mptjelgin

If you love your trailer now, there is no reason to believe that you'll not love it just as much in a year or two. While I agree that trying to nail the "perfect" RV (whatever that means) the first time is unlikely, it doesn't mean that your first RV won't be just fine. We started with a used 26' travel trailer (while still working), moved up to a 30' fifth wheel two years later, using a great deal that we'd learned from the first trailer to make our selection. We part-timed in that fifth wheel for seven years, and then full-timed in it for almost two more. After those two years of full-timing we purchased our current 35' fifth wheel which we're still in seven years later. While each trailer was very different, each was fine for the period of time that we owned it, and at no time were we faced with "not getting it right". My point is that you've chosen a perfectly reasonable trailer, with a floor plan that you like. You should be able to get into most (but not all, neither can we!!) state and federal campgrounds, and you'll certainly have zero issue finding campgrounds in the RGV. Relax, enjoy yourself, and take it easy. It will all work out fine!!

Not even close...

There are places that will take a single volunteer. But I really hope that if you decide to volunteer it will be because you WANT to volunteer and are eager to offer your services. Volunteering primarily "for nothing more than a free place to park, power, other? " will likely not be satisfying to either yourself or the agency that you are volunteering for.

Valid points. In the past couple of years we've seen more volunteers who seem to do it primarily for the free site and who appear to have little interest in the volunteering aspect. This has been most obvious at a couple of state parks where volunteers are being allowed to stay year-round. This is not a positive trend in my opinion as these volunteers seem to do the bare minimum or not even that. But I suppose that is a park management issue, just as it would be with an under-performing employee. On the other side of the coin are volunteers who put in far more than the requested minimum number of hours simply because they enjoy what they are doing and see value in it. Most volunteers that we've worked with fall into this category. When I speak to Volunteer Coordinators they are certainly seeking out folks who enjoy and value volunteering over those who are simply looking for free lodging, but it is sometimes difficult to tell the difference until it is too late.

My wife and I have volunteered over 14,000 hours in the past 8 years. It has absolutely nothing to do with equivalent pay. Nothing. Nada. Zero. It seems that every time a volunteer topic comes up someone feels the need to point out the poor "pay". If you need an income then Walmart and McDonald's are definitely the way to go. But obviously that isn't the reason that folks volunteer. If you don't like to volunteer or don't think it is worth your time, great. Don't volunteer. But don't feel like you need to educate those of us who do on what the value of our time is. Because you don't get it...

We've had the same experience. DirecTV w/ DNS (East Coast only) for 8 years with no recertification. We get locals at our home base near San Antonio and have changed service address a couple of times. But in past years we've not asked for service address changes as we simply don't watch the locals.

Absolutely not. I have pulled our fifth wheel full time for eight years with a single rear wheel (SRW) F-350 pick-up. Much of that travel has been in the Rockies including most of the notable passes. Our fifth wheel is a well-constructed, full-time rated, 35' long trailer. I paid well under $50,000 for the truck in late 2009 and currently have 130,000 +/- miles on it. When the time comes to replace it I can get something equivalent for less than $50,000. Are there more expensive trucks out there? You bet. But they are not necessary for 99% of the fifth wheels on the road. This message board is well represented by the other 1% (long, very heavy fifth wheels) that do require an MDT or HDT to tow safely, as well as some passionate advocates for HDT trucks. But don't let that convince you that these trucks are necessary for the vast majority of applications. That being said, I've actually seen folks on this board recommend a DRW diesel as the minimum for safely towing a 30' travel trailer, so you'll find differing opinions... But even those trucks don't start at $100,000!

Having stayed in volunteer village at a NWR where everyone had lights under their RV's because of the local Woodrat (Pack Rat) population, I'll say that it wasn't all that bothersome. Lights on the ground beneath a trailer are not that noticeable. They are far less bothersome to me than the large "security lights" and awning lights that I'm seeing more and more of. I'm even noticing lights built into the front cap of some fifth wheels as accents. Why???

We have volunteered at some National Wildlife Refuges where we've been strongly encouraged to surround our RV's and vehicles with lights. The place looked like an airport at night, but we didn't get pack rats! I've never heard of flashing lights being recommended. We used white rope lights under the RV, and single bright "trouble lights" under the hood and chassis of the tow vehicle.

Of course we're allowed different opinions. But what often happens here is that experiences that may be 30+ years old are stated as current fact. You admit that you rarely stay in KOA Campgrounds and that your defining experience was back in the 70's. Yet in August 2017 you stated "Be careful as we have found that KOA tends to have a bunch of little extra charges once you arrive that push the rate up above what was quoted." Folks that have stayed at KOA's recently have indicated that is not the case. So does that change your opinion, or will it forever be set in stone??

I agree. That has been repeated so often on this forum that it must be true, right?? But we've stayed at about ten KOA's in the past couple of years and I've never been charged anything extra upon arrival.

I agree that paying for something like a KOA Value Card is simply a cost/benefit thing. If it saves you money, then get it. If not, it makes sense to let it go. Some years we've had one and used it. Years when I know we won't be travelling as much, or I know of specific parks along the way, we don't. We've stayed in some very nice KOA's that were competitive with other parks in the area, so the idea that they are always more expensive or run down isn't accurate in our case. We've never seen the kind of add-ons that others have mentioned.

After decades of using analog dial and stick type gauges, I decided to give a digital gauge a try. I needed a high pressure model because of my 110 psi trailer tires, so I chose the "5-150 PSI ACCUTIRE Digital TIRE Pressure Gauge LCD Display MS4021B". I purchased the gauge from Amazon, and paid $9.99 though I note the current price is $19.99 for some reason. I am still using it side-by-side with a round analog gauge and they track very well. It is compact and convenient to use. So far, so good.

I have no experience with your specific coach, but on our fifth wheel the return air for the furnace flows through openings in the toe space under the kitchen sink cabinet and down into the underbelly of the trailer to the furnace unit. For this reason the cabinet space beneath the sink tends to be closer to the temperature of the trailer underbelly than the inside of the trailer. So warmer in the summer, cooler in the winter. Yours may be set up in a similar manner.

We don't have a formal list, but these are the types of questions that we ask: With reference to the site itself: - 30 or 50 amp? 50 is nice, especially if we expect to run the heat pump and/or A/C extensively. That being said, our last three gigs have been on 30 amps... - Water at site, any issues? We've seen sites that had very high iron or other issues that made the water unpleasant or undrinkable. In South Texas the refuges provide RO purified water for drinking. Not that the tap water isn't potable, but it doesn't taste good. -Sewer at site? I am surprised at the number of volunteer sites that don't include sewer. Some folks don't mind using a tote tank or moving their RV to dump, but we won't volunteer at a site without sewer hookups. - Is there wi-fi provided? What is the availability of cellular and broadband carriers? We have both AT&TY and Verizon, so we ask specifically about those. Coverage maps help, but first-hand info is better. Some sites are so remote that there is no cellular or broadband available. Another deal-breaker for us. - Are there laundry facilities provided? How many washers/dryers? Not a deal-breaker for us, but a nice perk. - Is propane provided/reimbursed? Again, a nice perk, but rare in our experience. - Is the site in a public area, or "behind the gates"? Many places have separate private areas for volunteers, but some place you in areas that are accessible to the public, like beside parking lots or near trailheads. If you are a campground host you'll obviously be accessible to campers, but we prefer to be tucked away somewhere. I've looked into a couple of FWS gigs that utilize nearby state parks for their volunteer sites. In those cases you'll be right in the middle of the daily campers, and often not in a prime spot. With reference to the job: - What are the expected number of hours each week, and how are they distributed? We've worked 24 hour jobs that required 3 days a week, and 20 hour jobs that required 5. If you want big blocks of time off to explore, you'd be looking for the former. If you want fewer hours each day, the latter. - Basically, what does the job entail? We've had some wonderful experiences where they didn't have a clue what we'd be doing until we got there. But we've also arrived to volunteer jobs having received a detailed job description that lays everything out. We stay pretty flexible on this, but like to have at least some idea of the job. For instance, we don't like Visitor Center work, so if that is clearly the job, we pass. For many folks the big issue is toilet/bathroom cleaning. Some won't do it no matter what, and if you fall into that category you'd better ask, and then ask again. We don't mind it as part of our duties, but won't accept a job that is primarily custodial. - How big is the volunteer program and how are the volunteers assigned/distributed tasks? For us, we prefer smaller programs or programs where we work on jobs independently. Many volunteers love a big social setting and working with others on teams. So knowing how large the program is, but more importantly how work is assigned is a plus for us. We've worked three different sites with 20+ volunteer couples, but we had specific assignments that allowed us to work independently so they were fine. This comes down to your personal preferences, and you may not know what you like until you get started!! Overall, we work mostly off of the impression we get from the volunteer coordinator we speak to, and in some cases word of mouth from other volunteers. When we were starting out we frankly didn't know what to ask, and things turned out fine. As time goes on we've identified what we prefer to do, and more importantly what we don't care to do, so that has helped us going forward. Good luck, and enjoy!

Fish and Wildlife Service Many of their postings can be found on Volunteer.gov

We have been several places and worked with a single volunteer. Typically they have been larger programs where perhaps the odds just favor finding a single in among the couples. Some places require additional hours from the single, the most common I've seen is USFWS sites requiring 32 hours/week from a single vs. 24 hours/week from each member of a couple. And we know two couples where the husband volunteers and works the necessary hours but the wife does no volunteer hours. We've run across sites now that ask a total number of hours for a site, without caring how the hours are accomplished. And we have been to places where the requirement is 24 hours per person, whether the site is occupied by a single or a couple. I just looked at Volunteer.Gov under FWS listings and scanned the first 5 entries for resident RV volunteers. All of them listed provisions for a single, or at least didn't require a couple. Some ask for the 32 hours, others 24.

Happy to help!!

Can you just leave the A/C on the current thermostat and shift the furnace over to a new programmable thermostat. As far as I know nothing says that your furnace has to be on the same thermostat as you A/C. In fact, on our Hitchhiker the A/C - Heat Pump is on one thermostat, and our two-speed furnace is on another.

Tons of discussion on this here: http://www.rvnetwork.com/index.php?showtopic=108937

I worked in Texas State Government for 30 years. My experience is that most of the real work gets done in committee and (more importantly) by the agency that actually writes the rules implementing the legislation. Once legislation is passed the senators and representatives pay little attention to it, unless it is an extremely high-profile topic. So we've heard that both the Chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee( Senator Nichols) and the Director of the agency implementing the law (Whitney Brewster) have publicly stated in a committee meeting that residents will be allowed to register their vehicle without returning to the state. And Polk County has confirmed that they are aware of the process for doing so and will make that process available. Short of the entire legislature coming into emergency session to re-write the legislation (zero chance of that) it seems like things are on about as good a track as we ever could have hoped for. Is there still a chance that something might not work out? You bet. But it looks to me like we are about 95% of the way there.

Sorry. I should have said hundreds of posts in this thread... and only two folks bother to comment in this thread. I will be more precise next time.

Goodness! Hundreds of posts about what a disaster this was going to be, and when a favorable outcome is announced only two folks even bother to comment. Interesting...

Outstanding Job!! Just another great reason to be an SKP!!

I worked for a Texas agency that had an entire office (30+ folks) devoted to tracking and evaluating legislation during each Texas legislative session. It was a daunting task and things slipped through. I wouldn't beat up the SKP's staff too badly for not getting in front of this one. All we can ask at this point is that reasonable efforts be made to accommodate full-time RV'ers and it sounds like that is being pursued.