We've lived in a rv for about 10 out of the last 20 years. Either because we were building..then selling, or because we were in a area we couldn't afford to buy after selling, but just 'wanted to be there'. In fact I'm sitting in one right now, with another week or so work on the house we will have been building ( I swear this is the last one, but how knows..
)
And we have lived at both extremes....We have lived at 10,000' in the winter in Colorado (off grid)...at 9000', at 8700', at 7000', at 6700' and now in Mo.
And also on the National Forest in Colorado.
I figure we have pretty much seen it and done it ..in everything from TT from 18-32 feet...to 5th wheels 28-40 feet...to MH's...to a tent.
If it can it will break at the most unfortunate time...Mother Boards in furnaces
will break in the coldest, snowiest part of winter and you better have the money to replace them...or have back up heat.
Water pumps go out a lot..have a spare.
It is
not cheap to run the a/c in a hot climate...or heat in a cold one. Last winter in MO, our avg electric bill ( we ran elec heaters as we didn't trust the propane furnace ( you get that way after living in one for years) ran
$500 a month!
Our summer bill in MO runs $175-$200, of course in Colorado in the summer it was only around $50....or we were running a generator, which can be pricey with gas prices.
We aren't ones to sit and do nothing in one..so we are always out doing something, building, or gardening here in MO...Working, exploring, gold prospecting, in Colorado. So that helps to not feel confined. But on days you don't go out it gets a little close.
We have always bought the ones with the most windows, and that has really helped.
I love to cook! But it is very difficult in a rv. I didn't have a problem in our 40' 5er, but did in everything else. Of course we cook outside on the gas grill which is a must have in a rv. Camper world sells small ones if you are mobile and don't want to have a big one. The ovens in rv, suck. You must have a unglazed tile in the bottom of one in order to 'spread the heat' and not burn stuff.
If you are rich and want to travel and have fun....they are wonderful!
If you aren't and they break down and you have no money...they are hell!
If you can't afford to buy something and want to live cheap...head for a national forest and live for free, but expect to have to move every 10 days to 2 weeks if the forest staff finds you. IF they don't you can stay unlimited. But you will either have to go after water and dump or haul water in and poo out.
If you want travel with the seasons and you have the money to do that they are also great.
Big thing....don't sit in them 24/7!!!!