RVing in "A World Without Oil"

I just signed on at www.worldwithoutoil.org where the participants publish stories about what to expect in an alternate world where oil has been seriously depleted. This is my first contribution.

RVing in WWO.

We have been full-time RVers for that past 9+ years. That means we have no stick home; we live in a house on wheels that can be pulled from here to there. Of course, it requires fuel to do move the thing. But then, if we can move with the seasons, we can live in a much more comfortable environment at different times of the year, and we can reduce our living costs by being south in the winter and north in the summer.

RVing in a World Without Oil (WWO) changes things only a bit for us -- at least so long as we can get deisel fuel.

First, let me tell you about our home. It is a fifth-wheel trailer. Our total living space is 240 square feet plus all the outdoors surrounding where we are parked.

If we are staying in an RV park, we can plug into an electrical recepticle for power, connect a hose for fresh, potable water, and attach to a sewer drain. If we are dry-camping (called boondocking), we have solar panels on the roof to provide power for our electronic toys and LED lighting, a tank holding fresh water, and two holding tanks to hold the black and gray water until we can find a place to dump.

Oh yes, we have a couple of LPG (low pressure gas - propane) tanks. Finding a place to refill these tanks can be difficult in WWO. We use the gas for cooking and to run the refrigerator when we are not in an RV park. I am looking into purchasing a solar powered refrigerator and a solar oven.

Since we may find ourselves in various parts of the country (and in WWO good water supplies may become hard to find), we use a  solar powered reverse osmosis water filter when we fill our 45 gallon water tank. We can go for about a week on one tank of water. In an emergency, we can take water from a stream or lake to make the fresh water for the tank.

A conclusion about our home: we live in a very low carbon-footprint place. That is good.

In WWO the biggest problem is transport. We can park our trailer is one place and stay there forever, but that can result in being in the wrong kind of weather. We need to pull the trailer north and south with the seasons.

I have a 1998 Dodge Ram deisel pickup with 180,000 miles on it. I get about 12.5 mpg when pulling my rig. I used to drive 20,000 miles a year around the countfry, but now I drive much less. If I limit my towing to 5,000 miles a year, I will use about 400 gallons of deisel. At the suggested WWO price of $3.65, that is only $1,460 per year. Since pre-WWO in California I am paying an average of $3.00 per gallon ($2.50 elsewhere), I save much more by driving less than by looking for cheaper prices.

An important thing to consider. I probably reduce my living energy costs by almost as much as I spend for fuel by moving to better climates: staying away from snow, moving to areas where air conditioning is not required.

So, until the availability becomes a significant problem, my basic full-timing lifestyle in WWO can remain much the same as now -- but I really do need to drive less.

My goodness, I do pity those who must live in their stick homes in the suburbs and commute hours at a time to a job far away. And if they drive, paying over $6 per gallon for unleaded, they will never save enough to retire like I have; they are caught in a trap.

sam