FULLTIMING FOR 5 YEARS - OUR EXPERIENCE
BY Ann Dahlin

We have been fulltiming for 5 years. We had a little experience with RVing before we took the plunge but just enough to know we would like it. 

We needed to pick a 5W that was intended for full timing which is very important if you are going to be living in it all the time. We toured some factories which is very important because you end up spending time in them eventually. We also needed to find the best price because the dealers start out overpricing them. We went to several RV shows. Almost bought at the show but found that the best deals are not at these shows. We had time to be choosey so we got a good deal.

We ended up buying a 36 1/2 foot 5W Alfa Ideal. The gold was too heavy to pull with a Ford 250. We didn't want to drive a bigger truck. Remember this was 5 years ago. Things have changed. We feel we really picked well. Our trailer has a center island kitchen and 3 slideouts. The cutting edge at the time but now everyone has them. It also has a 5 year complete warranty. That was very important because we needed things fixed as we went along. We still like the configuration and colors. We have looked at other trailers but haven't found any that we liked as well. Alfa Leisure is located in Chino, CA and if you aren't from the west coast it might be a problem if you like the east. We are from Yakima, WA where the Alpenlite is made. We toured that factory and were very impressed with the way the rigs were built but they didn't have the configuration we wanted.

We have been around the US & Canada 5 times in the five years. We try to take a different route each time. We have looked up old friends and long lost relatives and have visited our daughters who live with their families in NJ & SC. We have wintered in AZ each year except for this winter that we have spent on the east coast.

If we had it to do over we might have gone the motorhome route. Traveling as much as we do, they are easier to park and pulling a "toad" makes it easier to go sightseeing. We have liked living in the 5W because we have more elbow room. With the new designs in Motorhomes with the slideouts they are a good bet. We now have a Chevy Silverado heavy duty diesel 2500 automatic. I can drive it just like a car. It has lots of pull power and we feel comfortable in the mountains.

Last summer we volunteered in ND at Fort Mandan where Lewis & Clark wintered before traveling west and had a wonderful experience. I am sorry we didn't do this sooner. We have met so many great people in our travels.

We belong to several clubs that help us save on camping charges. The best one is probably Passport America. It is cheap and saves 50% on daily charges. We belong to AOR which charges $8 a night for 2 to 3 weeks, Sunbelt, Escapes, and RPI & Enjoy America. If you are a full time RVer you need to belong to some of these. At first we moved around quite frequently but now we try to stay a while at each place; If you plan to do this RVing for a while joining Western Horizons or Thousand Trails might be a good idea. Find the best deal--don't pay top dollar--there are some good prices out there. Watch out for what parks you get in Western Horizons if you buy out someone else's membership. There are lots of pitfalls in these membership parks so do your homework. We really like the Western Horizons parks but most are on the West coast. Since we spent most of our winters in AZ that worked out well.

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