I’m empty nesting within a year and although they may boomerang back into the house someday, the wife and I are looking to travel more. Spoke to a few folk who have tried the RV lifestyle… Mixed results. Husbands usually initially excited, wives hesitant, life happens and suddenly the RV is sitting in the driveway for 5 years without moving!
Then heard of other fantastic stories… I’m looking for more. Any suggestions? (I’ve had a VW Eurovan, weekender package with pop top for light camping for 12 years now but no head or cooking facilities)
I’ll sell you the c.captain Ford F600 Incident Command Mobile and you can build an awesome interior in the box and have a truly one of a kind M/H! I wouldn’t plan to take the wife tho in it…just fishing and drinking (or is that drinking and fishing?) buddies along. Load up on booze and bait and head to the way, way, waybackwoods. Disappear for two months and when the world thinks you are long dead and lost, you reemerge with beards a foot long and body odor to match!
Add a powered gun turret with twin Browning 50cal MG’s and you will not only be able to disappear for two months at a time but you can take out all who might come looking for you including any low flying search aircraft or better still, use the truck as a means to destroy Federal Centers of total idiocy and pompousness such as KP! Form a movement and with a clever tax accountant make the whole thing one big deduction including the ammunition! The possibilities with such an awesome machine are near endless. You don’t want to miss this rare opportunity to leave your mark in this sorry assed world!
Now as far as your not so young spawn coming back to live with you…use the F600 as an escape capsule! Sell the house and don’t give them your new address. Better still, don’t even get a new address…just use a PO box somewhere. Hide your ass from them long enough for them to find work and a place of their own then tell them where they can find you at (that is if you want to even allow them to find you?)
Anyway…if you’re interested in the rig call now, phone lines are open and operators are standing by! In fact if you call in the next 20 minutes, we’ll include an M54A2 5 ton military truck along with the F600*
My wife and I bought a 37’ 5th wheel a few years ago and have really enjoyed it. . . If you already have a truck to pull it with that’s the best way to go. . . Can usually figure about .40 per mile in fuel cost and anywhere from $25 to $65 a night to camp with it (state parks usually have the best rates and no riff raff around) Buy bigger than what you think you need and forget about buying brand new. Value on a camper drops worse than a new car and there is always somebody who has had one sitting in the driveway for 5 years and will give you a good deal just to get rid of it.
[QUOTE=catherder;118839]C.C, are you tryin to get this guy divorced?![/QUOTE]
Just trying to help him find true happiness is all. If that requires divorce then he will become the newest member of a very large fraternity of men of which I am their Grand Poobah and Vizier!
We started out with a small 20 foot Travel Trailer. Next came a 27 foot Travel Trailer with two slides. We like this one a lot but I wanted to be able to bring my Trike with us so here came another one. The one that I have now is a 37 Foot Fifth Wheel Toy Hauler. It has a 10 foot garage so the trike fits just fine. There is a Queens Size bed in the Garage that hangs from the overhead.
I tow it with my 2500 Chevy Diesel. Some people might think that I am overloaded but I have a Cat Scale ticket that says I am well within my limits.
As for fuel, I get between 8.5 - 10.0 mpg. I try to keep my speed down to 62-65 as it really helps the fuel mileage plus most of the tires on trailer are only rated to 65 mph.
There is a really good forum http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm for RV’s. Now it is a lot like here and there are some that think it is there way or the highway but all in all it is a great place to learn.
I do agree with what was posted about buying Big and Used. Trust me your first RV will not be your last one as you will always find things that you do not like and the worse thing to do is to keep looking once you decide on a rig. If you do you will drive your self nuts.
Great advise shipmates! I rented twice while the kids were young but those were crazy days…
Pulling a trailer has that advantage of setting up camp then having the ability to drive around. Big positive there.
Bigger is better? Pop outs?
Just a note about the RV causing a divorce… That would dramatically increase the cost of that trailer my friends… Put it out of reach unless I plan to work until I’m 90!
Our 37’ has 2 slide outs & like tugs I pull it with a 3/4 ton truck, mine is an F250 though (I wouldn’t put a poor old Chevrolet through that) The extra room is great if you want to invite friends along. Never had a toy hauler but always wanted one.
Being able to set up camp and then go into town with the truck is a big plus
Another fun thing to invest in is a projector, outdoor movie screen, & satellite dish. . . There’s nothing like watching LSU beat Alabama on an outdoor screen the size of a semi truck.
Just a note about the RV causing a divorce… That would dramatically increase the cost of that trailer my friends… Put it out of reach unless I plan to work until I’m 90!
…doesn’t matter wives will always get you on some charge in the end so you might as well make it a good one worthy of the filing fees and attorney bills she’ll have to pay. At least don’t let them get you on some petty crime…make is a good one like chartering a yacht for all your drinking buddies with a crew of strippers! When they come to serve you the papers, jump in the F600 and let the lawyers try to find where you’re hidey hole is at? Can’t get divorced unless you’re served! Just don’t use credit cards while you’re on the lamb…that’s the way they always find out where you are! I learned that one the hard way!
C.Captain should do Stand Up.
I’m good at standing up except for those frequent times that I fall down…
[QUOTE=catherder;118883]You don’t need an RV. You need a rolling man cave. Why sell that truck of yours?[/QUOTE]
Because my dear I have a sizable floating mancave now plus 3 collector’s cars (2 of which are projects), a military truck and a house only 50% remodelled. This guy has OD’d on projects and unless he eliminates a couple I will either die of fatigue or bankruptcy or both!
Got rid of the collector car. We have a 36’ Toy Hauler, I drag it with a 1 ton Dodge Ram. Tows like a dream. Use it mostly to haul the four wheeler to hunting camp now, but the wife and I plan some extensive traveling when we retire. We have a blast with it now. We bought it used, traded a smaller trailer in on it. Saved a ton of money over a new one - let someone else take the depreciation. You definitely need to take the time to maintain it properly. One little water leak can cause terminal damage if it goes on for a while. It does cost some money to use it, but what doesn’t these days? I say, go for it if you can!
I’m not at a place in my life where I’m ready to get an RV, bus to convert, etc… but lately I’ve been mulling the idea of a “tiny house” on wheels. Something like this:
The prototype Terra Wind Class “A” amphibious RV, manufactured by Cool Amphibious Manufacturers International (CAMI), debuted on ABC’s Good Morning America back in July 2003. Designed by John Giljam, the 35,000lb and 42.5 foot long Terra Wind Motorhome prototype was powered by a single Caterpillar 3126E 330 horse power diesel engine which could achieve speeds of up to 85 mph on land and up to 7 knots in the water. This remarkable vehicle was described by John Giljam, President of CAMI, as “exceptionally unique” - it certainly was.
On the water: The Terra Wind’s custom built all aluminum 3/16 marine plate hull was reinforced with 6061 Grade Structural Members resulting in a hull that was both light and durable yet strong enough to provide a substantial load carrying capability. The 3.5 foot draft - the vertical distance between the waterline and the bottom of the hull – was a careful arrangement designed to allow for easy entry and egress from the water whilst still retaining a low center of gravity to assist stability. Outrigger sponsons were also added to further increase stability and to allow the twin slide outs to be deployed whilst on the water. A Velvet Drive 72 marine drive transmission with twin 19" bronze propellers and one-touch control stainless steel rudders provided the Terra Wind with both a high degree of maneuverability and a very stable ride when in protected waters.Transitioning from land to water was simplicity itself. You just placed the road transmission into neutral and the marine transmission into gear and away you went.Although the Terra Wind was not designed to be an ocean going vessel it could handle waves, or wakes, up to three feet high and winds of up to 40mph. A three zone bilge pump system and two onboard automatic fire extinguishers provided additional safety.
On the road: The Terra Wind’s Neway air suspension, heavy duty stabilizer bar and Bilstein tuned shocks provided the smooth ride that is synonymous with luxury Class “A” motorhomes. Power was provided by the 330 HP Caterpillar engine and laid down by an Allison 3000 MH six-speed Automatic Transmission.
The Terra Wind interior: is enhanced by twin slide outs and fully loaded with accessories including state of the art electronics; dishwasher, washer/dryer, TV’s, DVD and a surround sound system along with marble floors, granite countertops, whirlpool bath tub and leather furnishings - not forgetting the six foot swimming deck/balcony at the rear of the RV. “The Terra Wind has been designed with the ultimate in luxury in mind,” said Julie Giljam. The price tag for the Terra Wind started in the $850,000 range and went as high as $1.5 million. Though, of course, you were actually getting two vehicles for the price of one - a luxury motor coach and a yacht!
CAMI are based in Ridgeland, South Carolina and began building specialist amphibious vehicles in March, 1999. Their products include the 40 foot, 51 seat amphibious Hydra-Terra commercial tour vehicle which is similar to the six-wheel-drive wartime amphibious vehicle known as the DUKW.
Terra Wind Technical Data: Standard Length: 42’6"| Width: 102" | Height: 12’6" | GVWR 33,000 lb (14074 kg) GCWR 43,000 lb (18,614 kg) Fresh Water: 110 Gallons| Gray Water: 55 Gallons| Black Water: 55 Gallons| 18kw 240 watt Diesel Generator | 3000 Watt Inverter with 300 Amp Inverter | 4 Group 31 Deep Cycle House Batteries |
Thinking it might be best to stage into this hobby/lifestyle… I have a year to plan. Maybe start smaller and work up.
I don’t see me using it for longer than a week or two at a time for another 10 years.
Has anyone done a long trip in stages where you drive her 500 miles or so away, then leave her there… Then return in a month to continue on for a bit… Keep leaving the RV someplace safe…???
