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Are there RV parks in SF that are on within a reasonable walk/bike of a main public transportation line? I may have the option of moving to SF for work in the

by Sukotto 13y ago

Are there RV parks in SF that are on within a reasonable walk/bike of a main public transportation line? I may have the option of moving to SF for work in the next 6 months and am trying to get a feel for what options are available. Since the general consensus is that housing is ludicrously expensive I was tentatively thinking about RV or boat as a more frugal option.

kansface 13y ago
There are no RV parks in SF. There are hardly any parking lots- most of those are quite small so a RV couldn't stay there. At best, you could find a parking space for a few hundred dollars a month.
- ams6110 13y ago
  The article implied that he had an arrangement with someone to let him park his RV and tap an electrical supply.
- VLM 13y ago
  He specifically lives in an ancient VW Rialto. Its a conversion van. From the outside it looks like a van, because it is one. Anywhere you can park a "normal" van you can park a Rialto. You've probably parked nearby one, or a modern sibling, in a grocery store or something without even knowing it. You can't get away with that using a full size class A, or even a little pop-up trailer. Real RVers know the real problem of RVs for road trips or urban live aboard is finding a dump station downtown. I suppose you can always use the local mega corp parking lot. Antics like that are what leads to attempts to ban RVs, of course.
  - ams6110 13y ago
    Randy Quaid in Christmas Vacation .... "shitter was full!"
auctiontheory 13y ago
SF addresses are obscenely overpriced for what you get. Boat living definitely happens. If you decide you prefer land, and your work is near BART, the East Bay (esp. Berkeley, Rockridge) offer much better value. If you like the idea of taking a ferry to work every day, and work downtown, consider Marin County north of the GG Bridge.
- rosser 13y ago
  No, SF addresses are "obscenely overpriced" to you for your perception of what you get.
  - ronaldj 13y ago
    Nah, SF rent is overpriced. You'd have to be pretty thick to think that you're getting a good deal.
samstave 13y ago
Not sure how much you would be harassed - but, if you were to park in the Presidio along a residential street - there are no time limits or street sweeping restrictions. When I lived there, I had a car parked outside for 6 months without ever having to move it.
VLM 13y ago
He's in an ancient used Rialto (excellent choice) not a giant class A. Unless you've got an RVer in the family (like my parents) you merely glance at it and say, oh, just another van. You've probably seen a modern version without even noticing. Usually the give away is the side mounts for water. A modern new conversion van is like $75K so in a big enough city its cheaper than any real estate, not so much in the country. They're pretty comfy if you're short. If you're living in a city, supposedly all those people live there because "theres so much to do 24x365", so other than sleep and sex you should be outside the vehicle at all times. Reminds me of my honeymoon cruise ship cabin, that was a dumpy broom closet but we were too busy to notice. The mileage tends to be excellent. How many MPG would my wife's Prius get moving an entire house? 60 MPG divided by probably hundreds of trips = not so good. Rialtos get like 15 MPG, or so I hear, which isn't bad. I imagine it depends on the exact model and condition of mechanicals. I always thought SF was on the ocean, and the obvious live aboard vehicle is a sailboat. Of course marina space is probably expensive and unavailable. Perhaps if you moored offshore in wifi range of work...
sparkman55 13y ago
There is a small community of RVers who park in Palo Alto (outside Cubberly Community Center), which is a 45-minute train ride from SF. The city is currently working to make life harder for these RVers, of course... as the RVs parked on the street / in the park are an eyesore next to 'million-dollar' (single-story 3-bedroom) houses.
205guy 13y ago
I believe the closest RV park to SF is in Pacifica. Nice location but not very practical for commuting. There might be some in the east bay with better access. I'm surprised no other comment mentioned Jacob of Early Retirement Extreme[1]. He blogged about living in an RV at the Pacifica RV park to save money. Unlike Mr. Money Mustache who is often derided in these comments, Jacob was extreme, and recognized it. Instead of living in an RV to bootstrap a startup, he had a normal tech job and saved tons of money to invest and retire on the dividends (I'm simplifying). [1] http://earlyretirementextreme.com/ http://earlyretirementextreme.com/

by Sukotto 13y ago

kansface 13y ago

There are no RV parks in SF. There are hardly any parking lots- most of those are quite small so a RV couldn't stay there. At best, you could find a parking space for a few hundred dollars a month.

ams6110 13y ago
The article implied that he had an arrangement with someone to let him park his RV and tap an electrical supply.
VLM 13y ago
He specifically lives in an ancient VW Rialto. Its a conversion van. From the outside it looks like a van, because it is one. Anywhere you can park a "normal" van you can park a Rialto. You've probably parked nearby one, or a modern sibling, in a grocery store or something without even knowing it. You can't get away with that using a full size class A, or even a little pop-up trailer. Real RVers know the real problem of RVs for road trips or urban live aboard is finding a dump station downtown. I suppose you can always use the local mega corp parking lot. Antics like that are what leads to attempts to ban RVs, of course.
- ams6110 13y ago
  Randy Quaid in Christmas Vacation .... "shitter was full!"

auctiontheory 13y ago

SF addresses are obscenely overpriced for what you get. Boat living definitely happens. If you decide you prefer land, and your work is near BART, the East Bay (esp. Berkeley, Rockridge) offer much better value. If you like the idea of taking a ferry to work every day, and work downtown, consider Marin County north of the GG Bridge.

rosser 13y ago
No, SF addresses are "obscenely overpriced" to you for your perception of what you get.
- ronaldj 13y ago
  Nah, SF rent is overpriced. You'd have to be pretty thick to think that you're getting a good deal.

samstave 13y ago

Not sure how much you would be harassed - but, if you were to park in the Presidio along a residential street - there are no time limits or street sweeping restrictions. When I lived there, I had a car parked outside for 6 months without ever having to move it.

VLM 13y ago

He's in an ancient used Rialto (excellent choice) not a giant class A. Unless you've got an RVer in the family (like my parents) you merely glance at it and say, oh, just another van. You've probably seen a modern version without even noticing. Usually the give away is the side mounts for water. A modern new conversion van is like $75K so in a big enough city its cheaper than any real estate, not so much in the country. They're pretty comfy if you're short. If you're living in a city, supposedly all those people live there because "theres so much to do 24x365", so other than sleep and sex you should be outside the vehicle at all times. Reminds me of my honeymoon cruise ship cabin, that was a dumpy broom closet but we were too busy to notice. The mileage tends to be excellent. How many MPG would my wife's Prius get moving an entire house? 60 MPG divided by probably hundreds of trips = not so good. Rialtos get like 15 MPG, or so I hear, which isn't bad. I imagine it depends on the exact model and condition of mechanicals. I always thought SF was on the ocean, and the obvious live aboard vehicle is a sailboat. Of course marina space is probably expensive and unavailable. Perhaps if you moored offshore in wifi range of work...

sparkman55 13y ago

There is a small community of RVers who park in Palo Alto (outside Cubberly Community Center), which is a 45-minute train ride from SF. The city is currently working to make life harder for these RVers, of course... as the RVs parked on the street / in the park are an eyesore next to 'million-dollar' (single-story 3-bedroom) houses.

205guy 13y ago

I believe the closest RV park to SF is in Pacifica. Nice location but not very practical for commuting. There might be some in the east bay with better access. I'm surprised no other comment mentioned Jacob of Early Retirement Extreme[1]. He blogged about living in an RV at the Pacifica RV park to save money. Unlike Mr. Money Mustache who is often derided in these comments, Jacob was extreme, and recognized it. Instead of living in an RV to bootstrap a startup, he had a normal tech job and saved tons of money to invest and retire on the dividends (I'm simplifying). [1] http://earlyretirementextreme.com/ http://earlyretirementextreme.com/