chirakawa

I'll answer the OP's question. YES.

I've bought two RV's sight unseen and both turned out to be great buys that I made money on when I sold. However, I think it depends on the amount of risk you're comfortable with. Both of my buys were relatively small investments, a truck camper and a small travel trailer. I was willing to take the chance and absorb the loss if it came to that. On one of them I actually asked a fellow forum member to go look at it and take some photos for me. It was in his neighborhood. He did, and I sent him a token sum in appreciation. It was understood that I would in no way hold him responsible for my decision. He was happy to do it. There's no way I would buy a $200,000 motorhome without going to see it first. The cost of an airline ticket is fairly cheap compared to how much loss you could take on a bad purchase. I guess common sense and good instincts helps a lot too. If something doesn't feel right, it probably isn't.

No, I was just giving a comparison between overnight and monthly rates. I could have said $50 and $900 or $70 and $1200. I wasn't restricting it to "large urban area". The fact is that they make more on overnight fees than monthly rates............if they can get them.

I'm not familiar with the area you are referring enough to know what kind of tourist, traveling RV traffic there is. I do know from experience of talking with RV Park owners/managers that they would much rather fill their park every night with $35 per day overnight guests than $500 per month "permanent" residents. But, if the traffic is not there, they will take a steady income over no income. I know in my area, if it weren't for the working RV'ers most of the RV Parks would dry up. This is just not a tourist/RV'er destination. There's enough passing through on IH10 to support maybe one RV Park, but no more. Condition of the park and of the RV's within it are the result of many factors, not just who's living there.

I agree Glenn. Here in Southeast Texas, with all the pipeline work, refinery construction, and structure repairs following hurricanes, there are hundreds of workers from out of town living in RV Parks. Twenty five years ago, there were just two RV Parks in this area of 250,000 population. Now, there are at least 30 parks and most are near full. Those construction workers are the same ones who used to rent a house, an apartment, live in hotels, etc. RV'ing is a whole lot better way of life for them. I've stayed in several of these parks for anywhere from a week to a couple of years and never had a single problem with the semi-permanent construction workers. Most of them are working two many hours to have time for causing problems. Now, these overnighters passing through on their way to and from the Valley, that's a different story. That's where I run into the ones who don't respect the rules, have their animals defecating everywhere without cleaning up after, walking across my site, parking on the grass, etc. etc.

In the old days, firefighters were taught that one of the first things to do if they encounter an RV fire or RV crash is shut off the propane tank valves. The danger was that one of the propane lines might become damaged and propane would spew out and be a hazard. Nowadays, with the new type valves, if a line breach occurs, the valve will immediately shut off the flow. So, I'm not so sure it's as important to have access to the valves as it once was. I don't know what the current law is on it. I have seen video of a propane tank BLEVE (boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion). It's impressive and much more of a statement than a gasoline or diesel fire. However, that situation is very unlikely in an RV.

Exactly.

That's correct. However, he said you could call 911 without a carrier. No way.

Now that would be a neat trick.

I would not get it inspected in the Austin area, they do emissions testing I think. If it were mine, I would carry documentation supporting my claim that I've been out of the country and drive the thing to Polk County to get it inspected and registered. Another option is to renew the registration from wherever you are and you don't have to get it inspected until you return. I'm not totally sure of the process, but several on this forum do it that way when out of State.

I just drove my unregistered vehicle to the inspection station, got it inspected, took it home and parked it, then drove to the tax office to renew my registration. Mine had expired a couple of years earlier. It might help to have documentary evidence that you were out of the country during the period in case you are stopped by a LEO. I had the RV Park receipt showing continuous site rental for three years. When you renew the expired registration, you will have to sign an affidavit saying that it had not been on the road during the expired period. They will understand that you had to drive it to get it inspected.

Every time this subject comes up, I get to asking myself the same questions. If it's possible to electronically tune our vehicles to where they get better mileage and more power than stock, why doesn't the manufacturer do it before it leaves the factory. After all, they are always under the gun to provide more power and efficiency. I always end up answering myself in the same way, because either the environment will suffer or the vehicle will sacrifice some durability..........or both. So, I end up not getting it done.

Are you using the Amcrest Surveillance Pro software. It looks like a pretty good package, turns your computer into an NVR also. Will it recognize other brand cameras. I've been using a Foscam for a few years, but the software is weak. I think maybe Foscam evolved into Amcrest. I've been considering adding a couple of Amcrest cameras for my front and back porches. Any particular model you'd recommend strictly for surveillance? Thanks.

If you're talking about bears and elk, probably right. However, I've never camped anywhere that wildlife didn't approach at night, especially if you've been eating outside. I guess it depends on what part of the country you're in. Coons, possums, rabbits, squirrels, birds, mice, snakes, etc. will always mooch a meal if you give them half a chance.

Can you view live from them or only when they record? Is there a program included to install on your computer where you could view them on a local network without accessing them through the internet? Thanks.

I agree. But in both cases people have to make a living. I just happen to think that your suggestion that someone who would accept a bonus to enlist in the military is somehow less patriotic is incorrect and insulting. I was drafted into the Army. There's no way I would have joined at that point in my life, I had other things to do. However, I worked just as hard, was just as dedicated, was just as Patriotic, and suffered just as many hardships and dangers as the guy next to me who enlisted. I've heard dozens of reasons for people joining the military over the years. I had a co-worker who joined the Marines in 1967 to avoid going to jail. He served two tours in Vietnam and was pretty screwed up over the experience. I wouldn't suggest anyone telling him to his face he wasn't a patriot. Lot's of folks have told me they joined to see the world. That's a recurring theme from Navy vets I've talked to. My brother joined so that he could go to college on the GI Bill. I certainly never would have questioned his patriotism. There are lot's of benefits of joining the military, financial and otherwise. I just don't think that someone is less patriotic because they chose to take advantage of one of those incentives.

And, did you work your entire career for the Postal Service out of a sense of patriotism..............or to feed your family? No reason why someone can't be both a patriot and want to make a living at the same time.

I think you mean you don't want to use up your internet bandwidth. You can have cameras connected wirelessly to a router totally independent of your internet service. Wifi is simply the wireless distribution of your local network, doesn't have to have anything to do with the internet for which you are paying some provider. There are lot's of IP cameras on the market which will connect to a router. Your computer simply has to be connected to the same router in order to view those cameras without involving the internet. In fact, you could have two routers, one for the internet and one for the cameras. With a second wifi adapter on your computer, you could connect to both of those routers at the same time. Here's the problem. If you're "off the grid", all of this wifi equipment needs power. I know Amazon has their own brand of wireless security cameras call Blink. I have no experience with them and don't know if they produce a quality enough picture to study wildlife or not. At least some of those Blink cameras run off of a battery which they claim lasts a couple of years. Here is an example Blink outdoor cameras I'm not recommending those Blink cameras as I have no experience with them. Also, they may be the type which has to go through their own website before you can view them. You'll need to study them before buying. They do offer a method of recording, but it will use your internet connection, which you didn't want.

I had to replace the spring cartridge on mine five times in three years. It is a simple operation, takes 10 minutes at the most. I bought mine from Amazon for half the price the RV supply place charged, kept one in reserve all the time. The spring always broke in my case.

Be sure and get at least one rooster also so as to make sure your neighbors don't oversleep.

And, the discussion on locks applies just as much when in storage as when in use.

You're a writer? Really?

In a brief stint hanging out at a dealership, while they were working on my trailer, I found out that every RV entry door on the lot could be opened with the same key. That was only if the door lock itself was the only one locked. The deadbolt locks were unique to each individual unit. Lesson there was to lock the deadbolt if I want to slow down a thief at the entry door.

It wouldn't be necessary if so many in the medical industry didn't abuse their prescription writing permissions. If the medical profession would police their own, we wouldn't have this discussion.

My advice would be to visit the local truck stop(s). They usually have a shop where they sell CB radios and equipment. I doubt they'll be much higher than Amazon. More importantly, they probably know where the local CB guru is who helps out all the truckers. It might be worth your while to have them install it for you. The shop clerk might even be knowledgeable about the subject also. I don't remember ever buying a CB radio which came with an antenna. Also, you'll need an swr meter to trim the antenna if the radio you choose doesn't have one built in.