well I have not bought one yet but really want to get in to a travel trailer by September,
story goes like this.
currently going to college full time to get a commercial pilots licences. that's going to take about 2 years, once that is done depending on job opportunities and how I feel about it I will either settle down somewhere or move around a bit (6 months to a year in any one place) I love traveling and find I am most productive the first year in any new area, then I want to change the scenery again
so my current plan is once my apt lease is up I am going to do a long term stint at a trailer/rv park, and save some cash while doing flight school.
I am looking to grab a 27-32 foot TT and use a rental truck to get it to the place I am going to stay at, and if needed rent the truck to move it again, since I plan on staying long term in locations even after college is up I figure I can one way rent a truck for all my moves. does this make sense? I have towed 25 ish feet trailers in the military a bit so not worried about the towing part but not sure on that idea for a plan.
also I am a internet junky, I NEED good fast internet to survive but all the places I seem to read about only have wifi, but they also have cable tv, do some parks allow me to get dedicated internet to my trailer?
also what might I look at/for for my plan here, most of the tips n faqs on this site deal with on the go vs staying at one location for a while?
what hidden expensives might I run in to?
any ideas on what parks are better for long term vs short term?
I also notice that most places have a curfew but I am a night owl by nature, I like to work at night and sleep during the day, will this be an issue at most places? I am a quite person so noise from me wont be an issue, but I like to drive a lot so leaving and coming late at night might be kinda common for me in my daily driver...
also I am big on insulation, I read a little about winterized and insulated TT's but which are the best brands for noise reduction, since I sleep during the day it can get really loud specially since I figures most neighbors will be temp residents with kids running around so any suggestions on a good quite TT brand or build style?
anyways lot of questions for my first post, and I did read and search a bit before posting these (reading and looking is easier then typing this monstrous wall of text) so if I did miss anything please point it out for me
You really don't have to rent a truck to get the newly purchased trailer to the first "Home", just get the selling dealer or prior owner to deliver it for you.
If you rent a large enough truck with a hitch on it, then you can tow without a weight distribution hitch. Yes a F-650 will really not care if it has a weight distribution system or not. Even a dual rear wheel E-350 or F-350 U-haul will not care much about the weight on the hitch.
I hope that you make it through this adventure. Many will discourage you, and if you can get over that, and are stubborn enough to not let them slow your plans down, you will do fine.
Some wireless internet providers are pretty fast, and Wi-Fi is as fast as the connection that the park has, so if the park has cable internet with 100 megabytes per second speeds, you will be fine. You can also buy a wireless card that uses cell towers that runs in the 50 megabit per second speed ranges.
As mentioned, some park wi-fi is quite decent. Also, some parks have dedicated cable feeds for each site. You should be able to get a cable modem from the local provider.
as a computer nerd I have to say wifi wont cut it I work and stream a lot of media on the internet. all it takes is one person at the site doing some stupid stuff (illegal downloading with bt or other stuff that uses a lot of concurrent connections) or having a virus to kill the connection speed.
but the info on the cable modem part is good to hear, so the cable at sites is not always a company plan with allowance for guest viewing, but a dedicated cable to each spot then?
also from reading some more had another question to ask, heard some mention of small electronics being the target of theft at parks, is this a noticeable issue or just the vocal minority? can/should I beef up the door/door locks (my parents have a 5th wheel and I got to say that door is a joke...)
Verizons MIFI 2200 was my choice for maintaining the internet connections just about anywhere we go. We could not depend on the camp site WIFI services - some work good - most dont... Verizons have a newer MIFI out now but the plan is 5GB for $50. I got in when the rates were down and have a 3GB Dataplan for $27 a mo which allows 5 of my devices to connect using their built-in WIFI.
photo from google images
This unit has a range of around 60 feet around the unit, is very portable with 4-hour built in rechargeable batteries and also works from 120VAC transformer, small enough to slip into your shirt pocket. I have mine velcroed to the inside of my roof line behind the top curtain valance where it plugs into a 120VAC plug. Works great with the family sitting in chairs out of the beach watching the sunset over the ocena with all the notebooks and devices in you lap.
Has all the security protcol as any of these type of devices has...
I like this over the smart phones as it is a true WIFI extender and is stand alone. Allows you to use five of your computer-notebooks-etc devices with no physical connections. I carry my portable DELL 17-inch M90 laptop as main computer on trips - always connects as soon as I turn it on.
This unit also works great in the CRADLE cell phone holder that connects to an outside cellphone antenna. Sits in the cradle just like a cell phone does. I am planning to adding this cradle cell phone holder to my trailer so I can use an outside antenna for even better connections.
Works anywhere you pick up Verizon Cell phone service which seems to have the most coverage in the out of way locations across the US.
My Posts are IMHO based on my experiences - PM me Roy and Carolyn
RETIRED DOAF/DON/DOD/CONTR RADIO TECH (42yrs)
K9PHT (Since 1957) 146.52M
2010 F150, 5.4,3:73 Gears,SCab
2008 Starcraft 14RT EU2000i GEN
2005 Flagstaff 8528RESS
POPUP PHOTOs-Pg52-Pg56
I don't want to rain on your parade, but there's very few of your wants and desires that you are going to solve with a TT. IF you aren't trolling, your missing a bet.
1. IF you can find a TT that's set up for winter, it isn't going to be cheap. Many thousands. Unless you have a pocket full of money, you'll have to get a loan, and you don't have a job.
2. I'd be amazed if you can find a truck rental company that would allow you to tow, let alone a one way trip. Even if you did, you'd still have to get back where you started to pick up your car.
3. If you plan on camping in winter weather, you'll need to find a campground that's open. Most CGs in snow country simply close in the winter. They don't have enough business to make it profitable, so probably don't have insulated water outlets or the desire to pay the electric charges for the space heaters you'll be using.
3. Unless you can find a CG on airport property, you're going to need a car to get to work, assuming you can get a job with very few hours as Pilot in Command.
4. My flight instructor had his private, commercial, instructor, instrument and multi-engine ratings, and still wound up instructing for several years just to build up his hours so he could get a real job flying. Given the same ratings, the guy with 10,000 hours is going to get the job before one with 2,000 hours.
5. Unless you finally get a job flying charters, you'll be competing with private pilots that'll fly somebody someplace for free just to build hours for a commercial. When I got out of the Navy, I already had my college degree, so I used my VA money to get my commercial. I flew a guy from Cincinnati to Purdue Univ. for free just to build hours, and I wasn't trying to get a job flying. I just enjoyed it. Its hard to compete with free.
6. You're unlikely to find a CG that has high speed internet connections. Most of their customers use it to plan the next leg of their trip and to check EMails. WIFI works for that.
7. Driving in the RV park in the middle of the night may draw complaints from other campers. If somebody has to go, it will likely be you. And complaining about kids in an RV park making too much noise during the day for you to be able to sleep probably isn't going to draw much sympathy from the CG operator.
8. Finally, even if you find a CG with everything you want and they're willing to only charge $20/night, that's still $600/month. You can get a pretty nice apartment for that price. And if you decide to leave before the end of the apartment lease, you only lose your deposit.
Retired and visiting as much of this beautiful country as I can.
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