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RE: Some Great tent Camping!
My favorite tent camping is at Green Ridge State Forest in Flintstone, MD. Most sites are huge and most don't have a neighbor within sight. I've camping at about half a dozen different sites and most can hold a small group with ease. The group sites are very big.
There are a few decent State Parks in Southern NJ that have good camp sites, like Wharton State Forest and Parvin State Park, it has been a long time since camping here, so they may have changed.
We've tent camped at Hannah Park in Jacksonville, FL. It's a county run park. It's mostly RVs, but the sites are relatively private. It's a really nice park with a short walk/drive to the beach. There is water and electric at every site.
We also really enjoy tent camping at Paris Mountain State Park in Greenville, SC. This too is often times full of RVs, but sites are decent sized. There really isn't much privacy, but the sites all have electric and water. It's a really nice park with lots of hiking and Mtn Biking trails. We've only ever camped here in the late fall and late winter and it gets crowded (usually full) on the weekends.
Although we've never actually camped here, since it's just a few miles from home, Blythe Island Regional Park and Campground is a nice park for tent camping. It is a county run park. We have spent a lot of time here with our Motorhome, setting up next to the beach along the lake and spending the day. The sites are decent size and are semi to mostly private. There is a small lake for kayaking, boating (electric motors only), fishing and swimming (in the summer). There is also a power hoist and ramp into the South Brunswick River. Overnight docking is available for Campers.
-Michael
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mgirardo
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02/27/23 11:27am |
Tent Camping
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RE: New Class C vs Used Class A
I would bring one of your adult kids with you when shopping. We had a 31' Class C with bunks. We bought the motorhome when the kids were 8 and 6 and the bunks worked great for them. By the time they were in their early teens, they both complained the bunks were too small, too narrow. They would hit the window as they slept.
Our bunks were 28" x 74". I expanded the bottom bunk to be a standard twin size and it worked much better. The over cab bunk had to be used for our other teen and the top bunk was turned into storage.
-Michael
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mgirardo
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02/13/23 05:27am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: A spare wheel might be harder to source than you think!
Help me stand under this; They tell you up front they will not provide a service you are likely to require, why pay them?
Because I carry a fully mounted spare, so I don't need them to mount the tire on the wheel. They also offer lots of other services as well, not just replacing a spare tire.
How many flats do you have a year?
On the motorhome, we had only 1 blowout in the 7 years we owned it. On our cars, maybe a few over the last 10 years, but I change those myself. Unless it happens to my wife or daughter when they are 100s of miles from home and then AAA changes it for them.
How much does it cost to have a tire service truck mount tire? And real important, IMHO, is how sure are you the guy that can't mount a tire on the side of road will be equipped both on the service truck and between his ears, to safely change the larger/heavier than normal wheel on the larger/heavier than normal vehicle?
The Mobile Tire repair charged AAA $250 to pull my flat (which was an inside rear tire) and put my mounted spare tire on. My guess, if he had to remove the blown tire from the wheel and mounted the spare on that wheel, it would have probably easily been double the cost.
There are probably thousands of Mobile Tire Repair centers. I'm sure all of them can dismount and mount tires off/on to wheels on the side of the road. On much heavier vehicles than our 14.5k Class C motorhome. The question is do I want to pay them to do that. AAA pays for itself each year with the discounts we receive at Hotels, restaurants, etc..
I'm not preaching that anyone should carry a mounted spare. I was just sharing my experience.
-Michael
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mgirardo
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12/28/22 06:59am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: A spare wheel might be harder to source than you think!
Any competent tire service can dismount / remount a tire on the side of the road. All you need to carry is the tire itself, no rim.
True, but if you have Roadside Assistance, they may not cover having the tire mounted on the wheel. When we had AAA+ with RV, they would only cover removal of the old tire & wheel and mounting the spare tire & wheel.
-Michael
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mgirardo
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12/27/22 06:44am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Securing generator while running
A regular cutoff wheel will make short work of a Kryptonite cable/lock DAMHIK
All one can do is slow the thief down--so they will go to some one else.
A cutoff wheel is overkill on these locks.
Funny story, we were at Disney's Fort Wilderness for Halloween this year. We were tent camping and brought our 5.5' x 10' single axle trailer with most of our gear on it. We parked it in overflow parking after unloading it. I ran a Kryptonite bike lock through one wheel and attached it to the frame of the trailer. I figured at Disney it wasn't necessary, but better safe than sorry.
When it came time to move it to leave, I found I couldn't get the combination to work. I hadn't used the lock in awhile, but I did test it before we left and it worked fine. I always keep a set of 4.5" side cutters in my laptop bag and always have my laptop bag with me. I figured I would have to cut each wire strand individually with those little cutters, but I was wrong. I cut through the steel wire like it was nothing. It was actually more difficult cutting through the rubber/nylon coating than it was to get through the wire.
To the OP: Anyone that can get a set of Catalytic Converters off a car could easily cut through a bike lock or chain. Your best bet would be to keep it out of sight and out of hearing range.
-Michael
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mgirardo
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11/28/22 06:54am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Not destroying the awning
Our Class C had a Carefree by Colorado electric awning. Ours did not have a wind sensor. When we started camping seasonally, we decided to tie it down. The system we owned had large, heavy duty springs that allowed the awning to move gently and evenly when it was windy.
Our seasonal site was directly across from a farm. The entry door faced due west and we would get winds that would just come out of nowhere, all hours of the day. If we expected a storm, we brought the awning in, but there were plenty of times that we'd go down to the lake or the pool or run to the grocery store with no bad weather forecast and then out of no where, our site would get windy, but still no storm. After a while, bringing everything in every time we left the site got very old, especially since we were there for 5 months.
Our awning went through many storms, some pretty strong that came out of nowhere in the middle of the day or night. When we sold the Motorhome, the awning worked just fine.
-Michael
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mgirardo
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10/10/22 06:45am |
Beginning RVing
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RE: External hard drive info??????....UPDATE
I don't see my BOOKMARKS saved or can't find them on the drive.... is there a way to download all my bookmarks onto the ext drive.... thanks
That depends on what Web Browser you use. They will be stored in different locations depending on what Browser you use.
It might be easier to just Export your Bookmarks from your browser, then you can import them into your next computer.
Just Google "where are my bookmarks stored for INSERT YOUR BROWSER HERE".
-Michael
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mgirardo
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10/05/22 06:08am |
Around the Campfire
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RE: Closer to a head on then you ever want to be...
I see people are confused by the story
Road was two lanes at that point. One north, one south bound
This line from the the OP's original post is what confused me: "Suddenly as a large class A approached in his left lane...". Saying the Class A was in his left lane implies that the Class A had a right lane.
Whatever the case was, I'm sure it was a harrowing situation and not one anyone would have wanted to be. I'm glad it ended well for all parties!
-Michael
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mgirardo
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09/16/22 06:36am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Stops Catalytic Converter thefts! (inexpensive method)
Sorry that happened to you....it sucks!
I'm curious, what did you do next? Did you move your trailer to a safer storage location (harder for the criminals)? Did you do anything to deter future criminals like install motion lighting? Did you just get your trailer fixed and put it back in the same storage with zero changes (hoping nothing happens again)? Or do you now store your TT and just leave the doors unlocked to make it easier for the criminals?
One thing comes to mind here... It doesn't sound like the people who hit your TT were criminals in the sense that they were looking to steal items for profit/$$ (maybe). It sounds like it might have been (as you mentioned) someone just looking for a place to sleep, or do drugs, etc. Or maybe it was kids/teenagers out causing trouble.
I hope they have moved on to somewhere else and leave you alone (or better yet, gotten caught in the act somewhere else). It sucks when people mess with our stuff.
-Chris
Thanks Chris.
When I got home from work (not self-employed at the time), I brought it home, even though the HOA did not allow it. Oh, well. I put it in the backyard out of view and then replaced the door. Eventually, we took it to another lot where it stayed for years without incident. We stored our MH for years at the new lot without incident.
I was skeptical about the Police's assessment that someone was looking for a place to stay. We had nothing of value in the HTT other than pots and pans, silverware and plastic dishware. I thought it was odd that someone looking for a place to stay would have the tools necessary to cut a coupler lot.
The door, delivered, was cheaper than the insurance deductible and I was able to easily replace it myself.
-Michael
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mgirardo
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09/08/22 06:34am |
Do It Yourself Modifications and Upgrades (DIY)
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RE: America's first automated RV park
It doesn't seem like a place I'd want to choose as a vacation, but for an overnight when full hookups were needed, it definitely fits the bill. We've paid more at KOA's for a quick overnight stay (10+ years ago). It would be nice if they had an eight hour rental for when we just want to get some rest and empty the waste tanks and refill the fresh water tank.
I like the contactless check-in. I've used it at Hotels in the recent past and it is nice not to have to wait in a line to check-in. No need to hold onto a key either, just use my phone.
-Michael
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mgirardo
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09/07/22 06:21am |
RV Parks, Campgrounds and Attractions
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RE: Stops Catalytic Converter thefts! (inexpensive method)
I've heard this philosophy before (don't anger the criminals). I understand why someone would suggest this as yes there is a chance that someone *could* do something out of anger if you've protected your property. I 100% understand that logic.
Chris
I've experienced it. Our Hybrid TT was broken into. It was in a storage lot. I was driving by one day and saw the door wide open. I went to take a look and noticed the door lock had been pried open. I only locked it, did not put the deadbolt on. It didn't look like anything had been touched. The police thought they were probably just looking for a place to sleep.
I closed the door and put the deadbolt on. A few days later, the Storage Lot called and told us it was broken into again. This time, they couldn't get in, so they broke the window on the door and even tore the metal skin of the door a couple inches. Then they cut the coupler lock off and cut the tether for the fresh water fill's cap. Just for fun, they went to another TT and cut their coupler lock off as well.
So yeah, don't piss the criminals off.
-Michael
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mgirardo
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09/07/22 06:08am |
Do It Yourself Modifications and Upgrades (DIY)
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RE: Thor or Forest River - Warranty and reputation
I'm asking if there is a difference bettween the brands when you *do* have an issue. Which is better for warranty/customer service, etc. Or is this more the dealer and/or extra warranty?
Thanks!
It really depends on the dealer. The dealer is your starting point on Warranty work, unless you can get the Manufacturer to authorize a mobile repair or other shop to do the work.
Every dealer is different. You need to do your research on the dealership. Some will not do warranty work on a unit that wasn't purchased at their dealership. We did not need warranty work with our Forest River Rockwood Roo HTT, but we really liked the dealership and feel they would have taken care of us. We've owned 2 Jayco products from new. The Class C was the only one that needed warranty work. The nearest dealership wouldn't touch our Class C, so we drove a little further (200 miles) and found a great dealership that had no problem doing the warranty work.
-Michael
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mgirardo
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07/27/22 05:52am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Best security cameras for travel trailer?
Reolink makes several cameras that use 4G. I don't know any that use satellite.
-Michael
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mgirardo
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07/26/22 05:52am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Rentals
I don't have personal experience with it, however my cousin and her husband used it multiple times when visiting Yellowstone. They'd fly out from the East Coast to Bozeman, MT. The RVShare owner was in Bozeman, so they'd take a cab/Uber to his house from the airport and spend 2 weeks exploring. They did it for 4 or 5 years before finally getting a RV of their own.
-Michael
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mgirardo
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07/19/22 06:43am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Tire Valve Disconnect Flat
Must be some killer tires you got on that rig, to not notice you were running with a flat!
When we had our blow out (outer dual), I only knew because of the noise. The Class C handled just fine and I easily got over to the shoulder.
-Michael
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mgirardo
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07/19/22 06:30am |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Fuel cost in your area
$4.39 for regular, Brunswick, GA.
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mgirardo
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06/27/22 06:17am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: programing of Mercedes key fob
Maybe they changed something. This was about 10 years ago.
That something was that Automakers realized they were losing a revenue stream by letting their customers program their own keys.
-Michael
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mgirardo
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06/22/22 05:25am |
Tech Issues
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RE: programing of Mercedes key fob
We encountered the same thing with our son's Volvo. We bought key fobs on Amazon and took them to the largest and oldest Locksmith in town, after confirming they could do it. One of their machines was not capable of programming the fobs. The other machine would only program the key to start the car. Digging a little deeper, the tech found that the car's Immobilizer system had to be decrypted to get the 4 digit code needed to program the fob to unlock the doors and start the car. Volvo would not provide the locksmith with the 4 digit code, so we made an appointment to come back since the decryption process took several hours. They charged $50 to program the key fobs. It took about 5 hours to get the key fobs programmed.
The only other option for us would have been driving an hour to a Volvo dealer and pay close to $300 per key fob. We bought 2 fobs on Amazon for $70.
-Michael
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mgirardo
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06/20/22 05:30am |
Tech Issues
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