About 2020 I started looking at approaching retirement life. Winnie and I knew we wanted to do some traveling around the US. But we weren’t sure what that traveling would look like. We had just finished a visit to Yellowstone National Park and Winnie loved the idea of seeing more parks.
Most of our discussions revolved around purchasing a Recreational Vehicle, camping trailer, or SUV tent. Which pretty much narrowed down the scope of discussions. Over the next several years we continued discussions/negotiations. Winnie started viewing YouTube videos, and after the pandemic pause, we started attending RV/camping shows. Finally, in late 2023 we pretty much decided on a small “class B” (van-body) RV.
The Purchase
Then on a Saturday in February 2024 we attended a weekend RV/camping show in Fredericksburg, Virginia, just south of where we were living. At that show, we saw several 18-foot class B RVs all of which looked promising. We took home brochures as homework that evening.
The next morning, I knew we were ready to buy an RV when Winnie started packing up lunch for a return trip to the show. We headed back down to the Fredericksburg and made our rounds. After final discussion, we agreed on a Thor 18G model RV as the best value there. It was the smallest size available, built on a RAM 1500 van chassis. For its small size, it was fully loaded with everything we knew we wanted. It also had the layout we preferred of a full bath with shower in the back. The bed was small, but large enough for us, and this layout provided more of an open feeling in the living area.
After our preliminaries with the RV salesman, we (Winnie) started negotiations. After about an hour’s worth of Winnie conducting negotiations, we had a deal. We had to wait until the show ended to finalize the purchase. And, we had to take delivery at the dealership which was about one hour’s drive south from where we were living. So, the following Tuesday we became the proud new owners of a Thor 2024 model 18G RV.
Warranty Work
Over the next several weeks we had the RV back at the dealership several times for minor warranty work. Most of the work revolved around the RV being a show vehicle, so some cosmetic stuff had been damaged. We did have an issue with the onboard generator, which turned out to be a fuel pump. The positive side of taking the RV back down to the dealer was giving us a chance to drive it on day trips.
Meanwhile, I was busy studying the manuals and figuring out how the RV actually worked. The van body itself had a pretty impressive amount of software. Then, the cabin itself had even more software, along with plumbing and wiring stuff. Working through the manuals, I felt like I was back qualifying on a submarine…
Along with warranty work, I also had the RV winterized because that’s what RV owners do with their RVs in winter months. With the cold weather and winterization, Winnie and I pushed off RV camping until the spring. Winnie did some of her own customization during this time, by upgrading the upholstery. The RV came with generic, beige-covered cushions. Winnie recovered them with a nice floral pattern that really brightened up the interior.
Moving Blues
However, in April 2024 we became the proud new owners of a house outside of Charlotte, North Carolina. I also decided it was time for me to retire and set my date for end of June. We used our RV as our travel vehicle back and forth to Charlotte, then as our moving vehicle. These trips did give me opportunity to learn how to operate it. I also had a chance to tow our boat, and our fully loaded utility trailer. The RV proved to be a pure delight as a towing vehicle.
We pretty much accepted that, with moving and retiring, we weren’t going to do any actual camping until after my June retirement.
Retirement Delayed
Just a few weeks before my planned June 2024 retirement, I was offered a chance to work full-time remote from Charlotte for another year. So, I delayed my retirement and worked from home. While not commuting was nice, it was also working full-time so we didn’t get much chance to use our new toy. For the rest of 2024, and through the early part of 2025 our RV mostly sat in our driveway, used for occasional day trips with picnics.
Then, in March 2025 I was trumped. I was ordered back to the office along with tens of thousands of other federal workers as part of the great “RTO Plan”. Winnie helped find me a room to rent back in Woodbridge and I became a geographical bachelor for my remaining federal career. I was back in Woodbridge starting in April, initially driving my Jeep Cheroke. In May I came back to Charlotte and swapped out my Jeep for the RV. For the rest of my stay in Woodbridge I used the RV for commuting, weekend camping, and frequent van life stuff.
Part-Time Van Life
The people I was rooming with included kitchen access, but they were always in the kitchen cooking when I was planning on dinner. So, on frequent occasions I drove the van to a nearby park and had dinner there. It was nice and gave me more opportunity to get used to using the RV for its intended purpose.
I made my first weekend RV camping trip in mid-May at Prince Wiliam Forest RV Park, which was nearby where I lived. It was a good shake-down run for RV life.