From full-time travel to seasonal roots
Jesseca Perry reflects on how her family’s RV lifestyle has evolved since their last RVwest feature
Five years into full-time RV living, Jesseca Perry and her family are still discovering new ways to make life on the road their own. Known online as @canadian.rubber.tramps, Perry first connected with RVwest readers in 2022 while travelling across Canada in their Forest River travel trailer. Since then, the journey has evolved—from constant movement to a seasonal rhythm that blends workcamping, homeschooling, and spontaneous road trips.
These days, the family spends spring through fall at Columbia River Wetlands RV Park near Golden, B.C., where they’ve found both community and a place to put down temporary roots. Winters are spent visiting family in Ontario and planning new adventures ahead. In this update, Perry shares what’s changed, the gear and habits that make RV life easier, and why the community around the lifestyle continues to be the biggest part of the journey.
For readers who may remember your earlier RVwest feature—how would you describe what’s changed since then?
Since our last chat with RVwest in July of 2022, our family has continued to embrace the RV lifestyle, living in our Salem by Forest River travel trailer. We are on year five of this nomadic lifestyle!
In 2023, we put some roots down in Golden, British Columbia. We committed to an ongoing workcamp arrangement at the Columbia River Wetlands RV Park from April to October each year. We are absolutely in love with the RV Park and associated hobby farm, G&K Persson Farms. Living and working in this environment has been a unique experience that we wouldn’t have otherwise had access to, had it not been for our journey to full-time RV living.
From November to March, we winterize our travel trailer and leave it in the RV park for the winter.
In November and March, we take a 10-day road trip between B.C. and Ontario. In the past, we have used our travel trailer for this road trip, Airbnbs, hotels and motels, and most recently our new truck camper that we just purchased last year.
We have traditionally been spending the winter in Ontario with our family and friends, but hope to expose our winters to more international adventures and experiences in the future.
What chapter of RV life are you currently in right now?
After spending an amazing 18 months living in our travel trailer full-time, traveling between Ontario, British Columbia, and Vancouver Island—we set some roots down in Golden, B.C., because we absolutely fell in love with our new family at the Columbia River Wetlands RV Park and our homeschooling community in Parson.
What does a “typical” travel day or week look like for you these days?
Our travel trailer is completely stationary these days. We live and work on the same piece of property for 6 months. When we want to go camping, we use our truck bed with a canopy, truck camper, or our tent.
We are true spontaneous explorers, often planning our Canadian adventures last-minute. When we foresee a spare moment in our busy day-to-day lives, we jump on the opportunity to get in the truck and drive. Often planning as we go. This is especially true for our cross-country road trips. Of course, we plan somewhat ahead of time but for the most part, I am creating a plan as we drive.
My favourite apps are: Google Maps, iOverlander2, Compendium, TruckMap, AllTrails, and Harvest Host.
What’s one upgrade, habit, or piece of gear you wouldn’t RV without anymore?
Tork Lift International hooked us up with free RV stairs for both our travel trailer and truck camper. They are an absolute lifesaver. Super heavy duty for a family with young kids. The stairs land on the ground, offering less movement and bouncing when running in and out of the camper. For travel, they conveniently fold up and are easily secured out of the way. We love our Tork Lift International RV stairs!
For boondocking, we never go without our generator, honey wagon, and solar power packs.
A walkie-talkie is always on our camping checklist. They are a great way to communicate with our kids when they are out and about exploring a campground.
How has the RV community played a role in your journey over the years?
Without the RV community, there is no chance we would have even decided to go on this journey. Connecting with individuals and families who are on the same path - challenging the status quo of typical family lifestyle in North America - has been the driving force behind our ability to make this lifestyle happen for ourselves.
We are extremely appreciative of the RV community and the people we have met along the way. Sharing our experiences and adventures with people who truly get the vision is inspiring.
Some of the places we have found the greatest connections are The Big RV Show in Toronto, Ontario, Go RVing Canada, Eh Canada Adventure Seekers Club, online Facebook groups, and connecting on Instagram.
Is there anything else you’d like to share about this season of your life on the road?
We are super eager and excited to wrap up our winter season in Ontario, climb in our truck, and the hit the Trans Canada Highway back to British Columbia. This will be our second cross-Canada road trip with our truck camper.
Check us out on Instagram @canadian.rubber.tramps (we have changed our handle since our last chat), feel free to reach out to us we love connecting and sharing.
We are on the search for a Canadian-made tiny home or RV park model manufacture, in the hopes we can find a tiny home that is more suitable for four seasons of Canadian weather and a bit larger than our current travel trailer for our growing family. If there are any companies or brands that want to connect, you know where to find us!
