kb0zke

We made the switch from CoachNet to Escapees. Haven't needed it yet and wouldn't mind if we never need it. One difference we've noted is that we haven't yet received any sort of membership card. We were able to print out a paper that had our membership number and the phone number to call, and those are the most important items. We keep that paper in the car because if the motor home breaks down the car will be attached, while the car could break down somewhere far away from the MH.

A hybrid, such as the first picture, would probably be a reasonable choice for weekend use. You can decide to stay home if the weather isn't likely to be cooperative. Hybrids and pop-ups are not fun to set up or take down in wind, rain, cold, or any combination thereof. Also, the bed is usually exposed to the elements during setup/takedown. My suggestion would be that you consider the trailer potty room as something to be used during the middle of the night or bad weather, when you don't want to trek to the campground shower house. You might also want to look at a rPod, such as this one: http://www.forestriverinc.com/product-details.aspx?LineID=173&Image=5054&ShowParent=1&ModelID=971#Main for another idea. Something to think about: can any of your children, either singly or together, figure out how to escape from the trailer? That's one disadvantage of a hybrid.

When we got the insurance on our Foretravel we were offered a really good deal on CoachNet, which we took. We've needed it several times, but that particular deal is no longer available. A couple of weeks ago I got the renewal notice and was going to renew, but the CFO said to wait a bit. Now that this has come along, I'm glad she's smarter than me. We'll do a comparison in the next couple of weeks and see what fits our needs. I have NO complaints about CoachNet. They once towed us 1/3 of the total distance of a particular trip because the first place they took us to decided that they couldn't (I think didn't want to) deal with the problem.

Welcome to the forum. I've never seen that before, but then we didn't really focus much on 5'ers. Were all of those from the same manufacturer? Or were they all from the same frame manufacturer? Someone who has a 5'er can tell you how the axles are mounted to the frames, and whether it is possible for an axle to slide easily. I would imagine that the repair would be fairly simple - take the tires off, loosen whatever is holding the axle in place, and slide it to the proper position, then tighten the holding device.

We've had white rope lights (warm) out for a couple of years now. Over time, sections would not work, so we finally replaced the entire set (five strings) this year when the Christmas stuff came out. We had some evidence of a mouse earlier this year, before we replaced the lights, but no taker for the peanut butter baited trap. Also no further evidence of mouse. I wonder if the mouse was out exploring when we left.

We're fortunate enough to have large tanks, so filling and dumping is done as needed. The proper hoses are brought out, hooked up, used, and put away. I have two Rhinoflex hoses in case I need more hose to get to the sewer connection, but usually use only one. When they are hooked together I often forget which one was which, so I'm sure that both hoses have been used more or less equally.

RVer4Life, you are looking at a wonderful opportunity for your family. This will take some thought and prayer as you find the best State for your new domicile. The easiest way to handle things is to cut all ties with your current State. As far as your current school district is concerned, all you need do is tell them that you are moving to a new State (whichever one you pick). They don't need to know, nor do they care, what you will be doing there. Probably the easiest way to avoid running afoul of any school regulations is to not stay in one place for more than a couple of weeks. If you move to a new location every 7-10 days there should be no problem. You should research the laws in every State you visit before you set foot in it. One caveat: NEVER tell anyone you are working, as that will trigger residency requirements. Those include, but are not limited to, vehicle registration, drivers licenses, home-school laws, etc. You are visiting the State. Enjoy the experience. We homeschooled our three children and wished we could have done so while seeing the country.