CG at Ohiopyle State Park, PA
I've not been able to find recent reviews on the campground at Ohiopyle State Park in PA. Anyone been there in the last year or two and provide any comments? I understand the park is really nice, and it has the hiking and biking we're after, but don't know about the camping.
Thanks.
RE: C.G prices in Canada
"...Who's complaining? I see RVers posting facts....". Factually, it costs more to RV in Canada than it does in the US.
GM
Correct. As I stated, I do 'grouse' about prices, but it's worth it to me. Canadian Rockies area, to us, beats all U.S. 'beauty spots' and we'll keep going back, as expensive as it is.
Amana Colonies (Iowa) question
We're looking to visit Amana Colonies. Is anyone familiar with the roads that comprise a 17 mile loop around the colonies (Route 151 and Route 6). Specifically, we'd like to bike the loop but don't know if those roads are 'main drags' in that area and too much traffic and/or no shoulder to ride on.
would anyone be able to advise us as to suitability of riding bikes around the colonies?
RE: C.G prices in Canada
...just expressing my surprise and pointing out how much more RVers pay in Canada then in the US for C.G and Gas.
Wait till you purchase food! Don't even think about going to a restaurant.
We've been going to Canada for several decades, so we know about the entire cost-of-living being significantly higher, on average, than U.S. So, of course, we grouse about it but we keep going back. Well worth it to us.
RE: The top of my camper is hard to bring down
I'm seconding both posts. Just because it's new doesn't mean it doesn't need lubing. But also, if you're new to using a popup, it's possible you're not folding the tenting efficiently, or there is some obstruction inside. And yes, if you're not 'reasonably' level, that can give you a problem. So, the good advice is to lube first. If that doesn't work then start checking all around the camper to see if you have excess material, or something else, keeping the top up. Are the poles stored under the mattresses, for example?
Now having said that, I have always had to push on each side, after I have lowered the roof all the way, to get the tenting pushed down enough to latch. Speaking of, are the latches adjustable? If so, they may need to be lengthened.
RE: Battery Life
Question cannot be properly answered unless you state type of battery you have (is it a deep cycle?) and how many amp hours its' capacity is.
Lights take approximately 1.5 amp hours, per bulb. Your water pump will be pretty minimal, I would think, unless you're really using it a lot. If you're conserving your lights, you can run the furnace too for a couple of hours a day (if only camping for two days) and you have a fully charged, 100 amp hour battery.
We primarily dry camp and go days, including running the furnace 1-2 hours a day, before needing the solar panel.
RE: Where to invest ?
You can go into 'junk bond' funds (a.k.a. High Yield Corporates). The funds can easily be had at no load, foreign, domestic, or a mix of both. I average 6% (annualized) simply on dividends, not counting cap gains or anything.
Of course, when interest rates rise, value goes down, but return will go up.
Any of the big brokerage firms will allow you to get into these, online, and for free. I'm partial to Fidelity.
RE: New Solar Panel
I've been dry camping for years, and to confirm what some others have stated indirectly, that 5 watt panel is useless. All it can charge is your camera. I have a 55 watt panel that just keeps up with basic needs. Running a furnace for an hour, some lights, some use of water pump for showers (I have onboard shower). We even unplug the battery from pup during the day so we don't get phantom draw from propane detector. We'll dry camp for two weeks at a time and I carry a 2nd battery.
You need to understand amp-hours, what your appliances draw in amp hours, how much actual charging you will get from that panel (probably only an amp hour or two for an entire day.
RE: Durability/Repairs?
I can't tell you exact statistics, but it would appear that the largest problem with tenting is people using cleaners that ruin the waterproofing. You can't use harsh chemicals on the material. I just happen to have a small rip in the canvas, but found someone who can fix it for a small fee. I recently posted the question on how to find people to do repairs, and it was easy to find someone.
The largest problem, it would appear, for tent campers is not the tenting. It's making sure all the trailer seams are caulked and you're not leaking water. If you've not damaged the canvas, you won't have an issue with it --- but you will have issues with all the seams on the trailer if not maintained.
My 5 year old Jayco doesn't have a single piece of good weatherstripping, another maintenance item. I'm going to replace weatherstripping on access door and both bunk ends.
So, point is, properly cleaned canvas is not an issue.
RE: Cell Phone for Canada
Thanks all for info. It seems stupid, but I didn't think of purchasing another phone, essentially the same type of thing as my Tracfone, in Canada. We travel to Canada pretty much once a year, so it would be worth it to do this. I'll definitely look at the Petro first.
If it makes any difference, we primarily go to Canadian Rockies, so Banff/Jasper area. But we will be going to the Maritimes and other points east in the near future.
Cell Phone for Canada
I'm lost with cell phone plans. We are traveling to Canada, and our only cell phone is Tracphone which cannot be used in Canada.
Are there cheap phones, and no-contract (just purchase some minutes) plans I can get so I can have a cell phone while traveling in Canada?
I just don't understand the myriad companies, policies, options etc. I know I can go to AT&T, my primary carrier, and get an expensive plan. I thought there might be something I can get relatively inexpensively, and on a temporary basis, for Canada when we travel there once a year.
Thanks.
RE: How to repair canvas?
Thanks all for help.
I have found a couple of places (based on responses) that do the work and will have the first place look at the pup tomorrow. I have a rip at the bottom, on the seam, rather than a hole, so I cannot simply put a patch in. Needs some real sewing that I have no abilities in.
Next I have to deal with the 'great tire controversy' (lots of strong opinions on brand of tires).
RE: Battery reads 10.3 volts... what to do?
If you want to be really EXACT about it, go get a good temperature-compensated battery hydrometer (no, you may NOT use an anti-freeze hydrometer!) and check the specific gravity of the electrolyte in each cell.
Love it! After my meter crapped out on a trip, I got a hydrometer. May be 'old school', but works. Hey, I have plenty of time while camping.
RE: Calculating total amps in my Pop-up + LED Recomendations?
Second looking at the '12 volt side of life'. We dry camp a great deal and I went about figuring how much everything used some time ago. I took the next step and got a 2nd battery and solar panel.
In my case, I have all the manuals and they all show power draws. A good starting point is that every light bulb in your pup draws 1.5 amps. So. if you have fixtures with two bulbs in them, you're at 3 amps per hour, per fixture.
I'm not sure if someone mentioned it or not, but you have constant (small)draw from your propane detector and possibly other appliances. If you're looking to save on amp hours, you want to disconnect your battery during the day (or get a switch to turn off/on).
Anyone use portable a/c in their pup?
I'm looking at 'beefing' up the pup with A/C (we've had one too many really warm nights in the pup). I'd rather not have a roof a/c installed and wondered if anyone has ever used a portable A/C unit. I don't know how well they work and if there are any tradeoffs to getting one of those rather than cutting a hole in the roof.
How to repair canvas?
I have a good 5 inch rip in front corner of canvas, right at the seam at the bottom. I have no knowledge of sewing and dealer is not helpful.
Can anyone tell me where I would look to find someone who could do a repair? Also, how do you go about getting a piece of the tent material to do a repair?
Thanks.
RE: Duro tire blew out today
I consider Duro's one of the worst Chinese junk tires available and will never allow another one on a trailer of mine! Was that strong enough? LOL
I have them as OEM on my pup. Pup is 6 years old, between 15,000-20,000 miles on it, never had an issue with tires (had 1 flat and that was due to a nail). At this point, they do need replacing.
On top of that, they are not radials.
Great tires.
