Our Full-Time RV Plan
Our working plan for moving from years of part-time RV travel into full-time fifth-wheel living.
Why full-time fifth-wheel life?
We’re not starting from zero. After more than 12 years of part-time RV travel, test trips, and years of fifth-wheel research, we’re preparing for the next step: selling the house, simplifying what we own, and moving into a fifth wheel full-time.
The goal is not to chase a highlight reel. It’s to create a more flexible next chapter while still being honest about the constraints: remote work, health insurance before Medicare, domicile, campground availability, Internet reliability, power, maintenance, costs, and comfort.
This page is our working plan. We’ll update it as assumptions change and real-world experience replaces research.
Progress so far
Part-time RV foundation
We’ve spent more than 12 years traveling part-time, taking test trips, learning what works for us, and refining the systems we would need for longer stays.
House sale and downsizing
Our house is on the market, and downsizing is now a major part of the transition. We’re deciding what to sell, what to keep, what to store, and what is worth carrying into full-time life.
Rig and systems planning
We’ve spent years researching fifth-wheel layouts, truck and towing considerations, solar and battery needs, RV Internet, remote-work reliability, and the practical setup required for full-time living.
Decisions we're still working through
Full-time RV life is not just a travel decision. It is a set of practical decisions that all have to work together: domicile, healthcare, connectivity, spending, and the systems we trust enough to rely on.
Healthcare before Medicare
We’re planning around health insurance before Medicare, including what kind of coverage works for a mobile lifestyle and how much we should expect to pay.
Domicile and mail
We’re using South Dakota as our intended domicile and evaluating the practical details: mail forwarding, vehicle registration, voting, banking, insurance, and paperwork while traveling.
RV Internet for remote work
Our Internet plan is built around redundancy: Starlink plus multi-carrier cellular, with enough reliability for Zoom calls, streaming, route planning, and day-to-day work.
Downsizing and carrying capacity
Moving into a fifth wheel forces every item to earn its space. We’re tracking what we sell, store, keep, and later regret carrying.
What we’re measuring
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Monthly Costs
Campground Value
Internet Reliability
Real-time tracking of campground fees, fuel, insurance, healthcare, maintenance, groceries, restaurants, memberships, and other full-time living expenses.
Scoring stays based on cost, big-rig access, safety, noise, utilities, dog-friendliness, Internet quality, location, and whether we’d return.
Tracking Starlink, cellular, campground Wi-Fi, speed, stability, and backup options for remote work and everyday streaming.
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Gear That Earns Its Space
Full-Time Tradeoffs
Lessons Learned
Evaluating tools, upgrades, and gadgets based on how often we use them, how much space they take, and whether they make full-time living easier.
Documenting the tradeoffs between flexibility, comfort, cost, maintenance, travel pace, and the routines that make life feel sustainable.
Honest updates on what worked, what failed, what surprised us, and what we would do differently.