Based on page-hits and comments, my last post entitled "It Can Be Done" struck a chord with some. And I'm feeling the need to follow on with some additional musings and thoughts.
When it comes to selecting an RV most people start with "big" in mind. What's the largest rig we can afford? We did. But we found that much of the need for space isn't for us or the demands of our travel style... it had more to do with our assumptions about what we needed to live full-time... what other people told us we'd needed... and, well, we've got the space... let's fill 'er up. Other reasons for going BIG might include hobbies, toys, pets, a large waistline, the unstated assumption that bigger is better, and, perhaps, the All-American need to one-up the neighbors... or some combination of all those. You might feel good about why you went big, but I doubt it has anything to do with what works best while traveling and exploring.
If the goal is to take as much of your suburban life along with you when you go camping, and you tend to sit for long periods of time, then go ahead and get as much RV as you can afford. I mean... be happy. You're not hurting anyone.
But if the goal is to explore, to nose around the countryside, to wander, to see, to learn, I think it'll be obvious to most folks with those simpler interests to see the beauty in going small and living simply.. with less.
What's the paradigm you started with.... the big trophy 3000 sq. ft. house that many of us have lived in for long periods of time??... or... the backpack that many have lived out of for long periods of time while traversing the Appalachian Trail or traveling throughout Europe??
In other words, in thinking about life on the road do you start with that big house and try to figure out what you've got to whittle-down and leave out in order to make it all fit into an RV? Or do you start with the backpacker or the one suitcase lean-mode world traveler and try to figure out what few things you can add to make life a little easier or more rewarding?
In thinking and planning for Sabbatical II (the next chapter of our travels) we're focused on keeping things small and simple.