Full-timing in an egg?

[Laurie T]

Greetings,

I recently returned from my first egg rally and it was great! I was hoping to meet some people who full-time in their eggs yet I didn't run across anyone.

So while I have fulltimed in a 30 footer for several years and lived in a 22 sailboat for 8 years while exploring the Kiwi colored waters of the Florida keys, I have a sense of what it would be like to live in an egg for an extended period of time.

Yet, I would really like to hear from people who are on the road full-timing and have them share what they really love about it full-timing in an egg, what is a compromise and what might they sacrifice?

We are thinking about doing some extensive exploring in America, British Columbia and Mexico when Tish retires and have been debating whether we would be comfortable in our Burro or if we would need a larger trailer.

So it would be insightful to hear from others who have explored the frontier of full-timing in their egg.

Until then...celebrate life!

Warmly,

Laurie

[Bigfoot Mike]

There are a few that full time in their eggs. A wonderful couple that full time in a 13 footer is “H. David & Leslie de Beaux”. Hopefully they will chime in here.

[Laurie T]

There are a few that full time in their eggs. A wonderful couple that full time in a 13 footer is “H. David & Leslie de Beaux”. Hopefully they will chime in here.

Wow! That's impressive. For a couple to be full timing in a 13 foot. I would find it fascinating to hear how people in that tight a space deal with the psychological aspects of taking emotional space when you don't have the physical space to 'just get away'.

I learned the keys to that from living on a sailboat in my twenties with a partner and the communication skills have served me well in my other relationships through the years.

[David & Leslie]

Well, thank you, Michael, for your kind words! You are right - when we read this post, we knew we had to put our 2 cents in.

Hi, Laurie & Tish - We think you are really blessed to have a 17ft-er ... LOVE the 'Dance Hall Edition' tag, too! That said, let me tell you about our adventures as in the 13ft GeezerEgg. We sold our home last August to a wonderful young couple just starting out and took off. We had tried an experimental 'snow bird' winter the previous year and knew this was exactly the right time for us to 'turn the page' and go full-timing.

Our little rig is pretty simple without a lot of bells 'n whistles. We have boondocked at Quartzsite and other BLM permit LTVA's, and the best discovery this year has been the terrific Army Corps of Engrs parks, which are always near water, offer great restroom/shower facilities (which, we found out, double as tornado shelters - yikes! ) and sites with power & water. We have a small portable solar panel to keep the house battery topped off (only have 2 12-volt lights) and use a Radio Shack inverter to recharge the laptop & cell phone as we drive.

2-B-continued, post #2 ...

[David & Leslie]

GeezerEgg post #2 -

You mentioned compromises - guess there were the obvious ones (can't take that ... too much weight), but the adjustments were painless. Missed our washer/dryer but now am grateful when we find a nice clean laundramat along the way. The magic word in all this was 'simplify'. Dave builds web-pages and works in genealogy on the 'net; I am a swimmer & non-reformed bookworm - as long as we have web-access, and maybe a pool we have it made. We have learned so much about the country we've covered that they can't possibly include in school curricula ... it's amazing!

The first question anyone asks is a variation of 'don't you go crazy in there?' Well, as you already know, we don't spend much time inside - we are usually hiking/walking, exploring by car, or just sitting out enjoying the view from our ever-changing front yard. We worked together for several years before D retired, so we're used to 24/7 together and we really enjoy the company! Good news - our rig has no oven, and in the first month I lost 22 lbs 'cuz I couldn't bake CC cookies or cinnamon rolls whenever I felt like it - nice to need to buy new, smaller duds !

I know this just touches the surface - if you have any more specific Q's, just ask. The bottom line from here is: GO FOR IT! We hope to be rollin' for many years into the future. And if you plan to attend the Oregon Gathering in July, please look us up in A33 (I think). Meanwhile, enjoy your Burro with safe journeys & great memories! L 'n D

[Laurie T]

and the best discovery this year has been the terrific Army Corps of Engrs parks, which are always near water, offer great restroom/shower facilities (which, we found out, double as tornado shelters - yikes! )

Wow, I can hardly wait to hear more of your experiences. I just love the Go small, go now philosophy which I inherited from living on a 22 foot sailboat.

I would love to explore more Army corps parks because we are avid kayakers and travel with one of the best built kayaks for most conditions a Malibu 2 XL...great boat!

Many years ago when I was traveling cross country and we were in Kansas when a Wizard of Oz tornado sky started to form. We missed that tornado but later that night when camping in our van in a primitive campground there were more warnings and we seriously were considering jumping into the pit toilet if we had too since there was nothing but open plains around us. Scarry thought and fortunately I didn't have to do that.

So good to know about their restooms...I'll remember that.

Warmly,

Laurie

[Palmer M]

Hi Laurie!

I've been aboard full-time since factory pickup in Sept. '04. With great effort, I disposed of thirty years' worth of furniture, possessions, papers, books, clothes, etc. Shortly after that I gave my keys to my agent, who manages my house as a rental property, until I decide I might need it.

I have had a 15W solar panel bolted on the roof for about a year now. It provides ample power almost all the time, the five or six darkest weeks of winter being a little thin (furnace fan). 30-40W would be ideal, and I'll probably upgrade eventually.

Propane is easy to find, cheap, and about as hard to refill as your car's gas tank, so I have ample energy for fridge, hot water, and furnace. One tank lasts a week in winter, three weeks in summer. Fresh water is easy to find, and it is fairly easy to find a dump station for the black tank...RV dealers, cleanouts in the yards of family or friends, state parks with dump stations, etc.

The Casita has held up very well...a few popped rivets, a new igniter for the furnace, new tires to replace the short-lived Marathons, and new valves at the waste gate are about all I've had to do. The only real mods I have done are the solar panel, and several different configurations of boards to replace the rear table, to provide a desk/drawing table.

All that said, how do I like full-timing? I LOVE it!!
I work three days a week in Winston-Salem, about two hours from my hometown, and I usually stealth camp for that. The rest of my week, NC, SC, & VA are a playground. I try to spend at least one or two nights a week in a state park or national forest, especially in the good weather. I'm a YMCA member, and can swim laps and work out in any town that has one.

My parents are at Lake James, sisters are at Hickory, Greensboro, and Raleigh, so I have handy ports-of-call over a wide range of the state. (The added plus is getting to see family often!) My company is in Raleigh, Durham, Winston, Greenville (SC), and also Santa Fe NM, (where my brother lives), and I can pick up work shifts at any of these locations or about 190 others with a phone call. I still haven't made the New Mexico trip, but could easily work full time in Santa Fe for a month or a season.

For the first year or so, I was working full time in Raleigh, so I usually stayed in the driveway of sister's house there (with shore power). After I went solar, things really opened up, and nowadays I am rarely in the same place more than one night. Being mobile allows me to spend one or two days at my parents' almost every week, to help out with the house and yard and vehicles (They're 80 & 76 and in great shape, but it is a lot of house and yard and vehicles!).

Before I had my Casita, a trip that would take most drivers 5 hours could easily take me 10 or 12 hours, due to my touring-backroads-no-map-stop-at-everything-interesting style of driving. With the Casita, I noticed something different...One Sunday evening last year, I left Winston intending to travel to Marion (which should take about 2 hours). I finally arrived at 9PM Tuesday night!!!

That is the great luxury of full-timing: a trip to the beach? just turn the wheel the right way! Blue Ridge Parkway? Pisgah Nat'l Forest? East this week? West? Decide when you get to the freeway ramp! There's a warm, cozy retreat with food and a hot shower waiting for you at an infinite number of destinations.

You will find yourself a welcome guest of the most harried of households, because your hosts won't have to do a thing to accommodate you; you have brought the guest room/guesthouse with you.
You can even treat your hosts:
"Would you like to have dinner at my place?" you ask
"Sure" they say
"OK, I'll be there about 7" you reply

The Casita attracts a lot of attention from the people who know what they are looking at, and it is gratifying to surprise people with the fact that I live aboard in complete comfort.
Because it is small, and this is XXL America, no one can get their head around the fact that there is a kitchen, bathroom, furnace, AC, two beds, and plenty of storage, not to mention TV, movies, radio, wifi, and PlayStation! It sure is funny to park near one of those big BUSES and imagine how much maintenance and expense those folks endure. I saw one last week that I'm PRETTY sure couldn't go through a 9'0" clearance ATM like I can.

I'm single and not particularly dating, so the Casita has no space issues for me alone. Occasionally I'll take a friend along for an overnight trip and haven't felt like it would be uncomfortable for two to be based in such a space. Like everyone else says, you spend a lot of time outdoors and doing other things.

I love the fact that things are topsy-turvy and "through the looking-glass" - the first couple of weeks were disorienting because you are used to the sun rising through the same window every day...life aboard the Casita can make it seem like time is running backward! Also you can flip flop the routine by doing things like waking up, driving to work, making coffee, having a shower, and getting dressed...in that order! Or, if you have a closing shift back-to-back with an opening shift, just stay there!

I am very concerned with using fewer resources and reducing material consumption, so the Casita really facilitates that. I've got no power bill, very small energy costs (apart from the 1981 gas prices)(bio diesel will be my next TV), minimally prepay my telephone, log on to wi-fi for free, and recycle as much litter as I can pick up along with my own recyclables. I generate about one supermarket plastic bag-worth of trash per week; everything else is recycled.

I hope you are able to make the extended trips you want to. Full-timing is fun fun fun.
I had wanted a FGRV since I was a teenager, and finally made the leap with the Casita almost three years ago. No regrets, and I still am excited every day by the fun of it all, and I most definitely turn my head back and admire the thing when I am going off somewhere on foot. I wish I had better photos to post, but I realize that I usually am snapping the trailer and not the surroundings!
Here's a place I camped last week, in the Pisgah National Forest just below the Parkway and above Old Fort, NC, on Curtis Creek:



Go for it and Happy Trails!!
P

[David & Leslie]

Wow, Palmer's comments sort of 'knitted together' lots of things I didn't get to express ... and rather more eloquently, I might add.

As stated, "full-timing is fun, fun, fun" and we, too, hope you are able to realize your dream trips. Take good care and hope our travel paths cross in the future. L 'n D

[Vivian]

Laurie,

Thank you for posing this question. It is something we have contemplated for a long time, and thank you to L & D and Palmer for their thoughtful replies. Whenever we are packed for a long trip and have everything we need and then some, we wonder what all of the stuff is that we left back home and apparently don't need!

Vivian

[Gina D.]

with the 17, I could quite easily. It has all I need, and my "wants" are simple, not involving a lot of fodder to pack around.

I have actually figured out HOW to do this, and still maintain a living. It would be easy to do in my area, and without compromise of living in spots congregated by the So. Cal Homeless..

My only holdback at this time are 8 fuzzy legs. No, I own a razor, and I personally only possess two, but my dogs would be the issue. They are too big to leave locked in a trailer all day, and they can't be left tethered outside unattended.

The appeal of doing this and still work is that it breaks up a routine into a non routine. Every day would be a new route, and two weeks in one area would give one a sense of future projection that plays mind tricks, keeps one on thier toes.

The money saved by not having any permanent utility ties would be outstanding, and my "Rent" would be minimal, depending on the facility.

When the pups are "Gone" (I can't even think about that...) a cat will be in order and I will dump my house and do this. I already know a pair of co-workers that have good jobs and incomes, and they travel together in their individual RVs, staying thier limits in parks, then moving to the next. They help each other, yet still maintain thier own "space" for themselves. (One has a converted bus, and the other a traditional trailer)

I admire them.

[Laurie T]

Go for it and Happy Trails!!
P

Wow, wow, wow...I am just fascinated by your in depth post and hope others will chime in with their experiences.

I would think the getting rid of things would be the most difficult part. Yet you've inspired me and I'm going to begin today with going through some of my storage bins and selling what I can to start a nest egg for an extended trip and give away the things that I don't need.

I'm wondering what type of budget your full-timing has required during the last few years. Do you allocate a certain amount of money a year or do you just pay whatever it takes.

You mentioned that you are working and stealth camping and I really would like to know how you accomplish that with a casita in tow. It's not exactly incognito.

I have full timed in an extended Maxi Van that I named "incognito" which had great stealth value because it looked like a work van and I really appreciated the mobility it gave me especially in city environments. So much so, that I still debate whether to full-time in a van rather than our burro because I feel it's really going to be difficult to stealth camp in towns with the eye catching burro in tow.

Does anyone have opinions on how to stealth camp in your egg?

So Palmer, thank you, thank you, thank you for the insight and inspiration.

Warmly,

Laurie

[Roger H]

going through some of my storage bins and selling what I can to start a nest egg for an extended trip

Sounds remarkably like a "cruising kitty", doesn't it? I presume you're a subscriber to Latitude 38?

Does anyone have opinions on how to stealth camp in your egg?

I don't think it's possible... you won't attract any less attention than trying to trailer-sail and camp in a Catalina 22. There are, however, lots of side pull-outs with picnic tables and other county parks throughout the U.S. where you can overnight for little or nothing.

The county parks in our county are $5/nite unless you can't live without hookups. Then they're a whopping $7.50/nite! My folks full-timed in a 38' diesel pusher and stayed in the county parks here for the majority of three summers at $7.50/nite when they weren't on the road. It was pretty inexpensive living.

Roger

[Laurie T]

Sounds remarkably like a "cruising kitty", doesn't it? I presume you're a subscriber to Latitude 38?
quote name='Laurie & Tish' date='May 23 2007, 11:27 AM' post='226545']
Does anyone have opinions on how to stealth camp in your egg?

I don't think it's possible... you won't attract any less attention than trying to trailer-sail and camp in a Catalina 22. There are, however, lots of side pull-outs with picnic tables and other county parks throughout the U.S. where you can overnight for little or nothing.

The county parks in our county are $5/nite unless you can't live without hookups. Then they're a whopping $7.50/nite! My folks full-timed in a 38' diesel pusher and stayed in the county parks here for the majority of three summers at $7.50/nite when they weren't on the road. It was pretty inexpensive living.

Roger

I-O-W-A

Well, now I know why Dar Williams wrote her wonderful song entitled IOWA...the inexpensive camping!!

Though I love the song, I must admit I haven't been to Iowa yet I'm tempted. I have no idea what Iowa is like culturally and now that I'm calling California home, I wonder if it would celebrate diversity enough for me? Though if I ever get the chance, I will check out those parks.

Roger, I really appreciated your post because I actually full-timed on a cataling 22 in the Florida Keys for 8 years of my life in my 20's. So yes, I am quite familiar with Latitude 38 and it's a red letter day for me whenever I trip across a copy of it which isn't too difficult since I live in Santa Cruz.

[Laurie T]

with the 17, I could quite easily. It has all I need, and my "wants" are simple, not involving a lot of fodder to pack around.

I have actually figured out HOW to do this, and still maintain a living. It would be easy to do in my area, and without compromise of living in spots congregated by the So. Cal Homeless..

My only holdback at this time are 8 fuzzy legs. No, I own a razor, and I personally only possess two, but my dogs would be the issue. They are too big to leave locked in a trailer all day, and they can't be left tethered outside unattended.

Hey Gina,

Thanks for the insightful response! I'm wondering how you have figured out to maintain a living while fulltiming?

I find the topic fascinating because I'm always for looking for ways to make money on the road. Ideally, I would like to find something I could do anywhere.

'As for your fuzzy friends...you could always just remove that giant shower in your rig and they probably would really appreciate the added space.

I'm not sure you would want to remove it but I'm certain if any one had the skills to do so it would be you.


Warmly,

Laurie

[Palmer M]

full timed in an extended Maxi Van that I named "incognito" which had great stealth value because it looked like a work van

Bingo. I ordered the Casita without the RV decal stripes and I think most people, if they see it at all, register it as a cargo trailer.
That's why I said it attracts attention "from people who know what they're looking at".
The Casita is invisible to most people, because most people do not understand scale.
Most people cannot understand that a full-feature RV can be so small, and they literally do not see it.
I think it's called Perception Blindness, a cognitive state that contributes greatly to motorcycle accidents, for one ("I didn't even see it coming before I pulled out in front of it").
It is easy to spend two nights a week in a city if you have 6 or 8 "regular" places to park. It looks like you're passing through every couple of weeks.
P

[Laurie T]

It is easy to spend two nights a week in a city if you have 6 or 8 "regular" places to park. It looks like you're passing through every couple of weeks.
P

Thanks Palmer, I'm intrigued by that perception blindness philosophy. I'm sure a vw van gets much more attention then a camper on city streets from the police because of that.

So what are some of your favorite places to park when trying to be stealthy?

Warmly,

Laurie

[Palmer M]

ways to make money on the road. Ideally, I would like to find something I could do anywhere.

I am working on a line of products that will be sold via website, manufactured in a small office. Meanwhile I am still working as a seasonal employee at the company I worked for for several years.
The "bricks and mortar" employment is drawing to a close for me.
P

[Gina D.]

Laurie, I could still work where I have worked for 22 years, with no alteration to my role or schedule. I have to maintain traditional employment for the medical insurance.. a fact of life for many these days.

When I work is located in a semi rural area (If you can imagine that in So. Cal!) and there are several choices for county, state and forest service campgrounds, not to mention 2 very nice private ones, all well within commuting distance of my office. All, actually, are located closer to work than my cabin actually is!

As for the gubmit run ones, you stay two weeks and move to the next, stay two weeks, move to the next etc. There is no accumulative time limit per year in these parks.

The private ones, which are more expensive, but still UNDER what my monthly mortgage payments are, you are allowed to stay 9 months, move for 30 days, then return.

I can live quite easily in forest service campgrounds, as long as there is fresh water and a place to dispose of my grey and black water. Any toilet will do..

The two people I mentioned do this, and work in a permanent location. Their incomes and roles are similar to mine. They are NOT transients, they pay taxes, and have all the responsibilities and obligations most of us do, sans the mortgage/landlord, the permanent utilities and maintenance woes that us'ns that own houses do. Both are single, however, with no ties or real reason to have the trappings.. as am I.

Of course there is upkeep on their trailers and cars, but they would have those anyway.

[Bonnie]

I am following this thread with a growing excitement. I am coming into a stage in my life where I could sorta fulltime. What I mean is stay close to the job site during the week and then be 'at home' on the weekends. The savings in commute time and gas alone could justify the cost of even a private campground.

My critters would hold me back I think, as Gina said, I don't think I could leave them in the trailer all day.

There must be something about these eggs that cause people to start yearning for a simplified existence.

Bonnie

[Chris Dunphy]

I've been full-timing for a year in a 16' Tab Clamshell.

I posted a huge update (with pictures) of my past year on the road here:
http://www.radven.net/journal/serendipity.php

And now there are two of us - I have a partner Cherie traveling with me now, and we are working our way back west towards California.

We are considering moving up to something a tiny bit bigger than the Tab. Now that there are two of us - we'd really like a separate desk space from sleeping space. And having a shower onboard is also a plus.

We hope to visit the Casita factory this week.

Cheers all!

- chris // www.radven.net