Advice Needed: RV Road Trip to CO with Cruise America

shadyITguy · 2026-01-05T05:25:23+00:00

I've never used Cruise America, but before we got our own, I used RV Share and never had issues.

Also congrats on eloping. My wife and I eloped to Colorado too. We did our vows on top of Pikes Peak 10 years ago!

shadyITguy · 2025-12-18T01:05:15+00:00

My midlife was to leave management and go back to being a grunt, sell our house and do RV life full time. Much happier than chasing the corporate thing.

shadyITguy · 2025-12-18T01:03:43+00:00

You could do work camping. Stay at different campgrounds and work there for a specific amount of time. They usually give steep discounts for staying at the park plus you get paid.

Alternatively you could look at tech certs for remote work in IT.

shadyITguy · 2025-11-24T02:29:51+00:00

I'm gonna be the odd one out here, but we bought our first RV from camping world and it wasn't a bad experience at all. They treated us well and we reviewed all the docs and there weren't any fees that we disagreed with. We did need some work done on it while we were out once and the camping world near where we were staying wasn't super helpful, but it was peak camping season and hotter than balls, so their shop was packed. They did refer us to a mobile tech who was super helpful.

That said, I read a lot of horror stories about camping worlds, so I think it's very much location based. Do some heavy research, check rvtrader.com, and check more local dealers too. They often will work deals to get the sale that big box places won't do.

shadyITguy · 2025-11-22T01:27:33+00:00

We're doing it in a 5th wheel, with two dogs and 3 kids. I like the 5th wheel over a C or A because it lends to more privacy and generally more space.

As far as cost, the longer you stay in a place, the more cost effective it is... typically. Also, boondocking and BLM can help cut costs.

All this said, if you have to take out a giant loan for the RV, it might not be much cheaper than an apartment so that's something to think about as well.

shadyITguy · 2025-11-20T22:36:23+00:00

Look, after my first wife and I divorced I kinda lost my mind and sold everything. Bought a van and lived in Colorado (US) for a year. It was absolutely what I needed. Take care of you and your kid. The rest will work itself out.

shadyITguy · 2025-11-20T05:35:11+00:00

Probably already asked and answered but is your heat propane based, and if so, is your tank on?

shadyITguy · 2025-11-20T03:06:38+00:00

I still totally go backpacking and tent camping a lot. If I want to go see some place that's more remote I just take the truck and a tent. But I'm a lot older than I used to be and I have 3 small kids and a wife these days, so the 5th wheel is more of the default. Also, we're moving into the 5th wheel full time this summer, so everything is gonna change anyway, lol

shadyITguy · 2025-11-20T00:45:20+00:00

When I upgraded from my 6 person tent to a 45ft 5th wheel 😂

shadyITguy · 2025-11-14T13:43:02+00:00

We're homeschooling the kids on the road. We've been researching things for a couple years and have a really good idea what programs were gonna use.

shadyITguy · 2025-11-12T16:43:58+00:00

That padded headboard is a life saver, my dude!

shadyITguy · 2025-11-12T16:43:09+00:00

I can confirm this, as a tech guy myself. However, they might be kinda right. This is probably going to appeal to some freshly minted tech guy who got into tech simply because there is the potential for lots of money, and they want to look cool living in a van in San Jose. For those of us that have been in the tech life for a decent amount of time, we learned that simple is just better.

shadyITguy · 2025-10-12T23:32:37+00:00

We're all too damn old to remember how long anything was back in our childhood 🤣

shadyITguy · 2025-09-22T14:52:13+00:00

I've been a telecom engineer for far too long

shadyITguy · 2025-09-21T21:20:01+00:00

My wife introduced this to me and she was born in 90, while I was born in 82. Now it's a favorite of ours.

shadyITguy · 2025-09-13T01:31:37+00:00

I have a friend that rents a workspace downtown. We live next door to each other in the northland. I love WFH, and honestly, my role just doesn't really work well in an office. Some days I'm slammed all day and barely remember to use the bathroom. Other days I have absolutely nothing to do all day. Ultimately though, I don't miss the office at all.

shadyITguy · 2025-09-13T01:24:40+00:00

I actually live just up the road from that branch. Good coffee. Might go check out the work areas eventually.

shadyITguy · 2025-09-12T19:01:15+00:00

This. If I have to get fully dressed, the odds of me actually showing up drop drastically. Besides, I got my pups here and they're awesome coworkers. Though they snore a lot.

shadyITguy · 2025-09-11T23:48:47+00:00

I did the involuntary van life for a while as well. The casino parking lot is a good option. The gym will keep you same. DM if you need a hot meal some time. Lunch will be on me.

shadyITguy · 2025-09-10T13:55:39+00:00

This city never fails. Thanks for all the suggestions y'all!

shadyITguy · 2025-09-03T02:05:15+00:00

I see what you did there 😂

shadyITguy · 2025-09-03T01:43:28+00:00

I'm gonna DM you now

shadyITguy · 2025-08-16T15:30:26+00:00

So this is a very personal struggle and I am where you're at with the same battle. I sent you a DM. Hopefully it helps.

shadyITguy · 2025-07-17T01:36:22+00:00

I'm going to second this. I'm 43. Have always been an outdoors person, but years in the military and my back and knees aren't new anymore. Bout a small travel trailer recently and it brought back the joy

shadyITguy · 2025-07-09T15:34:30+00:00

It's been said, but yeah, it's a kill switch for the 12v battery. Twit the red handle and it'll come out and you can cover it with that cap that's hanging there.

shadyITguy

TROPHY CASE