kb0zke

The owner's manual should give you the proper answer. If not, call the factory's customer service number. I actually removed the one that came with our trailer for a time. We were installing an electrical upgrade, so many other things were replaced, too. I now have a true battery disconnect switch that is mounted very close to the batteries.

Bruce, you nailed it with your first paragraph. What works for you may not work for me, and what works for me may not work for you. The biggest problem I see with both of those trailers is that they are designed by EV engineers, not campers, and certainly not by full-timers. I didn't poke around on their websites much, but I didn't see much about weights, tank capacities, etc. How will these things perform on cloudy or rainy days? What about wooded campgrounds, like may State parks? Water usage varies quite a bit. We met some Airstreamers last year that say they go 7-10 days on a tank of water, but I noticed that they were making several trips each day to use the campground facilities. How long would their water last if they didn't use other water? Next week we're going to experiment some. Sunday afternoon I'm going to fill and dump, then we'll go as long as we can using as little water as we can while still using only our own water. That will tell us how long we can boondock.

"Physically 67, mentally 14." My mind says I'm 37. My back and knees beg to differ. Question: When you get old enough to know better?

COE is our first choice, followed by State parks and local parks. We'll go to a commercial park if that works best, but we check the others first.

When we hit the road in 2014, we had some things stored with family members, but everything else was with us in the Foretravel. Five years ago we got our lot here at The Ranch, so now we're here for the winter and can change out stuff as needed. We traveled for several years before deciding on getting a winter base. Most of the Escapees co-ops have waiting lists and require a visit prior to getting on the waiting list. There are also parks that have some lots with long-term lease arrangements, so be sure to check out the various options. We have a couple of lots coming up here due to current leaseholders moving to a fixed location close to doctors. That can be an issue for some, so as you look around be sure to keep that in mind if it applies to you.

There are lots of stories about pets that eventually return home, sometimes years later. Not sure I've heard any about pets that manage to find a home that moves around the country, though. Since your cat is chipped, I would think that any animal shelter/pound would check for that, and you would be notified that your pet is at a certain place. We worry about our cat, too, sometimes. She hasn't been outside by herself in over 10 years. The last time she was a kitten and there was a bunch of cold, wet, white stuff all over the ground and she didn't like it one little bit. When we had the Foretravel we just put her in her kennel when it was time to travel. Now, we have to put her in the kennel and carry it to the truck. When we come home she will often meet us at the door, and then scamper in the direction she thinks we will go. So far no attempts to go outside.

I retired in 2013 and we hit the road in 2014. I got "roped" into a job in Wyoming for two years, but other than that we've been full-timing since 2014. We started out in a 40' MH, and loved it except for the maintenance costs. In January 2023 we switched to a travel trailer of similar overall size. During that time I've had cataract surgery on both eyes and a detached retina on one eye. We've had a few deaths of family members and the births of four of our five grandchildren. Five years ago we got our lot here at The Ranch, so we have a home base for stuff we don't need to carry with us all the time. Of course, sometimes what we want is back here and we're there, so off to the store we go... Our original idea was to give full-timing a try for five years. Ten years later we're starting to talk about what exit plans might look like. In the meantime we're planning our travels. "Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape." "When we start planning God starts laughing."

We stayed in Liberal at the beginning of covid, so couldn't see the museum. A couple of weeks ago we stayed just up the road from Liberal in Dodge City. We didn't have time to see anything there, but there are quite a few things to see and do there. I think you could easily spend a week between Liberal and Dodge City. North Platte is also a lot of fun. Buffalo Bill's ranch is west of town. His wife didn't like the ranch because it was too far from town. North Platte is home to a huge railroad switching yard. You can go up the Golden Spike (fee involved) to watch the activity. Retired railroad employees are up there to explain what is going on. Near North Platte is Paxton, NE, home of Ole's. Good food (come hungry). We stayed at the I-80 campground on the east side of NP. Nothing fancy, but good people. Lots of other things to do in NP. Oh yes, you won't have any troubles leveling there. There is something like a 10" difference between the highest and lowest points in North Platte.

I use one all the time, even here at The Ranch, where each of the two water pipes on our lot has two faucets. The reason is that I have quick connect fittings on everything, so I screw the wye on and then everything else is quick connect.

Yes, he does. I watched quite a few of his videos before I bought my components.

Most of us have traveled enough to know that each State seems to have a unique way of paying for things. Some States charge for everything in a State Park, often with a higher rate for non-residents. Others seem to think that campers will spend money while in the area, which increases sales tax income, so they keep the prices fairly low. Since everything eventually comes out of the taxpayers' pockets anyway, it doesn't really make much difference how it is funded. Some ways just seem more painful than others. I'm not a New Mexico resident, so I don't have an official vote, but I do have a financial vote. If I think that staying at a KOA, for example, is the same price as the State Park and offers more of what I want, then I'll stay there. If I think the State Park is the better value, I'll stay there. Case in point: We have family in Lincoln, Nebraska. There are several State Parks within a few miles of Lincoln, and some of the family like to camp there. A few years ago we decided we would join them, so we made arrangements to be at neighboring campsites. Being Nebraska residents, they had the resident annual pass, so it didn't cost them anything to come into the park, just the camping fee. Since we are not Nebraska residents, and were there only for a short time, we had to buy a day pass for the motorhome and another one for the car, both at the higher non-resident rate. Then the camp fees were at a higher rate, too. Now, when we go to Lincoln, we stay at the Lancaster Event Center, which is more convenient and costs less. When we lived in Missouri, those same family members couldn't get over the fact that it didn't cost them anything to enter a Missouri State Park, and that they would pay the same for a campsite as a Missouri resident.

Earlier this year we installed a fairly robust solar system (three 365W panels, two 24V 200AH LiFePO4 batteries, and a MultiPlus II). We've "boondocked" a few times by simply turning the shore power off to see how things go. This morning we were going about our normal activities when I went out to fill and dump. When I opened the door to turn the handles and hook up the hose I noticed that there was no shore power. I flipped the breaker a couple of times, but no change. I told Jo Ann we were operating on batteries. A few minutes later I found out that the entire park was without electricity. Not more than a minute after that the power came back on. Part of the reason for our upgraded system was just for times like that, but I realized that there is something missing. Suppose this was in July and both air conditioners were going. I'm guessing that the main fuse on the low voltage side would blow because there would be too much current being drawn. I wonder if there is something that can be added to the system that would cut the power to one of the air conditioners and alert us to the fact that we suddenly are on batteries. When thunderstorms are predicted it will be nice to be able to unplug from shore power and stow the cord before the storm hits, but when that happens I can turn off one or both air conditioners. This was a complete surprise.

There are several Lambert's in MO. They don't take credit cards but do accept checks. Not cheap, but not too expensive, either. Good place to take a teenager. Branson is fun, but a bit expensive. You can stay at the Escapees Park in Hollister (Turkey Creek) and drive to the shows and activities in Branson easily. Lambert's is on the way to Springfield, home of Bass Pro. There are some COE parks, and Missouri State Parks don't charge extra for people from other States. $2 discount for senior citizen (65 and older), military, or disabled. Unfortunately, only one discount, even if you qualify for more. If you will be in the St. Louis area, Dr. Edmund A. Babler Memorial State Park is getting a big renovation now, and should be ready for everyone sometime in the summer. Sites 1-38 or so are going to be 50A FHU sites, and the angle will be adjusted on many of the pads to make it easier to back in. Sorry, still no pull-thrus. We've hosted there a couple of times. A few miles west of St. Louis is Graham Cave SP. We'll be hosting there in September and October, so probably will miss you. This is a small park, literally right next to the Interstate. Sites are small for modern rigs, but very quiet. Lots of hiking, but not much else. No loud parties.

We use a Breville toaster oven for toast, baking, whatever. The trailer's oven is a storage place. The unit we have is our third one. The first one worked great until it met the floor. Second one was showing signs of age at 10 years so we replaced it before it died.

Thanks for the updated explanation. There are differences between a "mobile home park" and an "RV park" that may not be apparent at first glance. Some of those differences have to do with taxes and may be State-specific. Be sure to ask lots of questions about those differences. If the person you are talking to doesn't know, find someone who does. The local tax assessor may or may not know the difference, either. I don't know about other Escapee co-ops, but here at The Ranch we aren't allowing new park models, tiny homes, etc. All vehicles must have current licenses and be roadworthy. Be sure to visit any co-ops you might consider, as each one has a unique "personality" and what fits us may not fit you. Also, some have lengthy waiting lists, while you may be able to get a lot at others quickly. I believe we have one lot available here, and I think more will be coming up soon. Several people here have larger fifth wheels that are more or less permanently parked on their lots and have a smaller RV for traveling. Others have given up traveling completely and would have to depend on someone else to move their rigs should that ever become necessary.

We had originally planned to go to Alaska this year, but circumstances dictated otherwise, so we're planning for next year. While talking with a long-time Escapee member who has been to Alaska several times, he mentioned that years ago groups of Escapees would put together their own caravans to various places. He mentioned several trips to various places with 6-30 rigs involved. According to him, that was the norm 20 years ago. To me, that seems the ideal way to go to Alaska - with a small group that is setting their own schedule. What do the rest of you think? Is this an idea that can return? Ideally, there should be one person/couple with experience or knowledge of those little, out-of-the-way places that ought not be missed. I'd be willing to be a contact person and researcher. If there is interest in learning more about how it was done back then I can ask my neighbor. He is at Happy Hour nearly every day.

More than 10 years ago we owned a Heartland mpg travel trailer. We attended the Heartland Rally in Indiana the summer of 2011. One of the big discussions was about the frame welds failing on fifth wheels. Lippert said that Heartland designs the frame and they just build what the print says to build. At that time there were several instances of fifth wheels going back to the factory to have the frame rebuilt because it wasn't done correctly. That same summer we toured the DRV factory and they made a point of showing us how much stronger their frames were compared to others. Don't remember whether they built their own at that time or whether they bought from someone else. That's why we like to take factory tours.

Just came across them recently. Anyone know anything about them? Anyone have one?

"The NPS says that it is from Natchez, MS to Nashville, TN? That's the part we traveled." That's what we did. A couple of years ago we did the part in TN. Last year we did the rest. Smaller RV's are fine on the Trace Parkway, but larger ones will have troubles. We found a campground near the Trace, then drove a certain distance north, visiting whatever we wanted to on the right, then turned around and did the same thing going back to the campground. The next day we went south a certain distance, seeing everything we wanted to on the right, then turned around and headed back to the campground, seeing whatever we wanted to see on the right. Then we drove farther down the road to another campground and repeated the process. Sometimes we stayed longer than what we needed for the Trace because there was other stuff in the area to see or do. One day we were getting the Parkway and saw a pair of semis pulled over. We found out later that they aren't permitted on the Parkway without a special permit. If they are caught they are escorted back to where they got onto the Parkway, ticketed for the distance they were on it illegally, and then allowed to drive the distance again - off the Parkway. All in all, a rather expensive way to "save" a few miles. Since there are places where the only access is from the Parkway, commercial trucks can get a permit if needed, but the idea is to keep most of them off of the Parkway. Also, the Parkway is a designated bicycle path, meaning that you can come around a curve and find a pack of bikes in your lane. They do not have to move over for you - you have to wait until it is safe to pass them.

Welcome. All of us started someplace and we all camp differently. What suits one person won't suit the next one. You are wise to begin asking questions. Don't be surprised if the answer to one question raises five more questions. That's how we learn. We started out with annual memberships in Passport America, and quickly went to a lifetime membership. We don't use them as much as some people, but when we do that discount is nice. We've saved far more than the membership cost each year we did the annual thing, and we've already paid for the lifetime membership, too. We also have a KOA membership. Sometimes they are pretty much the only place to stay. They aren't our first choice by any means, but we do use them. Cheap? No. Decent? Yes. COE parks are often good places, and are our first choice. If you are old enough to get a "geezer" pass you can get substantial discounts on the camping AND free admission to many Federal places. We winter about an hour from Carlsbad Cavern and our geezer pass gets us in for free. Second choice for us are State parks. They are NOT the same as Federal parks, so your geezer pass doesn't help. However, most offer senior citizen discounts anyway, as well as military discounts. Some States charge out-of-state campers extra fees, so be sure to check. The best hidden gems are the city and county campgrounds. Some of these are free for a night or two. Some are the State or County fairgrounds. For all of these government-run campgrounds, what you get varies. Some have FHU pull-thru sites, while others only have electricity. Again, check in advance.

Yes, we have considered upgrading the truck's system. That's what got us talking about an RV GPS. Upgrading the truck's system would cost around $200 or so and would have it updated to that point. A new road or an existing road that closed the next week wouldn't be in the system. Also, the truck's system is (I think) the same as what we had in the Lincoln MKT, so it doesn't consider towing a trailer. Kirk, thank you for your recommendation. We'll check it out.

Yes, we were in Site 620 at Benson. It was the only site in that row that had hookups. All of the rest were boondocking sites and each site going away from ours was somewhat shorter than the previous one. There was a building of some sort next to our site (maintenance, maybe?) and I think there was another FHU site on the other side of that building. Again, none of the other sites over there had hookups. Yes, I do know the difference between Rainbow Parks and Co-ops. We've stayed at both. I was simply reporting on what we experienced at each of the parks.

Reviving an old topic. We're looking to get a stand-alone GPS. As some mentioned, the navigation system that comes with new cars/trucks is good as of when it was installed, but over time new roads are built and existing roads are straightened, which sometimes leaves us "driving" off the road. The system doesn't quite know what to do with that. The phone navigation works well in a car, less so with a pickup, and a lot less well with an RV. What's the current thinking about a good GPS? We have a pickup towing a 40' travel trailer.

Recently we either visited or tried to visit three Escapees parks. We're full-timers with a winter base at The Ranch, the co-op in Lakewood, NM. We've been leaseholders for several years now. The first park we visited was Dream Catchers in Deming, NM. This is a pretty quiet park, with a mix of "permanent" residents and people who are passing through. Like other Escapees parks we've visited, they have Happy Hour on the schedule. We showed up at the appointed time and found we were the only ones who did. The manager said it is rare for anyone to come to Happy Hour there, or, for that matter, any of the social activities. Most people are only there for a night or two, on their way to somewhere else. Since the park is literally right at the exit from I-10, that's not surprising. There are some extra-long pull-through sites for those of us with longer rigs. The second park we visited was the SKP Saguaro Co-op in Benson, AZ. This is a large park with lots happening. We were there only for one night, and were assigned one of the two paved pull-through sites with full hookups. The other sites had no hookups. VERY different atmosphere from The Ranch. Lot prices are pretty high. The third park we wanted to visit was Rover's Roost, Casa Grande, AZ. Unfortunately, our trailer is 40' 9" long, so we are too long to visit there. This is also a co-op. We talked about visiting without the trailer, just to see what it was like, but our schedule didn't permit that. Maybe some other time.

To each his own. I've had eye doctors try to talk me into plastic lenses and contacts. I always say no to both. I have glass lenses with lined trifocals. Yes, I'm old-fashioned and stubborn. Glass lenses have worked just fine for me for 65 years, so why change now.