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RE: How did you start fulltiming?
I am the most reluctant full timer. I just moved to the driveway of the property where I was born. Then once a year we haul the camper to Florida. We used to reside in an apartment I'd built over the garage. Then one spring my DW said "Why not just stay in the camper this summer?" So now we're full timers. NOT full time travelers, just live in it full time.
The sun's up-gotta go to work. bye
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thecampingman
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05/07/12 04:48am |
Full-time RVing
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RE: Blowing out the lines
You'll have an easier time keeping your system clean if you only use chlorinated water to fill your tank instead of well water.
I have a well at home and even though softened it has a high iron content. it doesn't keep well at all. I just take enough water form home to get me to the first stop, then dump the well water and fill with chlorinated water.
After a few days well water gets to stinking to where you don't want to use it to flush the toilet! Not to mention bathing in it.
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thecampingman
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04/16/12 03:53am |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Fifth wheel hitched to truck
I never plug into shore power before unplugging from the truck....
Thanks for the tip. It's always just sort of happened for me that way in the past. But now I'll make a point of it. It makes a lot of sense.
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thecampingman
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04/08/12 04:39am |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Want to Try SW FL Next Year
OK, I'm sorry for what I said about Charolette County/Punta Gorda. It does have charm and is less crowded.
I guess I was posting from my personal perspective and what appeals to me. When I'm in Florida my primary means of transportation is either bicycle or kayak. Lee County/Ft. Myers is more compact.
That's why I keep telling people to come and see for themselves. There is so much to choose from.
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thecampingman
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04/07/12 04:06am |
Snowbirds
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RE: Want to Try SW FL Next Year
To me SW Florida means Lee County which is the Ft. Myers area. Charolette County to the north has little tourist infrastructure, and Collier County to the south is so expensive.
In Lee county traffic congestion can be a problem. It's like a force of nature like the wind & tides, ignore them at your own peril.
But once you leave Rt.41 you start wondering "Where did everybody go?" The parks, nature preserves & beaches aren't crowded except maybe for Ft. Myers Beach. And there are other beaches.
I've come to the conclusion that there is no "sweet spot" in Lee County. There's water everywhere. The kayak trail is 190 miles long!
You need to see for yourself what appeals to you. I met a woman who paddles her kayak off of the same beach on Pine Island every day. On the opposite side of the town I met a man who goes to the Six Mile Cypress Slew Nature Preserve every day. I like to do it all.
A sampling of Lee County
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thecampingman
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04/06/12 05:23am |
Snowbirds
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RE: Anyone Have a Residential Fridge in Their Fiver?
Samsung RF217ACBP french door bottom freezer 20 cu ft fits the hole the 14' Norcold left.
No back up power. The air temp will rise to the 60's for the fridge and the 20's for the freezer in a days driving, but the food stays cold. On our last trip the wisdom of no alternate power was put to the test when the truck broke down twice on I-75. I ran an extension cord to the fridge at a truck repair shop from their outdoor outlet.
RoyB; You're right about the smell. That's the one thing that's not repairable. The smell gets in the cabinet liner, the insulation and the door seals. It's ruined.
We do love the new fridge, but it vents out the back so I left a space behind the fridge and left the old fridge vents open so it vents to outdoor air. Probably wouldn't work in the desert, but it's OK for Ohio summers and Florida winters.
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thecampingman
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04/05/12 05:47am |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Want to Try SW FL Next Year
Red Coconut RV Park in Ft. Myers Beach has sites right on the Gulf of Mexico. They're so pricy they often have vacancies, plus after about a week of the wind & sand folks are ready to leave.
San Carlos RV Park on the causway to Ft. Myers Beach has several sites on the water with your own boat dock. It's located on the inland waters protected by the barrier islands and is right on the Lee County kayak trail. Good luck getting in there, most sites are snapped up for the season.
Perriwinkle on Sanibel Island is the most charming, with the Gulf or inland waters a short walk away. It's kind of isolated with the bridge to the island having a $6 toll. They don't allow pets because they have a little zoo.
The island town of Matlacha has a park on the water and a very nice community park right across the street. It's a very cute area full of arts & crafts shops. But the sites are pretty tight.
They all have their pros and cons. Probably too many to sort out before you see them. Why not check into one somewhere and start looking around? We get several like that at Fox Park. Some can't wait to get out of there for someplace better. Some like me stay there year after year because it's cheap and always has vacancies. Plus everything I want is accessable from there. Walking distance to one of the finest delis' in town, library, post office, Ace hardware. On a calm day I'll drive south and launch my kayak in the Gulf. If it's windy I head north and launch in one of the creeks or rivers. And the bicycle network is accessable from there. Some days I'll pedal all arount the town to the places I've mentioned. It's not that big and there's water everywhere.
Look at a map of Lee County. There's water everywhere. What kind of water do you want?
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thecampingman
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04/05/12 05:25am |
Snowbirds
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RE: length decision
A 36' fifth wheel will often have the same square footsge as a 40 footer. You're just getting a longer floorplan, not more space.
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thecampingman
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04/04/12 03:17am |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Are You Glad to be Home Again
We're in our 8th year of snowbirding between Ohio/Florida. "Home" is becoming where we park our 5er.
On our way back to Ohio this spring my DW recieves a call on her cell phone. "Are you home?" Without thinking she answers "Yes!" Then had to add, "But we're in Tennessee."
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thecampingman
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04/03/12 05:19am |
Snowbirds
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RE: What the difference in PVC rubber roof and EPDM rubber roof?
My vinyl roof's 7 years old and looks close to new.
Vinyl's resistant to petroleum based solvents that'll destroy a rubber roof. I think that's where the streaking from rubber roofs comes from. Out in the automotive world with truck exhaust etc. it degrades the rubber and it sluffs off causing streaks.
Vinyl more brittle & noisier than rubber? Maybe technically. But I don't think there's any significant advantage there.
They're both soft roofs installed over a soft backing and with ceiling insulation. I'd bet you couldn't hear any difference.
And vinyl brittle in cold weather? Yeah sure, I've heard of vinyl siding getting broken with snowballs. But how many hail storms have you seen with the temperature under 50? Just don't climb on your vinyl roof to shovel the snow off. It's slick enough when it's wet. You'd slide off for sure if there were snow on it.
I'll choose the known advantages over the nearly impreceptible advantages any day.
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thecampingman
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03/30/12 05:09am |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: new residential 23 cu ft refrigerator option in 2013 DRV
I just changed out my 14 cu ft Norcold for a 20 cu ft Samsung. The ad for the Samsung says it consumes as much electric as a light bulb. They didn't say what size light bulb. But referigerators are a lot more efficient than they used to be.
I didn't install any electrical back up for my fridge. In a days' driving the fridge air temp will get up to 65, and the freezer up to 23*. That's air temp while the food stays colder. I wouldn't want it to go 24 hours at that temp.
We like the new fridge about a hundred times better. It's a French-door bottom freezer with ice maker in the freezer. The food's more accessable, freezer's bigger, lighting's better, glass shelves. And I don't know how they measure the cubic footage, but the new fridge seems to have double the space as the old one.
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thecampingman
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03/30/12 04:14am |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: nice Florida parks with reasonable annual rates?
If you're only going to be there a couple of months you could put your coach in storage and only pay resort rates while you're there.
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thecampingman
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03/28/12 04:12am |
Snowbirds
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RE: FULLTIMERS...what sewer hose do you use?
Like Clay L I use Valtera's best hose. Over $50 for a sewer hose! Not even it can stand up to cats! They love to sink their claws into the soft vinyl leaving pinholes. I've caught them doing it!
So I put my Valtera hose inside a 4" black corrugated semi-flexible drain pipe I got from Loew's. (It's cheap) It also protects the hose from UV rays.
So far so good. I'd been replacing hoses twice per season. It's kind of a PITA hauling the corrugated drain pipe, but it'll flex enough to go into the bed of the truck.
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thecampingman
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03/25/12 05:17am |
Full-time RVing
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RE: Extra gas can?
Well I do now! My transfer switch between my two fuel tanks malfunctioned and I ran out of fuel on I-75!
I had to buy 3 two gallon gas cans because it takes 5 gallons to prime a diesel engine.
But carry a can of fuel? Never! It's too dirty, dangerous and has a high risk of fuel contamination.
If you want extra fuel have an auxillary tank mounted.
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thecampingman
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03/24/12 06:26am |
Full-time RVing
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RE: How does glass and breakable dishes like to travel in a 5er?
Our camper came with Trailair air-ride suspension. I didn't particularly want it, but I got it.
Now I wouldn't be without it. It would be second on my list of "must haves". Right after dual pane windows.
With air-ride nothing ever moves on a thousand mile trip. Water stays in the dog dish if it's not too full.
It's around a $2500 option. But I like it because my camper has a lightweight frame. Compared to buckling the frame, cracking the siding around the openings etc, it sounds pretty cheap.
Air-ride works better than you might imagine it would.
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thecampingman
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03/24/12 06:15am |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Are you going back next year?
We hibernate in Ft. Myers. I'd like to travel more, but Jan & Feb it's too cold.
Florida has some deals if you look for them. I saw a college fraternity "spring breaking" at Cayo Costa state park. The campsite was $25/nite for what must have been 25 kids. They had a huge tent on the beach.
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thecampingman
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03/21/12 04:36am |
Snowbirds
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RE: Newmar Tiffin or Winnegabo
First not to step on toes but lets be honest Winnebago is not even in same group as Newmar or Tiffin.
I'd normally agree, then I scaned the Winnebago "Tour" website.
At <$350k it's not the most expensive coach out there, but it's a contender. Winnebago "Tour"
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thecampingman
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03/16/12 04:47am |
Full-time RVing
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RE: Newmar Tiffin or Winnegabo
If all the appliances are the same, (water heater, pumps, A/C, stoves etc) then I guess the MH manufacture doesn't matter. Does one manufacture offer better construction or insulation over the other?
Definitely! For instance, Sureflow makes like seven different water pumps. Buy a cheaper coach you'll get the cheaper pump. The aggrivatingly noisy herky-jerky pump that cycles on & off constantly. It's like that throughout the coach. Cheaper cabinet latches etc. and absolutely cheaper construction.
I think you're spot-on with your concern for your comfort. 7' ceiling height, washer/dryer etc.
But I do think you're off course a little worrying about bigger holding tanks and solar power.
Unless you have some specific reason to boondock you won't wind up doing it that much. Like you follow NASCAR races, or once I met some traveling ministers who dry-camped at their churches a lot. (I met them in a campground BTW).
I wouldn't worry a lot about your towing experience either. Half the people who pull into this campground can't park their own rigs. The manager does it for them. Just carry good insurance and do what you want, not just what you think you're capable of.
I'd say your salesman is leading you in a good direction.
With that being said, SW Florida is flooded with used caoches in pristine condition. Folks who spend north of $300,000 on a coach don't tend to trash them. And they don't really "wear out". These are built on bus chassis that are meant to travel millions of miles. The NADA website states thet if it's diesel powered don't even enter the mileage. It's just not relavant.
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thecampingman
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03/15/12 04:44am |
Full-time RVing
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RE: Is the early spring cutting your season short?
The midwest is experiencing an early spring. I checked it on this soil temperature monitoring site:soil temps & germination
I've got to get back and take care of business! I have a lawn care company.
My rent's paid thru the end of March, and there's a no-refund policy. But I'd better get back. Most years I'm here in Florida 'till the first of April, but not this year.Anyone else needing to cut their trip short?
How long have you lived in the Midwest!? :W
I left Florida early 'one' year and damn near got killed on the highway dodging ice and snow storms heading back north. Nope, never again.
I also certainly have not forgotten how many snow storms I've been caught in on the interstate into Chicago.......in mid APRIL!
It isn't over until its over in the Midwest.
I don't think the grass is going to grow that tall in 18 days that it will need your attention so immediately that you need to leave before your April 1st departure date!. :B:B
That's what I was thinking...(I'm 65 btw).
I just got back from a conference with the Agriculture Department of Ohio State University. They have a new system that monitors soil temps. When soil temp at 2" depth reaches 65* spring is here!
In 2010 it was 2 weeks early. 2011 there was not much change.
This year it's a month early! My nephew has tenements in Cincinatti. He's already mowed their grass. And if you knew Doug, you'd know he wasn't cutting grass that didn't need it.
Yeah I know nobody's seen spring this early. Probably nobody's seen spring this early in 10,000 years!
I'm just giving a shout out to those succotash-Florida farmers out there. (that's corn & beans in the summer, Florida in the winter).
The Ft. Myers weather girl just casually mentions "We're getting April like temperatures in March."
If you're in any way tied to agronomics, it's more than a casual event!
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thecampingman
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03/15/12 03:57am |
Snowbirds
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Is the early spring cutting your season short?
The midwest is experiencing an early spring. I checked it on this soil temperature monitoring site:soil temps & germination
I've got to get back and take care of business! I have a lawn care company.
My rent's paid thru the end of March, and there's a no-refund policy. But I'd better get back. Most years I'm here in Florida 'till the first of April, but not this year.
Anyone else needing to cut their trip short?
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thecampingman
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03/13/12 05:18am |
Snowbirds
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