This is one of the most asked questions we receive – some ask it with a humorous tone, some ask it with concern, and some with pure bewilderment. Today we’ll break down the pros & cons of living in 16 feet and shed a little light on how we do it!
How Do You Live Fulltime in Such a Small Camper?
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZ3dzsPrdrU%5D
Keeping it 100%, we’ll start with the cons. The list isn’t too long, but there are some issues that make living in a small space pretty frustrating at times.
CON #1 – Storage
It’s pretty obvious; we don’t have much storage. This is particularly an issue in the kitchen. We aren’t able to travel with many pots & pans – or any other fun kitchen item. For Example, our biggest kitchen gadget – a NuWave oven – lives in the back of the truck.
Storage for our recycling is also an issue. The shower is filled up with cardboard boxes and tin cans.
CON #2 – Kitchen Counter & Sink
There’s probably one square foot of prep area on our counter. Cutting, dicing, mixing and blending are all risky propositions in the kitchen. Our sink is also very shallow and the water faucet has minimal clearance. We can fill up our tea pot, but not much else. Filling up a 20 oz. bottle from the kitchen faucet should be an Olympic event.
CON #3 – Standing Area
We have one “standing area” in our camper – its a combination of a foyer, kitchen, and central hallway. This space is made for one person. When all three of us are in this space at the same time, someone (and sometimes everyone) ends up grumpy!
CON #4 – Bed & Dinette Combo
When hunting for the perfect camper, we really wanted a separate bed & dinette. But, this Fiber Stream was just too unique to pass up, so we made the sacrifice. Before we complain about the bed too much, let us state that it is huge! Its an oversized king bed – this was a big selling point. However, it takes a long time to break down and convert to the “U-shaped” dinette.
CON #5 – Small Tank Capacity
Our fresh water tank holds 20 gallons and our grey water tank holds 7 gallons – you do the math! Emptying the grey water tank so often is annoying; we’ve become masters at conserving our water consumption.
Now it’s time for the PROs!
PRO #1 – King Size Bed
Its one of the only “upgrades” we made when moving into a camper. The bed gives us so much room to lounge – all three of us can get comfy without invaded the others space.
PRO #2 – Mobility
We’re able to navigate this camper into tight spots, down sketchy roads. The reward has been beautiful boondocking locations with complete privacy. The size it also helpful when visiting a busy parking lot are crowded gas station.
PRO #3 – Consumer Awareness
Buying “stuff” is out of the question because we have no room to store it. We’re really aware of the fresh fruit & veggies as well – it forces us to eat all of our food before we buy more.
PRO #4 – Cost
As a rule of thumb, smaller campers cost less than big rigs. In fact, the tires on a Class A cost more than our entire camper! We’ve enjoyed the cost savings of our initial investment and on the continued maintenance.
PRO #5 – Easy to Clean
Even at its most cluttered, it only takes an hour to clean and re-organize the camper. Everything has a home, so if there are things scattered about, we know right where they belong.
PRO #6 – Relationship
Living in such a small space makes it difficult to hide bad vibes. If we’re angry, frustrated or whatever, the small space makes us talk about the issue and work it our pretty quickly. We also really like each others company – we’re two introverts that enjoy solitude and reflection, but also like getting out and exploring.
PRO #7 – Encourages Exploration
Even though our living space is 16 feet long, our backyard is the entire world! We love seeing new places and learning about history and culture. Our small camper reminds us daily to get out and explore!
Thanks for reading our blog. Help support our mission – to live freely and deliberately – by checking out our Etsy store or shopping Amazon through our link.
We don’t live anywhere near full time but when we are in our 13ft Scamp the key is to have one person at a time in the center space. We cook outside most of the time because we leave our bed up full time. Respect for the other person is so so important. I think you guys have that covered. Thanks for the great info, I look forward to your videos and posts. Travel safe !!!
My husband and I enjoy our 15ft. Terry Resort immensely! Had two overhead bunk spaces front and back that we use exclusively for our “stuff”. Large laundry baskets hold all of our clothes, toiletries, and extra bedding and towels. The other bunk holds microwave, pots and pans, groceries and TV/dvd. The couch area is opened up and is always made up as the bed, and the dinette stays up unless we have company. Perfect for US!! Love your blog.
I enjoyed your blog and that you covered my questions straight to the point. Thanks. I hope you continue enjoying the open spaces. I
I’m sorry to bring this up, and do not mean to sound rude. I’m an older woman, alone, and maintaining good health is extremely important. I noticed you skin seems VERY unhealthy and wondered if it is from the inability to keep it clean, etc. or is it merely a condition you’re experiencing at you youthful age and maybe greasy food diet> I do opologize but if I hit the road, I don’t want to deal with issues I’m not at least unaware of.
We eat an extremely clean, whole foods plant based diet and I wash my face every night. It has nothing to do with my cleanliness or diet. I struggle with hormonal fluctuations after I got off of hormonal birth control. This is my body trying to find its natural balance. I think your safe.
Have to agree about small size being a plus. Lots of the older public campgrounds (e.g., National Forests) can’t accommodate longer rigs. We have a 27 ft Class C motorhome and I have days when I wish we’d thought a little shorter. We do have more storage space than we need; the biggest issue I have with it is that most of it isn’t particularly convenient. The more we travel, though, the smarter I’m getting at figuring out where to stash stuff.
I really appreciate you two sharing your lives. You are an adorable couple! My husband and I will be retiring in about 9 months and selling everything (except of course what we store in our 10 X 10) and hitting the road. We’re trying to decide if we want to blog. We won’t need additional income but friends and family have asked us to consider it. Do you find it to be burdensome? I have difficulty imagining having time since I’ve never had more than two weeks off.
Thank you! We don’t make any money from our blog, but we find its a nice information resource to accompany our YouTube videos, which we do hope to make money from in the future. We started mainly to document our travels and share with friends and family, but now that we see how helpful it can be to other full timers or aspiring RVers, it’s very rewarding to know we can offer help just by sharing our experience. As far as being burdensome – it can be as time consuming as you want it to be. Sometimes I write a blog post on my phone while riding in the car or Kyle will write one in the morning as he drinks his coffee.
My husband, me, 2 cats, & a 30# dog full-timed in a 17′ Casita for 4 1/2 yrs before he died last fall. I’m still at it as a solo now. The trailer seems twice as big now without him, but it just required good communication & really liking each other. We tried to chase the weather so we could be outside as much as possible. Shopping changes, less more often, & small, lightweight, digital, & multi-purpose if possible. It gets your priorities in order. Love snuggling in those small gorgeous campsites around tight curves.
Very well said 🙂
Hi guys! I’m a fellow 1985 Fiber Stream owner and I love what you are doing! I bought mine when my son was 5, ($600) just to have storage place to keep our camping gear. Boy, did I get waaay more than I had hoped in the Fiber Stream.
I keep a regular queen size mattress in mine (for comfort….gotta have a good nights sleep!!!) and keep the table in storage. I just keep an extra large top sheet on the bed during the day to avoid gravel etc on the bed linens from the dog hanging out on the bed or the kids coming and going…..nothing like crawling into a gravel, sand ridden bed at night, from the dog and just laying on the bed off your clothes. The top sheet eliminates that, just remove before bedtime and shake outside and throw in the bathroom.
One very helpful addition for storage, was a small spice/pantry cabinet as you enter the door to the Rt. Attached to the fridge side and cabinet. It has an open top with tall rails to store suntan lotion, and flashlights etc…. And the doors on the cabinet close and latch shut, so no chance of earth quaking while traveling down the road. 🙂
My bathroom contains all my fishing gear and beach chairs, cooler and 5 gallon bucket for ‘dishes’ that I do rarely, mostly when I get back home. (Lazy camper)! I really don’t use the shower (grey water tank size), but love the potty access.
I also keep 2 Med. size beanbags in the corner of the bed to sit against when I want to read or work on computer. They are light, and easily movable and fit nicely in the rounded corners of the trailer for back comfort while sitting on bed, so at night (for storage) we don’t miss the ‘bed space’ in those corners.
Just thought I’d share my Fiber Stream comfort ‘tips’ with ya, Thanks for sharing yours! Happy camping and safe travels!
Hi guys! I’m a fellow 1985 Fiber Stream owner and I love what you are doing! I bought mine when my son was 5, (hes 24 now) ($600) just to have storage place to keep our camping gear. Boy, did I get waaay more than I had hoped in the Fiber Stream.
I keep a regular queen size mattress in mine (for comfort….gotta have a good nights sleep!!!) and keep the table in storage. I just keep an extra large top sheet on the bed during the day to avoid gravel etc on the bed linens from the dog hanging out on the bed or the kids coming and going…..nothing like crawling into a gravel, sand ridden bed at night, from the dog and just laying on the bed off your clothes. The top sheet eliminates that, just remove before bedtime and shake outside and throw in the bathroom.
One very helpful addition for storage, was a small spice/pantry cabinet as you enter the door to the Rt. Attached to the fridge side and cabinet. It has an open top with tall rails to store suntan lotion, and flashlights etc…. And the doors on the cabinet close and latch shut, so no chance of earth quaking while traveling down the road. 🙂
My bathroom contains all my fishing gear and beach chairs, cooler and 5 gallon bucket for ‘dishes’ that I do rarely, mostly when I get back home. (Lazy camper)! I really don’t use the shower (grey water tank size), but love the potty access.
I also keep 2 Med. size beanbags in the corner of the bed to sit against when I want to read or work on computer. They are light, and easily movable and fit nicely in the rounded corners of the trailer for back comfort while sitting on bed, so at night (for storage) we don’t miss the ‘bed space’ in those corners.
Just thought I’d share my Fiber Stream comfort ‘tips’ with ya, Thanks for sharing yours!
Happy camping and safe travels!
I folks. I’m an young 68 years old guy that follow your trip. I once owned a safari condo built on a GM Savana van. Sold it a year ago after a few trips in USA. Couldn’t resist to buy a new one which I’ll get next year. Special order obliges a long waiting list.
I seriously enjoy your “blog” on your whereabouts. Very instructing and full of suggestions for my future trips down USA.
Keep going and write about it.
Luc
Hi CJ! That’s a great deal you got on your Fiber Stream! We made a storage shelf in that exact same place by the door! It helps so much! Love the bean bag idea! It’s always hard to get comfy when sitting in bed. We considered getting an actual mattress,but wanted to keep the option of the table for work. We might change our minds though. The sheet idea is smart. I hate a sandy bed! Thanks for sharing your tips! We don’t often hear from other Fiber Stream owners 🙂
Thank you so much! That seems like a great travel vehicle. We would love doing some traveling in something like that in the future! Happy Trails!
We full time as well, eat healthy and clean ourselves and our home often. I have also struggled with the post BC skin fluctuations. I think you look beautiful. Norma- it helps to buy the water filters that hook up to the clean water line. Travelling is hard on your skin, because you are constantly changing water sources. The filters help, but not as much as staying in one place would.
Thanks you. I have struggled for the past two years, and it is so much better than it was in the beginning. It’s hard getting first time acne as an adult. It’s a slow healing process and I gave up on being embarrassed or ashamed of my skin a long time ago, the stress only makes it worse. My happiness is more important and as long as I know I’m healthy and well taken care of, its all that matters. Cutting out dairy, and reducing my wheat consumption has helped reduce the severity of my breakouts and reduced the inflammation in body tremendously.
Hi! Thanks for the great post. I’m thinking of getting a 16′ scamp for solo trips. I’m 30 and in fairly good shape, but I’m a little worried about handling it by myself. Do you think it’s manageable for just one person?