How would you arrange your "love it or hate it" voyage?

[FL-JOE]

Of course this little "experiment", or test run to get your feet wet will pretty much be wasted if you don't buy an RV almost exactly like the one you rent.  Different style toilets, different size holding tanks, different size battery banks, different inverters, RV frig or residential frig, the list of differences goes on and on.  Heck, depending on what type of slides and leveling system you could have the whole set up could be different.  

When we changed over from our 37' gas coach to our current coach it took us several month of full time traveling to get completely comfortable and familiar with everything, including camp setup and breakdown.

[fpmtngal]

1 hour ago, Bigthinkers said:

Well, I guess we're doing it because we WANT to! Seems like as good a reason as any.

Sounds like the best reason of all!

Have a great time, and I think your idea of moving to a second campground halfway through the week is a good idea, too (as well as not using and then using hookups).  From what you posted, that’s what your primary purpose for the trip is anyway. A week isn’t long enough to experience the whole gamut of RV experiences possible, so you’ve done what you can - prioritize just what goals are your top priority and then figure out how to accomplish them.

Unless you just have an itch to boondock somewhere for a night, I’d probably not bother. I don’t know that it would teach you anything you would not have already learned by dry camping. While I love boondocking out on BLM land, staying in a parking lot or truck stop somewhere isn’t my idea of fun. I’ve done it a few times and will most likely do it again if that’s how things work out, but it isn’t my first choice. 

[2gypsies]

Keep in mind that when folks refer to different types of camping without hookups, this may mean what they're talking about.

Boondocking - out in the boonies; national forest lands or BLM lands

Dry Camping - no hookups in an established campground; typically a national park, national forest campground but can also be in a state park, Corp of Engineers campground, county or city park and other public campgrounds.

Pavement parking - such as WalMart, rest areas, etc.

[sandsys]

4 hours ago, FL-JOE said:

Of course this little "experiment", or test run to get your feet wet will pretty much be wasted if you don't buy an RV almost exactly like the one you rent.  Different style toilets, different size holding tanks, different size battery banks, different inverters, RV frig or residential frig, the list of differences goes on and on.  Heck, depending on what type of slides and leveling system you could have the whole set up could be different.  

I think this is nonsense. Why would it matter if your toilet has a center flush pedal or a right side flush pedal? Or was a short one mounted on a riser or a tall one that didn't need a riser?

Why wouldn't using a 10 gallon tank rather than a 100 gallon tank tell you how long ten gallons lasts for you? You can extrapolate that for your new tank size when you buy.

I've never seen a rental RV with a residential fridge but I doubt you plan to put a residential one in a rig you plan to keep for only 2 years. You can also learn how big a fridge you prefer to have.

As to slides and leveling systems you can learn how important that extras space is to you and how important finding level sites is to you whatever system is used.

In short, you can learn a lot of general information from a rental that will help you choose your specifics when you buy. For instance, I learned that having counter space on both sides of the sink made washing dishes much easier when our rental didn't have that.

Linda

 

[MidMOTraveler]

Don’t know what size or type RV your thinking about. Suggest trying to rent the biggest one you might be considering for full time. Then drive it not just to and from the campgrounds. Get in city traffic, 2 lane and 4 lane and a little interstate with semi trucks passing you. 

Then don’t just book a pull through site get  a couple back in’s. You can practice set up and break down and dumping several times while in each campground, just fill your tanks with water and practice. 

Our first 5’er bought new last year is almost 40’ and it is a learning experience! 

[sandsys]

Just now, MidMOTraveler said:

Then don’t just book a pull through site get  a couple back in’s.

Again, there's nothing that says you can't practice backing into a pull-though site when you are not feeling as stressed as when you just arrived. Thinking outside the box is a good thing to learn if you want to go fulltime. It's all about freedom to do what's right for you.

Linda

[2gypsies]

Backing into a pull-through spot doesn't always work because of angles and one-way roads.

[sandsys]

2 hours ago, 2gypsies said:

Backing into a pull-through spot doesn't always work because of angles and one-way roads.

I don't understand. It seems to me if you can pull out of a site in which you are already camped, you can back in to it as well. You don't have to go all the way around the block. Just pull out until you are straight then back in. Not during rush hour when everyone is arriving or leaving, of course, but when it's quiet I don't see why anyone would have a problem with you doing this.

I guess I see things differently than most people do. I once changed the direction of a hobby because I didn't do things the way everyone else had been doing it for years and others saw value in my way.

Linda

Edited June 19, 2019 by sandsys

[FL-JOE]

20 hours ago, sandsys said:

I think this is nonsense. Why would it matter if your toilet has a center flush pedal or a right side flush pedal? Or was a short one mounted on a riser or a tall one that didn't need a riser?

Why wouldn't using a 10 gallon tank rather than a 100 gallon tank tell you how long ten gallons lasts for you? You can extrapolate that for your new tank size when you buy.

I've never seen a rental RV with a residential fridge but I doubt you plan to put a residential one in a rig you plan to keep for only 2 years. You can also learn how big a fridge you prefer to have.

As to slides and leveling systems you can learn how important that extras space is to you and how important finding level sites is to you whatever system is used.

In short, you can learn a lot of general information from a rental that will help you choose your specifics when you buy. For instance, I learned that having counter space on both sides of the sink made washing dishes much easier when our rental didn't have that.

Linda

 

Of course it wouldn't matter if the toilet was a center flush or right side flush.  In your past limited experience you probably are not aware that currently macerator toilets are becoming more common and they have at least two water settings.  Using a macerator toilet on a high setting will fill a black tank pretty fast compared to a regular RV toilet.  

About 75% of the tank gauges out there don't work or are not accurate.  How are they honestly going to gauge how much they put in a holding tank over a 5 or 7 day period in a rental?  

I wasn't bringing up residential frig vs RV frig due to the size difference.  You must be aware that a residential frig is ALL ELECTRIC and therefore would use more energy with not hooked up.  So they rent an RV with a propane frig and it lasts for 4 days when not hooked up, then the RV they buy has a residential frig and it only last 2 days because of a small battery bank.

My reference to slides and the leveling system was not about space or site selection.  The rental RV will probably have old fashion auto leveling.  They may need to level the rig and then activate a slide or two.  If they purchase from a different manufacturer and something made within the last few years they may very well have to deploy the slides first and then level.  Things can be different with different systems if my point.

Seeing how long you can "stay off the grid" will be a short term experiment in most rental RVs due to their smaller house battery banks.  About the only thing they will learn is that whatever they buy will need at least four if not eight 6-volt batteries.

I still think it is a good idea for them to rent an RV.  It will be a good experience.  However, much of the "knowledge" they are expecting to come away with probably will not apply unless they purchase something similar to the one rented in the first place.

[JimK]

One of the things Escapes specializes in is training for RVers.  I have never been but understand this can be extremely helpful.  It would probably cost less to fly and attend a 3 day boot camp and I am sure your would learn much more.

[TherapyBound]

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Edited August 9, 2021 by Bigthinkers

[sandsys]

2 hours ago, Bigthinkers said:

We've narrowed down our list of motorhomes we like best and will probably buy to just 2, so we do know what will be different in a rental and what will be similar as compared to our favorites, and we also like the idea of discovering things like how the counter space in a rental will be as compared to the size we'll have in the models we like (as sandsys mentioned), a feel for shower size, etc. We're not talking rocket science here; just very mundane, every-day things that you don't know until you're in it.

I love how sure you are of what you intend this rental to be for you. I am just as sure that this will work well for you.

Linda

[TherapyBound]

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Edited August 9, 2021 by Bigthinkers

[Kirk W]

1 hour ago, Bigthinkers said:

How you deal with that eventuality is a lesson I think will prove valuable.  I may have to insist on a pre-arranged conflict-negotiation agreement!

Some of the best advice that we received when we were just starting to go on the road was that we should set up our own way of communicating and always use the same terms in the same way and anytime the one driving doesn't understand, stop and discuss it. Using that advice we very soon developed our own communication system and never parked without one of us doing the directing. If a campground insisted on directing us in, Pam would go well back behind the employee and quietly speak to me via FRS radio so the director could feel that he was doing the directing. 

We developed patterns like always saying driver-side/passenger-side and never left or right. We learned to have the one directing stay so that he/she could see the driver in his mirror. If you can't see the director, stop. We also had a few hand signals. If the driver wished to speak to the director, he would stop. There were others but the important thing is to develop your system and stick with it. 

[2gypsies]

Backing in?

- Both get out & look over the site first & decide approach, if necessary - tree limbs above are important

- The driver doesn't move unless he/she can see the director in the mirror

- The director should alternate going to each side every so often to make sure things are going right

- Hand signals only. No telephone; no radio. The driver should have both hands on the wheel & not have to fiddle with devices.

It really does go smoothly when both knows what's expected of them.

[sandsys]

The best hand signals I learned:

Both arms high overhead means back up.

Both arms pointing forward means go forward.

Both arms pointing left means turn to drivers side.

Both arms pointing right mean turn to passenger side.

Arms crossed above head means STOP.

If the driver can't see the director STOP!

It's important to use your full arms as the driver can't see finger waves.

It's also helpful if the one best at geometry gives the signals.

And you MUST walk the site before giving directions because missing that tree on the left might mean hitting the picnic table on the right if you haven't already located both of them.

The driver must follow the directions even the they feel wrong or you WILL hit that picnic table you can't see.

If the driver really feels the directions are wrong simply stop moving until the director comes to ask you why.

Linda

 

[FL-JOE]

14 hours ago, Bigthinkers said:

Thank you, Linda. We're pretty clear about our intent, but real-world experience is invaluable, both from people who have lived it and, I'm guessing, from being IN an RV. And, I'm also guessing, it doesn't matter what size motorhome you have when one of you is backing in and the other is directing the backing in, and it all goes pear-shaped. How you deal with that eventuality is a lesson I think will prove valuable.  I may have to insist on a pre-arranged conflict-negotiation agreement!  

IMHO you need to establish a routine for getting into a site and setting up and do it the exact same every time.  The same goes for breaking camp and getting on the road.  You should each have your own chores and try to do them the same each time in the same order.  If you get into these type of routines you will be less likely to forget something important, like leaving the antenna raised, or leaving your furrbaby tied to the bumper, etc.

As far as maneuvering into a site you really have a couple choices.  You can use hand signals or you can use some type of electronic communication.

If you want to use hand signals like a couple posters have suggested that could work but there are a few things to keep in mind.  First of all using hand signals is only one-way communication, in other words the driver will have a hard time communicating back to the spotter.  The second issue is visibility.  What happens if you get held up on the road and get to your site after dark, or it is raining and impossible to see your spotter.  Now you are out of your routine and that is when bad things happen. 

Electronic devices, or voice communication is probably the easiest and most dependable.  If you have phones from a major carrier and they have been put in service within the past 7 or 8 years then you should be good to go with those.  If for some reason you are still using one of the last flip phones or maybe you don't have any mobile phones then read no further.

When we arrive at a site we both get out and look it over to decide where the RV will be parked.  I get back in the rig and we call each other on our phones.  I simply put mine on speaker and lay it down so my hands are free.  The DW holds hers up to her ear.  She simply talks me through it while staying in my mirror vision.  She knows it at any point I can't see her in my mirrors then I am going to stop backing or moving the coach.  We have been doing it this way for years.  No one ever has to raise their voices or start flapping their arms around like they are trying to fly away, it is just easypeazy. 

[TherapyBound]

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Edited August 9, 2021 by Bigthinkers

[sandsys]

We tried using walkie talkies but couldn't be heard over the DP noise.

Linda

[Kirk W]

We didn't like hand signals for several reasons. By using the FRS radios, the driver's just sat in easy reach and the mike was pretty much keyed by the director, unless the motorhome stopped moving, which indicated a question. By doing that, when a campground did insist on their person directing into parking (and that does happen at times) the one directing would just move well back behind the park employee and speak softly to either direct, or confirm the directions of the employee. I have twice known RV owners who damaged an RV from scraping the roof on a tree thanks to trusting the employee who was directing them. In neither case did the park take responsibility for the damage. Working in an RV park does not make one qualified to direct other RV operators. We now just use our cell phones. 

[2gypsies]

Another suggestion is to alternate tasks so you both know what to do if one is sick or injured.  That includes driving.  We always took turns on the daily drives.  We both knew how to dump the tanks and do the other connections.  We both knew how to do laundry, cook and wash dishes! 

[sandsys]

34 minutes ago, 2gypsies said:

Another suggestion is to alternate tasks so you both know what to do if one is sick or injured.  That includes driving.  We always took turns on the daily drives.  We both knew how to dump the tanks and do the other connections.  We both knew how to do laundry, cook and wash dishes! 

X2. Dave's mother had already taught him how to cook, sew, do laundry, etc. I took driving lessons so I would know how to handle the rig although I seldom drove it further than from a campsite to where we would hook up the car. Me knowing how to dump and fill became critical when Dave decided to stop traveling while I became a solo snowbird. Being confident in all jobs makes handling change much easier whether or not that change is because of an emergency. How would Dave have stayed home during the winters I was gone if he didn't already know how to cook and clean?

Linda

[TherapyBound]

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Edited August 9, 2021 by Bigthinkers

[Kirk W]

13 hours ago, Bigthinkers said:

We definitely see the value in knowing how to do all the chores (including driving),

While it is a popular theme here that everyone does everything, I have known many fulltimers who do not live in that way. Of those we know who only one of them drive the RV, at least 2 of them it is the woman who does all of the driving. We have always had "blue jobs and pink jobs" and that system has served us well for more than 50 years. As nice a theory as it is to have everyone share in every job, that has not been the case for many of us. I think that most couples who have been together for a long time just continue those same life patterns when on the road as fulltimers. You will be making enough major changes without completely modifying the life patterns that have served you up to now. As much as practical it is good for each one to be able to perform the usual activities of the other, but that is true in all lifestyles and while nice, it is far from critical. Many couples start with one doing all of the driving and once they have setteled into the lifestyle the non-driver takes one of the RV driving courses. Driving the RV is like pretty much everything in life, do whatever works best for you and ignore our advice when it does not fit. 

[TherapyBound]

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Edited August 9, 2021 by Bigthinkers