# Consider becoming a full-timer?



## Castle Rock Outbackers (Jan 18, 2004)

Hey Outbackers,

My wife and I sometimes daydream (usually while sharing a bottle of wine) about retirement, even though we are only in our mid 30's. When we are ready to retire (meaning kids are gone and we are financially ready) is to travel the US and Canada full time in a camper. We figure before we decide where to retire, we want to see all our options. What better way to do that than travel around in an RV?

I did some quick looking online, and if you are going to be a full-timer, and you don't want a Class A, B, C RV, your best choice is a 5th wheel...a PREMIUM 5th wheel. Afterall, living on the road full time means you need to feel at "home" even when your home moves around. For us, that means excellent bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen facilities.

The nicest 5th wheels for full-timers I have found (only from online looking) are the "Mobile Suites" by DoubleTree RV. These appear to be priced (today) in the mid $60k to mid $70k range. Most are triple or quad slide (which you need for space!), and have mongo tank capacities (100 gal fresh, 75 gray, 50 black). See them here: http://www.doubletreervsuites.com/

For luxury like this, weight is the problem. Average dry weights on the 37 foot models are just under 13,000 pounds. What is available today that has the ability to tow 14,000 pounds loaded? I have found only one vehicle that might be at your local dealer. It is the Dodge Ram 3500. Properly equipped, it claims just under 16,000 pounds towing capacity. WOW! Price is around $35k. Not too bad.

Other TV alternatives are "mini-semi" trucks from International, Peterbuilt, etc. You are looking at $90k plus for one of those, but they are cool.

It will be interesting to see what our options are in 20 years for RVs and tow vehicles. For now, we just live for today, enjoying our $16,000 Outback 26 RS with our kids, watching them grow up, hoping we are doing them well, and occasionally day-dreaming about what the future holds.

Randy


----------



## summergames84 (Mar 6, 2004)

Randy:
We are a lot closer to retirement than you are, and yes, we have daydreamed. We go to the RV show every Feb in Houston and tour those luxury 5er's. My husband particularly likes the ones where the living room is in the front area, making it elevated with great views. If course, if we win the lotto (yeah, right!!), the million dollar bus type is in our future.


----------



## Y-Guy (Jan 30, 2004)

You know my wife and I talked about this a few years ago in planning for retirement one day. We're still in the dreaming stage of course but at least I would like to do some work at the State Parks (as I am a recreation major) and ideally I would like to work for a few months (3-6) at Disney World, nice change of pace and something fun too. Still have years go do and I figure by then the whole RV industry will have done some major changing.


----------



## Thor (Apr 7, 2004)

Randy

I do not know what it is about being mid 30 something (lets be real closer to 40) and day dreaming. Maybe the mid life crisis thing is lurching around the corner. (Thinking about the 2 seater roadster without any room for child seats or boosters)









Anyway going back to the TT. The last dream was at the RV shows when we walked though a motorhome. This was loaded beyond loaded

Quad Slides
Fireplace
Washer and Dryer
Full size double fridge and stove
dishwasher
Full surround sound
granite counter tops
ceramic and hardwood floors

Sticker price started at 1/2 million and up









Need to win a lottery sunny

Anyway it is always fun to dream

Thor


----------



## BigBadBrain (Aug 26, 2004)

I don't daydream about it, I LUST for it! Probably a Motor Home for me though. I've always wanted one and for what I'd like to do it would fit better.


----------



## Castle Rock Outbackers (Jan 18, 2004)

I guess we we would go for a luxury towable instead of a motor home. Once that "house" is parked, we would need a vehicle to cruise around in. I guess you can always tow a small car behind the class A, but I am pretty sure I can come in way under $500,000 with a dually tow vehicle and a 37-foot 5-er. Need to have so money left over for beer!

Randy


----------



## camping479 (Aug 27, 2003)

How about full timing with a back pack and a pair of hiking boots? That's cheap enough to full time anytime









Mike


----------



## vdub (Jun 19, 2004)

We are http://www.daysleft.wasem.com away from retiring. We plan to try it in our 28F RL-S. If it doesn't work out and we need something bigger, then we will reassess the situation and, if need be, buy something larger. We wanted to start with something smaller, more mobile, and less expensive. Also, I don't want to drive a large truck around town when the rv is parked or have a toad. The 28' 5'er allows us to tow with a relatively small truck and the small truck is nicer to drive around for touring or just parking in the smaller parking lots you now find at so many places. We will see. We may find out it's not so much fun. However, I have a cousin that has been on the road now for 8+ years in a 28' Mallard. They (he and his wife) don't have any intention of quitting now.


----------



## NDJollyMon (Aug 22, 2003)

Ahhhh. Retirement. It's closing faster each day. That's the beauty of being a firefighter...retirement for me will be at age 50.

9 years 6 months 15 days 4 hours 21 minutes 29 seconds or
497 weekends or 
3,484 days or 
83,596 hours (55,731 waking hours) or 
5,015,781 minutes or 
300,946,888 seconds

Not that I'm counting!

Really, I would like to travel around for months at a time in an RV too. I don't think we'd want to FULL TIME it year round, however. Who knows...maybe I'd like it so much...


----------



## hatcityhosehauler (Feb 13, 2004)

My wife and I have talked about it too. I think the Class A diesel pusher would be the ultimate way to go, but I have also looked at some of the "full time" designed 5'ers on the net, and the ones offered by Newmar are quite nice, and with several lines, they range in price starting in the $30's, right on up to about where a gasoline powered class A would start. Oh, they also offer class A's too. One of the downsides to the 5th wheels, some states may require additional licensing to tow the heavy ones. In CT, to tow any trailer with a GVWR of 10,000# or more, a class 1 license (non-CDL) is required. Mind you, I don't think this is a bad thing, it's just some folks may, and it does vary somewhat state to state.

By the way, you can drive a 40' Class A with a regular operators license.

Jolly, I wish I could retire at 50. Not all FF get to retire at 50, some of us need to do 27 years service.....at which time, I will be 60. Of course, in CT, I can stay on the job until I am 62







, which mandatory retirement age. I have 21 years, 10 months, 27 days to think it over, and probably some more.

Tim


----------



## dougdogs (Jul 31, 2004)

My wife and I are already planning our "escape" We do not plan on retiring, but we have had it with living on the east coast. I have spent many years traveling for my job, and we both love the pacific northwest. We are in the process of readying our house for sale, getting rid of items we don't need, and preparing to ship other "stuff" we can't get rid of but don't want in the RV to the west coast. My mother was a fulltimer for about 22 years and just recently settled down in Sequim WA. Don't know if anyone here has heard of "Wandering Individual's Network" or WIN for short WIN site My mother started this orginazation when she first started full timing, and sold it a few years ago.

We will ship our "stuff" out to that area. (we have not decided to stay in that area, but it will be cheaper than storing things here in NJ, and shipping out west later)

Here is the fun part.

We are planning on taking 18-24 months to move out there. We are already members of Escapees, and have also joined "workampers" so we will try to work our way out west, taking on short term assignments, while taking plenty of time to see the sites of this great country.

Maybe we will get "careers" again out west, maybe not









The rat race here in NJ will do just fine with two less rats!!!

Like vdub, we plan on starting in our 28 5th, but will go bigger if necessary (anything is possible once our house is sold)


----------



## NDJollyMon (Aug 22, 2003)

Jolly, I wish I could retire at 50. Not all FF get to retire at 50, some of us need to do 27 years service.....at which time, I will be 60. Of course, in CT, I can stay on the job until I am 62







, which mandatory retirement age. I have 21 years, 10 months, 27 days to think it over, and probably some more.

Tim...
When I reach age 50, I'll have 32 years in the fire service. I started this gig when I was 18. I could retire in 3 years with 25 yrs service, but won't. Our max age is now 57.

I saw some serious diesel pushers. When I was picking up my OUTBACK at the dealer, one was driving out of the lot. Dealer said it cost over $300K! YIKES! That's no VW bus!


----------



## hatcityhosehauler (Feb 13, 2004)

$300K seems to be where the nice diesel pushers start, and they only go up from there depending on bells and whistles. When we were at they first Northeast rally with camping479, and hootbob in PA, the folks next to us had a 35' class A. Both the husband, and the wife said that they should have gone with a diesel. The big block gasoline engines just don't cut it in a rig that big.

Jolly....we have a bunch of guys who got on when they were young, and will be eligible to retire before their 50th. I didn't get on 'til I was 33, so that is why I'm in 'til 60. We reach our max pension benefit (68% of base pay) at 34 years. We even have about 4 or 5 guys who came on in their 40's, and won't reach that 27 year full (54%) benefit. They will get 2% per year of service.

Retirement is still a long way off for me, after all, we still have at least one more house, maybe two more TT's, uncounted more cars, and two college educations to think about before I can even think about enjoying retirement...

Tim


----------



## NDJollyMon (Aug 22, 2003)

I think I'd like to retire, and full time it in an RV for awhile. I don't think I'd want to do it forever. It'd be fun to see all the things I haven't yet. Visit friends that have seemed to slip away.

I'd like to go to HAWAII and rent an RV and just see it all. No hotels...just drive the highways and camp with nature.


----------



## camping479 (Aug 27, 2003)

I have suggested to the DW selling the house when the girls are off to college and moving somewhere cheaper/slower paced than the new york city area. Other than the outback, we have no debt, so our options are wide open. With real estate prices the way they are in the NYC suburbs, selling is looking more and more attractive.

We're just waiting and saving to hopefully be financially set and slow down a bit in about 10 years. I would eventually like to sell my half of the business I'm in, sell the house and buy something smaller, get a less stressfull and time consuming job and do some more camping in probably a class A or 5'ver.

After running a cabinet shop for 12 years, dealing with customers, deadlines, cashflow and all the other things involved in a small business, I'm thinking I might like a simple job and spending more time with my family. The trick is doing the financial planning to be able to pull it off.

Mike


----------

