2016 Toyota Tacoma + Mobile Living

Hey Taco fam, I'm in a tough position right now. My ex and I recently ended our relationship of 3 years and we live in a house her family owns. I pay pretty cheap rent, but after breaking up it's not a good idea for me to be living here for an extended period of time. I recently bought out my leased 2016 Toyota Tacoma (it only has 38k miles on it), and I have around $15k saved as well as currently on unemployment. I'm a 3D Artist so I'm able to make income remotely as long as I have internet and a computer. I was hoping somebody here might have some advice for me as far as options of living out of a camper or tow camper. I've been looking at a few options such as the slide-in campers that are available, but I'm also not cutting out tow-based options for this truck.

The truck is a 2016 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off-Road with a crew cab and 7' bed. I do have the tow package, and have towed heavy loads (3000-4000lbs in 8x10' trailer when moving cross country) so I'm not unfamiliar with towing. But what I am unfamiliar with is the mobile lifestyle. I'm trying to watch as many youtube videos and reviews as I possibly can, but I feel like I need some specific advice about this situation.

Has anybody ever lived out of a camper they tow with their Tacoma or maybe lived out of a slide-in/pop up camper? I'm in the suburbs between Boston and Providence, so it would have to work through all seasons including winter and summer. The only necessities I need are internet and a bed to sleep. I'm estimating my budget for purchasing one of these is between $8-$12k...but would go higher if financing were an option. I have a lot of family spread out through North America so I'm hoping this will be an amazing opportunity for me to see people I haven't seen for a long time that I care about very much.

Would appreciate any advice, if this isn't the right forum let me know and I will close this or repost it. I'm about to start my adventure with this idea with just my dog and I, but I'm pretty good at living in tight/limited spaces as I've previously lived in small apartments without a dog.

 

Since COVID hit I have been working remotely and have contemplated doing the same thing, but more of a week day thing, camping lakeside just to enjoy the outdoors while I’m working. Tacos aren’t the best choice for trailering, but I am thinking that something like Airstream’s Basecamp would be perfect for this type of thing.

 

Yeah agreed, this is something I've had in the back of my mind for months. The Airstreams look awesome but pretty expensive huh?

 

Yes they are, however, they are very well designed and built and hold their resale value well. We have been looking for used Basecamps thinking that with the new Basecamp 20 out, the 16’s would drop a bit in value, however, this has not been the case here in Texas. I have seen three come up for sale in the past few months that are selling close to retail price, it’s crazy. Kind of a similar situation as Tacomas have been. Hopefully after all this COVID stuff has waned, people will be restored to sanity.

 

get a planet fitness membership and a hard shell mattress combo for your bed and youre set! GL

 

That isn't an option for me, I need to have a decent amount of space for myself and my dog to live almost full-time year long. I was considering something like the Kimbo truck bed camper, but even that seems like a bit of a cramped space, so I'm also considering a trailer camper. Still not ruling out the Kimbo and other truck-bed based campers but they really need to be 4 season capable and give me enough space to have a small office area to work full-time.

 

Something to really think about if you go with some sort of camper trailer. Will you always be able to find a place to park it? Are you ok with having a trailer attached to your truck all. the. time.?

Personally, I hate needing to deal with a trailer. Either you have to pay to park it somewhere, you have to park it in more remote areas, or you keep it attached to your truck at all times.

For me, a high rise topper is great for camping and long road trips, but I can see how that wouldn't be convenient for your long-term situation. If you get a slide in camper, it will always be attached to your truck, but at least normal parking spaces will work for you; and you can drive in normal traffic.

 

The 7' bed option was not available when I bought my truck

 

OP,

I am sorry to hear that you are in your current position. I wish you nothing but the best and hope that things work out.

There are a number of videos on YouTube about people living in their trucks, vans, campers, you name it. There is one of a woman who drives a 4 Runner and has an AirStream base camp and lives in it full time. Very do-able. The key is you have to have a place to park it.

Just throwing ideas out there for you. But I don't think any of the options you are considering will be comfortable for you in the medium to long term. Might make sense to get a used camper. Plenty of them are available and you can get a nice once for a good price. See if you can finance it, keep your cash, and make payments on a monthly basis (assuming interest rates make sense, etc.).

Do a quick look at Craigslist, Facebook marketplace and also check some of the Websites for dealers in your area that might have smaller, more affordable campers. I think you would appreciate the room for more longer term living. And, if you are handy, you could add solar panels and fix most any issues that might pop up.

Please do report back on what you decide ... and again, best of luck to you !


Edit: Link to woman living in an Airstream base camp (pretty darn cool!):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8QXKKGRnVA

Yes, they are expensive but you might be able to get a used camper for much less. The kitchen, bath and bed will be more than worth it as far as long term comfort.

 

Very valid points, and storage has been one of my concerns as my HOA is very restrictive.

 

Why not just get an apartment? 15k is plenty for a deposit and will cover rent for a year in some locations. Never did understand the "urban living" trend on YouTube. Sure it sounds extravagant until you realize that you have no where to go to the bathroom.

Edit, it's different if you're only doing that a few times a year, such as when hunting, etc.

 

I've definitely got places to park a travel trailer (locations of family members who have areas I can park are in Massachusetts, Michigan, Virginia, California, Texas), I also want to use it as a way to travel a lot more. I'm hoping with it just being me and my dog that space won't be a massive issue. I'm looking at 14-18 foot travel trailers lately, definitely want to try to keep it under/around $20k with financing. Having a bathroom with a shower would be great as I don't want to ALWAYS use public or family's facilities all the time, I think most of the time it would be parked next to my parent's house, and they actually have an RV hookup for electric right outside their garage. When it's not parked there I'd most likely be taking it to various campsites/national parks/RV sites. I'm new to this whole way of living so I'm sure I have a lot to learn and a lot of research to do. I'm pretty tech savvy and good with my hands as far as any repairs or modifications go. I don't suspect I'd keep it attached to my truck at all times unless travelling cross country or between different states and parks.

Thank you! I actually recently watched that video, and outside of airstreams being a bit out of my price range, this type of lifestyle is exactly what I'm looking for. I don't suppose I'll be mobile most of the time, but I want something that's comfortable for year round living for myself and my dog.

I've lived in apartments around here, and in Massachusetts even a 1br can run upwards of $1600/month in the suburbs. For that price I could both pay for my truck, pay for a travel trailer, and pay for any fees and maintenance and I'll probably still be under the amount of money I'd spend on rent/utilities. And I wouldn't be able to do the main thing I want to do which is travel to different places across North America and visit family spread throughout multiple states.

I don't plan on constantly uprooting or being 100% mobile at all times. I imagine I'd most likely be parked at various friends/family locations for 80% of the time I feel like, unhitch the trailer, and use my truck to get around without it.

Still trying to figure out if this is a good option for me. Another option is contemplating buying a cheap single family house around here, there's a lot of them going up for sale... Would much prefer a more adventurous route.

 

I love the idea, actually. And that video is great. The question is can you get a used Basecamp and finance it at a really low interest rate? That way you hang on to your cash and have a solid place to live. The fact that you will mostly be staying with friends makes that every workable.

But look around for used small trailers. Not as good a quality as an Airstream but very do-able. I've seen them for under $5K. Had a friend who bought a used Jayco (one of the cheaper models). Dude was a master carpenter. He lived in the thing, took one side wall off (it was the summer so he slept in a tent outside, spray foamed it, then put the wall back. Did that all the way around including the floor. Then replaced the kitchen and the thing was really well done and comfortable. I do think what you are thinking is pretty smart -- and you might be able to find the right small trailer that is pretty comfortable for reasonably cheap.

Look at this little guy: But what do I know? I dream of a cool pop up trailer.

 

There are loads of blogs and youtube channels for you to draw inspiration from. A few things to really consider is:

-Stealth: Will you be sleeping in your vehicle in an urban environment or will you be boondocking most of the time? A trailer aint stealth. A pop up/slide in isn't either. A shell or van is. I saw you mention parking outside friends/family the majority of the time. Keep in mind no matter how close you guys are eventually it will get old for them. Friends park outside my house from about this time of year till spring and use the kitchen/restroom in my place. They're great, i love having them around, but after a month or so it can get old. So think about where you'll be parked the majority of the time.

-Truck or van: Tacomas can't really take that big of slide ins, so even if you go that route itll feel a bit tight. Even more so if you go to a shell. Honestly i cant stand trailers but maybe that's a good option for you. If you don't need the clearance/capability of a truck, and you are set on living in a vehicle, i'd really consider a van tall enough to stand up in. A bigger truck with a slide in is a good option too. You say you don't need that much space, which may be true, until it rains for 3 days in a row and youre stuck inside.

-It's not all roses. Honestly if you end up working a 9-5 just rent or buy somewhere. If you're unemployed/freelancing whatever and can have the freedom to travel around then great.

-Whatever go you go with you can make it work, i have friends that that live in every vehicle you can imagine..to 1990 honda civics, jeeps, vans, trucks, motorhomes. If you don't like it, you can always stop ($$ depending, of course).