Cardinal RV Club

RalphKuhn wrote:We've made the decision to become full timers in 1 to 2 years and not wait until retirement. The 1 to 2 years is what it' will take to get rid of everything we don't need as well as get the house ready to put on the market. It's amazing how much "stuff" one can acquire over the 26 years in this house. Since we will both be working, we'll be full-timing in Iowa until retirement. The "Summer Palace" will become "Home".

In recent years we've been spending up two weeks at a time in the bird and not anxious to go home. We will be asking a lot of questions as we prepare for this big change.

That's exciting1 Congratulations and have fun!!

If you get a chance ther is a rally this summer at Fort Collins CO. It starts on a Monday and runs until Friday so you could make it to and from in a week. There will be a couple of full timers in attendance and I've heard rumors that there will be a factory rep in attendance as well as a representative from the frame manufacturer Lippert. Rallys are very addicting and we always have a blast!! Check it out in the National Rally section.

We are in our 20th year as fulltimers and still love the lifestyle. We sort of looked around at our lives in a little town that we didn't plan to retire in and thought hard about fulltiming. A snowbird client sealed the deal for us when we asked him what was the one thing he regretted about his status, thinking he would say missing his grandkids, friends, hunting or fishing. He said simply, "Not starting sooner!" We worked for several years when we started fulltiming as "workcampers" until my retirement kicked in.

We have been very disappoint with the Cardinal. We have beefed up the running gear with 8,000# axles, disc brakes, 17.5" tires, Trailair Centerpoint suspension, Trailair hitch, etc. Our frame broke, the slideout floor dry rotted, we had to go to the factory three times to get stuff fixed and it is never ending. I truly hate Lippert frames. We love our floorplan. If we replace ours, I don't know what we would get, but it wouldn't have a Lippert frame. The industry just copies what everyone else does--mostly to save money. We don't like the W/D in the clothes closet. One suggestion if you can afford it, is to get all the options installed when you buy our rig. Order it like you want it. I think all big 5Ws should have disc brakes. If you can order one without most of the RV furniture, you are better off (make sure you get credit for what is left off). Check out an IKEA store for light weight, smaller scale furniture. I would have a residential refrigerator run off an inverter. Also go with solar panels. You have to match what you want with your lifestyle and wallet.

I would suggest to everyone thinking about being fulltimers to join the Escapees or, at least, visit their forums at www.escapees.com ==they have a lot of information about fulltiming and people with a lot of experience who can answer any question. The club runs a "Boot Camp" for fulltimer wantabees. We have been fortunate enough to visit in our RV every state in the US except Hawaii, every state in Mexico and all but one provience in Canada. The best part is meeting new folks, many become like long friends, and reconnecting with old friends. If you have any specific questions, I will try to remember to checkout this forum more often or just email me.

Boy Bill if I were you I would sell it. You have been very unhappy with it for many years now. Back to the subject we have loved being out for the last three months and have met many great people. Susanna also likes this lifestyle and if she had her way would go full timing in a moment. But not yet.