As we previously mentioned there are a lot of people who merely dream about doing what I am about to describe. The latest estimates indicate that there are currently more then a million full time mobile residences in America alone. Many of these people are elderly or retired while you can also find others who hold down a full time job. In our case our ultimate goal is to provide a small nest egg for some future land purchase.

As we previously said the complete program is extremely economically and represents a very efficient method to counter the current housing problem. I do a lot of writing so this provides me the chance to expand my skills and improve my trade. If you are currently retired it would present you with an untold blessing when considering that you will no longer have to maintain a regular home and its associated problems. When living mobile your housecleaning is quick and easy, you no longer are required to take pains grooming your lawn to the satisfaction of the city and neighbors and in the wintertime you can easily move your home to more favorable climates.

At this point in our discussion I would like to mention an important point regarding where you will reside with the mobile unit. You must select your location carefully as this is vital for your survival well-being. You can select your new home from a vast number of options such as state parks, federal reserves, campgrounds or even private property. The option for most survivalists is whether they wish to place their camper in a normal campground or if they want to "boondock", as they would under emergency conditions. Boondocking would represent the true method as would be used if you actually were to bug out at some future time. Here you exist with nature in an undeveloped area of land. As a survivalist it is very likely that you will find the boondocking more to your liking.

In our last session we covered such topics as storage for your hard to part with possessions, selection of the proper travel trailer for your intended bug out and a few modifications that you may wish to accomplish. In this section we will now expand slightly upon some important changes to the camper.

The first thing you will want to consider is the addition of solar panels and perhaps a generator in order to provide for all your electrical requirements. Solar panels are an excellent means of getting all the free power that you may need. In addition, they are extremely eco-friendly and above all they do not readily reveal your location to those groups or individuals who would do you harm. Although you may wish to consider the option of a gasoline powered generator there are specific disadvantages that are associated with them. They are noisy and thus they attract undesired attention. Generators require a steady supply of gasoline in order to function when employed as a supplemental power source. Keep in mind that during times of crisis this gasoline may not be readily available. The prices currently being charged for solar panels is deemed very reasonable and you should be able to locate a quality panel for approximately $120 to $150 dollars. If you insist upon a generator you can obtain those for anywhere from $300 dollars and up.

Moving on you have to consider a bit of entertainment. Let's face facts - it can get extremely boring sitting in a travel trailer day in and day out. One of the first things you will want to purchase is a satellite system so your family can enjoy some evening television viewing. Although we can get rid of a lot of the clutter in our lives, we still need some means for staying connected with the rest of the world. The total cost for the satellite system is minimum, when your compare the entertainment benefits derived from it.

There are many different conveniences that you will have to do without. We have already discussed the use of cell phones for communications but keep in mind that your calls will need to be brief and the phone use could possibly become expensive. We are located in an area where the cell phone service is simply terrible. Our lost connections are a common place occurrence here.

Another pastime that will need to be forgotten are those long, hot baths and showers that you may be used to. The holding tanks in these units are not that large and they do not hold much water, When they get full having them emptied can be a costly venture. The last time mine was emptied it ran $85.00. alternately, long baths and showers could mean traveling often to a nearby dumping station which would be less expensive but time consuming. You will need to learn very quickly how to take showers that use no more then one gallon of water.

Since large storage spaces are not available in campers you will need to simplify your needs to an absolute minimum. As for entertainment, you will find that in many cases there are no movie theaters nearby for you to visit. You will quickly become a fan of reading the latest novels and how to do it books, listening to the radio or enjoying your favorite CD's, using your lap-top or watching a small TV set.

When you bug out and decide to live this simple lifestyle be prepared to rough it. In the winter you will be cold at times in your camper as the heaters are not that efficient and during the summer months you will find it hot and muggy. When you least expect it you will run out of propane and have to take a long cold trip into town to retrieve another tank in order to keep your camper warm. Granted your camper may have an air conditioner on the roof for summertime use but don't expect it to be of much use to you if you are boondocking. The minimum that would be needed to place it in operation would be a generator and even then complications can and do develop.

Now for some good thoughts. You will naturally require some monetary funds to make this all happen. The minimum amount of money you will need is around $8,000 dollars a year. This amount even though it seems low will allow you to live fairly comfortable. You can perhaps get away with less if you are a thrifty person and possibly more if you like to spend a bit. Spending is limited by the amount of space that you may have in the camper or your ultimate goals. Make sure to maintain a supply of ready cash that is reserved for emergency use. You will need occasional repairs to your camper and other incidental costs as the year goes on.

When you become mobile you will need to become self-reliant and develop skills that you may not already have. According to the camper that you have selected you will need to learn how to safely change the tires, have a rudimentary knowledge of the campers operation and be proficient at simple electrical and plumbing tasks. If you discover a leak in your roof during a particularly rainy week or a leaking facet you must fix it immediately as it seems like the repairs are more critical in campers then in a normal home. In most cases you will not have the time to call and have someone come to you to repair a problem.

Well that's it for this session. I will expand upon certain points in future articles.

Copyright @2009 Joseph Parish

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