# Whatchu know bout RV life?



## christa

I've traveled in many different ways but it wasn't until last year a guy in San Jose, CA hooked me up with what has been the coolest shit ever. He gave me a deal on his dad's 1985 Mini Winibego. It came in full working condition, a generator, a solar panel on the top, kitchen, bathroom, sinks, stove, bed, shower. At first took me a long time to get used to having a space, paying for gas, and all of the amenities that come with it. But having two dogs and instruments it came in handy. I took the bed down from the top front and put up a garden of herbs and broccoli, I turned the shower into a place to hold my two five gallon jugs of home fermented wine. I also do traveling food not bombs and have awesome RV parties. It gets 12 miles to a gallon which is terrible but doable with a lot of people to pitch in. Anybody out there have cool RV stuff/stories to share?


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## christianarchy

That sounds so badass! Especially with the garden/"cellar" addition. I'm hoping to live in a trailer/rv this summer, but i don't expect it to be running.
Any advice on finding spots that go unnoticed long-term? Or do you move it regularly?
-Christopher


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## christa

i'm using mine for tour right now with my band but i've been lucky before this and have been able to park it at friends houses for the most part. do you have a generator in yours? and where do you plan on being around. most cities and towns I have found don't really care as long as you have a cap on your water and sewer if you plan on using it. i've also parked behind abandoned warehouses and such but its a thin line between private property and abandoned property. be careful


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## EastCoast315

Thats so sick. I think when I get old, too old to really hop trains or squat or anything, I'll get one of these and go someplace I've never been, like tour south america or something wild like that.


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## bote

that snowy picture is lovely.


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## EastCoast315

I just realized, my uncle has the same damn rv and is offering to sell it to me for $5,000. wow


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## AmandaLynn

I traveled with some kids in an RV this past summer. We also used the shower for ferments! hahaha. It seems like you could have a ton of people in there, but you better get along with your RV-mates. small small space. We talked about doing rain-water catch-it seems totally do-able. We took out the microwave in favor of a bookshelf. Only 8 miles per gallon though. Dumping yer waste and filling up with water can be a pain because most places want you to pay, but if you hold out a look you can find a place for free, or just piss and shit somewhere else. Wal-mart parking lots are always a sure bet and National Forests when they're around. Residential street parking is always there, just show up late and leave early. I have to say it's fucking awesome traveling with a fridge, dumpstering is so much better, and a stove for that matter. Rvs are also pretty low-pro because most people think yer an old retired couple or a family on vacation. Last thing is bikes bikes bikes, get a bike rack if you can, park that shit and bike everywhere when you can at 9-12 mpg it makes a lot of sense.


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## MrD

0.o I have no idea how I missed this thread in the first place!
This is right up my ally!!

When not traveling I live in this tiny little badass trailer. 
It is nothing special when I got it, it had this ugly old hardwood interior, stove did not work, no toilet, non-functioning fridge, and no screens or curtains for the windows. Only paid $800 for the thing, so it was fairly priced.

I spent just about all winter working on it. Painted over all of the ugly hardwood, got a new stove/propane hookups and a new working fridge, screens for the windows and homemade curtains. There is no generator on it, and the electricity hookups were fucked, so all of that had to be fixed too.

I bought this little "camping toilet", and kept it in the closet as a makeshift bathroom. The thing was completely worthless!
I only used it a few times, left for like 2 weeks and came back, and the thing had fucking leaked all over the small closet, that and some hot weather...... 
I walked in and the entire trailer smelt like molten piss! Now i just go out side =p

There is also a TON of storage space, all out of site. There is enough space under just one of the seats to store 10 gallon buckets of paint. Plus there is enough space to fit all kinds of art supplies, all of my photo equipment, clothes, food/cooking supplies, a buncha books, and still have space leftover.

Right now it is not mobile, I live in it behind my parents house =p
But all of the road requirements on it work,( wheels, brake lights, ect)
I just do not have a license, so if I ever do learn how to drive, it would be fun to get that thing on the road!


But yeah, I love my trailer, it has been an ongoing project of mine for some time now, and there is still some work to be done on it.
It is the perfect size for me, not too small and not excessively big. I am a happy camper =p


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## christa

I just had to re register my camper and found out that if its older than 20 years you can register it as a historic vehicle and not have to pay hundreds of dollars in inspection fees. check it out! I also hooked up an extra battery and hooked a ciggeratte lighter with a 12 volt plug in adapter so i have even more storable energy than before swwweeeett!


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## Diagaro

The TA truck stop in Lodi ca about 34 miles south of the I-5/I-80 interchange has about 4 to 10 RV's at any givin time and most have been there for months or even years. it is the only truck stop in america that i know of that does not give a shit about rubber tramps setting up long term, and its only a stones throw away from the greater bay area.
i stayed there in my van for a week and never had any problems in fact most of the long timers are real friendly. some fly sings during the day some pick fruit up the street at the most just sit and drink them selves stupid all day. might wanna check it out if your ever near there, beats the hell outta trying to park in oakland and fend off hte crack heads all day and night


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## Meske

Anybody spend the winter in a RV? My dream is to get one and put in a wood burning stove to stay warm.


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## Shade

i have alittle xp. in RV life, but more in vans and busses, where u hav to do most the inside shit yourself, and staying warm hell ya just vent that shit up the top, robbierings know alot about that kinda stuff message him Meske....


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## Mouse

*jealous*


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## Dmac

i have spent most of the past 4 years in a 30 trailer i got for 400$. i use a mr. heater that hooks right to the propane bottle for heat, works better than the furnace the thing came with. and use an electric hotplate instead of the propane stove. there are books out there that list all the free places to camp (many small city parks in the midwest offer free camping) also most all wallmarts let rv'rs stay in their parking lot for free.


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## freddyfreight

RV life is pretty cushy. I've traveled on a few buses and it's great for awhile. I get sick of only bein able to pull into walmarts or truck stops but damn, I've never had to pay for gas: the green stuff goes to booze I'm sure people know this but if you have gas or deisel, it really doesn't matter, just take a 5 gallon jug up to anyone fueling (truckers are way easier as alot of them want to fuck their company) and ask them for a couple gallons. try and stay discrete cuz they will kick you out but fuck em, there's always another one down the road.


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## ENgagRelyt

WHat do you guys do about getting ride of sewer and gray water?


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## AggroAppalachian

awesome...this beats my chevy express van. my dogs would love a RV


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## ProfessorX

I was thinking about this. The pros about RVs you always have someplace to stay no rent, cheap insurance. Cons finding a place to park, being asked to move, paying for gas. I know there a places you can park in San Francisco north of the Mission, Portland is Pretty chill also, in Seattle there is no where anywhere near downtown except maybe in south seattle closer to Federal Way. I still might do this. Want to get an old dodge RV and put murals on the outside.


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## Nagrom

yeah i have a diesel truck and one trucker just had me pull my truck around and filled both my tanks and my gas jug


freddyfreight said:


> RV life is pretty cushy. I've traveled on a few buses and it's great for awhile. I get sick of only bein able to pull into walmarts or truck stops but damn, I've never had to pay for gas: the green stuff goes to booze I'm sure people know this but if you have gas or deisel, it really doesn't matter, just take a 5 gallon jug up to anyone fueling (truckers are way easier as alot of them want to fuck their company) and ask them for a couple gallons. try and stay discrete cuz they will kick you out but fuck em, there's always another one down the road.


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## LeeevinKansas

Im planning on buying a winnebago lesharo if i can find one for under 3000$. dc if its a piece of crap, that can all be changed.


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## hamikman

RVs are very comfy for sure but they advertise "someone livin here free ...." and pissing off the ones that are in the rut. They're great if you don't have to hide the fact you're living in it. I live between to conveyences: a little sailboat and a pickup with a camper. They are versions of each other in different environments anyway, what I want to say is RVs come at a price and that is you stick out. With a plain van (best with no windows on sides or back) you can park all kinds of places and sleep and it just looks like a parked vehicle. Yes, I have a small camper on a pickup but its so small that it looks like its for general pupose cargo etc. Everyone thats had a peek inside has been very surprised as the outside which looks rough doesnt idicate that inside theres a livingspace with heater, cookstove and double bed as well as tons of storage for gear and tools etc under the bed. My favourite places to park are often in residential areas. I just pull up on the street at night, park and go to sleep. People in the nieghbourhood just think I'm visiting somebody on the street. Works great. I have black spray painted cardboard in the windows so light doesn't escape and give away the fact that I'm at home and chillin. When I pull out in the morning often there's people getiing in thier cars for work etc so to continue the charade I'll wave to invisible people in a window of a house as I go cause I might want to use that street again in the future. Often residential areas have a nice little park nearby I can park where theres no hastles cause its daytime. Thats where Ill make coffee, walk the dog, use the public john, etc. I think the vehicle that has the best stealth to usefullness/comfort ratio is certainly a simple cargo van custom rigged inside but I have the ancient little 4x4 toyota with the tiny camper cause I like to escape winter and offroad and in the desert boondocks down south. If it wasn't for that I'd have a van instead for sure.


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## hamikman

One other thought - I've often thought a great stealth camper would be a minivan withe seats removed. Looks so totally suburban and harmless and no ones gonna think your camping. Big sliding doors on side for easy access, foamy on floor and could probably cook with the right set up. (campstove on improvised wood box maybe). Youd just be limited to decent roads is all but perfect stealth and thier frickin everywhere.


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