RV Lifestyle RV Podcast Mike Wendland

This week on the RV Podcast:









* In the interview of the week, we have practical RV driving tips from an expert on operating, backing up, and navigating mountains and steep hills in an RV.







* A Massachusetts couple dropped off their RV to get repaired. The dealer then moved the RV to an unsecured parking area down the street, where it was then stolen. The dealer basically shrugged and said it wasn't their problem. We’ll explain in the news of the week.







* Good News! The National Parks Service has abandoned its plan to remove the wild horses from Theodore Roosevelt National Park thanks to public pressure.







* Plus the latest in RV recalls and your questions coming up in Episode #495 of the RV Podcast









You can watch the video version on our RV Lifestyle YouTube Channel by clicking the player below.















If you prefer an audio-only podcast, you can hear us through your favorite podcast app or listen now through the player below.



















SOCIAL MEDIA BUZZ - Wendy Bowyer















Wendy Bowyer reports on the hot issues most talked about this past week on social media and our RV Lifestyle Community group.







In the RVLifestyle Community General Discussions Space, Angelina asked Where do you store your shoes and how do you keep the bed up so you can store things under it? 







For the bed up question, Lynnette suggested she get stronger hydraulic arms to make this easier to lift - sounds like a simple and relatively inexpensive fix. And for the shoes, many weighed in. Scott suggested Angelina try hanging canvas shoe pockets along the base of the bed. He said this could easily store about a dozen pairs. Kathy said they use white racks from Walmart that are meant for kitchen cabinets but work great on the shelf that runs along the foot of her bed. And Ari and Jesse suggested getting a shoe organizer, one that could hang over a door.







This next question in our RVLifestyle Community was in the Apps & Planning Tools Space and I have to admit it - I was the one who asked this question. In last week's podcast I learned that I could get a 10-cent per gallon discount by using the Love's App and I wondered what other good fuel apps I was missing out on.







So many good suggestions in this thread, had to share them with you. Many recommended Gas Buddy to see which nearest station had the best price. Several people pair that with Upside, which is an app where you scan your fuel receipts and to get cash back for just buying what you would normally buy. I thought that one was super interesting.







One person said he is getting $1 per gallon off the first three fill ups by using the Chevron app. Others that came up often included Shell, Costco, Kroger, and Good Sam's for Pilot and Flying J. The diesel users often recommended Open Roads.







Meanwhile, over on our RVLifestyle Facebook Group, Ro asked, What do people think is best for putting down the black tank to break up waste material? Ro tried a few things, but was still searching for what is best. This question comes up a LOT but there are also common recommendations.







Many say they use Unique RV Digest or Happy Camper with great success. Many have homemade mixtures,

This week on the RV Podcast:









* The chain of Love's Travel Centers is opening up more and more space for RV camping at a truck stop, not just overnighting, but multiple night stays if you want. We’ll share the details in our Interview of the Week,







* What’s up with this? Crackerbarrel is closing some if its restaurants where RVers like to overnight.







* Where can you get the oil changed on your Class C motorhomes? Our RV Community has some practical suggestions.







* And answering one of our questions of the week, we tell you just how strong the wind has to be to flip an RV.







* All this, plus the RV News of the Week and much more coming up in Episode #494  of the RV Podcast









To watch a video version of the podcast, click the player below:















For an audio version, use the player below or download to your favorite podcast app.



















SOCIAL MEDIA BUZZ - Wendy Bowyer







Wendy Bowyer reports on the hot issues most talked about this past week on social media and our RV Lifestyle Community group.







In our RVLifestyle Community General Discussions Space, Russell asked: "Where can I go for an oil change for a gas Class C? I am new to a Class C, I've always had Fifth Wheels. I'm looking for a place in Houston to get an oil change. It's on a Ford e-450 Chassis, but the Ford dealers will not do oil changes on them. Does anybody have any ideas of where to look?"







Bob and Roxy suggested Russell find a semi repair shop that will do an oil change or a place like Flying J.







Marc and Brenda also suggested a semi repair shop and they went so far as to look one up in Houston, and while they had not been there personally,  confirmed on the shop's website they do oil changes, copied the phone number and shared the number with Russell. Talk about kindness! This is an example of what I love about our new community - people are so helpful and kind.







In our Community's Plumbing Space, Julie said she has a 2023 Imagine with a Dometic 300 series toilet. When she depresses the foot pedal to flush, a small amount of water drips from under the pedal. The tech at the RV dealer's service department said he flushed it multiple times without any leaks but as soon as they took it out again, Julie said it was doing the same thing so she asked if the group had any thoughts on what it might be.







Rita and Jeff said their valve used to drip like this, too, and they couldn't figure it out so they kept a small cloth to catch the water, which was a super tiny amount. This worked fine but when they replaced the base for another reason and got a new valve, the dripping stopped.







Ditto for Brenda and Marc. They bought another foot pedal part, and no more leak.







Meanwhile over in our RVLifestyle Facebook Group, we had a post that just took off like crazy last week. It was from Matthew and it said: "The usual progression of camping.  Year 5 is our actual current setup." Mathew shared a photo with five scenes.

This week on the RV Podcast:









* Are you ready for the great cicada invasion - the cicada Apocalypse? We’ll talk to one of North America’s top experts about what you may encounter soon on your camping trips.







* Can creditors seize your RV if you go bankrupt, even if it is your fulltime home? They did for an Arizona couple and we’ll tell you about it.







* National Park Week is almost here. And that means free entry at National Parks this coming Saturday, April 20.







* All this plus the RV News of the Week and your questions coming up in Episode #493 of the RV Podcast









You can watch the video version from our RV Lifestyle YouTube Channel by clicking the player below.















If you prefer an audio-only podcast, you can hear us through your favorite podcast app or listen now through the player below.



















We hope you've been watching our ongoing five-part video series on Class B RVs that we started over the weekend. It's on our RV Lifestyle YouTube channel, and we invite you to watch the series and subscribe to the channel. Just go to https://youtube.com/rvlifestyle.







SOCIAL MEDIA BUZZ - Wendy Bowyer















Wendy Bowyer reports on the hot issues most talked about this past week on social media and our RV Lifestyle Community group







In our RVLifestyle Community's Cooking Exchange Space, James asked What do you do with seasoning to keep it fresh? After all, the temperature and altitude changes we experience in an RV can vary greatly.







Doreen said during the camping season she leaves everything in her RV, but at the end of the season, brings it inside.







Despina, I love what she wrote. She said she makes a lot of her own spice blends, labels each, and when she is camping she will heat the spices in a dry pan to bring out their flavor. And she said airtight containers are key to keeping things fresh.







Brenda said she has had spices go bad, so she suggested James put some rice in with them, depending upon the type of shaker he has, to keep things fresh.







Also in our RVLifestyle Community, in the RV Travel/Planning/Trips space, we had a post from Paul that showed a big map of an epic trip he is doing this year on the East Coast. He is traveling 6,000 miles from North Carolina, going up the coast of the U.S. into the Canadian Maritimes. It looks like there are numerous stops planned for Maine, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island, and they are even going to attend an Iceberg Festival way up in Newfoundland.  Isn't it fun to see epic trips fellow campers have planned? Ken urged Paul to eat lots of lobster, and many in the group like Teena and Sheila encouraged Paul to share pictures - which he said he will do. We can't wait to follow along.







Meanwhile over on our RVLifestyle Facebook group, Amber asked: "How firm is the 10 year rule in RV parks?" And what she is asking about is a rule some campgrounds have prohibiting RVs that are more than 10 years old from camping there.







This sparked a big discussion - more than 300 comments - with many saying enforcement really varies.

This week on the RV Podcast:









* Do your headlights need aligning? If you are having trouble seeing the road while driving at night, your headlights could need adjustment. We’ll learn about this in the interview of the week.







* There’s a lot of controversy about excessive frame flex and fifth wheels these days. We’ll answer those concerns in our questions of the week segment.







* How to save money with all those road toll fees. Our RV Lifestyle Community shares some tips.







* All this and much more coming up in Episode #492 of the RV Podcast









You can watch the video version from our RV Lifestyle YouTube Channel by clicking the player below.















If you prefer an audio-only podcast, you can hear us through your favorite podcast app or listen now through the player below.



















Eclipse debrief















Well… what did you think of the eclipse? A lot of RVers sure watched it.







Over the weekend, we drove through the zone of totality along I-65 in Indiana and spotted lots of RVs. Campgrounds, Harvest Hosts, and state parks were filled, and farmers were renting out their fields for parking. All along I-65 in Indiana, roadside signs warned of big traffic jams after the event, urging people to stay put.







It’s been estimated that one-quarter of all eclipse tourists were RVers - and the excitement was palpable.







Campgrounds within the path of totality in the north opened early, and campgrounds throughout the country were fully booked.







Clubs and various groups held rallies. Airstream Club International members, for example, held nine rallies along the path. Then others were dry camping in places like Harvest Hosts, Boondockers Welcome, farmers' fields, and church parking lots all along the path.







New York, Texas, and other state parks were sold out for weeks, and it was THE talk in both our RVLifestyle Community and our RVLifestyle Facebook Group.







Jennifer and I just got home from three months of traveling, so we decided to stick this one out at our 10-acre Michigan property. But we were not too far off the path, so we were definitely outside watching the partial coverage of this not-to-be-missed event.







Our Current Whereabouts







We brought our fifth wheel back to Michigan after keeping it on our Tennessee property for the past three months. We have a busy camping season throughout the Great Lakes Region planned for the next couple of months.







If you're curious about our day-to-day activities, we share regular updates and photos on our rapidly growing RV Lifestyle Community at https://community.rvlifestyle.com







The Community is completely separate from Facebook and now has over 10,400 members. If you haven't become a part of it yet just go over to https://community.rvlifestyle.com. It is warm, welcoming,

This week on the RV Podcast:









* Vital Gear for safe drinking water while camping







* The latest on the RV Camping Event of the year - Monday’s total eclipse of the sun







* How that collapsed bridge in Baltimore will alter travel routes for RVers this summer







* All this, plus the RV News of the Week and your questions coming up in Episode #491 of the RV Podcast









You can watch the video version from our RV Lifestyle YouTube Channel by clicking the player below.















If you prefer an audio-only podcast, you can hear us through your favorite podcast app or listen now through the player below.



























SOCIAL MEDIA BUZZ - Wendy Bowyer















Wendy Bowyer reports on the hot issues most talked about this past week on social media and our RV Lifestyle Community group.







In our RVLifestyle Community Solo Travelers Space, Tina wrote that she is going on her first solo trip in her Aliner pop-up camper soon, a cross country trip to the Grand Canyon. Tina used to RV with her husband and kids years ago, but she is now divorced, kids are grown, she recently retired from her full time job and just has the travel bug. But as she made her plans her mom started telling her this sounded like a dangerous thing to do, and the result is she is starting to feel a little nervous. So she asked the solo community for some encouragement and safety tips.







Lois encouraged her to use good campgrounds that have high ratings from other people so she knows she is staying in a safe place.







Bob said to not make herself a target by wearing expensive clothes or jewelry and maybe take a class on how to use Mace for a sense of safety.







And many many women urged Tina to listen to her intuition, and not be afraid to leave any time day or night. And so many urged her to go for it, with Donna adding it will get easier each time.







Also in our community, we had a new conversation in the Mods & DIY Tweaks space where everyone shared their favorite modification to their rig.







Steve said he changed the blinds with strings that were in RV to black out blinds. Sounds like a great idea.







Tanya's addition was a Bluetooth leveler, which also sounds like a great suggestion while Don got a portable fire pit with a propane table top heater that sounds wonderful.







SO many great ideas in this thread!







Meanwhile, in our RV Lifestyle Facebook Group, Martha asked: How do people keep their house safe when they are gone for a long RV trip? Now Martha and her husband do not have family around, but said they do live in a pretty safe area, where there's not a lot of crime. But she wanted to know what others do.







Judith suggested setting timers to turn off and on the lights and maybe a radio. And she could get cameras that would alert them if something is around their home.

Have you ever wondered about RV caravan tours? To find out, listen to our interview of the week with the operations head of Fantasy RV Tours.







Also this week on the RV Podcast:









* A massive hatch of billions of creepy crawly bugs is about to invade large sections of the country. Yes, we really mean billions!







* Love’s truck stops are greatly expanding overnight camping spots at its service centers. The company is adding electric and water hookups for weary RVers.







* All this plus the RV News of the Week and your questions coming up in Episode 490 of the RV Podcast









You can watch the video version from our RV Lifestyle YouTube Channel by clicking the player below.















If you prefer an audio-only podcast, you can hear us through your favorite podcast app or listen now through the player below.



















Greetings from Florida, where we have spent most of the past three months. This week, we finished a major project: reviewing five Class B models and testing them by driving and actually camping in them. 







It's been a huge project that has seen us drive thousands of miles, testing out gas and diesel engines, 2-wheel drive, all-wheel drive and 4 x4 models on three different chassis (Ram Promaster, Ford Transit, Mercedes Sprinter), in lengths of 20, 22 and 24 feet. 







Thanks to Nick Schmidt of Sunshine State RVs for providing us with the units to test. 







We now look forward to editing five in-depth video reviews on each model and then a sixth video that tells you our favorite features. We'll have it all ready in a few weeks and will release them one at a time over six days. As soon as we have the dates ready, we'll let you know.







If you're interested in preliminary impressions, you can find them among our posts at  https://community.rvlifestyle.com







When edited, the full series will be found on our YouTube RV Lifestyle Channel. We invite you to subscribe to the channel so you don't miss any of our videos. We've been releasing new videos several times a week and would love to have you as a subscriber.







SOCIAL MEDIA BUZZ - Wendy Bowyer















Wendy Bowyer reports on the hot issues most talked about this past week on social media and our RV Lifestyle Community group.







Don't you love to see the little things RVers do to personalize their rigs? Well, In our RVLifestyle Community recently in the Mods & DIY Tweaks Space, we asked: "If you could give a new RV owner one piece of advice about customization, what would it be?"







So many gems here!







Tom suggested installing a Tire Pressure Monitoring System if you don't already have one for peace of mind.







Heidi said to pay attention to your bed.