New here. 100% disabled Female combat Veteran Looking to buy RV to be Fulltime RVer

[Headhunter]

Hi MaraZen, first and foremost thank you for your service. 101 AB Screaming Eagles out of Ft Campbell Kentucky. Forgive me but you said 100% disabled ??? It may help us to know what your disabilities are? Not prying just trying to understand for help.

Like others have stated, your choices will be predicated mostly on your budget. IMO the top three A class motorhomes older and newer are Newmar, Tiffin, & Winnebago . But that is just my two cents.

HH

 

[kenw]

Hi MaraZen, first and foremost thank you for your service. 101 AB Screaming Eagles out of Ft Campbell Kentucky. Forgive me but you said 100% disabled ??? It may help us to know what your disabilities are? Not prying just trying to understand for help.

Like others have stated, your choices will be predicated mostly on your budget. IMO the top three A class motorhomes older and newer are Newmar, Tiffin, & Winnebago . But that is just my two cents.

HH

I would agree

 

[Rollin Ollen]

Hi MaraZen, first and foremost thank you for your service. 101 AB Screaming Eagles out of Ft Campbell Kentucky. Forgive me but you said 100% disabled ??? It may help us to know what your disabilities are? Not prying just trying to understand for help.

Like others have stated, your choices will be predicated mostly on your budget. IMO the top three A class motorhomes older and newer are Newmar, Tiffin, & Winnebago . But that is just my two cents.

HH

I agree with the above.
We had a 2011 Winnebago Vista 26P (28 footer) for 14 years and it treated us well with very few issues.

 

[MaraZen]

Us military vets need to take care of each other and that is what you are doing by letting me know what you think. you are a fulltimer and that is what I want to be. I do not want or need the things I have collected over my lifetime accept my sanity if I have any left since I went to Iraq. I figured out how much money I would be saving by going out on the road v being stationary, wow. Saving a lot. I also won't have to fake who I am around strangers who I may or may not come across again. I know I should not have to fake but when I have to be somewhere once a week around the same people who I do not like, I do not like that... I won't be unhappy on the road. I will be much happier, and my family wants me to be happier. I will love it. There are a lot of other reasons not mentioned of why I want to go on the road but here are a couple....No mowing the lawn, no fixing tractors. No fixing other people, I have been helping other people my entire life and everyone else says, "You need to take care of yourself first or you can't take care of others". I say that all the time to others but not to myself. I will finally be taking care of myself. No dusting off 50 million trinkets, well not that many, lol. If I can't take it to Heaven then I do not need to take it with me, lol. I only have to take care of an RV and not a whole house, property, etc. lol. Big difference, lol. I have a couple friends but they live in other states and know me very well and they say, "do it" because they know me so well, lol. They say it would be better for me too. lol. I have so many other reasons why I should, so far I do not have any of why I shouldn't. I have nothing holding me back or to have me stay put. This is a question for a fulltimer, why did you become a fulltimer?

 

[MaraZen]

Oh, sorry Headhunter for not answering your question.... I was in an IED in Iraq...TBI. I have all my limbs; it has kept me from being around society among other mental issues from seeing and experiencing things in Iraq. Not really good to talk about. I have a disable placard...People think if they can't see something wrong that there is nothing wrong with you... well everyone is wrong when they think that, I have heard that from people. Us Military Combat Veterans like myself are misunderstood a lot too. People want me to be the same person before I went to Iraq, I can't do that. I changed dramatically and I can't change that either so instead of worrying people that know me I fake it. They have no idea who I am now. I do not have to fake anything when I am away from anyone, and it makes it easier for me and I do not need that extra anxiety and stress. I see my family and friends maybe once every 2-4 years anyway. Makes it easier and better for me, my counselor says so too. lol. Well, you all know me better than people that know me, lol. because they have never heard this and I am not going to tell them that. I do not want to be "me" around them because I know for a fact they won't like it and my counselor says so too. I know myself.. They won't like it. Besides, I am not a "be around people" person much anyway anymore. I am somewhat of a loner and like it that way. lol. I know I am being harsh. Sorry guys. You guys asked, lol.

 

[MaraZen]

I agree with the above.
We had a 2011 Winnebago Vista 26P (28 footer) for 14 years and it treated us well with very few issues.

sorry, I did reply but ended up replying on the next area, lol. still getting oust to social media which I do not normally do. Thank you for letting me know about the RVs you guys like.

 

[MaraZen]

sorry, I did reply but ended up replying on the next area, lol. still getting oust to social media which I do not normally do. Thank you for letting me know about the RVs you guys like.

Oh, I replied to the Veterans and military section. Man, I am not good with this stuff, lol.

 

[DennisT]

Sounds like you will be fine on the road!

Another thing to think about is where you want to have your “home state”.

We used Florida which is “friendly” to full time RVrs. We use St Brendan’s Isle for our mail service and legal address.

Mail Forwarding Services at St Brendan's Isle

Mail Forwarding Services for Cruisers, RVer's and people who travel. That is our Specialty! We have been providing mail forwarding services since 1988.

www.sbimailservice.com

I believe @ARD has been using the same one for mail and address as a full timer as well.

We went through Miller Insurance to get coverage being full timers.

Motorhome Insurance: Protect Your RV with Comprehensive Plans

Protect your RV with comprehensive motorhome insurance plans. Get a free quote and secure your adventures on the road. Get in touch now!

millerrvinsurance.com

They work with full timers to get the coverage needed.

Personally we are partial to Newmars since that is what we bought in 22 to start this journey. Have had few problems with it and the inspector we hired to go through it said, from what they had been inspecting, Newmar was at the top of the list for fewer problems.

May want to look at models with a bunk area which may serve you well for your quilting and crafting area. Not sure how much room you need but worth a look.

You asked about why some of us are full time….

For us, we wanted to travel, see the country etc after we retired. Not wanting to be in the cold part of the country in the winter (house was in central Ohio) we started going south where it is warmer.

Being south in the winter and wanting to travel all summer it just didn’t make sense to have an actual house - too much expense and worry for something we were not going to use.

 

[breal14]

Not to pry-- Keeping up with an RV is a lot of work. physically demanding at times. Roof inspections, re-sealing, even just dumping tanks or hooking up water could be something that you can't physically do/bend/unscrew, what have you if you have some mobility issues. Be sure you know that you can keep it up, not just drive it before you get in over your head.

Also, if you think your neighbors are weird, wait until you meet campground neighbors. LOL

 

[MaraZen]

Sounds like you will be fine on the road!

Another thing to think about is where you want to have your “home state”.

We used Florida which is “friendly” to full time RVrs. We use St Brendan’s Isle for our mail service and legal address.

Mail Forwarding Services at St Brendan's Isle

Mail Forwarding Services for Cruisers, RVer's and people who travel. That is our Specialty! We have been providing mail forwarding services since 1988.

www.sbimailservice.com

I believe @ARD has been using the same one for mail and address as a full timer as well.

We went through Miller Insurance to get coverage being full timers.

Motorhome Insurance: Protect Your RV with Comprehensive Plans

Protect your RV with comprehensive motorhome insurance plans. Get a free quote and secure your adventures on the road. Get in touch now!

millerrvinsurance.com

They work with full timers to get the coverage needed.

Personally we are partial to Newmars since that is what we bought in 22 to start this journey. Have had few problems with it and the inspector we hired to go through it said, from what they had been inspecting, Newmar was at the top of the list for fewer problems.

May want to look at models with a bunk area which may serve you well for your quilting and crafting area. Not sure how much room you need but worth a look.

You asked about why some of us are full time….

For us, we wanted to travel, see the country etc after we retired. Not wanting to be in the cold part of the country in the winter (house was in central Ohio) we started going south where it is warmer.

Being south in the winter and wanting to travel all summer it just didn’t make sense to have an actual house - too much expense and worry for something we were not going to use.

So awesome to know this, I will write it down. Need all the storage for quilting stuff too. Less bathroom more storage, lol. Overhead bunk, great idea for all of it. I could even convert king bedroom into twin and the rest of that space into craft sleep room. You don't need much room to sleep. lol.

 

[MaraZen]

So awesome to know this, I will write it down. Need all the storage for quilting stuff too. Less bathroom more storage, lol. Overhead bunk, great idea for all of it. I could even convert king bedroom into twin and the rest of that space into craft sleep room. You don't need much room to sleep. lol.

I barely moved to Texas. How does a person get their mail or have a "address" if you don't have property or rent somewhere for your permanent address if you are a Fulltimer?

 

[MaraZen]

First off, thank you for your service - 12 1/2 years Navy Submarine service here running reactors.

As others have mentioned, floor plan is a big part of what you will want.

We had a 32 foot class c and the first time we spent 3 months in it the wife said not going to work longer than that - too small

We ended up with a 41 foot super c that has the floor plan we like. Went that route for ease of maintenance, etc not having to climb in the engine compartment.

For options on what you look for…think about what would be nice when you are in it full time. We used to joke about those that had dishwashers in their RV when we were doing “normal camping” weekend or couple week trips. Now that we are full time you couldn’t live long enough to get our dishwasher out of the coach

Storage is another big one. Decide what you are going to have with you and make sure you have enough room, and weight capacity, to carry it all.

The other advice we received was to not put those things you didn’t really want to part with in storage. That can be difficult but, most full timers we spoke with that did put things in storage, never went back for them. Ended up being a waste of money. Was a stressful part of emptying the house though.

We are at the 2 1/2 year point (well in 9 days) and have been loving the lifestyle. We do have an annual site in FL so we have a “home base” and travel during the summer.

Funny you say that about the dishwasher... I never used one. lol. Also, I am going to get rid of everything I can and to not have a storage unit. annual site... is that where you have a permanent address for legal drivers license.

 

[MaraZen]

I agree with the above.
We had a 2011 Winnebago Vista 26P (28 footer) for 14 years and it treated us well with very few issues.

Thank you for your service and that goes for all service members. We are like a big family no matter where we go.

 

[Rollin Ollen]

Us military vets need to take care of each other and that is what you are doing by letting me know what you think. you are a fulltimer and that is what I want to be. I do not want or need the things I have collected over my lifetime accept my sanity if I have any left since I went to Iraq. I figured out how much money I would be saving by going out on the road v being stationary, wow. Saving a lot. I also won't have to fake who I am around strangers who I may or may not come across again. I know I should not have to fake but when I have to be somewhere once a week around the same people who I do not like, I do not like that... I won't be unhappy on the road. I will be much happier, and my family wants me to be happier. I will love it. There are a lot of other reasons not mentioned of why I want to go on the road but here are a couple....No mowing the lawn, no fixing tractors. No fixing other people, I have been helping other people my entire life and everyone else says, "You need to take care of yourself first or you can't take care of others". I say that all the time to others but not to myself. I will finally be taking care of myself. No dusting off 50 million trinkets, well not that many, lol. If I can't take it to Heaven then I do not need to take it with me, lol. I only have to take care of an RV and not a whole house, property, etc. lol. Big difference, lol. I have a couple friends but they live in other states and know me very well and they say, "do it" because they know me so well, lol. They say it would be better for me too. lol. I have so many other reasons why I should, so far I do not have any of why I shouldn't. I have nothing holding me back or to have me stay put. This is a question for a fulltimer, why did you become a fulltimer?

I, we (my wife holds the same thoughts and dreams) have had a life long wonder about what is beyond the next turn. Growing up in the 50s and early 60s traveling by hitch hiking was so easy and very safe compared to today. I was too young to drive and my bicycle limited my extent of travel so, by the time I was 14, I was hitch hiking my way as far as I could go and be back home just before dark. Many times I made it to the nearest city (just over 100 miles from home). That urge to wonder and see the sights of the world still exists. We have been to Europe, been to 9 of the Canadian Provinces, 46 of the US States and spent a bit of time in Mexico as well. We are Canadian so spend six months north and six months south. If your urge to travel is strong, then you probably have what it will takes to full time.

Good luck and safe travels.

 

[MaraZen]

I, we (my wife holds the same thoughts and dreams) have had a life long wonder about what is beyond the next turn. Growing up in the 50s and early 60s traveling by hitch hiking was so easy and very safe compared to today. I was too young to drive and my bicycle limited my extent of travel so, by the time I was 14, I was hitch hiking my way as far as I could go and be back home just before dark. Many times I made it to the nearest city (just over 100 miles from home). That urge to wonder and see the sights of the world still exists. We have been to Europe, been to 9 of the Canadian Provinces, 46 of the US States and spent a bit of time in Mexico as well. We are Canadian so spend six months north and six months south. If your urge to travel is strong, then you probably have what it will takes to full time.

Good luck and safe travels.

Thank you that was very sweet. And I like to hear the stories from everyone. Back in the 70's and 80's, some 90's my family would pick up people when we were out and about. Sometimes they would come to our farm and my mom would fix something for them then give them something to go. I still once in a while would pick someone up but Very careful, depends on what they are doing or what they look like, etc. lol. Not very often do I do that. I was in Canada a couple times very beautiful. Lived in 11 different states and very easy for me to pick up and goooooo, lol.