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flwerfire
New iberia, la
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Joined: 05/09/2012
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Hello everyone,
Posted in another area but figured this would be the more appropriate area. My husband I have been doing alot of research about become full time rv'ers now the the teenager has finished high school. We were all set to buy a 5th wheel when we found out we will be relocating for his job to Maryland..Baltimore area.. We haven't given up our dream of being full time rv'ers but are now faced with a whole new set of questions as the climate in MD is waaaayyyy different than here in Louisiania (where we live).
We would really appreciate honest information regarding:
1. Feesability of being full time in that area
2. Type of vehicle (does a 5th still make sense?)
3. What specifics to look for in a year round rv
4. Rv sites
and any other info you all may have and be willing to provide..
Thanks!!!
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SidKaye
Mt Dora Florida, Montreal QC for the Summer
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Joined: 09/03/2003
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Full time can be done anywhere with proper planning and money.
There are NO inexpensive Campgrounds in the Baltimore area. I know you did not ask about cost, but Campgrounds in that area are sparse.
We have fulltimed in our 5er for the past 10 years, so a 5er makes sense.
We have full timed and worked with our RV from many cities around the country for more than 30 years including the area around New Iberia,Lafayette, Baton Rouge and virtually all of Southern LA.
We did remain pretty mobile and it is a bit different if you will remain in one place. If one place or area, you might want to check on Mobile Home parks that have sites available for a Trailer. They will typically cost a lot less than a Campground.
Sidney
2003 Dodge Ram 3500 SLT,48RE, 4:10,Cummins HO Diesel,Quad Cab,LWB,SRW,PacBrake,Prodigy, X-Monitor Gauges,Line-X,Bedsaver
2002 Excel,Ltd,30RGW,Hughes Autoformer,Honda Eu1000i, ClearSpot 4G+,
http://www.kayepics.com
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rockhillmanor
On the Road
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Joined: 12/06/2003
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I full time and have been caught staying in just cold winter temps no snow several times and only for a a couple of weeks and I will 'never' put myself in that position ever again. Maryland has brutal winters.
All I can say is, sure it can be done as many will pipe in and say but RV's are not insulated and not set up for winter temps. You have to make a LOT of alterations to keep you warm AND be in the dark most of the time unable to look out the windows because of them. I have experienced it and it's down right uncomfortable. IMHO if it were me I would be looking for temporary housing for the duration of your DH job. THEN go full time so you can enjoy the experience.
Renting a mobile home in a trailer park is an option but they are not as cheap as it was years ago with the onset of the economy and more people moving into trailer parks the cost of renting a mobile is pretty darn close to renting a nice apartment nowadays.
We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned,
so as to have the life that is waiting for us.
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flwerfire
New iberia, la
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Joined: 05/09/2012
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Thanks for the info.. Living down here in Lousiania being full time didnt seem like such a difficult thing. Now that we are moving, and actually further north from Baltimore, up near the PA border I am not sooo sure. My husband is a Commercial diver and this job is an inspection job on the Millard E. Tydings Memorial Bridge. I am retired Navy so with our son graduated and moving out being full time rv'rs seemed perfect as his company has jobs all over the US and now I can travel with him.. I have looked around and not seen that many RV friendly/pet friendly sites up there as down here, nor for the price. There is a place we were going to stay down here a KOC (not KOA) that is $400 a month and that includes "everything" all hook-ups and cable and internet plus a pool and lake to go fishing..seemed perfect for us.. This job move as really made me wonder if (a) we should do this now vice finding a short term lease (sometimes difficut with dogs) or ditch the 5th wheel idea and go for a motor home, we do have another car for daily driving. I haven't been in a motorhome since I was a kid driving with my family in our Winnabago when my Dad was in the Navy, so not alot of knowledge to make a comparison.. Price is of course a factor and wow that area is pretty pricy (compared to here..lol) We were thinking orgionally that buying an rv up there close to winter would give us a better chance at pricing as they would be more eager to get inventory off the lot (non spring summer peak time). Yet we have found some rather nice 5th wheels down here, but are not thinking they are really winter ready since it doesn't ever really get that cold down here.. Soo many thoughts and not alot of info.. we will of course keep looking, asking questions and hope to get some more info by posting here..
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TripleE
Ohio
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You can look into staying on one of the military bases up there in order to give you time to decide what to do since you are retired military. They also offer storage space to put the rig if you decide not to live in it.
Bill & Treasa
Our Blog
USMC Retired MGySGT
2005 Winnebago Vectra 40AD
400 Cummins, Freightliner chassis
2004 Suzuki Grand Vitara 4X4
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bsinmich
Holland, MI
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Joined: 11/18/2000
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There is a huge difference in RV manufacturers. Newmar makes MHs and 5th. wheels and they actually list their R ratings for insulation in their brochures. Double pane windows also help with temps as well as sound. Triple E, from Canada, also is a well insulated rig. There are others but those are the only ones that come to mind. You can rent a 100# LP tank from the local propane supplier and keep the furnace going that way. This isn't impossible but does take a little more care on choosing the manufacturer. I would also add that Maryland is not the worst place for cold and snow. They have it easy compared to Buffalo, NY.
1999 Damon Challenger 310 Ford
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Leenite
Here
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Joined: 04/21/2007
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If you'll be closer to Pennsylvania than Virginia, that just increases the difficulty of living full-time in ANY kind of RV.
Yes, winters are easier in this area than they are in Buffalo, but that's beside the point. You would still need to fully insulate the underside of the rig, especially all parts of the water/plumbing systems.
RV roofs are flat, not designed to shed piles of snow or withstand a thick coating of ice. And they're only accessible by means of a cold, narrow metal ladder, unless you rent a cherry-picker. We had a mild winter in 2011-12 but that's pretty unusual.
Much as I'd like to have you & DH as (sort of) neighbors, I advise you to find some sort of temporary rental housing, and put off the fiver full-timing until DH gets a gig inspecting those bridges that go out to Key West. ;-)
Leenite in Baltimore
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kakampers
Fulltimer
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Joined: 04/02/2004
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You won't be any warmer in a motorhome.....
2013 Heartland Landmark Key Largo with Mor Ryde IS and disc brakes
2011 Chevy Silverado 3500 DRW Crew Cab Duramax Diesel
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rockhillmanor
On the Road
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Joined: 12/06/2003
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kakampers wrote:You won't be any warmer in a motorhome.....
Yup, same thing I was thinking.
With a MH, A or C both have a windshield and side windows and trust me they are NOT thermo pane nor is the front of the chassis of either one R rated and that is where most of the cold comes in thru. ![[emoticon]](http://www.rv.net/sharedcontent/cfb/images/awink.gif "awink")
RV's were never designed for living in during the winter. Can you? Yes. but it is a REAL pain dealing with all the alterations that have to be put in place so you don't freeze to death!
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flwerfire
New iberia, la
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Joined: 05/09/2012
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Leenite... you stated what we were talking about last night, told the hubby that I wasn't finding a whole lot of positives about winter Maryland rv living and said I'd rather find a temp place for the winter. Then come early spring start looking again for a 5thdiver wheel, this way we don't put ourselvs in a bad situation. Gives us more time to research and find what we want and also a full springg, through fall to work out any quirks we find in whichever rig we buy. Just doesn't seem smart to try a snow, icy, winter as newbie rv'rs. We have no idea where the next job will be we just go where they say to so who knows where the next job will be. This gives us more time for research, money saving, and learning which can never be a bad thing..
Leenite wrote:If you'll be closer to Pennsylvania than Virginia, that just increases the difficulty of living full-time in ANY kind of RV.
Yes, winters are easier in this area than they are in Buffalo, but that's beside the point. You would still need to fully insulate the underside of the rig, especially all parts of the water/plumbing systems.
RV roofs are flat, not designed to shed piles of snow or withstand a thick coating of ice. And they're only accessible by means of a cold, narrow metal ladder, unless you rent a cherry-picker. We had a mild winter in 2011-12 but that's pretty unusual.
Much as I'd like to have you & DH as (sort of) neighbors, I advise you to find some sort of temporary rental housing, and put off the fiver full-timing until DH gets a gig inspecting those bridges that go out to Key West. ;-)
Leenite in Baltimore
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