The RV'ing Thread

Hoss · Feb 13, 2025

I coulda swore we already had an RV thread, or at least one where we talked about it a lot. But damned if I can find it now.

Anyway, we just got an RV and I wanted to see what kind of RV experience we have on the board.

Ours is a 2011 30ft bumper pull. Going to park it in the back yard and use it as a guest house when it's not being used for long trips.

lurker · Feb 14, 2025

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I have a 2006 Dynamax. It's our 3rd MH after 2 trailers.

Rangoth · Feb 14, 2025

I just sold mine last year but I owned it from 2013 till then.
I’ve driven It, literally, from coast to coast and all over the country at least 3 times. Lived out of it for maybe 1-2 years total during that period(not all at once). I loved every moment of it. What an experience.

mine was a 5th wheel toy hauler, 40’

some things I learned regret:

Should have went 36’ or shorter. I had a ton of issues in older campsites or national parks. I made it work but it was annoying
In freezing places I would piss through the propane staying warm. I ended up buying 2 space heaters(garage and main area. Could probably get away with 1 in normal camper) to stay warm and not chew through propane as I travelled. Of course that only works withhookups or generator
Get all the adapters early. Sucked when I needed one and no stores open(50-30-110)
Buy either a really good or like 4-5 cheap pressure regulators for when you hook up to water. Some places have asinine pressure which blasts the fuck out of the cheaper plastic pvc joints and pipes most RVs use
I accumulated the fun stuff over years, decorations, outside rugs, loungers, etc. don’t go buy all that right away. Find what you want/miss and slowly add to your collection
Moisture is a bitch depending on where you take it. Remember these things are in general made cheaply. Keep vents open while you drive and ceiling vents open while you sleep Lots of stuff warped over the years(minor stuff inside no major frame issues)
KoAs are awesome. They come in 3 styles. Travel(right off highway and east to get to, destination which are cool places like national parks, and recreational or something like that. Which are in the middle of no where but like a resort with amenities) sign up for their point club. They are safe and clean and I never had issues. Most even do shit like fucking pizza delivery to your RV spot!

Mostly just have fun and actually go places with it. I don’t regret any piece of it and obviously I sold it at massive lost. I just look at it like a vacation.

Palum · Feb 14, 2025

Just sold ours last spring because we weren't using it right now. Smaller travel trailer so we could fit into any spots and national parks without any issues.

I don't know if it's gotten better last year, but my experience was dramatically changed after COVID.

Before COVID - make a few important reservations for destinations, otherwise drive as much as you feel it each day and find an RV resort, stay overnight for like $10-20. Very free feeling IF you have the time to drive. Driving trailers/large vehicles can be exhausting through some places though. DFW in rush hour, the Rockies, RT 1 in FL, etc.

After COVID - every nice place is the same price as a motel/hotel room, every place that's just a parking lot with hookups is now called a 'resort', reservations are mandatory, too many retards trying to RV, etc.

Maybe it'll get back to normal eventually and RVing can be fun again. I probably won't buy another unless/until job situation changes where I can take more contiguous time off and/or maybe in retirement again. Problem for me is if it takes a week to drive someplace cool, then it also takes a week to get back and now your 1 week vacation turned into 3.

*shrug*

Intrinsic · Feb 14, 2025

I've spent probably 4 years looking at one of the Grand Design or Forrest River RVs. Every year I go to the big RV show here because a family friend produces it and is tight with all the dealers. In fact, it is coming up again this next weekend. But I just can't or haven't been able to pull the trigger on anything. My plan was to write it off and just take it to TN when I go do client work and then during the summer with the kid out of school just go jump from park-to-park in TN and do meetings when I'm around Nashville or Knoxville.

But then we had our 2nd kid and doing that with a pregnant wife didn't sound fun, nor doing it with an infant. And no we're expecting again with 3rd kid so probably won't do it this year either.

lurker · Feb 14, 2025

Palum said:
Just sold ours last spring because we weren't using it right now. Smaller travel trailer so we could fit into any spots and national parks without any issues.

I don't know if it's gotten better last year, but my experience was dramatically changed after COVID.

Before COVID - make a few important reservations for destinations, otherwise drive as much as you feel it each day and find an RV resort, stay overnight for like $10-20. Very free feeling IF you have the time to drive. Driving trailers/large vehicles can be exhausting through some places though. DFW in rush hour, the Rockies, RT 1 in FL, etc.

After COVID - every nice place is the same price as a motel/hotel room, every place that's just a parking lot with hookups is now called a 'resort', reservations are mandatory, too many retards trying to RV, etc.

Maybe it'll get back to normal eventually and RVing can be fun again. I probably won't buy another unless/until job situation changes where I can take more contiguous time off and/or maybe in retirement again. Problem for me is if it takes a week to drive someplace cool, then it also takes a week to get back and now your 1 week vacation turned into 3.

*shrug*

Covid has soured the whole RV thing for me, also. There's no more spontaneity in RV travel, at least where State or National Parks are concerned. You need reservations months in advance where just a few years ago, you could just show up. We went to Yellowstone/Tetons last year but only because we had a friend who lived in Island Park, 20 minutes outside the West Entrance. We parked on his property and drove a car into the park. We wouldn't have bothered otherwise.

And don't get me started on the newbies with their lack of etiquette and manners. The thrill is gone.

Hoss · Feb 14, 2025

lurker said:
I have a 2006 Dynamax. It's our 3rd MH. It's our 3rd MH after 2 trailers.

That looks fairly compact. How big were the trailers you had? Did you always prefer the smaller ones?

We were looking at a 2018 Forest River R Pod 20 ft. But this 30 ft was $1k more and I just couldn't see myself staying in that smaller one for a week.

Hoss · Feb 14, 2025

Rangoth said:
mine was a 5th wheel toy hauler, 40’

What does toy hauler mean? I thought toy haulers were trailers that carried classic cars. Is the toy in this case just a 4 wheeler? Or does toy hauler mean you can attach a trailer to the back to tow your jet skis, etc?

Rangoth said:
In freezing places I would piss through the propane staying warm. I ended up buying 2 space heaters(garage and main area. Could probably get away with 1 in normal camper) to stay warm and not chew through propane as I travelled. Of course that only works withhookups or generator

You're the second person I've heard warn about propane usage from the heater. The fridge also runs on propane. How much will it use by itself.

I'm thinking of converting my small generator to running off of propane and carrying it when I go anywhere. Is that a bad idea given the propane storage limitations? Mine has room for 2 big bottles.

Rangoth said:
Get all the adapters early. Sucked when I needed one and no stores open(50-30-110)

I have a couple 50-30 adapters as well as a 30a line monitor. What's the 110 adapter? Do you mean a 20A, or is 110 referring to the 30a voltage?

Rangoth said:
Buy either a really good or like 4-5 cheap pressure regulators for when you hook up to water. Some places have asinine pressure which blasts the fuck out of the cheaper plastic pvc joints and pipes most RVs use

This is new info. Got an example of those?

Rangoth said:
Moisture is a bitch depending on where you take it. Remember these things are in general made cheaply. Keep vents open while you drive and ceiling vents open while you sleep Lots of stuff warped over the years(minor stuff inside no major frame issues)

What about storage? You store it with vents open too? I figured since we'd be hooked up at the house, I would just leave the AC on. Won't that stop the moisture?

Hoss · Feb 14, 2025

Palum said:
After COVID - every nice place is the same price as a motel/hotel room, every place that's just a parking lot with hookups is now called a 'resort', reservations are mandatory

That sucks. But TBH we mostly want to take RV vacations so we can bring our dogs. We're not trying to save money.

Palum said:
too many retards trying to RV, etc.

Hey, wait a minute. fuck you buddy!

lurker said:
And don't get me started on the newbies with their lack of etiquette and manners.

Like what? Is there a 5 minute tutorial we can watch to get us up to speed?

Palum · Saturday at 1:30 AM

Hoss said:
That sucks. But TBH we mostly want to take RV vacations so we can bring our dogs. We're not trying to save money.

Hey, wait a minute. fuck you buddy!

Like what? Is there a 5 minute tutorial we can watch to get us up to speed?

Like don't leave sewer caps off, or tighten them so they break wrenches. Stop stealing surge protectors or dog bones. Shut the fuck up at 2am. Don't turn on your 30 kw flood lamps when you're in the cheap 15 foot wide "luxury" spaces. Don't hit picnic tables trying to back up your trailer. Stop shitting in the hot tub. Etc.

Hoss · Saturday at 1:37 AM

Palum said:
Like don't leave sewer caps off, or tighten them so they break wrenches. Stop stealing surge protectors or dog bones. Shut the fuck up at 2am. Don't turn on your 30 kw flood lamps when you're in the cheap 15 foot wide "luxury" spaces. Don't hit picnic tables trying to back up your trailer. Stop shitting in the hot tub. Etc.

I was actually planning to take the sewer cap off once I hit the highway. Is there a way to rig up a manual release inside the cab? That would be perfect.

I noticed a couple of surge protectors had locks. I'm not sure if they're worth using though because any pair of wire cutters will defeat them.

I'm definitely going to flatten some picnic tables. I'm not good at backing up trailers.

Why can't I shit in RV park hot tubs when I can shit in every other hot tub everywhere else? That makes no sense.

Palum · Saturday at 1:41 AM

Hoss said:
I was actually planning to take the sewer cap off once I hit the highway. Is there a way to rig up a manual release inside the cab? That would be perfect.

I noticed a couple of surge protectors had locks. I'm not sure if they're worth using though because any pair of wire cutters will defeat them.

I'm definitely going to flatten some picnic tables. I'm not good at backing up trailers.

Why can't I shit in RV park hot tubs when I can shit in every other hot tub everywhere else? That makes no sense.

Sewer caps are on the ground. Noob. Used to be people dimwits and people in rentals were pretty well segregated at the expensive KoAs or national parks. Now some of them figured out they can travel outside of designated low-IQ-friendly areas thanks to the Internet.

Hoss · Saturday at 1:50 AM

Palum said:
Sewer caps are on the ground. Noob. Used to be people dimwits and people in rentals were pretty well segregated at the expensive KoAs or national parks. Now some of them figured out they can travel outside of designated low-IQ-friendly areas thanks to the Internet.

OK gotcha. I don't know how the cleanouts work yet. I guess I'll add a pipe wrench to the tool kit. A big one to take the cap off in case the last guy made it too tight, and a small one to put it back on so I don't tighten it too much. Whatever the blackwater cleanout cap on the RV is called, I want a way to open it as I drive down the road in case the guy next to me pisses me off.

Palum · Saturday at 1:58 AM

Hoss said:
OK gotcha. I don't know how the cleanouts work yet. I guess I'll add a pipe wrench to the tool kit. A big one to take the cap off in case the last guy made it too tight, and a small one to put it back on so I don't tighten it too much. Whatever the blackwater cleanout cap on the RV is called, I want a way to open it as I drive down the road in case the guy next to me pisses me off.

Well most places I've been they're just PVC with the square block on it, so basically just hand tightened. I've seen them broken by retards with pipe wrenches though.

I mean the sort of ground floor level of competence in RVing is being handy with trucks/vehicles and around the house. Until 20-30 years ago this was basically guaranteed for most conservative leaning young men, who generally became stewards and sole consumers of most outdoor activities. Now it's full of millennials/gen Z and more importantly women and sexual deviants, very few of which actually understand anything about practical life skills or being outdoors. It just makes life harder on everyone else more generally.

Rangoth · Saturday at 5:57 AM

Hoss said:
What does toy hauler mean? I thought toy haulers were trailers that carried classic cars. Is the toy in this case just a 4 wheeler? Or does toy hauler mean you can attach a trailer to the back to tow your jet skis, etc?

You're the second person I've heard warn about propane usage from the heater. The fridge also runs on propane. How much will it use by itself.

I'm thinking of converting my small generator to running off of propane and carrying it when I go anywhere. Is that a bad idea given the propane storage limitations? Mine has room for 2 big bottles.

I have a couple 50-30 adapters as well as a 30a line monitor. What's the 110 adapter? Do you mean a 20A, or is 110 referring to the 30a voltage?

This is new info. Got an example of those?

What about storage? You store it with vents open too? I figured since we'd be hooked up at the house, I would just leave the AC on. Won't that stop the moisture?

toy hauler basically means it has a garage. The OG ones were all garage with very basic insides. Now they are badass(but large) I had a 10 foot garage that would store 4 wheelers, snowmobiles, etc. when not storing toys it had double bunk beds
the fridge and cooking will barely dent the propane. It’s really just heat that burns through the two 15g tanks
small generators are a great idea if you plan to “off grid” camp. They can run the space heaters or AC in summer and everything else. Get the quiet ones, I think Honda made good silent ones, may need two in order to start the AC unit(s) due to starting pull current
110 adapter is your basic house plug. Major campgrounds all have the 20/50 amp style plugs, but rare occasions a good old house style outlet is all you get
aw for pressure regulators, just amazing “rv water pressure regulator “ Or go to Home Depot/rv store. I’ve been to so many campgrounds where the shit comes out like a fucking cannon
I did store it with vents open/windows cracked yes. If you live in a cold place don’t forget to winterize it. Good practice if you have long gaps between use(months or more) trickle charge the battery and completely empty all water tanks(fresh/grey/black)

Fucker · Saturday at 6:16 AM

Palum said:
Like don't leave sewer caps off, or tighten them so they break wrenches. Stop stealing surge protectors or dog bones. Shut the fuck up at 2am. Don't turn on your 30 kw flood lamps when you're in the cheap 15 foot wide "luxury" spaces. Don't hit picnic tables trying to back up your trailer. Stop shitting in the hot tub. Etc.

I'm pretty sure I'd murder someone if I tried to RV today. WTF is it with people bringing their TV systems, sound systems and other loud, annoying things to go camping? Kind of ruins the peace and quiet bit. And then there's the being loud and getting drunk bit. People have forgotten how to have fun without alcohol.

Boating has also been ruined by idiots, but it's been that way for a while. Clueless on ramps, clueless on the water, add in drunk because being sober is for squares.

The only RV that is worth buying these days:

Cessna+172+on+Wipline+2350+Floats+3-411114976.jpg

lurker · Saturday at 7:15 AM

Hoss said:
That looks fairly compact. How big were the trailers you had? Did you always prefer the smaller ones?

We were looking at a 2018 Forest River R Pod 20 ft. But this 30 ft was $1k more and I just couldn't see myself staying in that smaller one for a week.

It's 27 ft. with a deep slide on one side. It is built for 2 people only, no kids. The trailers were tent trailers for when my daughter was growing up. There are some aspects of those that I miss, but those were different times, and we were both much younger. This is easier but much more removed from nature. We call it sissy camping. We do not lack for amenities including an espresso machine and the power to run it off grid without a generator.

We still tent camp at least once a year on very remote mining claims

Hoss said:
Like what? Is there a 5 minute tutorial we can watch to get us up to speed?

It's common sense and courtesy, mostly.

Don't walk across my campsite because it's a shortcut to where you wanna go. I rented the whole thing and I didn't invite you. You're trespassing. Same goes for your kids.

Keep your dogs tied up and quiet. Nobody wants to hear the fucking thing bark every time a squirrel or camper walks by.

Turn your radio down. No, I don't like your choice of music.

You don't need to leave a light on all night. It's really not that scary.
Etc.

Hoss · Sunday at 12:44 AM

Palum said:
I mean the sort of ground floor level of competence in RVing is being handy with trucks/vehicles and around the house. Until 20-30 years ago this was basically guaranteed for most conservative leaning young men, who generally became stewards and sole consumers of most outdoor activities. Now it's full of millennials/gen Z and more importantly women and sexual deviants, very few of which actually understand anything about practical life skills or being outdoors. It just makes life harder on everyone else more generally.

I feel attacked

Hoss · Sunday at 12:46 AM

Rangoth said:
110 adapter is your basic house plug. Major campgrounds all have the 20/50 amp style plugs, but rare occasions a good old house style outlet is all you get

So you have an adapter with a 20a male plug and a 30a female and you just try not to draw more than 20a?

Rangoth · Sunday at 1:51 AM

Hoss said:
So you have an adapter with a 20a male plug and a 30a female and you just try not to draw more than 20a?

I kept them when I sold the RV, I’ll try to remember to take a picture. It’s actually a female 20/50(the plug from the camper with the male ends goes into the matching female on the adapter) then the adapter has a male standard house plug, 110v like you’d plug in your computer. It can’t power everything but it works better than no power when that’s the only outlet you got

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