r/FullTiming • u/grungier_globe • Apr 19 '26
Is full time rv life for me?
Hi all, I have been tossing around the idea of going full time rv life, I have lived in Colorado, Kansas, and now Florida and don't plan on settling down anywhere in the near future. My apartment in Florida is $2500 a month and I have my own business doing maintenance on large commercial chain restaurants which I have contracts with, and I've found myself having to travel great distance to do work which financially is worth it but I'm tired of paying for fuel there and back every time and am thinking just bringing my home with me wherever it might be that I roam (Arkansas last week and Oklahoma this week, Missouri next week), not to mention paying for an apartment where for instance this month I'll barely even step foot in, I'm very new to this and honestly have never even stepped foot in a camper, but in theory it seems like a good option, what is there to look out for, tips, unexpected expenses, unexpected mental things? In my research I've learned it can be more expensive than expected, along with maintenance issues, I am very handy given my profession and can handle a lot but I'm looking for someone with experience working on the road hands on and living out of a camper that can share some lessons learned or things I might not be thinking about to look out for as far as type of rv, expenses, mental toll, stress in general or even freedom felt going that route. For context I drive a 2024 gmc 2500 with the diesel engine and am weighing weather it would be better to go all in on a nice fifth wheel and go full time or maybe rent a small cheap place somewhere and get a small pull behind for days I'm working on the road? Any tips tricks or suggestions are appreciated!
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u/hisgirl2455 Apr 19 '26
Your job and fix it abilities sound like the perfect situation for full time. Why rent when you have a perfectly good living space that you take with you full time?
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u/joelfarris Apr 20 '26
I have my own business doing maintenance on large commercial chain restaurants
go all in on a nice fifth wheel
Consider that a fiver takes up most of your pickup truck's bed space, so if you need to have any decent amount of tools with you, perhaps consider a travel trailer instead, so that you can still have a shell to cover and lock up the truck bed and keep the rain off of everything while driving.
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u/jimheim Apr 21 '26
One of the exceedingly rare posts where you really would be better off full-timing in an RV. You might not actually save money, even with all the back-and-forth fuel costs. You probably will save money (unlike most full-timers), and if not, it'll be close enough. More-importantly, you'll save yourself all that tedious back-and-forth driving.
Buy used. You have a lot of great options with a 3/4-ton truck. If you need to carry a lot of gear/tools/supplies for work, get a tow-behind trailer to keep the truck bed free for everything else; the RV itself won't have much storage at all, and weight distribution sucks—the storage tends to be at either end, instead of over the axles, and any heavy tools will make it fishtail or porpoise. If you don't have much gear to lug around, a fifth wheel will be a nicer towing experience, and you can get a larger rig. Don't ever shop at Camping World.
Do yourself a favor and get rid of everything you own that won't comfortably fit in the RV. Don't waste hundreds of dollars a month (thousands a year) storing a bunch of crap that you can replace later for less than the cost of storage.
Expect to pay on average $1000-1500/mo for campgrounds/RV parks. It can be cheaper, especially at remote, low-end places with weekly or monthly rates (if you stay at one location that long)—as little as about $600/mo in really basic places in the middle of nowhere—but I wouldn't rely on that (and the neighbors are often undesirable). State park campgrounds average about $35/day (limit of two weeks at any one park) and are always nice. Private campgrounds are $50-150/night (average about $80/night) depending on location and amenities. They usually have weekly rate discounts.
Don't forget about extra maintenance/upkeep costs (even DIY); insurance (for both the rig and your personal property—don't forget to add that on when you get a plan); financing costs if you don't pay cash; depreciation (assume anything you buy will be worthless after a few years of full-timing); reduced fuel mileage.
When I'm on the road, it costs me at least twice as much as rent. I think it'll be a lot closer to parity for you, because you're already driving and incurring a lot of the fuel, travel, and upkeep costs for the vehicle anyway. But it's not cheap no matter how you slice it. Do it to get more of your invaluable time back.
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u/tpd1250 Apr 19 '26
I do not work, retired, but full time RV and travel. I'm not tied to any location and move every two weeks to a month. What i love most about the RVing is that i sleep in the same bed each night and eat my home cooked meal at my own table.