undershepherd wrote:Do a test run for a couple day trip at least a month before your big trip. You will find all the things that you didn't think about or didn't notice that might be a problem on the long trip. Carry some spare parts with you for the things that most commonly fail on your chassis. Google will help you figure out what those things are. Or tell me what you have and I can suggest a few things. Parts for those older RV chassis are getting harder and harder to get unless they are ordered online with a couple days or week delivery time.
Don't travel through the desert southwest in the middle of the summer. That might be obvious but motor homes are notorious for not handling heat well in terms of the powertrain and even the AC units.
Have fun!
The roadside assistance club is a very good idea as towing a vehicle your size is expensive. We use the Good Sam's Roadside.
Undershepherd makes excellent suggestions. We did a couple of test trips in ours before hitting the road full time. Another suggestion I would make is to get that spray on tough liner for the roof. It looks like the bedliner for the trucks but comes in white for reflecting heat plus it's flexible for the motion your rig will go through. The reason I say this is because caulking can come loose when your rig is in motion. The whole body frame sways a little when you are going down the road from wind drag or just the wind hitting the side of the rig. I would make sure the AC and heater work as well.
Another thing that I consider essential is a surge protector when you're plugged into a shoreline at a park. They have electrical surges too and that's why our motorhome had fried electronics when we bought it: a surge at a campsite ruined them for the previous owners. They aren't cheap but then neither is re-doing the electrical system. You can find good ones in an internet search for
RV surge protectors.
I would do an internet search for
RV furniture and you can see the price range of the sofas. Some people just use a love seat that makes into a bed if their rig is large enough. I would take the measurements not just for the length and width of the sofa but for the amount of room you have when it's opened up for sleeping before you buy anything. If push comes to shove, a small tent might be something that you can set up in your campsite for extra sleep area.
Important: don't leave any food or ice chests outside. Wild animals, especially bears are everywhere and they will cause huge damage and danger.
On the road, most Walmarts have an RV section in their automotive department where you can buy:
spare light bulbs
an extra sewer hose if yours gets crushed or ruined (it happens)
the special toilet paper that dissolves easier is also a good thing (you'll understand once you do your first dumping
)
potable water hoses and black tank additives (helps break down toilet tissue and keeps odor under control)
PLACES TO STAY
Some Walmarts will let you park one night only (overnighting) in the parking lot but anymore that can be dangerous in some areas because of criminal activity. Other places for overnighting are Cracker Barrel, truck stops, and rest areas. Rest areas have become crime ridden too though, depending on where you are. If you stay in a parking lot at a commercial business its very important to ask permission of the store manager. There's an unspoken courtesy among the RVers that you should buy something at the business that let's you stay in their parking lot. Cracker Barrel would be a meal, Walmart would be items you might need. Some truck stops charge a small fee overnight so it's good to always ask.
We don't do boondocking at all if we can help it. There's been a couple of times we had to because the park mixed up our reservations. (That's another unspoken rule of the road, to be flexible because "life happens".) We like to be near a safe area with local park rangers and other emergency assistance in case of injury, illness, mechanical problems or even crime. If we want to get out in nature we go do a little hiking. Plus after the second day of drinking the water out of the fresh water tank and using same to flush the toilets it becomes a bit of a worry. Instead we have found that the best bargains for camping are at state parks. Among the RVing community this is the big secret bargain. Most of the state and national parks have a two week limit on your stay which shouldn't be a problem for you since you won't be staying anywhere very long. Some full-timers go to fancy resorts. That's fine if you're wealthy but we are not. We volunteer at many parks which gives us a free campsite or a one for a reduced rate. If you're okay with litter pick up, cleaning the restrooms and being a source of help for other campers that's a good way to go, especially if you're going to be there at least a week.
For the Southwest trips, I would definitely go in the cooler months. I would keep in mind though that's also the time when a lot of campgrounds are full with no vacancies. Reservations will be very important.
INTERNET RESOURCES AND HELPS
Among RVers the favorite website/app is the Allstays.com for trip planning and getting links to parks for making reservations. The reason it's a favorite is because it's kept up to date on all types of parks and by far is the most complete one on the web: private, national parks, state parks, Corps of Engineers parks, county and city parks and anything else. You can even search for free camping. It has a search engine by state and even has a map option so you can see what's available on your route. Here's a link to it.
https://www.allstays.com/Campgrounds/ There are other camping apps but this one is the favorite among most RVers because it's very up-to-date and has all the options. When you make reservations, ask the park if they have campsites available for your rig size. Some campsites are very small and you won't be able to fit. I'm assuming your rig is at least 32 feet long and that's considered large. Ours is an old Thor and it's only 26 feet so we've had fewer problems.
For traffic I use an app called
NavBug. It let's me know where bad traffic and construction is nearby. You have to turn on your location on your phone which can run down your battery but I keep my phone plugged in at the motorhome while on the road so it isn't a problem.
There's also apps for finding gas stations. I would pick one that also lists those stations that can accomodate big RVs like yours and carries diesel fuel. Sometimes those metal covers over the pumps aren't tall enough and you don't want to ruin your rig with a low slung cover.
SOME SAFETY SUGGESTIONS
If the winds are high, drive slower and even pull off until the winds calm down. You might have a lot of high winds in the Southwest. The high profile of RVs make them more prone to tip over in high winds.
Be aware of your surroundings as with anything when you travel. If you're feeling uneasy about a place definitely go elsewhere. Sometimes we don't always know why we get those warning signs but when we do, we vamoose.
Check the tires while you're filling up. Blowouts on RVs are bad. I check the condition of my tires, have regular alignments, and replace them before they are too worn. Tires are one of the top safety features on an RV. If you want a laugh, picture in your head an old man getting on the ground and checking the inside dually tire then trying to get up. Without help.
I hope this is all helpful. Let me know if you have any other questions. Enjoy your trip and your time with your family.
