Full-timing in a Class B Van

[markopolo]

Mike Wendland interviews Roadtreker "Campskunk" who is Full-timing in a Class B Van:

See the full interview on Roadtreking.com: http://roadtreking.com/fulltime-rvin...pskunks-story/ There are photos there as well.

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[Ron J. Moore]

Marko,
Thanks for posting this, it is a pleasure to read of their travels and adventures. Safe travels, Ron.

[stanw909]

Did he say $10 k for his solar panels and regulator etc...? Wow.

[markopolo]

Solar was very expensive not long ago.

$2 to $3 per watt for panels is doable now. http://www.aimscorp.net/120-watt-12-volt-solar-panel/

[campskunk]

no, i screwed up the figures. $10k was what i spent for everything, including laptops, Pioneer GPS unit, suspension, interior mods, plus the solar and wind turbine. that figure sticks in my mind because i had to earn all that money the breakout was $5976 for solar, including the panels, labor for frame welding, frame materials, cabling, connectors, MPPT, inverter/charger, extra batteries and material for battery boxes, etc. the wind turbine was $849 including the turbine, mast, supports, wiring, etc. total for both solar and wind was $6825, so i got a $2047 tax credit.

[Rok]

I presume you are posting from the very van in the photo?

That's cool!

Thanks campskunk.

............Rocky

[campskunk]

yep, i am down here in posh Venice, FL stealth driveway camping while we visit with the wife's canadian childhood friends. gotta hide all the wires because it's illegal to live in a vehicle down here in country club territory. very soon we'll head west - i need two weeks of dispersed camping in Big Bend or somewhere like that to blow the stink off after three months of civilization. here's my idea of a nice spot, taken last spring when we were out there:

[Rok]

Hi again Campskunk,

Any stories to tell about being "rousted" by the authorities. I know that here in Seattle, a lot of the RV'ers get less than polite treatment by the authorities. But, most of them aren't really "campers", they are displaced people who could manage to get enough scratch to buy a $5K rig that barely runs and park it on the street as their permanent residence. I think the authorities are a lot more polite with true RV "travelers", but I would expect that sometimes the lines blur, and in some cities, like in your "country club territory" they see even the legitimate RV travelers as being undesirable.

Not having entered the RV lifestyle (we're currently researching class B's for our first purchase), we wonder about such things but I guess we will never know without the actual experience--or by someone like you telling us your tales. From what we've read so far, is that you just try to keep a low profile and be polite. Camp where you're supposed to when possible, enter the grey area when you have to, etc.

Is this your experience?

..............Rocky

[campskunk]

well, i got kicked out of a Louisiana rest area, but i told them i'd been kicked out of better places. i was on the truck side, not the car/RV side, so it was really my fault. i use Jim O'Briant's website to get the lowdown on where you can park and not get hassled when en route, and pretty much stay legal once i get where i'm going - at Big Bend, just go to the ranger's station, ask for dispersed camping, pick a spot on their map, pay them the $5, and you're good for 2 weeks. same with national forests, etc. there are some places like Monterey County CA that have blanket prohibitions against sleeping in your vehicle anywhere, and there i break down and stay in an actual forest service campground. hey, it's Big Sur - even the campgrounds are nicer there.

[Davydd]

Campskunk,

Is this the website you are referring to?

http://www.overnightrvparking.com/newsMain.php

[campskunk]

yes, the guy who runs it is Jim O'Briant and he's out of Gilroy, CA. it's a $25 a year subscription. Jim offers incentives for folks to update info on his 10,000 sites listed nationwide by extending your subscription if you send in an update - i'm good through 2015 sometime because i use it so much and send in updates on most places i stay. i figured if i avoided one campground a year i'd get my $25 back. after the first couple of years of trial-and-error boondocking in my RV, i signed up and have found that this website with its accurate info on local ordinances and prior experiences of other RVers is a really valuable resource. i use the website to scout the road ahead for spots when i'm traveling, make a note of a few along my route, and can pick one and settle in after driving until dark - i used to have to knock off in mid-afternoon and start looking around blindly.

[stanw909]

May I suggest freecampsites.net . It is free but you can donate and contribute ideas.

[Rok]

Sounds like your traveling has been relatively hassle free. Being newbies to the lifestyle (well, not even newbies yet since we haven't started, but we'll be newbies soon) we kind of want to know what we'll be up against.

........Rocky

Originally Posted by campskunk

well, i got kicked out of a Louisiana rest area, but i told them i'd been kicked out of better places. i was on the truck side, not the car/RV side, so it was really my fault. i use Jim O'Briant's website to get the lowdown on where you can park and not get hassled when en route, and pretty much stay legal once i get where i'm going - at Big Bend, just go to the ranger's station, ask for dispersed camping, pick a spot on their map, pay them the $5, and you're good for 2 weeks. same with national forests, etc. there are some places like Monterey County CA that have blanket prohibitions against sleeping in your vehicle anywhere, and there i break down and stay in an actual forest service campground. hey, it's Big Sur - even the campgrounds are nicer there.

[Mike]

Originally Posted by stanw909

May I suggest freecampsites.net . It is free but you can donate and contribute ideas.

Good site Stan. Had a quick browse, but it didn't show any Walmart parking lots when set to that level of search, for free parking lots. I've stayed in Walmarts all along I-40 from Flagstaff to Gallup and points east. It looks like a fledgling site, but the free part works.

[stanw909]

Everyone can post. I added 2 campgrounds in SoCal just a week ago. If you have spots in mind then I urge you to fill out the form. If evertone contributes then it will just get better.

[Mike]

Originally Posted by stanw909

Everyone can post. I added 2 campgrounds in SoCal just a week ago. If you have spots in mind then I urge you to fill out the form. If evertone contributes then it will just get better.

Already done. I tried to verify an unverified site they already had, but the moderation vetting makes me wait to see if it updated.
I would agree about contributing and making the site better.
I'll check my update later to see if they added it.

UPDATE: My update passed muster, and I may add some more if I can remember which ones are free or permit/cheap. I see they added an "inexpensive pass or permit required" category, which will allow folks like us with America the Beautiful annual passes to add some non-free sites. I also noted when they say "free" they mean "free for everyone" regardless of age, military status, etc. I prefer that definition, in case we ever try someplace off the beaten path, and find out we don't qualify.

[PatDarrah]

I'm wanting to go full time in my B.
But still have a house to get rid of.. But here is to someday soon.

[Mike]

Originally Posted by PatDarrah

I'm wanting to go full time in my B.
But still have a house to get rid of.. But here is to someday soon.

Hope you have good luck with it, and enjoy life on the road.

[PatDarrah]

Thanks Mike!

I just lowered the house price again.
So maybe this well help, but who knows in this strange market?

[Mike]

yup, real estate is a funny thing sometimes.
Last year we downsized and moved, and it was far easier to buy, than to sell. I thought it would be the other way around.

Again, good luck.