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Old 07-27-2014, 12:20 PM   #41
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Name: Norm and Ginny
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Floyd.

We're obviously not destination people. I do understand those that are destination drivers and have less time then us. Heck our first destination trip was to Florida and it took us 18 weeks from NH. I guess we're not typical.

Non Interstate roads can be roads with lots of lights however they can be roads with few stops as well depending on the road and the part of the country. When we're more west where Interstates can have light traffic we do sometimes drive them. We're not road religious by any means though in FL we hardly ever drive Interstates, over the years we've learned the 'back alternatives'.

In our case getting to FL is never less than a week from NH and usually more.
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Old 07-27-2014, 12:43 PM   #42
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There certainly have been some interesting comments and responses from my initial post, thank you all for contributing and please don't stop now.

However reading through them I feel I might have given some wrong impressions and perhaps rubbed some people on the forum the wrong way or insulted their hobbies and pastime activities. Just to be clear that was not the intent by any measure. I applaud anyone who can pursue the camping lifestyle be it full time or weekend warrior for nickels, dimes and quarters on the dollars compared to my average cost analysis. For the record based upon my own observations while out camping if anything I feel my average cost is low rather than high. Understand I am including the entire genre of NA camping, not just the good folks here on fiberglassrv. Granted there are many many people here on the forum who have accomplished this for far less and are still having a great time which is fabulous. But I personally don't think this constitutes a NA average investment. Not even sure its constitutes an average cost here at FGRV, but we would probably have to create a poll to determine this and doubt its worth the effort.

Being relatively new to the forum and unknown, perhaps it would be good time to provide some background info about myself. There seems to be a bit of misunderstanding and confusion on this as well. My wife and I have been at this camping activity for well over 35 years, first backpacking, then car camping via tents once our daughter was born, as she grew older back to backpacking with some road trips and tent camping thrown in. Our daughter had her first camping trip before she was six months old at Little River Canyon State Park, AL and it didn't stop there throughout her entire childhood right through high school. We backpacked and camped with her and our pet soul mate, Mocha the Chocolate Lab, in the Beartooth Plateau & Mountains of WY and MT among other places all over the west. In 2001 we finally broke down and bought a Coleman pop up camper, not the best decision by an means, then sold that and bought our T@b in '07. Its been as far as the Gulf Coast and over most of the western US several times. Even camped in it during a 15º night at Chaco Canyon NP, then got up the next morning and hiked the rim trail at the park.

Before meeting my wife I bicycle toured with a buddy all over New Zealand and a good portion of the east coast of Australia. This was long before the plethora of organized bicycle tours existed in those countries. To say we were a novelty would be putting it mildly. We had planned to camp the entire half year journey but the friendly people of NZ adopted us where ever we went inviting us to stay in their homes. The entire trip we slept on the ground maybe a fistful of days max. It was one of the greatest adventures ever. My only regret, wish I had been with my wife on this one. While in college another buddy and I paddled the Little Cahaba River in AL during a tornado from its origins almost to the confluence with the Alabama River much further south. We were lucky to get out alive. We spent most of one night digging trenches with a Del Monte Peach can so that the heavy rains did not wash our tent away. The river rose some 7 or 8 feet bare minimum over night with the canoe being half submerged in the morning while tied to a tree on the bank. It gave a whole new definition to white water canoeing in a Grumman Aluminum canoe during the next couple of days. Little water became Big Water!

My wife and I just returned from a trip up to the Flathead Valley area of MT for a week then down to the Tetons for another week. Each day if not out hiking we cycled anywhere from 25/30 to 50 or more miles per day, then go for a paddle with our kayaks at places like Whitefish River and Lake. During this last adventure it became fairly clear to us we either wanted or needed a larger camper to accommodate our needs and desires, not the least of which is a shower at days end. Bird baths after a 50 mile bike ride just doesn't cut it. I just turned 65 a few days ago, my wife is 59, neither of us look it (or so we are told) and our daughter and son in law think I act like a 12 year old on my better behaved days.

The point of this, do we have memories? You better believe it. Have either of us been part of the "herd" mentality acting like sheeple as one respondent implied, eh probably not. Quite frankly I have had more fun in life than any 10 other people have the right to and much of it while camping. This is not our first rodeo. But the both of us staring down the barrel of what we felt we wanted or needed as an camper upgrade became a very sobering thought at the tune of $200-$400 per night.

Hopefully this addendum will add some useful facet to the conversation. And again my sincere apologies if I have offended anyone by they topic.

Thanks
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Old 07-27-2014, 12:51 PM   #43
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Someone posted this on a RV group page on Facebook. I see both the humor and the truth in it.



I think this was written by someone who had never camped, who bought everything the salesman said they 'needed', and from lack of experience, set up everything poorly in the lowest spot available. Then there is better than a 50/50 chance it rained.

How many folks have related a story like this after saying with surprise, 'You camp?!?!?!?!?'

I think this situatian applies to many first time trailer campers as well.

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Old 07-27-2014, 01:04 PM   #44
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Rob, First I thought your initial comments were good and opened a good discussion. Thank you.

Steve, The statement is not "You Camp!!" but rather "You Camp in that!!!"

It is the rare person who can believe we have stayed in our Scamp 16 310 days in a row and that includes many small trailer owners.

It's sort of the same look we get when we show them where our bed is in the Scamp.

No matter how happy we look, how satisfied with our travels, they can not believe that two can live in a small trailer for an extended period.
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Old 07-27-2014, 01:46 PM   #45
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Originally Posted by honda03842 View Post
No matter how happy we look, how satisfied with our travels, they can not believe that two can live in a small trailer for an extended period.
Now you have done it Norm. I am beginning to wonder if you are in reality a 14 year old boy sitting in front of a computer in the middle of New York City with an active imagination. Really, has anybody ever met Norm? Anybody?
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Old 07-27-2014, 01:50 PM   #46
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Tom, I can tell you that if I were 14 I would be in front of a computer and never would go to school. I certainly would learn faster there then in a classroom. I was never in sync with the classroom.
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Old 07-27-2014, 02:26 PM   #47
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Now you have done it Norm. I am beginning to wonder if you are in reality a 14 year old boy sitting in front of a computer in the middle of New York City with an active imagination. Really, has anybody ever met Norm? Anybody?


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Old 07-27-2014, 05:14 PM   #48
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I give you my word that Norm and Ginny are real. Scouts Honour. I have met them, had supper at their home in NH and enjoyed the company of their grandchildren. I have interviewed them on VOBB as part of the Trails, Tales & Tunes Festival in Norris Pt. NL. I have been to concerts with them and shared a few stories. There is a picture out there somewhere to prove it.
I believe that there is a very simple answer to their lifestyle. LOVE and FRIENDSHIP. They must be the very best of friends and they really must love each other unconditionally. Shared interests, hobbies, a desire to travel and having the courage to live the way they do are just bonuses.
Without the first two, it would not work. More power to them.
Scouter Dave.
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Old 07-27-2014, 05:40 PM   #49
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Name: Norm and Ginny
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Thank you Dave, it's good to have confirmation that I am alive.

Scouter Dave is a wonderful person.

Dave did stop at our house for dinner. While there he gave each of the children a bracelet he had made. A year later our niece asked as we were headed off to Newfoundland if we were going to see Dave. Dave is a memorable guy on many levels.

Love and Friendship. Interesting thought Dave. Ginny and I were friends for 3 years before I was able to get a date, though I saw her most days of the week. I am persistent if nothing else.

I think friendship carries a level of accommodation that may not be true of love. I see people who profess love for each other but do not seem to be true friends.

I suspect this is a bad avenue to head down in this thread, but important for long term travel. I've never given it much thought but Ginny always spoke about the importance of being friends. Another one of those seeds planted by her mother.... I will say the road has made me a better friend, Ginny was always great.

Definitely something to think about.
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Old 07-27-2014, 07:05 PM   #50
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Camping is far from being "homeless". Instead, camping is taking one's home to a beautiful new spot for a short time. I have temporarily moved my home to Yosemite, to the shore of Lake Superior, to 10,000 feet between Silverton and Ouray CO, and to many other fabulous locations.

As for cost, the home on wheels can be expensive or it can be inexpensive, depending upon what one purchases. The fuel and campsite fees... well, they are what they are.
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Old 07-27-2014, 07:24 PM   #51
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While some KNOW it's expensive the way they choose to RV, some don't realize what they're spending, I think. It's good to have this conversation, and I feel it's good to figure out your per-trip average, and see if you ARE OK with that. Are you getting enough "value" back in experiences? If not, how can you change that?

For us, I've realized that we've chosen one of the least expensive ways to camp in something more substantial than a tent. When I break down the costs, it's really not bad for us. And, as others have said, we have 2 dogs that would be tough to travel with in hotels.

I've gone through a lot of the thought exercises for myself. As I prepare to dig into tearing apart a 33 year old camper, and get ready to spend thousands on new parts, and MANY hours on making it what we want it to be, I want to REALLY be sure that I'm doing something that's worthwhile to us.

So thanks for bringing up the question. I feel some topics aren't discussed enough here, like this.
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Old 07-27-2014, 08:14 PM   #52
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If I look at the price we paid for our camper, and divide that by the total square feet we got, I figure it puts us in the same price range as Bill Gates' home. Then, we pay $25 or so per night to sleep in our own bed. Then, we provide climate-controlled storage to it for the 350 or so nights per year that we are not using it. I must be out of my mind, right?

Well, not so much. Because we keep it garaged, it is like new, and we could still sell it for nearly what we paid for it. And, if we keep it 10 years, and use it 15 nights per year, and it depreciates $1500 over that time (try that with a sticky!), then it cost us $10 per night to own.

Add that to the $25 per night camping fee, (we frequently pay considerably less), and we have an average cost of somewhere south of $35 per night. We have stayed in some $35 motels, and it ain't pretty.

By contrast, most of the places we have stayed in the camper are VERY pretty. During a 24-hour day of camping, we are entertained for roughly 16 hours. Hmm... $35 pays for 16 hours of entertainment for two people. That works out to $1.10 per hour/per person for entertainment, and we still get a free night's sleep in a clean, comfy bed. Sounds cheap to me.

If we stayed home, I would work. Yard work. House work. Work, work, work. Take my hourly wage, and multiply that by how many hours of work I am doing, and NOT GETTING PAID FOR, and it is it costing me a fortune to stay home.

In fact, now that I look at it, I don't see how I can afford to NOT go camping. It is almost like money in the bank! I think we'll just go camping for the next few weekends. I just don't see how I can beat the value of camping.
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Old 07-29-2014, 01:40 PM   #53
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Gonna try it...

I will leave home on August 12th. for seven weeks on the road. It will be the shake down cruise for the Trillium 4500 that found its way back to me after several years. The next major trek will start in December for four months in the sunny south. It will be a bittersweet journey but I need to do it, just to see if I can. It is an itch that needs scratching. If I survive I will have to have a serious look at spending more time on the road.

Thanks for opening up this thread. There has been some wonderful responses, feedback and advice. Full-timing may not be for everyone but it always drums up some interest. SD.
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Old 07-29-2014, 02:51 PM   #54
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I like camping. The $ are not an issue for me.
Ditto this. If it's within your means, who cares how much you spend to do something you enjoy doing? What is expensive for one person may be cheap for the next.
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Old 07-29-2014, 03:01 PM   #55
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I bought my trailer (1979 Trillium Jubilee) for 2 grand. We were looking mostly at pop-ups, the idea being to get us up off the ground for sleeping. Total refurb last year cost me about 2 weeks heavy labor and just under $800 in materials. That includes new floors (plywood, vinyl) and new counter (corian, $280). The year before that the wife made new cushion covers and curtains. I think she spent about $200 in materials, all told.

So, three grand. We take it camping at least twice a year, to a place we've been going for 31 years now. It's a shelter/bed on wheels for something we'd be doing anyway. And it keeps our old bodies more comfortable.

Worth every dime, I'd say.
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Old 07-29-2014, 03:16 PM   #56
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If I look at the price we paid for our camper, and divide that by the total square feet we got, I figure it puts us in the same price range as Bill Gates' home. Then, we pay $25 or so per night to sleep in our own bed. Then, we provide climate-controlled storage to it for the 350 or so nights per year that we are not using it. I must be out of my mind, right?

Well, not so much. Because we keep it garaged, it is like new, and we could still sell it for nearly what we paid for it. And, if we keep it 10 years, and use it 15 nights per year, and it depreciates $1500 over that time (try that with a sticky!), then it cost us $10 per night to own.

Add that to the $25 per night camping fee, (we frequently pay considerably less), and we have an average cost of somewhere south of $35 per night. We have stayed in some $35 motels, and it ain't pretty.

By contrast, most of the places we have stayed in the camper are VERY pretty. During a 24-hour day of camping, we are entertained for roughly 16 hours. Hmm... $35 pays for 16 hours of entertainment for two people. That works out to $1.10 per hour/per person for entertainment, and we still get a free night's sleep in a clean, comfy bed. Sounds cheap to me.

If we stayed home, I would work. Yard work. House work. Work, work, work. Take my hourly wage, and multiply that by how many hours of work I am doing, and NOT GETTING PAID FOR, and it is it costing me a fortune to stay home.

In fact, now that I look at it, I don't see how I can afford to NOT go camping. It is almost like money in the bank! I think we'll just go camping for the next few weekends. I just don't see how I can beat the value of camping.
I like your opinion a lot. Life is too short to...complain ab just...anything. I would take time off from work w/o pay any chance I could and just for camping. Wife is busy for...$$$$, fine to me, I just pull trailer and camping with the kids and few buddies of mine. Nowadays, life is full of stress from money, housing, loan, mortgage, bills, work...ect...I feel myself as a..free man from the real ugly world when I sit with Buddies, drinking all night in the wild. Without trailer, hydro...I even camp in the wild with tent. Once I sit drinking out door in the wild, snow falling around me but camp fire kept me warm, bring myself back to the...age of old days when I was a kid. Way better than....WORK. To me, working to support the life is.....TERRIBLE. That is MANDATORY. Hey, wild life survives without...ever WORK! Lol...
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Old 07-29-2014, 03:42 PM   #57
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Is it worth it? Damn Rights it is! If you have to ask the question, then you just don't get it. You don't need a monster trailer and monster truck to go out into the woods to get some fresh air.
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Old 07-29-2014, 03:45 PM   #58
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Since my wife and I retired 3 years ago we have spent approx 200 days traveling with our fiberglass trailer .Our average daily cost for camping is a little over $100/ day ( fuel ,camping fees ,sight seeing ,misc items) Our average daily cost when traveling and staying in motels was about $200 /day .I believe the biggest difference in cost is meals . Eating and drinking at our trailer is far less expensive than going out for meals and drinks. My wife is a great cook so restaurant food is not that appealing We spent our whole working life saving so that one day we could retire and enjoy life .Our fiberglass trailer enables us to enjoy our senior years
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Old 07-29-2014, 03:53 PM   #59
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My little Casita Patriot just sits out behind my garden fence until I can take the time off work to use it. But looking out the back door and seeing it sitting there just gives me a thrill for the freedom and adventure that it represents. Sometimes the dogs and I just sleep out there and "pretend camp". For me, the memories already made and the planning for those to come is absolutely priceless.
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Old 07-29-2014, 05:39 PM   #60
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We have stayed in some $35 motels, and it ain't pretty.
True that. I prefer my own bedding & pillows in the old Scamp to any Motel.
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