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GeoKat

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Posts posted by GeoKat

  1. On 1/14/2021 at 10:43 PM, agesilaus said:

    Now that we are FT we aim for 200 miles/day on travel days but might push it up to 300+ when we are transiting. However our hard travel story was the year we had reservations at Yosemite, like having gold bars. We got delayed by car troubles and when we finally got off, pulling a popup, we crossed from N.Florida to Yosemite in 4 1/2 days. In the car by 7AM and drive until 8 pm or so. Made Texas the first day,West Texas the second. Into New Mexico the third, Kingman AZ the forth and Yosemite the following afternoon. Had a good time in Yosemite.

    I really like hearing others do short travel days. I thought maybe it's just because I'm new to this but so far each planned stop is at most a 3hr drive. That way we can leave when it's light and get to the next spot before it's dark and still have time to check out our surroundings while we can still see.

  2. On 1/10/2021 at 7:38 PM, jtwilber said:

    My wife an are going to RV coast to coast this Summer. New England to Florida to California up and over.  I would to put together a group\channel with others that are doing the same thing so we can all share where we are and what we are doing and learning as we travel.  No rules, just RV, Coast to Coast (the big trip) and desire to share the journey.  So I'm looking for ideas about how to get others to join in and suggestions on best venue.  Thanks !

    I'll be doing something similar but I'll be up in Oregon in April and start my way across the top of the US over the summer until we end up in Maine in the early fall and then head south again for the winter. 

    Having bought my rig in Ohio last week we're currently heading south and then west to be in arizona by the last week of March. I'm picking up my college kid from her grandma and taking her back to college in Oregon.

    Honestly I think I'll purposely avoid the south during the summer. Boondocking and a/c don't go hand-in-hand.

  3. 21 hours ago, Kirk W said:

    Thanks for coming back to let us know how things are going. I think that if you make some effort to connect with other Escapee members, you will find that we are a very inclusive group. After many years of membership and involvement in the group, I think it is that variety of people and of RVs that I enjoy most. 

    Oh yeah I've been lucky. I've found two good forums so far. There are a lot of cool people in a similar boat.

  4. Well I made it. I'm on my 4th day of fulltiming in my new 5th wheel. Nothing went exactly as planned but everything turned out great in the end. Maybe better than I could have planned. 

    I ended up with a beast of a truck, '16 f350 turbo, crew cab, long bed, 4x with a 3.73 axle. Got to know it while driving to Ohio to pick up my 2021 Palomino Puma unleashed, toy hauler with a 13' garage that's now my 12yos new bedroom. She's loving it.

    I'm sitting in a koa while waiting for the solar panels and such to get set up for cheaper living but I'm definitely enjoying full hookups right now with this crazy cold weather. 

    I cooked our first real dinner last night. Mushroom chicken with broccoli and cheese. Got the ruko hooked up and definitely feeling at home unpacking the stuff we brought with after selling the farm. 

    My body is still getting up at 4am (farm chore time) which leaves me a lot of time in the morning before I get the kid up to research everything I could possibly want to know and getting to know the rig.

  5. On 12/21/2020 at 4:05 AM, Jinx & Wayne said:

    At the risk of opening a large can of worms, I would like to solicit opinions on an adequate truck for towing.

    When we first began RVing a few years ago both the RV dealer and truck salesman assured us that a diesel F-250 with a 50 gal auxiliary fuel tank was more than adequate for towing a fiver with a GVW of 16,830#, and a loaded pin weight of 3450#.  Apparently they based that on the listed towing capacity of that vehicle.  After researching truck payloads and axle capacities we decided on a F-350 dually diesel,bought that fiver, and have been happy with the choice.  We SmartWeigh every year and are careful to stay within limits.  As i look around at RV/truck combo ads and folks in the parks around me I see people towing with all sorts of trucks that appear to be too little truck for the job - they appear to be undertrucked.  This leaves me with several questions.

    Is this a real problem?  How common is undertrucking?  Is this primarily a safety issue or an equipment durability issue - is the likely bad result an accident or more repairs?  Do things like air bags remedy the problem?

    Although I feel I have enough truck I welcome input from those of you in MDT's and HDT's, as well.

    Just to stir the pot a bit more, my experience as a trial attorney tells me that a person towing with too little truck, and who is involved in a serious injury accident, may be looking at large civil liability (big lawsuit) and maybe criminal exposure.

    Thoughts?

    What's the axle ratio on the rig? The only way a 250 will work is if it's a 3.73 (and that's pushing it) or a 4.3. A 350 with a 3.73 axle ratio will work fine but a 4.3 is better.

  6. On 12/15/2020 at 11:25 AM, Randyretired said:

    I looked up your 5er and it is pretty big.  How are you planning to produce power while you are boon docking?  Will you use the RV furnace?   We now have a 39' Teton and it is setup for boondocking.  It has solar and I changed the AC to a mini split.  I pull it with an HDT that has both a 100 gallon fresh water and a 100 gallon black water tank.  Occasionally if needed I also carry two 50 gallon barrels of water.  

     

    Solar mostly. I'm still researching the ins and outs. I'm looking into small pellet stove because of energy efficiency and heating ability, I can even pipe heat under the rig for colder climates without much effort. I'll have a spare tank in the truck for mid boondocking runs. It'll be a learning curve. I'm used to tent camping, backpacking, cooking on a fire and wearing extra layers. I'm going to be spoiled with a house on wheels.

  7. On 12/13/2020 at 7:06 PM, Randyretired said:

    What RV are you planning on and where will you be staying.  There are a lot RVers here that can provide a lot of information.   I am sure they can answer many of your questions.   I have owned RV's for more than 50 years.  We spend many months every year in our RV.  Often we spend more time in our RV annually than our home.

    Xlr nitro 351. While I'm getting set up I'll hang out in Delaware then we will "practice" boondocking on our way to AZ for spring break, I promised the OSU student a ride home from the x-in-laws. Then make our way back to boot camp in Georgia. After that the plan is just to explore the US 14 days at a time (or whatever the limit is wherever we're at). 

  8. 2 hours ago, Randyretired said:

    Blue Mesa Reservoir is near Gunnison, Co.  It is a college town so a lot of the students were out fishing with everyone else.  We often took our kids.  The plumbing was built so that those two valves would drain everything so nothing could freeze.  I could drain it in about 2 minutes.  Most of our trips were weekends as we were still working and I didn't want to give up time each time we used it to winterize it.  We could drive to our destination and pop the top and our shelter was ready.  Put the top down and open the valves and we were ready to drive home.  Summer and winter.  Where do you camp?

    I camp in NW Oregon. West side of the Cascades, above Detroit and local, when I was in college I packed with horses in the northern Sierra's. I'm graduating from tent camping (house living) to full-time RV in Jan so there's going to be a lot to discover. 

  9. 3 minutes ago, Randyretired said:

    Years ago we took the box off of a box van and built a pop up camper.  We had it converted to 4 wheel drive.  We ice fished, hunted and snow mobiled with it.  It had all the amenities including hot water in the sink and shower.  We had a porta pot.  It was designed so that I could open 1 valve and drain the water lines and hot water tank.  Another valve emptied the water tank.  We used it several times a month both summer and winter.  More than once we encountered -30F while ice fishing at Blue Mesa Reservoir.   The heater kept it warmer than outside but on those nights water left in a glass would freeze but not cold enough to freeze the tanks and water pump.  Now days we have a 5th wheel and winter camping is done in AZ.

    Ice fishing is something I've only seen on Grumpy old men but would love to experience. 

    So by draining pipes you keep them from cracking? We drain hoses a lot on the farm during the winter. If you can't keep it above freezing then make sure it's drained. 

    Where is Blue Mesa?

  10. Just now, sandsys said:

    Not necessarily. Your tent doesn't have a sink where you might forget not to dump used water. :) 

    Deciding where you will put snowy outerwear when you remove it can be a challenge. In a tent you likely don't have a heater that will cause that snow to melt and drip.

    Linda Sand

    My 5th wheel has a garage with a half bath. Way better than my mudroom at home. Can't call it home without a couple of toys. 

    Honestly though it's going to be a weird adjustment to having an cabin on wheels. I might sleep in a tent just to feel normal. lol

  11. Give me your best snowy boondocking tips. Up until this year my kids and I tent camp in snowy conditions. We snowshoe for Xmas tree and just have some fun off the beaten path. How do I translate that to RVing? Where do you go, how do you winterize, etc.

    I keep reading about snowbirds but I'm not going rv to escape the winter just expanding our horizons. Rv has to be way easier than tent camping in the snow right? 

  12. I feel a dash cam could be a easily accessible positive. I have an app on my phone through my car insurance that gives me discounts for safe driving, shows if I use my phone while I'm driving and has accident detection. It's not a have to and I haven't been in an accident or had a ticket since I was 17 and still learning to drive but definitely gives me a little peace of mind and cheaper insurance.

     

  13. 40 minutes ago, Kirk W said:

    If new RVers tried to go out and buy every additional item that we on the forums consider to be important, the cost could be prohibitive to many.

    I agree with this statement and do not subscribe to that habit. The tools and insurances that fit my needs has nothing to do with what others find important or about collecting gadgets. Finding opinions and information that'll help solidify my choices is the whole purpose of forums like this. We all share common interests despite the fact that everyone rvs their own way. 

  14. 15 hours ago, Kirk W said:

    8 year old, 20' travel trailer next to a $2million motorcoach, the view from each will be exactly the same. 

    I don't think that's completely true. My closest neighbor has a suburbia type home. We both look over my farm, animals, barns, gardens and such. He sees dirt, manure and noisy turkeys (he resents me deeply for not developing my land to expand suburbia), I see dreams, memories and my children growing up half wild and free. 

    Perspective from a person who owns a luxury rv (my neighbor does) is seldom the same as someone who rvs on a smaller budget. 

     

  15. 15 hours ago, Jinx & Wayne said:

    If you have iPhone/Ipad, the AllStays Camp & RV app is useful.  It has clearances, parks, businesses that allow parking, campgrounds, dump stations, RV repair shops and more.

    Campendium is also useful.  It is available online and in apps.  No clearances but good campground/park/BLM info.

    For mountain grades I don't know of anything better than the Mountain Directory.  It is available in ebook, app, online and in print.  It is pricey, but not as pricey as a ride ending partway down a bad grade.

    I do have an iPad. I'll look up the app. Sounds like mountain directory is insurance. lol I hadn't thought of that. I haven't gone more than 150 miles from my home in 16yrs (pitfalls of farm life). I looking forward to brake assistance on my f350 diesel.

  16. 56 minutes ago, Kirk W said:

    I have an article on my site that was written about 20 years ago about what it costs most people to live in an RV that is as valid today as it ever was. It doesn't give any numbers but explains how to determine what you will spend. What Does it Cost?

    I appreciate that article. Mostly because like with all areas of life the bottom line is it cost whatever it is you want/have to put into it. What's a realistic budget for me has nothing to do with the person who might be living nextdoor or uptown.

  17. On 12/9/2020 at 9:59 AM, GlennWest said:

    Well as everyone hear knows the C virus has keep me mostly unemployed. So no funds for projects. Fairly much staying put. What this has shown me though is my wife doesn't fair well traveling. So she wants to stay put. I am not ready to retire just yet. So decided to put Teton on our property here in Huntsville. Now solar panels are fairly cheap now. 4K of panels new I can get for $2k. I would not put these on roof though. Put on a rack and adjust them for max sun. Could put batteries at panels also. Now I can do this or just hook up to power company. Power is at our property so this not large expense. Already have the batteries. I think I want to pick up an older MH to stay in for work. Hotels run 4-700 weekly. Don't get much for 400 either. Seen some decent older MH gas for 12-20k. Smaller units, no slides. And I would have something for my money spent also this way. 

    Where can you find 4k of panels for 2k. I'm very much a newbie, won't be in my rv until Jan, but plan on boondocking the majority of the time so anywhere I can save a couple grand just makes the transition so much easier. 

  18. On 12/9/2020 at 12:48 PM, GeorgiaHybrid said:

    Every vehicle we own has a dash cam. Not only for protection against fraud but also as an "expert witness" for others. I hope I never have to use it to protect me against an insurance fraud case but it is there if needed, just like the pistol on my hip, the fire extinguishers scattered here and there, and even the medical and life insurance I own. I hope I don't have to use them soon (especially the life insurance...) but I keep them "just in case"

    What do you use? Do you scan your video after each trip to make sure you don't miss anything? 

    I'm very much enjoying learning all the new skill sets I'm going to be using on my new adventure.

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