Tag: Electrical

5 Useless Gadgets I Bought for My New RV Life

When you get your RV the first thing you want to do is run right out and buy things for it – especially if you’re going to be living in it.  It’s just like moving into a new home, you want to fix it up and make it yours.  I should have known I was going overboard when the clerk at Camping World asked, “new RV, huh?” as I checked out.

“Yeah, how did you know?”

“Oh, I can always tell.” Great, he’s basically telling me I’m paying too much and I can get this stuff at Walmart for a quarter of the cost. Oh well, I got to shop at the RV store, so who cares?!? It’s worth it (the first time)!

But it wasn’t just that I was paying more than I needed to. I bought a bunch of useless stuff I didn’t need – and I wonder if Mr. Camping World Clerk knew that!?!

5 gadgets I bought for my RV that were useless:

RV Scissor Leveling Jacks –with handle!

These RV Leveling Jacks were inexpensive (around $40/set) and looked easy enough to use, so why not?  Well…. the first time I tried them I permanently branded my hand with the shape of the itsy bitsy handle they give you to crank it with and I didn’t even get it to raise the RV a millimeter.  Useless. Now I know they only have a 5000 lb. capacity per jack and are made for trailers or 5th wheels, not a Class C RV that weights 13,000 lb. A better option is the Lynx Levelers, they’re compact, strong and easy to use. I returned the scissor jack and bought these. They work great.

Removing a seat from RV
RV Remodel Phase I; Remove Seat

 

Poweradd 60-watt solar panel.

When most people first start living in an RV there is a huge learning curve for solar and electrical systems. Sure I did some reading and watched some videos, but there is no better educator than experience! My $120 (it was on sale) solar panel charges my phone and my tablet. That’s it. Oh, ok, it does charge my house battery, but it takes 3-4 days with full sun and no, it does NOT charge my laptop. A better option would have been at least a 120 watt solar panel.  That would charge my laptop, and my house battery faster.

Seligman, AZ rte 66
I got my RV Living Kicks on Rte. 66 in June, 2016

Magnetic paint

I bought a 1993 RV. It’s dated and kinda ugly. I decided I was going to remodel. The first thing that had to go was all the fake wood veneers on the doors and refrigerator. And I decided I wanted my fridge door to be magnetic, so I bought magnetic paint primer. After 3 heavy black coats, it still barely holds the lightest of magnets.

Uniden 500 Cell Signal Amplifier (3G)

 I still work, so an internet connection is critical to my RV lifestyle. I also like to boondock in remote locations – away from cities (and cell towers). After reading a bunch of reviews, I decided on the Uniden 500 Cell Signal Amplifier. It wasn’t cheap – at $450 – but I needed it for work and could write it off, so I figured it was worth the investment.  Except that it never worked. I thought I must have been doing something wrong, or was too far away for it to work.  I kept trying and kept trying. Finally – after the warranty had expired – I realized I’d gotten the 3G version instead of the 4G. I didn’t even know there was an 4G option when I bought it! So now I’m stuck with a $450 piece of useless equipment!  Moral:  do a ton of research and read all the fine print before you purchase anything. And don’t be afraid to call customer support if you need help (I have horrible luck with support centers, so I avoid them like the plague).

New toilet seat

My RV toilet came without a toilet seat. It’s old, I’m sure it broke off along the way. I thought they just never got around to replacing it. So I went to Camping World and bought a toilet seat. WRONG. A 1993 Class C RV toilet is not your everyday toilet and they do not make replacement toilet seat covers for them. I realized this after I tore out the whole toilet ring and everything… no fear, that’s what industrial strength Velcro is for! My standard toilet seat is now Velcroed to my non-standard RV toilet.  It may not be pretty, but it works. A better option: someday I’ll get a composting toilet. But I’ll wait for the prices to go down!

We all buy stuff that doesn’t work – or that we thought we needed, but don’t need at all. . What did you buy for your new RV Life that turned out to be useless?

14 Things I Learned in My First 4 Months of RV Living

This week was my 4-month anniversary living in an RV!

Last week, I posted a blog about the day I left the backyard of my suburban apartment and embarked on my new life. And today I’m sitting in my RV, writing and working,  while enjoying a warm breezy day, the sound of a gentle stream and views of Deschutes National Forest right outside my door. I have to admit; life is pretty damn good!

Four months ago, when I started this new chapter, I had a whole bunch of ideas about what this life would look like. Guess what? It looks nothing like that!  (What is that saying about the best laid plans??? ) All I know is that nothing every turns out like I plan – and it’s always better than I could have imagined.

RV Life is full of surprises!

  1. I thought I’d stay close to my home-base in the Bay Area and try to retain a small portion of my old professional life. The fact is, trying to live in an RV in such a densely populated area completely sucked. My goal had been to live in National Forests a couple hours away and commute back a couple times a month. This proved to be too expensive and stressful.
  2. Trying to find remote places to live with a cell signal was harder than I thought. I’m not retired, I have to work. Many of the places I’d planned on living had zero cell coverage. Which meant I had to spend more time in cities. I have to tell ya, trying to be invisible and fly under the radar living in a 29’ Class C RV, so people don’t think I’m a homeless vagrant got old pretty quick. (Read my blog, “How to Stealth Camp in a 29′ Class C RV” here).
  3. Saying goodbye to California! Oh my gosh, how uptight and mean California seems now that I’m living on the fringes of society! When I left California for Arizona two months ago, I knew I never wanted to go back; I fell in love with the open space, the tiny, uncrowded towns and the obvious absence of “Do Not Enter”, “No Trespassing” and “Private Property” signs.  Over the past two months, I’ve spent 2 weeks in California – and 6 of those days was a backpacking trip. I love California, but not as a full time RVer!
  4. I have a traveling companion! I’m independent and I like being alone.  Sure, I had some reservations about constantly being alone, living in remote areas of the National Forests, but I knew I’d be just fine.  The last thing I expected when I headed to Arizona for CheapRVLiving.com’s summer Rubber Tramp Rendezvous (RTR) was to meet someone I’d develop a deep connection with and end up traveling with. Today Bob and I have been traveling together on and off  for 5 weeks. It’s nice to have a fellow nomad to be with when I want company and who understand when I need my alone time and need to take off for a few days – or few weeks! After-all, my new life s about freedom and living my life MY way: no exceptions.

    Bob and Cody at Crater Lake on my Birthday
    Bob and Cody at Crater Lake on my Birthday

Besides my RV Life looking quite different than I’d expected, I’ve learned a TON! (There is so much to learn!).

Here are the most practical things I’ve learned so far about living full time in an RV:

  1. I can boondock for 2 weeks before I need to dump my black and gray water tanks and fill  fresh water (F/W 33G + 6G H/W; B/W 33G; G/W 25G)
  2. Propane lasts me about 3 weeks (13.9G). I cook twice a day, it runs my refrigerator and I turn on the water heater maybe once a week. I  can also run the heat for about 30 minutes in the morning 4-5 days per week.
  3. All of the sensor lights for black and gray water, propane and battery levels on the range hood are useless. They either don’t work at all or are inaccurate. The only one that works is the fresh water light.
  4. My house battery needs to be filled with distilled water about once per month. (I fried my first battery).

    Great views - near Lake Tahoe
    Great views – near Lake Tahoe
  5. You have to own a voltmeter! Property house battery charging and maintenance is very important if you don’t want to keep frying batteries! (I’ve bought two already – but in all fairness, the first one came with the RV and was 5 years old).
  6. I will never ever ever be completely dirt-free again.  I live with dirt, eat wit dirt and even sleep with dirt. When you boondock in National Forests, dirt is a fact of life (especially with Capone).
  7. A daily sponge bath is just as good as a shower and uses about 1/10 of the water. (Speaking of bathing – baby wipes are your friend – stock up!)
  8. Canned goods can never be stored in overhead cabinets securely – no matter what, they shift and move around when I drive. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had cans come crashing on my head after moving camp.  The other night, I almost killed Bob with a giant mason jar full of lentils!
  9. This lifestyle is NOT necessarily cheap. All that money I thought I’d save by not paying rent??? Yeah, it goes in the gas tank and repairs. I was at the gas station one day and the guy next to me looked over my rig and said,  “that thing  must really eat the gas!” I replied, “yeah, I call it ‘Rent’”.  I get somewhere between 8-9 MPG.
  10. 30 Gigs of data is barely enough – I started out with 10 – and now I barely get by with 30. I only stream about 3-4 hours of TV a month, the rest is work; email, social media, uploads and downloads, etc.
  11. “No Trespassing” means NO Trespassing. In my first four weeks, I was kicked out of 4 different spots. For some reason I thought “Full Time RVer” meant “Outlaw” and rules didn’t apply to me! I was quickly set straight by unamused property owners, security guards and police officers.  I’m now happy to say my outlaw days are over and I’m a law abiding Nomad (mostly). More about this in my blog about stealth camping in a Class C RV. 

    "Stealth" camping in Auburn, CA
    “Stealth” camping in Auburn, CA
  12. I really wish I’d gotten my rig inspected before I bought it. New issues pop up almost every day. Yesterday I turned on my water heater and the place flooded with the smell of propane. My fuse keeps blowing in my speedometer and odometer and the last time I tried to change it, it sparked… so it stays blown (find out why this was a huge deal!)  My ABS light has been on for two months. My engine stopped charging my house battery… the list just never ends. Learn from my mistakes: get your rig inspected before you buy it!!! (So,, at the very least, you know what needs work = peace of mind!).  (Read my future blogs about the transmission rebuild.. ughhh): 
  13. The only weapons I need are my common sense and my gut. But a bat, an ice ax, a hatchet, bear spray and sword don’t hurt for backup! Seriously, I was out in some remote places alone for a couple months and all I needed was my common sense. Read my blog about Solo RV Life Safety or watch the video.
  14. Living in an RV has ruined me. Already, I can’t imagine ever going back.  Even on my toughest days (and there have been a few – especially in the beginning), the thought of going back to my former life fills me with angst and dread. My only regret is that I didn’t do it sooner.  I am exactly where I want to be!

I’m sure there are a million other things I’ve learned – and have yet to learn. I’ll be sharing them as they come up.

I look forward to celebrating many more anniversaries on the road!

What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned as a fulltime RVer? And if you’re still in the planning stages, what’s your biggest concern or fear?