Hi Georgia single mom of 3. I’m ready to leave it all behind and see the world. I thought that what I was doing living from state to state . Now I just wanna new fresh start. Trying to figure out what’s best travel trailer or camper van for me and my girls.
How old are the kids? The older they are, more personal space they will want.
A van that sleeps four will be a tight fit for everyone or it will be huge. Likewise a travel trailer that sleeps 4 people separately is not going to be a small one, unless it has two double beds and kids are willing to share with each other and you.
If the kids are old enough, you could go for both: A van that seats 4 and sleeps 2-3 people, towing a travel trailer for also designed for 2-3 people. Travel trailer will have good kitchen, wc, shower etc and it can be left as a base camp while driving to get groceries. When both of them are on the smaller side, they are much more easy to maneuver.
If the kids are small, then they probably don’t want to sleep alone / separately. A regular RV is probably best option when you find one with enough beds.
Greetings & Welcome!
I would go for a small Class C. Tons of room, cheap, full featured, and move in ready with room to grow. You can find really nice older ones for $2500 or under. I’ve had several.
Cheers!
Yay!! How exciting!!
My first trailer was a 20-ish foot, 59’ Shasta I found on Craigslist for a grand. It leaked in the roof a bit. So I tapped tarps down until I could find it and seal it.
Was wonderful for about six months. Kids didn’t care for the heat in there during the summer. I had my two girls at the time, they were 2 and 9.
And honestly we were only in it to sleep. Otherwise they were running around outside. Reading outside. It was basically just holding our stuff and a place to sleep. The world was our home.
Greetings!
Heat is one of the biggest complaints, and reported to be one of the hardest and most expensive problems to solve. In truth, it is a simple, cheap, and easy problem to solve if we remove the promoters, who won’t promote anything they can’t profit from.
Evaporative cooling has been used effectively for centuries, from long before there was electricity. While it may not be quite as convenient as today’s energy hog A/C’s, it still works just as effectively, and is extremely energy efficient. Sometimes, history can be a better teacher than new technology. Off grid people from around the world, are now rejecting newer tech, like solar panels, in favor of cheaper and more efficient older technologies. Since many of us spend most of our time off the grid, following their lead seems to be a wise idea.
If we remove big money and big profits from the picture, everyone’s lives can be improved, especially those of us who choose to live alternative lifestyles. Better options are within our grasp if we seek them out. We have the unique opportunity to combine both newer and older technologies to our advantage, without getting caught up in the spend, spend, spend mindset the promoters promote.
I started living this lifestyle before there were home computers, cell phones, or the internet, yet I lived quite comfortably, even in extreme weather conditions. Working outside, we overcame any problem that presented itself, so we could keep on working. We defeated the hot, the cold, the wet, no power, and any other problem that came our way. Despite the almost constantly adverse conditions, we did our jobs well, and lived relatively comfortable and rewarding lives. If we ignore the promoters, we can integrate the needed newer technologies in pretty easily and cheaply. I have a $100 electrical system that includes a house battery & and an isolator, but no solar panels or any of the expenses or headaches that go along with them. Add another $120 if you include my generator and battery charger. By using energy efficient systems, I rarely need the generator, and never run out of power, even in extreme conditions. Driving 15-20 minutes each way, 2-3 times a week, in town, gives me all the power I need. My last $18 junkyard house battery lasted over 7 years too. So we CAN live pretty cheaply without compromising on our comfort or convenience.
Cheers!
My wife and i have 3 kids and we are finishing our Toyota Sienna build. We have configured it to do shorter trips, but we will all be able to fit. We spent a very long time trying to think up the best way to make everything fit. Just requires creativity (and younger kids -as stated by someone above)
Greetings!
I would love to see your floorplan, or some pictures!
Cheers!
16 years and 10 years
RV makers have been venturing into campervan world for a while now. I had already forgotten about Hymer pop-top models. Seats 4, sleeps 4. Factory-made.
I think there was also a version with two single beds in the back and then pop-top.