Next month I’ll be hitting the road and I’d like to meetup with fellow photogs. It would be even better if you were full timing it on the road too!
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We’re full timers and travel the Western US. I’ve been at it for 5 years and @Jennifer_Renwick has been along for 3 of those years. What are travel plans? What kind of rig do you have? Let me know if you have any questions, happy to help!
A couple of possible resources for you:
The Escapees RV club has a number of sub-groups devoted to various hobbies. They refer to them as ‘Birds of a Feather’ or BOFs. (As in ‘Flock Together’) You would doubtless meet a number of RVing photographers there.
https://www.escapees.com/community/birds-of-a-feather-bofs/
Another resource would be the RV Forum, which has an active sub-forum devoted to Photography and Imaging.
Thanks for the offer of help! I don’t know what I don’t know, at this point.
5 years?! That’s awesome! What kind of rig are you two in? I’m planning to get a 17’-19’ trailer and hit the road in April. No special plans yet. What are some of the things you wished you’d have known before setting off?
I’m working feverishly on some projects in the Seattle area atm so my time has been taken up with that.
I see yall are from Ridgeway. I was there this last fall. So amazing!
Michael
Thanks John, I’ll check those groups out!
I’m 18 months from retirement. In preparation for that, my wife and I bought a 16’ Scamp trailer last summer. The plan is to have it paid off before I leave employment. And then it’s nothing but the open road for me. It’s a dream I’ve had my sights on for years and I’m getting pretty anxious for that day.
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If you’ve got 15 minutes to spare, you might find this Youtube video interesting and inspiring:
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Awesome! How’s it been spending time in the Scamp so far?
We love the Scamp, so far. I was worried I’d be too tall for it. I’m almost 6’3". But I can stand up inside, and sleep in the bed across the back. We are currently outfitting it for solar. We’ve purchased the GoalZero Yeti 400 battery and a set of panels. We’ve been waiting for the end of winter to put it all together and hit the road again.
We have a 23’ trailer, it’s a Nash 17k made by Northwood. It’s a 4 season which I feel is extremely important, I’ve yet to winterize in 3 years despite being in temps down to 10 degrees. If you don’t get a four season you’ll be concerned about pipes freezing anytime you get into cold temps.
One piece of advice I received was to buy your last trailer first, meaning you should get something that will meet your needs into the future. If I would have bought a small trailer I would have quickly realized that I need to upgrade to realistically live and work out of it full time.
Having lots of solar and good batteries is critical, along with having a generator to charge on cloudy days. We finally upgraded our generators so we could run the AC when it gets unbearably hot, which we rarely use, but when you need it, it’s amazing.
We just bought property in Ridgway and plan to build a house there someday, but for now we will continue living this way! If we didn’t have this on the horizon we would be upgrading the trailer to something bigger to have a couch, larger water/waste tanks, etc.
I don’t full time but the reason for my RV is to travel for photography. I agree with David about a 4-season trailer. Mine is a 24’ Lance. You don’t say what your experience is but if you’ve never owned a trailer before, I’d definitely recommend joining some forums before your purchase. Those recommended above are good and if you’ve narrowed down brands, there may be forums specific to that brand such as the Lance Owners Forum. They will help with figuring out what you’ll need, making sure your tow vehicle is sufficient (so much more than tow rating), navigating the purchase and inspection, etc. Good luck!
I have a TAB 320U Edge. It’s a 15 ft teardrop with off-road clearance and solar. It serves me well for 2 to 3 month photography trips. I always boondock, unless there is no other option.
I have heard from a number of new RV owners that they were surprised how hard it is to get campsites with hookups, without reservations far in advance. So, depending on your needs and travel plans, you may want to book some summer sites before you leave next month.
Best wishes on your upcoming adventure.
Those Scamps are pretty tiny! I’m surprised it works for you!
Cool! I found a trailer this week. It’s a Heartland Edge, 21" with slide. I applied for a loan so it’s still not in my hands yet! I think solar is the way to go (+ generator!)
I hope to be back in Ridgeway this Fall! But perhaps we can meet on the road before then.
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Terri, my experience is staying in my parents trailer when I’m at home for Christmas! I’ve joined a few forums and I’ve been lurking in those for a bit. Such a great community. I’m looking at a Heartland Edge ATM. Hope to secure it by the end of the week!
OMG only 15", I don’t know how you do it! When boondocking do you ever leave your trailer alone while you go to town or drive to a photography location?
I posted 15 ft - not 15 inches! Yes, 15" would be rather “minimal”. 
Believe it or not, there is a photographer, Mandy Lea, who travels all over North America in the same model TAB. She and her boyfriend live and work in it FULL time. They are just completing a 16,000 mile road trip from Alaska to the Mexico/Guatemala border. I couldn’t live in such a small space full time, however, it is perfect for extended photo outings. I wouldn’t want to haul around anything bigger. I’m happy there are so many options available to meet everyone’s needs.
Yes, the trailer is left alone everyday. I haven’t had a problem in 15 yrs of traveling with a teardrop. I use a hitch lock, and last year I added a wheel lock. Neither is 100% effective against a determined thief, but I like to make them work for it.
One additional “surprise” for new owners is the length of waiting time required for repairs. The dealer service departments are swamped, so several months is normal. So, if you have a problem, don’t wait until you get back home to set up an appointment. Get on their list ASAP.
My wife and I have a 17’ trailer we tow behind my Jeep. This is our second season with it, so we’re still a bit in the learning stage, but we’ve had great help from friends who are RV’ers.
We’ll be in Moab and then Monument Valley May 16-25th, followed by a short stay in Durango. We have other trips planned for June and late July, too. Would love to meet other photographers while on the road.
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Bob, I might meet y’all on the road. On Monday I finished moving out of my place and then a few days later a trailer that I was looking at came back on the market. I was able to get family to look at it for me and the next day I made an offer on it! I now own a 19’ travel trailer and will be a full timer within a few weeks!
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Wanted to chime in as well @Michael_Torkildsen. Unfortunately not yet ready to retire, but love traveling in our trailer as well. We has a 2015 TimberRidge by Outdoors RV Manufacturing in Oregon. 25’ with rear dinette and a picture window. Definitely makes the day start out good. We travel in the summer and fall and like @David_Kingham ours is a four season trailer as well. Manufactured by the sister company to Northwoods. We have solar and a generator as well which allows us to camp for a long time and off the grid. I agree with David regarding the need for tanks and storage. We have 80 gal. Fresh and 40 gal gray and black. A generator is a must.
Best of luck.
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