BIG CHANGE: Is this the end of RV Life in a toy hauler? (Full-Time RV Life)

Home » BIG CHANGE: Is this the end of RV Life in a toy hauler? (Full-Time RV Life)

After almost exactly three years of full-time RV living, we’re facing a decision that every long-term RVer eventually encounters: it’s time for a change.

Our RV Journey Started with a Crazy Conversation

Looking back, it’s wild how one random conversation completely changed our lives. After the pandemic and with our youngest heading off to college, we found ourselves asking, “What are we doing here?”

We knew houses in Florida were selling for incredible money, and in what started as a lighthearted chat, we joked about selling and living in an RV since we wouldn’t be able to afford another house. What began as a chuckle turned into hours of research (thanks to Darlene’s planning skills) and eventually became our reality.

Why We Chose a 44-Foot Toy Hauler as Complete RV Newbies

Talk about diving into the deep end! We’d never owned an RV before, but we decided to go big or go home – and there literally was no “go home” since we sold our house too.

Here’s why the toy hauler made sense for us at the time:

Space for everything – I didn’t want to be a minimalist right away and wanted room for workout gear, bikes, music equipment, and fishing gear
Work separation – We both work full-time remotely and needed door separation for simultaneous Zoom calls
Guest space – We thought our college daughter would spend summers with us (though that didn’t happen as planned)
Extra bathroom – Essential when you’re living in close quarters
Side patio – The Alliance Valor’s unique side patio provided extra natural light and opened up the space

Three Years of Amazing Adventures

This rig has taken us to some incredible places. Having solar capability and the ability to boondock opened up experiences we never imagined:

Utah’s stunning landscapes – Bryce Canyon and Zion on BLM land
Off-grid freedom – No more being tied to expensive RV resorts
Inspiration for our channel – Those first boondocking experiences sparked our YouTube journey

The learning curve was steep. Darlene initially booked an entire year of campgrounds in advance (costing us a fortune!), but we eventually mastered solar, water management, and sewer systems. We even have a boondocking course coming soon based on everything we’ve learned.

Why Change Now? Our Needs Have Evolved

After three years, we’ve realized several things:

We can definitely downsize. The initial mindset of “bringing all my toys” has shifted. Constantly packing and unpacking gear into the garage area gets old, and we’ve learned we can be happy with less stuff.

Size anxiety is real. The big rig creates stress, especially in mountains and tight spots. We’re ready for something more manageable.

Our situation has changed. Our daughter’s visits didn’t happen as expected, and our work setup has evolved.

We’ve seen what’s possible. At this year’s Tampa RV show, we were impressed by improvements in newer fifth wheels – better finishes, more efficient use of space, and updated layouts.

Why We’re Staying with Alliance RV

People often ask why we’re so loyal to Alliance. The answer comes from advice we received from Chris at Venturesome Couple at the 2022 Tampa RV show:

“A lot of RVs are similar – they get parts from the same manufacturers. The difference is how they treat you after the sale.”

Alliance lives by their factory motto: “Do the Right Thing.” When you have issues (and you will), they bend over backwards to help, especially understanding the unique challenges full-time RVers face when stuck somewhere due to a malfunction.

We’ve dealt directly with Alliance, never needing our dealer, and they’ve consistently exceeded expectations. Why start over with a new brand when we know Alliance will take care of us?

What’s Next: Our RV Shopping Journey

We’re officially Alliance Ambassadors now (not paid, just passionate advocates), and we’re looking at 2026 models that are just rolling off factory floors. We’re considering going smaller – maybe an Avenue or Paradigm instead of our current Valor.

Here’s what we’re doing:

Prep for sale – Our rig is getting “spa treatment” at the factory for warranty work
Shopping expedition – We’re touring 2026 models to find our next home
Taking you along – We’ll document the entire process of selling one RV while searching for another as full-timers

What We’ve Learned About This Lifestyle

Three years in, here are our biggest takeaways:

You don’t need as much stuff as you think – Minimalism becomes appealing when you’re constantly moving
Boondocking changes everything – The freedom to camp anywhere amazing is worth the learning curve
Customer service matters more than features – Choose a brand that stands behind their product
Your needs will evolve – What works at the beginning might not work forever, and that’s okay

Join Us on This Transition

We’re excited to share this next chapter with you. Soon we’ll be showing you:

Behind-the-scenes RV sale preparation
The real process of shopping for a new rig while living full-time
All the logistics of transitioning between RVs on the road

If you’ve been following our journey and might be interested in our current rig, reach out here. We’d love to chat about details.

The bottom line: This isn’t the end of our RV story – it’s just the beginning of a new chapter. We’ve learned so much over these three years, and we’re ready to apply those lessons to our next adventure.

Subscribe to our channel and hit the notification bell so you don’t miss any part of this transition process. We’ll show you the good, the bad, and everything in between as full-time RVers navigating this major change.