Pros and Cons of Fulltiming

[Caz]

Hi Gang,
......................THIS IS THE POINT OF MY POST -
The first thing to say on arrival & after Plonking The Nest In the Corner Up against the Wooded area at the End is ‘I fancied a Bacon Butty & Cuppa !’
& That means IT’S GENNY TIME !!!!! ..................

No problem with a quiet Genny running for 20 mins or so in daytime BUT what I don't get is why you need electricity to cook a bit of bacon and boil a kettle? Much easier and less bother to do it on my gas stove. I wouldn't know where to begin starting up a Genny anyway.

 

[Nesting Zombie]

No problem with a quiet Genny running for 20 mins or so in daytime BUT what I don't get is why you need electricity to cook a bit of bacon and boil a kettle? Much easier and less bother to do it on my gas stove. I wouldn't know where to begin starting up a Genny anyway.

Hi ya Caz,
I don’t run my Genny After say 19:30, I Fill a Stainless steel Thermos flask with Boiling water for my Hot drinks in the evening. I only have to Press a Button on the Dashboard to start my Genny, Then Push Another one to stop it, So Not a hassle !. & most of what I use is Electric (Microwave, Griddle, Kettle Ect).
Yes I’ve got gas (A FULL 22lt Refillable Bottle) & a Full 4 burner Hob with Grill & Oven. It’s been WELL over a year or even 18 Months since I used that !.
Got a Gas Fire, Only used a cpl of times in the last 4 years or so. Got my Multi Fuel Stove for Heat & Boiling water or Heating a Pasty.
Yep, it all works fine for me aboard The Nest.

 

[Nesting Zombie]

ooops, Sorry Duplicating post Deleted

 

[Nesting Zombie]

Just having a look back at some of the places I’ve stayed over the last 5 years or so while Shuffleing around & came across This Almost forgotten Tool on my Google App Thingy Page that I use to use for Logging my Favourite 2 night or more spots (Didn’t bother with the Overnight ones) I used the first 3 years or so of my Travels -
View attachment 64995
I have to say I can’t remember WHY I stopped using it,,,I think it was because as from January LAST year I was actually working for what became a few months at a time in one place before moving straight on to another position that had been arranged for me & doing it again for a few months to help Top up the Travel Coffers So it’s 18 month out of date now,,,But I think I will restart using it,,,
BTW the Blue Dot thing is where i is NOW !
Clever innit !

Obviously it Zooms in to Street view level, I just posted it to cover the UK.

 

[mariesnowgoose]

Just having a look back at some of the places I’ve stayed over the last 5 years or so while Shuffleing around & came across This Almost forgotten Tool on my Google App Thingy Page that I use to use for Logging my Favourite 2 night or more spots (Didn’t bother with the Overnight ones) I used the first 3 years or so of my Travels -
View attachment 64995
I have to say I can’t remember WHY I stopped using it,,,I think it was because as from January LAST year I was actually working for what became a few months at a time in one place before moving straight on to another position that had been arranged for me & doing it again for a few months to help Top up the Travel Coffers So it’s 18 month out of date now,,,But I think I will restart using it,,,
BTW the Blue Dot thing is where i is NOW !
Clever innit !

Obviously it Zooms in to Street view level, I just posted it to cover the UK.

What's the app? It looks quite useful, and it obviously was for you

I notice you've only posted up a pic of the blue dot showing where you're located after you polished off the carrot cake.

Poor old starving Hippy ... and all the others who were hankering after a slice... :raofl:

 

[Nesting Zombie]

What's the app? It looks quite useful, and it obviously was for you

I notice you've only posted up a pic of the blue dot showing where you're located after you polished off the carrot cake.

Poor old starving Hippy ... and all the others who were hankering after a slice... :raofl:

It’s actually part of the Google Maps app thing, Then click on Where You is, Drop pin, Then Add to My Favourites & it stores it for you, I don’t give them names, Just put Stars,,,

& it was a Tactical move Not to show where I was until AFTER I had eaten the Booty !.

 

[harrow]

What's the app? It looks quite useful, and it obviously was for you

I notice you've only posted up a pic of the blue dot showing where you're located after you polished off the carrot cake.

Poor old starving Hippy ... and all the others who were hankering after a slice... :raofl:

It's called invisible cake mode, until the cake is eaten

 

[harrow]

Besides it's daytime hippy will be asleep.

 

[Carrerasax]

Hi

Like you, we find the best aspect of full-timing the freedom. We have always enjoyed travel, exploring new places, having new experiences, meeting new people and visiting old friends. If a place turns out to be not as enjoyable as you first thought (or if the neighbours turn out not to be friendly, you can just move on - although this rarely happens. We have been living this life since retiring nearly fifteen years ago and see no prospect of giving it up in the foreseeable future. Bad weather can be limiting but we spend our winters in the driest and warmest part of Europe - south-east Spain - so that tends to happen more in our summers than winters! We still have a house in Derbyshire, which serves as our address - so we have never had a problem registering with doctors, dentists etc. and can't really identify too many serious problems. We have "Three" mobile internet, which operates at the same rate in Europe as it does in the UK. We don't have pets, so that isn't a problem. Our children said that, being confined together in a small space, we would kill each other but it hasn't happened yet! Parking when shopping is sometimes a problem (more in England than Spain) but most supermarket car parks are accessible. If you go out for the night to the theatre, for dinner, to a football match etc, you take your home with you which means you do not have to worry abut drink-driving! Similarly, when dropping in on friends and family, you don't feel you are imposing on their hospitality because you sleep in your own home. On the whole, I could list many advantages but have to think hard to list the disadvantages.

All the best
John

How do I get the missus interested , that is the question???

 

[Nesting Zombie]

I think a MASSIVE Pro for Fulltiming is it’s the perfect opportunity to get you to explore places while on your travels,
Now I’ve not only run out of Donuts, But ALSO Cider from the Bosom of my beloved West Country/Cornwall Shuffling grounds, (That will serve me right for meeting mates on my travels & using up my stock).
So,,,I thought I would combine a visit to a Abbey & Pick up some Cider on the way,,,
But THEN i Came across ‘Appleforth Abbey’, Now call it Devine intervention or whatever you believe but my Zombie senses started to Tingle as THEY MAKE & SELL Cider !.

Now I haven’t got ‘High Hopes’ with this being a North Yorkshire Cider,

But you know what,,,,It really ain’t bad !.

& they’ve got over seven acre of mixed Apple that they use for this golden loveliness, Very Busy Place, Lovely Buildings & Ground. definitely worth a visit. Parking is Free, BUT out of curticy & due to being in a Motorhome I gave them a ring first. Nice Tea Room & of course CAKE !,,,The Church/Abbey tour is Free. After have a chat to Rachel Powell for the Orchard tour... Although you can’t overnight on site (I Pointed Out it’s a missed opportunity for an income towards the church roof fund !) I for one could live here quite happily until the Apples ran out !.
I’m on another day out today, But this time it’s to a Raw Butchers Meat preparation area !

Yeah it’s the Zombie in me !

 

[Nesting Zombie]

Hi Gang,
Well my favourite time of year is now chomping away at the bit & rearing to get truly started, Winds are Colder, Nights are Clearer & The Duepoint is starting to Freeze with more & more regularity. So it’s time to think about A bit of extra warmth for The Nest in the Evening & Throughout the night to keep it Happy & to make its job of looking after me a bit easier & is probably even more important to get sorted for any Winter users or Fulltime Liveaboards.
So, With that in mind I’ve got a good Stock Pile of Dry Kindling to Start & if Necessary feed ‘Nesty’ my Multi-fuel Stove, I’ve also got about a months worth of Its preferred Main course of ‘Hotties’ Compressed logs & Coffee Ground Compressed Logs that are each cut into smaller chunks & burn well with little ash. So when established & settled (This can take an hour or so of management, But beats watching TV) I bank it up as I go to bed, Shut the Draw down & Enjoy it giving good heat for around 5hours into the small hours of the morning. The art (& Drawback) is catching the fire in such a small Stove with a Handful if Kindling & Fresh Main Course of Log Chunks in time for it to ‘Fire up’ again !. so will now have to synchronise my Morning Wee regimes with ‘Nesty’.
The Coffee Logs are about £6 for 18 Logs, I Cut Thease in Half because of the size of the Firbox to get 32 Chunks (18p ish a chunk)
‘HotRods Or Hotties’ if bought in bulk are about 45p each & I Cut each one of These into 3 giving me Chunks (15p ish a chunk)
I burn typically 13 or 15 ‘Chunks’ ON AVERAGE every Evening/Night So Say 10 Hours of good DRY Smokless heat. Sooo I’m guessing that’s around £1.70 per 10 ish hours, 17p per Hour Not that bad in my mind if my math is right !.
Temperatures within The Nest can be Tropical & as you would expect fluctuates a lot, But I like it Around the 18-25°C if possible. & of course in with that 17p per hour I can Heat up my Pies, Pasties for Lunch/Dinner. Water for Drinks & Flask for Washing water & Dry my wet clothes nicely over Night.
NEGATIVES
Yep a Few -
It has to be Managed, You can’t just Flick a Switch & leave it & Temperature DOES fluctuate a Fair Bit.
It’s safer in my view to Clean the Flu & Ash Box Out Before moving off from your Park up.
It’s probably NOT the kinda heating that you would want to bother with for just an hour or two, if you’re going to lite it then it’s for the Night.
POSITIVES
Having had Nesty for a time now there’s just TOO Many to list.
Of Course I have also got Electric & Gas Heating & Cooking aboard for Occasional Or Emergency Use if I need it.
Moving on to Window covers to help Keep Heat In & Cold out.
I have used my Home made ‘INTERNAL’ silver Bubble Wrap screens for YEARS now, & on the whole very VERY happy with them. Yes I ‘Sometimes’ get a little condensation on the internal of the glass, (in fact I have today!) but It is often just a little & has been no biggie to The Nest over the years. I just prefer INTERNAL screens for my lifestyle !.
SO, I’ve now got some of These Posh ones...!

First impressions is, I’m a little disappointed in the Quality actually, But I don’t know how much of that is disappointment as a result of comparing these £56 ones to my home made £6 ones !.
They ARE nicely Padded & Quilted, They DO look a lot better than mine, But the Piping or Edging on the two side window covers is all uneven & varies in size & Shape a little to the opposite one !, & The Main Windscreen one isn’t a good fit at all, With Bits curled around Top, Bottom & Sides,,,,To my mind they just look ‘Untidy’ !
BUT
Immediately can tell it’s Soundproofing Qualities, & it’s certainly doing what I would wager a better job at keeping Warm in & Cold Out.
So I will give them a settling in period for a proper review on Their performance aboard & to see if the Condensation is Worse or Better !.
Apart from the two small Slit windows above Cab as Thease are cracked open anyway when the Stove is on There’s New Draught Excluding to fit to all Window edges, Pipe insulation fitted to Exterior Water Pipes, Extra Insulation ‘TO’ fit to Both the internal Hot water tank & External Main Cold water Tank, This is probably all I will be doing for a bit now.
All in Preparation for the Beast from whatever direction it decides to attack from !.

 

[Nesting Zombie]

Yeah I do think that Gas is A LOT cleaner, & possibly Cheaper too. Although arguably & in my mind it’s a ‘Wet’ heat (Maybe) But It has to be said at Around a Ltr of Gas for 10 hours of Sustaned Controllable heat is Blinking good innit !. However I DO like a Multi Fuel Stove, & I also like the idea as a Full Time Livaboard that likes a little comfort Thease days of a few different ways of doing the same thing. As I say, Factor in the Heating up of some Grub, The Boiling of Water, The ‘Man Thing’ of FIRE & The Smile on your face while watching the Flames (For Me) it’s not JUST about cost, it’s about enjoying my chosen lifestyle. & it then makes the Gas I do have aboard go even further !.

 

[landoboguy]

hey NZ,
Started reading this thread when I woke at Conwy this morning by the sea, and just finished it now staying at New Brighton/Wallasey tonight.
Im impressed, impressed by the way in which the challenges it throws at you, seem to be batted off as part of the fun, and the roganised regimented way in which this lifestyle can make us live.

Im a long way off full timing, due to my business, but its always been in my mind. (although keep some property as a safety blanket type of person)
Thanks for all the tips and info and good luck. Id be interested to see where and when your heading with winter coming, do you venture abroad ?.

I still cant get my head round your relationship with nest hen ?

 

[Nesting Zombie]

Hi ya John,
There’s a fair few Full Time Livaboards On here, & Many MANY more that use their wheeled Homes for extended times but in fairness we can all still get it wrong from time to time. I always take an interest & listen to others & truly think that with most things ALL ideas & Comments are good, Some of them are just Gooder than others !. I’m still finding easier & in some cases Cheaper ways of doing things, & I’ve NEVER lived in a House my entire life !...
No I’ve done all my abroad stuff now, I’m staying in UK.
My relationship with The Nest is VERY symbiotic, We look out for each other as it’s my ONLY Home, My ONLY Vehicle & My ONLY Storage !. I have a Good circle of Friends, a Bigger circle of Mates, But There’s no one Else in my everyday life aboard The Nest So I am alone BUT I’m certainly not Lonely. although I’m hoping one day to find a woman who likes this kinda Lifestyle in fact a While Back now someone was on about a Dating Site Solo motorhomers
& I was thinking of getting a Dog again at some point.

 

[Asterix]

Hi Gang,
Well my favourite time of year is now chomping away at the bit & rearing to get truly started, Winds are Colder, Nights are Clearer & The Duepoint is starting to Freeze with more & more regularity. So it’s time to think about A bit of extra warmth for The Nest in the Evening & Throughout the night to keep it Happy & to make its job of looking after me a bit easier & is probably even more important to get sorted for any Winter users or Fulltime Liveaboards.
So, With that in mind I’ve got a good Stock Pile of Dry Kindling to Start & if Necessary feed ‘Nesty’ my Multi-fuel Stove, I’ve also got about a months worth of Its preferred Main course of ‘Hotties’ Compressed logs & Coffee Ground Compressed Logs that are each cut into smaller chunks & burn well with little ash. So when established & settled (This can take an hour or so of management, But beats watching TV) I bank it up as I go to bed, Shut the Draw down & Enjoy it giving good heat for around 5hours into the small hours of the morning. The art (& Drawback) is catching the fire in such a small Stove with a Handful if Kindling & Fresh Main Course of Log Chunks in time for it to ‘Fire up’ again !. so will now have to synchronise my Morning Wee regimes with ‘Nesty’.
The Coffee Logs are about £6 for 18 Logs, I Cut Thease in Half because of the size of the Firbox to get 32 Chunks (18p ish a chunk)
‘HotRods Or Hotties’ if bought in bulk are about 45p each & I Cut each one of These into 3 giving me Chunks (15p ish a chunk)
I burn typically 13 or 15 ‘Chunks’ ON AVERAGE every Evening/Night So Say 10 Hours of good DRY Smokless heat. Sooo I’m guessing that’s around £1.70 per 10 ish hours, 17p per Hour Not that bad in my mind if my math is right !.
Temperatures within The Nest can be Tropical & as you would expect fluctuates a lot, But I like it Around the 18-25°C if possible. & of course in with that 17p per hour I can Heat up my Pies, Pasties for Lunch/Dinner. Water for Drinks & Flask for Washing water & Dry my wet clothes nicely over Night.
NEGATIVES
Yep a Few -
It has to be Managed, You can’t just Flick a Switch & leave it & Temperature DOES fluctuate a Fair Bit.
It’s safer in my view to Clean the Flu & Ash Box Out Before moving off from your Park up.
It’s probably NOT the kinda heating that you would want to bother with for just an hour or two, if you’re going to lite it then it’s for the Night.
POSITIVES
Having had Nesty for a time now there’s just TOO Many to list.
Of Course I have also got Electric & Gas Heating & Cooking aboard for Occasional Or Emergency Use if I need it.
Moving on to Window covers to help Keep Heat In & Cold out.
I have used my Home made ‘INTERNAL’ silver Bubble Wrap screens for YEARS now, & on the whole very VERY happy with them. Yes I ‘Sometimes’ get a little condensation on the internal of the glass, (in fact I have today!) but It is often just a little & has been no biggie to The Nest over the years. I just prefer INTERNAL screens for my lifestyle !.
SO, I’ve now got some of These Posh ones...!
View attachment 68491
First impressions is, I’m a little disappointed in the Quality actually, But I don’t know how much of that is disappointment as a result of comparing these £56 ones to my home made £6 ones !.
They ARE nicely Padded & Quilted, They DO look a lot better than mine, But the Piping or Edging on the two side window covers is all uneven & varies in size & Shape a little to the opposite one !, & The Main Windscreen one isn’t a good fit at all, With Bits curled around Top, Bottom & Sides,,,,To my mind they just look ‘Untidy’ !
BUT
Immediately can tell it’s Soundproofing Qualities, & it’s certainly doing what I would wager a better job at keeping Warm in & Cold Out.
So I will give them a settling in period for a proper review on Their performance aboard & to see if the Condensation is Worse or Better !.
Apart from the two small Slit windows above Cab as Thease are cracked open anyway when the Stove is on There’s New Draught Excluding to fit to all Window edges, Pipe insulation fitted to Exterior Water Pipes, Extra Insulation ‘TO’ fit to Both the internal Hot water tank & External Main Cold water Tank, This is probably all I will be doing for a bit now.
All in Preparation for the Beast from whatever direction it decides to attack from !.

Hi NZ,I've just started using Ecoal50 from B&Q,they do 3 X 10kg bags for £16,I use wood for quick heat in the evenings,then put a couple of small shovel fulls in before bed,turn the draw right down and it gives a nice slow heat until about lunchtime the next day. I'm really impressed with the stuff,the only downside is it produces quite a bit of ash but I feel it's worth it when I get up with just a t shirt on in the mornings. I'm just heading to Kent this week and I'll stock up on a load of willow logs that I've had stashed for nearly three years.
The log burner is now the dogs favouritist thing!

 

[Asterix]

Forgot to add PIC...

 

[Nesting Zombie]

They ain’t daft are they Matey,

 

[Asterix]

They ain’t daft are they Matey,

You haven't met my ,his brain is about two years younger than his body!

 

[Nesting Zombie]

Well I DID say I would give these new ‘Super Dooper’ £56 internal blinds a few days to settle in BEFORE I comment, But my early thoughts ‘CRAP’ However will stick with them for a week to be fair & to see if they get ‘CRAPPIER’ !.
Ok, Last night the External Ave Temperature At my location was Bubbling from 1-3°C for the majority of the night

Nesty was on as usual & the internal temperature was averaging 21°C for most the Night

When I checked this morning at Wee Time it was 17°C. So a Typical night.
This morning when I checked the windows from the outside to see if there was any condensation it was RUNNING & DRIPPING everywhere !.


Worst I’ve ever known it be...as I said I use to get a little when using my cheap £6 home made blinds, but it truly was just a bit. If I used Thease new blinds nightly I could fill my water tank !. (Ooo hang on a minute !!).

 

[judjones]

Wild camping sounds great. Could you tell me how you access water for your mobile ho

Hi

Like you, we find the best aspect of full-timing the freedom. We have always enjoyed travel, exploring new places, having new experiences, meeting new people and visiting old friends. If a place turns out to be not as enjoyable as you first thought (or if the neighbours turn out not to be friendly, you can just move on - although this rarely happens. We have been living this life since retiring nearly fifteen years ago and see no prospect of giving it up in the foreseeable future. Bad weather can be limiting but we spend our winters in the driest and warmest part of Europe - south-east Spain - so that tends to happen more in our summers than winters! We still have a house in Derbyshire, which serves as our address - so we have never had a problem registering with doctors, dentists etc. and can't really identify too many serious problems. We have "Three" mobile internet, which operates at the same rate in Europe as it does in the UK. We don't have pets, so that isn't a problem. Our children said that, being confined together in a small space, we would kill each other but it hasn't happened yet! Parking when shopping is sometimes a problem (more in England than Spain) but most supermarket car parks are accessible. If you go out for the night to the theatre, for dinner, to a football match etc, you take your home with you which means you do not have to worry abut drink-driving! Similarly, when dropping in on friends and family, you don't feel you are imposing on their hospitality because you sleep in your own home. On the whole, I could list many advantages but have to think hard to list the disadvantages.

All the best
John

We love wild camping but have only done it over two days. Could you tell me how you access water for your mobile home please.

Thank you.

Alan Jones