Wow! What a cool thread.
What’s a toad, is it just a car you haul along with you? Why would it require gas of its own? Is its purpose to park the RV and take the car into town, shopping, etc? My parents are considering doing this when my youngest brother graduates high school, but I think the tight space would do them in.
How well insulated are they? If I stopped for the night and it was, say 32 Fahrenheit outside, would I need to keep the generator running all night to stay warm?
Thanks again, and you too ChefGuy! I’ve been wondering about this for ages.
The toad (towed) is indeed just a car we tow so that we have transportation after the motor home is set up in an RV park. Since it gets about 26 MPG it’s a lot cheaper to run around in - a lot more convenient also.
As far as the space being an issue it may be or it may not be. It’s not something most people can predict. As Chefguy and I have both said the lifestyle isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.
In our case we are now amazed at how much of the space in a stick and brick home is wasted.
Thanks for the answers/info, Diver and ChefGuy! (And thanks to other posters who’ve also contributed info to this thread.)
Although the walls, floor, and ceiling are filled with a plastic foam, the R value isn’t all that high. It’s not necessary to run the generator all night at 32 degrees but you might want to run the propane furnace. You would set the digital thermostat on the wall to the temp you want.
So in these long term RV camps, where you stay for a month or so, is there a lot of wife-swapping? A buddy of mine said that the RV life is full of swingers.
Some RVs are supposedly rated for cold-weather use. I have a Bigfoot, which has double-paned windows and heavier insulation, but when the temps get down in the 30s, you need to run the furnace. These are quite often noisy, they burn a lot of propane, and the fan runs your batteries down if you’re not hooked up to AC power.
One thing not mentioned so far about power: The systems in an RV (except for the AC and the microwave) are set up to run on dual voltage, either normal 120vac or 12vdc. There is a converter that automatically steps the voltage down when you plug into shore power. As far as I know, there are no 12vdc ACs or micros on the market.
We didn’t tow a car with our old RV, since it was so small and we were only staying weekends to fish or hike. For the present unit, we have a Saturn Vue that we tow four down. Saturns were made specifically to be towed behind a motorhome without having to use a trailer, even the AWD models. There are many vehicles that require either the front wheels or all wheels to be off the ground when towed, so you have to do your homework before buying. Hooking up or disconnecting from the towbar is fast and simple once you’ve done it a few times. It’s wise, however (as I found out), to have a checklist to follow each time you arrive and depart an RV park. Oh, one last thing: all states in the US require that you have an auxiliary braking device for a towed vehicle (something that applies your car brakes automatically if your car somehow gets free of the RV). A cop isn’t going to stop you to check if you have it, but if your car breaks away from the towing device and kills somebody, you’re going to be liable if you didn’t have a braking device. The auxiliary brake also assists in slowing you down (by slowing your car down) when you have to jump on the RV brakes because some jerkoff has pulled out in front of you.
:smack: I don’t know why I didn’t get the toad → towed thing. They wouldn’t be so silly as to buy a motorhome before renting one for a month or two, but I’ll be sure to let them know the tips provided in the thread.
Do you guys have kids, out of curiosity? I’d personally worry about my parents if they were to go off and do this in a few years.
We have two daughters and a son. Two of them are in NH and one in WV. My son was the only one who had any problem with us going on the road. Mostly because he was losing a baby sitter I suspect. 
I have four kids, and my wife has five nieces that are like daughters to her. None of them expressed the least bit of concern, so perhaps we should cut them out of the will.
Brilliant! I’m going to steal that idea.
I just took my first baby step onto this path yesterday, buying a used 25’ trailer (for only $500!) that right now we’re using just for camping for the month at a campground with full hookups. Ultimately, I hope to trade up to a Class A with slide outs for at least half time road living (working as a travel nurse the rest of the time) but I’ve got some time (and money!) before that’s practical.
One question about the pets: any trouble with campgrounds/parks that don’t allow animals? Do they check inside for indoor kitties? I’m thinking about getting a cat, and I’d like it to RV with us, but I know not everyone is pet friendly. Do most places let you know on their website or listing whether or not pets are welcome?
How do you plan your itinerary? Do you decide where you’re going before you get there, or do you just wake up and decide it’s time to drive a bit and see where you end up?
Most parks allow dogs and cats. It’s common to see some restrictions on size and breed of dog’s though.
Some only allow two pets but when our two Shelties were alive we never had a problem with Damncat being allowed since she is strictly an inside cat.
We usually have a plan of sorts but it’s subject to change if we want to stop someplace for a while or if it’s raining and we don’t want to drive in it or if it’s sunny and we want to sit in the sun for awhile.
We bought a book that lists factories that give plant tours and I would like to make more use of it than we have. I get a real kick out of seeing how things are made.
Since good sites in cheap parks fill up fast in warm places in the winter, we do make reservations at RV parks where we intend to stay for a while. That can impose some limits on us.
I’m thinking of a Back To The Future motor home.
Has everyone you’ve met in this lifestyle been retired (for life)? It sounds like something interesting to do for a year or two however one thing that has always held me back is breaking back into the job market afterwards. So do you run into people who are just doing it for a few years rather than those who are at the end of their working careers and are retired? If so, how do they do it (manage to take a break, then break back into their careers)?
Have you ever had to use the phrase ‘merry christmas, shitter was full’?
What about people who do this on a tighter budget, have you met many of them? Do you know if it affected their lifestyle?
I know a guy (through the internet, not in person) who wants to live this lifestyle with just an aliner tow behind camper and his toyota.
Do you see a lot of people living long term in fifth wheels, travel trailers or campervans on your trails? It seems those of us on a tighter budget would need to look into those. A used fifth wheel and used truck is a lot cheaper than a Class A motorhome from what I have seen.
I am new to this subject but am interested in it. Are RVs the only ones designed for 4 season living, or do people live fine in fifth wheels, travel trailers and campervans in all parts of the country at all times of the year?
Most but not all have been retired. We have met a few that were taking a midlife break. Like you I suspect that in most cases getting back into the workforce could be a problem.
We stay at full hook up sites so if the black tank gets full we just dump it, so no I have never used that phrase.
We know several that live on a pretty limited budget. Most of them “workcamp” .
Workcampers work at an RV park or campground and get a free site and pay for hours over 20 or so worked.
Some volunteer at state or national parks as camp hosts or other jobs in return for a free site.
I think it is about an even split between fifth wheels and class As. We see a fair number of class Cs and a few camper trailers. Once in a while we see a camper van (class B) and very rarely a slide-in camper pickup combo.
There are some fifth wheels that are supposed to be 4 season capable. If there are any class As that are I don’t know of them.
Mowing the yard? Shovelling snow?
Ahh, see my parents had us very late in life, so the grandkids won’t be coming for awhile.
You probably should, and re-direct it towards me. The kind, loving, worrying daughter :p.
Not all RVs (the term RV includes motor homes, trailers, campers, etc.) are designed for full-time living. Class ‘A’ motor homes generally are, as are the larger 5th wheel trailers, which are designed to park on a slab. In fact, large 5th wheel trailers are often roomier and more luxurious than Class ‘A’ RVs and a hell of a lot cheaper, since you’re not paying for that 400 hp diesel. Class ‘B’ and ‘C’ motorhomes are generally NOT designed for full-time living, as I mentioned above. Ditto for tow-behind trailers. Those FEMA trailers were a prime example of this.
Those are some of the things I especially DON"T miss! 
What does this mean? Are they more of a mobile home? i.e. not meant to move around constantly?
What about laundry? do class A’s have laundry machines in them? I woudl think the torque of the spin cycle would be problematic. . .