Everything Broke On Night 1 Of RV LIFE...

So Kate and I (JC) decided we were going to live in an R.V. for at least the next few years. The goal was simple. Travel to cool places around the USA with our son (Chase) and our dog (Diesel). When people asked us what we planned on doing, they were all excited. And most of them also wished they could jump in an R.V. and do the same thing.

When we first decided whether to finance a new RV or pay cash for a used one, it felt like a no-brainer. Buying the used one allowed us to sell it in a few months if we didn't love this Full-Time RV life.

So, after looking for an RV for 3 weeks and searching 5 different states, we found our dream floor plan. A 2009 Keystone Outback 210RS that we paid $8500. It has two bunks for Chase in the front, the kitchen and bathroom in the middle of the rig, and sofa and kitchen table at the rear. But the bonus was it has a rear slideout that can house a king-size bed. Plus, we liked the idea if we pulled in late to a campsite, we didn't need to mess with any slides and just hop into bed.

In a few days we reduced our life to a living space of 200 sqft. Which you think might be difficult but for us it was like moving into a mansion. We spent the first 6 months of 2023 living out of suitcases. (Check out our Trip through South East Asia)

We skipped a test run and started our journey. The best part was we captured it all on film. You can check out this week's episode on our YouTube Channel!

But when we pulled into our Storage Facility about 4 hours away from our home, we realized the rear slide had pulled out a few of the screws holding our rear slide hanging brackets in place. So a quick trip to Walmart and a few new screws it was all better... Well, at least we thought.

Then we filled our water tank, and to our surprise, it was less clear and more pink in color. Through a few Google searches and YouTube videos, we determined the old owner had winterized the RV with antifreeze and so proceeded to flush the freshwater lines. But when you add 30 gallons of fresh water into a 30-gallon gray tank, it fills up fast. Because we were at our storage facility, we elected to dump our gray tank into the field. That was our first mistake because we relied too much on the labeling system.

Come to find out, our Tanks were mislabeled, and we ended up dumping a few logs 🪵 onto the ground 🤦‍♂️. Lesson learned to not rely on any labels unless you label them yourself.

Kate and I chalked it up as a silly mistake and went to bed feeling like we had overcome a huge setback. Until about 6 am the following day, I was woken up by a large bang outside our trailer and Kate yelling at me that our RV tipped over.

Come to find out, our rear slide bracket had worn out, and it was a quick fix. We headed to an RV shop and purchased an awning bracket that only cost us $17.00.

After a few nights and many hours of contemplating if we should sell our used trailer or give up, we decided to continue our journey. My only advice for you is to stick with your dreams, even if they start out as nightmares. The last few weeks have been magical living in our tiny home and visiting some of the coolest places the United States has to offer.

Remember, stay adventurous. Life is too short not to be excited about being alive.