RV Travel, Tips, Tricks and Pitfalls

Whoever said “There is nothing quite so constant as change..” must have had us in mind.  After getting our   2021 Coachmen RV Freedom Express Ultra Lite 248RBS set up just the way we wanted it, the urge to change came over us once again. There are many reasons an RV owner might want to get a different vehicle. Their RV might be too big or too small. It might not have a feature that the owner really wants. It might just be getting older and costing too much to maintain. In fact, none of this applied to us. This time the urge was driven by economics!   When we sold our Winnebago Intent and bought the 2021 Coachmen RV Freedom Express Ultra Lite 248RBS, we paid a little over $26,000 for the trailer Then we had to find a tow vehicle, which cost an additional $37,000. We already had all of the necessary towing equipment, so we were able to just hook up and go.    In October we enjoyed a three-week trip to the national parks in Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico, ...

We have owned our 2021 Coachmen RV Freedom Express Ultra Lite 248RBS for about six months. We’ve trailed it over 5,000 miles. We tow it with a Ford F-150 STX 4x4 with the 3.5 Twin Turbo and the Max Tow package. We use a Blue Ox Sway-Pro system.   All in all, we are quite satisfied with the trailer. But we have had a few problems, and we’ve made several modifications to make it a bit more comfortable.  The first thing we did was replace all four Chinese tires with Good Year Endurance tires. We simply do not trust the OEM Chinese tires. We found the 4” rear bumper sewer hose storage to be woefully inadequate, so we added a 5” square tube of equal length just below the original equipment. We can easily store 100’ of sewer hose and the elbow, too! We added a screen door crossbar handle to make closing the door easier. We installed a second TV on the wall in the bedroom. We use a bungee to keep it in place while traveling. We fabricated two boards to use instead of lowering the ...

As is the norm, our quest for a roomier RV began in earnest at an RV show. We looked at travel trailers longer than our own 20-foot Coachmen. We investigated Class C, Class A, and the new Class B’s that were sort of a narrow camper, built on a Sprinter chassis.     Plenty of RV Shows Helped Us To Narrow Our Choices We felt the Sprinters (Winnebago Travato, Airstream Interstate, Chinook Countryside, etc.) were a bit too small and way more expensive than we would find comfortable. The larger class B-Plus units were attractive, but we just couldn’t see ourselves spending that much money.  Airstream Interstate Class B Sprinter We looked at several Class A motorhomes in the 30-to-34-foot range. They seemed huge and complicated. Lots of systems to keep track of, and plenty of things to go wrong.  We particularly liked the discontinued Winnebago Brave tribute models built from 2015 to 2017, but we couldn’t find any for sale.    A Classic Brought Back  As...

The Coveted 'Full Hookup'  We had a great time learning the ins and outs of RV camping in our little Freedom 204RD. On our ‘maiden voyage' we went to nearby Lake Kissimmee State Park, where we learned how to plug into the 30-amp service and hook up to the freshwater system provided by the park. A neighbor warned us that the park's water pressure often fluctuated, and too much pressure could damage the water system in the trailer. He advised if we didn’t have a pressure regulator for the water system to avoid turning the spigot to ‘full-on”. We listened and followed his advice. We also learned about the 'dump station', and heard other campers sing the praises of a ‘full hook up’.    Our new Ford F-150 looked like it could pull the trailer with no problem. But I soon learned that it was not completely up to the task. With a 5-liter V8 engine and a 3.53 gear ratio, the specs seemed to indicate the truck would be sufficient. What we had not considered were the real ...

Our DIY Square Drop Camper In the past, I loved camping in a tent. My tent, cooking apparatus, and bedroll would all fit into my kayak. I enjoyed adventures exploring Florida rivers.    My wife, however, had no camping experience whatsoever. To add to her comfort, I built this little 'square drop’ camper in our garage. All I wanted to do was get sleeping bags off the ground.  However, the idea of sleeping in a box did not appeal to Bari. It became clear we would need to find something more comfortable.   We started visiting RV dealers in the Orlando area. We looked at a variety of camping options, from  @TAB travel trailers  to  Tiffin Class A  coaches. At that time, we did not have a budget or any specific plan in mind… just an idea that maybe this would be something fun and different.    We decided to attend the  Tampa RV show  (one of the nation’s largest) to get a better idea of available options. The variety of RVs and the...