New guy: going FT next year...so much to learn...

Hi all! FANTASTIC site! I must have read every single post over the last 2 weeks. Planning on taking the plunge in the fall of 09. Kind of scary; going from a large house on 1.2 acres with my own workshop to a small class A or large class C, plan to "toad" a Jeep 4x4 and travel with the wife and 2 German Shepherds. I'm a retired SeaBee E8 and currently working as a computer programmer / analyst. Only 55 right now but just tired of the rat race and want to get out there and enjoy life and wherever it takes us. Used to camp a lot as a kid and did my time during maneuvers (just a bit rougher!). The wife is all for it and very excited. The thing that scares me the most is finances. I'm hoping to swing 2,400 ~ 2,800 monthly and just hope that the stock market goes bullish over the next 5-10 years. Also, gas prices! But, staying in one place for a month plus should take care of that. Plan to sell the house and 90% of all our "stuff" or give it away to the kids.
So, with all of that said and done the questions I have is....
What's better for traveling: cost and comfort wise? A short class A or a large class C? (Much diff?)
How difficult is it to tow 4 down with a Jeep?
Is my budget reasonable?
As a full timer, did you store a lot of stuff or just get rid of it all?
Are you happy you made the move? Any regrets?

The wife and I are really looking forward to it. A lot to do still to make it a reality. Of all things, I miss the military community the most! And I always found campers to be some of the best down to earth people there are. See you on the road sometime next year... thanks all, Mikey D.

If you go with a class C rig make sure you understand the towing capacity. We jumped from a travel trailer to a Winnebago class C with a chevy engine on a workhorse body and did not check out the towing. we are limited to tow 3500 lbs. Most of the class C rigs on a ford chassis should tow at least 5000 lbs. be sure and check that. I'm sure if you go up to a Class A with a diesel engine you may be able to tow a lot more.

Rich

Thanks Rich. Will make sure we get a 5,000 LB towing capacity regardless of make/model. Good point.

Michael here is a website you may want to check out. fulltimerver.com/ There are some links on the left side that may help you plan your future life style. Good luck.

Mickey D,

Welcome to the website and hope you have a smooth transition to fulltiming. After only 4 years, we still LOVE IT!

Don't mean to toot my own horn, but our actual personal expenses for the past 4 years are available on our personal website. I think our monthly average is around $2800 (not counting motor home payment). Finances was also a large concern of ours, which is why I try to help new fulltimers by sharing our actual expenses. We also tow a Jeep Wrangler. Check it out at www.Happy-Wanderers.com

Hi Senior,

It’s been my experience that retired See Bee’s are by their nature very resourceful. Given that you are going to lock yourself in with that Jeep and the two big pups I’d say a big pusher is required. However, not long ago I did see a class “A” Gas with a bunk room that had been converted to a nice storage place for large animals and their condiments. Because you have given yourself this huge lead time for research you must plan on using it wisely. There is a huge market full of used pusher diesels that are 8-10 years old and 38'-40' long that are in excellent to outstanding condition and would provide you with much more storage room than any gasser or class “C”. Other than mechanical & material conditions I would try an make sure the unit was always south of the frost line in the winter to insure it had always been away from the salt. I recommend the used unit because most people take good care of them and update them frequently. They depreciate quite fast making a unit that has been infrequently used a very good buy.

Welcome to this great web site and good luck.

FastEagle

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