RE: My Frustration
we carry fire starters, you can pick them up at walmart in the camping section cheap, and they always work. plus, you don't have the 10 foot high whoomph factor of white gas/ kerosene/ lighter fluid. it makes you look like you actually know what you are doing when starting a fire. :)
RE: RV CAMPSITE SUGGESTION
if you want to be near water the obx koa is hard to beat (yes, thats right...koa) only thing is be prepared to ride a couple of ferries to get out there.
RE: Any Full-timers use a Wii for Exercise
we carry a wii and wii fit for the days it just doesn't cooperate outside. for the nice days, we bike, kayak, climb, fish and only see the rv at night.
in NC this year at one of the campgrounds we stayed at, someone had a projectr set up outside their big A and had a wii showing on the side of the rv. they had a big crowd around having a good old time.
we keep it to small crowds in our C, since room isn't the best factor in a 27 foot c with no slides. :)
RE: How much weight can the "cab over" hold?
usually if you look on the sticker that shows gross vehicle weight and what each axle should be capable of handling, you will find another number (at least ford does this) that shows the amount of additional weight that can be added. usually, the manufacturer figures that two people weighing about 150 each and an additional amount of weight. most of the time it is in the 100 pound range. that is usually for adding things like a winch, heavy duty bumper, etc.
In order to better handle what we carry up front, we built a frame inside the cab over that integrates and reinforces the cab over area, and we have four lightweight cabinents and an lcd tv up there now. i would be very hesitant to just put stuff up there though, as cab overs are jiggly to begin with.
RE: nervous pullling toad
toad. if you take your house everywhere you go, you might as well bring a car along. you might use a tny bit more gas towing, but you more then make it up when you use the toad to get around once your park the ole bed in a shed.
RE: Towing brakes.
we use a brake buddy with our wrangler.
here is a good hint. turn the key into the on position, then turn it all the way back to acc where you have to press the button. this makes sure that you will not look the steering wheel, if you just stick the key in and turn to acc, the wheel will lock still.
the brake buddy puts very little drain on the battery. we just make sure the radio is off.
disconnecting the battery would not make sense if you are using a copressor based brake system.
RE: What do you tow with your Class C ?
jeep wrangler with two bikes and two kayaks. (3600+) I think towing is a mandatory thing if you like to see things. normally we drive a radius of 150 miles from where we camp and taking the motorhome everywhere is just not feasible.
If yo are driving a 20ft or less class c, yo can take it everywhere, but i hate going to places like acadia and having to drive around 25+ ft motorhomes on the scenic loop and fight them for parking when they take up four or more spots at some of the stops.
I think toads are essential to quality camping, especially when you are using the rv as yor house on the road full time.
RE: Hill Climbs And Overheating?
am i the only one that drops my toad and lets my wife drive it when we hit the mountains? wranglers aren't lightweights by any means, and the thought of towing one up a mountain does not excite me.
I never tow with the cab air on, puts too much more load on the engine, it's either big air or no air. but then again, we only had one 98 degree day, and that was in virginia, ever since then up through new england and maine and beyond it had been in the 80s or less.
still, even today, the drive from NH to VT we unhooked and drove seperate. My gauge never goes to halfway.
RE: Gas Prices stopping you from RV'ing
nope. we just finished the north and are sitting in vermont getting ready to head for colorado. gas has been under 4 bucks everywhere for the last 5 weeks of our trip this year, and we won't let it stop us even if it were to go up.
I go back to the adage if you can afford a big rv, you can afford to use it. our little 27 foot is what is is and we know that. still cheaper then staying in a hotel and visiting all the places we have been so far.
RE: Where No RV is Allowed To Go: The Greenhorn Asks
only road i have ever seen is cinnamon pass coming in from silverton heading up. I wouldn't take a motrhome up there anyway. Now, my jeep on the otherhand loves that pass.
RE: Gas milages
I drive 55 almost all the time, and pulling our jeep average 7.5-9
Gas mileage is the only thing i do not worry about. if you're gonna drive a motorhome, it's just a fact of life.
RE: Boondocking & Atv Trails on North Rim of Gran Canynon
my favorite atv area is on lake powell. lone rock on the utah border. sand dunes and slick rock, and you can camp right on the beach. just a hop skip and a mid size jump to the grand canyon.
RE: Does anyone bring a kayak with them while camping?
We carry two touring kayaks, 14.5' and 15' respectively. we have a rack on our toad. we also carry our mountain bikes mounted on the toad. Here is a link to a picture of our setup. warning, it is a BIG picture.
our whole setup
RE: Non-retired full timers
we are fulltiming before i hit 40. but we aren't working right now. we sold our vet clinic 3 years ago and our house and have been travelling ever since. if we need money we head out to california and do relief work for a friends clinic, but overall just enjoy our time on the road and travelling. we might settle down next year if we find a house we like.
RE: Other New Prospective Buyers
now is a great time to buy an rv. we have seen so many great deals while travelling around this year.
most people that are selling now have the same thoughts as you about the "escalating economy" and that is why they are selling.
The economy will change, it will get better, the gas bubble will break (the demand and speculation just aren't there, the investors are reaping some profits and at some point everyone will catch on)
whatever you choose, research it well and think about it. I'd hate to hear you settled for something small, things got better then you are stuck with it or have to get something else.
we try not to worry about what tomorrow brings, because there is so much to see and do today, and no matter how much you can do, today always gives up to tomorrow at some point.
RE: What a time to get interested in RV'ing!
Some times the most enjoyable part of any project is the planing and the dreaming! so enjoy it and go for it!
It's as much, if not more enjoyable than actually going. Time on the road can get old, stuff can break. the weather can suck.
But nothing beats sitting together and going over a road atlass, park guide, and whatever else, picking out the stuff that sounds interesting.
We did a 5 day no camping trip a few years ago, and visited every Ghost Town in oregon we could manage to get to. That was a blast.
We also did a trip to some Ghost Towns in Montana with the kids and the trailer in tow. Bannack and Virginia City were great. And we made another trip through Glacier, too.
This, right now, this is your best moments... make the best of it.
time on the road never gets old, we always find new places. we parked our rv last year and spent seven months tent camping with our toad.
when you have a tent, you think about weather, when you have hard sides, weather is seldom a worry.
my uncle had a saying, that whenever you travel, somethings get lost, and somethings break. i can attest to that, but that is a small part of the fun and majesty that is being on the road every day and having no real home address. Giving up the security of life for travel is part of the excitement. I love my house and love it being in a different state every week or so. :)
i will agree, it is fun to plan. on rainy days we pull out the atlas and the laptop, and sit in our rv and plan the next leg of the trip.
RE: What a time to get interested in RV'ing!
we budget 100 dollars a day regardless. so the days that we just sit, our budget grows and balances the days we fill up with gas, or have to do something big. sounds like you have a great plan, we have 11 states left tha we will hit this year.
Gas is going to fluctuate and will eventually settle for a while, unless you believe in the concept of peak oil. speculation and demand just aren't in sync, and someone will get wise to the fact it's the investors that are keeping the oil prices up and making money on the futures.
Anyway, we decided to get the full time rv thing out of our system before we hit 40 because who knows what the future may bring.
Oh, and yes, it is a great time to get into an rv. I have seen so many great deals on large diesel pushers like monaco that you wouldn't ever normally see as people are trying to scale back. I find it awesome that you can get a dynasty, executive or signature series slightly used for 1/4 or less of the price because people are seeing the reality of travel in the RIGHT now fuel wise and nt thinking long term, that this fuel bubble will pass. i kinda feel for the sellers, but hey, thats what it's all about. now is the time to pick up a great deal, and in a few months to a year, things will be great in the gas market, and travel will be back on.
Although, this year i have seen a small reduction in the amount of campsites open, there are still a lot of people on the road. While it has impacted some people who might go on vacation, the impact to the full timers isn't as bad. at least not from what i have seen yet. we'll be in maine in a month and i'll drop back in and let you know how busy acadia np is.
by august we'll be in colorado and i'm hoping the "texas fisherman" numbers will dwindle, i hate not getting to all my favorite fishing spots because there is a big ole texas truck wih duallys sitting there. (just kidding, my brother is one of those texas fisherman that migrates yearly to colorado with his huge truck and travel trailer) but it would be nice if the area i go to isn't as crowded.
RE: Wiring a 1997 Wrangler as a TOAD
ditto. if you are not hot on finding your own wiring, blue ox makes a kit that has everything you need to add in the additional lights and not mess with your system.
RE: Mountain Climbing Backpacks for Regular Camping
when we did the AT last year, we averaged less the 25 lbs with a weeks food and all our gear. we use granite gear vapors, and our backs love us for it. so - food for two we were sitting around 10-12 lbs a bag. our only extra gear was my wifes diabetes supplies.
the military uses arcteryx (a similar model of the bora 90), which is one heck of a big bag, and very capable of load bearing.
RE: What I've learned so far about Full-time
our freezer always has room for ice cream. the biggest thing i've learned:
no matter how many times you take off and drive around to find a new place, my cats never enjoy the drive.
