My full timer preparation challenges

[Rossi_adv]

Hi all! I am going out for a company trip soon and when I return I will be alone, my place will be sold and my stuff will be at the storage locker. Sooooo, my plan is taking advantage of this situation and get full timer for 2, maybe 3 years after that (traveling and fun before settling down to a house again).

I am writing down my plan to make it work the best way possible but still have a lot of questions:

1- Economy: I know that is not the main goal about being a full timer, but I am very organised about it and I expect to have both good experiences without breaking my retirement plan So I consider parking 20%-50% of the time on regular road parking spots (from what I read this is not illegal, and that's why my first option is motorhome instead of caravan, since it attracts less problems for parking from what I read, is that correct?) I was even considering a van conversion instead of a motorhome to be a bit more undercover on parking, but then I would lose much of the practicality and utilities. Any legal advice about this? On my calculations the cost of the motorhome (payments, campsites, insurance, maintenance, depreciation, storage) are equivalent to the ones I had in my current house (mortgage, council tax, insurance, utilities) and if that's true I will be even happier about my plan. Also I see that a brand new worth more for my plan than a used one since it seems to hold value more than I was expecting.

2- Water: I consume much more water than a regular person in my area according to my bills Probably because I have usually 2 showers a day and this brings some questions: a) is it possible to adapt a recirculation shower in the conventional motorhomes (Elddis or Adria?) or is this too much of work/trouble to make? b) Is the bathroom seal good enough for a single person full timer or is this likely to become a moist/damp hell destroying the motorhome? c) does anyone have ever compared having a portable washing machine to external laundry costs? Right now shower, laundry and water in general are my weak spot at this project.

3- Electricity: I am not much worried about this since it looks like with some solar panels and an extra battery I will be more than happy. I am a bit concerned about the amount of 230V things that I could start at the same time (like TV with any other gadget at the same time), but I don't believe there is much of a limit for that if you sorted your recharge/batteries system, am I too optimistic? I do a lot of cooking but with gas that's definitely alright, is the motorhome fridges good and efficient, even for freezing stuff?

4- Home office: all models I saw where made for families to have a dining area (table and seats) but my wish is to convert or adapt at least part of this in a more "home office" desk. Any ideas to make it practical and safe on the road?

Thank you for any advice in advance

 

[maz]

Hi. That is a whole shed-load of questions in one post - which may have scared some people away from answering. I’ll try and answer a few of the points raised and then maybe others will join in …..

First off though, a question to you: Are you planning on travelling abroad or only staying in the UK? This can have a large bearing on some of the answers, particularly if you plan to over-winter in the UK.

1. Economy.
If it was me, I definitely would not be looking at a new van. Not only will it start to depreciate as soon as you drive it off the forecourt, unless you are very lucky you will have all kinds of initial niggles with the van that will have to be sorted out by the dealer. A good used van will have had all the niggles sorted out by a previous owner.

2. Water.
c) Laundry
Not so much comparing costs as convenience. A portable washing machine rapidly becomes a pain in the proverbials. Much easier to spend a day on a campsite with a laundry and do your washing there.

3. Electricity.
Solar in the UK in the winter is a non-starter. Hence my initial question ….

 

[scotzsue]

Wonder why you need 2 showers a day, when I had skin problems the consultant told me not to shower every day as it depleted the bodies natural oils. No one has ever said i smell
Re ‘240V electrical things’ unless you have an excellent battery bank and solar and an inverter you wont be able to use much 240 off grid.
Have you looked into full time insurance? Can be tricky. Good luck with your plans though

 

[Conal]

There have been a number of threads on this forum pointing out the financial benefits of staying on sites with electricity during the colder months. The site does not have to have all the bells and whistles but, for you, free good WiFi would seem to be a plus.

 

[tacr2man]

What driving licence do you have as having to full time below 3500kg gross will impact on your options .

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[pampam]

If you join the 2 clubs you could stay on a cs or cl and even a ths(temporary holiday site) ,with ehu ,and you could use laundry facilities altho i have seen laundrys on garage forecourts recently , good luck with choosing your van,and you r doing the right thing by doing it while you can , pampam

 

[Rossi_adv]

What driving licence do you have as having to full time below 3500kg gross will impact on your options .

Regular B, but to be honest I want to go as "light" as possible even if that impacts me on some other staff.. trying to be efficient and minimalist on this.

 

[Rossi_adv]

Wonder why you need 2 showers a day, when I had skin problems the consultant told me not to shower every day as it depleted the bodies natural oils. No one has ever said i smell
Re ‘240V electrical things’ unless you have an excellent battery bank and solar and an inverter you wont be able to use much 240 off grid.
Have you looked into full time insurance? Can be tricky. Good luck with your plans though

Thanks for the advice... about the shower is really about being ready for the worst scenarios... like, I am alone now, but let's say I find a crazy soul to join me, than it would be 2... so even if I reduce my routines I could start having the same limitation if you know what I mean. But yes, I born on a tropical area, so typical for me is shower to start the day and one after hiking or going mud outdoors...

 

[Troubador87]

I've recently made the jump into full timing with a van conversion, it's an easy and pleasant life with adjustments.

Showers? Forget it. It takes up space that you just don't have. Much better getting and enamel bowl and washing the old fashioned way. Taking full advantage of clean rivers etc. (Providing you use eco/plant based/pH neutral soaps or just water.

Solar, I use. In heavy overcast you still get enough charge to keep a light on and monitor for entertainment purposes but get used to entertaining yourself the old fashioned way (interpret that which ever way you want haha).

Water is the vital thing, I carry around 40 litres at full capacity and that can last myself a good while providing I make full use of mother nature. (Showering in heavy rain is heavenly). Laundry, best approach this with a minimalist approach. One set of work clothes, one set of daily wear, one set of decent. Lots of pants and socks. Either wash at laundrettes or again, mother nature provides.

So far my experience is that if you go into this life, you have to get food at working with the environment you find yourself in, ensure you make no impact and try to stay away from anywhere busy, this will ensure you have a peaceful experience.

Kal.

 

[Troubador87]

Also, home office.. I have a table that slides underneath my bed (double as I'm a tall fella) it acts as a dinner table, laptop desk, chopping board/food prep area, wash table, pretty much anything you need a table for.

LPG hob is the way to go for cooking food, dont bother with calor gas, it's a rip off. I also have a wood stove that has a hot plate that I can cook on, dry clothes on etc.

If you get an inverter, make sure it's a "pure sine wave" type, all other types simply don't do a reliable enough job and the conversion from 12v is too inefficient.

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[maz]

I've recently made the jump into full timing with a van conversion, it's an easy and pleasant life with adjustments.

Showers? Forget it. It takes up space that you just don't have. Much better getting and enamel bowl and washing the old fashioned way. Taking full advantage of clean rivers etc. (Providing you use eco/plant based/pH neutral soaps or just water.

Solar, I use. In heavy overcast you still get enough charge to keep a light on and monitor for entertainment purposes but get used to entertaining yourself the old fashioned way (interpret that which ever way you want haha).

Water is the vital thing, I carry around 40 litres at full capacity and that can last myself a good while providing I make full use of mother nature. (Showering in heavy rain is heavenly). Laundry, best approach this with a minimalist approach. One set of work clothes, one set of daily wear, one set of decent. Lots of pants and socks. Either wash at laundrettes or again, mother nature provides.

So far my experience is that if you go into this life, you have to get food at working with the environment you find yourself in, ensure you make no impact and try to stay away from anywhere busy, this will ensure you have a peaceful experience.

Kal.

An interesting post and welcome to the Fun.

However, there are many ways of fulltiming and while your minimalist eco-friendly approach may work for you, it certainly holds no appeal for me. I have been fulltiming for over 10 years in comfortable vans with showers and full cooking facilities. Fulltiming is also a perfectly viable way of life for those of us that like our comforts.

 

[Troubador87]

I don't doubt there are numerous ways of living the life. This is just the life I set out to seek as I'm a bit of naturalist and always been a keen bushcrafter and wild camper.

Before I set off I was going to install a shower along with a few mod cons, but quickly discovered after a few test runs I didn't need them. I still have a few modern delights, such as a good laptop as I do enjoy the odd PC game and I also use it to write music. I also have a monitor set up so I can watch movies using a hard drive, I also have internet but only tend to use it on rainy days. Without decent solar, it just isn't worth using the electricity when a good book, a bit of carving or staring into space can do just as well.

I was considering an oven, as I usually make my own flatbread's, but nothing beats a good loaf or even a pizza every now and then.... God I do miss a good pizza.

Do you own an oven? Do you use electric or gas? It would be great to know if it's worth the investment. As digging a hole big enough to make my own oven is just not possible in most of the places I've stayed so far.

 

[Geistguy]

If travelling solo I can't think of anything you would need to sacrifice compared to a coach built. Layout will be paramount so you will need to look at several different types, when you find a suitable layout sound plenty time looking at sleeping, toilet and relaxing options. You will never find the perfect van, some compromises are inevitable. As for power I would certainly go forLPG, fixed or refillable. Lithium batteries are expensive but will give you extended 12v power. During winter you may have to alternate between sites and "wilding".

Your shower regime may have to be seriously reconsidered.

Best of luck for the future.

 

[maz]

Do you own an oven? Do you use electric or gas? It would be great to know if it's worth the investment. As digging a hole big enough to make my own oven is just not possible in most of the places I've stayed so far.

Three vans (inc current one) had gas ovens. In the one that didn’t I used a Double Skillet on the gas hob, or a Remoska if on hook-up. The Remoska is a very useful piece of kit anyway, whether you have a gas oven or not.

 

[Jamesh]

You can get low height rubber buckets. Add a wrap round shower curtain around an old 26" alu bike rim. Suspended using a piece of 3x2 timber hinged if space is limited ... Add a 12v shower and bobs your uncle. You might want a small bucket of water for the final rinse.

I can see a business opportunity! I'm heading out to the garage now!

Cheers James

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[Troubador87]

You can get low height rubber buckets. Add a wrap round shower curtain around an old 26" alu bike rim. Suspended using a piece of 3x2 timber hinged if space is limited ... Add a 12v shower and bobs your uncle. You might want a small bucket of water for the final rinse.

I can see a business opportunity! I'm heading out to the garage now!

Cheers James

This time next year, you'll be a millionaire!

 

[Troubador87]

Three vans (inc current one) had gas ovens. In the one that didn’t I used a Double Skillet on the gas hob, or a Remoska if on hook-up. The Remoska is a very useful piece of kit anyway, whether you have a gas oven or not.

I thought about the double skillet idea, started looking into it. I did manage to lay my hand on an old stainless sterilizing tub thing which worked well as an oven in an open fire (smothered in coals) but rarely used so parted ways.

I do like the look of the remoska, I wonder how much battery it would use...

 

[Floydster]

I went for <Broken link removed>
it is 3 litre and has adjustable temperature, 450w max
and added bonus it's cheaper than the remoska

PS a double skillet is great too, get a heat diffuser if you do get one.
I also recently purchased a Ridge Monkey XL which has proved a useful addition to the armoury.

 

[Troubador87]

I went for <Broken link removed>
it is 3 litre and has adjustable temperature, 450w max
and added bonus it's cheaper than the remoska

PS a double skillet is great too, get a heat diffuser if you do get one.
I also recently purchased a Ridge Monkey XL which has proved a useful addition to the armoury.

You legend. Think I'll be getting myself one of those! Thank you.

 

[maz]

I do like the look of the remoska, I wonder how much battery it would use...

I have only used the Remoska when on hook-up. Running it from the batteries wouldn’t be practical.

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[Shrimp]

Get a ’Solar’ shower-black bag with pipe and shower head, lay it in the sun for few hours, hang it up high like a tree branch and shower!
We’ve done that gives you loads of warm to hot water, we even used it when we were in the house and stripped the bathroom out.

 

[Busybees]

I went for <Broken link removed>
it is 3 litre and has adjustable temperature, 450w max
and added bonus it's cheaper than the remoska

PS a double skillet is great too, get a heat diffuser if you do get one.
I also recently purchased a Ridge Monkey XL which has proved a useful addition to the armoury.

Couldn't get that link to work but this does:
Amazon product ASIN B01MSAF43Q

 

[Trout bum]

Hi my. Opinion would be a used motorhome preferably with gas and electric hob , solar panels 2 lithium liesure batteries with B2B charger and 1,000 amp inverter, and a diesel heater as well as normal trauma unit in motorhome this should set you up for on / off grid living , for Internet a hauwai unit and aerial should suffice , as I say just my opinion, I wish you many happy memories and safe journeys on your travels .