Another angle that might appeal: some people head over to U-Haul (and similar) and buy their used (100K miles) vehicles for cheap, then fix them up to their liking. If you really don’t mind “basic accomodations” and/or you’re handy, then that might be a place to start. People do it for “stealth camping” which is basically parking on the street overnight so it’s free, while not being noticed or hassled by cops to move.
Mostly a tent camper here, but I’ve rented two VW vans in the past few years for camping trips in WA, OR, and CO. One was a vintage '87 Vanagon Westfalia (with the pop-up canopy) and the other was a 90s Eurovan. Great experience both times and would love to buy one for myself if I had the budget and was more confident in my ability to maintain (or pay to maintain) a decades old vehicle. If I had the big bucks I might also consider the new Weekender that Mercedes is launching on its Metris platform.
No toilet in these so you’d have to rely on the facilities where you decide to stay and maybe get by with a bucket of kitty litter for middle of the night needs. Both vans were equipped with a deep-cycle battery that was charged either through solar or via the van’s alternator. You could probably rig up both. But I was off the grid and didn’t have access to shore power, like it sounds like you might. You definitely need a level spot, or at least level enough that a couple blocks will do it, keeping in mind you’ll have to fix that back up every time you move the van. If you’re going to be in the same spot and needing to run frequent errands or sightseeing, I can see it becoming a pain to pack up all the time. That might be an advantage to towing something.
If you’re planning to do this long-term, there are some things to think about:
You’ll want to have worked out a way to cope gracefully with bad weather.
Many (most? all?) US National Parks limit the amount of time you can stay - I think a max of 14 days is common.
It can be hard to reserve legal camping sites in popular parks at popular times. In Yosemite Valley (to take an extreme example), reservations (sold online) open 5 months ahead, at 7am Pacific time on the 15th of the month - and it’s common that all ~400 campsites are gone by 7:01.
If you simply wander in during high season (typically, early Spring through late Fall) you’ll need unreasonable luck to get a site.
Forget about “impromptu” camping - it’s illegal (significant fines). If you choose to play that game, the rangers (with vast experience) will win about 98% of the time.
OP was talking about working for them, in which case the duration of stay would vary. Reserving ahead via the web seems imperative. We know people who reserve a year in advance and pay ahead—they might go or they might not but they’ll decide when the time comes.
Some campgrounds give weekly and monthly rates. They’re all private ones, from what I’ve seen, but if you stayed at a KOA for instance you might have the swimming pool and other amenities.
Following up on my earlier comments… If you did rehab a vehicle like a UHaul or School Bus, you’d find lots of videos and ideas out there because the Tiny Home folks work on them. Your finished product would lack the RVIA seal of approval though, which campgrounds might not welcome—I’m not really sure.
Ever see these campers that fit in and detach from the bed of a truck, OP?
You can engage in ‘dispersed’ camping, e.g. camping some distance off of main roads in most national forests and BLM lands (most National Parks now forbid it completely but there is often adjacent NF or BLM land where such camping is available). This does mean that you don’t have any facilities and you may have to drive down unpaved and potentially rough roads, so this is really limited to a rugged teardrop trailer or 4WD van with good clearance, and thus may not be suitable for the o.p. but it is a good way to get away from the crowds. In recent years I have found it nearly impossible to get reservations at existing National Park and state park campsites without reserving months in advance or just getting really lucky, but some parks do reserve a portion of sites in more remote campgrounds for non-reservation use (although you are often limited to just a few nights instead of the typical 7-14 days), so you can roll the dice on that, or wait for the off-season where campsites are frequently just first-come-first-serve. I frankly prefer camping in the offseason because the crowds are much reduced, but then you do have to be prepared to cope with weather, closure of stores and other facilities, et cetera so that just depends upon your tolerance for such things.
Many National Forest and state forest campsites do look for volunteer or paid camp hosts. You are generally committed for a season and I assume you have to apply well in advance for any assignment that might be popular but it is something to look into if you are going to be retired. Many hosts make money by selling firewood and other supplies as well, which is a nice little side gig.
We’ve been eyeing a similar idea- going a couple of years of national park nomad life. After looking at tear drops, etc. we decided that a big tent is the way to go. Hauling around the trailer limits where we can go significantly, requires more gas, etc. Having a big tent (actually two), a good inflatable air mattress(es), and warm blankets but maintaining a smaller car (hatchback with back seats down or removed) still give us plenty of room for a plywood kitchen camping box with pumpable water jugs, etc. We have a 15 year old Toyota Matrix that we have driven on roads that give pause to high centered 4x4s (ground clearance is an issue but it is light an a narrow wheelbase which has been used to just straddle others’ wheel ruts)
I have spent many rainy days in national park museums, centers, lodges, and restaurants and also driving to more remote and out of the way areas that aren’t worth it on sunny days. There are many things to do in every national park! No need for an indoor space of a trailer especially when it isn’t really much better than a glorified bed. Coleman tents have similarly to all camping gear advanced awesomely with waterproofing, bug nettting, and longevity. And if the tent approach doesn’t work, we’re out <$200 and can still build a trailer.
My wife’s grandparents, well into their 90s, did a 2 month car camping trip (with several stops at offsprings’ houses) through the west last year as their final hurrah outdoor adventure. Just enjoy camping and expose yourself to the outdoors, don’t insulate yourself from them!
It’s also worth noting that over the past 10 years or so, the higher cost of diesel fuel has eaten up most or all of the better fuel efficiency. IOW, cost per mile is similar.
I know four people with Sprinter-chassis vehicles, and based on their stories I think they’d agree. M-B service shops are never plentiful and often overbooked. Cost of both parts and labor are (quoting one owner) “breathtaking”.
I know that many people like those but I have to wonder how often they use them. When I’ve seen them in use they seem awkward to deploy, (especially for a single person), they tend to kite in even moderate wind, and when the break you now have a jack-in-the-box sitting on top of your vehicle that you have to figure out a way to restrain so you can drive. I looked long and hard at them when I was looking at an overlanding setup and decided to pass given some of the problems I’ve seen with them, and I’ve seen plenty of reasons since to think I made the right decision despite the work and all of the site selection that goes with pitching a ground tent.
I also personally don’t like the fact that they put a bunch of weight up top, but that goes along with overlanding on steep grades where I want to keep the weight as low as possible (I also mount fuel and water jerrycans just aft of the cab and down in the bed even though that doesn’t make them as accessible as I’d like) and thus may not really apply to someone who is just driving on pavement and well maintained gravel roads.
In addition to the camp host gigs, which involves dealing with people problems, trash, etc., there is a program with Habitat For Humanity called “Care-a-Vanners”. We were signed up for this for this summer until the Corona mess came along and it was all shut down for now.
What you do is go to their website, find a “build” that needs volunteers to swing a hammer or a paintbrush or whatever other work needs done, and sign up. They contact you for information, if it’s your first time, and provide details. Most of the time, Habitat has RV slots available for about $10/night with full hookups (ours was in Taos, NM), which is at least a third as much as most parks charge. You only work three days a week and the rest of your time is yours for sightseeing, etc. You’re only obligated for a couple of weeks at a shot. We were really looking forward to it, but perhaps next year. It’s a cheap way to see places you might not go to, and an opportunity to do some good for folks.
One factor not mentioned is your resale value of the RV. They go down about 10% a year. So for example a $100,000 RV is worth $90,000 next year. So you just spent $10,000. Thats one hundred, $100 a night rooms right there.
So maybe another idea is just stay at AirBNB’s and other places using web sources which are much cheaper off season. Most national and state parks also offer cabin rentals.
As much as I like campers and rv’s I think when you factor in the costs and hassles mentioned above I dont know if they are really worth it.
Don’t forget repairs, insurance, maintenance…they’re not just like cars/vans/trucks. Your local Ford dealer probably can’t fix the shower but also, he may not have a lift that will handle your 6 ton RV.
I once read an article with a list of things you should never buy. RVs were in there. They said you’ll never use it enough to justify buying. Rent them, let someone else maintain them, and put your money elsewhere. When we bought our RV, we discovered that we were eligible for tax writeoffs (loan interest) because it is allowed as a second home, so to speak.
Still, as a parallel, a lot of people spend big on something. I have brothers-in-law who love to hunt, for example. They maintain hunting cabins. They have good guns, camouflage, deer stands, all that. Yes, they bring home deer meat every season. But if you honestly and carefully factor what it takes to get the meat, it would be a hell of a lot cheaper just to go buy it for at a meat locker. But it’s their hobby and they love to do it. They get together, male bond, drink beer, etc. and wouldn’t dream of skipping a season. It’s a ritual and they take their sons along when the get to the appropriate age.
I think most people have some hobby like that. Some people have fishing boats instead, while others may have camera equipment for photography, and some others like scouring flea markets and collecting antiques. Most people have something they love doing and they spend inordinately on it.
Ours is RV travel, I guess. We can take the dog, too—that’s sometimes a problem in hotels. And we can’t have a fire ring at a hotel. Driving down the road, if we need to pee, we can just pull over and climb in back. Think of all the money we save by putting groceries in the fridge before we leave…
I wonder how many people live in theirs. Does that explain the Mercedes Sprinters? “If this is going to be my home, it better be top of the line!” A lot RVs are based on Ford, Chevy, Dodge…why use Mercedes to make them even more expensive than they already are?
At another end of the spectrum, for minimalism in living, here’s an interesting (but often depressing) book I read about retirement age people “following” work and living out of their old RVs, vans, etc.
imdb says the movie is in post-production, due 2020.
Good stuff there. I track all of my expenses for the RV other than insurance and fuel. After ten years, I’ve spent just over $4K in repair/replacement/oil changes. People always seem to bring up the “Boy, you must save a lot on hotel rooms!” meme. You can rent a lifetime of hotel rooms for the cost of one of these things. But, as you say, it’s something we enjoy doing. And in many cases, there are no hotel rooms where we go. You can’t visit Chaco Canyon unless you’re camping in some fashion. There are beautiful Forest Service campgrounds with no other accommodations. They have their inconveniences, depending on size. Just getting tires changed on my little rig is a challenge, as most service lifts max out at five tons curb weight. Mine is right at that threshold; throw in the weight of fuel and the water tank, and I’m over.
About the best you can hope for in an RV (other than the VW rig) is about 15 mpg. Maybe. Honestly, since your needs are low, I’d go with a pop-up trailer. At the high end, there’s one like this in the $20K range, but you can pick up a used one for under $10K. Lightweight, can be towed by nearly any vehicle, very roomy inside.
All-in-one’s are nice—towing something is scary—but especially if you’re going to plant it in one place for six months, that isn’t an issue 179 days out of 180. You need something to tow it but if that vehicle experiences mechanical problems, your local Ford dealer can help. Not sure where you live so I picked central USA (Chicago). You can see what $25K and under will buy.
Be advised that build quality among them varies quite a bit from what I’ve read. “Lightweight” is nice—flimsy and no insulation arent. Chefguy and others can probably advise when the best time of year is for buying.
While I’m thinking of it, when we had problems, we called on these guys (I have no financial interest in them). https://www.yourmechanic.com/
Because they’re mobile, they come to you, and many jobs don’t require putting the vehicle on the lift or anything. We had good luck with them. Even if you don’t have an RV, it’s useful because you may not have to have a tow—if they can come and fix, you don’t have to get on the garage’s schedule etc. either. Something to file for future reference?
I also meant to ask, OP, whether this is going to be for a few years or longer? I mean, if you do it for 2 years and ok you’re done…you sell whatever you bought, and the difference is what it actually cost you. $25K for the trailer, sold 2 years later for $20K, that’s $5K for 24 months…$200 per month or so. The longer you’re going to stay, the more you want something well built, I’d guess.
The clipper is under $9k, but I can’t figure out if the sofa pulls out or the dinette converts to bed or what.
Interesting rot see a dry bath (toilet doesn’t get wet from shower) in such a small trailer.
