Full-Time RV Living: Worth it? (xpost from r/navy & r/military

[apostolicfaithone1]

BLUF: Are there people here are, or know, people who live as full-time RVers even on sea duty? I'd like to draw upon their experience and really see if this is the right move for me.

When I PCS to my next duty station, I'm considering selling all my furniture and dramatically downsizing to save as much money as possible on BAH. (Full disclosure: I'm a single O3E, want to pocket as much BAH as possible to invest to hit my FIRE goals, and don't mind living minimally.) If/When I pull the trigger on this, I want to live in an Airstream Basecamp 20X or Bambi 20FB.

General questions I have include things like:

- What are your recommended/best long-term RV sites in Norfolk/San Diego?

- What made you commit to this life? (In other words, am I the crazy one for wanting this?)

- For how long do you think this lifestyle is feasible?

- What major challenges did you experience with the full-time RV life?

- Were there any issues with your command about your living arrangements?

Thanks in advance!

 

[meganisgrowing]

@apostolicfaithone1 I'm also an O-3 and my wife and I just sold our house and all of our furniture to move into a 5th wheel full time in Norfolk. We always use an RV for PCSing, especially with I-stops. It lets you turn your PCS into a road trip and it's even better when you can take 30 days of leave en route. RV parks are generally cheaper than hotels and you are sleeping in your own bed/cooking in your own kitchen every day.

This is the first time we have decided to just stay in the RV for a year or more, and so far we are liking it. Downsizing from a 2000 sq ft house into a 40 ft trailer honestly wasn't that bad. The worst part about it is sacrificing things like our home gym and workshop, but there are plenty of gyms here and I'm going to be deployed while I'm here, so it's not the end of the world. The amount of money we save every month is amazing though. Moving into the RV is allowing us to max out the TSP, both of our IRAs, and still put money in savings every month. Plus, you can put your monthly rent on your Amex for the points (3x points if you use the Green card).

As far as places to stay, it can get tricky, especially in the summer, when lots of people are traveling for fun. In the Norfolk/VA Beach area, there are RV parks on Little Creek, Oceana, and a few of the other smaller bases around here. Sites are about $30 per day on average, so you are looking at about $900/month including utilities (except internet). There are also a couple of civilian places near the beach in VA Beach, but they are almost twice as much money and they cater to the vacation and party crowd. Oceana and Little Creek allow you to stay there long term, but not all Navy campgrounds do. I believe the ones in SoCal require you to move every so often, so that's obviously not ideal. You might be able to get permission to stay there longer from the manager though, so you could always give them a call.

Ultimately, it was a great financial decision for us and we are happy with the decision so far. We expect our orders in Norfolk to be about 12-18 months, so renting or buying just didn't make sense, especially with the market the way it is. If I were single, it would be even simpler. In that case, I would just get a long term storage spot somewhere and check out of the campground for any long underways. Then you could just bank all of your money and all you have to do is pull your house out of storage when you get back. It's definitely not for everyone, but so far, we like it.

 

[apostolicfaithone1]

@meganisgrowing Thank you for the detailed reply! Having an equally committed partner is definitely helpful in this case. I was thinking of leaving my TT/TV with my sister during deployment instead of storage - that’s still a viable move, yeah?

 

[meganisgrowing]

@apostolicfaithone1 As long as she has a place to put it, then yeah. Then you don't even pay for storage lol.

 

[yuki213]

@apostolicfaithone1 I full-timed for almost 3 years with my wife + 2 kids. I commissioned through the STA-21 program, and we were full timers while I was in school.

The benefits are very dependent on duty station. We have several friends who full time in San Diego. You can pocket a lot of cash, because BAH is so high there and monthly site rental typically runs between $1000-1500 depending on the location. However, San Diego doesn’t do residential leases, so you are required to move every 60-90 days. It can also be difficult to find availability, requiring boon-docking and frequent moves. This can make it highly inconvenient, and still be potentially not much more profitable than having a roommate since you’re single, but with more hassle and up front cost (trailer/ tow vehicle).

Places where you can stay permanently month-to-month relieve much of the headache. And if you deploy you can always make a reservation somewhere 6-8 months in advance, then put your trailer in storage for a few hundred a month and stack a ton of cash.

One of the biggest perks of the lifestyle was how little material things you accumulate. You simply don’t have the space, which drastically helps reduce frivolous spending on things you don’t actually need. This may not be as big of a deal for you being single, as opposed to a family. It also made PCSing a lot of fun, and traveling in general. Just hook up and go somewhere for a weekend or week or whatever, and you’re literally taking all the convenience of your home with you.

If you decide to do it, buy a used trailer. The depreciation is pretty significant on new, and there have been tons of quality control complaints since COVID. Supply and labor issues combined with demand surge. When we sold ours, the buyers were very excited to have a newer but pre-COVID build.

Edit: I’ve never heard of a command caring about this.

 

[meganisgrowing]

@yuki213 I second the used trailer point. The first time we lived in our trailer (30 days of travel, 4 month I-stop, and 2 months of house hunting at the new duty station), we bought a brand new 2019 5th wheel. We still had a bunch of issues with it and RV warranty work is a nightmare. We ended up selling that one because we weren't using it during Covid. Then we bought a 2014 5th wheel with a better floorplan for less money. We spent a couple grand upgrading some parts to our liking and we are much happier with this one, even though it's a few years older.

Just a data point for older RVs, my parents have been full-timing in a 2004 Class A motorhome for almost 6 years now and they love it. Buying used gives you the wiggle room to make it your own.

 

[apostolicfaithone1]

@yuki213 STA-21 alum here too! Definitely looking at the used marketplace because it’s a nightmare right now waiting for orders to get fulfilled for new airstreams and I’m a big fan of saving money anyway.

If you don’t mind me asking: did you already have a family when you began full time RV life? I’m asking out of curiosity/concern about my own dating life and if the living choice has impacted that front

 

[yuki213]

@apostolicfaithone1 I was married with one kid when we started

 

[pgtips2]

@apostolicfaithone1 Juet a suggestion: check out RV Living groups on Facebook. There are military specific ones as well!

 

[apostolicfaithone1]

@pgtips2 Thanks! Do you have any specific ones in mind to recommend?

 

[pgtips2]

@apostolicfaithone1 I just joined "RV Military Families" since we are considering it as well. Other groups I found "Fulltime RV Military Living", and "Military RVing". You may be able to find base specific groups (I'm assuming since there are so many military base/spouse pages).

 

[pesachpup]

@apostolicfaithone1 I’ve thought about this. Just something in the future. But instead of buying an RV I would just buy a small piece of land and get one of those 2 story Home Depot sheds, but 10-15k in it and make it a tiny home. I think you can get all the construction costs put into a loan aswell (don’t quote me on this). After a PCS, just have the tiny home rented out. So no, you aren’t crazy.

I think this downsizing lifestyle could last as long as anyone makes it, you just gotta know how to organize lol.

Good on you LT for stepping towards financial freedom.

 

[fullofeyes37]

@pesachpup Those are not made for living in, insulation, plumbing etc

 

[pesachpup]

@fullofeyes37 Damn, Really? I’ve seen so many YouTube videos on them like this. All you really need to do is put up insulation, electricity, a septic tank and potentially some dry wall.

If everything goes to plan with renovation and making the house move-in ready, i could probably rent one for a few hundred a month and recuperate some of my expenses after a PCS.

This was just a shower thought, so if I’m missing something (which I probably am) I’ll figure something else out.

 

[fullofeyes37]

@pesachpup The cost to make it an actual livable structure would probably be well more than just buying a camper/mobile home

 

[beautyslove]

@pesachpup bro do it. I am ripping the inner walls of my motorhome out and replacing the 1" styro with 3" of rockwool insulation. I also opened up the floor so I can have floor hatches to access the additional deeeep storage I added below. I have the same idea as you every time I drive into a lowes parking lot and see the sheds. Its not really that expensive or difficult, it just takes motivation. I have done a lot of diy in the last few years after learning more about how to use tools, and I'm glad I didn't listen to the many people who tried to convince me not to attempt a project that led to expanding my mind(or improved my quality of life).

 

[apostolicfaithone1]

@pesachpup This was actually a close-ish Plan B but never got farther than looking into some premade tiny homes. I’m gonna revisit the idea more closely now, thanks!

 

[winter_rose]

@apostolicfaithone1 I looked at this for a while but determined the cost of the RV (down payment/financing, parking, maintenance, etc) outweighed the benefits. In MOST cases you're better off renting or buying with a VA loan.

 

[nightowl46]

@apostolicfaithone1 Just about every military campground listed, some allow long term camping. https://www.militarycampgrounds.us/

 

[dasiebe01]

@apostolicfaithone1 With the money you save in rent/mortgage, it’ll pay for the depreciation of the RV.