trailertraveler

Thanks for the quick responses. We only need to run one TV at a time. I have a repeater that will transmit the signal to the bedroom TV when wanted as long as the receiver has two outputs. We RV about six months a year, so the capability to suspend the DTV service saved a considerable amount. That is why I asked about the Dish On the Go Plans. In the past the Dish's Denver service area was not spot beamed so it made sense that the On the Go might include network channels out of Denver. Just wanted to try to confirm that with an actual user.

Finally got a notice from Direct TV that they will start systematically ending their SD service in July 2021. I currently have a portable SD dish (one LNB) which is usually not that hard to setup. I am not looking forward to trying to align a 3 LNB larger dish. So, is anyone using Dish on the Go with an automatic portable dish. If so what receiver and what dish. I am not necessarily looking for all the bells and whistles of multichannel viewing or recording. Reviewing the program packages, it appears that the Dish On the Go Channel lineup includes ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox out of Denver, is this accurate? Thanks for any assistance you can provide.

We have found many great scenic drives using the Byways and America's Scenic Byways websites. Not sure how well known or unknown they are. Here are links to a few. Arizona Schnebly Hill Road, Red Rock Scenic Byway, Sky Island Scenic Byway, New Mexico High road to Taos, Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway, Hyde Park Road (NM-475), Sandia Crest Scenic Byway, Oak Creek Canyon Scenic Drive Utah UT-12 Scenic Byway, Hells Backbone, Burr Trail, Fishlake Scenic Byway, Kane Creek Road, UT-261 (the Moki Dugway), Potash Lower Colorado River Byway, Upper Colorado River UT-128 Scenic Byway, Wyoming Flaming Gorge Scenic Byway, Chief Joseph Scenic Highway. Montana Going to the Sun Road

Things seem to be changing pretty fast.

Thanks for the suggestion. We are not fulltime. We are based on the East Coast and do not plan on travelling to the West Coast. The zone pass is not much more than the annual dues for most of the other memberships. Given our ages and how and where we like to travel, it is highly unlikely that we would ever recoup the transfer fee and purchase cost of a national membership. The only real benefit would be the increased reservation window which so far the 60 days has not been a problem at the times of year we travel.

I take it your not a fan of Thousand Trails which is fine with me. It is not for everyone. The two years that we have had the zone pass, the cost of stays at their parks in Florida and Arizona, that we like, has come out to less than $10/night. Last year during the pandemic travel restrictions, they waved the time out restrictions allowing us to stay in a park in Florida for six straight weeks with no additional fees. My intent in posting this was simply to make others that have and want to renew their zone pass aware that renewing through a campground might not have the same result as renewing on line or through the corporate 800 number.

During a recent stay at a Thousand Trails Park in Florida, I stopped in at the office and inquired about renewing my membership which was due to expire within the 60 day reservation window. I was given a phone number and called it. I clearly stated that I wanted to renew. I was informed that I would receive a new membership number. Unfortunately, this did not set off any alarms in my brain. It turns out that I was in fact issued a new membership number for a new membership that started the day after my phone call not upon expiration of my current membership. I therefore had two memberships for a little over a month. I also discovered that I was charged sales tax on the new membership but had not been on the old membership. Apparently this is the result of purchasing the new membership through a representative of the Florida RV Park rather than through the corporate call center. I was given credit back to my credit card for the duplicate month, but was unable to recover the sales tax.

We have been RVing about six months a year (March-May, August - October) since 2004. My experience is that it has been getting more difficult to find campgrounds/RV parks for the past few years. We prefer not to make reservations more than a couple of days in advance, but the past two years have found that for week or longer stays in a specific location it is a good idea. Our current trailer included a Thousand Trails Zone Pass. Getting a spot in their parks in Florida and Arizona seems to require making reservations as soon as the sixty day window opens. Although, we were able to change dates at 2 out of the 3 parks this year as repair issues with the trailer and Covid issues delayed our departure for a month. We normally only travel 200-250 miles a day when on the move. So far we have still been successful in finding overnight stops during the week by calling ahead before noon and making a reservation if necessary. We prefer to travel the Blue Highways and it seems that the campgrounds/RV parks are less crowded during the week than those along the interstates. Fairgrounds are often a good choice for overnights if there is no event scheduled. This year, we travelled to Central Florida starting the beginning of April. We took the coastal route (US-17) instead of I-95. Overnight stops during the week at our preferred locations were not a problem. Some campgrounds were pretty full, others not so much. We stayed 2 weeks at the Three Flags Thousand Trail Campground in Wildwood, FL. There were quite a few vacant spots the entire time we were there ( I think mostly due to the inability of Canadians to travel). Heading back North, the county park in Brunswick, GA that we like to stay at was booked for the weekends. It was the same the past 2 years. We stayed Sunday- Thursday nights. The campground was about half full during our stay. Searches of the Florida and Georgia State Park websites showed few vacancies for more than one night and often only for the shortest sites (25-30'). Going North we stopped at the Carowinds campground in Charlotte for the weekend. The amusement park was closed so there were lots of sites available which I doubt is normally the case. The Thousand Trails park in Lenoir, NC had vacant spots every night. Every area is different and sometimes hard to predict. Knowing when big events like Bike Weeks, Nascar, state fairs and festivals are scheduled is helpful to avoiding issues if you are not planning on attending the event. Big construction projects can fill up campgrounds/RV parks in an area for up to months at a time. We have been surprised by a few of these over the years. In those cases, government parks that had short stay limits were usually available for overnights during the week. The internet has made trip planning and finding stopovers so much easier than the days of the Woodall Directory and looking for signs along the side of the road. When planning and researching a trip, I search for the possible overnight stops along our most likely route. I bookmark those that have real time online reservation systems (many of the smaller parks do not). As our trip progresses and plans firm up, I will check these websites to see if sites are getting in short supply. This lets me decide whether to make a reservation or even rethink the route or timing. Reserve America now includes some private campgrounds. The few I checked out seem to show the same information that they do for the public parks in their system letting you see site by site and day by day availability.

We are in North Carolina heading North on Monday. Checking the Pilot/Flying J and Love's websites for fuel outages.

I do not believe this is accurate. In past years, reservations had to be made in advance and could not be made the day of arrival. Sites that had not been reserved were available to walk ins for one night. They were marked with green signs that read available for one night only. Reserved sites were marked with a red sign. This was just copied from the Caballo Lake State Park Reservation Page. So it would seem that reservations can now be made on the same day as arrival. Oliver Lee State Park still has a few walk in only sites available.

Here is a link to the Pilot/Flying J webpage to get shortage updates.

The internet has made trip planning and finding stopovers so much easier than the days of the Woodall Directory and looking for signs along the side of the road. When planning and researching a trip, I search for the possible overnight stops along our most likely route. I bookmark those that have real time online reservation systems. As our trip progresses and plans firm up, I will check these websites to see if sites are getting in short supply. This lets me decide whether to make a reservation or even rethink the route or timing. Reserve America now includes some private campgrounds. The few I checked out seem to show the same information that they do for the public parks in their system letting you see site by site and day by day availability. Good luck with your travels!!

We have been RVing about six months a year (March-May, August - October) since 2004. My experience is that it has been getting more difficult to find campgrounds/RV parks for the past few years. We prefer not to make reservations more than a couple of days in advance, but the past two years have found that for week or longer stays in a specific location it is a good idea. Our current trailer included a Thousand Trails Zone Pass. Getting a spot in their parks in Florida and Arizona seems to require making reservations as soon as the sixty day window opens. Although, we were able to change dates at 2 out of the 3 parks this year as repair issues with the trailer and Covid issues delayed our departure for a month. We normally only travel 200-250 miles a day when on the move. So far we have still been successful in finding overnight stops during the week by calling ahead before noon and making a reservation if necessary. We prefer to travel the Blue Highways and it seems that the campgrounds/RV parks are less crowded during the week than those along the interstates. Fairgrounds are often a good choice for overnights if there is no event scheduled. This year, we travelled to Central Florida starting the beginning of April. We took the coastal route (US-17) instead of I-95. Overnight stops during the week at our preferred locations were not a problem. Some campgrounds were pretty full, others not so much. We stayed 2 weeks at the Three Flags Thousand Trail Campground in Wildwood, FL. There were quite a few vacant spots the entire time we were there ( I think mostly due to the inability of Canadians to travel). Heading back North, the county park in Brunswick, GA that we like to stay at was booked for the weekends. It was the same the past 2 years. We stayed Sunday- Thursday nights. The campground was about half full during our stay. Searches of the Florida and Georgia State Park websites showed few vacancies for more than one night and often only for the shortest sites (25-30'). Going North we stopped at the Carowinds campground in Charlotte for the weekend. The amusement park was closed so there were lots of sites available which I doubt is normally the case. The Thousand Trails park in Lenoir, NC had vacant spots every night. As someone else stated every area is different and sometimes hard to predict. Knowing when big events like Bike Weeks, Nascar, state fairs and festivals is helpful to avoiding issues if your are not planning on attending the event. Big construction projects can fill up campgrounds/RV parks in an area for up to months at a time. We have been surprised by a few of these over the years. In those cases, government parks that had short stay limits were usually available for overnights during the week. Most of the times we have had to have repairs done on the road, mobile repair companies have been able to do the work and the campgrounds have been able to extend our stay when needed. The one time our Class C required a transmission replacement, the manufacturer paid for a motel stay.

Welcome to the Escapees Forum!!! As was pointed out in another current post, RVing is becoming much more popular. Demand for camping sites is increasing faster than the development of new campgrounds. Here are some resources for locating free or low cost campgrounds: Harvest Hosts, Free Campsites, Ultimate Public Campgrounds Project, Boondockers Welcome, and Escapees Days End. Land managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the National Forests and Grasslands offer opportunities for vehicle camping in other than designated campgrounds in many areas. The rules vary with each management unit so research is required. Some States allow camping on Wildlife Management areas, State Fishing Lakes, State Forests, Water Management Districts and Public Trust Lands (School Trust Lands). Again the rules for each area vary so research is required. Some highway visitor centers allow overnight stays (check the rules). Again, Welcome to the Escapees Forum!!!

I was not trying to compare them at all. I was trying to make the point that everything one takes camping does not have to fit in the trailer. Some things like fuel for a generator are in my thinking much safer to carry in the bed of a truck. This vehicle would provide the OP lots of cargo capacity both in space and weight even with 5 people on board when the capacity of the trailer and the tow vehicle are combined.

Most small trailers have a relatively low cargo carrying capacity as well as limited storage space. This is one reason that the larger SUV's and crew cab pickups with a cap over the bed are popular tow vehicles for families. They also provide the extra capacity to upsize the trailer later. A full size van can also make a good tow vehicle. A quick look at the Chevy/GM showed cargo capacity of over 4,000# and max trailer weight of 10,000# for some models. Even with a trailer that had a +3,000# cargo capacity, I carried items like the generator, generator fuel, BBQ (and propane), bicycles, table, chairs, screen house, tools, fishing gear, etc. in the bed of the pickup under a cap. A small boat rode on the roof racks on the cap. Plenty of room and cargo capacity to spare. Total cargo capacity of the trailer and truck was over 6,000#.

My bank has already posted a message on my account that the deposit is scheduled for 3/17. In my experience, most Treasury payments generally get deposited in advance of the scheduled date. I heard some media reports that the payments would start going out this weekend.

Welcome to the Escapees Forum!!! Are you fulltime? What type of RV are you interested in: a smaller 5th wheel, travel trailer or motorhome? By best do you mean quality of workmanship, construction or value for the dollar? More information will help folks give more specific answers. Again, Welcome to the Escapees Forum!!!

Welcome to the Escapees Forum!!! This calculator and this article on the relationship between tow vehicle wheelbase and trailer length may be of interest to you and help in selecting a trailer and tow vehicle. SUVs are often shorter wheelbase than pickups and thus more prone to trailer sway. Hybrid trailers and rear slide trailers offer more living space while keeping the length of the closed trailer shorter. The payload capacity of SUVs and half ton pickups is often the limiting factor in what they can tow. The maximum tow rating and payload is often calculated using a 150# driver, less than a full tank of gas and based on a trailer with a much smaller frontal area than a full height RV. Pop-up trailers and trailers like the TrailManor have less wind resistance. I suggest selecting a trailer first and then selecting an appropriate tow vehicle. Again, Welcome to the Escapees Forum!!!

Payload/cargo capacity is often where half ton pickups and SUVs fall short. 10-15% tongue weight for a 7000# trailer would be 700-1050#. That leaves between 565-915# for other cargo. The payload capacity is often calculated with a 150# driver and less than a full tank of fuel. Additional gasoline at about 6.3#/gallon, the weight of the driver in excess of 150#, the weight of any passengers, the weight of any additional cargo in the truck plus the tongue weight of the trailer should be less then the cargo/payload capacity of the truck. One of the reasons that tow vehicles often perform at less than expectations when towing travel trailers and 5th wheels is that the max towing weight is often calculated using trailers with substantially smaller frontal areas (i.e. less air resistance) such as horse trailers, boats and flatbeds. This information, if provided, is often buried in the fine print of a footnote in the specifications.

Welcome to the Escapees Forum!! The last pieces of information that you need are the cargo carrying capacity of the truck, its rear axle ratings, and the weight of all the cargo that the truck will carry. The cargo weight will include all passengers (except the driver), fuel in addition to whatever amount is included in the curb weight (often less than a full tank), and everything else you will carry in the truck plus the tongue weight of the trailer. The recommended tongue weight (10-15%) for a 6400# trailer would be 640-960#. This calculator may help. You can also read about the relationship between tow vehicle wheelbase and trailer length here. Again, Welcome to the Escapees Forum!!!

If you can stream on your phones with no throttling, there are ways to get that picture to a TV and only use on device data. I think these are explained on the RV mobile internet website already mentioned. In my experience, a wire connection from the phone to the TV is the most reliable. It is my understanding that iphones and ipads have this capability. Some phones do not. There are a number of free streaming services like Pluto, Crackle, Filmrise, Locast, etc. Some subscription services like Prime will let you log in on any device.

The Ultimate Campground Project gives the location and other information for thousands of public campgrounds including the COE campgrounds. You can download the data several times a year for a low fee. The USCAmpgrounds website includes COE parks and lets you download data by region. Both can be downloaded in a format readable in an XL spreadsheet and include GPS data.

Valley of Fires State Park is not far North of Las Vegas. In the Flagstaff Area are Sunset Crater National Monument, Wupatki National Monument, and Walnut Canyon National Monument. In the Sedona/Cottonwood/Camp Verde area are Montezuma Castle and Montezuma Well National Monuments, Tuzigoot National Monument, Palatki and Honaki Ruins, the V-Bar-V Heritage Site, Verde Canyon Railroad, Fort Verde State Park, Cathedral Rock, the Gold King Mine, Jerome State Historic Park, the town of Jerome, the town of Sedona, and Schnebly Hill Road and other scenic byways.

I have noticed that our two Toshiba laptops will at times wake up and restart. I don't remember where, but I recall reading that the newer versions/updates of Windows 10 do not really completely shutdown the computer when just using the shutdown in the power popup at the bottom left of the screen. That article said that to completely shutdown, hold the shift key then click on shutdown and hold the shift key until the screen goes black. Seems to work.