It’s been over a 12 months now that we’re Fulltime within the RV. We really wouldn’t commerce this life-style for the world. However we’ve come to comprehend that generally we do miss the safety of the stick and bricks. At occasions it isn’t even the safety, however simply “issues.” Doug lately wrote an article concerning the 10 Issues That Suck About RV Residing. Nevertheless, on this article, I’d wish to give attention to issues which can be missed if you now not have an precise home.
When Doug and I began out we didn’t have a lot. Each of us are employee bee’s and made one thing out of nothing fairly shortly. We now have each at all times strived for enchancment or to achieve our subsequent purpose. Shopping for a house. Shifting to a greater college district. Surviving the lack of all the things we’d labored for in Hurricane Sandy. We simply preserve going. That’s what we do. Targets are set with the intent of assembly them. Shifting into the camper was a kind of targets. And we achieved it.
However generally, having a home would actually be superior. There have been loads of issues that we each simply MISS from the Stick and Bricks!
Safety Of The Stick and Bricks
Yeah, you’re proper, there are nonetheless doorways and home windows. However they’re a lot thinner now. Sure, we are able to nonetheless lock all the things up, and we do. My neighbors are quite a bit nearer now although. You don’t have a possibility to know your neighbors both. Yeah, you’ve mentioned hello. You’ve even shared dinners. However do you KNOW them? Like actually know them the identical approach you knew your previous neighborhood? Do it’s worthwhile to know all the things about them? Simply if you suppose you’re snug, one in every of you strikes! Onto new neighbors as soon as once more.
Campground theft is an actual factor. At my home, I might depart my bicycle within the driveway over evening. Since transferring into the camper, it must be locked up on a regular basis. Whether or not staying in a Nationwide Forest or a Campground Resort, theft has been a difficulty in every single place. We weren’t on the resort in South Florida for 10 minutes earlier than we had been instructed of e-bikes being stolen. Not by fellow campers, however by folks within the surrounding neighborhoods. Out to Residence Depot for some thick cable and Amazon for bike alarms.
Even foolish issues like new sounds outdoors could make you search that safety of a home extra. While you reside someplace for some time, you develop accustomed to the noises. Creeks within the floorboards. Trains going previous within the distance. Street visitors. Something. However if you’re consistently on the transfer, these noises are at all times altering. Even Lagertha has her ears tuned in additional to the completely different sounds.
A Family Kitchen
The camper we selected for our Fulltime Way of life was partially chosen due to the scale and format of the kitchen. In all honesty, I can’t say that my camper kitchen is little per se. The range and the oven ARE little although. Consuming out the entire time is just not an choice. First, it’s approach too costly. Second, it’s severely unhealthy. I get pleasure from cooking! We cook dinner within the camper. Exterior area and cooking devices are a should, and we use them incessantly too. However have you ever ever tried to make use of your camper oven for one thing massive? Like perhaps a turkey breast?
The oven doesn’t even maintain a typical pan. I needed to exit and get a particular 13×9 cooking pan with little or no handles to slot in there. Neglect about making a cake. You’ll be able to solely do one layer at a time. Cookies too! The tiny cookie sheet I used to be capable of finding holds 8 cookies at a time. A batch of cookies is now an all day undertaking.
Except for the scale of the oven and range is counter area. Within the camper, all the things has a really particular dwelling. Any deviation from that dwelling creates muddle. Maybe I’ve at all times been spoiled with a big kitchen. However discovering a spot to prep any meal or goodies is like discovering a needle in a haystack. Not inconceivable, simply not going. And positively not with out some form of mess occurring.
Sidewalks
I didn’t know I missed these. Actually, till our final dwelling, we by no means even had them. We’ve at all times lived in fairly rural areas and sidewalks didn’t exist. In our final dwelling although, we lived in a improvement that had sidewalks. On a regular basis I might take Lagertha out for a stroll up and down the sidewalks in our neighborhood. She knew to take a seat on the finish of the highway and look ahead to me to inform her it was okay to cross. We didn’t fear about automobiles driving down the highway. They had been within the highway. We had been on the sidewalk.
Now that we’re in campgrounds or out on public land, there isn’t a such factor as sidewalks anymore. I’m glad there aren’t… It might actually look a bit ridiculous. However I miss them! I miss having them there after I go for my every day stroll with Lagertha. She’s fairly good about staying on the facet of the highway, however generally… “SQUIRRELL!” We now have to be much more vigilant listening for automobiles developing behind us. Not at all times a simple job with electrical automobiles nowadays.
Lagertha has selected her personal, that she doesn’t go to the lavatory on our website. Placing up a bit of fence for her to roam in on the positioning isn’t actually an choice for her. We have to take our stroll on a regular basis. Hikes are great, and one in every of her favourite issues. However generally, she simply must do her enterprise. And going for a stroll is what we do. Having a sidewalk to take action on, would actually be good generally.
Storage / Store / Driveway
That is one we KNEW we had been going to overlook. Doug positively misses it greater than me, however rattling! I didn’t understand simply how a lot we had been going to overlook having a spot to work on issues. Issues go fallacious in a camper. Repairs will have to be made. Earlier than transferring into the camper, we had a storage. If the automobile Doug was engaged on didn’t match within the storage, we had the driveway. And if the undertaking was extra sophisticated we actually have a buddy with a full mechanics store.
Not everybody has entry to the entire above, however earlier than transferring into the camper, all of us possible have a driveway. Or a spot the place we are able to pull issues out and work on them. When issues break now, we’re actually quarantined to our website. Which is fairly full with the camper and the truck already. Not to mention the instruments that we now not have. Time to finish a restore in a campground is far tighter too. We solely have so long as we’re there.
I’m excited about portray and reworking our lounge within the RV. I’m not about to start out this undertaking at a campground, Harvest Host, or boondocking location. House is required! I’ve to have the ability to pull all of it aside to color. Put it outdoors to dry. If I had a driveway, I might lay all the things out and do it there. However I don’t. So this undertaking requires much more logistics and artistic pondering to perform. And as soon as once more, I’m again to the time for completion.
A Fenced Yard
That is completely a double edge sword. We definitely do NOT miss yard work like mowing and weeding. However, we do miss simply letting Lagertha outdoors. She misses sunbathing at any time when she needs. Some mornings we’re busy doing issues and all she needs is to be outdoors. If we nonetheless had a fenced in yard, we might let her out to run round. She might get her train with out us dropping what we’re doing. Since being within the camper, that’s now not an choice.
I miss adorning my yard. Sounds foolish, and it kinda is. However I miss placing my pretend flowers out for each vacation. Making my yard and residential really feel liked and welcoming brings me pleasure. We’re solely often at any given camp website for two weeks. I’m not adorning my website each time we transfer. Not solely as a result of it isn’t my property to embellish. However we don’t have area to retailer decorations. Halloween is developing proper now. I’d actually wish to carve a pumpkin for my entrance steps. However I don’t have entrance steps anymore. And I definitely don’t have area for giant ol’ carved and embellished pumpkin.
A Actual Bathe
As soon as once more, that is one thing that we knew we had been sacrificing once we determined to go fulltime within the camper. The showerhead has been upgraded. We modified out our mixing valve to have separate cold and warm dials. Doug even put a holding tank in so our water stress was extra regular. However even with the entire modifications, we nonetheless don’t have a REAL bathe like we did in our home.
Each Doug and I agree {that a} scorching bathe is fairly rattling near the highest of the listing of all time finest innovations. After an extended strenuous day of climbing an extended scorching bathe feels wonderful. Nevertheless, if you happen to reside in a camper, you finest go discover the bathhouse if that’s what you need. Lengthy scorching showers are a factor of the previous. At finest we are able to get an extended reasonably heat bathe. Or a brief scorching bathe. By no means lengthy AND scorching in the identical bathe.
Similar goes if you aren’t feeling nice. I’ve been preventing a head chilly for per week now. There isn’t a lot I wouldn’t do to only stand in a scorching bathe for so long as I need. Let the water beat on my face to assist break all the things up. Sadly, that isn’t an choice. Thank God for Vicks, or I could not be capable of breathe out of my nostril.
Nonetheless Wouldn’t Give It Up
There are most likely a number of extra issues that I might add to this listing. Little issues. Easy issues. Belongings you don’t even take into consideration till they’re not there. However we aren’t able to commerce the wheels in for bricks simply but. The professionals nonetheless outweigh the cons on our listing.
Earlier than you make the leap and resolve to go fulltime, actually take into consideration the entire belongings you’ll be giving up although. Take into consideration the issues that you simply’re gonna miss. Make a listing and skim different’s articles. It’s essential to be sure that each factor in your listing is one thing which you could reside with out. Lacking issues are one factor, however are you able to actually give them up?
