Show Notes for Episode #502 of The RV Podcast: What Real RVers Like and Dislike About their RVs
This week on the RV Podcast:
- What real RVers like and dislike about their RVs.
- An Alaska RV rental company has abruptly shut down after being accused of shady dealings involving security deposits, collecting taxes that were not due and forging customer signatures.
- And in Mike & Jen’s Storytime, we’ll share how we learned firsthand why every hiker in bear country should carry bear spray.
- All this plus the RV News of the Week and your questions coming up in Episode #502 of the RV Podcast
You can watch the video version from our RV Lifestyle YouTube Channel by clicking the player below.
If you prefer an audio-only podcast, you can hear us through your favorite podcast app or listen now through the player below.
We're back and still recovering from our RV Lifestyle rally, held last week in Shipshewana, Indiana, in the heart of Amish Country. We called our meetup the “Gather and Groove with the Temptations” because, on Thursday night, we all attended a concert by Motown's legendary Temptations.
It gets a little embarrassing that after every one of our meetups like last week, Jen and I tell ourselves, “This one was the best ever.” Jen is always predictable. She also always says, let's go back and do the same location next year.
But it was so great hanging out with our folks last week. We can't wait for the next one, in October, in Florida!
SOCIAL MEDIA BUZZ – Wendy Bowyer
Wendy Bowyer reports on the hot issues most talked about this past week on social media and our RV Lifestyle Community group.
In the RVLifestyle Community‘s Mods and DIY Tweaks Space, we asked what was the most efficient modification made in your RV to maximize space or utility and why.
Several people, including Brian, said adding SnapPads to the Fifth Wheel's landing legs was a huge plus. He no longer needed to place wood boards down under the legs while setting up and it was a huge time saver.
Traci said they turned their RV's mid-bunk room into an office by removing the bunk beds. Now it is easier to do work on the road which means they can go camping more.
And Mark removed the jackknife sofa and foundation and replaced it with a small sleeper sofa. Now they have double the sleeping space and the same amount of sitting space, He shared a picture of his new sofa and it looks great. There are many other interesting modifications shared in this post so I highly recommend checking it out.
Also in the RVLifestyle Community's Troubleshooting Space Alan and Cindy were out in Texas for a month and they picked up an ant problem The ants are the tiniest ants they have ever seen, and wondered if they group had any pest control suggestions.
Bud said those really tiny ones are sugar ants and the key is figuring out where they were getting in and where they were finding the sweetness, clean it all out, then spray.
To prevent the ants from coming in, Burt suggested they spray some “Sevin Dust ” around anything that touches the ground – landing gear, tires, steps, power cord, hoses, etc.
And many folks shared the name of the pest control products they have successfully used. Recommendations included Terro liquid ant baits, Advion Ant Gel and Zevo spray.
I hope one of those methods works!
Over in our RVLifestyle Facebook Group, Joy recently wrote that she was so frustrated with the energy it takes to prepare for long weekends.
She was exhausted by making meal lists, shopping for food, preparing it and loading the food into the rig. Then there are clothes, toiletries, cleaning the rig, getting paper products, so many details to a camping trip, Joy said it was taking so much time and energy, she needed some advice to make the whole camping prep less work because she was exhausted.
And boy, did she ever get some great suggestions – more than 800 of them!
Some common answers:
For food – many suggested Joy create an easy camping meal menu, and just have the same meals each weekend camping trip so she has the same grocery list and prep. She could even order the items she needs online, and just pull up to the grocery store and have it brought to her car.
Getting duplicates was also a common suggestion, be it bedding, towels, or even clothes. She would simply bring these camper items in to wash after a trip, then bring them back at her convenience and leave them there.
For kitchen items or toiletries, again, many suggested thrifting or hitting up sales to get duplicates.
For paper products, many use a bin system and write down items that needed to be restocked before the trip was over.
The bottom line was creating a system, getting duplicates where possible, and getting into a rhythm to create less work. Hopefully, the many, many ideas shared will help not just Joy but many other folks.
RV INTERVIEW OF THE WEEK
RVers have puzzling relationships with their RVs. Owning an RV can be a love/hate relationship.
At our recent RV Lifestyle gathering in Indiana, we surveyed a bunch of the attendees, asking what they liked and disliked about their RVs.
If you are shopping for a new RV, their answers may give you some ideas on what to look for… and what to stay away from.
Watch the video to see and hear their thoughts….
RV NEWS OF THE WEEK
Campers increasingly choose where to camp based on good Wi-Fi
How important is good Wi-Fi to you when choosing a campground?
An interesting story over the weekend from NBC News put its importance right behind water, sewer and electricity – calling it the fourth utility that increasingly campers demand.
It is so important that campgrounds invest in reliable Wi-Fi before good laundry facilities, dog walks, and pickleball courts.
About 40 percent of all campers make decisions on where to camp based on the reliability of the internet. That number increases to 65 percent for Gen Z and Millennials.
In our social media platforms we often hear complaints about slow and unreliable Wi-Fi because let's face it, campground Wi-Fi is notoriously bad.
About 29 percent of all campers do some work on the road, and those who don't still want to stream at the end of the day, and unwind in the same ways they are accustomed to unwinding at home.
Personally, I don't think you can depend on campground Wi-Fi yet – especially if you need it for work.
A few months back on the podcast interviewed some experts on what you can do to ensure the Wi-Fi is dependable for you that you can watch here. The interview starts about 15 minutes and 30 seconds in.
Tourists planning to rent an RV from Alaska Motor Home, Inc., this summer may be out their money and RV rental
Alaska Motor Home, Inc. is being sued by Alaska Attorney General Treg Taylor for stealing thousands and engaging in shady business practices.
The RV rental company is accused of charging patrons $2,500 damage deposits before RVs were picked up, charging consumers taxes that were not owed, and forging a customer’s signature on receipts to win a credit card chargeback dispute.
Since the lawsuit was announced, Alaska Motor Home has abruptly closed, making it unclear if they will honor contracts signed with RVers who have paid money and are counting on the RV this summer.
The state calls the whole thing unprecedented, with hundreds potentially affected.
The Alaskan Attorney General is trying to get the state's Superior Court to ban the company from liquidating assets and it is trying to force them to tell customers who paid their deposits that they won't have an RV.
This is happening at the start of the Alaska tourist season. This company has been in trouble before, and frankly the whole thing sounds like a mess.
We hope everyone who is counting on renting an RV from them will be able to get their money back and salvage their trip.
Most popular campground at Rocky Mountain National Park likely closed this summer and fall
Rocky Mountain National Park's popular Moraine Park Campground is expected to be closed this summer and fall.
Moraine Park is the largest and most popular campground in the park, but it has been closed for construction since May 2023.
The park is undergoing underground utility improvements to improve the water, wastewater, and electrical distribution so the campground can be used year-round. The campground's utilities have not been improved since it was built in the 1960s.
Construction also includes moving some campsites and installing some new ones.
The Rocky Mountain National Park is included in our Colorado Adventure Guide you can learn more about here.
Free entrance to national parks this Wednesday in celebration of Juneteenth
If your wanderings bring you anywhere near a national park this week, Wednesday is a free admission in celebration of Juneteenth.
Juneteenth is the nation's newest federal holiday, and it is set to remember the day in 1865 when news of emancipation reached enslaved people in Texas. While President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on Jan. 1, 1863, the news took two and a half years to reach Texas.
June 19th became a federal holiday in 2021, and this is the first year that the National Parks Service is offering free admission to celebrate.
There are now six free national park days each year. The next one will be Aug. 4.
To see a video we did on one of our favorite national parks – Glacier – click here.
RV QUESTIONS OF THE WEEK
QUESTION: We are headed to Canada this summer for a long RV trip. Our adult children are urging us to get travel insurance that covers medical expenses. Do you think we should? – Anne and Bill
ANSWER: Yes, we do. Whenever you leave the country, even for Canada, we suggest you purchase medical insurance. If you are hospitalized it just makes sense to us that you have your out of pocket medical expenses and, if necessary, the costs of a medical evacuation are covered.
It gives you peace of mind in the event of an emergency. There are many different plans available. Just search emergency travel medical insurance.
Jennifer and I are touring the Canadian Maritimes for about a month this summer with Fantasy RV Tours. Working with their suggested insurance provider, we found an excellent plan that cost us $436 for the two of us and provides emergency medical expense reimbursement of $100,000 each and a bunch of other benefits.
There are other plans and lots of options. Some plans cost as much as $1,500 for the two of us. But the one we chose worked best for us. So shop around, Anne and Bill, and we’re sure you can find something that works in your budget. But don't leave the country without the extra insurance. Your kids are right.
Storytime and Mike & Jen
Why every hiker in Bear Country should have bear spray
On a short hike that Jennifer and I led around Swift Current Lake, we came upon a bear stalking a female moose and her calf. The bear eventually moved off, but many of us were convinced the moose mama came close to us because she was seeking safety in numbers.
We did our best to give the animals space and move away but it seemed that as we moved the mother moose kept using us as a shield to protect her baby.
Later we learned from a ranger that there had been two calves but the bear had killed and eaten one of them just the day before.
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You can join each Space individually and only see what's being discussed in just that Space. Or you can see everything in the main Feed.
You can watch livestreams that are focused on one Space or another – like we recently did for Internet on the Road!
It's a calm, well-organized, friendly space to meet other RVers who might be traveling near you!
June 30, 2024at10:30 pm, Debra Carroll said:
I so appreciate the information you discuss.
Thanks 😊
July 03, 2024at3:49 pm, Team RV Lifestyle said:
Thanks for the note! Team RV lifestyle