# Do a lot of survivalist/preppers have RVs?



## Dawurlzyours

I've recently been checking into RVs. I guess as part of my shtf preps. What do you think? Am I late? Everybodys already made that move? 
Sorry, I'm late to the game. Playing catch up. Anyway I think I'm looking for one of those tow behind RVs, not the kind that drives. I have no experience with either, i'd like an opinion from any preppers that are familiar with either Tow behind, 5th wheel, our Pop-up RVs.


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## mosquitomountainman

With a fifth wheel you lose the cargo space in the bed of the truck. We have two RV's. We left one in our winter location and have the other at home in the north-country. All types have their good and bad points. If you plan on spending a long time in one and have others staying with you then bigger is better. Our grandson nearly drove us all nuts when we spent the winter down south with him in our converted 14 foot, U-Haul truck. That's why we bought the motorhome. (It's 33 feet long.) Our U-Haul is our BO-RV. It's tough and will go places commercial RV's couldn't begin to access. It also has a wood burning stove in it for cooking and heating.


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## Meerkat

Dawurlzyours said:


> I've recently been checking into RVs. I guess as part of my shtf preps. What do you think? Am I late? Everybodys already made that move?
> Sorry, I'm late to the game. Playing catch up. Anyway I think I'm looking for one of those tow behind RVs, not the kind that drives. I have no experience with either, i'd like an opinion from any preppers that are familiar with either Tow behind, 5th wheel, our Pop-up RVs.


 We have towed them all. I'd say the pop up. It doesn't dance around as much to me.


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## txgirl

We have a 5th wheel and an enclosed cargo trailer. We could use either in an emergency, however the cargo trailer is smaller, lighter and faster to hook up.


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## Provider

Kinda depends on what tow vehicle you have. Personally, overkill is under rated. The bigger the towing vehicle the better.

Having said that...you don't have to go as far as I did.


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## hiwall

I have a small motor home, in fact I got back yesterday from a little three day stay in the hills. I used pop up tent trailers when I hunted in different states because with a 4x4 pickup you can pull them waaaay back in the hills to stay in. They work good but like someone said everything as good and bad points. I feel that every prepper should have some kind of an RV. They just make sense and you can often get them for very little money.


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## Meerkat

hiwall said:


> I have a small motor home, in fact I got back yesterday from a little three day stay in the hills. I used pop up tent trailers when I hunted in different states because with a 4x4 pickup you can pull them waaaay back in the hills to stay in. They work good but like someone said everything as good and bad points. I feel that every prepper should have some kind of an RV. They just make sense and you can often get them for very little money.


 This is true. Many are on sale now due to fuel prices and cost of living. Retirees are not traveling as much as before. Not only is it madmax in many areas that were once safe but Florida keeps getting hit by one disaster after another. If its not bio its chemical. First the fools dumped billions of gallons of oil in the gulf water's now we have parasites that crawl up your nose and your dead in 2 days, or the newest arrivals to our stinking overpopulated beaches is the ill famous flesh eating desease .


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## Tirediron

For an actual bug out trailer I would stay away from conventional RV type construction, and use a horse or stock trailer (most robust less room) or a well built cargo trailer. because RV trailers tend to try to pack all the comforts of home in the lightest package possible and they basisly use house type construction which is actually very fragile. Another huge bonus if you build one , you KNOW how to fix it. RV mechanics are busy people.


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## OldCootHillbilly

Currently we have a smaller motorhome. Love it. In 2008 we had a massive flood here an water an such weren't useable fer 8 days. We had all kinds a drinkin water on hand, so took the motorhome to a nearby town where momma worked an filled her up with water plus some spare water. Came back home an fired up the water heater an we had all the comforts a home. Toilet, shower, everthin. Wouldn't be with out one.

Motorhome be nice cause it's self propelled. Ours bein smaller means it handles well in traffic an I can get in places folks can't with them huge ones. Ours is a 65 year, super heavy built so it'll take on some less then nice terrain. I still have the option a pullin a trailer er vehicle behind it. Bad weather is not a issue. Lotsa storage. Has it's own generator. Runs on diesel which be easy ta get.

We had a pull trailer before when the lads was little. Very nice but ya gotta have a decent tow vehicle. Ya get purty long, 20' tow vehicle-25' camper. Ya have water, heat, shower an toilet. Plenty a storage. Good pertection from the weather. Smaller ones can be towed inta rougher places. Ya can adda generator, but most ain't really designed fer it. Gotta pertect them waste tanks ifin yer gonna go offroad atall.

We still own a pop up. Handy in decent weather. Light weight, lots a storage room. No runnin water in ours though. I like the fact ours hasa fiberglass top an the canvas tops are covered with vinyl makin em more water proof. Hot in the summer but we put a ceilin fan in ours an in the colder spring an fall use a chicken coup heater what keeps it warm. Ya can pull it with a fairly small vehicle over some perty rough terrain. My plans be ta rework the axel fer bigger tires an more ground clearence. Everbody wan'ts ta use it fer huntin season. Ifin it rains, yer gonna get damp. It be a tent on wheels, but least ya ain't in the mud. Strong storms, they ain't much fun in a pop up. Ya have some mechanical parts fer raisin the top that can (an do) break. Ours only got springs, some got cables an such. Them cable ones from what I've seen er a real pain in the rear. Some have toilets, sinks fridge an such. Ours never did. We just made up a wash station an carried extra water. Same fer cookin, either over open fire er a camp stove. Toilet, porta pot er 5 gallon bucket works. Fer a fridge, I always use onea them small dorm size fridge an plug in witha drop cord. Coolers work well to. Generator can be bolted on somewhere an don't have ta be large fer a pop up. They can be bought perty cheap, just check the canvas, cause ifin the canvas goes it be expensive ta redo. 

Now nother option fer yall. Buy a cargo trailer an convert it inta a camper bug out trailer. Ya could put in foldin bunks, an all er some a the same stuff what be in a RV plus have room ta tote more equipment. Ifin yer handy wouldn't be hard ta do tall. I've seen some really nice ones before.

We'll there be my experience with RV's. Is it the perfect bug out vehicle? Nope, but then niether er any a the other ones. It be a option an one I keep open. Just have ta figure out what'll work fer yall selves. Ifin ya ain't never camped out before, ya can rent em. I'd try each one fore spendin much money ta see what ones ya like an don't like. Could save ya some money in the long run.


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## hiwall

I removed the generator from my motor home. The last thing I want when I'm camping is to listen to a motor running. When I go camping I want silence but comfort is nice too. So I put 4 RV batteries and a larger inverter in the space the genny was in. I put 100 watts of solar on the roof and have another 100 watts that I left loose so I deploy them out each time I camp(I use a simple extension cord arrangement). I did this because sometimes I camp in the shade and I can move half my panels into the sun. I changed the out the propane refrig to a standard 120 volt model. It works great and costs me nothing to run(kinda). I have a small motor home and have gone places that some would be afraid to take their pickup. I can stay out a long time if I wish and do so in relative comfort. As stated above I have also used tent trailers and they have their strong points. I've stayed in tent trailers in below zero conditions. It worked but I did not care for it. RVs are warm weather things. It is difficult to keep your water from freezing unless you carry alot of propane. I assisted a relative in converting a cargo trailer into a toy hauler. It works but you end up with no storage tanks for potable or waste water except inside the trailer as they commonly sit very low to the ground. Otherwise it can be done easily and quite inexpensively. YMMV


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## mosquitomountainman

hiwall said:


> ...So I put 4 RV batteries and a larger inverter in the space the genny was in. I put 100 watts of solar on the roof and have another 100 watts that I left loose so I deploy them out each time I camp(I use a simple extension cord arrangement). ...


That's what we're going to do when we get back to our motorhome stored in Nevada. We're adding a 400 watt wind generator as well.


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## BillS

Dawurlzyours said:


> I've recently been checking into RVs. I guess as part of my shtf preps. What do you think? Am I late? Everybodys already made that move?
> Sorry, I'm late to the game. Playing catch up. Anyway I think I'm looking for one of those tow behind RVs, not the kind that drives. I have no experience with either, i'd like an opinion from any preppers that are familiar with either Tow behind, 5th wheel, our Pop-up RVs.


Why do you want an RV? What do you plan on doing with it?

I'm a prepper. I don't have one. We're bugging in so I don't see any reason to own one. But your situation could be greatly different.


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## OldCootHillbilly

We plan on stayin put to, but, we live in tornado alley. Home could be gone, gotta have some place ta live. Would the rv be a permanent home? No, but would give us time.


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## LincTex

Tirediron said:


> For an actual bug out trailer I would use a horse or stock trailer .


Here's a great starting point!!!
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sundowner-horse-trailer-/190950837229

Use you imagination to decide how to utilize the "horse" area....


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## goshengirl

OldCootHillbilly said:


> We plan on stayin put to, but, we live in tornado alley. Home could be gone, gotta have some place ta live. Would the rv be a permanent home? No, but would give us time.


That's where we're at, although we came to that conclusion from a different path. We have a 25 ft trailer that we bought during good economic times (personally speaking) for our family. It's given us a lot of great camping and, most importantly, family time together. Then when times got tough (personally speaking) and DH wasn't working, the kids thought we should sell the trailer. DH and I thought, no way. Not only would we not get much for a well-used trailer, but it's something to fall back on. We could live in it if we had to. Like Coot said, it wouldn't be a permanent home, but it would give us time. DH and I find comfort in knowing that we have that.

That said, I would love to deck out our trailer to make it more liveable in an emergency. I think it's great what a lot of y'all are doing.


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## PrepN4Good

We bought an old (& relatively cheap) tow-behind that we keep at our BOL. DH ripped out the bunk beds & put in more storage. It's got the basics (shower, fridge, stove, etc.). I could justify the expense to myself like some of ya'll, that we could live in it in case our house became unliveable thru a natural disaster, or even if we lost it to foreclosure.

In hindsight, I would save a little longer & buy something larger. When the dogs are staying there with us, we trip all over each other...it's like playing a very un-fun game of Twister...!


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## helicopter5472

I agree with Goshengirl, we have a 32 foot motorhome, (older 1996) but everything works, completely self contained with solar and inverters, genset, including a washer/dryer we never have used yet. We look at it as a place to live if we have to. We have acreage only 11 miles away with a river access rights, if our home gets compromised by any disaster. We also live two hours away from the Canadian border. It's something paid for that takes a small amount of maintenance that would be hard to replace if SHTF. One part of our backup plan.


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## Boomy

This is my next build, but I plan on a taller suspension and kayak racks on top.


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## FatTire

LincTex said:


> Here's a great starting point!!!
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sundowner-horse-trailer-/190950837229
> 
> Use you imagination to decide how to utilize the "horse" area....


If I had $47K id buy a piece of land and live on in a tent if I had to...

I dont have an rv, but I can see the wisdom in having one. Its on the long term list.


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## musketjim

We have a small 21 ft. class c. We didn't buy it as a prepper vehicle, just a nice vacation. When we put it away for the winter we leave it full of fuel and propane just in case. We pull the batteries and leave them in the garage.


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## GrinnanBarrett

We have both travel trailers (tow behinds), enclosed cargo trailers and flat bed military surplus trailers. The surplus trailers have been modified to use more conventional hitch systems. The big thing to remember with trailers is they can slow you down on the negative side. On the positive side they increase you load capacity by a country mile. If you have a GOOD travel trailer rig you can live out of it for an extended period of time. 

My introduction to using travel trailer rigs came when my family lived on the Gulf Coast. The smart folks down there had both a travel trailer and a cargo trailer. If hurricane popped up in the gulf they loaded up the two and headed out for parts north. Another thing to remember is if you are going to have trailers do not store them away from your home base. We keep ours close at hand so when the need arises we can hook up in minutes not hours. Except for gear that is heat and cold sensitive we keep the rest on board the travel trailer and ready to go. All we need to do is load up BOB's and some food and away we go. 

In the bed of the pickup trucks we keep small generators. Most of your travel trailers run off 30 AMP circuits so you need two adapters. One is a 30 AMP female to a 15 AMP male to allow you to hook up your trailer to your home and keep it charged up and running a minimal number of items in it. Also have a 30 AMP female to a 50 AMP male adapter. This allows you to hook up to larger generators running 50 AMPs or to Parks having on 50 AMP hookups. 

I would also suggest replacing the two standard 20 pound propane tanks on most models with 30 pound tanks. Keep the propane tanks full and have a meter on them to keep up with how much propane you have on board. I also would get a small solar trickle charger for your battery on your trailer. make sure it is waterproof. You can attach the solar panel to your propane tank covers. I like the 2.5 AMP charger although a 1.5 will work fine. They are cheap so buy more than one. One can be put on the dash of you vehicle to be sure it is charged up all the time. 

Have a can of clear sealant rubber to take care of leaks that may occur. Also have precut blocks for use under your tires and jacks. And never leave home without a complete manual tool set. Something will need to be fixed.


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## tsrwivey

We have a 27 ft 5th wheel with slide outs. The slide outs really make a big difference in how comfortable the RV is, so if you're going to spend any amount of time in the RV &/or are going to have more than two people in it at a time, you might want to consider at least one. Ours is part of our bug out plan & we have had to bug out in it. It's definitely not like living in a house but it sure beats living in a shelter or hotel. At least we could have the dogs & cat with us.

A couple of cautions before you buy though. It's very easy, especially for preppers, to really get a lot of weight in an RV & you have to have a vehicle really capable of pulling that weight easily. Two, you have to know how to pull, park, back up, etc the RV & it's not as easy as you'd think. My husband has had to back someone else's RV into its lot at the lake on numerous occasions, after the guy has spent 30 minutes trying to do it himself, his wife is b!tching at him, he's highly embarrassed, & what was supposed to be fun has turned into a circus.


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## smaj100

We keep a goosneck horse trailer at our property where the horses are. And until the house is built and complete to make it bug in, the trailer has living quarters with most amenities in it, to include multifuel fridge, solar and generator hook ups for a regular gas gen. It would get old quick with more than a few people in it, but with the horses happily in pasture the whole back end could be bunked out for sleep a few folks. Would beat a long term stay in a tent or ruffin it.

I'll 2nd ensure you have a vehicle capable of towing it with all the added weight of supplies in it. Also practice towing, backing and driving it in general. Setup some cones or obstacles and practice using your mirrors to back up and park.


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## cowboyhermit

Well I don't plan to ever leave this place for long, especially if tshtf, don't know of anywhere better for myself. Sometimes there is no choice though (house fire, evacuation, etc) and if that is the case it is a relief to know I can hitch up to the trailer and have what we need to be comfortable. Have lived in a trailer before when remodeling etc and it paid for itself many times over. I am so much more comfortable in a space of my own than staying with others or in a hotel. I love camping too, but that is a separate issue.

In today's world rvs can serve many functions too; guest house, extra storage, etc. overall they are very useful even if they don't get moved around much.


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