Debating which way to go...

[Strider]

Hello!
First, I can't figure out how to add a picture to my profile, so sorry you're seeing only that cheesy pinkish circle with a "C".

So here's my thing, and I just would like to hear input, as y'all have been doing this and have experience. This will be a bit convoluted, but I am just expressing my thought. It's as much to discuss it with myself as to hear y'all's points of view on this.

I will be full-timing soon. Not sure for how long.

I do want to have a permanent place eventually, because as an artist, I want a place to do my art, which includes illustrating, writing, building models, creating props, doing leather-work (mainly Old West holsters/belts and also satchels), sculpture, and also my dream of having an On30 steam train layout.
I just want a place where I can sleep and eat and live simply, with a large work area. May even live in the work area: just my two dogs and I.

I am working full time, teaching. My goal is to work from home/the road, and I am working on some kid's books for a client at the moment, along with finishing my own comic book about how my life with a stray dog I found while living on the "rez". Also in development of an animated series which I will pitch once I have the comic done and the show bible/trailer done.

These things are primary, and being digital, I can do them while full timing. The model building stuff etc. goes into storage for now. Leather craft I can still do in an RV.

I previously bought a school bus and started converting it into an RV.

My original plan was to make a small living area for me and my dog up front, with the rest of the back left barren except for some insulation and set up as a workshop. But, being married, it turned into a full blown RV project. This project was taking all of my spare time and still had a ways to go. I also realized that my main interest with traveling and camping is "overlanding": basically going to remote places in a 4x4 and camping. Also, towing an off road vehicle on a trailer behind a 32' bus would just be too much to deal with. So I sold the bus.

Since then I acquired a 1980 Toyota Land Cruiser HJ45 Long bed pickup truck. This will be built up to be more comfortable, with a more capable Toyota LC diesel than it has now, and get a lightweight camper setup with a pop up sleeping area by AluCab.
I can't full-time in this vehicle because, first: it's at the mechanic getting rewired, and second because with two dogs and a full time job, I can't just leave the dogs in there while I am working.

My daily driver is a 2008 Toyota FJ Cruiser. I used to tow a travel trailer with it, but sold the trailer to pay for bills when my dog got very ill.

For full timing, I have thought of a small Class C, or a B+, but that's now a third engine/transmission to deal with. Being able to tow either the HJ or the FJC would make it better, but I do not want to flat tow those, so would need a trailer. That adds to the weight and not sure anything short of a larger diesel can handle that.

My next idea is getting a Casita travel trailer. This can be towed by both my FJC and HJ, and allows me to keep it at a local KOA as a long-term camper so I can leave my dogs there with the hookup for heat and AC.
Now, some people have said leaving two dogs in a Casita is too constricted, but I have watched my dogs on video at home when I leave. First of all, they are confined to the living room, and second, they spend all day sleeping or sometimes wrestling for a few minutes on the sofa, and then go back to sleep.

I have thought of getting another school bus, a small one, with a diesel, and doing the original plan of a workshop I can sleep in. However, I don't much feel like dealing with the work needed to convert it-even that simply, and not sure how many KOAs etc. would allow it.

I have also thought of a box truck: same thing, though being all square with little to remove, it would be MUCH simpler to insulate and add basic amenities.

I keep going back to the Casita because it is light and I can tow it with either vehicle. My FJC is a daily driver but set up pretty good to go off road. The HJ would be my adventure vehicle. I figure for adventures I could use the HJ and even tow the Casita on long drives-leaving it in storage when I go really remote, as I can sleep and cook etc. in the HJ (once finished). The FJC can tow for simpler travels, and still allow me to do the same as the HJ but with less amenities-plus I can lend it to a friend who visits if we do an adventure together.

I think a small C or B+ would have about the same interior space as the Casita.
Anything large enough to tow either the FJC at about 6,000lbs or the HJ at the finished predicted 7-8,000 pounds, would need to be a substantial size diesel.
Am I wrong?
I don't want to drive a massive setup with a 30+ foot RV and a 20+foot trailer putting me at 50+ feet.

In the end, I think what's important is simplicity and being able to go more places. Seems to me the Casita setup is the best bet.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

So by what you're saying you are once again solo!

I too am an artist of sorts, or so I am told! Others have been more colorful in their description!! In my view however beauty comes at the cost of getting lost in details, and that aspect I am not! So I am happy just being creative.

There is an artist that lives in his van pulling his cargo trailer, while he does the rendezvous circuit in the summer. In the winter he creates on the LTVA living in an old (sixties ara) 13 ft camper. His work is breathtaking!!! He has spent all his life making beautiful things.

So more to the point!!!

Saundra and myself lived in a 7×16 cargo trailer conversion I did. Curb weight #2200 converted, with our stuff aboard #4800. Drop gate that served as a porch, vinyl wall that served as a full wall picture window. I pulled it behind my Dakota. The build never ended as new ideas kept popping up! But the initial build was done in one month!

We left our 30 ft Winnebago, and found more joy living in the cargo! Go figure!!!

You are an artist, yes?
Look at any RV on the market as a paint by number painting!!! At best it is a mediocre copy of something you will settle for!!! As an artist you can do so much better!

You asked for opinions, so there you have mine, you will always be more at home in your own creations.

Can you guess what one of these pictures, is of one of my creations?

A Warm Winter - Martina Albertazzi

These images are part of an ongoing project about nomads who travel to the deserts of the southwest for extended winters. It’s an examination of...

martinaalbertazzi.com

 

[Strider]

So by what you're saying you are once again solo!

I too am an artist of sorts, or so I am told! Others have been more colorful in their description!! In my view however beauty comes at the cost of getting lost in details, and that aspect I am not! So I am happy just being creative.

There is an artist that lives in his van pulling his cargo trailer, while he does the rendezvous circuit in the summer. In the winter he creates on the LTVA living in an old (sixties ara) 13 ft camper. His work is breathtaking!!! He has spent all his life making beautiful things.

So more to the point!!!

Saundra and myself lived in a 7×16 cargo trailer conversion I did. Curb weight #2200 converted, with our stuff aboard #4800. Drop gate that served as a porch, vinyl wall that served as a full wall picture window. I pulled it behind my Dakota. The build never ended as new ideas kept popping up! But the initial build was done in one month!

We left our 30 ft Winnebago, and found more joy living in the cargo! Go figure!!!

You are an artist, yes?
Look at any RV on the market as a paint by number painting!!! At best it is a mediocre copy of something you will settle for!!! As an artist you can do so much better!

You asked for opinions, so there you have mine, you will always be more at home in your own creations.

Can you guess what one of these pictures, is of one of my creations?

A Warm Winter - Martina Albertazzi

These images are part of an ongoing project about nomads who travel to the deserts of the southwest for extended winters. It’s an examination of...

martinaalbertazzi.com

Great points.
My main issue with converting anything is that it's winter here right now and I have limited time. Every minute I spend converting takes from working on my project, and I am behind! The Casita looks like a solid little camper. I also looked at the RPods and like those a lot as well, but they don't seem nearly as well built as the Casita.

I like the cargo conversion idea, especially the drop-gate/porch option, but again, time and winter etc.
On the bus, I was going to make a drop down porch on the right side. I think if I would have not tried turning it into an RV I would have still had it.

There's a picture with a trailer in the desert...

 

[Kevin D Pem]

Great points.
My main issue with converting anything is that it's winter here right now and I have limited time. Every minute I spend converting takes from working on my project, and I am behind! The Casita looks like a solid little camper. I also looked at the RPods and like those a lot as well, but they don't seem nearly as well built as the Casita.

I like the cargo conversion idea, especially the drop-gate/porch option, but again, time and winter etc.
On the bus, I was going to make a drop down porch on the right side. I think if I would have not tried turning it into an RV I would have still had it.

There's a picture with a trailer in the desert...

Mine is the brown porch

 

[Kevin D Pem]

Great points.
My main issue with converting anything is that it's winter here right now and I have limited time. Every minute I spend converting takes from working on my project, and I am behind! The Casita looks like a solid little camper. I also looked at the RPods and like those a lot as well, but they don't seem nearly as well built as the Casita.

I like the cargo conversion idea, especially the drop-gate/porch option, but again, time and winter etc.
On the bus, I was going to make a drop down porch on the right side. I think if I would have not tried turning it into an RV I would have still had it.

There's a picture with a trailer in the desert...

A conversion can start like Bill shows here

Van conversion?

This may be the way to test your ability to become a vanner.

rvforums.com

But doesn't have to finish there!!!

 

[offroader09]

So also need room for the train layout. Good friends of ours have several interests much like you do, but also wanted to live simple. In the end they purchased a piece of land Built a really nice metal building. The building is homebase and they park the RV inside with full hookups. When it is time to roam they take off in the RV. We are looking at doing the same set up. I love being in my shop welding, building cars and yes I have a O gauge train. None of this can go on the road but we also want to RV for extended periods of time. So I think this makes sense for us.

 

[Strider]

A conversion can start like Bill shows here

Van conversion?

This may be the way to test your ability to become a vanner.

rvforums.com

But doesn't have to finish there!!!

Yeah that's pretty neat! I will think on it.

 

[Strider]

So also need room for the train layout. Good friends of ours have several interests much like you do, but also wanted to live simple. In the end they purchased a piece of land Built a really nice metal building. The building is homebase and they park the RV inside with full hookups. When it is time to roam they take off in the RV. We are looking at doing the same set up. I love being in my shop welding, building cars and yes I have a O gauge train. None of this can go on the road but we also want to RV for extended periods of time. So I think this makes sense for us.

Funny! I had an idea like that and told a friend yesterday: having a metal building put up on land and setting it up as a workshop with a spot for the Casita to go inside. When I'm there, just have the camper as the living space with the door open etc. since it's inside, then take off when I want. Great to hear I'm not the only one thinking that!

 

[Kevin D Pem]

So also need room for the train layout. Good friends of ours have several interests much like you do, but also wanted to live simple. In the end they purchased a piece of land Built a really nice metal building. The building is homebase and they park the RV inside with full hookups. When it is time to roam they take off in the RV. We are looking at doing the same set up. I love being in my shop welding, building cars and yes I have a O gauge train. None of this can go on the road but we also want to RV for extended periods of time. So I think this makes sense for us.

The other answer is conex building!!! Much harder to be broken into. Getting a refrigerated one, and you don't have to insulate. My future plan is getting two of them and building a greenhouse structure between them.