in my little egg.

[Timber Wolf]

So you're fulltiming, what are you doing for fun & do u have storage for it?

I read this and am reminded of some of my all-time favorite movie dialogue. I don’t know the title of the film but it stars Robert Mitchum in the leading role. The setup is this: he has just successfully negotiated a “pick-up” with a lady and they are preparing to depart for his/her abode to enjoy what one may assume is some “quality time” together. Mitchum asks her: “Do we need to pick up anything along the way?” To which she replies: “No, you have everything we need with you.”

So, it appears that with the right companion, you don’t need anything else, or by extension any place to store it.

[David Tilston]

Originally Posted by honda03842

more to learn than you can ever learn.

OK, everybody sing!

From the day we arrive on the planet
And blinking, step into the sun
There's more to see than can ever be seen
More to do than can ever be done
There's far too much to take in here
More to find than can ever be found
But the sun rolling high
Through the sapphire sky
Keeps great and small on the endless round

It's the circle of life
And it moves us all
Through despair and hope
Through faith and love
Till we find our place
On the path unwinding
In the circle
The circle of life


No disrespect intended. I just love that song.

[David Tilston]

Originally Posted by Bob Miller

WAG = Wild A$$ Guess

Even 20 amp service will work, but will be as scarce.....

Of course, a generator works too.

[Bob Miller]

Yes a generator will work, but then we have to open the entire discussion about how much fuel it uses, where it can and can't be used and when it can and can't be used and how to keep it secure. I try to avoid the "G" word as much as possible because, for FGRV's,it's really not a very viable answer for many owners,

[SoloMatt]

Originally Posted by Bster13

1) Solo w/ no pets. Rock a 13ft FBRV and a 4-cyl TW (probably a CRV or RAV4 type) and move around every few days, putting on lots of miles. I'd be unhooking to travel into big cities for day short trips, day hikes, riding my bicycle (would need a hitch on the rear of the FGRV), boondocking out west (solar), kayaking in lakes and rivers (I have a foldable Folbot Cooper now, but could do a fiberglass kayak as well so long as I could store it and it not be too much if a PIA to load/unload)

Yep... that's me (minus the kayak/bike and in a V6 Wrangler). For fun, I explore where I am or I move to someplace else... I do not have a storage unit for the trailer but I do have a small storage unit for some residual furniture that I am just about ready to throw out!

I couldn't handle a pet or another person in here, though.... I was married for 17 years.... I'm enjoying my solo time.

[Bob Miller]

It' always the "little" issues that will trip one up.


Hanging bikes off the back of many FGRV's may not be a good idea both due to weight/balance as well as frame strength.


Mounting Kayaks "somewhere" is always a lively topic.

[bullfrogeh]

We've camped across Canada (9 of 10 provinces to date) and across the USA (49 of 50 states). We are driven by a 'sport/game' to find unusual hidden spaces, that are unique to almost everywhere. It's Geocaching for us. We intend to 'cache' in Newfoundland soon; but, won't likely camp/geocache in Hawaii.

[honda03842]

Originally Posted by bullfrogeh

We've camped across Canada (9 of 10 provinces to date) and across the USA (49 of 50 states). We are driven by a 'sport/game' to find unusual hidden spaces, that are unique to almost everywhere. It's Geocaching for us. We intend to 'cache' in Newfoundland soon; but, won't likely camp/geocache in Hawaii.

Dave,

What's the best geocaching tool these days?

[bullfrogeh]

Originally Posted by honda03842

What's the best geocaching tool these days?

Norm;
No doubt about it - As you too have experienced; the very 'best' is an eager, loving wife, who equally enjoys our inquisitive geographic explorations. And, a quality GPS receiver helps too ! Together, we use Magellan products (currently, a Magellan eTrex 30) whenever, and wherever we travel.

[SoloMatt]

Hey bullfrog you might want to reconsider geocaching in Hawaii... I found some really great caches out there that led me to some amazing off the beaten path spots! I love my Garmin GPSmap 60CSX but, I gotta say, nowadays I rarely need anything else but my phone. Happy caching and camping!

Matt