MPG/gas prices

[kotflb]

I once had a pickup truck that only got 12mpg with nothing in it but me. But back then, gas was only 79 cent a gallon. For a bus to get 10+ mpg is like having your birthday cake all to yourself while everyone else just watches.

Getting back to the serious side. There are a lot of rv's out there getting far less miles out of a gallon of fuel. We just have to plan our trips well and stay longer when we get there. As far as miles traveled, most rv's, even full timers, won't hardly do more the 15k a year and the real figure is probable closer to less then 10k. That's why you take your toad for sightseeing and grocery store runs. The bus or RV is just a base camp retreat. You may drive 4k miles while on vacation, but you only put 1200 miles on the bus. All the side trips are on the toad.

[lornaschinske]

The Class C gets about 6 to 8 mpg and I plan for 7mpg, the skoolie does much, much better (10 to 12 maybe better... no fuel gauge but we estimated 15 mpg but surely that is wrong). Longest trip we've done so far is coming out west (1600 miles). Since we started full-timing back in 2006, our usual trips were around 600 miles. The trip to Corpus Christi was close to 900 miles (we took a little detour and ran primary roads as much as possible). We tend to stay parked for months not days or weeks. We've been in the same campground since we got back here in June. Most full-timers tend to move based on either work or weather (many big RV's only get 3 to 5 mpg... some less than that). That often means traveling only a few times a year. We tow a Jeep 4 down (no dolly). I would like to get a scooter (250cc) to keep the fuel prices down. Unless you are making a cross country run, you shouldn't be putting a lot of miles on the bus. If you will not be towing a car, then you need to slap a bike on that thing. Unhooking to make a trip to the grocery store is a PITA. Most larger towns have public transportation. Even the tiny town we are in has an outfit that you call and they pick you up to take you to the store. Small towns tend to be small enough that you can often walk to a nearby store. In Corpus Christi, the park we stayed in was on the bus line. A Dollar General, Public Library and 2 restaurants (pizza joint and a Mexican restaurant) were about 1/4 mile from us... we walked to the store and library.

[NewSkewlHauler]

Right now, since my divorce, I've been using my bus for EVERYTHING. It's my daily driver. It can be a little inconvenient, but I really like to drive it. I can afford to drive it nearly everyday for two reasons: 1) it's paid for. I can't imagine what it would be like to be making a payment on a big stick and staple and still need to feed it fuel. 2) I only drive about 5 miles per day. I live a block and a half from the school I teach at and about 2 miles from my horses. Sometimes, I hook my dog up to my bike and he just pulls me around to do chores. That also helps to defray the cost of operation!

I just budget $x for fuel each month and stretch it out. Someday, I'll have another vehicle to bop around in, but for now...

Ben.

[gbstewart]

you just have to save fuel money and plan your trips, we are planing a trip to the east cost, planning on driving 10,000 miles, should be getting about 10mpg,
figureing average price about $4.00 a gal, we will need about 4-5 thousand dollars for fuel., now we are planing for 30 days on tbe road, that would be a min of about $100. dollars a nite for a hotel there will be 3 adults, 1 child 1 dog. now say we spend $4000. for fuel subtract $3000. for hotels, now your cost is around $1000. you cant count food cause you have to eat anyway, but you will save by not eating in resterunts. and boon docking, and staying a reasonable camp sites save money. also remember if I did this trip in my mini van I would put out about $1300. in gas.

this is just my way to justify the cost, it really isnt that bad

gbstewart




413

[lornaschinske]

Originally Posted by gbstewart

... this is just my way to justify the cost, it really isn't that bad...

And no bed bugs! I have worked in the hotel business. I would rather pay the fuel costs, and sleep in my bus (even in a parking lot) than stay in a hotel/motel. Always preferred my own bed to one that has been slept in by unknown others. Once you start figuring in the costs (lodging, meals, fuel) you will find you will ether be the same or slightly cheaper, depending on the type of lodging you choose (we go cheap). If you are making cross country/long trips, I would recommend that you invest in the Don Wright campground directories (Eastern or Western States) for cheap or free lodging which are great if you are traveling the primary/secondary roads. If you are running the interstates, I would suggest The Next Exit (available in hard copy or online) and use the Allstays list of overnight parking. Coming out west, we ran interstates (The Next Exit) until we hit Odessa, TX then switched over to primary roads. We stayed in parking lots except for the two great campgrounds we stayed in. Both were located thru Don Wright directories (Holiday Park/Benbrook COE, Benbrook, TX and Harry McAdams State Park, Hobbs, NM... which I believe is now a county park... not listed in NM state park website).


http://store.cottagepub.com/gtfcw.html Western edition (13th printing 2007)
http://www.amazon.com/Wrights-Guide-...3235714&sr=8-3 Eastern Edition (12th printing 2005)
http://www.allstays.com/c/camping-ov...rv-parking.htm
http://www.thenextexit.com/

A word of warning on the Don Wright books. They are only printed every few years, not yearly. In the interim span, prices change. The Eastern Edition/12th printing is what I have (I have the Western 2007 also) and the FL state Parks pricing is wrong. As of 2010 they have raised the rates a lot. With budget cuts, many public campgrounds are raising prices. BUT if it weren't for the Don Wright books, I would not have found/known of many lower cost campgrounds as they are rarely in camping directories (and many are not in any online list I have found). I no longer buy Woodalls or Trailer life directories anymore.

[gbstewart]

Yes your right, I forgot about the bedbugs!!!!

gbstewart

[lornaschinske]

For what it's worth....

I found my little book that I was keeping track of fuel, mileage, expenses for our trip out here. Turns out that David put less than 100 gallons diesel (really about 85 to 90 gallons) in the bus. The fuel gauge didn't work so we had to use a stick. We dipped the tank before we left and kept dipping it. We dipped it again once we hit Socorro. We had more on the stick than when we left NC. We traveled 1700+ miles (really 1726 miles). That stomps on the Class C's mpg and the bus was loaded to the ceiling front to back with a little space just big enough for David to sleep in.

That's a lot better than I thought it was... time for a Happy Dance!

[Seeria]

You might also try looking at places like rvnet and escapees forums for suggestions on how people there budget full time travel.