The post The Toronto Spring Camping & RV Show: 7 Things That Caught Our Eyes appeared first on Full Time Canada.
]]>What was really exciting for us was that we were invited by the show to come and present on the Havelock Country Jamboree Stage where we talked about the full-time RVing lifestyle. We spoke about our journey into full-time RVing and took lots of questions from future full-time RVers about everything from condensation to mail to WiFi and everything in between.
Something that was a lot of fun during the show was that we were interviewed by Global News’ Jennifer Valentyne to help promote both the show and the full-time RVing lifestyle. Check it out…
In between our times on stage and chatting with fellow RVers we had a chance to wander the halls checking out all the beautiful new RVs and the various products being offered by various vendors. Here are some of the things that caught our eyes over the 4 days we were at the show.
Buying an RV is an expensive endeavor but there’s some good news – you can actually make money from your RV with RVEzy & Outdoorsy. Both of these brands offer a peer-to-peer marketplace where you can make your RV available for rent. It’s essentially like AirBnB for your RV. Considering the fact your RV likely sits unused (unless you’re full-timers) for the majority of the year this is a great way to make some extra cash to help pay off your RV and pay for your own adventures when the time comes to hit the road.
If you don’t have an RV and are looking to rent one, the available rentals across Canada and the US are a lot more comprehensive than the traditional RV rental centres. Perhaps you’re looking for a specific type of RV for your getaway. Maybe it’s a toy hauler that you want to use to take your motorbike out to the track with or maybe you’re looking for the sleekness that an Airstream provides. Every type of make and model can be found on these peer-to-peer marketplaces.
The one question we seem to always get asked about full-time RVing is about staying connected on the road. Throughout our time full-time RVing we have used and been very pleased with using WiFiRanger as a wireless signal booster. This past weekend we got an introduction to another product on the market – Shark WiFi. Tim and the guys at Shark WiFi actually set us up with WiFi throughout the weekend so that we could play our presentation on stage including a rather large video file that worked effortlessly.
Shark WiFi offers personal mobile routers along with affordable data plans that keep you connected on the road through their own private network. Their units are super powerful compared to using data on your phone which is how you end up with a stronger and faster signal with their product. One of the highlights of the product is that they claim to be able to provide a strong signal in remote areas which is obviously a bonus since that’s often where you end up when you’re RVing.
If there’s any type of RV at an RV show that automatically pulls you towards them it has to be Airstreams. They’re just an absolute classic in the RVing world. Even people who know nothing about trailers know about Airstreams thanks to their classic look and how they seem to always pop up in movies or tv shows.
Until this weekend, neither of us had ever stepped foot in an Airstream and were really looking forward to seeing some up close for the first time. One of the dealers at the show had a handful of Airstreams on display surrounded by large crowds going in and out of them. Our first impressions upon seeing the Airstreams were that they are truly built to last which, unfortunately, you can’t say about a lot of other RVs on the market. There’s a reason why you still see Airstreams from the ’60s on the road – their construction is superior.
If we were casually RVing on the weekend there’s no doubt we’d love to have an Airstream. The quality inside and out is second to none. While we enjoyed walking through the Airstreams, we both agreed that there’s no way we could full-time RV in one. The lack of slideouts means less space and also less storage which is important to us.
One of the things that have constantly driven us crazy since we purchased our RV four years ago is our RVs exterior steps. They are so flimsy and seem like they’re always about ready to break. We even had them replaced with a newer set which are a bit sturdier but still was not very solid. As soon as we started walking into the various trailers at the RV show this past weekend we instantly remarked how great the steps were on the units. Then we realized that a high percentage of the RVs were outfitted with StepAbove RV steps. We both instantly remarked how great and sturdy these steps were compared to all the past RV steps we’ve had with our RV.
Later we looked into the parts & accessory hall of the RV show and discovered that there were various options available from StepAbove so that pretty much every RV could be outfitted with them. If you’re tired of bouncing up and down when you’re entering and exiting your RV you should definitely check out these steps. I’m pretty sure we’re going to be getting them for our RV soon.
Insurance is never a fun topic to get into but it’s one that definitely requires some deep thought. It’s also not necessarily easy to get insurance for your RV if you live in it full-time. We stopped by to have a quick chat with the Wayfarer Insurance rep about some of their offerings. Wayfarer offers coverage for full-time RVers and additional coverage for a lot of different aspects of your RV. Be sure to check out their various offerings as there very well could be something that works better for you than your current insurance provider.
Cooking outdoors is such a big part of the RVing lifestyle but it’s something we’ve never done much of since we started full-time RVing. During the RV show, we had the pleasure of watching the Maddie & Kiki grilling demonstration which really fired us up and got us wanting to cook more outdoors with the grill. If you fancy yourself a bit of a cook or want to get more inspired to cook around the campsite be sure to check out their recipes. We had the opportunity to taste some of their grilled dishes during their demonstration and WOW were they ever tasty!
Since we purchased our RV four years ago we haven’t really looked at replacing our RV. Naturally, being at an RV show for four days there was no way we weren’t going to check out some of the 2020 models to see what was new and exciting for this year’s models of RVs. With over 500 RVs onsite there was no way that we could step into each and every one of them. With this in mind, we specifically set a plan to only look at fifth wheels that weren’t too large (35+ feet) and didn’t have bunk rooms. This helped us to efficiently look around at our possible future home. In the end, we found 3 RVs that we really liked and out of them, there was one that was above and beyond – the Grand Design Solitude 310GK.
We instantly fell in love with everything about this RV. It was the perfect size with the perfect layout and tonnes of storage. It had a full-sized refrigerator and a large stove, a king-size bed and so much more. Plus, you could tell that this RV was built better than most others. We both said to each other, “this is the one.” The only difficulty – we weren’t ACTUALLY looking to buy an RV this weekend but wow, did this RV grab our serious attention. It’s an absolute beauty and one that we’ll be keeping our eye on in the future whether its a used unit in a couple of years or a newer version.
While we attended the RV show mainly to talk about our journey into full-time RVing, we had a tremendous weekend meeting fellow RVers and also checking out the various RVs and products on the market. The Toronto Spring Camping & RV Show is a must-attend event whether you’re looking for a new RV or just want to get inspired for the camping season ahead.
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]]>We’ve now been in our RV for 4 years and looking back, while I thought we were prepared to shop for a used RV, we quickly realized we weren’t. There were many things that popped up not long after we took possession of our RV. This signalled that at the very least that we paid too much for our RV as it came with issues. The big repair we’ve had to undergo since we’ve owned our RV was getting all three of our slides rebuilt due to water damage. If we were better educated when inspecting the RV we could have possibly noticed the early signs of water damage.
If you are a first time RV buyer like we were, it can be extremely overwhelming and a bit scary as you don’t want to be sinking your hard-earned money into a money pit. Here are some helpful tips to help you in your search for a quality used RV.
One of the challenges of buying a used RV is that you may have to look for a very long time before finding the one you really want with the floorplan and amenities that you desire. Kate and I took a long time to find our current RV and even then we settled a bit. If you live in or around more populated areas it will be easier than if you live in rural areas. We scoured RVTrader looking for a perfect used RV but quickly gave up. It was just too big of a potential hassle to have to go look at multiple RVs all over the place. We’ve read many stories about people in similar situations who agreed to purchase RVs online without physically stepping foot in it. Guess what? They’ve had major issues because they couldn’t properly inspect it. Not seeing an RV (new or used) in person before you purchase is just too big of a gamble. Avoid at all costs.
Whether you’re buying your RV from a private seller or from a dealer, you’re going to want to ask a lot of questions. The benefit of buying from a private seller is they should be able to 100% honestly answer all of your questions since the RV has been in their possession and they’re the ones that used it. Ask them everything about the RV like how much they travelled with it, were there pets in it, smokers, what kind of maintenance has been done, etc…You get the point. Ask lots of questions. If the owner can’t seem to answer your questions or might seem insincere in their answers it might be best to move on before really inspecting the RV. Make sure you also have the person who owns and has used the RV show it to you not a friend or relative who knows nothing about the RV. You’ll just be wasting your time if that’s the case. Once you’ve asked your questions it’s time to roll up your sleeves are start inspecting the RV.
If you’re new to the world of RVing inspecting a used RV for issues can be a very daunting task as it was for us when we were purchasing our RV. In the future, if we purchase another RV, we will definitely hire a professional RV inspector. These professionals are just like a home inspector for your sticks-and-bricks home. They’ll thoroughly inspect the RV for issues big and small that will help you determine whether or not you should purchase the unit. Hiring a professional RV inspector is likely going to cost a few hundred dollars at minimum but that’s money well spent in our mind considering the fact you can save yourself thousands of dollars in repairs. Plus, you’ll also be able to better negotiate a sale price for the RV of your choice.
Once you open the door and walk into a used RV take a deep breath in through your nose. Ideally, you do not want to smell anything but often there’s a scary smell. It’s musty and sometimes smells like cat pee. That usually only means one thing – mould and water damage are present. You might as well turn around and walk away at that point because you do not want to be dealing with water damage. It’ll cost you thousands of dollars and lots of time to fix.
Even if you don’t smell that musty smell that doesn’t mean water damage isn’t hiding from you. It’s key to look thoroughly throughout the entire RV for any sign of water damage. Starting with the ceiling, look for brown spots. This will likely mean there is some sort of water damage in the roof likely causing rot. Also, keep an eye out for bowing ceilings as this will mean the same thing.
After inspecting the ceiling you’ll want to check the floor for water damage. The easiest way to do this is simply by walking around. If you feel any soft spots that are noticeably different than the rest of the floor that’s a good sign of water damage. Be sure to check around the edges and corners of the RV. This is often where a lot of water damage can be. Don’t forget to check behind couches, in closets and any other areas that you don’t normally walk on. While you’re walking around testing the floor you can also give the walls a test. On the exterior walls give them a good push to make sure they’re nice and solid.
Be sure to check inside of drawers and cabinets for water damage as well – especially in the kitchen under the sink. A long lingering plumbing leak can cause some serious damage if not quickly attended to.
Make sure you test all of the electrical outlets inside and out to make sure they’re working properly. You can do this with a volt metre. One of our outlets stopped working once we owned the RV and wasn’t a quick fix. Thankfully, it was an outlet that was in our bunk room that we barely used. The last thing you’ll want is to discover an important outlet in the RV isn’t working, so check them all.
You’ll want to make sure to test out all of the appliances in the RV to make sure they’re working as they should. The refrigerator is the big one as they cost a lot to replace. Make sure both the fridge and freezer are nice and cold like they should be. Make sure to check that they work both on electric and on propane. Also check the microwave, TVs, surround system, fireplace, etc. If you find any appliances not working as they should you can use this to subtract from the purchase price.
Run the AC and furnace to ensure that they’re both working well. You’ll probably want to run both the AC and furnace for 10-15 minutes each to make sure they keep the RV nice and cold/warm. Check the vents to make sure the air is flowing out properly as well.
One of the steps for testing the propane should be to test the oven and stove. Do all of the burners work? Does the oven get nice and hot? You’ll want to ensure the oven works properly as it can be a costly replacement.
Be sure to run water through all the faucets in the RV making sure it runs steadily. Test the hot water heater by running hot water. Most hot water heaters will help keep water warm for around 5 minutes. It may seem a bit annoying to the owner to run water for so long but you don’t want to find out after purchasing the RV that you can only shower for two minutes before losing hot water. When you’re running the water be sure to look under the sinks for any leaks as well.
The most important part of the exterior to examine is the roof. A bad roof is a bad RV and you will want to stay away. On the roof, first, you want to see that it is relatively clean and that it’s been taken care of. You don’t want to see it covered in fallen leaves or lichen. Anything that doesn’t look like a nice clean white RV roof is a red flag. To me, it means that the owner didn’t put enough care into the unit. Most RVers know that the roof requires a lot of attention. If the owner can’t show the roof proper attention then what else did they ignore in all of their years owning the RV?
If the roof looks nice a clean then you can continue inspecting other elements of the roof. The big one is the seals. Ask the owner when the last time they replaced/inspected their seals on the roof. You should make sure to check the seals on the roof at least twice a year to make sure they’re in good shape and not cracking. Lack of sealant or old, cracking sealant is not a good sign. Water can and will get into every little crack and crevice. You want to see that that roof is sealed and secured better than Fort Knox.
Much like you did inside with the floor, you want to walk around on the roof and make sure you don’t feel any soft/sagging areas. Sometimes when you walk on a roof you will even hear what sounds like you’re walking on Styrofoam. We had that happen when we were inspecting RVs. We found a beautiful used RV but when we walked on the roof we instantly knew there was rot. The front/back corners seem to be the worst areas so be sure to check there.
Don’t forget to check around and under all of the skylights, vents and vent covers. We had a hairline crack in our skylight which let in the slightest trickle of water. It’s a quick fix but if that’s something that hadn’t been noticed immediately it could cause some serious damage. Make sure to also look into any vents for blockages or signs of rodents/insects.
While you’re heading up and down the ladder of the RV make sure it’s nice and sturdy as well. These things are held in by screws and if there’s any rot around them guess what…you’re going to take a spill if you’re not careful.
Besides the roof, it’s imperative that you check the seals/seams all around the exterior of the RV. Just like the roof, you’ll want to know that this has been done relatively frequently. This is especially true if the owner travelled a lot with the RV as the natural flex of the RV will cause the seams to separate from the seals while travelling. If you see any sort of discolouration on the seals you know that they likely haven’t been done in a while. Check for separation and cracks. Just like the roof if you spot any it means there’s likely been some water getting in at some point. Don’t forget to check around the windows and doors as well.
While you’re walking around checking the seals/seams you can also be checking the sidewalls of the RV. There are a few things to look for here. First, if it’s a motorhome, you do not want to see any damage from an obvious collision. Even if the RV has been repaired there could still be underlying issues that weren’t fixed or were unknown at the time of the incident.
The big thing to look for with the exterior walls is delamination. Delamination is a separation of the fibreglass from the plywood frame. The big cause of delamination is water damage. When we inspected our RV before we purchased it we didn’t thoroughly inspect the exterior as it was -30 degrees outside on the day we went to look at the RV. When it was delivered to us the park manager where we were staying instantly pointed out the delamination on our RV. I almost exploded inside and couldn’t believe we were so careless during our inspection. We pointed this out to the delivery driver who worked for the dealer we purchased our RV from. He mentioned that it could also be caused by heat. Possibly. But the fact we didn’t really know didn’t leave us with a comforting feeling. Basically, if you see delamination it’s another big red flag.
Most RVs have outdoor storage bays. Be sure to check inside of these with a flashlight. Try to focus on seeing if there is any water damage but also check for any signs of rodents. If these bays aren’t latched properly rodents can easily enter and who knows where else they managed to get into the RV – especially if the RV was in storage or sitting unused for a long time. Rodents can cause big issues to electrical systems if they manage to chew through a wire or two not to mention other messes they can and will make throughout RVs.
Propane is an important part of RVing especially if you’re planning to be off the grid for any amount of time so it is imperative to make sure that everything with the propane system is working well. Check the propane lines/hoses for any cracks or damage. A leaky propane line can be dangerous and cost you lots of money in lost propane. Also, check the tanks. All tanks have an expiration date. They’re cheap to replace but it’s good to know what you’re buying with the RV. We bought our RV with an expired tank. When we went to fill the tank the attendant refused to fill it as it was expired and we were forced to purchase a new one.
For whatever reason, tires seem to be an afterthought for many people when looking at an RV. Always check the tires of an RV. You need to check not the tread of the tires but also for cracks or other wear or damage. It’s also important to determine the age of the tires. Older tires need to be replaced and this is something you might want to do immediately after buying an RV. If you’re buying from a dealer possibly ask them to throw in a new set of tires with purchase.
Kate and I have never used our awning. We’re not awning people I guess but other people love using their awning and regardless of how much you intend to use your awning you should check it. They’re expensive to replace so you will want to make sure to open it up and inspect it for any tears. Also, make sure that it opens and closes with ease.
Make sure all of the levelling and stabilizing jacks work properly. Check to make sure that they rise and lower as they should with no issues. Be sure to fully extend them up and down to ensure everything is moving smoothly without any strange noises.
It’s time to get dirty and get on your back and check out the RVs undercarriage. This is an awkward and uncomfortable inspection to do but it’s necessary. Slide a piece of cardboard under your back to make it more comfortable. With the undercarriage, you’re looking to see the condition of the cover of the underbelly. You don’t want to see any holes or protrusions of any kind. It needs to be sealed nice and tight. This can be an area where rodents enter if not sealed tightly so be sure to inspect carefully around every seam.
Just because a used RV has some issues doesn’t mean you shouldn’t purchase it. You may be handy (unlike me) and be able to fix up some of the issues yourself once the RV is in your possession. You should always stay away from an RV that has obvious water damage, though. Even if you are handy, unless you can get a used RV for dirt cheap, trying to do the repairs necessary after discovering water damage will prove costly and time-consuming. The main thing is that if you do see some obvious issues with an RV but still like it, do some research and math. Calculate how much it would be to roughly get the issues fixed and repaired and knock that off from the sale price and used it as a negotiating tactic when purchasing a used RV.
Now that you have an idea of what to look for when buying a used RV it’s time to do it in person. Let’s make sure you’re fully prepared though. We’ve put together a full RV Inspection Checklist for you to either print off or download to your phone for when you go to inspect RVs in person. DOWNLOAD HERE
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]]>The post Should You Buy A New or Used RV? appeared first on Full Time Canada.
]]>When we purchased our RV we did a lot of research before we even started going to RV dealers to look at RVs. We spent endless hours on the computer looking at various RVs and studying their layouts and features. Both Kate and I put together a list of wants and needs for our future RV. You should sit down and start with this as well. Doing this will likely point you in the direction you want to go when it comes to buying either a new or used RV.
Now that you’ve done some research and planning lets take a further look into some key points to think about when purchasing either a new or used RV.
In a perfect world where we all have endless amounts of money, we’d all likely purchase a brand spanking new sparkly RV with all of the latest tech & gadgets and sweet floor plans. Unfortunately, most of us don’t live in that world and we have a budget when it comes to purchasing an RV. Setting a rough budget before you start looking at RVs will also help you decide between a new or used RV.
When Kate & I were looking at purchasing our RV, after our research and planning phase, we quickly realized we would have to purchase used. New RVs, while absolutely stunning and filled with lots of modern amenities, are very expensive. To buy a brand new fifth wheel in a similar size and layout would have cost use at least double if not triple or more than the amount we paid for.
Now, maybe you have a larger budget than we did when buying your RV – great, but something you also have to know about when buying a new RV is how much that RV will depreciate in value as soon as you take it off the lot. Year after year, your RV will lose value but it loses a substantially higher percentage of value in the first few years of ownership. It’s estimated that in the first year of ownership your RV will depreciate between 20-30%. The RV we purchased was 8 years old when we bought it and it had lost roughly $40,000 from the time the first owners took it away from the dealership. 4 years after purchasing our RV, while not as valuable as when we bought it, we could still get a pretty decent value for our RV compared to the drop in value the first owners experienced when selling or trading in the RV. Check out this guide to RV depreciation done by camperguide.org
Advantage: Used RV
What you’re looking for in an RV will depend on how you’re going to use it. If you’re just a weekend warrior you will have significantly different needs from your RV than full-time RVers like Kate and I. Knowing that we were going to be full-timers, we had very specific needs for our RV. Storage and living space were the two big ones. With this in mind, looking for specific layouts and features in a used RV is very, very difficult. We had a very difficult time finding an RV perfect for us that had the right layout and features and was also in our budget. Part of this had to do with where we were looking for RVs. At the time, we were living in New Brunswick which is one of the smaller provinces and didn’t have a large collection of RV dealers. We looked through RVtrader.com throughout the entire Maritimes and still had a difficult time finding the perfect RV for us.
Buying a new RV makes it so much easier for you to get what you want in an RV. It’s also a lot easier to find the perfect new RV – either at a dealership or RV show – than a used RV. There’s just a much better choice out there for a new RV. There are some RV manufacturers that even allow you to customize certain features of a unit allowing you to get exactly what you want out of your RV.
The one massive difference when it comes to buying a new or used RV is the interior design. RV interior design seems to become dated very quickly, although a lot of the new RVs do look much snazzier than they did 10 years ago. The wallpaper and fixtures in our RV when we bought it at 8 years old were very, very dated. The bonus, however, with buying used is that you can update the interior with some of the money you saved from buying used. Just for fun, go to RV Trader and look at pre-2000’s RVs for a few seconds. You’ll wonder, “what the heck were they thinking?” when it came to the interior design.
Advantage: New
When you purchase a used RV you go in knowing that someone else has owned and used this RV before. How much they used it and how they took care of it are left to the imagination. When we looked at some used RVs you could definitely tell how they were used. Some of the RVs were very rough looking inside while others looked really nice. The RV we ended up purchasing looked good to us inside and out when we bought it. That being said, we bought in the middle of a frigid New Brunswick winter which did not make us want to spend a lot of time looking through the RV. When we finally had our RV delivered to us months later at the RV park, someone immediately pointed out to us delamination along the sidewalls. My heart sank. We just spent a lot of money and here sat an RV that could have had water damage. It turns out that we did have water damage in the slides which had to be completely replaced. This is our fault for not being super thorough when purchasing our RV but also being new to the RV world, knowing everything to look for when buying a used RV can be very overwhelming.
A new RV should be built like a castle – strong & sturdy – with no issues, right? Not so fast. There are plenty of stories online about people buying a brand new RV and quickly discovering massive issues with the RV. A friend of mine purchased a new RV this year and after they spent their first weekend in it they found a leak. So while you think you’re getting an RV that doesn’t have any issues that’s not always the case. Remember, most RVs are built on an assembly line. The one thing that’s good about buying a new RV is that you get a manufacturer’s warranty with purchase which will likely cover most of these little kinks that need to be worked out. The downside to that is that if you do have issues that have to be fixed by the dealership, your brand new RV could end up spending a lot of time getting serviced instead of being parked by the lake. The plus of buying a used RV is that a lot of the times the first owner already worked all of these kinks out for you. If you bought a well-maintained RV you’re likely getting very good deal.
Advantage: Draw
As you’ve read, both new and used RV’s have various pros/cons associated with them. Having read all of the above, do you think you’d rather purchase a new or used RV? If Kate and I purchase another RV in the future I’m fairly certain we would again buy used but try to buy something a little newer than what we did this time around. I think ideally purchasing a used RV in the 3 to 5 years range is a good sweet spot. At this point, a lot of the depreciation has already been taken care of by the first owner. They’ve also broken in the RV and likely took care of some repairs and maintenance that you then don’t have to take care of. A used RV in this year range should also allow you to get something that’s not too dated inside and still has plenty of good features and amenities included.
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]]>The post How to Get the Most Out of Attending an RV Show appeared first on Full Time Canada.
]]>Kate and I are very excited to be attending Canada’s largest RV Show – the Toronto Spring Camping & RV Show from February 27 – March 1. Not only are we excited to get to check out all of the new models of RVs on display, but we’re also excited to announce that we’ll be presenting on the Havelock Country Jamboree Stage multiple times over the course of the RV show talking about our full-time RV lifestyle. We’ll be talking about our journey into the full-time RV lifestyle in hopes of inspiring others to consider this alternative lifestyle. We hope you can join us at the show.
Since we’re attending Toronto Spring Camping & RV Show, it had us thinking about how you can get the most out of attending an RV show whether it’s this RV show or one in your hometown. Since we’ve been to a few RV shows in the past we’d like to pass along some tips that can help you navigate and better experience an RV show.
More often than not, RV shows take place over 3-4 days during a week. Usually, they run from Thursday or Friday through Sunday. So when should you attend? Does it really matter? In the past, we’ve found that the busiest times at RV shows tend to be Friday night and throughout the day on Saturday. With that in mind, we’d recommend visiting on Thursday (if it’s an option) or on Sundays as both days tend to be a bit quieter. Why does this matter? We found that the busier an RV show is when you visit the less likely you’re going to get the most out of the show. For instance, say there are a couple of models of RVs that you particularly want to check out but once you get to the show you quickly discover every model seems to have endless amounts of people coming in and out of the RVs. This can make it difficult to fully check out the RVs and make it difficult to find a representative to talk to if you wanted to. The same goes for the booths with all the cool new camping gear. Usually, there are large groups of people surrounding the booths making it more difficult to check out everything. Sure, a little patience can go a long way but why worry about testing your patience when you can simply go when there are fewer people there.
Before attending an RV show, have a clear idea in mind as to why you’re attending the show. Are you just there to pass the time and look around? Are you there 100% to purchase an RV? Do you just want to see the new gadgets and toys? Whatever reason you’re attending an RV show it’s good to go in with a plan so that you know exactly what you want to learn and look at and where to find it. The best thing you can do prior to attending an RV show is to check out the RV show website and take a look at the floorplan. From that floorplan, make a detailed plan of attack of how you will navigate through the show to see exactly what you want to see. Be sure to check out the schedule for seminars and other events happening at the RV show so that you can make sure to fit them into your schedule.
Whether you’re just getting into RVing and camping or you’re a seasoned veteran, you should make sure to check out the various seminars at RV shows. There’s a lot of valuable information to be discovered at these seminars that you might not easily get otherwise. Usually, each RV show will have a set of expert presenters who will talk about various topics pertaining to RVing. You’ll likely learn about RV maintenance tips, how-tos and a lot more from these seminars. Check the full schedule of seminars before attending the show so you make sure you get to see the ones that are most valuable to you.
If you already have an RV, one of the highlights of attending an RV show can be checking out the new RV products, gadgets and toys. There are a lot of great new products being released each and every year that can make the RV lifestyle easier and more enjoyable so it’s worth checking out the vendors at the RV show to see what’s new. If you’re looking to update your current RV, you can also find a lot of interesting new gadgets that can be helpful. It’s amazing how many different RV products can be found that use Bluetooth technology these days.
While a lot of people are simply at an RV show to simply just look at the RVs, there are a lot of people there who are seriously considering purchasing an RV. If you’re one of those people that are there with the goal in mind of buying a new RV there are a few things to consider. First, it’s best to know exactly what type of RVs and makes/models you’re interested in before attending the show. You can do some pre-show research online that will help you spend your time more efficiently once you arrive at the show. This will give you lots more time to fully inspect the details of the models you really want to check out and also more time to talk to the representatives onsite.
It’s also good to look around online at the prices of the models you’re interested in. Often, you’ll hear that RV shows have the best prices of the year. Yes, that can be true but it can also simply be a ploy to get you to attend the show. If you already know the rough price range a certain model is selling at in other locations, you’ll be able to enter negotiations a lot easier and be more likely to end up with the deal you were looking for.
One thing to keep in mind if you’re purchasing an RV at an RV show is don’t feel pressured to buy. RV salesmen have a job and sometimes they can be a bit pushy in their sales tactics. You’ll likely run into every type of salesperson at an RV show. If you don’t feel comfortable with a certain salesman, don’t hesitate to walk away. At an RV show, a salesman might use the tactic that, “you won’t get a better price than now.” That could possibly be true but if you needed a little extra time to make a decision you could likely get the same deal a week or two later by visiting the dealership directly.
Make sure if you’re buying an RV to always negotiate. Never simply purchase an RV at the listed price. There’s almost always some wiggle room. If there’s not much wiggle room in the price, you can also ask that the dealer throw in some additional products that you would likely have to buy when setting up your RV. We did this when purchasing our RV and it helped us save a few hundred bucks in products.
Here’s a full list of RV shows happening in Canada via GoRVing
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]]>The post Replacing Our RV Mattress appeared first on Full Time Canada.
]]>RV mattresses are typically thin, between 4-6 inches, with coils and they are cheap. We were actually surprised that we managed as long as we did with our RV mattress without replacing it. It certainly wasn’t as terrible as we were expecting. That being said, we noticed a huge difference once we purchased our new RV mattress.
Living in Tofino, a town filled with resorts, we could have bought a mattress from the local Facebook marketplace. This would have been the best solution for replacing our RV mattress as most of the resorts in Tofino are 4-5 star resorts with quality beds. They replace them frequently and then sell them for $50-100 on Facebook. Unfortunately, all of those mattresses were at least 12 inches thick which wouldn’t work for us or most RVers. Most RVers, including ourselves, only have so much space for a mattress. Anything above 10 inches in height would block our windows on either side of the mattress. We have read about RVers customizing their bed’s platform to make it lower to allow for a full-size mattress but this would mean taking away valuable storage underneath our bed which we didn’t want to do.
Sleep is something that is super important to both Adam and I. We work hard through the summer, and we need a comfortable mattress for a good nights sleep. Our needs were simple – firm and not too expensive.
Adam took over the investigation as to which RV mattress we should get. This quickly took him to watch endless videos of people reviewing mattresses on YouTube. Who knew that there were people out there who reviewed mattresses for YouTube? I didn’t.
The main type of mattresses Adam was looking at were mattresses-in-a-box. These types of mattresses seem to be all the rage these days for both RVs and stick-and-brick homes. Most of them are memory foam based with other features/toppers included.
Here’s the video he watched comparing various boxed mattresses.
Our main concern with the new memory foam mattresses is whether or not the mattress would be firm enough. I have sciatic nerve problems and Adam is just tall and needs a firm mattress to support is long torso. We knew that we weren’t going to be able to go and test a bunch of mattresses as we did in the old days, so we relied on research and reviews.
On a lot of the RV sites that we follow, people were raving over the Lucid and the Zinus* (pictured above). Both are affordable, come in the mail, and are made of memory foam. Both had really good reviews and features about them.
*Note – The Zinus mattress linked above is specifically designed for RVs. We don’t believe this model was available through Amazon when we were initially doing our research into mattresses. We believe that this would be a great option if you’re looking to replace your RV mattress.
After a lot of shopping around, Adam made the purchase and went with Lucid. Later that week, we went to the post office in Tofino thinking that we would both need to carry it out. Not the case at all. Even though the sticker said, “HEAVY,” one of us could have easily carried it out to the truck.
We removed our old mattress and took the new Lucid mattress out of the box. We carefully cut the plastic off and unrolled it. There was a warning in the instructions that the mattress may have an odour and to put in a ventilated room. We didn’t notice that much of a smell, thankfully.
The next couple of nights, while the Lucid mattress was given time to expand and breathe (it takes about 48 hours), we put our old mattress on the floor of the kitchen and slept there. Two nights later, we finally slept on our new bed. It perfectly hugs your body, which I instantly liked, as it supported my bad knee. We watched an episode of Peaky Blinders and then it was off to sleep. The next morning, I felt great. I slept straight through and I didn’t feel Adam kicking or moving around like I normally do. We were both really impressed with the firmness of the mattress.
We’ve now had our Lucid mattress for almost a year. We’re still impressed with its firmness and the quality of sleep we are regularly having. We’ve never found it too hot in the summer months either but it does seem to keep us warmer in the winter months.
Finding a perfect mattress is never an easy situation, especially when there’s more than one person in the bed and everyone has their own level of sleeping comfort.
Is this mattress the perfect RV mattress? Probably not, but we’ve been extremely happy with the value we’ve received for $300. We may add a gel-topper in the future to give us a little more overall thickness to the mattress but for now, we’re still happily getting a good night’s rest which is all that matters. In hindsight, we wish we ordered the 8-inch option available but we went with the 6-inch based on the fact the old RV mattress was 6-inches.
If you do end up replacing your mattress in your RV let us know what kind and how it worked out for you. And if you do decide to replace your mattress, investigate giving your old mattress to someone who may need it. We ended up giving ours to a lady who wanted it for her two dogs to sleep on. Try to find a use for it rather than sending it to the landfill.
*Note – We did not/do not receive any compensation or commission from Lucid or Zinus and all opinions are our true and honest opinions.*
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]]>The post 12 Ways You Can Become a Greener RVer appeared first on Full Time Canada.
]]>The main villain – plastic! A sea bird with a plastic ring around its head, pieces of plastic washing up on the beach, whales dying from eating plastic. It’s a horrible reality in our oceans. We are running out of room in landfills for all of the plastics that we use. We think by recycling we are doing all that is needed, but the truth is, most plastics are not recycled. According to the Canadian Government less than 10% of plastics are recycled.
In Canada, over 3 million tonnes of waste plastic is generated each year and less than 9% of plastic waste is diverted for recycling. What does this mean as a full-time RVer? I don’t know about you but I cringe when I read on other RV sites about people using single-use plastic cups, plates, and plastic cutlery as their everyday dishes.
We have to change. We need to train our brains to figure out how not to use single-use plastic. We’ve been conditioned by convenience. Adam and I were raised using single use plastics every day. Waste was never considered back then but here we are now with our oceans being choked by plastic and our climate changing. It’s time for change and every little bit helps. We are trying to reduce our day-to-day waste and even though we are way off from being waste-free, we are down to a small bag of garbage weekly.
If you are living full-time in your RV, that alone is a great help to the environment. The tiny home movement has shown to take up less energy, and because you are using less space, you have less stuff. Full-timers don’t have a basement or many closets to fill with “stuff.”
In the little town of Tofino that we live in, there is a ban on plastic bags and plastic straws. This opened our eyes to the fact that we need to be better and that it actually is possible to make a lot of these changes quite easily.
The following are some of the things we are doing, that we hope you can try to become a greener RVer
1. Insulating the RV
Unless you buy a Polar RV with proper insulation, chances are you will notice that there is barely (if any) insulation in a typical RV. There are a few things you can do to help insulate your RV that so that you are wasting less energy. Adam insulates our slides with pipe insulation shoved into the gaps in the slide-outs. We did this both inside and outside and noticed much less drafts. Adam also puts plastic over the windows every window in the RV. Unfortunately, the plastic over the windows isn’t the best for the environment because it is throw-away and unusable for the next year. We are fortunate though that we do have a clear plastic recycling program at Crystal Cove Beach Resort that we use for that disposable material.
Insulating the windows and slides has not only made our RV much warmer in the cooler fall/winter months but we’ve also noticed our furnace coming on substantially less which is saving on propane as well.
2. LED Lights
A quick fix for power-sucking light bulbs in your RV is to go all LED. We have done this and love how long-lasting LED lights are. Check out everything you need to know about going all LED here.
3. Solar Panels
Adam and I do not have solar panels on our RV but we are thinking about doing it in the future. We found a great blog that covers the basics of solar panels.
Using the sun for energy in our RV is definitely something we are going to invest in.
4. Reusable Shopping Bags & Produce Cloth Bags
This is an easy one that a lot of us have been doing for awhile now. Buy reusable shopping bags and then put them in your vehicle. The key is not to forget them. When I go grocery shopping I put my purse in the back seat where the shopping bags are. If Adam goes grocery shopping, same thing, he puts his wallet in the reusable bag. If you are purchasing reusable bags, get ones that you can wash. I throw ours in the laundry in a cold wash once a month and let them air dry.
Don’t stop at reusable shopping bags, also be sure to grab cloth produce bags. These bags are what you can store those loose produce items in instead of the plastic bags the grocery store provides.
5. Rags
Spilled something? Grab paper towels to clean it up. Grease in the frying pan? Wipe it out with a paper towel before you wash it. Cleaning windows in the RV? Use paper towels to give it that streak-free shine. Nope! Not anymore. We use rags. We haven’t used paper towels in over a year. I have a few good rags for cleaning windows and some other rags for just general cleaning. Give them a wash and reuse. My mom, her mother, and my great grandmother and beyond used rags. No more paper towels that come wrapped in plastic.
Need a little more convincing? Here are some paper towel stats that hopefully will open your eyes…
*Stats provided by the Paperless Project
6. Personal Hygiene
I love a good bottle of shampoo. I can remember as a teenager having all kinds of varieties under the bathroom sink and selecting the scent based on my mood. It’s absolutely mind-boggling to think that a lot of those bottles are still around in some form.
What is the alternative now? Shampoo bars and no more body wash or hand soap in bottles. Back to bar soap. That is the saving at least 3-6 single-use plastic bottles per month that Adam and I won’t be contributing to our landfills. Imagine if everyone who read this did the same! We can make a difference.
If you haven’t tried it already, grab some natural deodorant and give it a try. I’ve been using it for about a month and while you sometimes have to give your armpits a little extra scrub, the packaging for a lot of natural deodorants is glass which easily breaks down to sand and is much better for the environment.
7. Laundry
A typical family of 4 can do between 6-10 loads of laundry per week, depending on the ages of the children and whether you wash your sheets once a week. As a couple, Adam and I do between 3-4 loads of laundry a week. A big jug of laundry soap would last us about two months. That’s 6 large plastic jugs a year.
Now, we no longer use those disposable jugs. We use Tru-Earth laundry strips. It’s a Canadian company (which is always great to support) and the strips use no plastic packaging. You can buy the strips that arrive in the mail in a recyclable cardboard package. It’s about $19 for 32 loads without a subscription or you can subscribe and they knock the price down to about $13.00. They send you the strips either monthly or bi-monthly depending on your needs. The company is still new so they aren’t available in a lot of stores yet. They have a scented version, unscented, and laundry strips for babies. I’ve been using them for a month and absolutely love them. Our clothes are clean and fresh smelling.
Also, give the wool balls a try for the dryer. This is a great green alternative if you need to use the dryer and perhaps can’t hang the clothes out to dry. The wool balls work like dryer sheets and help with static. Tru-Earth also sells this product for about $20.
8. Compost
According to the EPA – food waste makes up more that 28% of our trash which should be composted instead. Keeping this food out of landfills is a bonus as this is where it will release methane – a greenhouse gas.
If your campground has a compost unit use it. Or perhaps the town you live in has a compost heap that everyone can use. We are very lucky that Crystal Cove Beach Resort has a composter that we can put all of our food scraps in. The only thing we don’t put it in bones or crab shells due to the bears in the area. Composting is an easy way to reduce your garbage and it makes your other garbage not stink as much.
9. Doing the Dishes
When we first started becoming more environmentally conscious, we bought larger bottles of dish soap. A large jug would result in many smaller jugs not being thrown out in the recycling. Now we are looking at alternatives. I have started looking at dish soap bottle alternatives. There is a refill store in Tofino now that we may check out where we can simply take in our old jug and refill it. There is also the possibility of using bars of Sunlight soap, Castille soap bars, or an olive oil bar soap.
10. Food Containers
20 years ago, I used to use plastic wrap on everything whether it was storing food in the fridge or wet cat & dog food. Like many, I did this without even a thought of how it would affect our earth. Now we have had the same roll of plastic wrap in our RV for almost 2 years. Instead we now use beeswax wraps which you can buy or easily make yourself. Plus, we have a lot of storage containers which we’re always using to eliminate plastic storage bags.
11. Clothing
On average, a North American person throws away 81lbs of clothing per year. That has a huge impact on the environment. What can you do? Buy good quality shoes, boots, jackets, and clothing. Basically buy quality instead of quantity. Look for items that have good warranties. One item we bought this year was Darn Tough socks. They’re expensive at $30 a pair but they have a lifetime warranty and they’re super comfortable. You can also repair zippers, sew on buttons and get the soles of your shoes fixed if you can.
12. Walking, Biking, Travelling
When we can, we walk to work, bike to the store, and we plan on travelling more but in a smaller RV. Our RV does cost a lot to travel with, which means more diesel burned by our truck. While we are absolutely going to continue RVing we are going to rent a smaller RV. Our next trip we plan on going through Washington, Oregon and California. We are going to rent a tiny RV and not have to worry about damage on our full-time home or unnecessarily affecting the environment.
As I’m sure you’ve noticed our planet is changing and not for the better. We all have to be better. Adam and I only recently started to consider these changes but have made quite a few significant changes that have reduced our waste and our use of plastics. The main thing is don’t feel like you have to change everything at once. Make the changes in your life slowly but surely. This will help make the changes seem less drastic which will make it easier to continue to produce less waste and make you a greener RVer in no time!
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]]>The post 8 Pieces of Advice for Newbie Full-Time RVers appeared first on Full Time Canada.
]]>Sitting in our little house in New Brunswick in July 2015, knowing that we were about to venture into a fairly uncommon way of living in Canada, we would have loved to have had some advice from fellow full-time RVers.
The one thing I want you to know is that if we can do it you can too. You just have to change your way of thinking about everyday life and what you have been taught your entire life about the normalcies of society.
While Adam and I are not the first ones to full-time RV in Canada, we know it can be tough to find information out there on how to live in your RV full-time.
Here is some advice and the honest truth about living full-time in your RV.
Get married. Buy a home. Have children. Save for retirement. Retire. That’s the road map that most of us have been told our adult lives are supposed to follow. But why does it have to be that way? Here’s the thing we’ve learned. You don’t have to follow societal norms. Don’t be afraid to break out of the comforts of society and lead your own journey.
I started full-time RVing at the age of 41, right in the middle of when I should be saving for retirement and continue working my career for another 20+ years.
Instead, I’ve now been full-time RVing for almost 4 years while travelling across our beautiful country and enjoying so much more freedom. I also now run Tofino Food Tours with Adam and have a wonderful job at Crystal Cove Beach Resort in Tofino, BC. That is a lot of change for someone who had 20 years of radio broadcasting under their belt.
You can do it though. Whether you are becoming a snowbird and retiring, or you are in your 20s and want to travel and work across Canada while living in your RV, or you are like me, approaching middle age and couldn’t stand doing the same thing as everyone else. It can work for you if you have an open mind and are willing to let go of what society expects your life to be.
Here’s a good thing to know about RVs before you buy one – they have very little insulation. So what does this mean? Essentially, in the summer it can get really hot and in the winter it can get really cold.
One of the reasons we chose to live in Tofino is for its weather. While it rains a lot it doesn’t get much warmer than 20 degrees in the summer and it usually stays above the freezing mark during the winter. That being said we’ve had to deal with almost a month of temperatures at night dropping to -5 degrees. This obviously isn’t very cold compared to most places in Canada but when you’re living in an RV it can be very cold if you’re not prepared for it.
One big piece of advice we wish we knew before buying an RV is to look for a 4-season RV. Brands like Arctic Fox have much more insulation in them and will keep you cooler in the summer and do a much better job of keeping you warm in the winter.
If you wish to full-time RV in some of the colder regions of Canada there are plenty of modifications you can also make to your RV. Aside from wrapping our windows to keep drafts out, we really haven’t done many ourselves but the Facebook group Winter RVing is a great resource for ideas and tips on how to stay warm in your RV throughout the winter.
Adam and I are not mechanically minded people by nature and having an RV has resulted in learning a lot. You will learn too so don’t be afraid to hop into the deep end. Can it be overwhelming? Yes, but it’s a challenge worth taking on.
Our first year of full-time RVing was quite the learning process. We were as green as can be when it came to RVing. We had to learn absolutely everything on our own with the help of the odd Facebook group or RVing forum.
Learning to pull a 30+ foot fifth-wheel across the country was quite the experience. As is backing your trailer into everywhere you camp. *Hint- try to find pull-through campsites* Then there is all of the maintenance and learning how certain things in the RV work. It takes time but it all comes together slowly but surely.
You will learn too. Don’t get dragged down thinking it is too much. You will figure it out.
This is likely to be the one consistent you’ll read about when it comes to RVs – they leak.
Short of building a whole new roof on top of your RV that also covers your slides, your RV will likely eventually leak. Ours did and we got it fixed for a cool $8000. It’s awful to think but I suspect it will likely leak again sometime in the future. It’s the nature of the beast when you live in a cheaply manufactured home. We even did somethings to safeguard ourselves against a leak and it still happened, although, we’re rather certain our RV leaked before we bought it.
Slides are the biggest issue when it comes to leaks in RVs. If you don’t mind sacrificing some extra space, go for an RV without slides and then take good care of your roof and you’ll be much more protected. Also, make sure to check your seals along your sidewalls and reseal them. The more you travel with your RV the more often you will have to redo your seals. This is probably Adam’s least favourite RV maintenance task.
Something to keep in mind as well is that your RV insurance or warranty likely will not cover the cost of these repairs due to a leak so have a little extra money saved up for that rainy day.
Ferris Bueller may not be known as one of the great philosophers but he did leave us with this quote to reflect on…
“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”
It’s great advice and it’s something everyone should remember.
When we drove across Canada we took about 36 days while travelling from PEI to BC. I wish now we would have taken a lot more time and explored more of Alberta and BC. Our country is vast and expansive with so much to see. Slow down. It’s a great thing to do when travelling. There is lots to explore out there so enjoy it.
We get a lot of questions about full-time RVing with most of them surrounding having an address and health insurance. These are two things that you absolutely need to have.
The one thing we Canadians love is our free health care. To keep your provincial health care, though, you do need to have a physical address.
Currently, our address is the campground that we live at which is an easy solution. If you’re staying at campgrounds longer-term this is likely your best option. If you’re travelling freely, you will need to figure out a solution. A lot of full-time RVers will use the address of a family member or a friend. This is where you will also get your mail delivered. Keep in mind that whatever province this physical address is in is the province you have to legally live in for 6-months a year in order to be eligible for that province’s health care system. There are some legal variations to this so it’s best to do your homework on what your province allows.
It may be sad but definitely true…a lot of us can not live without the internet. Whether it’s for checking email, staying connected with friends and family or even just watching adorable cat videos, the internet is something we’re all used to having whether it’s on your phone or computer.
When you’re travelling, staying connected can be a challenge and sometimes frustrating. You’re likely going to experience most RV parks have weak WiFi, although a lot of them are getting better every year. The larger the park, usually, the worse the signal as more RVs are pulling from the same signals.
Here in Canada our cell phone plans are not cheap and are very limited in terms of data so you can’t really use this is an option either when travelling as it will only take you so far.
What we did when we first set up our RV in PEI was to get a WiFi Ranger unit which actually helps boost the signals of available WiFi connections in the area. This definitely strengthened weaker signals for us and allowed us to continue to blog and do basic internet tasks.
We’d recommend setting your expectations for having no internet when travelling and being pleasantly surprised when it turns out to actually be good. Definitely don’t expect to roll into every park and be able to stream Netflix without interruptions. Maybe one day but that day isn’t here yet.
You’re probably thinking that we built you up throughout this article to think that you can full-time RV. It’s true you can and a lot of people do and absolutely love the lifestyle change. However, that’s not the case for everyone.
I will tell you the truth. Full-time RVing is not for everyone. You already read about RVs leaking and dealing with cold temperatures. You should also check out our blog about 6 Reasons Living Full Time in Your RV Sucks. There are so many things that we love about full-time RVing but then there a few small things that we don’t like. But the good outweighs the bad in our case. That may not be the case for you.
We’ve read many stories about full-time RVers who gave up after a year and returned to living in a brick and mortar home. For some those comforts can be hard to give up and you may struggle without them. You may not like having to physically empty your toilet. You may hate having to make sure your trailer is level every time you park it. The one thing we will say is to give it time. It may not be for you right away and all of the new challenges can be overwhelming and stressful but once you adapt to your new way of life you will likely find life is actually a lot easier than it was before.
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]]>The post 3 Repairs We Made To Our RV in 2019 appeared first on Full Time Canada.
]]>Slide Replacements
It’s true when they say, “it’s not if your RV leaks – it’s when.”
Let’s start with the biggest repair we’ve had to do on our RV and likely the biggest we’ll ever do. Slide replacements. Yes, we said it. It sends a shiver down the spine of anyone that owns an RV with slides. We took our Sundance in and got all three slides redone. After living in our RV for almost 3 years, we noticed some sagging in the back slide and some softness in the other two.
While we get a lot of rain in Tofino, we’ve kept the RV sealed well and protected as much as possible since we’ve moved here. We’re almost certain that the damage was done prior to us purchasing our RV which has been a lesson in buying second-hand RVs. Regardless, we still had to get the slides replaced.
After having a local RV repairman come to look at the back slide, he indicated all three had some water damage. Our bedroom slide was the worst which was surprising as we thought it had just minimal damage.
Getting all three slides replaced was not only expensive, but it also meant having to live elsewhere for a couple of weeks while the work was done. We were fortunate that our employer let us live in one of the RVs they have on-site. I’m not going to lie to you, this was an extremely stressful repair. The cost, and having to be out of our home for a couple of weeks was less than ideal.
Our local RV repair shop removed the old slides and completely replaced the flooring, the under-siding, and the caulking. It is incredible how much it improved the feel of the slides. It also made us realize what slides in good condition should feel like and ours definitely weren’t that when we purchased the RV. Again…another lesson.
We are happy with the work that was done during the repair. The downside was the cost – $8000! We decided it would be better to get them fixed properly and not have to worry about mould or further damage to the rest of the RV floor. We contemplated just selling it as is, but then we would be losing out on the money we had already paid in full for our RV. Sometimes you just have to bite the bullet plus with the slides now fixed, it’ll make it easier to sell in the future if we decide to.
This winter we also decided to protect our slides with just one more little addition. We made our own slide toppers with thick poly wrap and secured it to the RV with HVAC tape. It has held up in our wind storms here on the Pacific Coast and it keeps the slides much drier and free of debris. It doesn’t look that pretty but it also doesn’t stand out appearance-wise. It was an experiment that actually worked out and only cost us about $50 compared to thousands of dollars if you were to install slide toppers.
The Kitchen Sink
One day, while I was doing dishes, the kitchen sink tap came off in my hand. Hilarity ensued as I tried to shut the water off. When I did manage to get the water off, I realized we would have to replace the faucet and taps. The old one that came with the RV was made of plastic (shocking) and was literally falling off into my hands.
Adam, who is by no means a plumber, decided he would tackle this project himself. I was quite proud of him and decided to make sure I would be out of the RV while he did this repair as I didn’t want to be in the way. Adam gets a little animated when he does repair work and it can raise my blood pressure. Turns out, replacing the sink faucet and taps was easy for him. He did a splendid job and now we have a lovely new sink feature that only cost us about $100. We thought about replacing the entire sink to put in a better quality sink but decided against it at the moment as it requires some cabinetry work. If you’re looking to replace your RV sink, be sure to check out the blog on replacing your RV sink by our contributor Greg Walker.
The Toilet
From the moment we bought our 2008 Heartland Sundance, the toilet never properly held water. This my friends is kind of gross. Without going into too much detail, imagine if you had a cat using a catbox without kitty litter in it. Eww. That’s what we were dealing with. This needed to be repaired.
When we had the RV repairman come out to check our slides Adam also asked him about our toilet. We had bought a new sani seal gasket for our toilet but it still wouldn’t work properly. We then found out that was because it was the wrong gasket. The RV repairman said they don’t even make the gaskets for our toilet anymore. Apparently, our RV is too old which was hard to believe since it was only 10 years old. That being said, there was some good news. Getting a new toilet was covered under our RV warranty. In the end, we got a lovely new toilet, complete with a spray hose which makes cleaning SO much easier. And the cost to us? $0!
It was an expensive year for us and our RV. One thing we had to remind ourselves is that this is our home and everyone has home repairs whether you live in a brick & mortar home or an RV. Fortunately for us at this point, we have replaced most of the major items that would need to be replaced in our RV. During our first year RVing our warranty took care of a new air conditioner and a new converter. Now we look ahead to 2020 and fingers crossed everything keeps on keeping on and we won’t have any large repairs to make.
Have you had to have anything major replaced in your RV? Did you do it yourself or have a repair shop do it for you? Let us know in the comments.
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]]>The post 19 Reasons Why Your Family Will Love Crystal Cove Beach Resort appeared first on Full Time Canada.
]]>Located just a little over 3 km outside of the town of Tofino, Crystal Cove Beach Resort is located on beautiful MacKenzie Beach. We’ve been residents of the park since October 2016 and love what this RV park has to offer. While we don’t have children, we do know how important it is for RV’ers with children to have the right amenities for the little ones.
Crystal Cove Beach Resort has a lot of fun on-site and there are plenty of things to do off-site to have a fun family RV’ing experience.
How great is Crystal Cove Beach Resort? We decided to come up with a list of reasons why you definitely will want to book your next family camping trip here at Crystal Cove Beach Resort. We could easily list more than 19 reasons why you need to stay at Crystal Cove Beach Resort, but we want you to discover some of the amazing experiences all on your own. Now, here’s our list.
Honestly, there’s a reason why we haven’t left Tofino since we arrived in 2016 and a big part of that is Crystal Cove Beach Resort. It’s just such a wonderful place to bring your RV with so many activities to always keep you busy.
If you want to book an RV site give the front desk team at Crystal Cove Beach Resort a call at 1.877.725.4213. The resort office is open 7-days a week from 8.30 am to 10 pm. You can also check out more about the resort at crystalcove.ca
*The one thing we do want to warn you about is that you need to book ahead. Tofino and Crystal Cove Beach Resort are both super popular destinations, especially during the summer. To avoid disappointment, make sure you pick up the phone and give the Crystal Cove Beach Resort office a call and get your site booked. Sites for July/August often book a year in advance. *
The post 19 Reasons Why Your Family Will Love Crystal Cove Beach Resort appeared first on Full Time Canada.
]]>The post Tech Hacks for the Full-Time RVer appeared first on Full Time Canada.
]]>Full-time RVers are faced with daily challenges including maintenance and repairs of the RV, getting reliable networking and communications services and finding or navigating to your next destination. Technology can be a great asset when faced with those challenges. Following are several RV tech hacks that a full-time RVer can tap into to make life in the road a little less challenging.
For your devices to work consistently, you have to keep power flowing to them. That means properly maintaining your batteries. The Black and Decker BC15BD 15 Amp Bench Battery Charger is a small, lightweight charger that has a battery reconditioning mode which will regenerate your house batteries to keep them in top operating condition. Like running an equalization charge, the recondition mode de-sulfates the plates in your batteries. This raises the specific gravity in the electrolyte and gives tired batteries more storage capacity. Unlike an equalization charge, it is safe to use in gel or sealed batteries and does not create dangerous boiling conditions or excessive heat in wet lead-acid batteries. The charger can also charge your house or tow vehicle batteries and do alternator checks to make sure your RV is ready to go when you are.
A Wi-fi router and network repeater combination
Full Time Canada Tip: WiFi Ranger is a great addition to your RV to help boost nearby WiFi signals
Troubleshooting electrical issues in an RV is extremely difficult without a way to reliably test electrical circuits. A digital multimeter is a must have on the road. When selecting one, make sure it can work in the ranges which your RV runs. Most RVs and tow vehicles have a 12V DC side and RVs generally also have 120V AC side. Some RVs may also have 24V or higher battery banks and may use 6V batteries. If you have a solar system, higher DC voltages may present. Ideally, a digital multimeter for full-time RVing should at least work in those ranges and test both AC and DC voltage, current and continuity
A multiport USB charging station can keep several electronic gadgets charged up and ready to go all from a small, lightweight box that only uses a single 120V outlet. 10 port Unitek or Tripp Lite charging stations are a great choice measuring in at about 3” x 6” x 10.5” and weighing only about 2.5 lbs, these units can hold and charge up to 10 devices simultaneously.
RV surge protectors are another necessity to keep the power flowing to your tech gadgets while full-time RVing. It is best to choose a unit that does more than just surge protection. At a minimum, they should also test for common circuit faults at the pedestal like open neutral, open grounds or dropped legs in 50-amp service. Detecting and avoiding these faults will protect both you and your rig from dangerous electrical conditions.
There are many bubble level apps available and even some specifically dedicated to RV levelling available for both iPhones and Android devices. Simply place your phone on a flat surface in your RV with the app running to get a current state of how
If you use google maps for navigation, make sure you download your map data before venturing out to remote areas. Without a cell signal, Google maps cannot download the necessary data to function on the fly and can leave you stranded. Offline map data is easy to download and can even be stored on an SD card if your phone supports them for later use. Simple instructions can be found by searching the internet for Google Maps Download Map Data or Google Maps Navigate Offline.
With these great tips, the full-time RVer can get those most out of their electronics while on the road. These tips will keep you powered up, connected and travelling safely whether you are working, playing or just hanging out
The post Tech Hacks for the Full-Time RVer appeared first on Full Time Canada.
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