Motorhome!

[xyz]

Wow Sarah, Sounds like you covered some miles ! We brought our RV back north from South Carolina about a month ago and since then did a trip to Maine (Freeport) and another to Vermont (Brattleboro) Trying to decide where to go next... Thinking Fredricksburg VA would be fun, we went there a few years ago and it was a really nice place.

 

[NW-Bound]

My planned summer trip for this year was cut short due to a medical emergency at home. I had to cover the 1,600-mi leg home in the shortest amount of time. Driving in high wind conditions through Utah, Idaho, Montana, and Alberta really wore me down. The mod/add-on I made to improve the RV handling definitely helped, else I would not be able to do 600+mi in a day in what was called gale-force cross wind. Still, I am going to do one more thing, and am waiting for the ordered part to arrive.

Anyway, levelers that fail to retract are fairly common. Same with slides. My entry-level RV has neither. Has not caused me any real trouble yet (knock on wood).

PS. RV'ers locking themselves out is common. I shuddered when thinking about that happening in the boondocks, should I lose the keys while hiking. So, the first thing I did was to find a hiding place for a door key. Once I gain entry, I will have access to a set of spare keys hidden inside.

Have not needed that emergency key yet, but then I am a worry-wart.

 

[SarahW]

I have to say, locking ourselves out was a panic situation. Luckily, many motorhomes have the exact same keys/locks, and we have two roadside assistance companies. We also decided that having a single door for entry/exit is a definite DISADVANTAGE to owning a Class A. Those lucky Class C drivers have THREE doors!!!

 

[SarahW]

Wow Sarah, Sounds like you covered some miles ! We brought our RV back north from South Carolina about a month ago and since then did a trip to Maine (Freeport) and another to Vermont (Brattleboro) Trying to decide where to go next... Thinking Fredricksburg VA would be fun, we went there a few years ago and it was a really nice place.

We are cooling our heels for a while, waiting till the fall for anymore long trips. We will do a few weekend jaunts to exercise the generator, but it's too dang hot for travel in the south. Wish we could get to Maine!

 

[NW-Bound]

Wow! One key fits all MHs? Meaning you can walk around the campground until you see one of the same brand as yours, and ask to borrow their keys?

Anyway, in the worst case, when it comes to having to break a window to get in (I am still thinking about being locked out while in the wilderness), a big class A gives you more choices of ingress.

 

[REWahoo]

Still, I am going to do one more thing, and am waiting for the ordered part to arrive.

What, an oversized set of training wheels?

Driving an RV for an extended distance in strong crosswinds, especially if it has a relatively short wheelbase, is more than tiring - it's exhausting. Your trip home must have been quite an experience.

 

[NW-Bound]

What? Where can I buy those? Anything that helps. Links please!

Anyway, after I install that new gizmo I will post some photos.

And then drive test results, but a new trip may have to wait until later in fall.

 

[FIREd]

Driving an RV for an extended distance in strong crosswinds, especially if it has a relatively short wheelbase, is more than tiring - it's exhausting. Your trip home must have been quite an experience.

When we relocated to the west coast, I wanted to drive across the country in an RV. Thought it would be fun! After experiencing some wicked cross winds from Wyoming to Nevada, I was glad DW vetoed the idea. Driving a relatively low profile car in those conditions was already tiring enough. Semi trucks and RVs were getting blown all over the road.

 

[seraphim]

Ok - since our last thread post we sold the Falcon, bought a one ton dually crew cab with a deisel engine, and a brand new truck camper. We call it the Panserbjorn: an armored bear. It just looks that way...


The Armored Bear by jglennhart, on Flickr


Oh yeah ... And DW retired *grin*

 

[NW-Bound]

All right!

I have been inside one camper truck like yours. People do not know how comfy they are.

In my last trip, at a stop, I saw a lady exiting out of a camper like that from the rear door..

I was afraid she might fall, because she was a little woman. I kept waiting to see her husband, or another companion coming out. Nope! She went to the front, got in and drove away. Wow! I was impressed. A solo traveler. My wife would never do that.

 

[NW-Bound]

Talk about hiding a back-up key somewhere in the RV to prevent self-lockout, I just now remember this encounter.

We have crossed the border many times, but this was the first time in a MH, and of course a MH has many nooks and crannies where "stuff' might be hidden.

When we crossed from the US to Canada, the Canadian custom did not give us much problem. I knew we were not supposed to bring in more than a certain amount of booze. Surely, they asked us about that, and of course any weapon, and that was pretty much it.

Coming back into the US, the US custom spent more time than when we were re-entering the US in a car. Mainly, they asked a lot of questions just to see our reactions. Following is part of the conversation that took place.

US Custom: "What did you buy or bring back from Canada?"
Me: "We still have some meat packages, and some fruits."
US Custom: "How about marijuana?"
Me laughing: "No, no marijuana!".

US Custom: "So, is this your own RV?"
Me: "Yes."
US Custom: "How long have you had it? How many trips?"
Me: "A little more than 3 years. This is my 3rd annual summer trip."
US Custom: "Any modifications?"
Me: "Oh yes, I added solar panel, extra batteries, charging systems..."
US Custom: "How about secret compartments?"
I bursted out laughing...​

They did climb on board to look into the frig and took some lemons we still had left. Said it did not matter if we bought in the States and were bringing them back. Citrus not allowed regardless of source. Some other fruits OK if had stickers showing origin. Rules change from time to time, according to who-knows-what.

 

[seraphim]

A solo traveler. My wife would never do that.

I'm acquainted with several women solo travellers - most of then 'van dwellers'. Some took off in their older years, a couple out of college. Interesting people.

 

[Sarah in SC]

Getting our old Airstream Argosy (1976) ready for her annual trip to the mountains and our favorite music festival at the end of the month.

Repairs/upgrades for this summer are replacing all four rear tires and repair of blown water line to shower. Probably find a few more things to fix once we take a test drive, since we've only done one overnight so far this year in the motorhome.

 

[Cessna5354]

We own a MCI 5C bus conversion MH. Scheduled for a trip to Charlestown, SC in Nov.
Sarah, I love the Arogsy 24 & 28 footers. Great designs.

 

[Sarah in SC]

We own a MCI 5C bus conversion MH. Scheduled for a trip to Charlestown, SC in Nov.
Sarah, I love the Arogsy 24 & 28 footers. Great designs.

Cessna please give us a shout when you come to town! And, um, awkward, but we are Charleston-not Charlestown which might be up North somewhere.

We have the motorhome, but have been inside a few of the Argosy trailers as well. All fun and yet still work! Or at least our old girl is!

Let me know by PM if I can help with any plans for your November trip to the Holy City. Always glad to help!

 

[Cessna5354]

Whooops !!! Charleston, That is what I meant !!

I was refering to the Argosy MH's and not trailers. Great utilization of space, desirable layout, rear bath, Izusu diesel powered in 1980 IIRC.

I will be down for a college basketball tournament, I believe it is location at the University.

Thanks for your offer for assistance !!

 

[Sarah in SC]

Oh, cool, Cessna-many folks mistake ours for the trailers when I say Argosy. I do like the layout, and our 76 has the honking 454 Chevy engine.

We bought it right after we'd been living on a 28 foot sailboat and it still seems enormous for lining space. Past upgrades included floor repairs and replacing the old carpet and lino with cork tiles, which turned out really well.

I'd love to see your bus conversion! I'm thinking the tournament would be at the College of Charleston, which is right downtown and walking distance to great restaurants and other amenities. Downtown is very compact, though, so not difficult to get around. Except your best bet for parking the bus will be one of the garages or at White Point Gardens at the very tip of the peninsula.

 

[SarahW]

Wow! One key fits all MHs? Meaning you can walk around the campground until you see one of the same brand as yours, and ask to borrow their keys?

Anyway, in the worst case, when it comes to having to break a window to get in (I am still thinking about being locked out while in the wilderness), a big class A gives you more choices of ingress.

Many door and storage compartment keys/locks are indeed the same.

And I hope you have a ladder if you plan to break into a Class A. They are TALL.

 

[SarahW]

Ok - since our last thread post we sold the Falcon, bought a one ton dually crew cab with a deisel engine, and a brand new truck camper. We call it the Panserbjorn: an armored bear. It just looks that way...


The Armored Bear by jglennhart, on Flickr


Oh yeah ... And DW retired *grin*

NICE!!! And congrats to your DW!

 

[Rambler]

Ok - since our last thread post we sold the Falcon, bought a one ton dually crew cab with a deisel engine, and a brand new truck camper. We call it the Panserbjorn: an armored bear. It just looks that way...


The Armored Bear by jglennhart, on Flickr


Oh yeah ... And DW retired *grin*

beautiful rig...love the pics

R

 

[NW-Bound]

Yes, the windows of a class A are high. Even the windows of my little class C would be difficult to get into.

Hence, I was imagining myself swinging from a nearby tree branch like Tarzan. I will have to practice the Tarzan yell.

Johnny Weismuller Tarzan Call - YouTube

And I hope you have a ladder if you plan to break into a Class A. They are TALL.

 

[Lakedog]

Spent the last couple of days on a short trip to see and test drive one of these: Tiger Adventure Vehicles: The Bengal Tiger Model

I have been looking at small RVs for a while and like the small size and 4WD capability of the Tiger. I enjoy hiking/camping/travel in somewhat remote areas, primarily national forests with either gravel or unimproved roads. The small size would also allow use and easy parking in urban areas. They are a bit pricey (over $100k with the options I would want), but seem to hold their value quite well. It is very difficult to locate a used recent model Bengal for sale. They are built to order and take almost 4 months for delivery since they usually have orders out that far. Since I am not getting any younger, maybe I should "just do it" while still in good enough physical condition to enjoy it?

 

[REWahoo]

Spent the last couple of days on a short trip to see and test drive one of these: Tiger Adventure Vehicles: The Bengal Tiger Model

Wow, $100k+ is a huge chunk of change for something so small, but then the truck chassis alone sells for $50k - closer to $60k for the diesel version.

I say if you think you can buy it without seriously damaging your future financial well-being, then do it. It's tough to go RVing once you are in the nursing home...

 

[NW-Bound]

I remember seeing the list price of some of the Chinook RVs at around $150K. I am sure that they were very well made. Some were also on a 4x4 chassis. The company is defunct, but the used RVs appear to stay hot and in demand.

For that price, I am just too cheap to pay, and will have to explore tough roads with the toad. Wife is also scared of sleeping in the real boondocks.

 

[Lakedog]

Wow, $100k+ is a huge chunk of change for something so small, but then the truck chassis alone sells for $50k - closer to $60k for the diesel version.

I say if you think you can buy it without seriously damaging your future financial well-being, then do it. It's tough to go RVing once you are in the nursing home...

While talking with Tiger Adventure Vehicles about ordering a new Bengal, they mentioned a 2011 Bengal that someone in Tucson wanted to sell. It was built less than a year ago and had just under 12,000 miles. The ask price was over $86k. I was able to make a deal for a lesser price, and he delivered it to me last Thursday. After a good cleaning, it looks like a new rig.

Coal (black lab) and I are planning to head out on a long western road trip in a few days. I've been busy ordering/buying stuff that I want to take along.