8 Tips For Buying a Used RV Camper
Are you going to be in the market for a used RV soon? Are you feeling a little bit lost on what to look for in your new-to-you RV before purchasing? For many, this is a huge decision and a huge purchase! And we don’t blame you for feeling a bit overwhelmed!
When you buy a used RV, you have to know what you are getting into. You have to test everything and see everything work – or not work. When I bought our first RV… I had no idea. But I did know the fridge was supposed to get cold, and the furnace was supposed to get hot, and the battery charger was supposed to charge the batteries. Our first RV came from camping world in Indy (that’s her in the photo above). I worked them pretty hard to make the sale. And it still wasn’t perfect. Here are some important things to think about when looking for your used RV.
1. The biggest thing to look for is water leaks. Water leaks make the walls come apart (delamination). They cause permanent damage that either can’t be fixed or isn’t worth fixing. If you see any sign of leaks, inside, outside, or on the roof, just run away. There are lots of used Rv’s out there, you don’t need that one. Check inside the RV for discoloration, water stains, or any signs of mold or other damage on the walls and ceiling. Check outside on the roof for loose or bad caulking, mildew. Extend the slides and check all around them (including underneath!) for any signs of mold or mildew.
2. Make sure the dealer or owner will allow you to check all of the operating systems. If they tell you they don’t have shore power available to plug it in, tell them to move it to where they do, or run. If they tell you “the plumbing is winterized, we can’t run any water”, well then run. Any excuse about why they cannot show you each and every system operating, just run.
3. Tires – Tires are expensive. They last 5-7 years, and then they are junk. No matter how good they look. A 7 year old tire has aged out, and is dangerous, and could fail at any time. Even if it is brand new in a warehouse and has never been mounted on a rim or had air put in it. The DOT has a code put on the sidewall of every tire. 
You can ignore all the stuff in the middle of the DOT code, the last 4 numbers are the date, 2 for the week of the year (0 to 52) and the last 2 are the year. This tire was made the 51st week, Christmas week, in 2007. If I was looking at an RV with this tire, I’d be looking at replacing them.
4. Batteries – The batteries are the lifeblood of every RV. Except for the microwave, air conditioning, and entertainment, everything runs off the batteries. Going dead is hard on batteries. Freezing is lethal. Typically a battery that has frozen will look “bulgey”, the sides will be all pushed out and ugly. Most used RV’s will need new batteries, unless the private owner has kept the unit plugged in. Dealers let them sit on the lot, and then the batteries go dead. If it’s been cold, dead batteries will freeze, and batteries that have frozen are junk.
5. Wheel bearings and trailer brakes – There is really no easy way to check these. If you are buying a trailer of any type, you really just have to assume these items have been neglected. Your “new vehicle maintenance” must include cleaning and greasing the wheel bearings, and inspecting the brakes.
6. Motorhomes – Like buying a used car, you just have to assume the regular maintenance is due – oil and filter change, as well as fuel filters and air dryers on diesel pushers.
7. Generator service – Most generators are totally unloved and long overdue for service. Gas generators will be hard to start, and will surge and sputter if they have been ignored. Deisel generators will just keep running. Its best to just figure generator service needs to be done.
8. Spend some time and insist on a full PDI (pre delivery inspection) by someone who knows what they are doing. Dealers will have such a person on staff, but if buying from a private owner, hire an inspector if you don’t feel up to the job, or bring someone with you who knows. You can also rely on the owner to know his RV and be able to show you that everything works. Most RVers are good people, and are more than willing to help out.
It certainly is a lot to think about! Hopefully this article has helped give you some good tips that will help you out when you go to buy your RV. Good luck, see you down the road!
10 Great Tips For Camping With Your Dog
My family and I love to camp – and my family includes 3 furbabies that always go camping with us. They are a part of our family so of course they come along! They love everything about camping with us! All we have to do is ask them, “Wanna go camping??” and they jump right in the RV! Of course we love having them along, but it’s important to think about their needs and safety during the trip. Here are some things to think about before and during camping with your furbabies. Use this guide as a handy reference and even print it out to make sure you have everything in place when it comes time to leave.
- Always check the rules for where you will be camping: Some campgrounds have rules against dogs completely, and some have rules against certain breeds of dogs, or how many dogs you are allowed to have at your campsite, so always check to make sure that your dog is welcome wherever you decide to camp. Also, make sure to check and see if there is an extra fee for your dog so there are no surprises when you get there. The National Parks have very specific rules for allowing dogs within the park – most parks welcome dogs but only along roadways, in developed areas and in campgrounds, and dogs must be on a 6-foot or shorter leash, caged or crated at all times. They are not allowed in buildings, on trails, on beaches or in the backcountry. We have brought our dogs into National Parks, and believe me when I tell you that they are NOT allowed out of the parking lots. There are Park Rangers posted in the parking lots making sure everyone follows the rules!
- Make sure your dog is up-to-date on all vaccinations, including heartworm which is transmitted via mosquitoes, rabies (our dogs have been known to find and eat dead wildlife), and Lyme Disease, which is tick-borne. Also be sure they have been treated with flea and tick control (we have hiked in the forest with the dogs and we came home covered in ticks but they were fine!) The health of your furbaby is so important!
- Make sure your dog has up-to-date tags on his collar that contain your cell phone number where you can be reached at all times (not a home number – you’re not home!). Our dog’s tags have both mine and my husband’s cell phone numbers on them. Also, have your dog microchipped! Ours are chipped and then the chips are registered online with Petkey, as well as registered at our veterinarian’s office. Petkey does a lifetime registration for a one-time fee, where many require annual renewal fees. Also, make sure your provider puts the chip’s information online at the AAHA (American Animal Hospital Association), which is a clearinghouse for all registered microchips and the first place that will be searched when a chip is scanned. We recently had them in to the vet for check-ups and had the vet get out their machine and find the chips in the dogs (one dog’s chip had migrated to his right shoulder, which the vet noted in his chart), and check to make sure they had the numbers recorded correctly (one had an extra zero in his chip number on file). We had to ask for this to be done – the vet did not volunteer to do it! You must advocate for your pet!
- Bring along a copy of your dog’s health and vaccination records – especially important if crossing country borders! Canada and Mexico both require a Rabies Certificate issued by your veterinarian that proves up-to-date Rabies vaccine. Many campgrounds have it written in their rules that your dog MUST be up-to-date on all vaccinations (We’ve never had a campground ask for proof, but you never know when one will!) Consider whether you will be taking your dog to a doggie daycare while on your trip and if you should get him the Kennel Cough (Bordatella) vaccine. Discussing all possible scenarios with your vet to make sure your pooch is properly protected is very important. Also, don’t forget to pack any medications that your dog may need to take.
- Pack your dog’s regular food and food dishes, along with enough bottled water for him during the trip. Be sure to bring bottled water and his water dish with you on any hikes. Do not let your dog drink from standing water or water puddles, lakes, or streams! (We did this once when we didn’t know any better – our dog drank from a small stream in the mountains in Colorado and ended up very sick!)
- PLEASE pack and use poop bags. ‘Nuff said…
- So what should you do if you plan on going someplace where your dog is not allowed, like a National Park or other attraction? We have used local doggie daycares in the past, and with much success! Many campgrounds or local attractions will be able to guide you to local doggie daycares that they recommend. If we are only going to be gone for a couple of hours, we have left our dogs in the RV. Turn on the air conditioner, give them a bone to amuse themselves with, fill their water dish, and don’t worry! They will be fine for a short period of time! This is NOT recommended if your dog barks, whines or in any way would disturb the other campers that are parked nearby. And NEVER leave them outside the camper on a leash! There is no way for you to know how they are behaving while you are gone – they could be barking, whining, or even getting into dangerous things without you there. If you are tent camping, do not leave your dog unattended in the tent. Find pet friendly attractions that he can join you at, or take him to the doggie daycare. It would be way too easy for him to escape from your tent!
- Be sure to take your dog on his regular walks. When we’re camping, our dogs get even more walks than when we are at home. It’s a great way to stave off boredom in your dog, which in turn is a great way to assure that he isn’t barking or whining at the campsite and annoying the neighbors. Our dogs LOVE to walk around the campground and meet people! Because we take them camping all the time and walk them so much, they are VERY well socialized! Anybody can come up to them, from small children to adults, and pet them. They will even tolerate small children poking them, petting them aggressively, trying to ride them, etc. Not all dogs are this friendly and tolerant though, so if your dog cannot handle strong interaction, then don’t be afraid to tell people, “NO” when they ask if they can pet them! You can also tie a yellow ribbon to your dog’s leash, which is the symbol for people to proceed with caution because your dog is not super friendly. Better safe than sorry!
- At the campsite, make sure your dog has plenty of shade and a nice big bowl of water. Heat exhaustion/heat stroke is life-threatening for your dog. Dogs naturally have a higher body temperature than humans, so they are more prone to heat exhaustion/heat stroke. Some signs of heat exhaustion/heat stroke include heavy panting, a bright red tongue and/or gums, excessive drooling where the saliva is thick or sticky, weakness, vomiting, dehydration, not producing enough urine, rapid heart rate. If your dog shows any of these signs, get him to a cooler place immediately, wet him down with cool water (lukewarm if it’s a small dog), and turn a fan on him to cool him down. Don’t cool him too quickly because that can cause other problems. Even if he seems cooler, take him to the vet as soon as possible and have him checked for dehydration and other problems. He may need to be rehydrated via an IV. Severe heatstroke can even cause organ damage, and your pooch needs to be monitored to make sure all is well. Again, better safe than sorry!
- Be honest! Just because you CAN take your dog camping with you does not mean you SHOULD. Consider whether your dog has the right temperament for camping. He will likely encounter other campers, kids, wildlife, many different smells, other dogs, a new environment, and a host of other new and different things. If he is nervous, untrained, aggressive, or not social, be honest with yourself and leave him home. It will be better for him, you and all the other campers in the long run.
Bruschetta Chicken
Get ready to have your socks knocked off, cuz this meal is super delicious and healthy too! Made with fresh tomatoes and basil, this bruschetta is the best I’ve ever had! This recipe is courtesy of Ree over at The Pioneer Woman (I love Ree!) Serve it with a side salad (I like to keep it very simple and just do Romaine lettuce, fresh parmesan cheese and croutons) and dinner is complete!
Ingredients:
1 TBSP Olive Oil
5 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 pint Red Grape Tomatoes, Halved Lengthwise
1 pint Yellow Grape Tomatoes, Halved Lengthwise
1 TBSP Balsamic Vinegar
16 whole Basil Leaves (chiffonade)
Salt and black pepper to taste
8 whole bones, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half to create two thin breasts
Freshly grated or shaved Parmesan cheese
Instructions:
In a small skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and stir, lightly frying for about a minute, removing before the garlics gets too brown (it can be golden). Pour into a mixing bowl and allow to cool slightly.
Add tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, basil, and salt and pepper to the bowl. Toss to combine, adding more basil or salt and pepper if needed. Cover and refrigerate for and hour or two if you have the time.
Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper, then grill or sauté them until done in the middle.
To serve, give the tomato mixture a final stir. Arrange the chicken breasts on a plate, then spoon a generous amount of bruschetta over the top.
Enjoy!
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Skillet Lasagna
Hi all! We’re on Day 3 of “7 Great Meals You Can Make In Your RV”. Today’s meal is a real family favorite – Skillet Lasagna! It’s super easy to make and comes together in about 30 minutes. I make a quick loaf of fresh garlic bread to go along with it and dinner is complete! Easy, tasty, and quick – can’t get any better than that!
Ingredients:
2 TBSP Olive Oil
1 pound of bulk Italian Sausage
1/2 a medium onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
28 oz. can of diced tomatoes
8 oz. can of tomato sauce
1-1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 9 oz. packages of Buitoni Four-Cheese Ravioli
8 oz. of fresh mozzarella cheese, cubed
1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
Flat leaf parsley for garnish
Instructions:
1. Add olive oil to a large skillet (I LOVE my Lodge cast iron skillet for this recipe!!)
2. Saute onions and garlic, over medium heat, until onions are soft and translucent.
3. Add sausage and cook, breaking up with wooden spoon while it browns
4. Once sausage is cooked through, add tomatoes, tomato sauce, chicken broth and ravioli
5. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer over medium heat until ravioli are tender and sauce has reduced and thickened, about 15-20 minutes.
6. Remove from heat and stir in mozzarella and parmesan cheeses.
ENJOY!
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Best Crock Pot Beef Stew
Day 2 of our “7 Great Meals You Can Cook In Your RV” features another crockpot meal – Beef Stew. Since we were again traveling toward Florida on Day 2, I did another crock pot meal. Its so convenient to throw it all in the crock pot first thing in the morning (while everyone is getting up and showering, etc.) and then when we get to our destination for the night, dinner is ready! I simply threw a can of rolls into my convection oven and we were eating! I’m all about easy!!
Ingredients:
2 pounds beef stew meat
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 TBSP seasoning salt
2 TBSP olive oil
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 large onion, diced
2 bay leaves
2 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
2 cups water
2 tsp. beef bouillon granules
4 medium to large red potatoes, washed and diced
3 large carrots, peeled and sliced
1 stalk celery, diced
Instructions:
1. Shake the beef stew meat in a resealable plastic bag with the flour and seasoning salt until evenly coated. Heat the olive oil in a skillet; add the floured stew meat to the pan and brown on all sides. Remove using a slotted spoon or tongs and place into the bottom of a slow cooker. Season with pepper.
2. Saute the diced onion in the same hot skillet for 2 minutes. Don’t worry about cleaning it out in between – that’s added flavor! Transfer the onions into the slow cooker as well. Add the Worcestershire sauce, water and beef granules into the skillet and whisk until mixed, making sure you scrape up any browned bits in the bottom of the pan. Turn off the heat and set aside.
3. Add the diced potatoes, carrots, celery and bay leaves to the slow cooker. Now, pour the brother/Worcestershire mixture in the crock pot as well. Cover; cook on low for 8 hours Remove the bay leaves before serving. Enjoy!
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States visited map
Lots of RVers like to post or show a map of their “States Visited”.
There are, of course, no rules, but we have always only put a state on the map if we slept there in the motorhome. Just driving through is not quite good enough, but stopping for a few days or more to sight-see is just a little too much for us so far.
Currently, our map shows every state we spent at least one night in, in both motorhomes we have owned.
Someday, I can see whittling it down to “just this bus”, or “just states we’ve stayed in for some time”. Who knows, we might just start over, and up the ante to include “only states we’ve spent a “week or month or whatever in”. Again, there are no rules, you decide what works for you, and change it whenever you like.
We have a couple we use. “Hardware” and “software” so to speak.
First is our hardware map. From “Signs Of Life” in Estes Park, CO, this one is on the door of our Monaco Knight. It’s a sturdy removeable “cling” base map, with multi colored “cling” states that can be attached as needed.
Go here http://www.signsoflife.net/rv-travel-map.php for the best RV travel maps.
I HIGHLY recommend this company. They are a Christian family-owned business, and they are themselves RVers. In addition to the USA, they also have same-scale maps of Canada and Mexico. We have Canada on our door, and still look forward to filling in our first province. I’ve yet to convince Carol that Mexico should be on our list of places to go, but as a fan of warm weather, Mexican food, and Margaritas, I’m hoping she will someday enjoy visits south of the border.
Next is the electronic version. This website http://www.visitedstatesmap.com/ is the place to go for an electronic map of your states visited. These are commonly used in signatures in Rv forums, but could be used on your blog or anywhere else you need a jpg or gif of the states you’ve stayed in. Here’s ours:
FYI, since these were done last July, we’ve added the great state of Alabama to our list.
Slow Cooker Chicken Fajita Soup
I cooked this meal the first day we took off from Chicago. I knew it was going to be a long day of driving, and we would want to be leaving early in the morning, so I put it all together the day before, and just tossed in the crock pot on take-off day and we were off! The crock pot sat plugged in on my RV kitchen counter all day, and when we parked for the night somewhere in southern Illinois, dinner was ready! Easy!!
Ingredients:
1 pound bones, skinless chicken breasts
2 (10.75 oz) cans condensed cream of chicken soup
1 cup salsa
2 cups frozen corn
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1-1/2 cups water
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. dried cilantro
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Toppings of your choice:
sour cream
diced tomatoes
green onions
cilantro
diced avocado
tortilla strips
Instructions:
1. Spray slow cooker with cooking spray. Add chicken to the bottom of slow cooker.
2. In a medium sized mixing bowl, mix cream of chicken soup, salsa, corn, black beans, water, cumin and cilantro. Pour over the top of chicken.
3. Cook on low for 4 to 6 hours. Remove the chicken and shred. Place back into the slow cooker and add shredded cheese. Continue cooking until cheese has melted – about 15 minutes. Serve with your favorite toppings.
Recipe by The Recipe Critic: www.therecipecritic.com
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7 Great Meals You Can Cook In Your RV
After a particularly cold winter here in Chicago, we recently went on a great trip to Navarre, Florida. In February. The weather wasn’t super warm there in north Florida, but it sure was a lot better than here in Chicago!!! We love to cook, and we cooked dinner every night of our trip except one (when in Florida you have to eat seafood just once!). We keep our meals simple yet healthy and very tasty!! I love my crock pot, and used it on the days we were travelling. However, I am VERY picky about the food that comes out of my crock pot – I have no desire to eat mushy, squishy meat that’s been slow-cooking for 10 hours and falls apart when you touch it with your fork. My MAN likes to work his meat too! So there aren’t many crock pot recipes that I love. Which means the ones that I’m posting here have passed the Carol test – and that’s NOT an easy thing to do! Only 3 of the 7 recipes are from the crock pot – the rest were cooked on my stovetop in the RV. We LOVE to grill outside, but it was just too darn cold this time of year to do that.
So, without further ado, here are 7 great meals you can cook in your RV. I will post one recipe, complete with pictures, each time I post, and then wrap it all up at the end with links to each recipe right here on this post, so that they are all in one neat, tidy little place. ENJOY!!
Slow Cooker Chicken Fajita Soup
Slow Cooker Pepper Steak Over Rice
…Meanwhile, Somewhere in Florida
I rolled out of bed at 6 AM this morning to catch this beautiful morning here in Navarre Beach, Florida. Its pretty cold here today! I actually had to put on my winter coat to go get these shots! But its still a lot better than Illinois, where I believe its currently 12 degrees. I’m not sure what we’ll do today – since its chilly we may take this day and go to the Naval Air Museum over in Pensacola. Or we may just drive around and check out the area. At any rate, I’m never coming home. Its too nice down here. I’ve already texted Dann and told him he can have the house – LOL.
February Escape!
Somehow, we took a couple weeks and are escaping the frozen north. I’ve been posting to our facebook page, but unfortunately, our facebook connector (which we actually paid for) doesn’t work…
Anyway, here is today’s facebook post:
South of Birmingham Alabama tonight, after a 325 mile drive. Had some great beef with sweet peppers and gravy that had been smelling great in the crock pot all day, over some rice, yummy….
Very nice campground, Peach Queen Campground. For some reason it had 1 review on rv parky, a bad one… we almost didn’t go. Place is great. beautiful with a good sized pond, a nice long trail, a few permanent campers but they are mostly nice. They even have an off leash dog run!
That’s …2 days in a row we were accidentally blessed with someplace our dogs could get away from the ropes around their necks. smile emoticon
Tomorrow we have a short run to the gulf coast, less than 250 miles.
Odd tho it may seem to some, we are totally winging this. No research, no planning, no specific idea of our destination until 1 hour or less before touchdown.
We still don’t know where we will stay or where our destination is. Somewhere on the gulf coast, between carabelle, FL and Mobile AL