making a FG home; many questions!

[jaross]

I saw an add for the Phoenix Camper and became completely enamored with the idea of an expedition camper. A little about me: I am 30 years old and still figuring out what I want to do with my professional career. I have a trust so I can afford an expedition camper but I don't have so much in my trust to make it easy to justify a $100k purchase (unless I could call that purchase home!). I have no experience with campers, trucks or 4x4s. I do have backpacking experience and a taste for exploring/adventure. I love mountain biking, hiking, skiing and water activities! I have always wanted to live in a tiny house and I think the experience would help me grow and mature as a person and help me be less materialistic. I am fairly handy and I enjoy working on things/assembling things, but I am sure I don't have enough know-how to make my own custom expedition camper from a Fuso cab (unless maybe it was a simple modification of an existing camper). I love the features and philosophy of the EARTHCRUISER. I want something that will be hearty in the back country, with all the survival features I could possibly need!

It looks like I would want a 2007 or pre 2007 FG, unless the post 2007 can easily be converted to run on higher sulfur diesel? I have a girlfriend who I currently live with, but I am thinking I would pay a portion of rent on a one bedroom apartment that she could live in with her dog and I would live in my FG for most of the time. That being said, if at all feasible, a capacity of 3 or 4 persons would be quite nice for a camper! It is possible that I will go into property rental as a career so it maybe nice to have the camper easily removable from the Fuso so that I could use it for work purposes as well.

Am I completely crazy? Should I just continue living in a stupid house, paying stupid rent or a stupid mortgage and maybe buy a pickup truck with some sort of camper and see how that works out for a while? I feel like I could live with so much less and be perfectly happy, if not quite a bit happier then I am now. It may get in the way of my relationship with my girlfriend. I might not be able to keep my cat or my record player/vinyl collection (or many of my other possessions), but I just feel like it is something I need to experience regardless, and I am betting it will be entirely worth it!

Do any of you have any thoughts or advice on any of this? Provided it is something I decide to go through with, is the Fuso FG my best option? Should I just find a pre-made camper and throw it on the Fuso, or would doing something more custom be better for my needs while remaining under $100k?

 

[dwh]

I'd say start with a two wheel drive class b campervan or small (under 25 feet) class c motorhome. You should be able to pick up something decent for ten grand or less, and can sell it to recoup the majority of the money later if you decide to go to the next level.

2WD will get you to 90% of places. 4WD is for the other 10%.

Basically, to full time in a small rig (and a box on an FG is a small rig in terms of living space), you have to pretty much be able to live like an astronaut. It can be a frstrating claustrophobic PITA if you don't have the attitude or mind-set for it.

Then there are issues like filling the water tank and dumping the holding tank(s). And refilling the propane tank. And learning to conserve water, electricity and propane.

Limited wardrobe and doing laundry frequently. Limited storage for food and shopping frequently. Showering or sponge bath?

Figuring out where you can park A) safely and B) without getting hassled can be a pain (camping within city limits is banned in damned near every city). Not always enforced and usually not a big deal when traveling and not staying long in one place, but lingering in a populated zone is a different thing altogether.

Get your feet wet and see how it goes before spending a big chunk of change. Most overlanders are not full-timers, and the ones who are usually keep moving on down the road to the next destination....and are releived when the trip is finally over and they get home and can spread out in comfort.

 

[dlh62c]

Welcome to the forum.

Go Sprinter!
http://www.sprinter-rv.com/sprinter-rv-conversion-sourcebook/

Fuso Canters are considered commercial trucks. Insurance for the truck during a build and after isn't impossible to get, just problematic.

Parking one up in a residential subdivision can be problematic as well.

Go Sprinter!

 

[unkamonkey]

I wish you luck. I have lived in my camper for several months at a time. No cat but with a dog on occasion with it's female companion. If I was out, my neighbors fed my cat and gathered my mail for me. I own a home so I have the base and the satellite to orbit around in. My turntable and LP collection have a happy place to stay. I spent less than $100K for both of them together.
Don't work yourself into a corner.

 

[Maninga]

What're you trying to get out of the change? Is it downsizing to a smaller living area (studio or small apartment), living in a tiny house or living in a camper? Do you expect to be stationary or moving about a lot? Do you need a 4x4 to get where you're planning on going, or just to a trailhead for hiking/biking/skiing? If using it for your travels, do you expect to stay within the US/Canada, or going down through central/south america?

I'm expecting for our camper to be usable this year. It's a great size for us to travel around for us to use for either a weekend, week, month or year. But the only way we'd be able to live out of it when stationary is if there was a defined end point and purpose (i.e. building a new house). Daily life, being able to take a decent shower and have some personal space would just get to us too much. Parking would be a pain, we both work in the middle of the city and would need to find somewhere the cops wouldn't be called and likely need to switch between locations on a regular basis. Could easily live out of a tiny house though and have considered moving into one, yet to do so though

 

[dlh62c]

There's like minded people over at CheapRVLiving.com.

Do and buy what puts a smile of your face.

 

[kerry]

I wouldn't want to live in our Fuso camper full-time. Too small. Maybe a couple of months at a time max. We've owned a 35' Wanderlodge bus motorhome. That would be big enough to live in but a pain to drive in the city.

 

[dwh]

And don't think it'll be cheaper either. Spend $100k on a rig, live in it for 50 months (4 years+), sell it for $50k (if you can get that for it) and you still spent $1k/month...plus registration, insurance, fuel, tires, repairs, etc.

 

[jaross]

Welcome to the forum.

Go Sprinter!


Fuso Canters are considered commercial trucks. Insurance for the truck during a build and after isn't impossible to get, just problematic.

Parking one up in a residential subdivision can be problematic as well.

Go Sprinter!

I lived out of a slightly modified Sprinter with 2 other people for a month while on the road working for a non-profit. I set up my backpacking tent each day. My director stayed in the sprinter where he had a bench setup with a table that turned into a bed. It doesn't seem like there would be enough room to have a kitchen and bathroom in, at least the standard, unmodified, commercial sprinter. I am sure there is a solution to this, but how much does it cost?

Also it has mechanical problems but that could be just because it was a dealer loaner vehicle before we had it.

I'd say start with a two wheel drive class b campervan or small (under 25 feet) class c motorhome. You should be able to pick up something decent for ten grand or less, and can sell it to recoup the majority of the money later if you decide to go to the next level.

2WD will get you to 90% of places. 4WD is for the other 10%.

Maybe I don't need 4wd, but there are places in the Colorado backcountry that I would like to be able to go. Even a sprinter has decent clearance for many of these places though. I realize that I won't be using it much of the time, but I wouldn't have any other vehicle, aside from maybe a scooter or light motorcycle. Is it really that much more expensive for a Fuso FG? I have seen some for around 17k. Even sprinters are about the same price..

Basically, to full time in a small rig (and a box on an FG is a small rig in terms of living space), you have to pretty much be able to live like an astronaut. It can be a frstrating claustrophobic PITA if you don't have the attitude or mind-set for it.

I have done a NOLS course. 1 month of living with nothing but my backpack and some food rations in a canoe/backpacking. It dragged on at times but overall I took to it easily and felt amazing at the end. Not sure if this means I could do it full time, but it gives me an idea..

Then there are issues like filling the water tank and dumping the holding tank(s). And refilling the propane tank. And learning to conserve water, electricity and propane.

I love the idea of piping in water from a stream and having a filter system! Other then that I don't know much about the rest of this..

Limited wardrobe and doing laundry frequently. Limited storage for food and shopping frequently. Showering or sponge bath?

Does anyone have a Drumi (google it, since I cannot post links yet) in their rig (or something similar)? I would want a shower, but I am okay with a small RV shower for 3 minutes or whatever. As far as wardrobe, that sounds great! Not sure about shopping often that doesn't sound fun. A little freezer unit on the outside maybe worth looking into for me.

Figuring out where you can park A) safely and B) without getting hassled can be a pain (camping within city limits is banned in damned near every city). Not always enforced and usually not a big deal when traveling and not staying long in one place, but lingering in a populated zone is a different thing altogether.

This had occurred to me, and it is probably one of the biggest roadblocks. In the remote corner of Colorado I live, there is an RV park with plenty of full and part time residents, but the town I live in is only 900 people. There are no building codes in the county here! My plan was to buy a chunk of land or a fixer upper house in one or two places that I thought I might want to live part time, fix up and maybe flip the houses and/or just build and enclosure for my rig and sell the property if the value goes up.

Get your feet wet and see how it goes before spending a big chunk of change. Most overlanders are not full-timers, and the ones who are usually keep moving on down the road to the next destination....and are releived when the trip is finally over and they get home and can spread out in comfort.

Yeah, I don't want to do something brash that I will regret later. Thats one of the reasons why I started this thread! Thank you for your input!

I wish you luck. I have lived in my camper for several months at a time. No cat but with a dog on occasion with it's female companion. If I was out, my neighbors fed my cat and gathered my mail for me. I own a home so I have the base and the satellite to orbit around in. My turntable and LP collection have a happy place to stay. I spent less than $100K for both of them together.
Don't work yourself into a corner.

Yeah maybe I should be looking at more affordable options to make this work. $100k for both your house and Fuso-Hallmark? Cool to see you are in Greeley, I grew up in Fort Collins and still visit town fairly often. Doubt you could find a house that cheap anymore in the area.. :Wow1:

There's like minded people over at CheapRVLiving. com.

Do and buy what puts a smile of your face.

Cool video, inspiring, thanks for sharing! I just don't want to make a decision I will regret later..

And don't think it'll be cheaper either. Spend $100k on a rig, live in it for 50 months (4 years+), sell it for $50k (if you can get that for it) and you still spent $1k/month...plus registration, insurance, fuel, tires, repairs, etc.

Well maybe I can make something work for cheaper then 100k? Also it would be my only vehicle. Good to consider this though!

Thanks for the advice/ideas so far everyone! I don't mean to sound like I am criticizing anything, I am not!

 

[unkamonkey]

One of the things I did was to have another form of transport. A motorcycle on the back, or a Jeep. Entertainment and a handy way to get a few things in town. I used to have a satellite system for when I worked in the mountains or was out at Lake Powell. I spent about a whole summer at Mishawauka seeing the bands. The bike made it handy to get to where there was cell phone service.

 

[jaross]

So I really think I want a 4x4. I want to be able to go up the dirt road 4x4 mountain passes here in Colorado and Utah! After doing some more research, Sprinters are looking nice but the 4x4 ones are too pricey (they only started 4x4 in 2015 in the USA). A Fuso FG would be more affordable. It sounds like the main issue would be the size of the Fuso. I have seen an Austrailian add claiming that the Fuso fits in a standard parking spot. Is that not true here in the US?

I am thinking of keeping living out of a house (but downsizing my possessions/living in a smaller house), but I would like a nice vehicle with amenities of some sort! I saw a bare-bones Sprinter conversion that had an easily removable bed that I really liked. Whatever I end up with, it will be my only automobile.

Sprinter Pluses: Gas Millage, maneuverability/park ability
Sprinter minuses: price for 4x4, less spacious (?), more expensive to diagnose/repair (?)

Fuso Pluses: more spacious? Cheaper for a 4x4
Fuso Minuses: bigger/less parkable. gas millage. Questionable off-road durability

One of the things I did was to have another form of transport. A motorcycle on the back, or a Jeep. Entertainment and a handy way to get a few things in town. I used to have a satellite system for when I worked in the mountains or was out at Lake Powell. I spent about a whole summer at Mishawauka seeing the bands. The bike made it handy to get to where there was cell phone service.

Nice, I love the Mish! yeah I would certainly want a light motorcycle or something!

 

[unkamonkey]

You don't want to know long ago I started going to the Mish. My dirt bike wasn't exactly light. (An XT 550 Yamaha). Hard to load up by yourself without a ramp but it attracted many women. I do have a ramp. Actually I wanted a smaller bike but a guy sold it before I could buy it. WTH, the 550 would do 80 MPH.
The only mechanical work I have ever had to do on my old Mitso has been to replace an exhaust manifold, aside than normal items. I'm not sure how I cracked that manifold. It was the first time they had ever heard of it at the dealer.

 

[rruff]

It looks like I would want a 2007 or pre 2007 FG, unless the post 2007 can easily be converted to run on higher sulfur diesel? I have a girlfriend who I currently live with, but I am thinking I would pay a portion of rent on a one bedroom apartment that she could live in with her dog and I would live in my FG for most of the time. That being said, if at all feasible, a capacity of 3 or 4 persons would be quite nice for a camper! It is possible that I will go into property rental as a career so it maybe nice to have the camper easily removable from the Fuso so that I could use it for work purposes as well.

Don't buy a Fuso. Get a decent 4x4 truck with a gas motor and stick some sort of camper on it.

I lived in a Toyota truck and a camper I built for 13 years. Started when I was your age actually. I spent ~$3k/yr. Camped on NF and BLM land mostly and didn't work. If you have a trust that is big enough to be considering a $100k vehicle, then you can probably quit working... for good. 30 is a good age to retire!

Your post seems very scattered though. Property rental? What a PITA. 180 degrees from freedom. Hard to tell what you want. Do you know?

 

[jaross]

Don't buy a Fuso. Get a decent 4x4 truck with a gas motor and stick some sort of camper on it.

I lived in a Toyota truck and a camper I built for 13 years. Started when I was your age actually. I spent ~$3k/yr. Camped on NF and BLM land mostly and didn't work. If you have a trust that is big enough to be considering a $100k vehicle, then you can probably quit working... for good. 30 is a good age to retire!

Your post seems very scattered though. Property rental? What a PITA. 180 degrees from freedom. Hard to tell what you want. Do you know?

With small properties in a few different cities I figure that gives me a good excuse to get out on the road in between jobs. My uncle would help me out, as its already what he does. To me it seems like a good way to have a little bit of income on the side. maybe I have that all wrong?!

realistically I probably shouldn't spend $100k. I could justify that on property that would go up in value, but we all know a vehicle won't do that!

I have thought of a 4x4 truck, and I am open to looking into it further. For one, it seems like I would get less space. Also, the more I think about it, the more I would like to do a DIY camper, and I don't know if this is possible on a pickup. My step father has plenty of woodworking knowledge and could probably help out. Then a big one for me is gas millage. 15mpg just doesn't seem worth it for a pickup! I do like the option of being able to take a bed camper off easily to haul stuff!


On another note, a Dodge Promaster van is looking more appealing then if I where to go the Sprinter route, mostly because its front wheel drive for the snow!

 

[rruff]

With small properties in a few different cities I figure that gives me a good excuse to get out on the road in between jobs. My uncle would help me out, as its already what he does. To me it seems like a good way to have a little bit of income on the side. maybe I have that all wrong?!

What jobs? The issue I have with rental properties is that the property and the renters require maintenance, sometimes at very inconvenient times. I dislike having to "take care of ****" when I'm enjoying the wilderness. Maybe you like to be busy and have obligations, in which case maybe it makes sense. I prefer investments that I can ignore (like stocks). Like I said, what do you really want?

I have thought of a 4x4 truck, and I am open to looking into it further. For one, it seems like I would get less space. Also, the more I think about it, the more I would like to do a DIY camper, and I don't know if this is possible on a pickup. My step father has plenty of woodworking knowledge and could probably help out. Then a big one for me is gas millage. 15mpg just doesn't seem worth it for a pickup! I do like the option of being able to take a bed camper off easily to haul stuff!

You can make a pickup much more off road capable than a 4x4 Sprinter van, and only the new ones with diesel issues have 4x4. I'm building a camper on a Tundra (on the frame). It will have ~7'x12' plus cab over storage, and convenient storage for stuff and bikes in the back seat area (seat removed). If you want something you can easily take off, just get a 3/4 or 1 ton truck and a used slide in camper. Lots of options and different price ranges there.

Even the diesels will only get ~15mpg (that goes for Sprinters also) once you load them up for camping, gas would typically be ~12 mpg. But the diesels cost more up front, the fuel costs more, and the newer ones have trouble prone systems, and forget about using them in other countries. Your cost of fuel is going to be a small percentage of total cost of ownership.