The Fromingers

[The Fromingers]

Hello to those who may happen to read this post. We are an older couple who are sooo virgin to the RV world that we still don’t have an RV yet. We are waiting for just 2 more life events to happen before we can start our process of acquiring a rig and pull vehicle and start our voyage of full time RVing! The rest of our ducks are all lined up, we hope!

I have been doing lots of homework since 2015 when the idea hit me, researching the industry, figuring out if we wanted to or could do it, and then find out everything about the types, the care of and the buying process, etc,. I’m not exactly there yet, only book smart, but I have a good feeling about the whole thing. Over the last 7 years I have even gone out to numerous RV parks, dealer lots and trade shows, talking to whomever would chat and asking my questions I had for that particular visit.

We have determined the best rig for us will be the Solitude 380FL-R. We believe the builder is very respectable, produces a better than average product, and the floor plan fits what we want to do. We’ve even named it…
The Roamin Toad!

In the meantime, I’ll keep doing my homework and reading and researching everything I can get my hands on.
Our 2 remaining life events are almost here now, and the excitement of taking this next step is both scary as hell and hugely exciting to us both… Im not sure if she’ll want one now or not, but I’m gonna go get a drink!

The Fromingers

 

[NB Canada]

I couldn’t ever imagine starting out with a rig that size
I started with a pop up to a hybrid to a travel trailer

I wish you the best in this move

Going to need a big truck to haul it

Just remember that no matter the make of trailer they will require a ton of work that if you need to rely on someone else to do your experience may not be fun

 

[WhittleBurner]

Welcome! they say to buy your 3rd trailer first, looks like you are going to do that ! Have you joined the Escapees yet, if not think about it. It is a great resource for fulltimers.

 

[Steven@147]

Hello to those who may happen to read this post. We are an older couple who are sooo virgin to the RV world that we still don’t have an RV yet. We are waiting for just 2 more life events to happen before we can start our process of acquiring a rig and pull vehicle and start our voyage of full time RVing! The rest of our ducks are all lined up, we hope!

I have been doing lots of homework since 2015 when the idea hit me, researching the industry, figuring out if we wanted to or could do it, and then find out everything about the types, the care of and the buying process, etc,. I’m not exactly there yet, only book smart, but I have a good feeling about the whole thing. Over the last 7 years I have even gone out to numerous RV parks, dealer lots and trade shows, talking to whomever would chat and asking my questions I had for that particular visit.

We have determined the best rig for us will be the Solitude 380FL-R. We believe the builder is very respectable, produces a better than average product, and the floor plan fits what we want to do. We’ve even named it…
The Roamin Toad!

In the meantime, I’ll keep doing my homework and reading and researching everything I can get my hands on.
Our 2 remaining life events are almost here now, and the excitement of taking this next step is both scary as hell and hugely exciting to us both… Im not sure if she’ll want one now or not, but I’m gonna go get a drink!

The Fromingers

Howdy! Welcome, prematurely, to the full timing lifestyle. We have been full timers for 3 years now and still loving every day. Yes, I agree, checking into Escapee's RV Club (fulltimers club) would be a good thing. Doing your research and home work is important to get things setup for the kick off to full time. Domicile, financial/banking, health care, insurance truck/RV, USPS mail, both of us learning to drive the rig, updating our drivers license class, additional insurance for the rig in case of emergency, and aligning every company you do business with, to your new lifestyle. Then learning everything we can about our rig and its systems, electrical, propane, water, heating, AC, leveling system, suspension, holding tanks,,,,,,,,,, Yes we have had to fix a few things on the rig and maintain the rig but we have done it ourselves.

For us when we thought about going fulltime, we bought a 32ft Imagine and started going places for extended periods as a test to see if we thought we could handle fulltime. After 2 years we were ready, both fully retired, everything in place, traded up to a 37 ft Solitude and 1 Ton dually, then kicked off our fulltime adventure.

Get yourself a good RV GPS for traveling and check out RV Trip Wizard for planning.

We haven't had a bad day fulltiming yet, but if we do, we are ready to handle it. Best of luck to you!

 

[Najataagihe]

Don’t fret about the size of the rig.

My first RV was a 36’ 5th wheel.


Worry, instead, about the layout you have chosen.

My first RV had a similar layout and that front living room was pretty much a waste of space.

Unless you plan on lots of visitors or grandkids, you are not going to get optimum use of it.


It is terribly uncomfortable to try and watch TV from the side couches.

Unlike mine, yours, at least, has two theater chairs facing it.


One thing to consider, though, that might give you an additional perspective.

Don’t consider an RV a portable house.


Think of it more as a Tiny Home.

EVERY feature needs to be used, nearly every day, or it does not need to be in the RV.


Remember, every inch you add costs serious money.

Make sure every feature you get is worth it.


Sometimes, paradoxically, smaller is bigger.


Welcome to a new lifestyle.

You are going to love it!

 

[Soundsailor]

Hello [MENTION=54912]The Fromingers[/MENTION] , welcome to the forum. This is a good place to do some research and get feedback from those who have gone before you into full-time life in an RV. There's a lot to learn, you may benefit by renting a coach before you pull the trigger on your big investment. That would give you a clearer picture of what are "needs" and what are "wants." Keep checking in with us as you progress, we're here for you all the way.

 

[The Fromingers]

Thanks for positive vibes Steve and Tami.

 

[The Fromingers]

Don’t fret about the size of the rig.

My first RV was a 36’ 5th wheel.


Worry, instead, about the layout you have chosen.

My first RV had a similar layout and that front living room was pretty much a waste of space.

Unless you plan on lots of visitors or grandkids, you are not going to get optimum use of it.


It is terribly uncomfortable to try and watch TV from the side couches.

Unlike mine, yours, at least, has two theater chairs facing it.


One thing to consider, though, that might give you an additional perspective.

Don’t consider an RV a portable house.


Think of it more as a Tiny Home.

EVERY feature needs to be used, nearly every day, or it does not need to be in the RV.


Remember, every inch you add costs serious money.

Make sure every feature you get is worth it.


Sometimes, paradoxically, smaller is bigger.


Welcome to a new lifestyle.

You are going to love it!

Thanks for the advise and will keep that in mind!

 

[The Fromingers]

Update:
In October, one of our 2 remaining life events occurred, so we only have 1 more to go! Then at the end of last month we were presented with an opportunity we couldn’t pass up. We bought a 2023 GMC 3500HD DRW Denali Ultimate with 6100 miles. It’s got more goodies on it than we could ever use in a lifetime… but we’re gonna TRY REAL HARD! We installed floor mats last week and mudflaps are ordered. It’s fun to see the wife finally get excited about the stuff I’ve been telling her about for the last 9 yrs!

 

[redfernclan]

I have the Ultimate in a 1500. Not much to say but WOW.

 

[SGT ROC]

Update:
In October, one of our 2 remaining life events occurred, so we only have 1 more to go! Then at the end of last month we were presented with an opportunity we couldn’t pass up. We bought a 2023 GMC 3500HD DRW Denali Ultimate with 6100 miles. It’s got more goodies on it than we could ever use in a lifetime… but we’re gonna TRY REAL HARD! We installed floor mats last week and mudflaps are ordered. It’s fun to see the wife finally get excited about the stuff I’ve been telling her about for the last 9 yrs!

I wish you nothing but the best just on your enthusiasm! I hope it's everything you wish it to be, and it will be just because you want it to be!

 

[Tom Traveler]

We rented a 20 ft “Wolf Pup” to pull with our Tundra. We spent three days in it with our cat. We determined that we need a much bigger RV and a much bigger truck for our 6 month full timing (half timing?). That was the extent of our previous RV experience. We sort of jumped off of the cliff into the pool like they do in the adventure movies.

We wanted a small extra bath. That narrowed the choices considerably. We were struggling with how we would securely carry and store our bikes and kayak (inflatable). When we saw the 380FL-R floor plan with the rear pull-out storage tray and the big mid/rear storage, we were sold.

We really like the floor plan. We like the separate front living room and use it a lot. When you are spending a lot of time in an RV, I think the separate space has mental and emotional value. Friends have a bit shorter RV with the great room (combined kitchen-living room) layout. That layout is great for week long or shorter trips (their use for it), but I wouldn’t want to spend extended time in it, particularly during the shorter days of winter with long evenings.

 

[Steven@147]

Update:
In October, one of our 2 remaining life events occurred, so we only have 1 more to go! Then at the end of last month we were presented with an opportunity we couldn’t pass up. We bought a 2023 GMC 3500HD DRW Denali Ultimate with 6100 miles. It’s got more goodies on it than we could ever use in a lifetime… but we’re gonna TRY REAL HARD! We installed floor mats last week and mudflaps are ordered. It’s fun to see the wife finally get excited about the stuff I’ve been telling her about for the last 9 yrs!

Congratulations, that should do nicely on 380FL ! We did the same, bought our truck first. It took a long time for us to find the truck we wanted that would pull and carry the weight of the RV we wanted. We found our truck before Tami retired so she drove it to work a few months before she retired. She got real good driving a 1 ton dually through Austin Texas traffic!

 

[The Fromingers]

We are still in the “WOW” stage, and expect to be there for awhile. It’s fun just to sit in it while still in the driveway!

 

[Najataagihe]

Why wait?

See if there is an RV rental place near some place you want to see.

You don't HAVE to tow it from home.


Take one out for a spin for a couple of weekends!

It will help you decide what you really, really want!

 

[The Fromingers]

It’s been a while since our last update, but our final life event happened and we are working on wrapping up the last details for it, possible completed by this June 24’.
We had a few days of spare time and took a qwick trip to Detroit/Windsor, Ont. Linda gets free stays at different casino resorts and so we went. I had been watching RV Trader and there had been a rig that was in the Grand Rapids, MI area, in great shape and a good asking price, so once in Windsor, we drove across the state to see it. It was pretty, but after just qwick looks at different areas, I had found other issues that the pictures didn’t show. I knew we would make an offer but I still wanted to see it. It was a 21’ with limited mileage, but if we are going to use it full time, it would only have 1 yr left on the frame warranty GD just came out with earlier (this yr?).
Our next adventure is to the 25’ Florida RV Show in Tampa. We’re hoping to find a deal down there we can’t refuse! We would love to hear any advice on dealing with salesman and getting the best price…
Thanks for all the well wishes from everyone that post a reply!
The Fromingers

 

[The Fromingers]

Howdy! Welcome, prematurely, to the full timing lifestyle. We have been full timers for 3 years now and still loving every day. Yes, I agree, checking into Escapee's RV Club (fulltimers club) would be a good thing. Doing your research and home work is important to get things setup for the kick off to full time. Domicile, financial/banking, health care, insurance truck/RV, USPS mail, both of us learning to drive the rig, updating our drivers license class, additional insurance for the rig in case of emergency, and aligning every company you do business with, to your new lifestyle. Then learning everything we can about our rig and its systems, electrical, propane, water, heating, AC, leveling system, suspension, holding tanks,,,,,,,,,, Yes we have had to fix a few things on the rig and maintain the rig but we have done it ourselves.

For us when we thought about going fulltime, we bought a 32ft Imagine and started going places for extended periods as a test to see if we thought we could handle fulltime. After 2 years we were ready, both fully retired, everything in place, traded up to a 37 ft Solitude and 1 Ton dually, then kicked off our fulltime adventure.

Get yourself a good RV GPS for traveling and check out RV Trip Wizard for planning.

We haven't had a bad day fulltiming yet, but if we do, we are ready to handle it. Best of luck to you!

Thanks for the suggestions!

 

[The Fromingers]

Update…
We attended the 25’ Florida RV Show this Jan looking to make a deal with a dealership. With the economy the way it is today, the rv marketing still in a free fall and the time of year, we figured it was a great time to get a great deal. Nobody from FL thot the same tho! Maybe we should have waited a few days till the end of the show…? We went Wed-Fri and flew back on Sat. On Friday we only went in the morn, but decided to check on RVTrader and make some calls. In short, we are the proud owners of a 2025 Solitude 380FL-R! We had a 3rd party inspector look at it yesterday. I fly back on Feb 20th to do the PDI, then we pick it up about April 3rdish.
We are in the process of finding a generator system. We got sticker shocked yesterday on pricing for a generator prep with an Onan 5500 LP. If anyone has any comments, suggestions about generator setups or how they have their own rigs set up, we’re all ears. Until the 20th, we’ll just sit back and hyperventilate…

 

[WhittleBurner]

Can't help with the Generator but CONGRATS! on the 380! You should be very comfy in it

 

[Jason-Texas]

Update…
We attended the 25’ Florida RV Show this Jan looking to make a deal with a dealership. With the economy the way it is today, the rv marketing still in a free fall and the time of year, we figured it was a great time to get a great deal. Nobody from FL thot the same tho! Maybe we should have waited a few days till the end of the show…? We went Wed-Fri and flew back on Sat. On Friday we only went in the morn, but decided to check on RVTrader and make some calls. In short, we are the proud owners of a 2025 Solitude 380FL-R! We had a 3rd party inspector look at it yesterday. I fly back on Feb 20th to do the PDI, then we pick it up about April 3rdish.
We are in the process of finding a generator system. We got sticker shocked yesterday on pricing for a generator prep with an Onan 5500 LP. If anyone has any comments, suggestions about generator setups or how they have their own rigs set up, we’re all ears. Until the 20th, we’ll just sit back and hyperventilate…

Congrats on the truck & trailer. I have the same truck, just a 2020. I carry a Westinghouse dual fuel 4500 generator in the bed of truck, it’s heavy but does the job.