RV Road Trips

RV Water & Waste 101 - Black Water, Gray Water & Potable Water Problems To Watch For

Every self-contained RV has both a clean water system and a waste water system. 

• The clean water is also called fresh water or potable water.
   
• The waste water is also referred to as black water and gray water.

Both, the clean and waste water systems on an RV, can give you problems if you're not familiar with how to properly maintain them. 

When the dealer demonstrated everything to you about the RV you were buying, he may have missed some helpful information that is necessary to keep your RV's water systems operating properly.

Here's what you need to know about black water, gray water, and potable water on your RV...

Continue reading: RV Water Issues: Black, Gray & Potable Water

Downsizing From A Large RV To A Smaller RV - In Our Case: A Dutchmen Travel Trailer

After owning numerous “large” RVs while we were full timing, now that we only take shorter trips a smaller rig seemed appropriate. 

We still enjoy RVing, but we no longer need a 37-foot vehicle and multiple slideouts. 

Our 2007 Dutchmen 18B travel trailer is half the RV we had before.  So how has it worked out for us?

Continue reading: Downsizing To An RV Travel Trailer

Triple Towing: What You Need To Know Before You Pull 2 Trailers Behind A Car, Truck, Or RV

Let's face it, sometimes you need to be able to pull 2 trailers behind one vehicle.

For example, you might want to tow a boat and a vehicle behind your RV. Or maybe you'd like to tow a camper and a boat behind your vehicle. Maybe you have a toy hauler filled with ATVs, bicycles, motorcycles, etc. and you'd like to tow it along with another trailer to your destination.

The point is... there are times when just one trailer isn't enough for everything you'd like to bring along with you!

Here's some good news: in many states it's legal to tow 2 trailers at the same time.

Continue reading: Triple Towing Rules By State

Is Your RV Too Wide To Legally Be On The Road Without An Oversized Load Permit?

Your Class A motorhome is probably loaded with some really nice features. 

I bet the salesman was eager to point out how wide and spacious it is, too.  With a body width of 102 inches, there’s no more knocking knees with the person sitting across from you -- even when the slideouts are retracted and you're traveling down the road. 

The same thing can be said for RV trailers these days as well. Many large luxury units are also built on a 102-inch wide platform.

One thing the salesman probably failed to mention is the fact that in many states your motorhome or RV trailer exceeds the maximum width limit for motor vehicles.  That's right, in most states, anything over 8-1/2 feet wide requires a special oversized load permit every time it will be moved.  That is, unless you live very close to a qualifying interstate highway.  Some states limit an RV's width to only 8 feet wide!

Continue reading: Is Your RV Too Wide?

RV Driver Training: It's Worth Going Back to School!

Most truck drivers earn their wings, so to speak, in truck drivers school. The industry has proven that the best drivers are those who have completed an accredited course that includes all aspects of the truck driving profession.

Many RV setups can almost match an 18-wheeler in size. In fact, most high-end luxury coaches these days are actually based on the same vehicle that is used to transport passengers commercially all around the country: the Greyhound bus. (Actually, this is true for practically any "coach" type bus you might be chartering for cross country travel. Prevost is the brand that immediately comes to mind, but there are others.)

So when you consider that many RV owners and drivers are well into retirement, or those who only get behind the wheel of such a large vehicle when they head out on the highway a couple times a year, the idea of some specialized RV training seems pretty reasonable.

Read: RV driving is different -- not difficult.

Some states even require you to upgrade your driver's license before you can operate an RV. For example, California requires that you obtain a non-commercial Class B license if your motorhome is over 40 feet in length.

A good RV driving school can teach you all the same skills that the professional truck drivers need -- including how to make a daily safety inspection to ensure that your RV is ready to hit the road, and how to handle your RV in many different situations.

Here's how to find RV training schools, seminars, and courses in your area...

Continue reading: RV Driver Training Courses

RV Driving Tips: Towing A Trailer Requires A Whole Different Way Of Driving

Pulling a trailer, no matter what type or size, means you need to take on a whole new persona.

Quick movements, jack-rabbit starts, and last-minute stops must be removed from your behind-the-wheel activities.

Nothing will get you into trouble faster than momentarily forgetting you have this huge mass of weight behind you. In most cases, that weight is capable of easily pushing you where you don't want to go.

With today's very powerful diesel pickup trucks it's quite easy to have a truck matched up to a trailer that weighs well over twice what the truck weighs. Of course, the trucks are rated to handle this amount of load and it's perfectly legal. You just need to take this additional weight into consideration in how you drive.

Continue reading: Tips For Towing Trailers

RV Slide Out Guide - The Pros & Cons Of RV Slideouts

All it takes is a walk through an RV equipped with multiple slide out room extensions and you’ll be ready to sign on the dotted line and make one your own. 

The feeling of openness and the ability to have more than one person standing in the RV's living room at a time will dismiss that closed-in feeling instantly.

A bedroom slideout is probably the most desired slideout of all because the bedrooms inside RVs are notorious for being cramped.

Having lived full time in RVs for over 3 years, the extra space provided with multiple slideouts really makes the difference between simply existing and living comfortably.

However, as with all things, there are some trade-offs when you choose a super deluxe model RV with huge wall expansions.  For instance, there are some times where the slideouts create more problems than they’re worth!

Continue reading: Pros & Cons of RV Slideouts

No More Fleetwood Travel Trailers

Fleetwood travel trailers have officially become limited edition RVs.

On March 9, 2009 Fleetwood stopped producing new travel trailers.

Here's the scoop...

Continue reading: No More New Fleetwood Trailers

RV Travel Journals: Photographs & Memories Of Your RV Roadtrips

Some common experiences on RV roadtrips...

Jenny caught her first fish today -- a walleye that weighed in at 3.5 lbs.  While she was out with dad in the boat, Jimmy fell asleep on the beach and oh what a sunburn!  Simple memories like these seem so clear and neverending at the time they take place. 

Today, we drove through the cornfields of Iowa.  We stopped and watched a bright yellow crop duster  swoop down, almost touching the ground as it flew back and forth across the field.  Like magic, it lifted up at the end of the field missing the telephone wires by what looked like inches!

The only problem: years later, as time passes by, these memories fade.  Kids grow up and move on with their lives.  Grandparents pass on.  The family evolves, and those precious moments from those earlier years often are forgotten.

So what a thrill it would be to be able to pick up a book, sit out on the porch and immediately return to special times from the past.  Wouldn't it be great to be able to relive those special moments?

This is the benefit of journaling your RV experiences in a travel journal! 

Continue reading: RV Travel Journals

WARNING: RV Scams You Should Be Aware Of Before Buying A New Or Used RV

For those new to the world of RVing, there are numerous opportunities to be "taken in" by the glitz and glamor of RVs and the RV lifestyle.  Perusing RVs in a dealership’s showroom or at an RV show nearby can effectively cost you quite a few dollars! 

There’s an overwhelmingly large variety of RVs to chose from, and if you don't have a firm idea of what you're looking for, you can easily be lured into buying something that is a better deal for the RV salesman than for you! 

To play it safe, you should always have an idea in the back of your mind of what’s most practical for your particular situation. 

Like most auto dealers, RV salesmen work on commission. Therefore, the more money they can get you to pay for something, the more money they earn. 

Being knowledgeable in a car purchase is fairly easy.  With online pricing guides such as Kelly Blue Book, you can enter the sales lot armed with enough information to keep the final dollar figure within a reasonable margin of what would be considered a good deal. 

However, RVs are a different matter...

Continue reading: Warning: RV Scams