Our full-time RV fears
We’re stoked to hit the road full-time, but we also have some hesitations.
Any dramatic shift in life comes with its share of hesitation and uncertainty. Heck, even minor changes can induce a certain level of anxiety.
When we decided to move into a camper full-time, we did so with a healthy dose of excitement and more than a spoonful of nerves. Call it measured optimism or a mix of yeehaw and whoa, Nelly.
As the time approaches for us to pack up our things and call our camper home, we’ve been trying to pinpoint exactly what our full-time RV fears are so that we can face them head-on.
What better way to explore those trepidations than by jotting them down and calling it a blog?
Things to know:
Moving into an RV is a daunting life change, and it comes with some pretty prominent fears. Here, we’re discussing the biggest concerns we have as we transition into full-time RV living.
Full-time travel challenges
We haven’t lived in a camper full-time (yet), but we have done multiple months in a row in a rooftop tent and nearly four straight months in a minimalist truck camper (Scout Kenai), so our list of perceived full-time travel challenges isn’t totally without context.
We’ve had many nights like this.
Still, we know this lifestyle will be an entirely different ballgame, so we’re looking forward to discovering new challenges along the way!
Working full-time on the road
We have to work full-time as we travel, which comes with a host of potential setbacks and frustrations. That makes this particular challenge a lot like opening a can of worms.
There’s no doubt we’ll dedicate future blogs to this topic because it deserves a dedicated space to be fully explored. For now, we’ll break our work-from-the-road dilemmas into some basic categories.
Connecting to the Internet on the road
Anyone who has spent time on the road–whether they have to work or not–has experienced the frustration that comes with limited or spotty connectivity. Whether you’re relying on mobile data or using satellite internet, there’s no such thing as a perfect solution.
We used Starlink on the road in 2023, and it served us well—but it isn’t perfect.
Because we rely on an internet connection nearly every day for our livelihoods, inconsistent access can be more than irritating–it can disrupt our ability to work and bring in an income.
We have enough travel experience to know that this is a big challenge, and while we’re taking steps to mitigate those issues, they are inevitable (to some degree).
Staying focused (and disciplined)
Look, travel is exciting. New places to see, activities to do, and food to eat can get you buzzing with anticipation. It’s part of what makes the nomadic life so appealing.
We have developed a healthy amount of discipline through our years of being self-employed, but we’d be lying if we said it was easy to remain focused in the face of such tempting distractions.
As we adapt to full-time travel and establish routines, this area of concern will surely fade (we hope).
Limited (office) space
For the last year and change, we have had ample space to stretch our legs, separate our work from our relaxation, and do our best to avoid feeling cooped up and cramped.
While the great outdoors will soon be our living room, there’s no question that our living space will be reduced dramatically. No dedicated offices, no individual desks, no dedicated computer monitors… you get the idea.
Cooking and counter space in a camper
We don’t want to project our experience with our previous truck bed camper to the camper we’ll be living in. They are totally different products intended for entirely different usages. They’re also not in the same price bracket.
The Scout Camper Kenai was stylish, rugged, and minimalistic, but counter space was severely limited.
That said, one of our biggest struggles in the Scout Kenai was the limited counter space for food prep and cooking. We had to change our approach to cooking and split up cooking duties so only one of us was in the “kitchen” at a time.
Not only was this frustrating and prone to messiness, but it also discouraged us from cooking as often as we normally do. If our camper is going to feel like home, we need to overcome this challenge and learn to be comfortable and efficient when cooking most of our meals.
Safety and security as nomads
We have a good amount of travel experience and know many people who RV full-time, so we know (logically) that it can be done safely and securely. Still, there is that voice in the back of our heads that questions how safe we actually are and causes a touch of paranoia. The lack of surety of what’s outside our door is enough to set us on edge.
There are inherent security risks in living on the road, but this particular challenge feels more like a mental hurdle than anything. We are confident that we will adapt to our new lifestyle without losing that valuable gut feeling that alerts us to danger.
Full-time travel and the bathroom
Call us divas; we can take it.
We’ve tried a variety of bathroom solutions while on the road. From digging holes to those fancy bags you get at REI, every option has pros and cons.
If you look carefully, you might spot a bathroom tent.
Unfortunately, there is no perfect solution, and that can be a frustrating barrier that prevents full-time RV life from feeling like a true home. While we think we’ve picked the most convenient option for this camper, even it has a downside–cost.
Full-time RV budgeting
It’s possible to save money with this non-traditional way of life, but it’s not easy. In fact, it can be downright hard, leading to the complete opposite–expenses can pile up real quick.
We’ve gotten a lot better at budgeting in recent years, and Riley has been keeping detailed records for quite some time now, so we know we can stay locked into a reasonable budget.
The question is, will the expenses of frequent travel, eating out, exploring new places, and otherwise leaning into our adventurous side overwhelm our desire to be disciplined? Only time will tell, but it’s bound to be an adjustment either way!
Water usage, hygiene, and relaxation
We’re clean people who enjoy a nice long shower to stay fresh and unwind after a long day. Given the limited water storage of our camper, standing under a steady stream of hot water for more than a few minutes simply isn’t practical.
Campgrounds and vacation rentals can occasionally supplement this lack of endless water, and we have no doubts that we’ll quickly adapt to this relatively minor inconvenience, but we’re also confident that it’ll be a challenge!
Despite our uncertainties, we have no doubt that embracing life on the road will be an exhilarating and rewarding experience for us. So, don’t let us fool you–we’re champing at the bit to pick up our camper and get this adventure underway.
Have you experienced any of these full-time RV fears? Do you have anything else we should worry about? If so, drop your knowledge in the comments below. We’d love to hear from you and welcome you to our little community.
If you’re interested in following our journey, you’re in the right place. We’ll be posting weekly blogs, as well as regular updates on YouTube and Instagram. For a more in-depth look into our life on the road, we even set up a Patreon.
Thanks for reading. We hope to see you on the road!
- Riley + Hanna
No van life for us - Why we aren't buying a Class B RV
After flirting with van life in the past, we decided against it for full-time travel. This is why we didn’t buy a Class B RV.
Hanna and I are many things. Young-ish, super hip, a tiny bit grungy, and well on our way to Instagram stardom. Okay, so maybe only one of those things is true (we’ll let you guess which), but we still seem like ideal candidates for #vanlife.
Truthfully, Class B RVs–including vans–are appealing. They are nimble, self-contained, easy to drive, get decent fuel economy, and the list goes on. So, why did we decide against becoming full-blown van lifers? I’ll tell you one thing: it wasn’t because of those “One Less Sprinter” bumper stickers (even though they are hilarious).
Things to know:
While vans are great for full-time travel, we decided against one for our full-time lifestyle. Here, we’ll discuss the pros and cons as we breakdown exactly why we didn’t buy a van.
Note: By the time you read this, we might already have a camper. Our intent is not to mislead you, we simply wrote these blogs well in advance!
The pros and cons of van life
Before we do a deep dive into our not-at-all-scientific approach to removing Class B RVs from the running, we have to come clean–Hanna actually owned and partially converted a van a few years ago. She did all the work herself, and it had loads of potential. When the pandemic hit and prices skyrocketed, she made the difficult decision to sell it and turn a tidy profit.
Hanna posing proudly with her empty Transit Van.
So, we have a tiny bit of van life experience, but not enough to be considered experts (or anything close to it). The majority of this list was based on the here and now–the evolution of our needs and our newfound direction.
Why vans are great
There’s a lot to love about Class B RVs and van conversions. Over the last several months, we’ve flirted with buying one to facilitate our adventurous life–we like them that much! From the easy driving experience to the I’m-on-an-adventure aesthetic, we have to admit that van life is pretty compelling.
As we listed out our top van life pros and cons, there were a handful of benefits that really stood out. Your list may look a little different, but we think these adVANtages really make vans special!
They’re a single unit, meaning that you can go from sleeping to driving without ever leaving the RV. This is great for a number of reasons, including situations where safety or weather is a concern. It also gives the entire unit a roomier feeling (in our experience, anyway), thanks to the large windshield and open cockpit.
They get better gas mileage than most (if not all) alternatives. They tend to be compact, aerodynamic, and more efficient. Some people report getting upwards of 20 mpg in certain vans, which goes a long way toward your range on a tank and definitely helps the budget!
They can be customized. Whether you’re a DIY magician, an RV lot shopper, or someone who wants to order a custom van through a builder, the possibilities are practically endless. This helps you get what you want within your budget. That’s a lot of flexibility!
Vans are compact, nimble, and have decent aftermarket support for things like suspension and bumpers. All of this means that they are better equipped than most of their RV counterparts to explore off the beaten path, push farther into the backcountry, and facilitate an off-grid camping experience.
Why van life isn’t for us
If that list of van life advantages (yes, I made the same pun. I’ll do it again, too) seems compelling, we’re right there with you. There’s a lot to love about vans, and we would definitely consider going the Class B RV route in the future. Right now, though, there are a few factors that pushed us in another direction.
Hanna in her partially-converted camper van. Photo Credit: Tori of Come to Bliss.
Vans are expensive
To be fair, nearly every RV route has the potential to get expensive. Due to the rising popularity of vans and the proliferation of high-end builders, vans tend to be excessively expensive–at least in our eyes. The bang for your buck just isn’t there, unless you heavily weight quality (which is fair).
When we went through our budgeting process, we compared the vans we liked against other options we could have for the same amount of money. That comparison really raised some eyebrows. For what many of the leading van builders are charging, we could have a pretty incredible truck-based camper, a gorgeous Class C RV, or a host of other really nice rigs. Alternatively, we could save a bit of money by choosing a less expensive camper and put the rest of the budget toward travel!
Let’s talk about bathrooms (‘cause why not?)
Campers and bathrooms are always a bit of a touchy subject. From black tanks to plastic bags, everyone has a different opinion of which is best, but I think we all agree on one thing–there is no perfect solution.
When it comes to Hanna and me, we value a private and semi-comfortable bathroom. I have some digestive issues (messed up pipes, we like to call them), so we have been on a multi-year quest to find the bathroom setup that works best for us when we’re on the road. What we’ve learned is we need to prioritize comfort and normalcy even if it means sacrificing a tiny bit of that wild, let’s-take-the-gnarly-trail spirit we tend to have.
All that is to say, vans often struggle to provide a legitimate bathroom for full-timers. Due to size constraints, they might have a little closet of a wet bath, but most rely on curtains or a turlet (if you’ve seen Impractical Jokers, you get this reference) in the open. We’re no longer about that life.
Hanna cruises past an outdoor store in her van.
A van is a van
My curse (one of many) is that I tend to overanalyze things to death. I think of contingency after contingency, nuance after nuance, and so on. Sometimes, I suffer from analysis paralysis, which drives Hanna banana-nut crazy. So, when choosing a camper, I couldn’t get the nagging questions of “what if” out of my head.
What if we want to leave the camper somewhere and drive into town? What if we stop traveling for a while and only have one car? What if we need to sell the camper, but the camper IS our vehicle?
These thoughts led to a semi-decisive conclusion–we needed something that could either separate from the camper, or we needed a camper that could tow a car.
Why we’re not doing van life
Despite a lengthy list of reasons to choose van life, it just isn’t for us (right now). I think we’ll always flirt with that lifestyle–maybe we’ll even embrace it one day–but we’re going in a different direction this time. With our emphasis on off-road capability, the ability to leave the camper behind, and outfitting our rig with a bathroom that works for us, the deck was stacked against van life. Most of them are just a touch too compact for what we want.
The big reveal (and I mean BIG) is coming soon. With full-time travel on the horizon, we have been working hard behind the scenes to ensure our camper will be ready to be our home by 2025. We hope you’ll stick around, continue checking out the blog, and follow along as we explore this beautiful country.
We also would love to learn from you! If you have camper, truck, or travel experience, please connect with us. From life-changing tips to something as simple as what plates won’t break as we rattle about on forest roads, every little insight helps!
- Riley + Hanna