Long story, I apologize in advance.
My Father-in-law owns a few hundred acres about 2-3 hours drive from us (we all live in the same area). There is an old 3 BR farm house on the land. We are the youngest of his 3 daughter/son-in-laws so by default we are left roomless.

For the last 5 years we've just moved around the living room and used an inflatable, not ideal but nothing to complain about.

Well over the last 5 years of dating/engagement and finally marriage, we've gone from have 1 niece, to 5 nieces and nephews! Needless to say the house has shrunk. For the last year or so sleeping in the living room means your last one to go to bed (the guys like to stay up drinking bourbon and watching TV by the fire) and the first ones up (think 4 preschoolers jumping on you at 6am while you try to fight nature).

So we experimented with sleeping in the back of my Tahoe, I used to to it all the time in my single days instead of drunk driving. Hell I even bought an inflatable mattress, it fits a Full, and black sheets to keep the sun out in the morning. I loved it! The wife was not as pleased as I was.

That ultimately led to us renting an RV (at the Father-in-laws request and on his dime) because we were avoiding going up with the family due to sleeping/privacy arrangements.

We're on our 2nd long weekend now of renting an RV to the tune of $1k/weekend. And I have to say, it's not a bad experience. We keep it warm with a heater and use the house for our sanitation needs. My biggest gripe is that picking it up and turning it is a day of travel in itself, and even though it's not my $, I still hate the idea of shelling that much.

So he now likes the idea of buying one to leave up here for us to use.

I should explain this is medium term as he's hoping to break ground in Spring on a 6 bedroom house on the property, but it will not be finished quickly, and we'd still like to come up.

I've been looking at RV's and I just have a hard time justifying the prices for it (yes, even though I'm not paying for it) when all we are using it for is sleeping!

I keep thinking there's gotta be a better solution. A tent would sound fine to me, but remember my "better" half.

I'd like something to propose to him that will have use later on, and is more reasonably priced.

For example;
Throw down a 20' shipping container for $3k, add some insulation, frame out a room and dry wall it, add a bed, and run an electrical line. Minimal $, minimal work. Once house is done, use for storage, use for wood shed, whatever.

I'm curious to see what this group comes up with.

Thanks.

Shipping container office conversion with Door and HVAC (assuming you can find power)

Something like a Tuff Shed that you can insulate (and move if needed later on)

All metal RV / or for farm right off Horse trailer RV - no membrane roofs

$5k for used camper, $1200 for metal carport to cover with extra room for porch?

But smaller

Why not just build a small building?

When the 6 br house is done, it becomes a storage shack or whatever.

A 20'x20' building,single pitch roof that feeds a cistern, set on piers would avoid the wasting of money on "temporary" shelters.

I've been brainstorming and working on affordable and durable construction for 20 yrs.

I like the Tuff Shed's, that's kinda true that I've been looking for.

Yuo..drop a shed thsts set up with por h etc.
Finish it out...run h30,grid,or off grid power and rock it.


Or buy a 1975 blue bird school bus,   paint big murals on it and park it there.

This. RVs will get mouse infested in no time, too, and add zero value to the property.

When we were building the place on my brother's ranch, he ended up getting the largest no-permit "tough shed"
he could get, which comes in just under 200sq feet.

That got built in a single day for $5-6K, and then he insulated it with foam board and drywalled it  and I installed a tiny
solar system for it, just a single 100W panel, 10A charge controller and a 1,000 watt inverter for lights and a fan
plus a few outlets and switches.)

That shed easily fits a queen bed, TV and if you really want to, a Thetford porta potti with room to spare. With a
genset or power from the house a window AC/space heater is a go as well, and it's very comfortable to sleep in.

It was used as a shelter while building and now it's sort of a guest house for overflow guests or anyone that wants
some privacy.

I believe the plan is to sell the RV once everything is done, so think maybe 1-2 years.

shipping container cabin.

How about a yurt?

I would build or buy a 10x20 shed with sleeping area and a sitting room.  

Insulated it and air seal it.  Throw in a mini split  or a window unit and a heater and your done.

It sounds like you have no use or want for plumbing so you need a place to sleep and a place to sit.  

You will loose a lot of money if you buy a new rv and sell it in a couple years.

It build the space. Then once the new place is built you still have it as an option for privacy.

Build it on 6x6 skis and you can move it around with a tractor.

this is really different...

A buddy and I used to has ATV's in an enclosed trailer 12 or 14 hours north, unload them in northern Ontario, set cots inside the trailer and then camp in them for four or five days.  This worked considerably better than any tent, but also far less $$$ than a full scale RV.

He took it a step further.  He now has a fold down bed in the trailer.  added two small RV windows, and a roller type screen door.  folding pet "kiddie pool", five gallon bucket of water and battery/propane camping hot water shower pump unit makes for comfortable quarters. Heat is provided by electric cube heater, run off a 2000W inverter generator outside for decent carbon monoxide free heating.   He now camps in this, in October and November, in Ontario with his finance and they both love it.  Its "rustic" but far more comfortable than any tent, but again at far less $$$ than a real RV.

Im a member at a northern NY Hunt club.  We lease 1,200 acres of Adirondack mountain land. when we needed a camp building, we bought a 12x28 foot locally built Amish shed, and had it delivered and dropped on site.  we sleep and live in this when at camp.  outfit the interior as you see fit.

hell yeah, man.

that'd cool.