Full Timing in a 45' Eagle

CindyandJohn · July 29, 2011, 09:04:18 AM

Hi all,

I haven't posted for a while - been reading in the background though.

Here is our next direction! Cindy and I have it set in our minds that in the not so distant future (two - three years) we will be full timers.

My concerns are of course money... but that is always the case and the real concern is the length of our bus - 45'. will that be a serious hindrance going forward? I keep reading about so many places which can only accommodate 40' rigs. We haven't had much issue so far. I have gotten real good at backing out of tight spots and sometimes I backup into those spots because it is easier! sounds odd but sometimes it works better that way. Cindy thinks I'm crazy when I say - I can back it in there easier than driving it in there! My Eagle makes wide turns going forward! So basically the thoughts are what have any other full timers run across which can make some of our decisions easier. I'm not trading the Eagle in - but just want to know what I might run into (pardon the pun).

Mainly I am looking for tips and advice on where to, how to, what to do - to get there. I have been watching posts and reading and looking on-line and have seen many of the on-line helps. I do enjoy reading the blogs of Sean and Louise in their Odyssey. That is the sort of stuff we would like to do.

Any and all thoughts are welcomed!

Thanks in advance,
John and Cindy

Boomer · July 29, 2011, 09:32:22 AM

For fulltiming, the extra interior space and one more bay advantage will far out weigh any inconvenience of the extra five (or ten) feet in length.

CindyandJohn · July 29, 2011, 10:13:36 AM

Thank Boomer,

That's what I was thinking too on the extra space.

Right now we have the back two bays pretty much used up by the water system, and the generator. The front bay is completely empty (full of our stuff right now but used for storage), and the second bay is 2/3 empty - the air handlers are in the other 1/3.

John

Lin · July 29, 2011, 10:34:05 AM

You're not crazy. Reverse can be more maneuverable than going forward. Just think about parallel parking.

David Anderson · July 29, 2011, 11:11:36 AM

I'm with Boomer. However, I wouldn't mind having only a 35' eagle. You will be parked so much of the time that you'll like the space. Enjoy your home and keep us posted of your adventures.

David

Dreamscape · July 29, 2011, 11:15:33 AM

There are times that we wish ours was 45'. We full time and always can use the extra room, just ask my wife!

Use it and enjoy it no matter what length you have. As BCO would say, "Watch out for those right handers."

Dave5Cs · July 29, 2011, 11:26:46 AM

We Full-time in a 5C which isn't as long but also like others wish we had the room. That equates into more storage space. We have found that some campgrounds say no Buses or conversions and then ask us to send a picture. When we do they tell us to come ahead. We now live full-time in it and live at a campground and work at it also. It pays for our rent, gas, 2 vehicle parking plus we pick our own hours which can be as low as 20 a week or up to 7 a day if we choose. We have a golf cart to drive and it is fun. Some day when we reach the magic age of 62 if there is SS still around we should be able to travel but this is full-timing 101. Plus it will build a workcampers resume if other camp areas come up.
Size wise I don't know if they take 45's here but I know there are spots that could handle it. And I agree, I like to back in when needed it is easier. FWIW

Dave

technomadia · July 29, 2011, 04:16:55 PM

Come on in, the water is fine!!

We've been full-timing for 5 years now. We started off in a 16' teardrop travel trailer, then upgraded to a spacious 17' fiberglass egg. Just a month ago, we got a 35' GM 4106 which seems downright mansion like to us in comparison (we're still getting used to all this space.. we have to like.. WALK.. to bed). Full timing is completely accessible in any size rig.

While we've not had to maneuver a 40+ vehicle into campgrounds, I can say with certainty after hanging out with a wide range of full-timers - that you can adapt to anything. And as your mastery of getting in and out of tight spaces increases, your options expand.

Yes, there will be some campgrounds that you just won't be able to get to. Even with our 35' bus, we know there will be places we used to go that would now be inaccessible (we did a lot of off road camping). But you will be able to find plenty of options out on the road to accommodate your rig.

It really comes down to - will you be able to stay in the places you want to stay at? If you have a pattern of places you want to go (ie. visiting family in cities with limited RV parking options, national parks, etc.), you may find you are more limited than you'd like.

Best wishes,
- Cherie

bobofthenorth · July 29, 2011, 05:40:13 PM

We've lived in a 40' for 4 years now and no matter what the women pretend, bigger is always better. I suppose there are lifestyles where this wouldn't be true but for us I can't honestly think of a site in 8 years that we couldn't have got into with a longer bus. I think jumping into fulltiming without ever having used an RV is a huge mistake but if you have used the bus and the length hasn't been a problem before you start fulltiming then I can't see why that would change just because you are always "at home". Whenever and wherever we stop Marilyn turns to the cat and says "well George, we're home" and for us that is always somewhere that a bigger unit would fit - open desert, Thousand Trails preserves, friends' yards - like I said, I can't think of a place where we would have been happier with a smaller unit, let alone one where we didn't fit.

The extra space and the extra storage will be a huge help. It still won't be enough though.

white-eagle · July 29, 2011, 09:12:40 PM

i'm going to be the naysayer here i guess. 45' is too long for a lot of places. We've been to florida parks that will accommadate the size on a pad, but you can't get there from here. We're camphosting in CO, and our site was a pain to get into. We're 40'. the site says 45, but manuevering is difficult.

Since you have it, enjoy it. We full time and the biggest issue is talking ourselves in to throwing away what we really don't use. We have a trailer at my brothers house where we put stuff we really can't bear to part with, but we don't need it right now. We now have way too many tools (did i really say that?) and the van is my garage as well as the traveling storage area for Fran's plants (tomatoes, onions, hummingbird somethings, and a strawberry plant). We eliminated a bunch of uneccessary clothes, a few plants, and it sometimes seems crowded. You have to take inventory and remove what you don't use. then you find you have room for what you think you need today that you didn't need yesterday. :-)

Good luck.

TomC · July 30, 2011, 08:34:40 AM

When designing my truck conversion, I toiled with the idea of going 45ft. But then I looked at the camping directory, there are alot of camping sites that stop at 40ft. At least here in California, you go over 40ft and you're restricted to truck routes only. Also, you go over 40ft and you have to have a Class B non commercial driver's license. I have designed my truck conversion to have access to the basement from inside-so changes of weather clothes and access to supplies can be done without going outside.
If I were to full time in a 40ft bus, I'd pull a stacker trailer that would keep my overall length to 65ft (again California's rule) and haul my car on it, with the remainder space left over for additional storage. I'm of the school of thought that the motorhome should be driven directly to where you want to camp, then use the car for radial exploration. I've solved that problem by making my truck conversion with a garage to house a small car like a Mini, Mazda2, Fiat, Toyota Yaris, etc. Many ways of doing your own thing. Good Luck, TomC

luvrbus · July 30, 2011, 10:53:58 AM

John, the turning radius on a 45 ft Eagle is not that much difference than a 40ft and more and more places are gearing up for the 45ft RV we are at Williams AZ last year it was 35 ft or less this year 45 ft or less keep the extra room

good luck

Kevin Warnock · July 30, 2011, 01:57:43 PM

TomC,

How's the truck coming along? Do you have a blog where you detail the progress?

I love the fact that you're putting in a small car garage.

Kevin Warnock
http://KevinWarnock.com - my blog

Barn Owl · July 30, 2011, 08:20:34 PM

Since you already have a 45' bus it doesn't matter to debate the pros and cons at this point. I love the idea of being a camp host and living for little of nothing. Nowhere in my future do I see that happening but I would try it if able.

Tom mentioned the "hub and spoke" approach. I think that is a great way to do it especially for the FT group. My situation is quite different, I don't need the convenience of a long term location, but I do want to make the most of my experience while I am traveling. That means waking up where I want to be and not driving to it, and a smaller buses ability to do that dominates.

Sequoia stump beside our campsite. My youngest on the stump:

PP · July 30, 2011, 08:32:53 PM

We've been fulltiming for 13 years and I think we are currently in the smallest site we've ever been in. There isn't even room here to set up our tripod sat dish. Our toad is parked directly in front of the bus which is 40'. Funny thing is, even if we were 45' we'd still fit, just a little tighter against the shrubbery behind us lol, Will and Wife