Guns and LIVING in an RV...????

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Topgun

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I got a wild hair and am going looking at RV (probly 5th wheel) today.

I am completely GREEN on this. But I owe NOTHING and have made a prison of my paid off house and am SICK of rain and heat and such.

Now to the GUNS. I.....think...... I would want a place for a decent (probably just STANDARD duty) gun safe in the rig.

Not particularly worried about state laws and such but mostly campground and park theft deterrence.

Anyone on here actually LIVING in RV and accomodating their guns while doing so?

If so, PM appreciated for some chat or post on here and we can maybe hash it out a bit. SOUNDS great to me. Actually be able to swing from STUPID states to DECENT states when the shootin urge hits.

TIA

:)
 
Topgun, unless you can figure out how to a) reinforce the floor and b) increase the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR), chances are that you can't put a real gun safe in any RV. I won't even get into fore-and-aft and side-to-side weight balance issues.

I've been doing the RV thing for several years now, and it's a lot more complicated than that, but there's the short form. You might be able to use one of those Residential Safety Containers, but even then just the weight of guns and ammo will pose issues.

If you could centerline mount this very near the axles, it might work, as long as you don't exceed the weight limits of the rig. If you really aren't scared of fabbing, you might engineer a compartment in the floor at that location and have them in that. It would be the best for balance, and would keep the weight low.

Me, I'd go with lockable cases and a burgler alarm. That's about the best you can do within the limits of an RV.
 
I bought one of the 8 gun sheet metal gunsafes from wal-mart. Cost about $80. I put it in the closet, and bolted it through the floor and wall with carriage bolts and large flat washers. Maybe not as secure as a real safe, but better than just leaving them in the closet or trying to hide them.

Not a lot of hooliganism in this area, if on the road, I don't get very far from my rig, and leave it in conpicuous places, and keep my favorites in the little pickup I haul behind. About the best I could come up with.

Building a concealed compartment in the floor may be best, but would take time and would be pricey to do right.
 
Put the overfloww in storage and take about half of them. keep the best or most expensive in a safe, and figure anything left out may be sacrifice. Good insurance will cover them if you keep it locked
 
Not sure about all states, but when travelling, guns are fairly well covered by federal law to be OK to travel with, and as long as cased and unloaded, states shouldn't have any problem. Techncally, Yellowstone National Park "doesn't allow" firearms, but the actual regs, and the signs at the gate, state that firearms must be unloaded, cased and broken down if possible. LOTS of people go through the park that live around here, they are just being realistic regarding travel for locals and travelers. I've gone through the park to hunt on the other side a number of times, and come back through with game. They don't get weird about it, it's normal here. Guns and game are kept out of sight for the most part as are guns.
 
Topgun, unless you can figure out how to a) reinforce the floor and b) increase the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR), chances are that you can't put a real gun safe in any RV. I won't even get into fore-and-aft and side-to-side weight balance issues.
Click to expand...
The solution is simple.
Remove useless junk.
Stoves, refrigerators, beds, walls, light fixtures, furniture, climate control...
Get one of those mini fridges, stock it with roast beef and mustard/bbq sauce.
You can store bread on top of it.
 
I think the interesting question here is legal, not practical. If you live in an RV, is it, when parked, your "residence," for legal purposes?

For example, if you visited Minnesota and didn't have a carry permit, you would not be allowed to have a loaded gun beside you at night, if your camper is a vehicle. If, however, it's a home, then it's hunky-dory.

Hmmmm.....
 
RVing

1. Get a CCW permit from Florida or Utah which would be accepted in the greatest number of states... www.packing.org This will allow you to carry a loaded pistol on you. Many states have laws against loaded long guns in vehicles. Believe it or not, states have different definitions as to what "loaded" is.

2. Do NOT buy a new RV especially for your first go-round. RVing is a huge learning experience. Your thinking about a 5th wheel is good, it's one of the cheaper ways to get started. Motorhomes are more convenient for travelling, but if your intent is going a few places, staying and exploring them the 5th wheel is a good choice.

3. For hiding a gun or three in an RV, most all of them have cubbyholes here and there that might serve your purpose. Stainless weapons are great for RVing, but remember stainless can rust, too.

4. My thinking on proper guns for RVing:
18-20 inch shotgun, I've an 18 inch Rem 870 Marine Mag.
0ne scoped long gun (I like 7mm)
One brush/woods gun, I've an 1894 Marlin in 44 mag.
At least one pistol of choice that you can carry concealed comfortably all day.

5. Gun laws are different in most every state. What might be common pratice in one state can be a felony in another. Again, go to www.packing.org. Stay out of Massachussettes and New York. Both states have drastic penalties for unregistered firearms.

I've been RVing for a number of years now, mostly all of it west of the Missippi and have had no interaction with any police. Except, of course, in CA where I was stopped for being over-length.

6. Always find your parking/camping sport before dark.

7. Enjoy!
 
Ask here:

Topgun...

Go here and ask the RV'ers in the Fulltimers Forum.


The Open Roads Forums are the best RV related forums on the web. Lot's of
good people and lot's of advice and information.
 
The information I have seen on the matter is that yes, when you stop a motor home, turn off the motor (probably remove the keys) and park for the night, it is your home. Motel rooms are similar, they are considered your residence for the night from the information I have seen. This MAY vary in different states. Packing.org may have some info regarding this. Various state stautes will probably mention this if you know how to find that sort of thing online. To be safe, it may be wise to look up, and print out the relevant state statutes of states you will be traveling through. Most of the rocky mountain states are pretty easy regarding guns in vehicles. Wy, Mt, Az have no requirment to be cased or unloaded, Co wants the chamber empty on a rifle. ID is pretty easy also. Utah has a quirk about chamber empty, and in revolvers, also the next round to come up is to be empty. Nv has some regs related to loaded in vehicles, I'm not clear on NV.
 
As for fulltiming, I can't imagine anything better than a 5th wheel. You have local transportation in your tow vehicle, and you can still double with your toys behind the 5er in many states. If I bought a 5th wheel, I'd install something in the floor, between the framerails between the foreward/upper room and the "basement". Maybe something behind the steps- hidden latch, steps swing up and out of the way, with a lockable storage container, with a drawer that slides out to expose your mobile arsenal.

Don't put too much stock in the safe/residential storage container hoopla- just that what you think of as a "gun safe" is an RSC, and what you might expect to see in a bank is a "safe" or "vault", which isn't very mobile.

The only problem with my suggestion has to do with weight distribution- it's gonna add to pin weight, but most of the security is in not being seen rather than being inacessible. There might also be some space under the master bed in many rigs.

Unsolicited RV advice follows:
You probably can't put that 5th wheel on a 3/4 ton- no matter what the salesman (truck or RV) says. Check the capacities and weights of both, preferably together, before you buy. Get a dually and be done with it. I have a Ford F350 SRW CC with a 7.3, and it'll pull the moon, but it can't carry as much as you might think without exceeding recommended weights. I have pulled my in-laws 11,000# (loaded) 5th wheel, and it puts me about 200# over my 9900# GVWR, but is still under my axle ratings- it's about the most i'm comfortable with. Truck and trailer went about 21,000#. Pulled it like a dream.
 
FWIW, the only firearm I ever had stolen (yet!) was from an RV that I was living in at the time (logging camp).

But in general you can protect your guns pretty well from theft just by keeping them out of plain sight. RVs have a lot of compartments that are not very obvious. In my case, the one rifle that was visible (the case, actually) was grabbed and another in the same location left behind because it was not readily apparent. Live and learn, I guess.

What I would worry about the most would be loss of your guns due to destruction of the RV itself from road accident or storm or fire, etc. So from that perspective I would recommend keeping a select few and storing the others at some secure (but undisclosed) location(s). (remember the old adage about eggs and baskets)

As far as legalities in various states ... well, geez - you're in an RV now so stay the heck out of those states. I can't think of anything worth seeing that isn't somewhere between Montana/Idaho and Arizona/Texas anyway.

And the heck with some silly campground rules (always seek forgiveness rather than permission ;) )
 
I think Topgun has come to his senses.

Went lookin today. We figure if we can pare down to 3 sets of gym clothes, a dixie cup to share, and a fork with a spoon on the other end, we could do it.

Could not do that. We looked from Class A pushers to pop up vans. Little bitty showers and what SEEMS fine, could turn to a nightmare I think.

My ....cat..... could get into WHEREVER the guns could be hidden.

And checking the 5th wheel weight capacity looks like the biggest one could hold about 2000 pounds MORE than the laden vehicle weight. If 1000 was a gun safe (they have ways to install) with guns and other assorted crap that goes in one, the extra 1000 would use up REAL quick.

It was a fun idea, but think it would be impractical.

Thanks for all info, but it looks like it wouldn't work for us.

:( :)
 
TopGun: Before you go off and hit the road check these websites out.

www.truckvault.com/default.asp

This shows some great storage in vehicles for firearms while on the road. There may be something adaptable that you could use even under the bed you sleep on in a fifth wheel trailer.

www.itchyhitch.com Use this site to follow this couple on the road in their fifth wheel trailer and great looking tow vehicle.

http://escapees.com/ This is the best site IMO for people hitting the road. There is a discussion group and a lot of photos of rigs and the customized tow trucks. The people on this site are very nice and welcome those that are thinking of hitting the road or are new at it.

Another one is a site run by Barb Hofmeister and her husband. I do not have that info since that went when my HD crashed some time ago. A google search would find that I am sure. They wrote a couple of good books and a newsletter about their trips around the US and Canada.

About 1975 I bought a new 76 Chevy 3/4 ton van with a Contempo Conversion for sleeping and eating on the road. I had a descrete storage pocket installed underneath and accessible from outside with the sliding door open or closed. During my month sojourn in georgia while attending FLETC I stashed a small pocket pistol in that location and no one ever knew about it. I had to turn in my duty sidearm and a collapsible rifle when I signed in at school. I kept the little hide out gun for my weekend trips to other parts of Georgia and Florida.

Some of the fifth wheel units and the motor home models have a bed in the vehicle that lifts on a hydraulic piston. If you had a bed like that you could possibly modify the space under the bed to accomodate a box about 6 inches deep and that would give you some space for your long arms as well as handguns. The GVW would have o be taken into consideration and if it is in the sleeping area of the fifth wheel that could be crucial due to the higher location.

My wife and i had been considering spending time on the road but having our business knocked out from under us sort of stopped that. Anyone need a real good deal on "How to RV" books??? Just PM or email me.
 
Why would you want to put a 1000 lb safe in an RV? I've travelled all over in a pickup truck and never had anything more than a rack behind the front seat, and side tool boxes of the utility shell. Never had any trouble anywhere. Put the safe in the storage locker with most of your hard to replace guns and go have a good time.

About 10 or 12 years ago I worried about my guns at home when I travelled. Thinking more on it, I thinned out about half of my guns down to what I liked best and used most. I don't regret it for a minute,(other than the near new 1903-A3). I decided not to be possesed by my possesions, I'm a lot more relaxed about the whole issue of guns at home or with me. And I've had a lot of fun while away from home, not worrying about losing somethng at home(that I didnt use for the most part). I'm doing more of what I like now, without worrying about "stuff".
 
I'll have to say that I'm personally fond of the Escapees website and forum. But that is because I created them. :D

I've worked for them for about 7 years now and now that I'm the IT administrator, I've got a webmaster that maintains the site. (He is a THR member also.) One of our other staff members is the mod on the forum now.

P.S. My programmer is also a THR member.

To get to the point that I wanted to make, our forum is open to non-members and is free. So please feel free to register and post questions. Go to www.escapees.com and click on forum in the nav menu on the top of the page. We have a lot of very knowledgable members on our forum. A great many of them carry guns in their RVs. By the way, the law here in Texas allows you to carry a handgun in your RV without a CCW.

My apologies for plugging our site. I hope it is OK.
 
TopGun, there are lots of 5ths out there that will carry more than 2000#. It just takes some looking.

The advice on buying used is sound. My first was used, my second was new. We'll probably be upside down on that loan until it's paid for. :fire: Never again.

Get one size bigger truck than the weights say you need if you can afford it. It's way better to be over-trucked than under-trucked.

After some more thought on storage...nearly every RV bed lifts up. The storage area is 12"-24" deep, depending. Sounds perfect for the locked gun cases. You can put in an inexpensive alarm that will go off when the bed is lifted, unless you throw the cleverly concealed switch. Then you put dual hasps and padlocks on the bed to keep it from being lifted, and an alarm on the entire RV. Mount a nasty loud siren under the RV so that EVERYONE knows when it goes off.

You've got a good idea with the RV--it's the only way to travel in my book. Let us whack the ideas around long enough and we'll knock all the kinks out of them for you. :)
 
Dont give up yet! A fifth-wheel in s great way to travel! After only a week in my in-laws 5'er, my wife is bugging me to fulltime, but there's a coupla problems... 1. We're only in our mid 20s, 2. We only own about 10% of our home.

I envy you- don't give up so soon- There are 5th wheels out there with 5 and 6k payloads. Most are toyhaulers, but they are out there. You could also order one with bigger axles, and the corresponding increase in payload. Also, remember that if there's something in your trailer that somebody wants, and you make it too difficult for them to separate it from the trailer, they MAY just take the trailer itself, and liberate your stuff from it later and elsewhere. Bottom line is to take what you might need to defend you and yours, and maybe some sporting pieces, but nothing of REAL value.

Enjoy the fulltime life, and report back here, so I can dream!
 
OK, OK, here I go again. Sacrificing myself for my fellow gun owner. I have an alarm on my house and two watch cats. You can send the excess guns up here to Michigan and I promise, they'll be just fine! I will even keep them oiled for you. :D
 
I have been RV full timing for a couple of years in a fifth wheel.

For gun security I have a Homak steel cabinet secured on its back to the floor of the big closet in the bedroom.

I only have a few guns in the trailer. The rest are in secure storage in a good friend's home basement.

Guns, ammo, and accessories mean lots of weight. You have to economize elsewhere so as to not overload the trailer and/or the tow vehicle.

The guns stay locked away and out of sight unless I am in a region that is friendly to gun owners.

Pilgrim
 
Create a hidden compartment

If you can avoid it, limit your time traveling in/through liberal states for the most part. Check out the NRA.ORG web site for state by state guns laws. This site will also direct you, if you have the time, to other sites which may be more specific in your needs, such as transportational/concealed carry/loaded firearm, etc. issues. You may have to research each state specifically and in depth to cover your needs as each state varies like different countries. And, if you can, avoid the need for your firearms "existance".
 
Weight immediately followed by space is a serious premium in an RV. Think a smaller safe or locking compartment. Think practical, no need to haul a whole collection around. One or two 12ga pumps (consider a 5 shot 18" barrel and getting a longer barrel to interchange for clays or hunting birds), A couple handguns, maybe a carbnine or two, Maybe a .22 or two, and maybe a hunting rifle (if you might do some hunting).
As far as storage, most burglars aren't safecrackers. If they can't grab it and run, its not worth taking.
I wonder if one of the inexpensive safes can be modified to mount horizontally, which would probably fit under a bed....
 
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