Showing posts with label tips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tips. Show all posts

Money Saving Apps for RVers


The RV lifestyle seems simple and inexpensive from an outside perspective, but it can be difficult to keep expenses down between food, gas, and parking. These apps are designed to help travelers find ways to save money on the road.

Gas Buddy for iPhone and Android is a free app designed to help you find the cheapest gas prices in the area. This app will show you all of the local gas stations with their per-gallon rate, as well as their distance from you. Gas prices generally only vary by $.02-$.20 so the savings don’t always seem drastic, but when you regularly venture hundreds of miles it can really add up.

This app depends on drivers to report gas prices, and there are prizes and points for reporting the cost of gas when you fill up. There are some inaccuracies and it does not cover all gas stations in all areas, but it’s worth a try if you spend a substantial amount of time traveling in an RV (or even just for a min-road trip).

If you are looking for places to camp, Passport America for iPhone or Android is a free app for finding campgrounds and getting discounted nightly rates. You can search by park or area to find prices, amenities, and contact info.

Passport America Search
Some people prefer to save money by spending the night in parking lots or other free public areas, but if you are in a less RV-friendly area or are looking for a place to stay a while, you will find 50% discounts at participating stops. 

Allstays Truck Stops and Travel Plazas for iPhone or Android ($9.99) is another great one for finding stops along your journey. It is designed for truck drivers, but can be equally useful for RV travel. It will show you big stops like Flying J, Love’s, and TA Travel Centers.

All Stays iPad Screenshot
You can filter searches for specific amenities like a particular brand, or ATM or UPS stops to make it useful to what you are looking for. It also works when your phone is out of service range.
If you are looking to use free overnight parking it can also help you identify places that allow truck and RV parking so that you can avoid camping fees.


There are also endless apps useful for purposes such as navigation, weather updates, world news, and entertainment. If you are traveling with kids you can load up your phone or tablet with games and puzzles, or if you want to keep up-to-date with what’s going on in your hometown, most regional newspapers have mobile apps as well. Smartphone data plans can be costly, so make sure that you are getting the full benefits that they provide.

Andi Singer is a blogger for www.yourrvconnection.com, a Jayco dealership based out of Indiana, and former cellphone salesperson. She regularly travels around the Northern United States and is always on the lookout for ways to save money.
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LED Light Bulb Comparison

Walk through the light bulb section of Home Depot these days and you're likely to see more LED replacement bulbs for your home lighting fixtures. Though expensive, the claims are that they use very little electricity and that you'll probably never need to replace them. So let's see. 
The Battle of the Bulb
Most of us already know that LED bulbs use much less electricity than traditional bulbs and that they last forever. I wanted to run my own test. I decided to replace the bulbs in my RV light fixtures with LEDs. During that project I ran this comparison to see exactly how much more efficient my LED replacement bulbs were over the original incandescent bulbs.



Are you thinking of replacing your bulbs with LED bulbs? Event if you just replace a few, it's probably worth the expense and it's very easy to do. I picked up my bulbs from Amazon. Here are some quick links (below) if you want to check them out for yourself.


I used this 9 LED bulb in my RV for about $7 each (I needed about 16 of them).

I later found these that come in a 2 pack for around $12.

If you try this out on your RV, leave a comment. Do you like the result? How much power do you think you've saved?
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RV Pumpkin Carving

It's time to break out the carving tools and get down, dirty and crafty with pumpkins. If you are in need of ideas, here's a good one. Of course you'll need a pumpkin to tow your trailer pumpkin so plan accordingly.


Our kids are older now and are not into that stuff much anymore. A couple of years back though, we took Halloween to our daughter at college, visited a pumpkin patch and had our own pumpkin carving party in the RV park. 

A fun time visiting our daughter during her first year at college
Whatever your plans are...Have a great Halloween. 

Have you got some cool Halloween carvings to share? Share them in a comment. 

Here are tons of pumpkin carving ideas if you are in need of inspiration.

Here's one of my favorites (The Pumpkin Cheese Burger). It looks good enough to eat. 

Yummmmmy!
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Do you know how old your tires are? Here's how to find out.


As fall approaches, you may be considering a new set of tires for the RV, car or truck. Your tires are the only thing between you and the road, so it's important to take proper care of them and replace them when needed. One tip I picked up a few years ago was how to tell the age your tires. This is very useful when evaluating your own tires or when shopping for tires.




 How old are your tires? 
The answer may seem obvious. You should know how old they are so you know when to replace them. Right? While that answer may be correct, you might consider this other reason.

This is a story of an RV owner who went to buy new tires for his RV. Let's call him "Ed". In 2011, Ed was in need of some new tires for his RV. Being a savvy consumer, Ed shoped around and found a good deal at a local retailer.

Ed takes his Class C motorhome down to the store, waits for the tires to be mounted and installed, happily pays for the service, then drives home. When Ed gets home and parks his RV, he proudly inspects his brand new tires. But something is not right.

While admiring his 'new' tires, Ed realizes that his brand new tires are actually not brand new. In fact, the supposedly new tires he just got installed on his RV were actually manufactured in 1999, two years ago.

How did Ed know this? Well, Ed knew how to read the DOT markers on the side of the tires. Ed's only mistake was trusting the store and not inspecting the tires before they were mounted. Of course, Ed should not have to double check this. Unfortunately for Ed, this particular store probably had an overstock of truck tires that had been sitting in storage for a couple of years.

The moral of the story
Ed's story is not a horror story by any means. But it's like buying milk. Do you look at the expiration date on milk before you buy it? Most of us do. Well tires have a lifespan as well, usually a maximum of 10 years. When buying tires, verify that the tires were manufactured in the same year.

Needless to say, Ed will not make this mistake again. He will be sure to ask the store clerk to verify the date of manufacture on the tires before they are installed.

When were your tires made?
Each tire has a set of codes on the side that indicate the the week and year that they were made. The Department of Transportation requires these codes to be on all tires. Since 2000, the DOT codes include the week and year the tire was manufactured.

Here's a photo of a tire from my RV:

DOT markers on my RV tire which shows the week and year they were manufactured
On tires made after 2000, a 4 digit DOT marker indicates that week and year the tire was manufactured. My tire, for example, was manufactured in the 36th week of 2006. If you don't see this on your tire, then it may be printed on the other side of the tire. If you have only a 3 digit code, then it could mean that your tire was made prior to 2000.

Before 2000, it was assumed that all tires had a maximum lifespan of 10 years, so there was no need to print the two digit year. For these tires, a 3 digit DOT code is used. The first two digits indicated the week, and the last digit indicated the year within the current decade. You should probably not be driving your RV on tires made before 2000.

What is the lifespan of your tires?
Most would agree that you should not be driving on tires that are over ten years old. But follow the manufacturers guidelines. Many experts would say that, regardless of your tire's wear, you should replace them after 6-7 years. Whatever you do, it is a good idea to have your tires inspected regularly by a qualified tire shop. If they need to be replaced, play it safe and bite the bullet.

It looks like I'll be tire shopping next year.
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Florida Woman's Brand New Newmar RV Is A Lemon

What a nightmare. Virginia Wilson claims the $315,000 Newmar Luxury RV she bought was a lemon.

Virginia saved up $80,000 dollars for two years as a down payment on the RV that she planned to use as a retirement home. She later realized that faulty equipment and what she called "shoddy workmanship" caused water lines to leak steadily inside the RV causing serious damage over several months. Watch the video.

The problem eventually got worse when she said "water began to pour into the vehicle. It was coming out of the walls. The tiles on the floor popped up."
"...Her insurance company told her if it had been called when a manufacturer’s defect first caused the vehicle to flood, it would have been written off as a total loss. But because Wilson took it back to ... where she had bought the vehicle...it was now a manufacturer’s warranty issue, her insurance company told her. And the battle to get her money back was now hers alone..."
What a dream crusher. That really sucks!! I sure hope the North Trail RV Center in Fort Meyers, FL and Newmar RV pull through and do the right thing to get her taken care of.  
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Travel Trailer Towing Tip - What NOT to do if your vehicle goes off the shoulder

In Ottumwa, Iowa Wednesday two people went to the hospital after their truck pulling a camper turned over on Highway 34 in Ottumwa, reports KTVO.

Get the full story and video

 “The male driver went off to pass a vehicle on the inside lane, went too far over onto the shoulder, started fishtailing, came back onto the other shoulder, continued fishtailing, came back onto the inside shoulder. The camper overturned; it did strike a barrier guard rail,” said Iowa State Trooper Jim Karp.

Karp wanted to remind those pulling large campers to make sure they have control of their vehicle at all times. If the vehicle goes off onto the shoulder, don’t try to whip it back onto the roadway, he said.
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Free Webinar - No B.S. Approach to Your Own RV Maintenance

Terry Cooper
Do you want to learn more about how your RV works from RV experts?

On Tuesday, May 7th the Mobile RV Academy is hosting a 1 hour FREE Webinar for RV owners.

During this live event Terry Cooper, the Texas RV Professor, will be sharing five secrets that, when taken and used by any RVer, will improve their future lives and create a much smoother RVing experience. 

 Best of all – this training is 100% FREE and accessible in real time from the comfort of your home.  But you need to RESERVE your slot as online seats for this event are limited. I'm signed up. 

 Click the link below to sign up:

 https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/586242178

 Date:
Tuesday, May 7, 2013

 Start time: 
5 p.m. Pacific 
6 p.m. Mountain 
7 p.m. Central 
8 p.m. Eastern
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RV Sewer Hose Storage Tip

It is simple cause-and-affect. When you run the water in your RV or flush the toilet, your storage tanks fill up. And...when your tanks get full, they must be emptied so that they can be filled again. So we dump and drive on to dump again further down the road.

I don't know about you, but in our RV there are those who pay very close attention to the tank levels. Others simply contribute to the tank contents. I'm definitely in the first group and regularly press that status button on the RV panel to check my RV's vitals. 

So I'm well acquainted with the dumping process. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that I'm good at it. I pride myself in my ability to efficiently and effectively dump the tanks with absolutely no mess. But, I'll come clean to you now, then deny it. Way back when we first got our RV, there was one instance where a sewer hose didn't hold up it's end of the bargain and decided to bust open. However, as there were no witnesses to the event, I'm going to pretend it didn't happen.

That brings me to the topic at hand, sewer hoses. Where do you keep them? It is a fundamental issue faced by all RVers. 

Sewer hoses are awkward, bulky and sometimes smelly things that can take up valuable space in your storage compartments. What to do? I know folks who have kept the hoses in their rear bumper which can cause your bumper to rust. Camping World also sells a tube that you can proudly attach to your RV, usually on the back, for other travelers to admire. Passers by may wonder "what is in that thing?" or they know. So I didn't like that option either. 

I needed another way to store my hoses and came up with this solution to keep my hoses completely out of site and out of the way. Check out the video and find out what I did. I like to call it the "Disappearing Sewer Hose."


If you decide to take on this project, here are some pictures to help you out.

The new hose storage compartment is attached to the sewer bay
I purchased 8 foot vinyl fence posts from Home Depot for around $25 each

The 5x5 inch fence post is wide enough to store your hose attachments too 

I put a little handle on the cap to make it easy to open

The edges of the hole are sealed up and an "L" bracket holds it in place


I drilled a screw to the top right to keep the cap from falling off while driving

I mounted a holder next to the other one for my spare hose extension
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New website helps you find RV parks and activities in your area

Safeco Insurance recently announced the redesign of LiveLifeLocal.com, a website designed to inspire RV enthusiasts (along with boaters, motorcyclists and road-trippers) with thousands of ideas for places to go and things to do with their favorite vehicles.


The site features a new photography-heavy format and enhanced content that encourage users to explore everything they can do with their vehicle of choice. This may come in the form of a scenic highway, a campground with all the right hook ups for an RV or great vistas and unique sites to stop at during the family’s next road trip.

Explore points of interest near you and share your own favorite places. Here are some of my favorites:


Check it out!
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The Best Mouse Trap - The Bucket Trap

If you've been following me lately then you probably heard that I discovered a mouse in my RV over the winter. Having rid the RV of this rodent, I am now focused on other mice that may be poking around the RV at night.

After browsing around YouTube, I discovered the "Bucket Mouse Trap" and decided to give it a try. Check out my experiment!


I've seen examples of mice chewing on RV generator wires as well as engine wiring. That would suck! So I'm going to go with this for now.

What do you think? What has worked for you?

Want more videos? Subscribe to my YouTube channel.
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Dead Mouse in RV, Heating Duct Replacement

After finding out that a mouse (or mice) had been camping in my RV over the winter, I had to take drastic measures to remove any evidence and smell left behind. The little guy had made nests in my propane heater duct which stunk up the rig when turned on.

I've put off this project for two weeks and finally got it done this weekend. Check out this latest video.


Also subscribe to my YouTube Channel and see all my videos!
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Tending To My RV Over the Winter

These are the darkest, wettest and coldest months up here in the Northwest. So to keep my RV happy I've got her covered up.

By no means does this mean that I neglect my RV throughout the winter. I take the opportunity to check on things from time to time. Today just happens to be one of those days.

Starting the generator regularly over the winter
Running In Place
Every couple of weeks, I head out to the RV and  check on things. I keep a couple of space heaters running inside to keep the inside temperature from getting too cold. At least once a month, I fire up the generator and also start the engine for a while to get the oil circulating. With the generator running, I turn on my water heater and a space heater to give the generator something to do besides idle.

Start the engine and let it run
When I start my RV engine, I let it get up to normal operating temperature then rev it at 2000 RPM for a few seconds. before shutting it down.

I've found that both my E450 engine and generator are happier if I run them on a regular schedule, especially when it's parked for long periods of time.

My Batter Tender hooked to my
chassis battery
Giving the Battery A Trickle Charge
I also have a Battery Tender hooked up to my chassis battery throughout the winter. This handy little device monitors the battery voltage and keeps it charged at 13 volts applying a trickle charge as needed.

I highly recommend getting one one of these if you don't have one already. They are not spendy. I just keep it plugged in inside the coach and run the cable out to the battery terminals in the engine compartment. 

Get Those Moving Parts Moving
The best way to keep your RV in good shape over the winter is to use it. If you can, go out for a little drive. It's great to get all of the moving parts of your RV moving. It's also great for your tires to not sit in the same spot for long periods of time.

Got Power? Can You Say Yard Camping?
The bottom line: I just like spending time in the RV, even when it's parked in my yard. Watch a movie, listen to music, or do some yard camping.

Take time out to care for your RV over the winter and it will be in great shape to hit the road when you're ready.

Want More Winter RV Care Tips?
Here's a video with more winter RV care tips

How do you use your RV in the winter? Leave a comment. 
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RV up in the air

It was pretty strange seeing my RV up in the air like this. I had it in the shop for an oil change and brake inspection.

I also had some wear on the inner tread of my front tires. I was told that it was probably due to the front end compressing a lot (basically bouncing up and down). The strange part was that the wear was only on the inner most tread. The others were perfect. I thought I would have to replace the front tires. Instead, they rotated them to the inner rear dual.

I ordered front and rear Hellwig Anti Sway bars tonight online along with four heavy duty Bilstein shocks. I think I saved about $500 to $600 bucks over what the RV shop was going to charge. I'm so excited to get those put on. It should be a totally different ride.

The RV guy wanted $450 to install the sway bars, so I'm going to try and install them myself (perhaps with a little help from my son). I've watched a couple of YouTube videos about it and I think I can handle it. Several guys on the RV.Net forums say they've installed them without much trouble. I'll have to have the shocks done at the shop since I have no way to jack up the RV and remove the tires. Maybe it can be done without jacking it up, but I don't think so. Bummer.

I'll keep you posted on my progress once the sway bars and shocks come in the mail.

~T
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Solar Project Completed!


This weekend I installed a new solar panel on the roof of my RV. The project went pretty smooth and I'm very happy with the result. Every time the sun comes out, I actually want to run down and look at the battery voltage. It's addicting!


Stay tuned for more details about this project. I'm putting together a project video that I'll be posting in the next few days.

Tonight I'm going to sit back and watch the Olympics. Go Team U.S.A. !!!
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Triple Your RV Storage with Space Bag!

The folks at Space Bag asked if I would be interested in trying out their dual use bags in my RV. I've heard of Space Bag before, but have never given them a try. My RV has limited storage space for bulky items like extra pillows, blankets, towels and clothes. So I anxiously agreed to put Space Bag to the test and do what I do best...tell you what I think.

Giveaway
Win a FREE set of SPACE BAG Dual Use Bags

When the complimentary set of Dual Use Space Bags arrived in the mail, my wife and I were pretty excited. The box had a set of nine Space Bags ranging from small to extra large. I learned that the Dual Use bags didn't even need a vacuum cleaner to compress. This meant that I could squish or roll them by hand, which works just about as good as the vacuum in most cases.

I took my new Space Bags out to the RV and did this review:


The pack also came with a handy storage bag to neatly store your compressed stuff.

Storage Bag

The Final Assessment
Overall, I'd say Space Bag performed as advertised. In fact, they were pretty fun to use. The whole family actually watched as I squished my first pillow into a Space Bag. Yup, it was pretty exciting.

Space Bag is an intuitive and effective system. I simply pick the right sized bag, stuff, seal, open the flap, squeeze or suck with vacuum, close flap, and store. If you are an I-gotta-read-the-instructions-before-I-use kind of person, then you'll be glad to know that the included instructions were pretty easy to follow.

Once compressed, the bags did not leak. They're made with durable, but not indestructible, plastic. So I'm sure they would puncture or tear if you poked or scraped them with something sharp. I recommend using the storage bag seen in the picture above to keep your bags neatly stored.

This product is a keeper. I really liked these bags and will continue to use them. Of course there are other uses for Space Bags beyond what I tried. In fact, I took two of the small left over bags and stashed them in my carry on luggage. I can't wait to stuff some clothes in them on my next trip.

So pick up a set try them out for yourself!

Giveaway!!!
I'm having a giveaway for a Free Set of Space Bags. All you have to do is "Like" me on Facebook. For rules and full details click here. Good luck!

Additional Space Bag Info
Product Info | Purchase Space Bags | Facebook | Twitter
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What to bring on your next RV road trip

If you've planned an extended RV road trip, you know it can be a real challenge. There are so many decisions to make such as:

Where will we go?
How long will we be gone?
Will it be as awesome as the last one? 
How much will it cost?
Will there be fun stuff to do?
Will the kids be bored?

...and... 

Should we tow the boat or the Jeep?

I saw this guy on the road in California with this custom toy hauler.
I would love to have watched him load this up.

Have fun planning your Summer adventure?
Are you traveling this Summer?
Where are you going?
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The Tale of the Busted Slide

What do you do when your RV slide goes out and won't go back in? If that happened to me, I'm sure I would first utter an expletive, make sure I wasn't the cause of the malfunction, then break the news to the wife assuring her that I wasn't the cause of the malfunction. How then do you get the slide back in? 

We'll that depends on your RV I guess. My Class C has a screw drive mechanism controlling the slide. If the electric motor goes bad, the slide can be cranked in. The slide on my father in-law's Class A however, is powered by hydraulic's which poses the question. What happens when the hydraulics fail? As we found out tonight, you can not just crank it back in. It will go in though, but it takes some HE MAN strength..and that's where I come in.

1-2-3 PUUUSH!!!
Tonight my son and I were summoned to lend some man power to get the rear slide pushed in on my father in-law's crippled Winnebago. The plan was simple...push the slide back in. So the three of us gave it a "1-2-3 PUSH!!" and the slide hardly budged. Hmmmm. At first it was like pushing on a brick wall expecting it to move. Uh...not gonna happen.

With each push, however, it moved a tiny bit. So we kept pushing then taking a break. After a few pushes, it occurred to me "Why am I not taking a picture of this for the blog?" So on the next push I stepped away and snapped this pic of my father in-law and my son pushing without me. If you think that looks hard, try taking this picture without laughing. Finally, after about 10 minutes of pushing, we got it pushed all the way in. "WHEW!!"

So how did this happen?
Well this is one of those moments when you say to your wife "I'm so glad this happened at home and not on the road." While loading up the RV before a trip, my father in-law opened up the slide in the back bedroom and heard an awful noise. A hydraulic line had just busted under the bed spewing hydraulic fluid on the floor and under the slide. After realizing what had happened, it was time to break the unfortunate news to the wife. "Trip cancelled honey."

Then the call went out to an RV repair guy. The guy showed up, surveyed the damage and said "I don't want to take this one on. Sorry." Alright now what. So a call was made to an RV shop who said they could fix it if he would bring it in to the shop. Driving it down the road with the slide out was definitely not an option, so he had to figure out how to get the slide pushed back in. SUCCESS! 

Final thoughts
If there is a moral to this story I think it is this: Unless you want a real RV adventure, make sure all of the equipment on your RV is in proper working order prior to hitting the road. The 20 minutes spent checking everything out will give you valuable peace of mind. There are negative aspects to owning an RV, but let's try to avoid those if we can. Don't you agree? 
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Towing a car behind your RV

Traveling around in your RV is a wonderful liberating experience. Also liberating is having the freedom and convenience of a car to get you around town or to nearby attractions once you've reached your destination. Plus there are places that your RV just can't go. That's why you will seldom see us without a car in tow.

Our RV and CRV Toad at Yellowstone
I get asked a lot by friends or beginning RVers how this whole "towing your car" thing works. We'll I use the four wheels on road method which requires a tow bar setup. Here's a video to show you how I connect and disconnect my tow vehicle.


RV Speak
Now this is important. If you don't want to sound like an RV newby, you'll have to learn to use the correct RV towing lingo.
  1. Be sure to refer to your tow vehicle as your "Toad" or "Dinghy"
  2. A "Dolly" is not something you play with. It's like a trailer that lifts the front two tires off the ground and leaves the rear tires on the ground
Can your car be towed?
Certain makes and models of cars are designed to be towed and some are not. If your's is in the "not" category, then you need additional equipment installed first. Your car's owner's manual should have a section about towing if it is designed to be towed. There is also a list of vehicles in the 2011 Dinghy Towing Guide (PDF). Finally, check your RV's towing capacity. My RV can tow up to 5000 lbs.

What Equipment Do I Have?
My tow vehicle is a 2004 Honda CRV and the equipment I use is:
Is it expensive?
Configurations vary, but plan on spending around $2000 to $3000 to get a quality towing setup (car not included...of course).

Does towing affect my gas mileage?
Yes. I drop about a mile or two in MPG when towing versus not towing.

Good luck! Once you're setup to tow your car, you won't want to leave home without it. Enjoy.
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I don't have an RV garage, I have an RV cover

Do you keep your RV in the garage? If you do, then that's pretty cool. I, on the other hand, don't have a roof over my RV. So the best way I've found to keep my RV protected from the elements is to keep it covered with a quality RV cover.

I was recently asked by Empire Covers to review their new RV cover. Within a week I received the cover at my door. The first thing I noticed was that it was smaller and lighter than expected. Some covers can be bulky and hard to handle, but not this one. This got me excited to unpack it and try it out.

February 2012
Win a FREE RV Cover from EmpireCovers.com

Check out the video below for my review:


Pros
I've used the cover for a couple of weeks now and I have to say that I really like it and would recommend it for your RV. Here's why:
Reflectors on the front/back
  • It fits my RV better than my previous cover
  • It's light and compact which makes it easy to store and handle (about 1/2 the bulk of my other cover)
  • The elastic in the front and rear hold it in place right away without having to tie it down
  • Installation and removal is easy which means I can put it on more often
  • It has yellow reflectors sewn into the front and rear to keep your guests (or kids) from driving into it at night
  • And, it comes with a 5 year warranty. 
Cons
I couldn't find anything negative to say about the cover itself. The only marginal feedback I would have has to do with the installation instructions. It comes with one piece of paper that includes the warranty and instructions. The instructions are clearly for the car cover they sell and not the RV cover. With that said, it is pretty easy to figure out once you've unpacked it (as seen in the video).

Tip for removing, storing and installing your RV cover
To remove the cover from your RV, start by lifting up the back and sides, fold them towards the middle, and continue folding from the outside in until the cover is the width of the storage bag. Then start folding (or rolling) towards the front of the roof before putting the cover in the bag. If you do this, then installation is easy. To re-install the cover, just place it on the front of your roof and unroll it towards the back and drop the sides. 

My RV Cover quick tips

  • Wash your RV before you cover it, because it's always nice to unwrap a nice shiny RV
  • If possible, wait until it is dry before you cover your RV
  • Remove or cover any sharp objects on your roof or sides such as solar panels, antennas, etc.
  • It's much easier to tie a rope to the bag and lift it up to the roof instead of trying to carry it up the ladder with one hand
  • When walking around the roof during the installation, be careful where you step
  • You can start your RV's engine or run your generator when covered, but make sure the cover is not covering or near any exhaust pipes
  • If you run your gas heater, be sure the cover is not covering the hot air heater vent as it will burn a hole through your new cover
  • Finally, make sure you unzip any necessary side panels before expanding any slides.
So there you have it. Keep your RV looking as good as new with a new RV cover. It is worth the investment and a "must have" for me.

To find an RV cover designed for your RV, I recommend you visit EmpireCovers.com first.
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Tips for Camping Without Hookups

One of the cool aspects of owning an RV is the ability to be totally self sufficient wherever you are. Providing your RV systems are fully functional, you can generate power, take showers, go to the bathroom and sleep comfortably anywhere you can find a flat spot to park. Many RVers, and I'm no exception, typically hop from RV park to RV park for the added comfort of full hook-ups. However, there are times when living a few days without power, water and sewer hook-ups is not only necessary, but can be fun.

In fact, on our 20th anniversary, we spent the night boondocking at a Walmart in our RV? We had just set out on a two week trip with the kids to visit all of the water parks we could find between Seattle and Denver. It was a fun night and our most memorable trip so far. Sure, a nice RV park would have been better that night, but there weren't any around.



Taking a break from the amenities of your favorite RV park may seem undesirable, but it is refreshing to occasionally break from all of the electronic stimuli and simply pay attention to each other and the enjoy the wonderful outdoors. Plus it's cheap! If there is a fee, then it's probably minimal. Just think of all the beautiful destinations out there that don't have an RV park nearby. Not to mention tail gating at sporting events, NASCAR races, NHRA drag races, kids soccer tournaments, skiing, and what ever else you can think of. If you've done this, then you have probably turned to your significant other and said "isn't it great to have an RV right now?"

This summer we spent five days boondocking (a.k.a. dry camping) on the Washington coast with a small group of other RVers. It was our annual trip with family and friends to relax by the ocean, eat, drink a few, play and enjoy each other's company. Aside from an occasional night in a Walmart parking lot or power outage at home, this is usually the only opportunity we get to live off of the RV grid for more than a day. I look forward to this outing each year. Aside from the relaxation and laughs, it is a great chance to test out my RVing skills and see how well I know my rig.

Life without hook-ups

With two adults and three teenagers in our coach, it's essential to conserve as much as possible. After you've done it a few times, you get a sense of how long you can go without having to dump your tanks and refill your water. Until then, it's helpful to locate the nearest dump station and fresh water source in case your tanks fill up or you run out of fresh water. From the start, I emphasized water conservation. Water would be our prime resource and, on this trip, everyone did there part to use only what they needed. Once depleted, there would be no washing dishes or, even worse, flushing. Conveniently, there was a pool and shower nearby, so we took daily showers in our swim trunks to keep clean. This helped prolong our water supply. 

Keeping the batteries charged was not really a problem. But we do try to minimize the use of non-essential electronic appliances. When dry camping my son calls me the "Power Nazzi", because I'm always saying "turn off the light". I have a lot of battery powered LED lights mounted around for when we're not hooked up to power. I would like to replace all of our incandescent light fixtures with LEDs but I'm just not there yet.

Each morning we run the generator the make coffee and charge up the batteries. We typically run the generator later in the day, usually to microwave something. That is sufficient to keep the batteries charged enough to run the gas furnace at night (as needed) and power the rig throughout the day. I have have two house batteries and a portable solar panel that I place on my roof for a little trickle charge. Of course, this requires sun, which was not abundant on this trip. Nevertheless, the thought of trying to get free power from the sun excites me for some reason and I can't stop tinkering with my little solar panel. I would love be able to generate enough solar power to power the rig, but it's just not practical here in Western Washington. 

How I prepare for a boondocking trip

Before heading out to live without hook-ups it is very important to check that all systems are functioning properly in your rig. Pay specific attention to your generator and LP gas systems (stove, oven, refrigerator, water heater, and furnace). I run my generator once or twice a month with a load on in to make sure it's working properly. I also change the generator oil at least once a year. My water heater runs either on gas or electricity, but I usually run it in electric mode. Since I usually stay at RV parks, I don't use the LP gas mode as much. Before each trip, however, I'm sure to test each appliance in both LP gas and electric mode. That way I know that it will work when I need it. Before I leave, I make sure my LP gas tank and water tanks are full. Then I make sure both sewer tanks are empty.

Finally, I test my house batteries and add distilled water as needed. After that, I'm ready to pack up and go. Before you reach your camp, be sure you have an ample supply of gas in your tank. My generator will shut off if the gas tank reaches 1/4 full. This is not something you want to find out the hard way, so I make sure I have plenty of gas to power my generator before I pull in.

Well that's it for now. So consider being more adventurous and find a location off-the-grid. You'll pay less money and might just have a great time.

Here are some useful sites to help prepare you for your next boondocking adventure:

What to check before leaving on an RV trip
Onan generator maintenance tips
Where to buy high quality RV solar panels
Where to buy low power LED replacement bulbs
Find the nearest RV dump station
Find an overnight (not camping) parking spot while on the road

Happy RVing!

  
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