Top 10 RV Road Trip Apps

It's Memorial Day Weekend! The official start of yet another summer RVing season. Us full-time RVers, dare I say, might be considered the "old pros" of the classic American RV road trip, as we are continuously doing them all year long.

Recently, I completed a 2,000-mile cross-country journey, skillfully skirting around severe springtime weather, low bridges, and traffic jams, while discovering some great sights, nature, and food along the way.    

Each year, the logistics for these long trips have gotten a little easier thanks to my ever-improving collection of awesome mobile travel apps.  So, if you're preparing to head out for your own big RV road trip this summer, take these apps along with you, and have a great ride!

My “Skinnie” Solar System

I’ve added a new tab to my blog’s home page called “Skinnie Solar” which shows pictures and product links to the 300-watt MPPT rooftop bendable solar panel installation on my Skinnie Winnie’s roof.

How to Set Your RV Shower Temp Perfectly Every Time

You’d think I would have figured this out sooner after taking showers in an RV for over 5 years now!  After hundreds and hundreds of gallons of water wasted, and subjecting my toes to either frigid cold or scalding hot waters when “testing” the first water out of the shower head (and then routinely spouting dozens of expletives during such testing!), I think I’ve finally figured out how to get my RV shower just right!

Of course, I’ve read the RVing forums of guys “MacGyver-ing” a wide variety of contraptions to install onto their RV plumbing systems (like expensive mixing valves), and others who have desperately marked up their faucets with a black Sharpie or nail polish to know how far to turn a handle.  Fortunately, this solution requires none of that!

I’m not sure if this works on every RV, or if it’s just specific to mine (or Winnie View-Navions), but give this a try next time and let me know in the comments below if it works for you too!

First, a few assumptions—1. that you have a basic two-handle hot & cold RV shower faucet,  2. that you have some kind of “dribbling” water shut-off switch (either on the showerhead itself or near the faucet handles like mine), and 3. that you’ve turned on your RV’s Hot Water Heater at least 10 minutes beforehand (ask me how many times I’ve forgotten this critical step!!!).

7 Ways To Lower Your RV Fuel Costs

I’m getting ready to hit the road tomorrow to attend a camping rally.  Even though diesel prices are finally (delightfully) lower than gas, fuel is perhaps the largest item of any full-time RVer’s budget.  Now that I’m a retired penny-pincher, finding the best deal on fuel is increasingly important to me, so I thought I’d share some ways I’ve discovered to lower my fuel costs.

What I Like About My New View

As long-time readers know, a couple of years ago I started a very popular series of posts called “A Girl’s Guide to RVing”.  Many of those posts have continued to be the most-visited posts on this blog, (such as the How To Dump Your Tanks, and How To Hitch Up Your Toad).  But surprisingly, the most popular post (with almost twice as many hits as the rest) is the one I did on my thought-process of selecting a motorhome called:  What I Like About My View (and What I Wish I Had) 

Now that I’ve had my 2007 J-model View for 8 months, have spent a Winter snowbird season in it, and am now preparing to go full-time RVing in it, I thought it’d be a good time to update my most-popular post with my thoughts on this current model View.

Lots of folks are out buying or trading RVs this time of year, so I hope my detailed comparisons might provide some food for thought on the myriad of little things to consider when selecting an RV.  Like I said in my original post, the common refrain is still quite true—there is no perfect RV!  There will always be compromises to consider!

Overall Size:

I will be starting to full-time RV later this summer, and for the longest time I assumed I would move up to a larger RV when I did that.  But I just can’t seem to pry myself loose from these short Sprinter-based RVs!  I love driving them, love the way they can go just about anywhere, and I feel most “at home” and cozy when I’m living in one.  

But that said, if I were traveling as a couple rather than solo, I’d be looking at bigger Class A’s or Fifth-Wheels pronto (two people have more stuff and really often do need more space)!  One of these bigger rigs still might be in my future someday too when I slow down travels and wish to stay “parked” for longer time periods.  For now though (with plans to visit the far corners of the Americas in my first few years of full-timing), nothing beats the fuel economy-to-comfort-ratio of the View!  The narrow width, and short wheelbase will be perfect for navigating mountain curves and ferry rides to Alaska, Newfoundland, Baja, and beyond!

Engine/Chassis:

When I bought my 2005 Sprinter Cargo Van last year, I was immediately impressed by the first generation Sprinter T1N chassis compared to my 2008 View’s 2nd generation NCV3 chassis.  Yes, the older T1N is an odd 5-cylinder rather than a V6, and has less overall cargo capacity, but it’s still a winner for my needs:

• The 5 cyl gets slightly better fuel efficiency (1 to 3 MPG), whereas the newer Sprinters have more HP and torque.  When I drive the RV, I’m in no hurry, so I’m fine trading the extra HP for more MPGs!
• The T1N has no ULSD requirement and fewer emissions sensors, filters, and parts to worry about.  While there’s still some debate as to whether the newer US Sprinters (or any newer US diesel vehicle) is o.k. using the non-ultra low sulfur diesel in Mexico, it’s a moot point with the T1N.
• While I miss the extra storage cubbies around the dash and visors and extra cupholders of the newer Views, I love the older version’s bigger analog gauges on the dash (including a nice big water temperature gauge—so critical when towing a toad up mountain passes!). 
• The T1N has a fixed, non-tilt steering wheel and very Euro (non-intuitive at first) seat adjustments.  I always thought these would be big negatives until I actually began driving one.  For my 5’7” body, this combo fits me better and is more comfortable for long-distance driving.
• I love the protruding carpeted floor box on the Winnebago T1N.  It’s a perfect place to hide small valuables and travel documents when traveling in Mexico, and the electrical compartment (containing the solenoid and wiring to connect the RV house to the cab chassis) is much easier to access (in newer Views, the passenger seat and swivel must be removed to get to this).
• Speaking of seats—the deluxe soft leatherette seats in this J are much more comfortable than my previous H, and the swivels are much more robust as well.  When combined with my super-duper folding ottoman, I’m more comfortable than with a living room recliner at home!
• All these benefits do come with a couple of big negatives though—the T1N chassis has about 500 lbs less gross weight rating than the newer Sprinters.  With variations in RV options, the real weight difference for my ‘07 vs ‘08 View is only about 200-300 pounds, but that’s still a considerable 25% loss of capacity (especially critical for full-timing).  My rig has some suspension upgrades and new Michelin tires, so that will help being overloaded a bit, but limited cargo capacity will likely be the biggest reason for trading this RV in the future.
• The newer Sprinters have a 5,000 lb towing capacity whereas this one is  just 3,500.  This too may be a reason I’ll need trade this RV someday, as there are currently no lightweight 4WD vehicles (like my Chevy Tracker) being sold in the US that are flat-towable.
  

Exterior:

I’m loving the much larger external cargo bay of the J model!  This winter, I carried my (3) 60-watt solar panels, a few bag chairs, an awning mat, patio lights, LP grill, and a few plastic tubs of miscellaneous gear in this space.

While this model featured a split mattress where the outer half could be slid on top of the inner half to accommodate taller items in the bay (such as a bike or golf clubs),  the reality is that those bigger, heavier items are more wisely carried in the toad to conserve the View’s precious cargo capacity for more living essentials. 

Living Area:

I love still having a skylight in this View.  That was one of my most-favorite features of the last one!  It’s great on a colder day to let the sunshine warm up the rig.

I’m also loving the front cabinets (rather than an overhead bed).  I’m able to stow large plastic tubs to keep all kinds of miscellaneous gear well-organized and easily accessible.  While I could have still done this with a bed, it just seems a bit more secure (and visually pleasing) to have these things behind solid wood doors.

I thought I would dearly miss the H-model’s sofa (where I now have a dinette), but it was so uncomfortable to sit or lay on, that I’ve really not missed that sofa at all!  When I want to sit, the 2 swivel reclining cab seats are more comfortable.  If I want to stretch out and read, either propping up in the rear bed, or sitting width-wise on one of the dinette benches works just great.

 

Now that I’ve decided to use an arm-mounted monitor for TV watching (rather than the J’s TV over the door), the J will be just as comfortable as the H in that regard.

Kitchen:

For a long time, I praised the virtues of having an RV pantry and swore I’d never buy an RV without one…that was, until I bought this RV without one!  But, I’ve discovered that the J’s dinette storage has proven to be bigger and more usable than the H’s tall/narrow/deep pantry. 

Beneath each dinette bench are doors that flip down.  The dinette storage bays are carpeted, so I keep a plastic “under the bed” storage tub in each bin.  These easily slide in and out, and are great for storing larger items (like Millie’s dog food, or bulk foods).

In the overhead dinette cabinets, I store everyday cooking items—spices, grains, cans and bags of prepared foods, etc.

While the J’s kitchen cabinets are a bit smaller than the H’s, I’ve found that most of my kitchen stuff continues to fit into it just fine.

Bath:

I do miss having the nice rear window of the H’s bath and also really miss the “disappearing” pocket door (the J’s curved door can get in the way at times), but otherwise, the slightly smaller shower of the J has worked out just fine and I like the soap tray and shampoo bottle trays being together and above the faucet (rather than on opposite ends of the H’s shower).  I also love, love, LOVE my Oxygenics showerhead with it’s separate on/off switch (mounted right below the faucet knobs).

 

I never really liked the clothes closet of the H being in the bathroom (and half of it being difficult to access in a corner space).  The J’s closet is taller and very accessible across from the fridge. 

Some folks might initially think to use the J’s closet as a pantry and store their hanging clothes on the removable pole in the shower.  But I would caution this approach!  My used J came with a sizeable U-shaped crack in the shower wall around one of the pole holders (it’s currently caulked, but it’s a very visual reminder that the shower pole is not meant to be as “load-bearing” as the closet pole!).   I currently have a lightweight hanging organizer on my shower pole that carries only my super-lightweight stuff (like spare rolls of TP and paper towels, extra bath towels, etc).

Bed:

Perhaps my biggest complaint about my H-model View was the lack of a permanent bed (that didn’t require climbing a ladder to get to!).   So it’s little wonder that the bed is my favorite feature of my new J-model View!

I always used to think that a permanent bed was such a space-waster in an RV.  You only use it at night, so why have it taking up so much space during the day?  Well, now that I have one—it gets used day and night!

On one long driving day this past winter, it was cold, sunny, and extremely windy.  By mid-afternoon, I was getting tired of wrestling the steering wheel and squinting into the sun ahead of me on the road.  When I stopped at a little rest area, I noticed the sun was now bathing the rear bed with comforting warmth, so what the heck, I just jumped up there and took a lovely little nap for 20 minutes!   No bed-making, or slide-outs to fool with—everything was just ready and instantly waiting for me!  Millie takes full advantage of this feature too and is never without a nice place to rest her lazy bones as we drive.

Another benefit of this bed is the very large hidden internal storage (beneath a flip-up top hatch at the front curve portion of the bed).  I stored a Winter’s worth of Millie’s dog food in here, as well as other big bulky stuff for our Mexico travels.  The RV was inspected 4 times by Customs agents and not once did any of them check (or know of) this space!   In the US, I can use it to hide camera and computer gear if parking somewhere where the potential for theft might be an issue (i.e. at a popular tourist attraction).

Other Comforts of Home:

In my original post, besides the bed, I had wished for an onboard washer/dryer.  That problem is now solved with my handy-dandy portable system! 

I also wished for more comfortable dinette seats.  That’s not totally solved, but it’s been improved greatly with the J’s wider seats, and also my cool little Backjoy if I’m needing to sit at the dinette and work on the computer for a while.

I still don’t have an internal fireplace in this new J, nor do I have a piano.  So I guess those are a few things to still wish for.  But those are rather minor in the whole scheme of thing.

Now that I’m preparing to full-time in the J, I really do wish that my clothes closet were bigger than a postage stamp, and that I had some giant big basement storage areas on this rig (rather than having to carry so many of the big items in the toad such as kayak and bike).  But for now, I’m happy to make those sacrifices in order to get the improved mobility and fuel economy for my long-distance travels.

Will I ever yearn again for real furniture, a real bathtub, and a living space larger than 200 square feet?  I’m sure I will at some point.  But for now, I’m extremely happy with my little J home and am looking forward to the next few years of travel and adventure!

 

Check out 300 of our most-favorite things!

T = Television Made Smarter

When I left for Mexico last November, I suspended my DISH Network subscription since American DISH channels were not available in Mexico.   So, when I got back to Chicago earlier this month, since I had not been watching much of any TV over the past 4 months,  I thought it’d be a good time to finally “cut the cable” and try going with just over-the-air (OTA) television for awhile and supplementing that with a $7.99/mo Netflix DVD subscription (and renting occasional Redbox movies too if desired). 

So far, with Chicago’s 50+ OTA channels, this approach has been working just great and I’m enjoying the $60/mo savings!  Now, I think I’ll be cancelling DISH permanently and selling the Winegard Carryout, ladder mount, and DISH receiver. 

I’ve loved my new J floorplan tremendously so far, except for one issue-- the default TV position above the door.  You’re forced to only sit in the dinette benches and crane your neck up to the ceiling to watch TV!

Another full-timing challenge is how to best do my photo editing.  I’ve got a 26” NEC pro photo monitor at the house that I would REALLY like to bring full-timing in the View, but I just can’t justify the added weight and space unless it could do double-duty and replace the View’s TV as well.

Fortunately, I’ve now figured out a way to do just that and solve both problems.  As an added bonus, this solution will also even give me some cool DVR capabilities as well so I can record shows when I’m in larger metro areas and watch them later when I’m in the boonies!

Here’s the new setup:

The monitor is mounted onto a heavy-duty HP articulating arm (actually a rebranded Ergotron LX) that clamps onto the dinette table and allows the monitor to be positioned high, low, near, far, or even swung around to be viewed from the rear bed!

Windows users have a lot of options when it comes to TV Tuners.  But for us Mac folks, we currently only have one solution—a SiliconDust HDHomeRun Dual Tuner (HDHR-4).  Fortunately, it’s a high-quality, small, lightweight box that works really well!

While the HDHomeRun can be used with the free VLC media player software, that solution was a bit clunky to change channels and seemed to pixelate more channels than a normal TV set.  But once I bought the recommended Elgato EyeTV 3 software ($79), those problems were eliminated and TV-watching via the Mac is now a fantastic experience!

EyeTV 3 has a terrific interface that is more readable and functional than my old DISH DVR receivers (which I had been happy with for years)!

 

All features are accessible using a simple Apple Remote and my old eyes appreciate the large, easy-to-read text!  EyeTV lets you pause live TV, record it to your Mac, and offers a variety of program guide and scheduling features.

Channel changing can be done from the Apple Remote itself, or via the quick-scroll selector above.

The Program Guide is delivered via TVGuide and is free for the first year (and $20/yr after that). 

To set up the system, I just unscrewed the existing Jensen TV’s cable from the Antenna booster (in the cabinet above the sink on a J model), and plugged in a new TV cable to run to my HDHomeRun box.

When an HDHomeRun is installed in a typical home setting, it is usually attached via an Ethernet cable to a Wifi Router.  Computers, tablets, etc can then access the TV signal via a wired LAN or wireless Wifi connection.  But since I’ll just be using the HDHomeRun with one computer/monitor in the RV, I just connect it directly to my Mac with an Ethernet cable.

The HDHomeRun is not much bigger than the tee tiny Apple Remote!

For sound, I could just have it play right through my Mac laptop speakers.  But, since I updated my cab stereo to a Sony Bluetooth model, I can stream the sound from my Mac to play through my stereo speakers!

Even better, I can flip the toggle switch in the RV to “Radio” and allow the cab stereo to also use the 2 speakers and subwoofer in the center of the coach so that I now have a full “surround sound” experience just like home!

The final bit of coolness to complete the system is an iPhone app called TV Towers USA that lets you see the coverage area of every free OTA TV station in the US, and also includes a compass to help you know exactly which way to point your RV antenna to get the strongest possible signal  (additionally, both HDHomeRun and EyeTV provide signal meters per station to aid in getting the antenna into the best position).

I’ll likely be removing the over-the-door Jensen TV to reclaim the 20 lbs of cargo weight capacity, and will tidy up the HDHomeRun installation so that Millie and I aren’t tripping over cables.  I’ll also probably make a slipcover for the monitor to keep it as free from dust as possible when not in use and/or being transported.

Awesome sauce!  I am one happy “gadget girl” today with this new setup!

 

My Onboard Washer & Dryer

Lots of big Class A and 5th Wheel RVs have onboard washer/dryers.  Unfortunately, most smaller RVs do not.  It’s not as big a problem as you’d think it might be, though!  If you drive your small RV a lot, you can simply park it in front of the nearest Laundromat!



But what if you’re staying at one site for a longer timeframe and don’t wish to break camp?  You then must schlep your laundry to the Laundromat via whatever other means of transportation you have (and spend a few hours sitting inside the Laundromat waiting).  Yuck!  I’d almost rather wrangle a 40’ motorhome!!!

Then there’s the challenge of spending the winter in a foreign country that has no Laundromats at all!  Well, actuality, just about every Mexican town has a “Lavanderia” or two.  These are usually nothing more than a home that has a washing machine or two, a bunch of clothes lines and clothes pins (machine dryers are rare in Mexico), and a handful of industrious folks willing to do all this washing, drying, and folding for about $3 a load..



The Isla has a perfectly fine Lavanderia man named Alfredo who has done an excellent job cleaning all my bedding and towels.  I could take my clothes to him too if I wished, but I’m still having too much fun with the novelty of my new RV laundry system, so I’ve done these myself.

How?  With my onboard washer/dryer of course!  Now, you might be thinking I’ve figured out some magical way to install one of these Splendide RV combo washer/dryer units in my rig---



Nope!  No such luck!  Besides, what I’ve heard about those combo machines are that they take up to 2 hours to do a single, tiny load of laundry, use up oodles of electric, and then never manage to get the clothes completely dry anyway.  These units also take up a lot of valuable storage space and weigh 150 lbs or more (that would seriously put a dent in my View’s limited cargo carrying capacity!).

So, enter my much more smaller, lighter, and eco-friendly solution just perfect for a smaller Class C RV—a Mobile Washer, 5 gallon bucket, and Mini Spin Dryer!



I keep this system in my shower stall where it can be easily deployed when ever I need to do a load of laundry (and is quick to move out of the way when I need to use the shower for bathing)!  The system weighs only 1/10th of a Splendide unit (less than 15 lbs!), uses less than 100 watts of electric, and I can get a small load done in only about 10 minutes!

The Mobile Washer sells for about $25 and, yes, it indeed looks like an oversized toilet plunger…but, trust me, it works great!  It’s simply a couple of plastic aerator cones that get secured together via a screw-in wood pole handle.  The design allows air to push/pull the water and soap through the clothes much more rapidly than if you were just swishing them around with your hands.  



The Mobile Washer fits nicely into a standard 5 gallon plastic bucket, and the bucket’s tall sides are perfect for minimizing water spills from the agitated water.



To do a load of laundry, I simply fill the bucket about 1/3 to 1/2 full of water with my outstandingly awesome Oxygenics showerhead, pour a little liquid detergent in, throw the dirty clothes in, and start plunging!

 

The aerator is so efficient that I only need to plunge for about 5 minutes or so to get the clothes clean.  But I’ve found it best to pre-treat and hand scrub any clothes stains first before washing for most effective results.

Once my wash cycle is done, I tip the bucket over (while holding the clothes inside), pour the soapy water out, refill with clean water, and start plunging again for a few minutes to do a rinse cycle.  If you’re skeptical about how clean this plunger will get your clothes, just take a look at how dirty the water is that gets dumped out of your bucket!  You’ll be amazed!

Once washing is done, it’s then time to dry.  When I got my new J motorhome, I discovered an electrical outlet tucked away in the tiny space beneath the TP holder.  I initially thought this was a pretty stupid location since there’s a perfectly fine outlet just on the other side of the wall next to the bath sink.  But I’m now praising the fine Winnebago engineers for their keen foresight!



This outlet is perfect for my $70 Mini Spin Dryer!  I can plug it in while setting the unit on top of the toilet seat, and have just enough room to run the drain hose down into the shower stall.



The dryer only consumes 82 watts of power because it does not heat the clothes to dry them.  Rather, it spins at a very high speed to suck the excess water out.  This leaves the clothes nearly dry in most cases (not enough water left to cause them to drip).  The dryer is big enough to do a single pair of jeans.  Not sure I’d put anything bigger or heavier into it.  But that’s o.k. because it only takes about a minute to spin each load dry!

I put the clothes in and then put a little plastic piece on top to prevent the clothes from spinning up too high in the drum.  Then I just turn the timer dial about halfway and the dryer starts doing its thing.



It took some practice to get this dryer to work reliably though.  Sometimes, I’d get a small load in and it would refuse to spin at all, or would only spin very slowly.  What I finally discovered was that there’s some kind of spring mechanism that gets pushed down if the drum is too heavy with clothes (or if clothes are not well-balanced when loaded).  This trigger seems to get stuck sometimes by just the weight of the drum itself.  But, if I open the lid and just pull up and shake the inside lip of the drum a little bit, it seems to giggle the trigger back into proper position and allows the dryer to then spin at it’s high speed again.  Guess I can’t expect a $69 made-in-China dryer to be as reliable as my big $700 dryer at home, but for now, it does the job.

UPDATE APRIL 2014 =  It appears that Laundry Alternative has now discontinued the blue Mobile Spin Dryer and have come out with a newer, taller, more robust version called the Nina Spin Dryer.  At $139, it's twice the price as the original version, but reviewers are praising its reliability and greatly increased capacity, so I think when my blue dryer wears out, I'll certainly be buying this new one!

For socks and undies, I use this set of 3 hangers with built-in clippies and hang them from my shower rod.  These easily stow in my wash bucket when not in use.



For shirts and pants, if I have a nice place to run a line outside (like I do here in Mazatlan!), my laundry can be dry within a half-hour!  Otherwise, I’ll just hang things from the shower rod in the RV.



This system makes doing laundry pretty cheap, easy, and fast!  Best of all, no creepy Laundromat “characters” to deal with, and no worries of finding yourself just a couple quarters short of finishing that last laundry load before closing time!

A Girl’s Guide to RVing

G is for A Girl’s Guide to RVing, our topic for today’s A-to-Z Challenge.

A few years ago, I did a few step-by-step posts with pictures on common RVing topics that many newbies (particularly women) seem to struggle with.  These posts have become the most-popular posts of this blog.  After a few of these posts, I thought I’d highlight the collection on it’s own page and called it A Girl’s Guide to RVing.  The information is certainly not exclusively geared for women, but I wanted a catchy title and “A Girl’s Guide to RVing” seemed to fit the bill.

So if you happen to be a new to the world of RVing, and are curious about things such as how to dump your tanks, how to hook up a toad, or my thoughts on selecting an RV,  give this Guide page a look!

A Girl’s Guide to RVing: Self-Defense

About 10 years ago, when I was still new to RV camping, I found this awesome campsite right on the waterfront at Land Between the Lakes in Kentucky.  It was a gorgeous autumn weekend, and I couldn’t believe my luck.  I was not only able to get this site, but had the entire campground completely to myself!
 
I went about setting up my popup camper and parked my "girly" Lexus SUV in front of it.   No dog with me back then-- just me, myself, and I all alone...30 miles from the nearest town…in the backwoods of rural Kentucky.  (cue up the banjo and guitar… do you hear them playing Deliverance yet?!!)

After enjoying a nice dinner and campfire, I gazed at the stars and couldn’t believe how bright they were.  It was a moonless night and absolutely pitch-black. I headed off to bed enjoying the final whiffs of campfire smoke drifting thru the canvas tent walls, and hearing the crickets lull me to sleep.  It didn’t take long as I was completely exhausted from the long day’s drive to get there.

Around midnight, I thought I was dreaming of distant lights in the woods.  As I began to awake, I realized that was no dream—there WERE flashlights approaching my camper from the woods behind…and the sounds of mens' voices.  They were still a ways off, but closing in fast and heading straight towards my camper! 

In an instant, my idyllic camp site had suddenly become terrifying.  And, it was only then that I realized how incredibly naïve I had been to put myself into such a vulnerable position...only camper in a very remote campground?  DUMB.   Camping in an RV without hard-walls or a locking door?  DUMB.  Tow car that screams "Girl camping here!" DUMB.  No self-defense weapons onboard of any kind (other than a couple of dull, cheapo steak knives)?  DUMB, DUMB, DUMB! 

As the men and flashlights continued to approach, I could tell by their shadows that they also had shotguns… “oh shit, this is it!”  I rolled out of bed onto the floor and reached into the drawer for a dull steak knife, preparing myself for the inevitable violence to come.

Just as the men got within10 feet of my camper (and could now clearly see it), they suddenly turned and continued walking to the parking lot of the campground.  I had failed to notice previously that there were a couple of pickup trucks parked there.  Nor had I realized there was trail behind my camper into the woods.  Nor was I aware that It was hunting season, and these would-be armed assailants were simply a couple of good ‘ol boys returning from a long evening of hunting. 

Much to my relief, they were not the least bit interested in terrorizing a single girl all alone in her pop-up camper!

The topic of self-defense has come up recently in a few RV forums I follow.  It seems that some women are absolutely TERRIFIED to camp in an RV and feel the need to carry all sorts of protection—mace, baseball bats, a tire iron, and of course the most controversial….guns.

After my terrifying experience, you’d assume I’d now be armed to the hilt, right?  Well, I honestly thought about it, for sure.  But then I started thinking about it rationally:

• Would it have helped to carry mace, bear spray, or even hair spray (yes, some lady RVers consider this a weapon!)?  Probably not.  There was a breeze that night, and there were multiple men with guns.  I would have never been able to spray them all, so more likely would have just disabled myself.
  
• How about a tire iron, baseball bat, or fire extinguisher?  Again, not a great idea.  They outnumbered and would easily have over-powered me (and likely would have used that weapon against me).
  
• Ok, then you should have had a gun! Well, I will admit, that would have been the most effective option here.  Trouble is, it would have been too irreversibly effective.  I was scared out of my wits seeing shadows of armed men right outside my camper.  So scared that I honestly might have shot right through the canvas to stop them that night.  And what would that have accomplished?  My shots likely missing them?  Them shooting back at me? Or me getting “lucky” enough to shoot one or two of them? And what if I had killed them, only to then learn they were just innocently hiking back to their car?

Americans have always been a gun-loving (and overly fearful) society.  Thirty beautiful little 1st graders get shot just before Christmas by an apocalyptic lunatic, and we jump to the conclusion that the only effective prevention must now be to put a loaded pistol in ever kid’s book bag next to their sippy cup!

Washington Post, Dec, 2012: What Makes America's Gun Culture Unique in the World
http://wapo.st/Z8E9sA

The U.S. far, far exceeds every other nation on earth in it’s number guns per capita (at 88.8 guns per 100 people, we have almost twice as many guns as violence-riddled Yemen in 2nd place).  We get shot going to the movie theater, get shot at the supermarket, get shot going to school, even get shot just playing in the front yard outside our homes.   So, good heavens, maybe the NRA is finally right….maybe those of us who have yet to take up arms, should now finally do so!

One lady RV blogger recently excitedly announced that she was preparing to head out on her first extended solo RVing trip.  She then casually mentioned some of the items she’ll be bringing along with her (and sadly, I’m not making this up):  she will keep a gun in her camper, another gun in her truck, and conceal-carry yet another loaded gun on her body at all times.

What is it about camping that terrifies women (and men) so much?  Have we, as a society, really devolved to such levels of fear that we must arm ourselves to the hilt just to enjoy a simple evening beneath the stars?   The statistics would certainly seem to suggest that.

If anyone would have had justification to arm themselves up the wazoo, after my Kentucky backwoods experience, it would have been me.

But I didn’t.

I decided that if I were to ever get shot to death by some crazed idiot one night while out camping and enjoying beauty of nature, so be it.   If a mama bear were so starved that she felt the need to attack me to feed herself and her cubs, so be it.

All I could would do is to try and reduce the odds of that happening to me.  I refused to cave in to the “culture of fear.”

So, how did I improve my self-defense?  What were my “lessons learned” from that night? 

• I traded the popup and vowed to now only camp in hard-walled vehicles (with locking doors). 
  • A motorhome or van are exceptionally safe choices for solo female RVers—if necessary, you never need to leave your locked vehicle when you park for the night (so onlookers are unlikely to notice that you’re alone).  And, if anything starts to make you fearful, you can easily drive away, again without leaving your locked vehicle.
• I got a dog.  Burglars would rather target that quiet RV out at the edge of the campground, rather than mess with my stern-barking Millie (of course, if they ever reached to pet her, she’d lick them and wag her tail!).
• I avoid camping spots where I’m completely alone.  Even if I’m boondocking out in the desert, I’ll still try to park where there’s at least one or two other RVs in the distance.  If I do happen to break this rule, I’ll at least be sure to have good cell phone coverage and have good familiarity with the area.
• For overnight spots, I stick to well-lit, well-patrolled businesses (preferably open 24 hours) such as Flying J or WalMart, and avoid spending the night at dark, isolated highway rest stops.
• I try to blend in with the crowd.  As much as I loved my Lexus SUV, or little, cute T@B trailer, neither were very common sights in a campground.  I now stick with more common RVs and vehicles (even though I do sometimes wish my bright yellow Tracker was boring green or blue, it’s still an aging cheapo SUV compared to a newer luxury model).
• Now that I’m a vegan, I no longer bring along the dull steak knives.  But we plant-eaters do tend to brandish sets of really sharp cutlery…so watch out for the vegan girl with the Ginsu knives!  You’ve been warned!!!

Seriously though, the best self-defense I’ve found (in addition to the above changes)  is to simply stay more aware of my surroundings at all times, and not put myself into places where fear would ever limit my ability to enjoy and be part of nature.  It’s as simple as that!

Maybe one day, I’ll no longer find relatively safety in my surroundings and my comfort level will now require more potent weapons to defend myself.  But I hope for my sake, the sake of those around me, and the general sake of our nation, that it never has to come to that. 

I’d hope that there would always be one or two RVers nearby who were much more skilled and capable than me to protect us all (an armed off-duty police officer, ex-military, or skilled marksman would give me much more comfort than being surrounded by 100 other pistol-toting grannies with equally failing eyesight!).

A few years ago, I returned to this very same campground at LBL.  It was still pretty deserted, but I now had my hard-walled locking RV, my dog, my less-fancy SUV, my cell phone, and my sharp cutlery.  And I now felt perfectly safe. 

So, I’m hopeful that my fears (and yours) related to personal safety continue to stay manageable. That we take a few sensible precautions to prevent dangerous situations, but don’t let fear ruin the magic of experiencing the natural world around us. 

For now, the odds of being harmed out in the woods are far less than even the local shopping mall, so just relax, take a deep breath…and enjoy the view!

Old wo-Man Winter-izing

November has arrived, and I’m still in Chicago so that can only mean one thing….the View must be winterized and taken to the storage lot (No RVs allowed on driveways in our town after Nov. 1st).

After making a few flubs in past seasons, I decided to take pics of the process to share here (and to remind myself next year) of what to do and not do!  Every RV is a little different, so do read your rig’s manual.  But this is the process for me and my H-model View.

After giving the rig a good Fall cleaning inside and out, removing all food from the fridge and pantry, and defrosting the fridge, it’s time to get down to the tanks, water lines and “pink-stuff” business. 

1. Make sure your hot water heater is turned off and water from both hot and cold taps runs “cold”.

2. If your RV has an inline water filter—be sure to remove it BEFORE sending pink stuff thru your lines! (I forgot this step one year and destroyed a $90 filter than was only a couple months old…argh!)

Locate your screw-in filter plug (I keep mine in a drawer next to the sink), turn OFF your water pump, and place a rag or sponge beneath the filter.  Now twist to unscrew the filter from the plumbing and catch the extra drops of water with the sponge/rag.  Screw the filter plug into the fitting where the filter was, turn the water pump back on and ensure there are no water leaks.  Put a cap on the filter and store it in your home fridge until next season (or else throw it out if it’s over a year old).

3. Drain all fresh water from you water lines. 

If you have city water connected to your RV, disconnect it.  If you’re getting water from your fresh water tank, either open your water tank drain valve to let the water pour onto the ground, or else run each of your RV faucets until they run dry.

4. Now it’s time to turn the winterizing valves on (Turn your Water Pump OFF before doing this).

My View came pre-plumbed with a winterizing hose and hot water heater bypass valve, however, Winnebago did not label the valves for my particular model. After getting totally confused the first year when I tried to de-winterize, I since have marked these lines with a black Sharpie pen so I’ll always remember which direction to turn the valves—when the valves are in the same direction as the arrows, one means that the water lines are now bypassing the 6 gallon Hot Water Heater tank, and the other means that the siphon tube (used for sucking “pink stuff” into the View) is now active and ready for “sucking!”

5. Now it’s time to fill your water pipes and drains with the Pink Stuff!

Some folks don’t like using RV Antifreeze and prefer to blow air thru the plumbing lines (by using an air compressor and a special fitting that attaches to the city water connection).  I don’t have an air compressor, and don’t really mind the pink stuff, so use the antifreeze approach instead.

RV antifreeze (“pink stuff”) does take a few dozen gallons of water to flush the weird taste out of the water lines come springtime when you’re de-winterizing, but other than that, it’s safe and easy to use.  If you happen to drink a small amount, it won’t kill you.  But never EVER use automotive (i.e. yellow/green) anti-freeze in your RV water lines—that stuff is indeed toxic and lethal.

Once I open a jug of the pink stuff, I place my siphon hose into the bottom of the jug.

6.  Now I turn the Water Pump ON, and open the hot and cold handles of my first RV faucet just long enough for pink water to come out, then immediately turn the sink off and repeat with the next RV faucet.  You’ll want to ensure enough pink stuff has filled the P-trap in the drain below (takes just a few seconds).

Don’t forget to run some of the less obvious faucets and drains in your RV—for instance, the shower, flushing the toilet, the toilet sprayer, and an outside shower faucet if you have one.

My RV usually takes about 1 1/4 gallons of pink stuff to fully fill the water lines and drains.  So, if you plan to take a trip south during the winter, plan to buy a few extra jugs to have on-hand to re-winterize before you get back home.

7. Now it’s time to address the black/gray tanks.  If they’re both already empty, then a good precaution is to pour the remaining pink stuff from your jug into each tank (via the toilet and the shower drain if you’re not sure which drain uses which tank).  It’s not required to do this, but if you think you might start using the tanks again during the winter (i.e. driving to Florida, for instance), then it might be wise to have a little pink stuff in the tanks to discourage freezing. 

Since I drained my fresh water into these tanks in the steps above, I’ll want to dump my tanks before doing this step.  I could drive to a local RV dump station, but I’ve got a better solution--- dump those few gallons at home with my Flo-Jet portable macerator pump!

I don’t use it that often, but it come in quite handy when I do! Being able to still use the RV toilet and sink on a long drive back home from your last campground is quite a luxury knowing you can dump that small amount once home. (Note that dumping full tanks and/or really black sewage might easily overwhelm your home sewer cleanout drain—and some towns even prohibit it, so this approach is not something I ever rely on as a substitute for using a true RV dump station).

The Flo-Jet comes in it’s own little case and requires a strong 12v power source (just plugging into a 12v socket won’t work, so I keep an extra 12v AGM battery on-hand at home).

The Flo-Jet has 2 garden hose fittings—the small black one on the right disposes the waste, while the larger green one on the left allows you to connect a water hose to back-flush the tanks once they’re dumped (if you wish). A long power cord with large pushbutton is connected to the bottom of the unit.

Once the alligator clips are attached to the battery and connected, it’s time to attach the Flo-Jet to the View’s dump valve. Here, I’ve just got a hose attached to the waste outlet.

The other end of the hose goes into my home’s outside sewer cleanout access drain (making sure the hose is well inside the drain pipe a few feet).

Once back at the View, I open the black tank valve and then press the Flo-Jet’s power button to start “sucking” the tank contents thru the macerator and hose all the way up to the drain.

The Flo-Jet is not speedy, but that’s a good thing (as you certainly don’t want to overload your sewer cleanout drain!). It seems to process about 1 to 1 1/2 gallons per minute. Once the tanks are empty, the sound of the pump changes to a higher-pitched tone to tell you it’s done.

After disconnecting the hose from the Flo-Jet, I bring it over to my house water outlet and run fresh water thru the hose to rinse the sewer pipe and then the hose itself--

8. The final step of my winterizing process is to ensure that the hot water heater tank is empty.  I never seem to be able to get the tank to completely empty when running the faucets in the steps above, so do this step to be fully sure it’s empty. 

My water heater has a white plastic drain plug that’s at a peculiar angle for a crescent wrench to get to.  So, a few years ago, I found this excellent flat wrench that not only works on the 15/16” water heater drain plug, but also the 1” oil drain plug for my Onan Diesel Generator as well.  It also stows easily and makes for a good self-defense “club” if I ever need to fend off an attacker in the night!

 

The wrench easily gets to the drain plug and the excess water can soon be released.

Once drained, screw the drain plug back in, and you are now done with all water systems!

Some folks have various routines they follow for preparing their rigs for winter storage.  I used to store my T@B trailer out in the country on a grassy lot, so I obsessed with ensuring that field mice would never make my trailer their winter home (ie. using Bounce dryer sheets, etc).  But since I store the View at a paved lot in town, I don’t worry about mice as much.

Now, I mainly want my rig to start when I go to retrieve it!  So, I ensure my coach batteries and rig battery are fully charged and I also fill up on diesel right before I arrive to the storage lot. 

Next, I make sure 2 battery switches are in the right place — 1. activating the Coach Battery cut-off switch (next to the coach door in my H-model) to turn off all 12 volt coach accessories (furnace, lights, pumps, etc) and ensure that these items don’t drain my coach batteries all the way down.   2. Make sure the dash toggle switch that allows the dash radio to be powered by the chassis or house system is turned to “House” (in other words, I want that radio to be fully shut off and have no LED display visible when I turn turn off the coach batteries above.  This will prevent the radio from sucking power from the rig’s starter battery (the “chassis” battery).   There is also a disconnect switch for the chassis battery as well (located next to the gas pedal), but I’ve never needed to use it.  As long as the radio is always just pulling it’s power from the House, and never the Chassis, my rig battery seems to do fine.

One thing I do religiously, though, is to always visit my RV and run the engine and generator once a month when it’s in storage (this allows both rig and coach batteries to recharge a bit, and also moves oil and fuel thru both engines to keep fluids from getting too stale and hard to start.

p.s. Winter is also a great time to take the rig in for service (last year, I saved a full month of storage fees by doing this creative scheduling trick!), and depending on your rig’s size, it might also make an excellent day-trip or Christmas shopping vehicle to let it get some exercise around town during the winter months.