Volume 2. Issue 12
Welcome to the Full-Time RVer Newsletter, published every other Wednesday by RVtravel.com. Here you’ll find helpful RV-related and full-time RV living tips from the pros, travel advice, and anything else of interest to full-timers or those who aspire to be. Thanks for joining us. We appreciate you. Please tell your friends about us.

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Quote of the day
“My hope still is to leave the world a bit better than when I got here.” —Jim Henson

One way to know if full-timing is right for you? Live in your RV… in your driveway!

Getting ready to be a full-time RVer puts you through an entire spectrum of emotions. While some folks know exactly what they want to do, and do it, others are involved in trying things out.

One reader writes, “Steve and I lived in our fifth wheel in an RV park for two years before we ‘hit the road’. We did virtually no traveling except for a two-week vacation and the two weeks we headed for the hills when the whole town was evacuated in anticipation of a levee break.

“From that experience, we learned one major thing that is more important than all the other lessons we learned. You have to be good friends with your partner to live 24/7 in small quarters such as a recreational vehicle.”

Full-Time RVer readers Barb and Butch, formerly of Iowa, have a slightly different approach. They are living in their motorhome right in their backyard. They take occasional weekend tours to prove that the rig is ready. Barb shares a great tip about deciding what to put into her home on wheels:

“We are retiring next month and have planned to full-time RV for several years now. It is very close to being a reality.

“I thought I would pass along one of many tips we have come across in the getting-ready process. We have been living in our motorhome since July and it is parked in our own backyard. The house is for sale but hasn’t sold yet. The purpose of living in the RV ahead of time was to make any minor adjustments.

“I have made many trips to the house for things I need and I have made as many trips the other way with things I never use! My husband weighed our 32′ Holiday Rambler motorhome on our last outing and we are still okay. We are traveling with a cat who isn’t at all sure she wants to be a traveling cat, but she will have to adjust.“

Thanks, Barb (and Butch) for the cool tip. I think many of us already full-timing could put that one to use by parking near our storage facilities and eliminating stuff we never use, which might make room for things we would like to have aboard.

And maybe when Barb gets her cat to accept life as a full-time feline she will send along her tips on how she did it…

Did you miss last weekend’s RV Travel Newsletters?

If so, here is some of what you missed…
• “Pathetic quality”: RV dealers are fed up with what manufacturers are producing
• It’s out there – a DEF sensor workaround
• Campground owners are thriving, and there’s little incentive to change things
• Why go small? This time we’re looking at the case for owning a small RV

PLUS: Our latest RV Travel Podcast, hosted by Scott Linden
This episode:
Our own Tony Barthel shares his top picks for creative, innovative, just-plain-cool new rigs. We take an insider’s look at the newest offerings from RV builders, from all-electric to somewhat-traditional. Tony also shares advice for the next time you’re shopping for a new RV.

Features

Some of these articles are from past issues of RVtravel.com and have been updated for this newsletter. 

Find 12,000-year-old pictographs at this Texas campground

Hueco Tanks State Park & Historic Site is a magical destination just east of El Paso, Texas. It’s named for the rock depressions, the tanks, that have held life-sustaining rainwater in the high desert for thousands of years. The Tanks created an oasis for wildlife, vegetation and native peoples. Read more about this fascinating, and calorie-burning, location here.

New RVer turns his fifth wheel into an RVer’s technology dream

In this 10-minute video, a former corporate executive explains how he quit his job to live and travel full-time in a 43-foot, six-slide Jayco fifth wheel trailer. But he didn’t just buy the rig and move in. No, he outfitted it into what he calls “an RVer’s technology dream.” He discusses an excellent system for getting online that works for him. It involves some very creative ways to get reliable cell phone internet connectivity. It’s far beyond what most RVers would ever even think of. Watch the video (and learn) here.

Roadside America – Don’t miss a thing!

By Tony Barthel
Have you ever come home from a journey and told friends about your prior destination and they then turned around and asked if you had seen a certain landmark or tourist trap that they knew you would love? It stinks missing some of these unusual places that make travel to other localities so special. How do you make sure not to miss these attractions? One of the ways is with this app, “Roadside America.” Learn more here.

Make sure to have this Fire Extinguishing Aerosol in your RV
The First Alert EZ Fire Spray portable fire extinguisher is easier to use and discharges 4 times longer than traditional fire extinguishers. With an aerosol nozzle and portable size, it’s suited for the kitchen, car, garage, boat or RV. The formula wipes away with a damp cloth & is biodegradable. Comes in a one or two-pack. Learn more or order.

Don’t miss today’s RV Daily Tips Newsletter! Read it here.

Reader poll

Do you have an all-time favorite campground or RV park?

Tell us here, please!

Quick tip

Easy way to avoid messy surprise when you remove the sewer cap

Sooner or later you’ll have a gray tank valve or black tank valve seep. This will allow fluid to flow down the pipe to the sewer cap. If there’s a lot of seepage when you remove the sewer cap you’ll get a huge gush of water. Gray water’s not too bad, but that black water is real nasty.

To avoid getting a surprise, use a sewer cap that has a fitting to which a garden hose attaches at the bottom. When it comes time to dump, SLOWLY loosen the small cap. If anything runs out, tighten the cap and get a pail. Slowly remove the small cap again until the pail is almost full or the fluid stops running. You may have to empty the pail a few times. Once nothing more is coming out, observe that the lowest part of the garden hose fitting is above the lowest part of your main drain pipe. Keep the pail handy to catch any residue left in the pipe. Now remove the large sewer cap, attach your slinky and drain away. Sometimes the valve has been kept open by food particles or toilet tissue and the culprit may have been flushed away when you dumped. If the problem continues, it’s time to call an RV proctologist. Thanks to George Bliss for this tip!

Editor: These caps are available in on Amazon.

Service attendant overfills propane tank, RV almost goes up in flames

By Randall Brink
“Many years ago, I fueled my Class C motorhome at a service station and convenience store that also sold LPG aka ‘propane.’ I liked the idea of being able to fill both the gasoline and LPG/propane tanks at one stop. The attendant seemed a little apprehensive at the prospect of filling the propane tank.” Read more about Randall’s very close call, plus learn from his extensive research about the safest way to handle LPG here.

Is it OK to drive with one flat dually tire? Nope. Here’s why

By Gail Marsh
“You’re driving down the road, happy to be headed to your campground destination, when suddenly your tire pressure gauge indicates a problem. Now what? That was the question we recently faced. We’d been driving for hours in seemingly endless traffic and were tired and hungry. Adding to our frustration was the fact that we were in the middle of a 25-mile construction zone. We couldn’t pull over because there wasn’t a shoulder!” What did Gail do, and what saved the day? Find out here, then please participate in our poll and let us know if you’ve dealt with a similar close call.

What you need to know about RV electrical cords

There are times when our RV’s built-in electrical cords will not stretch far enough to reach a power pedestal or other power source. And so we need an extension cord. But not just any extension cord will do….  In this short video, Mark Polk of RV Education 101 covers the basics of extension cords…. If you do not fully understand RV extension cords, we highly recommend you watch this video.

Stinky sewer dump? This will do the trick!
If a sewer hose doesn’t fit tightly, sewer gases will escape and make the odor when dumping almost unbearable. It’s embarrassing and disgusting! This sewer adapter hose seal plugs the hole. No more stink! Read more about it here or order one here.

Your assignment

What advice would give an aspiring full-time RVer?

From the editors: We asked our readers this question. Here is one response: 

“Do a lot of researching to determine what type of rig would best fit your requirements. Sometimes bigger is not better. And my advice for all RVers considering full-timing is buy the best rig you can for the cash that you have and do not let payments factor into your existence. Your RV devaluates the minute you buy it and if you decide you do not like the full-time lifestyle you may find yourself upside down and regretting your decision.” —Rob Lewis

Featured recipe

Philly Cheesesteak Calzones
by Amy Cox from Melbourne, FL

These hearty calzones are a must-try for any fan of traditional Philly cheesesteaks! They’re packed with all the ingredients you would normally have on a hoagie bun. Layers of roast beef, onions, peppers, mushrooms, and lots of cheese are inside baked pizza dough. Gooey, these calzones are meant to serve a hungry crowd.

We’re hungry and we want one of these! Get the recipe.

If you want to have a wonderful day, send $10, $50 or $100 to a local food bank. There are millions of our fellow citizens, including little kids, who are going hungry because their parents lost their jobs. You will feel so good if you contribute — helping people less fortunate than you go to bed without the pain of an empty stomach. Here’s where to donate.

RVtravel.com Staff

Publisher: Chuck Woodbury. Editor: Emily Woodbury. Associate editor: Diane McGovern. Senior editor: Russ and Tiña De Maris. Senior writers: Nanci Dixon, Tony Barthel, Mike Gast. Contributors: Mike Sokol, Gail Marsh, Roger Marble, Dave Solberg, Dave Helgeson, Janet Groene, Julianne Crane, Chris Guld, Machelle James, James Raia, Kate Doherty, J.R. Montigel, Clint Norrell, and Chris Epting. Podcast host and producer: Scott Linden. Special projects director: Jessica Sarvis. Moderators: Gary Gilmore, Linda Brady. Financial affairs director: Gail Meyring. IT wrangler: Kim Christiansen.

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Editorial (news): mikegast@rvtravel.com
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Help desk: Contact us.

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.

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