This article is about my 10 best tips for full-time RV stationary living. Whether it’s temporary or permanent.
Yes, RV living can be done in lots of various ways. And you don’t always have to be traveling to enjoy the RV life.
In fact, there’s lots of RVers that actually spend quite a bit of time in their RV in just one spot. And there’s various reasons for that.
Table of Contents
- Reasons Why You May Want To Be Stationary In An RV
- The #1 Tip For Stationary RV Living
- #2 – Which Kind Of RV Is Best?
- #3 – Don’t Forget About RV Maintenance
- #4 – Stationary RV Living In A Motorhome
- #5 – What About The RV Park Or Campground?
- #6 – How To Keep Your Camping Costs Low
- #7 – How To Increase Your RV Living Area
- #8 – What Stationary RV Living Does To Your Tires
- #9 – What About Extreme Weather?
- How To Get Your RV Ready For Hot Temperature Extremes
- #10 – Your Internet Options While You’re Stationary
- Conclusion
Reasons Why You May Want To Be Stationary In An RV
For instance, it could be that they just want to save money on travel costs.
And therefore, staying in one spot for a while can help them save the costs of traveling around.
Or maybe they really enjoy the climate in one area of the country. And they want to stay a while and enjoy it. Like snowbirds, for instance.
Or it could be that they just like the area itself and want to explore it. And staying in one spot for a while makes that possible.
Or maybe they have family nearby that they want to spend a while visiting. That’s a big reason that many RVers become stationary for a while.
Finally, if they’re like us, full-timers may also really want to have a permanent home base.
They want a stationary place to be able to go if unexpected things come up out on the road. A place they can always come back to.
So clearly, there’s a lot of reasons why you may want to be stationary in your RV for a while.
And therefore, here are my best tips for successful stationary RV living. Let’s start with number one on my list.
The #1 Tip For Stationary RV Living
And that is, if you’re going to be permanently living for a while in an RV, then a towable RV is probably your best bet for that.
At least, it’s probably a better choice overall than choosing a motorhome. Why?
Mainly because the motorhome has an engine and a drivetrain. And if you’re stationary, it’s just sitting there doing nothing for prolonged periods of time.
But that doesn’t mean that you don’t have to keep maintaining those mechanical parts.
Because mechanical things like engines, transmissions, etc., need to be used to stay in good shape.
So for that reason alone, a towable RV lends itself to stationary living better than a motorhome.
And that brings us to the question of which towable RV is best for stationary RV living?
#2 – Which Kind Of RV Is Best?
That means we’re talking about comparing travel trailers and fifth wheels then. Which kind of RV would be best in this case?
Well probably. if you can make it a fifth wheel that’s a little better. Because first of all, it’s usually built with a little better quality overall.
In addition to that, fifth wheels are often larger as well. And that leads us into another point about stationary RV living.
Which is that larger RVs lend themselves better to long-term stationary living in general. Why would I say that?
Because RVs don’t have a lot of living space to begin with. You’re probably looking at between 200 and a little over over 300 square ft. in most cases.
So the more living space you can get, the better for long-term living.
That’s because sometimes RV walls can kind of close in on you. It can start to feel claustrophobic for many people.
So if you plan on staying a long time in an RV, having more living space is a good thing. Now for number three on my list.
#3 – Don’t Forget About RV Maintenance
And that is, while you are stationary don’t forget to keep up the maintenance on your RV. No matter what kind of RV it is.
I see this as a problem all the time. Many RVers get stationary, and they forget about a lot of maintenance tasks that still need to be done.
Especially on the outside, or the exterior of the RV. But remember, you still need to be checking joints and seals all over your RV regularly.
This is the only way to prevent water intrusion that can begin to seriously damage your RV.
Also, you need to be washing and waxing that RV on a regular basis too.
That helps prevent fading and oxidation on the outside walls caused by the sun and other elements.
And if you have a generator, you will need to run it on a regular basis. Usually at least every month or so.
By doing that, you will help keep it in good working shape and ready for when you need it.
Now that leads us along to another tip that’s very important. It’s number four on my list.
#4 – Stationary RV Living In A Motorhome
And that is, let’s suppose that you have a motorhome that you’re staying in for a prolonged period.
If so, don’t forget to exercise that engine and drivetrain regularly. Of course, when you’re not using it, it can be out of sight and out of mind.
But it needs to be used regularly. And once again, I recommend exercising them at least on a monthly basis.
Which means that at the very least you should start the engine up and run it for a while. Make sure it’s being lubricated well in the process.
However, if you want to exercise these components properly, you really should do more.
You really need to unhook the motorhome and take it out on the road for a drive. It’s especially good if you can take it on the highway.
Just run it for a while and get everything working. This will help the transmission, the brakes, the suspension, and pretty much everything.
By doing this on a regular basis, it will keep things in good working shape while you’re stationary. OK, let’s move on to number five on the list.
#5 – What About The RV Park Or Campground?
And that has to do with choosing the RV park where you will be staying for a while. Make sure that you choose it carefully, especially for security.
Unfortunately, a lot of folks don’t think about that when choosing an RV park or campground. Many just think about choosing by price alone.
But then they move into the park they have chosen and find out that there’s problems in that park.
However, now they’re kind of committed in many cases. So before you do that, read the online reviews for that park or campground.
Read them very carefully. And if you start to read about security issues, maybe it’s better to choose someplace else.
Or you could also ask around in the area and get some suggestions from people that are local.
Because that often gives you a lot of good information you need to know before you choose your park or campground.
#6 – How To Keep Your Camping Costs Low
OK, moving on to number six on the list. And that is, if you’re going to be in a park, try to get the lowest rates possible for your stay there.
And that means that you don’t want to be paying daily rates for an extended stay. Even weekly rates can be too much.
So look for annual, quarterly or semiannual rates instead. That way you can get the cost of your stay as low as possible.
But here’s something to keep in mind about longer term rates at most RV parks.
And that is, you may find that they don’t include the cost of electricity in those rates. Instead, you will be billed for that separately.
So try to find out what the electric cost for an RV tends to be on average before you commit.
And that way, you can budget the cost of the campsite for the entire time of your stationary stay.
#7 – How To Increase Your RV Living Area
OK, now moving along to number seven on the list. And that is, it’s good to have an outdoors area for extra living space and comfort.
Once again, that gets back to living space being an issue in an RV for long-term stays. In fact, over time it can get very tight for some people.
So it’s nice to have a little outdoor area where you can go out and enjoy the outside. And do so in comfort too.
So here’s a recommendation if you’re going to be in the area for a while. Or in one campsite spot for a while.
And that is, you might choose to set up a pergola or a gazebo on your campsite.
Because they are great for having a really nice enjoyable area outside and have shade at the same time.
Of course, if you’re not going to be there for a permanent stay, then maybe a popup canopy would be fine for your needs.
In fact, we’ve done that ourselves. Because they generally don’t weigh an awful lot, or take up a lot of space either.
And you can even store the canopy in the RV and use it as you go from place to place too. So it can be good for all of your RV travels.
Whatever you do though, just consider the idea of setting up a nice little area outside your RV while you’re stationary.
It extends your living area to the outside and let’s you feel more comfortable.
#8 – What Stationary RV Living Does To Your Tires
OK, that brings us to number eight on the list. And that has to do with your tires.
Because if you’re sitting in one spot for a while. it’s so easy for tires to get pounded by the ultraviolet rays of the sun.
If so, they’re going to dry out and crack very quickly and easily while you’re just sitting. And that makes them age very fast.
So if your RV is stationary, make sure that you have the tires covered and protected. And that will be a great way to make them last longer.
#9 – What About Extreme Weather?
Now moving on to number nine on the list. And that has to do with weather considerations.
So, what if you’re going to be in an area where extreme weather could happen before you leave?
Then get prepared for that in advance. For instance, what if you’re going to be in a more northern area where colder weather is going to come?
If very low temperatures will start to happen before you leave, get ready for it. And to do that, you may want to skirt the bottom of your RV.
That really increases the ability of the RV to maintain warmer temperatures inside. And it helps protect your RV plumbing as well.
Also, you probably want to increase the insulation in your RV too. By maybe covering the windows with an insulated material.
Also, stuffing some soft material up into the roof vents to provide better insulation is a good idea.
Of course, if you’re staying in the south for a while, the opposite kind of weather could happen.
How To Get Your RV Ready For Hot Temperature Extremes
And this is often what snowbirds do. As they often are going to be in areas like maybe Texas or Arizona.
These are areas where you could be facing 100ยฐ or more for a prolonged period of time.
So once again, try to insulate as much as you can to stay comfortable in that kind of weather.
And here’s another consideration for really hot temperatures in the southwest. It has to do with your air conditioning units.
Because they may not be able to keep up in that kind of an environment. So what can you do if that is the situation?
Well, you actually might want to think about installing a mini-split in your RV.
Especially if you’re going to be staying in one spot for a prolonged period in high heat.
These days, mini-split air conditioners seem to be catching on pretty well. Even in the RVing community.
And a lot of people are using them in extremely hot temperatures. Because they help make up for the deficiencies of RV air conditioners.
#10 – Your Internet Options While You’re Stationary
OK, let’s move along to number 10 on the list. And that is your internet needs while you are stationary in one spot.
Now, when you’re traveling around, you probably have a mobile internet solution already. One that helps you stay up with your internet needs.
But when you’re in one spot, you may find that it’s actually cheaper and faster to just connect up to a local cable company instead.
Especially when you are going to be in one area for several months. So give that some thought as well.
Conclusion
OK, those are my 10 tips for stationary RV living. And clearly, being in one spot for a while in an RV can have its challenges.
But it can also have its rewards too. Especially if you think ahead and prepare well.
And hopefully the tips I’ve shared with you in this article will help make your RV stays in one place more enjoyable and more successful.
Have safe and happy RV travels!