Living in one?

[abewitz]

Hi - new here and there and everywhere.

Looking to live in a fiberglass trailer (13'-16' with bathroooooom/shower)
Does anyone have any experience living in one?
I would love to get some insight/advice on the matter. Is a truck camper better?
I've heard of:
boondockerswelcome.com
hipcamp.com
harvetshosts.com
...for boondocking for free for limited time for a yearly membership.

Hope this new life is not a dead-end. I am really looking forward to not paying rent for a while and feeling more free.

Thanks and hit me with your best shot.

For what it's worth - I own a Ford f150 v6.

Abe

[tua]

There are many who do.
There are pros and cons for both trailer and truck camper.
It's personal preference and not one better than another.

[abewitz]

thank you! Good to hear people are doing this and I'm not a nut case.
best,
abe

[thrifty bill]

Very few truck campers will work on an F150. Typically you are looking 3/4 ton or higher. Now one of those light weight aluminum popup style truck campers? Sure. Then you are talking really small.

Met a couple that were living full time in a Trillium 1300: no bathroom, no AC, small bed. They had been doing it for two years and loved it. It's all in attitude. Others require a 43 foot motorcoach, with multiple tip outs, 2 bathrooms, etc.

Boondockers Welcome are often limited to ONE NIGHT. So you are "welcome" but not for long....

[honda03842]

Abram,

First you might want to take a look at Escapees.com. They have a group caled Days End that has a boondockers group.

We have spent 20 years living in an assortment of RVs, mostly small trailers. One year we did 310 days in our 1991 Scamp 16. Numerous people have offered to buy our Scamp but Ginny told me if I sold it she'd cry.

We have never felt limited by our 92 square feet of space.

Wishing you well

[abewitz]

thanks Norm! Good info - I appreciate it!

[abewitz]

I agree - all attitude. Same with the mundane, I suppose. Thanks for taking the time to hit me with the goods.

abe

[ZachO]

It can be done. These days plenty of people are living in their cars.

A lot will depend on your life. Are you working? Saved money and taking a sabbatical? Vagabonding? Advice differs, depending.

I lived/traveled in a Toyota Chinook for a year. I had saved money, quit my job, and was on an extended road trip. No bathroom, no shower. Totally different situation than now, where I spend 6 months each year in my trailer, with a place-based job. I need to live in the community I work in. This only works in a certain kind of town, unless you can pay for camping or an RV park, at which point you might as well just pay rent.

[redbarron55]

We have "lived" in our 16' Scamp for 3 - 4 months at a time and it is OK, but we did it because we were remodeling a house or taking a long trip.
Our Scamp is set up to be a mobile motel room with shower and toilet and twin beds without a stove - cooktop. When I took it out during the rebuild it was sitting on the driveway next to the Scamp and my wife walked out of the house and asked, "What is that?" so I left it out to gain more room.
With the twin beds we have an "entertainment room" with pillows stacked to make "recliners". The table swings up from the night stand between the beds and that makes the bedroom a dining room.
You have to get used to the space available.
We don't feel like we are being punished when we live in the Scamp.
The trailer also serves as our "Bug Out Box" in case of hurricanes, staying packed during the season.

[jokra]

I suggest you find a rental unit that is as close to the size you plan on buying. It is easiest to try it out for a couple of weeks. I lived in a Ford Econoline E150 short van with my wife at the time and we made it into a camper and lived in it for 7 months. It all depends on a lot of things, your age/size and creature comforts. You might even find a suitable slide-in for your F150 that you can rent for a few weeks. Just remember it is usually easier to buy a used one than sell it.

[bact2387]

Call Scamp up & buy your dream.
Have no regrets & just do it!

[mike Boucher]

for what its worth my 2 cents, i lived very well for many years in a over the road truck you see them everywhere. had no shower but there are truck stops all-over. so living in one my 13' u-haul is like a hotel compared to the truck. you get the idea,for my-self it would be easy, its a snap.enjoy

[abewitz]

thanks! was looking into a fwc hawk (maybe). worried about weight. my v6 ford is rwd.

[abewitz]

hey thanks for the tips! easier to buy a slide in than sell cause of the size requirements?

best,
abe

[Jon in AZ]

For long-term use I vote for a trailer. Do you really want to disconnect utilities and stow everything in the slide-in to make a grocery run or drive to a nearby trailhead?

Only caveat is most lightweight, budget-oriented molded trailers aren’t really designed for extended off-pavement use.

[Lisle]

Been living in my 16' Casita with bathroom since last Sept. First issue is domicile -- need a permanent address somewhere in order to get insurance, vote, etc. Lots of info on how to choose your state. I'm lucky to have a friend with a house who is willing to let me use her address and to receive and forward my mail.
Second issue is what to do with your stuff while you travel. (I'm assuming you want to travel?) I have a storage unit which currently has enough of my stuff (I did divest of lots) to semi furnish an apartment if and when I want to stop traveling. If that turns out not to be any time soon, I will resort and just keep the few things I love too much to part with. Yes, I do have quite a bit of stuff with me in the camper and the tow vehicle, but family heirlooms can stay in storage.
Third you have to decide where you want to go. I did kind of a quick tour around the perimeter of the country, which got interrupted by COVID lockdown. Spent 7 weeks in a cousin's driveway in S. California til I figured out things were not going back to any normal. Now I know a number of places I want to revisit and spent time getting to know. Then drove across country to New England where I have more friends with driveways. (Staying at Walmarts, and truck stops as well as some campgrounds and RV parks that were open.) Now back east, mostly have been staying with friends, hooked up to their electricity, needing to dump and refill tanks once every week or 10 days. I'm pretty careful with water use. For instance, I use the water pump when I'm washing dishes. Otherwise turn it off, catch sink water and use that to flush the toilet. In the summer, I try to swim often to conserve on showers.
Very, very happy with my little Casita -- easy to tow, has made it into some beautiful places down not great dirt roads, perfectly comfortable for me. Love having my own bed and bathroom, as well as kitchen and frig in this COVID time - easy to social distance. Visit with friends outside 6' apart.
And you can generally stay in national forests and BLM land for free for up to 14 days - which works better out west - more land to choose from there. I do think the more people who are RVing will make it harder to find boon docking spots, and I can't blame them for wanting to do it. It's a lovely lifestyle.

[abewitz]

good stuff Lisle! Thank you. I will probably be mostly around the LA area.

[thunderworks]

There are many videos on You Tube from people who either live permanently, or for extended periods of time in small travel trailers. You might find it helpful to look up some of those to get a sense of the issues those folks deal with. Expectations and attitude would no doubt determine whether you'd be a good candidate for long term/permanent RV living.

[Victoriakem]

Hi, check out Slim Potato head for his shower build in his 13 ft scamp. Good luck to you! I have. Uhaul ct 13 I’ve taken camping a couple of times so I’m still learning

[Ferris5]

I am piggybacking on comments above. I totally agree that YouTube in a terrific resource to see what it is like to live, day-by-day in a fiberglass trailer.
Check out:
Elsa Rhae and Barron
Search "living full time in a Casita (or Scamp, etc)
Tons of viewing options....Happy Viewing.