VIDEO: This RV Was Built To Last

Some RVs are built to last. And when they do finally wear out, they often get rescued, restored, and put right back into circulation. Read more  Read More →

Investing? In An RV?

Time and time again, we hear people that are pondering purchasing an RV state, “I want to get the right one as it is a large investment.”  When these statements, or similar are made, it almost always brings comments, like “An RV is not an investment, it’s a depreciating asset.”   These exchanges are fairly common on RV forums like RV.NET/Forums.   So, who’s right here?  Well, an investment, at least a financial one, is generally made to grow or increase the value of those funds and get a financial return.  At the outset, it would certainly appear that the “nay sayers” are in fact, correct.  So let’s look at those that still refer to the purchase of a recreational vehicle as an investment. Well, the purchase price is generally a substantial amount of money.  Also, as pointed out by the other side, the financial value will decrease, not increase; that is a guarantee.  But, does an investment’s return have to be measured in currency?  Perhaps not.   According to the Encarta Dictionary, the meaning is not confined to necessarily being a monetary return as can be seen on this link. There are other valuable things that may well qualify.  Perhaps it may provide big dividends in the form of a better lifestyle, a family unity, a healthier way of life or more.  The word investment originally was used solely to describe a financial security investment placed mainly to make financial gains or profits..  Today the... Read more

2008 Monaco 40SKQ

2008 Monaco 40SKQ Previously $247,044 – Now $199,975 Island Style Interior, Natural Cherry Cabinets, Full Pass Through Slide Out Tray, Slide Out Battery Tray, Pull Down Shades, 3-Camera Rear Vision System, Auxillary Blower, Message Center 14CF, 2 Door Refrigerator Stainless Steel… Offered from Tom Johnson Camping Center in Concord, NC. Learn More! As featured on  Read More →

So, you want to be a Camp Host?

From the desk of Firedude Well it can sure be an interesting position. I was a volunteer camp host on the central coast of California for California State Parks for nearly 6 years. During which time I hosted about 9-10 months of the year and traveled the rest. I thought I had seen it all in my 33 year career as a firefighter, but couldn’t have been more wrong! The position was great and I was allowed to set the schedules. We worked a 3 day on 3 day off (firefighter style) shift. That meant you worked 3 straight days and off 3 straight days leaving you time to go places, see things and even take short trips if you desired. This didn’t mean you had to be in the campground 24/7 by any means. My position consisted of a morning and noon camp check and be available to sell firewood at hours you designate (within reason) and available to answer questions etc. In reality it could have been done in a matter of 2-3 hours per day. You can put forth more effort if you wish and of course I did because I enjoyed it. I decided even though I was retired I wanted to stay active and not sit on my duff. In exchange you received your full hookup campsite and other perks such a free tours of Hearst Castle for you and friends, an annual swim party at the pool at Hearst Castle, a free day use pass for all Ca. state parks, free firewood and some others. Staff also put on a few BBQ’s per year as well and very enjoyable. In our sector there was NO maintenance or cleaning of restrooms... Read more

Answering the Mail, More on Battery Charging and Stuff

Well I have been negligent in writing my blogs, but the great adventure is really keeping us busy. We left New Hampshire the third week of October after installing solar, a big battery bank, and a Magnum 3000 inverter/charger/converter. Since then we have driven across the middle of the country covering parts of the Old Lincoln Highway swinging northwest at Salt Lake City into Seattle. We spent time there getting to know a new grand baby before heading south along the coast to San Diego. We spent time there with family and headed into the desert of Arizona where we are currently. Yes we experienced Quartzsite and the Yuma Territorial Prison and long term boondocking. And yes solar works regardless of what the doom and gloomers say. While our limited solar array (170 watts) does not fully support our life style, which I will be the first to admit we are not energy efficient, it cuts generator time by at least 50%, and that is significant. Before next years trip I will add one more panel and rig them so that they can be tilted catching more sun. But there are a couple of comments and e mails that I would like to address. Question Don T. wrote: I have my 5th wheel setting at home, not being used, plugged into 50amp/convert to30amp land line………question is, am I hurting or helping my battery situation as I’ll be parked until June. I’d appreciate any comments for this Dumbo…….Thanks Answer The answer is that generally keeping the battery fully... Read more

Focusing on Focus

Since almost all modern cameras, point & shoot or DSLR have autofocus built in, why blog about focus?  Well, a couple of reasons. If you look at almost any photo gallery, either independent such as Flickr, or picture posting sections of individual & shared web pages, you will see out of focus images. It can be extremely frustrating to shoot once in a lifetime images and find after the fact that they are soft or out of focus. In many cases making a few changes in either the settings or operation of your camera can cure the problem. Read more  Read More →

2006 Skyline Rampage 217

2006 Skyline Rampage 217 $16,995 RAMPAGE 217. This unit will save you over new Prices. Lots of available cargo space in a smaller trailer. This one has a great floor plan: spacious front bathroom, center kitchen, rear bed. This one has lots of options…. Offered by Norris RV in Casa Grande, AZ. Learn More! As featured on  Read More →

After 40+ Years of RVing . . .

In a recent survey by RV.net, the majority of comments came from those relatively new to RVing and who were looking for RVing tips, how to fix things, where to go, what to pack, anything that might help a new RVer to better enjoy the RV Lifestyle. So, acknowledging that the majority of my recent blogs have been about Green RVing, on this post I will offer some of my own personal thoughts on RVing based on my 40+ years of RVing, ten years as General Manager of an RV rental and sales company, 16 years as a fulltimer, and 9 years as a travel writer, photographer, and seminar leader on RV travel and lifestyle. Avoid the temptation to buy an RV with the same floorspace and amenities as your house. You will find, after you get used to the downsize, that you can go a lot more places, visit far more campgrounds, and manoever through far more gas stations, parking lots, visitor centers, national and state parks, than you could with a larger rig. And you will also find that you won’t miss the space. Learn to use the features of your rig that enable you to camp without hook-ups. You will find as your travels expand, that there are far more campsites that do not have hook-ups than do. And even more that have only partial hook-ups, such as water and electricity only, or maybe one but not the other. You will find also that most of these no hook-up campsites are in more natural and scenic settings, with more space not only in the campsite, but also between neighbors, offering more privacy. For... Read more

Don’t fall for Email ‘Phishing’ scams

Fishing is where you hold the hook, and the fish are the prey. Phishing is where Internet Scam artists hold the hook and *you* are the prey. I think the ‘ph’ comes from the origins of the scam via phone. It’s your job to not take the bait! A scam can’t work if you don’t fall for it. Sometimes the bait is obvious, like an email that says someone from Nigeria needs to use your bank account in the US to deposit millions of dollars … just give them your account info and they’ll cut you in for half! Instead, of course, they’ll empty your bank account. But many of them are not so obvious. Many of them are very good at the con game, so you have to be good too – at recognizing and avoiding them. There are 2 primary ways that con artists work. By making fake websites By sending fake emails Some fakes are easy to spot, some aren’t. Things to know: The ‘From’ line on an email can be faked. Just because it says it’s from your uncle Harold, or from your bank, doesn’t mean it is. I could send you an email and make it look like it’s from the IRS asking you to send me your bank account information. Links can be taking you somewhere other than what they say. For example, a link may say, “www.bankamerica.com” but if you hover your mouse over it and look below, in your status bar, you’ll see the real address. In this case I’ve made the link go to www.bankamerica.dontfallforthis.com.... Read more

RV Quick Tips – Stove Screens and Rear View Monitor Cleaning

A problem around the kitchen stove is the mess that can be made from splashing. This video offers a tip on how to keep the stove area clean while cooking in your RV. Another tip in this segment is how to clean your screens using a lent roller. If you are an RVer who spends most of the time under trees than here is a tip on using a hair blower to keep pine needles out of your RV roof vent. Cleaning the backup camera can be difficult with its high elevation, but here is a tip to help clean the camera without ever having to raise a foot.  Read More →

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