Does anyone have any experience living long term in an RV (Class C)?

What is it like and how much would it cost to live in an RV (for camping fees, food, water and such) long term?


What about the need to RAT proof the RV and how much fun is it to live like that say in the Western US? Maybe stay in CA or NV in the Winters and move around. Can I get satellite dish TV?


It's sort of an idea of mine. Any info about it especially for CA and NV (Vegas and Reno area) would be cool. Thanks.

Does anyone have any experience living long term in an RV (Class C)?
You have asked over a half dozen questions here, I try to answer a few of them.





My wife %26amp; I have been living in a small Class A, 35' diesel pusher since April 15Th of '03. We circumnavigated the U.S. in '03 after we had sold our house. We had a problem with our old coach and replaced in at a Good Sam rally in Orlando, FL in November of '03.





We traveled to Alaska, last year, and spent 5 months there. We didn't see everything and are planning on returning neat year. Since we winter in Brooksville, FL at the South East Area of the Family Motor Coach Associations grounds on the Hernando County Airport. I am their electrician for the large rally they put on in February and take care of their grounds when the rally is not in progress.





We joined Thousand Trails, a membership campground, to save on camping costs. We can stay in any Thousand Trails preserve for two weeks, then we have to leave for a week, then we are allowed to return for another two weeks. This cost us a fair amount and $500 yearly dues. That's 34 weeks of camping for $500, not counting our initial investment.





We also belong to another discount camping club that allows us to stay at quite a few campgrounds for 1/2 price. We found a campground in Palmer, Alaska that we could stay at for $11 per night. That is very cheap for Alaska.





Food should cost no more than you pay at your home. Since you won't have the storage we have, you won't want to carry that much, a week or twos supplies should be enough. There's always a WalMart down the road.





We haven't splurged on a satellite system, yet. You will need a clear view of the sky to the South for that. I prefer to park under trees to save on the A/C's running all the time as it would in the wide open areas. People who do have them will use the roof mount and carry a spare portable dish for those had to see satellites.





We have never had a rat problem. Many campers will put steel wool around their electrical cables and water hoses, where they enter the coach for that problem.





We purchased a cell phone from our home town, Orlando, so relatives may call us without paying a long distance charge. That's pretty good, while we were in Alaska, people in Orlando could call us as a local call.





We got a box in the local UPS store for our mail. This gives us an address for insurance, auto tags, banking, voter registration and any thing else that might come up.





We are both on Medicare and picked a HMO and that has worked for us. We have been lucky that we haven't gotten sick while on the road. By belonging to FMCA, see above, we will be sent by airplane to Brooksville for medical care if we are very sick. This is free with your membership.





If you need more information, e-mail me and I'll try to provide it.





Read my blog on Yahoo 360 for some of our experiances on the road.





Good luck





Additional details:





We have spent the night in several WalMarts all across the U.S. without any problem. We just go inside and check if it's OK to spend the night. We have stayed in a truck stop out of Tupelo, Mississippi and the local Chief of Police knocked on our door to tell us he would keep an eye out for us. He ran some kids off that were hanging around.





On our trip to Alaska last year we stayed in quite a few Rest Areas %26amp; Pull-outs with no problem. We never camped in any of these places. We spent the night, didn't put down our leveling jacks or put out the awning. We never stayed more than one night in any "Free" parking area. If we ever felt uncomfortable, we just moved, that was only twice going to Alaska.





I do know people that carry guns. Many others carry baseball bats. Just don't put yourself in a position where you can't leave in a hurry. We never had to except when a bear came snooping around. Then just turning on the lights and starting the engine scared him off.

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