Graduate Travel Studies: Lessons Learned

      Each and every year I like to think I learn something new about traveling in the RV for a length of time.  Sometimes it's which truck stop has the cheapest prices on diesel, sometimes it's which laundromat has the highest prices, sometimes it's the price of propane.  Everything counts.  This year was no different, in fact even more educational from the overlooked corroded wiring hookup to water pump freeze up.  Among the things I learned this year:

HEAT:  I now carry a spare 30# bottle in my truck.  It is full and I swap it into the RV once both of those bottles are empty.  That keeps the weight in the truck and not the RV.  It also helps me keep track of propane; I refill when I have two empty tanks.  If needed during cold weather we also use space heaters to help at night which keeps the propane use lower, but only one heater at a time, to be explained later.  Keep the heater size and amperage fairly low; you don't need an NFL sideline setup.  Also, turn the heat thermostat lower at night.  We have plenty of comforters for the bed.  During our December pheasant/quail hunts in Oklahoma a 30# bottle lasts about 4 days.  Additionally, during cold weather keep the window shades pulled down; it helps keep the heat in.  During the day if the sun is out, open them on the sunny side.  It really helps.  Thank God for radiant heat.  Propane prices are higher in the winter and do vary ($17-$30) so shop around if you have time.

  

WATER:  When in RV parks of course we use the 'Shore Power Pedestal'  There is a time for the fresh water tank to be filled.  If you are expecting high winds or an impending storm I keep it full as to keep the RV center of gravity lower.  We also use it when we are 'off grid', pumping it as we need it.  We try and fill the tank as close to our destination as possible as it represents 360 pounds of extra weight on the road.  This has an impact also to be explained later.  During cold weather we also use our tank heaters to keep things fluid.  At night we turn off the water pump so as NOT to keep the lines pressurized.  Also, open the spigots at night on several sinks to release the vacuum.  Thanks to gravity, all water goes back downhill.  If you don't, lines can freeze.  Let me say that again, if you don't lines can freeze.  Even in RV parks should the night time temps get well below freezing we fill the fresh water tank using our tank heaters to stay in business.  There are electrical heater hoses, but are pricey.

ELECTRIC:  The big one.  We continue to operate off the truck mounted battery bank when 'off grid' which works well.  I had been jumpering between the truck and RV with a set of heavy duty jumper cables.  I wanted a lighter weight setup so switched to a heavy duty cable with SAE connectors.  However, I discovered during my recent battery episode that those connectors corrode fairly easily.  Back to the jumpers.  Again I will preach the value of VERY GOOD batteries when setting up a solar system.  I have Trojan T-105REs in the truck and replaced the onboard with a Trojan MX24 when it was time.  During our boondock adventure in the Walmart Parking lot because of the corroded connection we did not enjoy the truck bank so we ran heat all night on the onboard battery.  We did not have the use of our 120v space heaters; propane only, but the heater fan is 12vdc.  It was nearly 'crapped out' by morning.  But at our next camp ground I topped off the cell water in the onboard battery and put my battery tender on it for about 36 hours which brought it completely back up and has worked well since.  Regardless of cost, buy good batteries.  I swear by Trojan.  I am intrigued by the coming of Lithium Ion technology so that may be a future consideration.   We also lost a converter this year.  This unit changes 120vac shore power to the 12vdc power needed in the RV.  By the time we realized we had a problem the RV was already using the (default) 12vc onboard battery.  We did catch it in time before it depleted the on board battery again.  These converters are part of the main circuit breaker panel and need to be replaced with the same size (dimensions and amperage).  The fan had burned out which in turn allowed the solid state control circuitry to overheat and finally fail.  Some of the early symptoms were flashing lights on the fridge/freezer and propane detector lights flashed and wouldn't reset.  Once the RV lights began weakening that gave it away.  That night I jumpered to the truck battery bank and we had plenty of power for the time being.  I called a nearby Mobile RV repairman who had the part replaced by the next day.  He was reasonably priced and gave me some very helpful hints for the future.  The average RV converter costs $250.  We have a 55 amp converter which works fine for this size and model of RV, but is not made for continual heavy loads.  The 55 amps is rated not only for output, but input as well.  This explains using one space heater at a time and nothing else such as crock pot, microwave, or A/C.  The point here is to use appliances only when needed and not to overload the system, most notably the fan.  Either get a larger capacity convertor or learn to ration your appliances.

      I also did not know that the fridge/freezer ignitor and the hot water ignitor both work off DC as well. They will act up even before the power is gone, just lower than they would like.  Low power = no fridge, freezers, or hot water.  I usually check the cell water on both the onboard and truck battery bank about once a week or two.  Batteries that are in use will use water through charging heat and evaporation.  In fact the truck battery bank goes thru about 1 gallon of distilled water a winter.  I also gave the truck battery bank connectors a good baking soda scrubbing and coated them with dielectric grease this stop.  One last note:  I always carry a spare RV power cord extension.  You never know when you will need it.  If I am running the RV off the truck Honda Generator, I need the extra length.
LOADING AND WEIGHT:  This is something I never gave much thought.  I weighed the RV the first trip after we bought it and headed out.  We were still 250 below GVWR.   However, halfway through our winter this year I noticed some wear on the insides (only) of each of our trailer tires.  I had never seen anything like it so I contacted a local tire dealer.  He said I was over weight (not me, the trailer, but...…) So, on our next leg I weighed it.  Many truck stops have CAT Scales and only charge $11 for a weigh in.  I was 200 lbs over GVWR.  I couldn't believe it.  So I began to take stock.  I found that by keeping only 1 full propane bottle onboard, the fridge much emptier till we got to our next campground, no spare water for boondocking unless necessary, all 3 water tanks empty, and a bit less 'stocking up' we could save weight.  In fact our next weigh in was nearly 500 lbs under GVWR.  Each water tank (grey, fresh, and black) hold 45 gallons, which at 8 pounds per gallon full........well, you get the math.  During this off season we are going to seriously reconsider all of our stock.  Everything matters.  We are always stocking our freezers full of the things we like regionally for cooking:  Alaska fish, Texas BBQ, Louisiana fish, gator, turtle, rabbit, Washington clams, fish & crab, etc.
The tires seem to be doing fine, but I'm keeping more of an eye on them now.

    

WINTERTIME CAMPGROUNDS:  Quite a bit of our trip this winter took us through areas when it was still winter.  Not necessarily snowy, but still COLD and certainly off season.  We spent our first 67 days in Harbortown RV Park in Monroe, MI for Barb's medical appointments.  It is a very nice park, YES they are open 365 days a year and have winterized facilities.  They are pricey at $55 a day or $650 a month.  You will still need an electric heated water hose or use my method above.  On our return trip through Illinois and Indiana, there were still many parks not open or marginally open, but with no water.  Going across the Northern US in April and May during our Alaska excursions many parks are not yet open.  My point here is that you need to plan and call ahead.  If they are open, but no water be sure to ask for a discount.  Do realize that most of their closed facilities include bathrooms, showers, laundry, etc.  The very nice park we stayed in at New Lisbon, IN was only $20 a night and they provided me with water for my tank.  These parks try to accommodate you, but count on business this time of year to be overnight only.

           We have thoroughly enjoyed our boondocking lifestyle when available.  We do the RV Park thing when necessary, usually every 10 days to 2 weeks.  Laundry, facilities, tank dumping, convenience still rule the roost.  The money we save in between is worth it.  Several years of design, implementation, and building were fun.  Camping is a labor of love though and preventative maintenance/repair of  'the rig' is necessary.    From the front bumper of the truck to the tail of the RV there are things to maintain and repair.  The lessons learned each year through failure, let alone normal attrition are usually $$ painful, but necessary.  We've owned our current RV 41 months now; we lived in it 29 months during our winter and summer excursions.  Most folks that own RVs are young couples or families w/children.  They take them out maybe 6 weeks a year and keep them an average of only 5 years.  Eventually there will be problems.  If time and attrition don't affect your travels, then mistakes certainly will.  Weather often provides an additional dynamic.  Experience comes regardless whether you're ready for it or not.  I've planned so much for these years, experienced so much, and learned even more.  I post these issues hopefully to educate or help folks in the same situation or just starting out.  The USA is a great country and open to exploration.  Just be prepared.  $$$ is only quantitative, not qualitative of your journey.  

"There are no secrets to success, It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure" 

Colin Powell

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