Should we get an actual tiny home on wheels?
Or an RV/trailer?
We started watching videos of people's experiences living in both. Other than occasional complaints about expenses, and some who just didn't realize nomadic life isn't for them until they were already in it, people generally loved it. One key thing we noticed... Everyone who lived that way for a while, had a real sense of peace and contentment in their face and the way they carried themselves. The ones fresh out of, or still in the rat race looked stressed and overworked. The ones that are just starting to get their groove still looked stressed, but you could see that the weight was being lifted.
That's what we want right there... That peace. This is definitely the right direction!
Now, in order to do this, we needed to look at the facts for our situation in particular. We didn't want to follow someone else's dream that's similar or even the same as ours, only to find out that we did it wrong and/or it doesn't suit our particular situation.
After all, neither of us has any experience or knowledge about this type of lifestyle, so we're starting from scratch!
When we started thinking about what type of dwelling we would choose, we had to factor in our own needs and desires, because what's perfect for others, could be a disaster for us.
What We Want/Need:
• We want to travel the country. Even if we don't get to do that, we want to be able to pick up our home and go, should we need to leave the property. So it needs to have wheels.
• We can't just tour around the country with an actual "tiny house". It's just not practical. But a "tiny house" can go on the back burner for when we settle down. So we need some type of RV or trailer.
• The kids are still young enough to go without complaints and just roll with it. If they were older, a conversation with them would be important so as to include them in our decisions.
• We like change, and we want to travel. He use to be homeless for 2 years, and I use to live off the grid in Newfoundland. We're use to a sporadic lifestyle with hard work to survive and enjoy being on the move. We don't like day to day routines. We are both use to living frugally with very little funds, and we both want to unschool our kids. So a nomadic lifestyle is perfect for us... It's not for everyone, though, so really think about what you're committing to, if you do want this.
• We need to be able to park the house and take a normal vehicle around for errands. This will be our home, with two kids and pets we can't just pack up and haul a house around just to go get a loaf of bread. So an RV is not feasible. We need a truck and tow-behind trailer.
• We live in Canada, we can't run from the weather. It's going to be cold most of the year. So we need to find something that's winterized and solid. (Research winterized trailers, and also, how to winterize trailers)
• We need something small that we can find parking for in the winter, because there aren't many year round trailer parks, and the ones that are there, are expensive. But it has to be roomy to accommodate our family. The kids need space to play without cluttering their toys around our feet.
Our Options
Our situation narrows our options down drastically. We need a truck and trailer. It has to be winterized, or at least sturdy enough to do that ourselves, and needs to be small but roomy.
We did a search on YouTube:
"Full time RV life in Canada with kids".
A lot of valuable videos came up from families that have experienced this lifestyle with kids and have made their mistakes, going through multiple trailers. Their mistakes told us what not to buy and do... And it seemed unanimous that a 30ish foot fifth wheel is small enough to travel with, and feels big enough inside to live comfortably with kids. They're also the warmest trailers. Another discovery we made by watching those videos, was that we need to research winterizing. Apparently, salesmen will tell you it's winterized, but it really isn't... It's more just built to be a bit warmer in the spring and fall. True winterization is insulated walls and floors, as well as double pane windows. Special attention needs to be placed on any piping running outside the trailer, even just little joints... They cannot be exposed and need good insulation to keep from freezing. Heated pads for the holding tanks are a must, to keep your water from freezing.
There are winterizing packages, and trailers like the Arctic Fox that are built already winterized, but realistically, if we can't afford one of those options, we need to know enough to do it ourselves. So I'll delve into winterizing another time... At least now we have an idea on what we're getting into and what we need!
Next, I'll be creating a solid research plan. Thanks for reading!
**This article is part of a series of our research and thought processes on switching to a mobile tiny home and traveling the country. If you'd like to see the rest, check the tag "mooretravellers", otherwise, here are the links to my previous articles:
•[https://steemit.com/intoduceyourself/@mommanatural/hello-again-steemit-i-m-back](Hello Again Steemit, I'm Back!) May 28, 2018
•[https://steemit.com/tinyhouse/@mommanatural/why-choose-a-mobile-tiny-home](Why Choose a Mobile Tiny Home?) May 29, 2018