JimK

I spend a lot of time in the desert Southwest. It can indeed be very difficult to find water sources. That is also often true when traveling across country. The first step I have taken which helps is to top off my tank whenever possible, even if I am just a few gallons short of full. The next and by far the most important consideration is water conservation. My faucets never run unless I am absolutely using that water. Something like rinsing washed dishes does not take a big blast of water, just a trickle. Showers can use a lot of water. I set the timer on my hot water heater so that the water in the hot water tank reaches an ideal temperature for a shower. I turn on a trickle of hot water while I soap up. Then I set again for a trickle while I rinse off. I use about 1 gallon for a shower. If I am by myself taking a daily shower, I will use a total of about 3 gallons per day for everything including the shower, drinking, cooking and washing dishes. With my wife we are at about 5 gallons. Finally, I often use a funnel and a water jug to fill my tank. There are often places where there are no faucets but you can fill a 3-5 gallon jug multiple times as needed.

I have not direct experience, but the reviews have been mixed at best. According to this review the hybrid ceramic wax only lasts 3-4 weeks: https://drivedetailed.com/meguiars-hybrid-ceramic-wax-review/

I have seen neither yellowing or cracking. Perhaps the white color of my RV makes it difficult to see any yellowing. I do have some dark decals and do not see yellowing in those areas either. I suspect the "cracking" is similar to poor adhesion. Pealing has been reported as an issue. As I mentioned, surface prep is important. Zep is not going to adhere well if old wax, dried bugs, road oils or other contaminants are left on the surface. Dilute ammonia will remove almost all of the contaminants but I also recommend a light scrubbing with a scotch pad and bar keepers friend or a similar mild abrasive cleaner. Eventually I expect I will need to remove the old ZEP and start over. My RV is relatively small but it will still be close to a day's work. I would strip the old finish with an ammonia cleaner and a long handled mop. I would probably do that twice. I doubt I would need to do any scrubbing or use BKF since the finish still looks great. Stripping the old finish would take at least an hour, maybe two at my slow pace. Applying a coat of ZEP with a dampened cloth is easy but the major work is moving the ladder a dozen times to reach all of the surfaces. ZEP needs to dry for close to an hour between coats and that is about how long it would take me to work my way around the RV. So four coats would take a half day. I can handle that once every 5 years or so. Waxing used to wear me out. The surface still needed to be spotless and removing all the old black streaks seemed to take forever. In theory you wipe on the wax, let it dry to a haze and then buff off. At least that was the theory. In practice it seems lots harder. If you do not wait long enough for the haze, the finish will wipe off and gunk up the rag. If you wait too long or the RV is in the sun, the haze will turn rock hard and be difficult to remove. On my last attempt, I used Meguiar's marine wax. The first coat just did not look good and the surface had a mottled appearance. A second coat took hours longer and the results were still poor. That is when I switched to ZEP. Before Meguiars I also tried NuFinish. It is supposed to last up to a year. Regardless it seemed to do little good. Dead bugs stuck to the nose of the RV and would not easily wash off. The black streaks seemed to start immediately. In fact I used to think the NuFinish attracted dirt. The simplest process is to just use a wash and wax solution. The RV will look good for a week or two. Anyway, I have made my recommendation. If you do not want to try ZEP by all means continue with your current process.

Scrubbing with bar keepers friend takes about the same time and work as applying a coat of regular wax. So far that has lasted 5 years. Regular wax only lasts a few months.

I am curious also. ZEP is just a commercial grade acrylic floor wax. It is harmless for RV surfaces such as fiberglass, decals, paint, chrome and plastics. Some regular carnauba based waxes contain UV protectants although the amounts and durability are very minimal. ZEP does not contain any UV protectants. I have read that is a concern for some people. Now that I am not a full timer, my RV is in the back of the driveway for 3/4rd of the time. The sun hits the south side but the surface looks the same as the side stored facing north. A solution for anyone concerned would be to use 303 after coating with ZEP. That would require reapplication every few months. I am not sure if ZEP would stick to a surface previously treated with 303. Since I do not use 303 I never gave it a try. I have also heard that ZEP will causing yellowing with time. I still cannot see that after 5 years. Sooner or later I will need to spend a full day stripping and reapplying ZEP. The main issue with ZEP is proper prep. It is essential to remove all old waxes. I started with a thorough wash, then washed again with a solution of ammonia. Finally I used bar keepers friend and a scotch pad to scrub the entire RV. Application can be done with a long handled sponge but the best way is by hand with a rag slightly dampened in ZEP. It takes at least two thin coats to achieve an acceptable finish and a couple of additional coats to build up a durable finish. Thin coats avoid any drips and sags to give the best possible finish.

My RV has been sitting unused for over a year. I am getting ready for a long trip. We had some warm weather so I washed the RV. The roof took a lot of work. It was covered with rotten leaves, moss, dirt, twigs, etc. All of the rain water and snow hit all that gunk and then ran over the sides of the RV. In past years I would have had nasty black streaks and dirt everywhere. Aside from the roof clean up, today a quick rinse on the rest of the RV brought it back to looking like new. The water even beaded up on the surface of the RV. It has been close to 5 years since I stripped off all the old wax and wiped on some coats of ZEP. About once a year I do wash the RV and wipe on another coat of ZEP. Most of the time and work is just moving the ladder so I can do the treatment. It probably takes a total of an hour or so. Sooner or later I guess I will need to strip off the old Zep coats and start over....but not this year. If you like to polish and detail you RV, you will not like ZEP. If washing and waxing the RV is more of a chore, consider switching to ZEP.

I recommend you look at South Dakota. The State is very welcoming to traveling RV residents. It was very easy to become a resident. Vehicle and healthcare insurance costs were low. No annual or other vehicle inspections. When we had a problem with stolen drivers' licenses, the South Dakota DMV was exceptional. We got instant temporary licenses which we printed at the local UPS store. Permanent licenses were mailed within a few days. BTW, winters are harsh, but otherwise South Dakota is an absolutely wonderful place with lots of scenic attractions and beauty which include Custer State Park, the Badlands NP, Rushmore, the Black Hills, Wind Caves NP........

Maybe this will be clearer: Of those who got the flu last year, 71% had been vaccinated. No matter how you look at it, the results of last year's vaccinations was poor.

Effectiveness varies each year. For 2019, the vaccine was 29% effective. In other words, 71% of those vaccinated developed the flu. Most years the effectiveness is much higher.

Sounds like you own a couple of real RVs. These forums should help if you need to pick new recliners, update your laundry, add a freezer, etc.

I know exactly what you mean. I very rarely stop by to read these forums for the same reason. Most of the discussions seem to involve big rigs that are often about the size of a mobile home. I am not looking for an onboard vacuum system or a laundry or replacing the recliners with something more comfortable. I did not need to sign up for a training course to be able to drive or maintain my RV. I enjoy RV living because of the mobility and convenience in visiting National Parks and other scenic areas. My wife and I, along with 2 cats, did that full time for 2 years in our Northstar truck camper. Most of the places we really liked would not even accommodate a 30 or 40 foot big rig with or without pulling a toad. And I certainly would not have liked towing or paying the fuel costs to drive a big rig 60,000 miles in those 2 years.

You might want to pay attention to the weight of the materials. It is easy to add significant weight with new flooring. I never thought I would do this but after years of use, I covered my existing RV flooring with carpet. It really adds to the warmth in the winter and in milder weather I like to get out of the hiking boots and walk around barefooted or in socks. I used indoor/outdoor carpeting from Lowe's. It was inexpensive and since my RV is small, I can pull out the carpeting and hose it down. I thought I would need to replace it frequently but it has done well for several years and months of use.

Few people seem to understand tire dry rot. The sun is only one issue. I had a spare tire under my pickup that never was in the sun. After 4 years I decided to put it into rotation. Within a few weeks, I noticed deep cracks everywhere on the tire. I did some research and learned that tires need to be used regularly. The heat build up with cause chemicals in the tire to migrate to the surface and provide protection against oxidation. A tire that is used regularly can safely last about 7 years. Without use my tire did not make it past 4 years. There is some minimal data which indicates that Aerospace 303 protectant will help. To do so the tires must be clean and then coated on all surfaces or at least on both sidewalls. Tires should then be recoated every few months. Since my RV sits unused for many months of the year, I am trying this method.

I disagree entirely when it comes to hand tools. I have craftsman tools from decades ago. I have filled in the missing tools and bought extras from Harbor Freight. I have never had any of them break or fail to work properly. I have read that the Harbor Freight electrical tools are junk. I cannot speak to that.

I have been setting my water heater to bypass when sanitizing the water system. The last couple of times I did this the hot water had a nasty smell and I had to bleach the HW system. From now on I will automatically bleach the entire system including the HW tank.

Because it is not intended to determine water safety regarding sanitation. Many people use these meters to monitor pool water. High levels in drinking water can alter taste and very high levels might be harmful for those with renal failure. There are other reasons to avoid high TDS.

The meter is worth little if anything. A low reading does not mean the water is safe. A high reading does not mean the water is unsafe.

A TS meter is not a sufficient way to check for a contaminated water tank. It is absolutely amazing but after a few weeks of storage bacteria will grow in even highly purified reagent grade water. Regular use with chlorinated water will help to keep the tank sanitary almost indefinitely. If the tank sits for weeks on end with little or no use, I would sanitize it before use. There is another related issue. In many camping areas the water is pure but not chlorinated. Without chlorine, bacterial growth is going to occur even if the tank is in use.

There is no way to totally remove water from a hose. So a stored hose is going to be contaminated with bacterial growth. Running and dumping some fresh water will help but only partially. Another solution is to try to bleach the hose. It is all but impossible to evenly coat the interior of the hose with a bleach solution and allow it to soak for an hour but I attempt to do the best I can. If you want your water tank to have clean water the last thing you want to do is to seed the water with bacteria from a contaminated hose.

Pseudomonas bacteria growths readily in stored water tanks. It is likely to give off a grape like odor and will also appear as pink deposits. Water can take on different odors from other bacteria. I seems all but impossible to totally empty and dry the water tank, hot water heater and the rest of the fresh water plumbing. Even so I would not trust the system without sanitizing it. That is pretty simple. It only takes 1/4 cup of bleach for each 15 gallons of water. Most people wait longer but it takes a soak time of about an hour to completely disinfect the system.

One of the things Escapes specializes in is training for RVers. I have never been but understand this can be extremely helpful. It would probably cost less to fly and attend a 3 day boot camp and I am sure your would learn much more.

My wife and I bought an Rv and parked it in the driveway for a few months while we finished our jobs, finished downsizing, and got the house on the market and sold it. There was no time for some sort of test run. We did check out the appliances and systems, modified the storage and replaced the mattress. Other than that the only use was for a temporary home for the cats when the house was being checked out by prospective buyers. When the house sold, I retired and we took off in the RV. Learning to operate an RV is not rocket science. A great many things are similar to staying in a small house or apartment and the differences are easily mastered. Anyway I don't see much point in spending a few days getting used to a rental RV. If you are trying to decide if the RV lifestyle is for you, a few days are not likely to help. I think it took us about 3 months to get used to living in an RV full time. We traveled almost daily so it was disorienting to wake up in new locations, often new States.

Watching TV is a step better than what I frequently see. There seem to be plenty of RVers who are content to "camp" a few feet from other big rigs, who love to play their music on outdoor speakers while sitting under an awning covered with Christmas tree lights. That is the nature of RV living for lots of people.

Yup, we are all different. In two years of full time travel and several months per year a half dozen more years, I have never even checked to see if the TV works.

For me going smaller and lighter and not needing hook ups opens up opportunities. I spend a lot of time in the boondocks boondocking. There are still a lot of beautiful areas that are not yet over run and covered with acres of campgrounds. Going small can even be more enjoyable and more comfortable. In the past I have used Yellowstone as an example. It can be difficult to get a big rig into Yellowstone without reservations many months in advance. If you need hook ups the choices are even more restricted. The big campgrounds at Mammoth, Madison and Canyon do not have them. Once visitors do find a place, either within the park or miles and miles away, there are still downsides to a big rig. Everyone comes to see Lamar and Haydn Valleys and the major thermals. That means a day trip, typically all day. With my truck camper, I have my rig with me. I can visit the Lamar, pull over for a hot lunch and a nap while watching the roadside scenery and wildlife. I have my own rest room facilities. The big riggers are in their toads with a sack lunch and at best a folding chair. Even worse they are stuck with the outhouses you can smell for a mile downwind. Late afternoon, I typically take it easy while all the toads head for the campgrounds at Fishing Bridge or maybe up the river towards Livingston. I am napped, fed and rested. I watch the sunset and the early evening wildlife crossing the roads. Not exactly dumpster diving.