Healthy living takes practice and planning. It’s even more difficult for those that spend time on the road – just ask any long-haul trucker! If you’re considering the RV life, especially full-time RVing, it’s important that you take some time to think about your health. Read our RV living tips to help you stay healthy, even for those extra-long camping trips.
Here in Sylvania, Ohio, we’re no strangers to cold weather. “RV Season” often means clear roads and green woods, but to many, the real season starts when the snow hits and temperatures drop. If you’re new to the idea of cold weather RVing then it’s important you know the necessary preparations involved with making your RV winter-ready. It’s important to stay safe when cold weather RVing – read on to follow these critical tips!
One of the best upgrades you can make to your RV for cold weather RVing is an RV skirt. If you’re not familiar, these are exactly what they sound like – a material that wraps around the base of your RV to keep out drafts from the underneath.
Sometimes referred to as “windskirting,” an RV skirt protects your RV during the cold, drafty days. The reason skirting is so important is that the underneath of your RV is easily the most significant area of heat loss throughout the entire vehicle. By creating extra insulation against the cold, you not only fight incoming drafts, you conserve the heat generated by your RV to reduce energy usage and keep the floors warmer for your feet!
RV skirts come in all types of connections, from basic buttoning to more advanced connections. But they all come with the same benefits:
If you plan to camp in the winter with your RV, an RV skirt is a no-brainer!
Like a home, cold weather is most dangerous to your plumbing. While RV skirting can go a long way to help protecting your RV’s plumbing, it’s a good idea to invest in heated lines for your RV to make sure you never have to deal with the hassles of a frozen line.
Freezing pipes are a common problem for cold weather RVing. It’s not something to take lightly – from a functional view, it’s annoying, and from a maintenance view, it can be costly to repair plumbing to your RV following an ice burst!
Basic pipe wrap can be helpful, but when it’s well below freezing, these won’t be enough. Active heated hoses use some of your RV power to generate heat and keep the cold from leeching into your drinking water or otherwise. There are plenty of options out there for active heating supply lines, but if you have questions, we can help!
Another step you can take to capture heat in your RV and fight against the winter chill is to add some additional insulation to your RV underbelly. Because the underside of your RV is the most likely place to lose heat, adding some insulation will support RV skirts in reducing propane usage and generally making your RV safer and more comfortable to use for cold weather camping.
Fortunately, insulating your RV underbelly is a task that can be done easily and fairly inexpensively. One of the most common ways to bulk up underbelly insulation is with insulating foam boards available at nearly any local hardware store.
The actual installation will require some work underneath your RV, for sizing the cut of the board, making sure it fits snug against the underbelly (which can sometimes require removing and replacing some pipes) and screwing it in place.
Another solution that’s available is spray insulation. This type of insulation is sprayed from a can and foams up to not only add heat insulation, but protect your underbelly from moisture. Foam insulation can be easier to apply, but it’s a bit tricky to use for first timers. If you’re not familiar with it, you may want to leave it to a professional!
Many cold weather RVing pros make use of space heaters to keep the interior of their RV warmer in specific areas or to make use of stored electricity versus propane heating. Most RVers would recommend having a small space heater if you plan to RV – they can make a huge difference in keeping you comfortable when the chill sets in!
However, you want to be careful when using your space heaters, as they can have some adverse effects for your RV. The biggest risk is when they stop the propane furnace from firing due to creating a warmer temperature in the RV than the rest of the RV is experiencing. While this may not seem like an issue if you’re comfy and warm inside, it is when your underbelly and other areas of the RV aren’t getting the heat they need!
So feel free to make use of your space heaters, but pay attention to the RV as a whole when you flip them on. It’s important not to trade immediate comfort for headaches when your underbelly plumbing starts to freeze, or the bedroom is ice cold after you’re done enjoying the common area.
One mistake you could be making is putting all the responsibility of staying warm on your RV. While it’s true that your RV is a home away from home, you can make your trip easier to stay cozy on if you equip yourself for the weather. An extra few pieces of cold weather clothing can make all the difference and keep your RV from needing to work overtime.
It’s not unlike being energy-conscious in your home: keeping just the room you’re using warm is easier than keeping the whole house warm. Dressing in layers lets you conserve energy and is quicker to get your body warm than waiting for the whole RV to warm up.
On top of warmer clothes, you can look for more localized ways to keep the cold at bay like electric blankets or hand warming packets.
Every RVer knows the importance of tire maintenance. As the only thing separating your RV from the ground, they’re critical for staying on the move and doing it safely. Of course, weather changes impact your tires, and when it comes to the winter, they can expose you slippery roads unlike any other season.
First and foremost, as the cold weather comes in, you need to keep an eye on tire pressure. As air volume changes due to the decrease in temperature, your tires are likely to lose some pressure. You’ll likely need to give them a quick boost of air before your next trip if you haven’t been maintaining them recently.
Next, you need to be prepared for snowy roads. Even if things look clear on your way out, that may not be the case on your way back home. Most RVs have tires suited for snowy roads, but that doesn’t mean you can’t invest in tire chains or similar devices to help keep traction on (or off) the road. Just make sure you know the laws about tire chains in any state you plan to travel!
Holding tanks are just as vulnerable as your pipes to winter freezing. Fortunately, there are some steps you can take to prevent this:
Many modern RVs come with heated or enclosed holding tanks. If you plan to cold weather RV, you may want to mark this as a “must have” for your next purchase to ensure you’re ready to hit the campgrounds when the snow is falling.
Antifreeze is another potential option for your holding tanks. Non-toxic antifreeze for RVs is a product that can be purchased at most RV supply stores. You can load a few quarts of this into your holding tanks to keep them safe against the cold weather. Just remember that over time, you’ll need to top off the antifreeze to keep it from being too diluted to work!
The professionals at RV Wholesale Superstore are ready to help you find the perfect RV for you and your family. Visit us in-person at 5080 W. Alexis Road, in Sylvania, OH or call us at (419) 786-1126
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Your first RV brought you into the RV lifestyle – and you couldn’t be happier! But over time, you start to wonder what other RVs that might be out there. Is it time for an RV upgrade? It can be hard to tell, but if you’re on the fence, here are some of the most common things that may mean it’s time for an RV upgrade.
The most common reason for an RV upgrade is an upgrade to your family! Whether you started out as a single camper, a pair, or with room for your first child, the addition of new members to your family can mean your old RV just doesn’t have the space you need. RVs can have sleeping capacity for a massive range – from just a few to 10 or more people!
It’s not always just about getting more space for sleeping, either. You may be able to find ways to give your growing family places to rest, but that doesn’t mean your original choice in RV still makes sense today. RV floorplans and sizes vary dramatically, and a new RV with a more open design could reduce some of the constant shoulder-to-shoulder feel of trying to move four people through an RV built for two.
On top of that, storage space is at a premium when it comes to RVs. The more people you bring along, the more you need to pack. Clothes and toys are one thing, but you’ll also have to consider the increase in food you need to keep everyone full and happy for even a short weekend trip.
Upgrading an RV for more space is easily one of the most likely reasons to sell your old RV and start fresh. It’s an investment that’s worth it, too. Those family trip experiences are things that will stay with your kids forever, and it helps keep your family close in an age where it’s easy for everyone to go to their corner of the home and plug into a phone or TV!
How long ago did you buy your RV? Was it a few years ago or a decade? The person you are today doesn’t necessarily reflect the preferences you had when you first dove headfirst into the wonderful world of RVing!
One of the biggest things that may change from when you start RVing to when you’re an experienced camper is how often you prefer to be away from the hustle and bustle that can take place at popular RV campsites. Sure, the hookups are nice and there’s always a friendly face nearby, but when you’ve seen it all, you may be comfortable going off-the-grid and enjoying some peace and quiet!
Of course, the RV you purchased a few years ago may not be the ideal dry camping RV. Maybe it lacks the battery capacity you need, or you’re looking for a newer model that’s ready for solar power.
Alternative, if you started off camping to get away from it all, but discovered a love for living on the road with your gadgets and gizmos perpetually powered, your boondock-ready RV might not have everything you wanted to enjoy your trip. If that’s the case, your shifting RV preferences may lead you to our next common RV upgrade cause…
RVs can accommodate all kinds of campers. From those who just need a retreat after a long day in the sun, to those who want to travel but don’t want to lose the comfort of “home” amenities. And if your RV doesn’t reflect your desires, you may not be enjoying it as much as you could!
Like cars, the more modern your RV, the more features you’re going to have access to. Newer RVs come with all sorts of things that may not have been available when you first purchased your RV. Or maybe you’re just tired of sleeping on a smaller RV bed and want a luxurious residential-style king mattress in your RV retreat.
No matter the reason, shopping for an RV upgrade can be just the thing to revitalize your love of RV travel. New spaces, new gadgets, and new features are all great reasons to find enjoyment in replacing your dated RV with a new (or new to you) RV.
An RV is really a home – and every home comes with maintenance. No matter what that maintenance is, it costs time and money to stay current on. Over the years, maintenance for an RV can become more frequent, more costly and more frustrating. While this isn’t always true (and good RV maintenance can extend the lifespan of an RV by plenty of years) it’s something that some RV owners experience.
Especially if it was your first RV, you may have realized down the road that you were skipping critical parts of maintenance and now you’re paying the price. Whatever the reason is, if maintenance hassles or costs are starting to turn your dream RV into a bit of an unwanted expense, an RV upgrade could offer you a chance to start fresh.
It’s easy to think bigger RV means better. For many campers, that’s simply not the case. An RV upgrade can be more than, well, getting more. Small RVs offer several benefits that can easily outweigh the smaller space for living:
For RVers who just need a retreat after a long day of enjoying their destination, a smaller RV can be smart upgrade from a larger model with space you just aren’t using!
If you’re planning to upgrade your RV, chances are you’re doing it for a reason. But with all the new RVs out there, it’s easy to get lost in the excitement! When you’re making your plans to upgrade your RV, you should really focus on what’s changing from your old RV to your new one.
Like a home, the best RV is one that feels right to you. Now that you have some time RVing under your belt, you’ll better understand what you want (and don’t want) out of an RV. So when you hit the lot, you can make a much more informed decisions.
You should make sure it really fulfills your goals for the upgrade. There’s nothing more frustrating than making the switch to a new RV only to realize it’s still lacking. Fortunately, good planning and consideration can make sure you avoid this problem.
It’s easy to have eyes for an RV that are a bit bigger than your tow vehicle can handle. When you expand your RV to fit more family members or just to enjoy a more spacious interior, you need to make sure your tow vehicle can still pull its weight.
You can usually find your vehicle’s gross towing capacity pretty easily from the manufacturer. This number is critical to know when you’re shopping, so write it down. Keep in mind that an empty RV isn’t going to weigh as much as one loaded with all your travel supplies!
The professionals at RV Wholesale Superstore are ready to help you find the perfect RV for you and your family. Visit us in-person at 5080 W. Alexis Road, in Sylvania, OH or call us at (419) 786-1126
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