RV Podcast Mike Wendland

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.

This week on the RV Podcast:









* How to find a Mobile RV Tech to handle your repairs and maintenance needs.







* The National Park Service’s insistence on using a credit card has resulted in lawsuits and lots of pushback from people being turned away from entry because they wanted to use cash for the fee.







* What it means if someone leaves a toy frog on your RV… or a rubber alligator…or a flamingo.







* The best way to hang photos, towel racks, and other items on the walls of your RV without pounding a nail.







* All this, plus the RV News of the Week and your questions coming up in Episode #489 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.















If you’ve ever been frustrated getting repair or maintenance service for your RV, our interview of the week in this episode is one you’ll find very helpful. We’ll talk to an expert on how a mobile RV Tech can come to your rescue and why that’s a service RVers are turning to more and more these days.







Spring is officially here! Winter is history. As we’ve been traveling around Florida and the Gulf Coast this past month, we've been seeing more and more spring break RVers coming into the area. Spring weather is very much here. The trees are budding out, flowers are blooming, and the warm weather is a hint at what is slowly making its way up north.







We are in the midst of a long term project that has us test camping in a number of different Class B RVs. Working with Nick Schmidt and his crew at Sunshine State RVs, we are right now testing out the fourth of what will be five different Class B campervans.







So far, we have tested a 20 foot model, 22 footers 24 footers gas and diesel models, two-wheel drive RVs, all-wheel drive units and a 4x4. We’ve been in models build on the Promaster, Ford Transit and Mercedes Sprinter chassis.







And when we are all done, we will have very detailed, in-depth reviews of each model, showing what we liked and didn't like and eventually picking a winner. We’ll release a video a day on this in a single week next month so stay tuned.







We’re doing this because so much has changed in Class B RVs, which continue to be the most popular motorhomes being sold today. Technology and design changes since we last had a Class B - about five years ago - have been very impressive.







Thanks to Sunshine State RVs in Gainsville, FL, for providing us with the models to test. We can’t wait to share our findings with you.







Meantime, have you visited our new  RVLifestyle Community? The group is growing daily, and we couldn't be more excited! The RV Lifestyle Community is a friendly place where you can connect with fellow RVers to share tips, ask questions, and share enthusiasm for camping. We have organized topics by groups (which are called Spaces), making it easy to follow topics that interest you.We also do special Livestreams each week where members can interact and ask questions. You can chat with others (should you choose to do so), and there is a private space for our financial supporters to receive exclusive messages and other perks.

This week on Episode #488 of the RV Podcast:









* What you need to know about eBikes for RVers: Where you can ride them, where you can’t, and why they are so popular.







* There’s some serious price gouging going on by campgrounds along the path of next month’s total eclipse.







* GM is recalling 820,000 of some of the most popular trucks for a major safety issue, many if which are used as tow vehicles by RVers.







* All this plus the RV News of the Week and your questions coming up in Episode #488 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.























RV INTERVIEW OF THE WEEK: Lectric eBikes CEO Levi Conlow















Recently we asked our RV Lifestyle Community about electric bikes, and nearly 80 percent said they either had one or planned to buy one!







It is amazing how ebikes and RVing increasingly go hand-in-hand, and there are many reasons why.







To talk to us a bit about this, along with important things you should know about ebike safety, maintenance, and more, is the CEO of Lectric eBikes, Levi Conlow.







Summary of the Interview eBikes for RVers







Levi Conlow, founder of Electric Bikes, discusses the popularity of e-bikes among RVers and why they are a perfect fit for the RV lifestyle.







He explains that RVers see the potential of using e-bikes to explore campgrounds and nearby areas without the need to tow a vehicle. Levi also highlights the welcoming and supportive community within the RV community as a major factor in the popularity of e-bikes.







He then discusses the regulations and restrictions on using e-bikes in different states and national parks. Levi explains the different classes of e-bikes and their capabilities. He addresses the weight of e-bikes and the challenges in making them lighter.







Finally, he talks about the availability of hitch racks for e-bikes and the potential for future innovations in the industry.







Takeaways about E-Bikes and RVers









* E-bikes have become popular among RVers due to their convenience and ability to explore campgrounds and nearby areas without the need for a towed vehicle.







* The RV community's welcoming and supportive nature contributes to the popularity of e-bikes, as RVers share their positive experiences with each other.







* The regulations and restrictions on using e-bikes vary from state to state and within national parks, but in general, e-bikes are treated the same as bicycles.







* E-bikes are classified into different classes based on their capabilities, including throttle and pedal assist speeds.







* The weight of e-bikes is influenced by factors such as motor power, battery size, and frame material, and while there have been improvements, significant weight reduction remains a challenge.







* Hitch racks for e-bikes have become more readily available, but cost and engineering considerations still pose challenges.







* The e-bike industry is still in its early stages, and future innovations may include lighter weight designs and improved efficiency.









And you might want to see what
Mike Wendland
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The best way to find the perfect campsite
https://rvlifestyle.com/find-the-perfect-campsite-2/
Wed, 06 Mar 2024 10:30:00 +0000
https://rvlifestyle.com/?p=108793
This week on Episode #487 of The RV Podcast:

The best way to find the perfect campsite - how to see it before you book it, no matter where you happen to be

A Dozen RVers from the RV Lifestyle Community share their favorite campsites. They reveal some hidden gems we bet you’ll want to try.

Thieves impersonating a Florida business scammed $80,000 out of people who thought they were buying motorhomes. But the RVs never