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January 29, 2022
Members edition
Cover story
By Chuck Woodbury
PUBLISHER/FOUNDER
Afriend of mine was starting an online business that would help RVers learn to maintain and repair their RVs. He visited the national headquarters of the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) to see if it might wish to get involved.
He spoke to the then-president and a vice president. He had no sooner begun explaining his new business when one of them remarked:
“RVs don’t break down. RV roofs don’t leak.”
When my friend told me about this conversation I asked him, “They were kidding, right?” He said, “No, they said it many times.”
If you understand the mission of the RVIA, which receives its support primarily from RV manufacturers, you realize the statement isn’t surprising. The RVIA exists to promote the sale of RVs. It can, in no way, intentionally cast a negative light on RVs or the lifestyle.
The RVIA carries out its mission largely by running ads that glorify the RV experience — “Go where you want, when you want.” The RVs they feature are in incredibly beautiful settings. The RVIA and manufacturers pay (in money or perks) “content creators” (many, if not most, who have never stepped in an RV) and “influencers” to write and plant stories, and produce videos that glorify RVing. We get pitched literally every day to use these (sometimes with an offer of cash)! We trash the emails.
NOTHING NEGATIVE
The RVIA will never utter a word about how RVs are “perfect burning machines” — that once they catch fire they’re toast within minutes. The pathetic little fire extinguishers manufacturers install in their inexpensive RVs are fire-fighting peashooters. The RVIA, through its GoRVing.com, will never run an ad or commercial showing RVers camping in a Walmart parking lot (even though many thousands do on any given day).
The RVIA will never mention that finding a campsite these days on the fly is very often impossible and getting worse all the time. Want to go “where you want, when you want”? Then plan plenty of stays at Walmart. Or make your campground reservations a year ahead and be a slave to a schedule.
The RVIA does not educate consumers about the dangers of “hot skin conditions,” whereby someone can be killed by just touching their RV under certain conditions. They don’t tell people that some RVs are manufactured in such a way that simply adding the weight of a driver, passenger and a full tank of gas and water will dangerously overload the vehicle. The RVIA will never advise consumers to check the CCC (cargo carrying capacity) of RVs, some of which can’t carry any meaningful cargo without being overweight. See below.
The RVIA will never mention the crisis of “houseless” people living in beater-RVs on city streets. I have never heard about the industry devoting any money, time or energy to help improve these often dreadful, dangerous “mobile Hoovervilles.”
ABOVE: This 2018 motorhome can hold 706 pounds of weight before it’s overloaded, and thus dangerous to drive. That “Cargo Carrying Capacity” will be decreased by the weight of passengers, fuel, fresh water, and any belongings brought aboard. So figure 350 pounds for two passengers, a full tank of fuel (504 pounds) and let’s say half a tank of fresh water (210 pounds). That’s 1,064 pounds, or 358 pounds overweight before loading a single personal belonging. So if a family of four goes on a trip, how far overloaded might the coach be? How many RVers buy a coach like this without knowing the CCC?
ARE WE TOO NEGATIVE?
We at RVtravel.com do discuss these things. Some readers complain we are “too negative.” No, we’re not purposely negative: We just provide an alternative voice to all the B.S. being churned out by the RVIA, manufacturers, Camping World and all the websites that are funded through advertising by major RV businesses. (We receive only about 10% of our total revenue from paid advertising, most mom-and-pop operations.)
WE SAVE LIVES AND FINANCIAL HEARTACHE
We know from our letters that our advice has saved lives (one example). We know we have prevented new buyers from financing cheap RVs for 15 or 20 years, when in five to ten years their RVs will often be junk they can’t afford to fix that will sit in their backyards gathering dust (while the monthly payments continue).
Camping World is currently advertising entry level RVs for $3.22 a day, financed at about 7 percent for 15 years! That’s 5,475 days, by the way. And, let’s be real: Triple that $3.22 a day (at the very least) for a realistic figure of what that RV will really costs (to register, insure, maintain and sometimes store). Oh, there are camping fees, too.
Even though this website is doing well, it’s increasingly a challenge for us to stand alone amid a barrage of new RV websites written by formula by “content creators” (many of whom, perhaps most, have never stepped inside an RV) to attain favorable Google rankings (and thus earn more money). We’re all vying for the same eyeballs.
I personally have lost industry friends because of RVtravel.com’s honestly. Other “friends” no longer stay in touch. They are embedded in the industry and do not appreciate anyone rocking the boat.
WHAT A SHAME!
There is no national “RVers” association — one whose mission is to look out for you and me. How can that be, I wonder, when it is so badly needed? We’ve tried, but don’t have the resources to make it happen. If I were 20 years younger, I’d push as hard as I could. But my energy, I hate to admit, is waning. For now, I believe, RVtravel.com is as close as it gets to being a watchdog for RVers. As long as I am involved we will continue to pledge our allegiance to you and other RVers, not the industry for it money.
If you believe in our mission, please consider helping support us with a voluntary subscription. Only 4 percent of you do, and I’m telling you, it’s a huge help. The other 96 percent of you benefit from what we provide, but do not feel compelled to pitch in. But thank goodness for those who do, for you provide the baseline income that allows us to remain free of editorial pressure from commercial interests that would blackball us in a flash if we wrote the “wrong” thing.
If you know someone who is planning to buy an RV, please urge them to sign up to receive one or more of our free newsletters.
Be safe out there.
Headline stories in tomorrow’s newsletter
• Campground Crowding: Actually, campgrounds aren’t crowded. What’s going on?
• Catalytic converter theft rampant; costly repair for truck owners
• Buying or selling a used RV? Here’s the latest on prices
• RV manufacturers did set new record in 2021
• 70% of last year’s campers say they will try it again in 2022
• New pickup truck prices skyrocket, except for 10 “cheap” options
PLUS: Latest fuel prices • Stolen RV Report • Latest RV recalls • AARP Scam Report • Reader survey • and much more…
Last week’s Tip of the Day highlights in RV Daily Tips Newsletters
• Bucking the trend: Heading north for the winter (Part two)
• Dead RV battery issue leaves owner in the dark
• You MUST have a set of microfiber cloths in your RV. You can do SO much with them
• RV Mods: A place to carry your “grass carpet”
• Don’t trip the breaker. Colored sticker dots save the day
Today’s RV review…
Today, industry insider Tony Barthel reviews the new Flagstaff Micro Lite 25BSDS. He writes, “With a tremendous amount of interior cabinet and drawer space and a really usable floor plan, I like this rig quite a bit. And the qualities of the Flagstaff and Rockwood line really have been demonstrably better than a lot of what I’ve seen out there.” Read more.
Last week’s reviews:
• American Coach American Eagle 45E
• Cherokee Wolf Pup 16FQBL
• Reader prefers Coachmen’s Apex Ultra-Lite 300BHS
• Keystone Montana 3791RD totally redone by Cortni Armstrong, The Flipping Nomad
• East to West Alta 2350KRK
Chat with your favorite writers on our RVtravel.com Forums
Most RVtravel.com writers are getting their own forums, where readers can discuss their articles with them. Here are some you can visit now.
• Dave Solberg (RV Repair and Maintenance)
Do you have questions for Dave about RV maintenance? Ask them here!
• Mike Sokol (RV Electricity)
Do you have a question about RV electricity? Mike has all the answers!
• Tony Barthel (RV Reviews)
Would you like to see a certain RV reviewed? Submit your request here!
• Roger Marble (RV Tires)
Roger is a national authority on RV tires.
• Dr. Karel Carnohan (Ask the Pet Vet)
Dr. Karel is here to answer questions about your travel companions!
• Gail Marsh (RV Tricks & Tips)
Learn and share tips and tricks for RVing with Gail!
• Nanci Dixon (Crowded Campgrounds)
Join Nanci to discuss the difficulty in finding campsites
Clintoons • By Clint Norrell
MORE OF CLINT
See some of Clint’s recent cartoons. They’re wonderful!
Featured article
Finding a good service department is one of the most important parts of RVing
By Gail Marsh
We all have our “must-have” lists when purchasing a big-ticket item. We use these lists because they help narrow down our choices when, say, buying an RV. You may not want the same features on your RV that I do. That’s okay. Everyone is different. But one feature that all RV owners will undoubtedly want (and need eventually) is a good service department. Is that “must-have” on your list? It should be! Find out why, and how to find one, here.
Is your RV ready for an emergency? Follow these steps to make sure
By Randall Brink
Most RVers view their motorhomes as a route to adventure—the open road—free to roam where and when we please. Some take a more practical view and see their RV as a full-time home, whether roaming or stationary. Likely few of us may have considered that our motorhomes are also an asset in the event of a major unforeseen event…. Is your RV ready for an emergency? Get some good tips here.
Overheard comments by salespeople and consumers at the Florida RV SuperShow
By Gail Marsh
You can tell quite a bit about an industry by attending a large show like the Florida RV SuperShow this past week in Tampa, Florida. … What I found most interesting, aside from the electric prototype RVs, rugged off-road rigs, and the sheer number of different manufacturers present, were the comments I overheard. Here are just a few things I heard while walking through the event. … These are very telling, and some are very funny.
Modern prospecting equipment for the RVer
By Randall Brink
In my first installment of this prospecting series we covered essential equipment and where best to dig. … Here, we’ll go over some additional prospecting equipment and tools to unearth gold and wash gravels in those old, dry deposits. Read more.
Truck camper demolished when hit with 85 mph winds
We write often about the importance of knowing the weather ahead of you, whether you’re staying in one place or traveling. It can, quite literally, make or break you. If you see heavy winds in the forecast or know you’ll be traveling through a gusty area, be prepared. Here’s an example of what could happen otherwise. Warning: This is not pretty!
Last year at this time, these were the most popular articles
• Bear and wasp spray: Good or bad idea for self-defense?
• An easy, quick way to fill your RV’s toilet bowl
• Maintain a safe water supply onboard your RV
• 20,000 RV fires occur each year. Here’s how to prevent one
Reader Poll
Would you prefer that everything in this newsletter be RV-related, or do you like a mix of other things too?
Please let us know. After you click your response, you’ll see how others have responded. Feel free to leave a comment. CLICK HERE.
The most popular poll in this past week’s RV Daily Tips newsletters:
How many finger rings do you most often wear? (That’s a strange one to be the most popular, but guess you’re all interested in rings!) See how nearly 2,000 other RVers responded.
Is your medical marijuana card valid when RVing in other states?
By Cheri Sicard
“Can I use my medical marijuana card in other states?” is probably the most common cannabis travel question I get from students of my online cannabis courses and visitors to my website and YouTube channel. I wish the answer was as simple as yes or no. But, sadly, like many issues surrounding marijuana, the answer is far more complicated than that. Continue reading this informative post.
Rewrap your assist handle with this gripping mod
By Russ and Tiña De Maris
Right up in the “neatest thing since sliced bread” category, for our family at least, are big assist handles that you can mount on the side of your RV. At the end of a long road day, or a long trail, being able to grab that handle and stabilize yourself heading up the steps into the rig has been a lifesaver. Learn more.
Coming soon to a campground near you—drone food delivery
You may soon be able to order your food by phone or online and have it delivered to your exact RV site in the campground via drone. One potentially bright spot in the pandemic experience has been the advancement of food delivery systems. Learn more.
RV boo-boos – “And the Greatest RV Mashup Award goes to … “
OK. We’re not sure if this mashup technically qualifies as an RV boo-boo. Much depends on your definition of “boo-boo.” If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, you’re likely in one of two camps—cheering, or retching! Check out this hodgepodge RV.
Camp at Nevada’s disappearing Walker Lake while you still can
By Cheri Sicard
After spotting a few lonely RVs parked in campsites along the service road below Nevada state Highway 95 near Hawthorne, we made a spontaneous decision to postpone visiting the Extraterrestrial Highway for a few days in order to take advantage of this beautiful lakeside camping opportunity. We sure are glad we did. Continue reading.
How it Happened: The inspiring story behind Scotchgard Fabric Protector
By Gail Marsh
Last week, I introduced a new column to you: How it Happened. We took a look at how the military influenced the invention of the drive-thru window. This week, we’re looking at something just as useful, but a little different: Scotchgard Fabric Protector. This is interesting!
CONTEST
Is this your RV?
Win a $25 Amazon gift certificate if today’s RV photo shows your rig
Every day we post a photo of an RV either submitted by its owner or by our editors as they move about the country.
Click here to see if your RV made it into today’s issue.
Popular articles from last week
MOST POPULAR:
• A “newbie’s” shifting perspective on RV etiquette
PLUS:
• How it Happened: You can thank the military for the drive-thru window
• Ask Dave: Can I connect a portable propane tank to my RV’s outside quick propane connect?
• RV boo-boos – No pickup to pull fifth wheel? No problem!
• The Quartzsite Report: Desert scorpions!
• Self-powered trailer debuts, plus zero-emission motorhomes
Saturday Giveaway!
How would you like to win a set of Happy Camper Pot Holders?
How to win
We’ll select a winner at random out of all entries we receive today (January 29, 2022) by 7 p.m. Pacific time. Remember, you can only enter once and after we notify you by email via RVcontests@gmail.com that you won, you have 24 hours to respond or we’ll give the prize to someone else.
Click here to enter or see last week’s winner!
Resources
“RVs: Who Makes What” – This is a new free directory from RVtravel.com which lists every U.S. RV manufacturer and their makes and models. Learn more and/or download a free PDF copy.
RV Show Directory: See if a show is coming soon to your area.
Stolen RVs — Help us recover these stolen RVs. The more eyes we have searching for them, the better chance of getting them back to their rightful owners, and maybe putting the crooks who stole them in the slammer! See the stolen RVs.
Great websites. Check out our favorite websites of the day! We compiled a list of (almost) all the websites we’ve ever posted, and we update it weekly.
Where to complain about bad RVs, dealers, service, RV parks. This is an ever-expanding list of resources where you can report, share or discuss your problems with RV manufacturers or dealers.
Best Club for RVers: Escapees. Click here to learn more or join. Endorsed by RVtravel.com.
Directory of RV parks with storm shelters
In case you’re on the road with your RV and the weather report is showing a tornado headed your way, have this list handy.
RV Clubs
Check out our Directory of RV Clubs and Organizations.
What does financing an RV for 20 years REALLY mean?
In case you missed this article the first time around, here it is again. Important! Click here.
Stuck with a lemon RV? Contact Ron Burdge, America’s premier RV lemon law attorney.
The Best RV Trip Planner Apps and Tools. Everything you need to help plan your trip is here.
Ask Dave
Dave Solberg is a leading expert in the RV industry and author of the “RV Handbook” as well as the Managing Editor of the RV Repair Club.
My carpeted ceiling fabric is drooping. What can I do?
Dear Dave,
“We are always in the process of upgrading our 2005, paid-for, well-built, Class C GT Jamboree. Until COVID we had been full-timers for 15 years. …” Continue reading about the extensive (understatement!) renovations Sheryl and her husband have done to their Class C, and why they’re concerned about the ceiling, plus Dave’s advice, here.
Other questions Dave answered this week:
• Video: My motorhome is in storage. Anything I need to do before bringing it out?
• How close should the tire pressure on duals be?
• More about dually tire pressure
• Does extreme heat make my RV’s wallpaper wrinkle?
• What tire pressure monitoring system do you recommend?
NEW! Visit Dave’s new forum on RVtravel.com. Ask him a question or help answer one from another reader. Click here.
RV Gadgets and Gizmos
Must-have Gripstic Snap Bags
By Tony Barthel
We RVers depend on gadgets and gizmos that both make our lives easier and also simplify and shrink things. Such is exactly the case with the Gripstic Snap Bags I ran across in Quartzsite. Every once in a while I see something and buying it is a total no-brainer. … Did they live up to Tony’s expectations? Find out here.
RVelectricity™
with Mike Sokol
50-amp plug meltdown warning
Dear Readers,
As many of you know, I’ve been doing a casual study of melted shore power connectors. Some of these shore power outlet failures are caused by loose terminating screws, some by oxidation of the contacts, and some by worn-out pedestals that haven’t been properly maintained in years. However, over on my RVelectricity group this week, someone posted a video with a very interesting theory of why this could be occurring. And no, it’s none of the above. Continue reading.
This week’s J.A.M. (Just Ask Mike) Session: Testing for a dangerous hot-skin voltage (with video)
NEW! Visit Mike’s new RVelectricity Forum on RVtravel.com.
RV Tire Safety
Critical information is on vehicle certification stickers
By Roger Marble
The vehicle certification sticker has some critical safety information you should know. I don’t expect you to memorize all the information. However, I strongly suggest you snap a picture of the sticker, keep it on your phone, and know where to find it. It has information that is critical when it comes time to knowing the proper tire inflation and when you are shopping for replacement tires. Continue reading.
NEW! Ask Roger anything about RV tires on his new RV Tires Forum.
For Lovers Only…
Listen up, romantics. If you have a special someone you’d like to surprise with a secret message right here on this website (could be your wife, husband, partner, child, neighbor, friend, etc.) submit it to us here. Don’t use their real names, use a special name that only they’ll recognize. Oh, how fun it will be when they read it! You’ll make their day! We’ll feature these in our upcoming newsletters, so keep your eyes open.
Here are a couple of responses.
To: Grandma Re
From: Big Bird
“I never thought my life could so happy and satisfying. Thank you for sharing your life with me. Love you……”
To: Snookums
From: Green Eyes
“I love you, Snookums! You are my one true love!”
Operating an RV Park
We passed our building inspection on the first try!
By Machelle James
FINALLY! We can see what the store is going to look like! I cannot even begin to describe what this feels like. AJ and I were sitting under the patio cover admiring how AMAZING the store is—even unfinished! … Our other bit of good news is we passed our building inspection on the very first try! Continue reading Machelle’s update.
Recipe of the Day
Cheesy Cream of Cauliflower Soup
by Heidi Hoerman from Columbia, SC
This soup is a beautiful creamy white and shows really well in a dish with some bright color. Serve it hot with crumbled bacon and chunky croutons… maybe even a little extra shredded cheese and you have a winner!
We’ll take a bowl (or two) of this, please! Get the recipe.
Other recipes featured in this week’s Daily Tips Newsletters:
• Creamy Lemon Oatmeal Bars
• Easy Low Carb Chicken and Mushroom Stew
• Seafood Pasta in Lemon Butter Sauce
• Double Chocolate Strawberry Gooey Butter Cake
• Easiest Pot Roast With Rich Gravy
Readers’ Pets of the Day
“Charlotte and Templeton are English Bulldogs. Charlotte (the mostly brown colour) is the mother of Templeton. They both love camping. Charlotte is 8-1/2 years old and Templeton is 5-1/2. We live in Nova Scotia, Canada.” —Patricia Norris
Vintage Postcard of the Week
Postcards owned by Colleen and Ed Weum, Pacific Northwest Postcard Club. Read more about their 90,000 postcard collection here.
Brain Teaser
What is yours to own, yet others use it more?
(Answer in tomorrow’s Sunday news newsletter. And please don’t spoil it for other readers by posting the answer in the comments.)
Trivia
The introduction of the popular arcade game Space Invaders caused a nationwide coin shortage in Japan. When the game was introduced in 1978, so many people started playing it that there was a coin shortage—100-yen coins were no longer able to be used by regular citizens or at stores. Worldwide, the game made about 600 million dollars a year in coins, but just in Japan alone, between 1978 and 1982, the game made over 2 billion dollars.
Word and Phrase Origins
From the book, Word and Phrase Origins by Robert Hendrickson:
company. “A business company, in the strictest sense of the word, is a group of people who sit down and share bread together. For company derives from the Latin con ‘together,’ and panin, ‘bread.’ The idea is that a company consists of friends so close that they sit at the same table sharing any bread they have.”
Laugh of the Week
*mosquitoes (But what fun is a meme without a typo or two? 😆 )
Did you miss last week’s RV Travel?
RVtravel.com Staff
Publisher: Chuck Woodbury. Editor: Emily Woodbury. Associate editor: Diane McGovern. Senior editors: Russ and Tiña De Maris. Senior writers: Nanci Dixon, Tony Barthel, Mike Gast. Contributors: Mike Sokol, Gail Marsh, Roger Marble, Dave Solberg, Dave Helgeson, Andy Zipser, Janet Groene, Julianne Crane, Chris Guld, Machelle James, Scott Linden, James Raia, Kate Doherty, J.R. Montigel, Clint Norrell, Randall Brink, Chris Epting and Karel Carnohan, DVM. Special projects director: Jessica Sarvis. Moderators: Gary Gilmore, Linda Brady, Mark Gorrie. Financial affairs director: Gail Meyring. Special Reports: Bradford Geer. IT wrangler: Kim Christiansen.
Everything in this newsletter is true to the best of our knowledge. But we occasionally get something wrong. We’re just human! So don’t go spending $10,000 on something we said was good simply because we said so, or fixing something according to what we suggested (check with your own technician first). Maybe we made a mistake. Tips and/or comments in this newsletter are those of the authors and may not reflect the views of RVtravel.com or this newsletter.
RVtravel.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Regardless of this potential revenue, unless stated otherwise, we only recommend products or services we believe provide value to our readers.
CONTACT US
Editorial (all but news): editor@rvtravel.com
Editorial (news): mikegast@rvtravel.com
Advertising: Advertising@rvtravel.com
Help desk: Contact us.
Mail us at 9792 Edmonds Way, #265, Edmonds, WA 98020.
This newsletter is copyright 2022 by RV Travel LLC.
“RVs don’t break down. RV roofs don’t leak.”
Allow me to share our experience with our 2016 Coachmen Leprechaun 319DS Class C. We purchased it brand new at the Tampa summer show at the State Fairgrounds in 2016. in approximately 3 years after our purchase, I was christened with a shower from above. It turns out that the skin on the bottom of the overhang (the bunk area) was never attached properly to the framework. When our repair facility took it apart, the screws were not even attached to the frame. They missed the frame entirely and just had screws sticking up behind the frame. But because it was past the warranty period, all Forest River offered us was to replace the mattress on the bunk. They refused to take any responsibility for their defective workmanship. It cost us Thousands of Dollars to have this repaired. This defect was something that you would never know you had until enough water built up under the Bunk Floor and overflowed like ours did. To be cont. below.
But still Forest River would not take any responsibility. My wife belongs to a Leprechaun owners club and she posted what had happened to us. Needless to say, when the other owners read this, they went out to their RV’s and put their fingers between the mattress and the wall, all the way to the front, they pushed their fingers down and several of them had water up there that they were unaware of until her post. My thought is to get as many Leprechaun owners together that are experiencing this and file a class action suit against Forest River. They had to know they had this problem. No way you could install the Cabover Floor and not see that the screws were not attached to the frame! Any thoughts from RV Travel would be appreciated. You always say that the industry should be held accountable for shoddy workmanship and this is definitely an example of “shoddy workmanship”!
We have a forest river 2007 sunseeker we purchased used privately in 2015. At that time the vinyl on the overhang at the front was bubbled. It kept getting worse and I could not find the problem. I finally took all the paneling and insulation off the front and sides of the bunk area. I found that the leak was around the clearance lights on the front, even though they looked fine from the outside. Someone told me that the material they were made of would not bond to the caulking. On a tour through the factory I was told that they changed to a solid vinyl cap in 2009 to correct problems in this area.
My thought is that the lights are still a problem. We had the Large Overhang Light on the front, center, replaced and it has done nothing but accumulate moisture on the inside of the light cover since it was installed! They are getting ready to replace it with another light. My biggest concern was the fact that they missed the frame completely on the bottom of the skin when they put the screws in. Our mechanic also found that on the area to the right of where the leak was, there was a molding cap that hides where the molding ends meet. When He took it off, he could see daylight from inside the coach. There was also a piece of the frame on the passenger side, front lower corner, that was not long enough to reach the adjoining piece. When Chuck says they ram these things together, he is 100% right. There can not be much inspection going on during the building process.
Great article about the state of RVIA and the RV Industry. Myself, my wife Laura and other NRVIA Inspectors are doing our best to keep the RV industry honest. Our moto is “Protecting Your Dream” so RVers know exactly what they are buying and can then really enjoy the RV lifestyle. We have a 2001 Newmar Mountain Aire and have been full-timing for over 10 years. Our web site is http://www.InspectRV.com
I, for one, truly appreciate what your organization does. It’s truly refreshing to find someone publishing the truth instead of dogma. I wish the MSM had such integrity. For 20yrs we’ve promoted RVTravel.com as the “Portal to all things RV” to everyone that ever asked a question of us.
We bought our motor home new(Never again). The first 2-3yrs was a NIGHTMARE of completing the construction that should have been done(Properly) at the factory. Once I happened across my salesman and he just laughed saying “Did I forget to mention the first two years will be Hell?” Wanted to smack him. I came from a very high liability industry in which I was the final step before customer delivery. I was APPALLED at the lack of quality, and the lack of concern within the RV industry…. Still am…. and it’s getting worse.
Thanks again to RVTravel for trying.
Richard, did you purchase a Class C? If you did, please read my comments below. The Over the Cab Bunk leak, isn’t just limited to Forest River products but to a lot of Class C RV’s. And you will never know you have it unless you get rained on while driving down the road, like I did. All of us RV’ers need to look out for each other.
If RVs don’t break down and roofs don’t leak, then why did I have to have so much done on my Motorhome since bought it in 2018.
Hey John, in my comments below, I describe the problems we had with our Class C. If you own a class C, please check the front of the over the cab bunk between the matress and the very front wall. Stick your fingers down to the bottom and see if you have any water surprise up there. We did.
Keep it up, Chuck. I have been reading since you started and rving my whole adult life. I have owned every type of RV new and used. When I talk to someone new or someone thinking of rving my first reaction is to give them your website and I tell them that any question can be answered at rvtravel.com.
To emphasize the manufacturers and their promoters attitude I talked to the No. 1 and No. 2 marketing individuals for one of the larger Class A manufacturers at the Tampa show. I was asking for support for the Class A Diesel MH Maintenance Session in Goshen Indiana in late April. They literally made the point that this event was about maintaining Diesel Pushers and they were about selling so they weren’t that interested. It’s hard to imagine the top two marketing people for a large RV Class A manufacture making such a ridiculous statement. These individuals aren’t new in the industry so it makes you wonder what training they had if any in sales or customer relations. Although I’ve not mentioned the company I can assure I will never buy a product from this company and every individual I’ve shared that statement with has stated the same. The arrogance of such a statement just highlights how badly we are being fleeced by this industry.
I definitely agree with Chuck about the goals of RVIA. I will however offer one example of one thing they did do that can improve things for the RV owner. In 2017 they added to their list of “standards” that tire inflation must provide a +10% margin of inflation above the minimum needed to support the GAWR. I would prefer that for RV trailers the margin be at least +15% with +25% being a good goal but even +10% is better than nothing.
You are spot on about the RVIA and others in the industry! The weakest part of an RV in my opinion is the roof. That flimsy little rubber membrane should be outlawed for RV’s! Mine leaked twice and was so bad by the time I found it that the entire slideout wall was rotten. An estimate from a repair shop was $11,000! Fortunately, I’m a pretty good Jack of all Trades and was able to completely repair it myself for under $1000. But it doesn’t work out that way for too many people.
Tell me rv roofs don’t leak and I’ll slap you silly.my 1985 coachman had an aluminum roof that was riddled with pinholes. Someone mentioned electrolysis and that could have been but no matter. IT LEAKED. My son in law and I installed a new rubber roof in about 4hour and spent less than $200 for materials. At $100 an hour ( if we had paid ourselves) we would have spent $1000. Where does someone come up with the $10,000 figure?
One of your biggest fans, I’ve read every issue since #1. This was probably the best ever! I’ve been reading since I poured my first cup of coffee over five hours ago! Kudos on your editorial, Chuck! And Gail’s article about the Tampa RV show was fascinating, especially the comments!
I don’t not see or hear negativity. You are only speaking the truth. There are a lot of thin skinned people who don’t like their feelings hurt.
I admit, I was one of those complaining about too much negativity, but I still read you every week! 🙂 In fact, RVTravel is the only website I read so I don’t know about the others. I do know that in the 10 years we have owned RVs, we have had lots and lots of things break. We have stayed at campgrounds that range from absolutely horrible to breathtaking. We have had wonderful camping neighbors and terrible camping neighbors. We’ve had good luck finding campsites and no luck getting campsites. We’ve experienced a lot and know that RVing is not all the glamour some think it is. I used to watch a lot of RVing YouTubers and they would always get the best campsite, had the greatest mods (that manufacturers would send them for free), the best family time, etc. Rarely did anything go wrong and life was just footloose and fancy free. It was all really too good to be true so I stopped watching them. So, RVTravel is my go-to for RVing info as I do think you tell it like it truly is.
Thank You RV Travel for telling it like it is…If someone DOES NOT like the truth, then maybe they should stay away from your newsletter….. I am thankful there are folks like you, that are not afraid to tell the truth…..I was once told by a salesperson, There are two kinds of RV’s, Those that leak & those that will leak…Keep up the good work….I will continue to support you with my monthly payment to help you keep SPEAKING THE TRUTH 😇😇😇
SOOOOOO many “other” RV news sites have been merging and basically regurgitate what few remaining other sites push out. I guess they speak ONLY in glowing terms so as to protect their advertising revenues. PLEASE stay HONEST and true to your roots! I for one am happy to donate every year (and am ashamed at those who could easily afford to provide financial support but don’t). As for non-RV related things, it’s very easy to get information about them in numerous other places. I come here because you tell it straight!