Hi! I am Sophia G.

[Sophia G.]

Hello everyone! I am so happy to have found this site/forum! My husband and I are in the research phase of purchasing a fiberglass RV. We live in central Minnesota and are contemplating full time RVing. Or...almost full time RVing. Keep our house or sell our house? So many decisions! Any advice is certainly welcome. Any work campers out there? I would still need to work, my husband could retire but would probably want to work a bit to keep busy.

[Mike Magee]

Sophia, welcome! Interesting... I have a granddaughter with the same name and initial.

If you like your house and it isn't a burden (too big, too hard to maintain), I recommend keeping it for at least 1 year while you RV full-time. After a year or so, you will have a better idea what you want to do. Selling the house right away sometimes leads to regrets; you might find that you prefer having the familiar 'home base' at times or that you still enjoy getting the family over to the house for certain holidays, etc. But sometimes folks realize that the house means little to them, or that they don't even want to live in that region or climate any longer, or whatever. You just can't be sure until you've tried the new lifestyle for a decent amount of time. Keep in mind, too, that if one spouse ever develops an illness, the couple may prefer a stable home near doctors and may no longer want to be on the road.

I gave the same advice to my former mailman when he retired. They had a house a few blocks away from us and were seriously thinking of selling it. They have a big Cedar Creek 5th wheel... I mean, big! They hung onto the house and within months they knew that they wanted to keep it. I now see them at home more often than not when I drive by.

[Jon in AZ]

Excellent advice, Mike.

Welcome, Sophia! Molded fiberglass trailers can make great full-time units, but not for everyone. In general they are smaller than the typical motorhome or fifth wheel, so you'll have to learn to live more compactly. Upside is lower maintenance, better towability, and great resale if your needs change.

Best wishes!

[Linda19]

Welcome Sophia!
I too live in Minnesota and got the camping bug a few years ago and now own 5 trailers, mostly vintage plus a 1996 16" Casita. I love this forum and have learned so much from all of the wonderful members. If you want to check out any of my trailers before you buy I'd be happy to show them to you and you could compare the differences between fiberglass and other kinds. I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have too.
My email is: lindashay19@gmail.com
Linda
Albany, MN

[thrifty bill]

I would suggest going to a molded fiberglass rally (see the rally section) where you can tour many brands and many models.

You will need to decide what is important to you. Realize molded trailers are smaller than most traditional trailers (shorter in length). And they also are narrower. Those two combine to limit space. Time spent outside becomes more important! Which isn't that the point of having an RV?

I met a couple last year full timing in a Trillium 1300. And as luck would have it, I met them again this year. They have been full timing in that Trillium for over two years and over 40,000 miles (how we ended up in the same RV park a year apart was pretty amazing). The Trillium from that era is pretty basic: small bed, no A/C, no toilet or shower. They love it!! So what might work for you may not work for someone else. And that couple both work the same jobs they had when they weren't full time RV'ers. Of course, they have jobs where physical location is quite flexible.

Have you ever owned an RV? Any long trips? Long trips with a wide variation in weather can test any RV choice.