Traveling for a Year. Tips?

ckruzer

ckruzer

Infidel
Joined
Jul 2, 2015
Location
asheville nc
We has decided to go traveling for a year. Tentatively, considering a pull behind sleep/live/work situation. Potentially considering purchasing a sideXside as well that could be brought along somehow as well to take advantage of scenic trails and faster than walking trips around stopped locations.

Some things we are looking into are:

>reliable internet options (satelite and cellular options)
>trustworthy camper brands
>better vs worse axle/wheel/tire/brake characteristics
>using the 5.3/6L80 Tahoe or the 5.7/5r Dodge
>Etc

We will be packing up the current living situation and putting everything not brought in storage. We will be bringing a full-size dog along, and a cat which could stay in the camper during short travels I suppose.

Things the wife require to be provided:

>Some sort of AC
>A shower larger than a coffin
>a queen size bed, with option to manually convert to king

If any of you have done this I welcome your learned knowledge! Or if you have any advice to give I welcome that too!

Thanks guys!
 
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Cellular internet. Satellite internet typically requires a land line from what I understand. Vzw had good coverage, but metroPCS operates on same network and is cheaper.
 
Lots of people doing this. All different needs and situations. Boondocking is a word to Google. Several Facebook groups. Some good real world applications. Some crazy drama.
 
Loganwayne said:
I think you gonna have to look at a 24+ bumper pull camper to get what your wanting


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yeah a rzr may not be very good option if it requires a 24ft or more?. A gator could fit in the truck bed tho... if bumper pull. I dont want to go with too big of a pull behind still having a gasser? especially going out west and all. why not a gooseneck tho? (sans gator in bed idea lol)
 
ckruzer said:
yeah a rzr may not be very good option if it requires a 24ft or more?. I dont want to go with too big of a pull behind still having a gasser? especially going out west. why not a gooseneck tho?
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Then your locked into using the truck the Tahoe may give you more options for dog and cat. Either way you won’t be able to leave them in a truck or camper without the truck running or camper hooked up to run the ac


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Loganwayne said:
Then your locked into using the truck the Tahoe may give you more options for dog and cat. Either way you won’t be able to leave them in a truck or camper without the truck running or camper hooked up to run the ac
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i hear ya on that. Was thinking mainly the truck for the simplicity of being able to turn the rear bench seat into a wood deck area suitable for the dog in luxury haha. we would not travel often or for long periods and honestly never longer than from location to location.
 
Bumper pull toy hauler and a Rzr for the win. The best option for Internet will be to plan where you will be traveling to and look at all the cell providers coverage maps.
 
Loganwayne said:
Then your locked into using the truck the Tahoe may give you more options for dog and cat. Either way you won’t be able to leave them in a truck or camper without the truck running or camper hooked up to run the ac


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Hmmm. The weight class on some of these toy haulers is very appealing considering the extra room. My truck is rated for 9k and looks most of these two axle units are way below that.

Very tempting. Now only would be doing 300 to 600 mile jumps once mayyybe twice a month. The gasser appears to be up to the challenge!

Considering the GN or 5er options if a sweet deal was to pop up when we pull the trigger.
 
drkelly said:
I've got nothing. I wish I could take a year off and ride around the country. Sounds like a lot of fun.
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Sounds fun to me! I wish i could a year off too! We are going to be working during the week and going to new locations on weekends
 
I have been in camping and rvs for years. 1. Slides your gonna love the extra room. 2 I have never seen a king in a camper somthing your going to have to make as king is wider not longer. 3 north south bed configuration climbing over some one to get out of bed sucks.4. listen to her on shower because if momma ain't happy your trip is cut short.
This was the best one for us and I looked for two years
https://www.rvtrader.com/listing/2018-Forest-River-Rockwood-Mini-Lite-2507S-5001752228
 
Buy a 5er. BP toyhaulers suck. Then again BP campers suck.the tow quality and road manners of a 5er are way better especially if you’re in a 1/2ton truck but I’ve seen 100’s of folks tow a 5er w/ a F150 or a tundra or etc. The room you get in a 5er just seems nicer Also, have a genset (either on board or able to go with you) depending on where you may pull in it’s always nice to have your amenities even if you don’t have shore power. Cyclone, fuzion, Voltage, Seismic Impact, Spartan are all names and they are all as different inside as the names on the front. The prices are all over the board too. Used to new, BP to 5er. Honestly when we bought ours we read the reviews and I joined a couple of forums and made our decision. I like ours but just wish we had more time to use it!
 
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Air bags on your tow vehicle of choice. Sit down and think of all the smallest behind the scenes things from day to day. Think of it as your house so all the little Knick Knack shit of daily life needs to be in there This is where it sucks packing out for a big trip is storage. Some campers are better than others with it.
 
skyhighZJ said:
Air bags on your tow vehicle of choice. Sit down and think of all the smallest behind the scenes things from day to day. Think of it as your house so all the little Knick Knack shit of daily life needs to be in there This is where it sucks packing out for a big trip is storage. Some campers are better than others with it.
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based on the weights im seeing, i dont want to overthink and necessarily jump on full air bags. altho, im looking into those helper bags that go inside the coils, reading some pretty awesome reviews.
 
Whatever you decide. Get as big of a camper as you can afford/ pull. “Staying” in one for the weekend or holiday week or the like is not “Living” in one for an extended period of time. It will get real small real quick.
 
This is also turning into a learning lesson for towing basics too it seems

How important do I need to pay attention to payload ratings? lol jk

The ram is rated to 1400 payload... And my two options was considering were a Rzr 900 in the bed (900lbs), and bumper pull; or a straight up toy hauler. Looks like most of the bumper pull trailers in the good weight range are going to come with a similar 900lb tongue weight. So 1800 Lbs total payload if going that way, and thats 500 lbs over what its rated for.

So the other option is toy haulers that are either 5er (7k Lb max to keep pin weight in spec?) or go with bumper pull and getting closer to 8k with.

Biggest issues here is that most of these toy haulers that are bumper have really bad architecture. and the 5ers that seem to be built right (almost like a destination trailer) weigh within spec for the max tow, but the pin weight is over the 1400 payload rating.

So far looks like Crossroads has some good model designs in the lightweight area. Most of the designs we've looked at so far waste so much space its stupid.
 
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You will need helper bags. My only suggestion is that if this is your first rv'ing experience just go rent one to stay in for a few days somewhere you will get a good idea of what you want. In my opinion you're putting too much emphasis on the rzr (honestly something that will probably get used six times) vs living comfort and towing comfort.
 
Loganwayne said:
get the air bags it will be worth it
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Already going to need to put in a air compressor, so it is an option. But why full bags over helpers? Is that for safety or comfort? How hard is the swap? Im not looking to hit the 10k max tow, and really shopping hard to keep the payload within rating.
 
braxton357 said:
You will need helper bags. My only suggestion is that if this is your first rv'ing experience just go rent one to stay in for a few days somewhere you will get a good idea of what you want. In my opinion you're putting too much emphasis on the rzr (honestly something that will probably get used six times) vs living comfort and towing comfort.
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i like that idea and we are already planning that in addition to putting some eyes on trailers to get in person understandings. amongst saving various year model plans of mfg's that have suitable designs.

As for the rzr, perhaps its misunderstood because the only emphasis i put on it is where it is going to go. Figuring out the the trailer and then hitch/pin weight determines if it can be front loaded or rear loaded, and which "type" toy hauler has heavier/lighter hitch/pin weights as well. In order to figure out trailer, i need to know the rzr placement, and in order to figure out the rzr placement i need to know the trailer.... Believe me, with my blue blood wife, no one is considering comforts above all else moreso than I....
 
ckruzer said:
Already going to need to put in a air compressor, so it is an option. But why full bags over helpers? Is that for safety or comfort? How hard is the swap? Im not looking to hit the 10k max tow, and really shopping hard to keep the payload within rating.
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Both and on most trucks you can do the whole thing in one after noon


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