Useful RV Information (on the Web and Elsewhere)
David E. Damouth www.damouth.com
last update: 20 July, 2005
Listed below is a selection of WWW locations which I have found useful (and also some references to non-Internet sources). I've divided them roughly into categories. Comments (except where indicated) are my own, not necessarily well-informed, personal opinion.
General technically-oriented sites:
USENET RV FAQ This large document is compiled by a committee, based on contributions to the newsgroup rec.outdoors.rv-travel (and some info collected elsewhere). It is mostly about the technical aspects of RVing - batteries, refrigerators, etc. The quality of the various sections is uneven, since it is a compilation of notes sent by many different individuals. Although "updated monthly", some of the material is quite dated. (e.g. The Dodge vs. Ford diesel comparison dates from 1997, and major changes have occured since then).
phred's poop sheets: A collection of very detailed and well-informed articles about various technical aspects of RVing. This is the place to find out everything you ever wanted to know about macerators, for example.
Mark Nemeth: This excellent personal site has good monographs on several technical topics.
Help for Prospective Full-Timers:
Mike & Donna Yeaw: Many excellent articles documenting their experiences in making the transition to full-time RVing, buying an RV, and the full-time RV lifestyle.
Mark Nemeth: Mark addresses the costs of full-timing and many other issues of interest to prospective full-timers.
Complete Guide to Full-Time RVing, by Bill and Jan Moeller. This was the most useful book to us during our own preparation to hit the road. Available from Amazon.com and many other on-line booksellers
Battery Information:
The 12 Volt Side of Life: If you are only going to read one document about RV batteries and battery charging, this should be the one (by Mark Nemeth).
phred's poop sheets: phred also has a very detailed and well-researched article about batteries. It's worth reading both to see the differences in point of view.
Trojan Batteries: Trojan deep-cycle batteries are considered by many to be the best. In particular, their golf-cart batteries are a great choice for RV house batteries. This site has specifications, application guides, and a good article about maintaining these batteries.
Car and Deep Cycle Batteries: Another site with a great deal of useful battery information, in a very readable form.
Connecting your laptop computer to a telephone on the road:
Titan: The Titan international dial-up service offers computer connections (including an 800 number in Canada) I used this one while in areas of Canada (Yukon and northern British Columbia) where neither my ISP's 800 number nor my inexpensive Escapees calling card would work. Titan also has many local numbers in Canada and 149 other countries. Unlike calling cards, the Titan system connects directly to your own ISP via the Internet, giving a faster, simpler, and probably more reliable, dial-up procedure. You pay only a per-minute charges which vary widely depending on location (some as low as five cents per minute) - no monthly fees, so it's a very handy backup to have available when other systems don't work. A catalog of phone numbers is included in the Titan dialer and is updated automatically. Last time I checked, they were offering a free trial account with 15 minutes of free time. so you can try it out.
If you can't plug your modem into a phone outlet (because the only phone is an old fashioned pay phone, or is a digital phone system, or for some other reason doesn't have a standard modular wall jack, these solutions may help:
Acoustic Couplers: These gadgets strap on to the handset of a payphone or telephone and provide a connection to your modem. There used to be two brands readily available, but one company seems to have vanished. The Konexx Koupler is still available, at a list price of $149 directly from the factory. Provantage sells it for $99.30. On a good phone, speeds up to 26 kb/s can be obtained. The old outdoor pay phones, on the other hand will yield at best about 4800 b/s, and often slower. The PocketMail product is another example of an acoustic coupler - this one in a complete self-contained PDA-like package which can be used to create, send, and receive EMail. It is even slower than the Konexx Koupler, but is cheap and convenient.
Mobile Konnector: This compact little black box connects between any standard telephone's modular handset and the base of the phone, and provides a plug for your modem. Powered from batteries or an AC adapter. Data Port Anywhere is basically the same product but draws power from your laptop's USB connector. The Konexx website has descriptions of these and a couple of other similar products. Provantage, CDW, and other on-line stores sell these at substantial discounts. Google the product name for latest prices.
Overnight Phone Hookups at the campground:
A few years ago, when instant phone hookups in RV Parks were rare, there were several free privately maintained directories to help locate such places. Today, the major commercial RV Park directories (Trailer Life, for example) list phone hookups, if available, as a part of each RV Park description, and most of the private directories are disappearing, or are woefully out of date. One that still exists is listed below.
Cruising America offers a guide to modem friendly campgrounds - showing both instant-on phone hookups at the sites and modem connections at a central location. You have to pay for this one - $25 for a CD version and $22 for on-line access.
Traveling with laptop computers:
I-Laptop Warrior is an Email list (a moderated digest). It disseminates information about traveling with laptops, and is a place to ask questions on this topic. Subscribe by sending a BLANK message to join-laptop@um5.revnetexpress.net The related Roadnews web site at http//www.roadnews.com
WiFi Wireless Internet Access:
for a brief description of WiFi and a few pointers to sites which list available access points, go here.
Satellite Internet:
DataStorm Direcway Motosat: This 2-way satellite Internet product is fully approved for mobile use. The antenna deploys and points itself at the satellite automatically. Very convenient. Not cheap. To learn more about this system, see the articles and Discussion Forums at http://datastormusers.com/.
Starband: Starband now offers several satellite Internet products. The most familiar one is intended for fixed residential us. This is relatively inexpensive and has been used successfully by some RVers. It is, however, specifically *not* approved or recommended for mobile use, and is a bit awkward to set up after traveling. More recently, Starband has begun to offer this inexpensive system packaged with a portable mount and a training seminar, for a bit more money. They have also recently introduced an expensive auto-pointing system similar to that offered by Datastorm.
Hobbies: I'm not trying to be inclusive here - these are the sites which interested me personally:
Table Tennis: this is the official site of the national association. It has a list of affiliated clubs, a list of sanctioned tournaments, a database of national rankings of anyone who has played in a tournament in the past few years, the complete rules of the game, and information on joining the association.
Birds: Source of the excellent Thayer bird identification CD-ROM and other products for birders.
Clubs:
Escapees: Support services and RV Parks for RVers who travel extensively.
RV Club: Some of the best RV-oriented EMail lists. The web site has several good RV FAQ documents. The RV-Talk EMail list is free and open to all. Most other materials require joining the club (a bargain at $10/year).
People:
Barb and Ron Hoffmeister: This couple has published two excellent books about full-time RVing, and maintains a large web-site.
Janet Wilder ("The Road Princess"): Another full-timer (and ex-truck driver). Her web site contains a few of her more recent articles written for Escapees Magazine. I wish it contained all of of her RV-related writing. The latest version of her website is cluttered up with advertisements and commercial pop-up windows, but her articles are still worth reading.
Mark Nemeth: Mark is a "retired" 42-year-old engineer, a full time RV traveler since June 1997. His site contains traveloges (with lots of photos), well-written monographs on many technical aspects of RVing, and other good stuff. This is one of the best personal RV sites.
Books: Just a few that I've found particulary valuable for full-time travelers.
RV Electrical Systems, by Bill and Jan Moeller. Subtitled A Basic Guide to Troubleshooting, Repair, and Improvement. TAB Books, a division of McGraw-Hill. (800) 233-1128 for ordering information. Also available at Amazon.
RV Repair & Maintenance Manual, by Bob Livingston. Trailer Life Books (800) 234-3450. This big book provides detailed descriptions, trouble shooting information, and repair procedures for every common RV applicance and system - electrical, plumbing, sewage, air conditioning, refrigerator, furnace, trailer brakes, awnings, etc. This is probably the single most useful book to carry in an RV. It is revised every few years. I have the 3d edition, published in 1998. The 4th edition is now available.
RV Equipment and Services Sources: Just a few that I've found particulary valuable.
Emergency Road Service: A typical RV-specific emergency road service company offers unlimited towing anywhere in the U.S. and Canada, from wherever you are stranded to the nearest fully qualified repair facility. This is important in Alaska or the Yukon - the nearest suitable tow truck could easily be 200 miles away, and the nearest qualified repair facility may be 200 miles in the opposite direction. The contract typically covers both an RV (motorhome or trailer) and another vehicle (towing or towed vehicle). Additional vehicles may be covered at extra cost (?). If a tow vehicle is disabled on the road, they will, if necessary send two tow trucks - one for the tow vehicle and one for the trailer - so that the trailer need not be left on the side of the road. In some cases, they can get you going with telephone coaching about how to fix a problem, eliminating the need to wait for a tow. No money changes hands. You call an 800 number, discuss your problem, arrange the method for call-back followup, and the company locates the tow service, pays them, and stays in telephone contact with both you and the tow service until the problem is resolved. While we were fulltiming, our Foremost RV insurance included emergency road service. We've used it twice with complete satisfaction, and it operates just as described above. AAA emergency road service is much inferior, by comparison, and AAA services vary depending on what part of the country you are in.
There are many sources for emergency road service, but most of the companies offering the service contract with just a few actual operating companies. These companies then contract with the same local tow companies. So the basics of the service are pretty much the same regardless of who you sign up with. Price and some details may be different from company to company, and some of these details may be important to you, so it pays to shop around and read the fine print carefully. The two best-known sources are: Camping World and Good Sam Club. Also check with your RV insurance company and your RV-oriented clubs, such as FMCA, which may offer members-only emergency road service.
West Marine catalog: This is the bible for boaters, and also an invaluable resource for RVers. An extensive collection of 12 volt electrical and electronic equipment, general hardware, high quality caulks, paints, sealants, etc. This is also a starting point for investigation of wind turbine electric generators. Several sections have tutorial information and comparative charts to assist in selecting products. Paper catalog costs $5.00 (and is worth it), refundable on first in-store purchase. Lots of retail stores around the country. (800) 262-8464 (this number works in Canada too). For a more detailed description of West Marine, click here.
Backwoods Solar Electric Systems: I bought my solar components from this company, and also got a lot of advice on selection and installation from them, via EMail. Their catalog has much useful tutorial information. EMail to info@backwoodssolar.com.
Camping World: One of the largest selections of RV-related products, with a good web site and retail stores in major RV locations. It's rarely the lowest-cost source, but is often the most convenient. In a year of major purchases (for example when first equipping a new RV), buy their President's Club membership, which for about $20 gets you roughly 10% discount on everything for a year.
RV Solar Electric: The most often recommended source of solar systems for RV's. One retail store in the Phoenix area. These folks know RVs and can offer advice. They don't do installations, but may be able to recommend someone in that area. (800) 999-8520. E-mail rvse@primenet.com
Jotto Desks: A variety of adjustable, removable stands which securely hold a laptop computer or computer keyboard and can be be bolted to the floor of a motorhome or pickup truck in the navigator's position.
RAM Mounting Systems: Yet another way of mounting computers and all sorts of other things in vehicles. A modular collection of components that can be assembled into almost any sort of mount desired.
BD Exhaust Brake (800) 887-5030. This is the brand of exhaust brake I'm using. It has a fully regulated brake pressure control, unlike other brands. This provides more braking at lower engine rpm. They also sell ruggedized torque converters, a manual torque converter lockup switch, an improved transmission control module, and assorted other performance aids for Dodge/Cummins diesels and other trucks. Brian Roth, BD owner or manager or chief engineer or something, is at 74763.45@compuserve.com. He provided useful information to me, via EMail.
GPS information: Sam Wormley's GPS website is a rich collection of information about GPS. It has both tutorials on how to use GPS, for beginners, and very detailed technical monographs for those who want dig in to the details and really understand how it works.
Tilley Hats are, IHMO, the world's best and most comfortable general-purpose hats for active outdoor people. A good hat is an essential piece of RV equipment. More comments
General Stuff:
Wal-Mart: The web site includes a store locator which will find all stores near a specific location. Every RVer needs to know how to find a Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart used to sell their own version of the Rand McNally Atlas, containing a listing of every store location, showing which services are available at each store. This is no longer available, but we've heard that they will send you a simple paper list of stores if you call their 800 number and ask for it. Except where prohibited by local governments, Wal-Mart invites RVers to park overnight in a remote corner of their parking lot. Please don't abuse this privilege - *park*, don't spread out and camp, and park where you are out of the way of other customers. Patronize the store, and thank them. Basic RV supplies are available in the automotive section of nearly every store.
Post Office Locator We use this site for verifying the right mailing address of a small town post office when having our mail forwarded to General Delivery. This is also a way to locate the actual street address for the post office. When the web page asks you for an address, it's OK to type "General Delivery" in the street address box. Another way to verify the right ZIP code for General Delivery is to call 800-725-2161
Thor: The virtual reference desk: A Purdue University site listing a great many comprehensive reference sources on the Internet.
Diesel Truck Info (particularly Dodge/Cummins, but may be useful for others )
Turbo Diesel Register: This magazine is by far the best source of information about driving, repairing, and understanding the Dodge Diesel. See www.turbodieselregister.com/
alt.autos.dodge.trucks This Usenet Newsgroup is noisy - lots of Spam, lots of useless stuff. But a good threaded newsreader makes it easy to browse and ignore the junk.
cummins-request@hpukldh.cup.hp.com ( I think this goes to a human, so response may take a day or two). This is an EMail list for diesel in general, although most of the discussion is about Dodge/Cummins. There are some old diesel mechanics here, who are very knowledgable.
Send a message to listserv@cybrgate.com with "subscribe Ramtruck-L" (without the quotes) in the body of the message. This is a general RAM EMail list, not specifically for diesel. This list and the one above complement each other.
Except for Turbo Diesel Register, the above pointers are several years old, and may have changed (I dropped off all three when I hit the road). Corrections would be appreciated.
Alaska Travel Information:
Alaska Tourism Site: (comments by " Donna Ransdell" dmrans@pacbell.net) If you are planning a trip to Alaska, you must see this site. You'll find two .pdf files that you should download. One is called RV TIPS and is a 550kB collection of all the campgrounds (public and private), propane services, dump stations in Alaska and on the way up (via several different highways). You need Adobe Acrobat Reader to read and/or print this file (21 pages). We think it looks like a good quick supplement to go along with The Milepost.
To Alaska by Road: Jane Young's very detailed article about traveling in Alaska. Highly recommended!
Travel Journals of Bert and Shari Frenz: This site contains detailed journals for their three preevious caravans to Alaska, and they are going again in 2006. Bert and Shari take turns writing about the trip. The caravans are organized specifically for birders, and Bert writes mostly about the birds. Sheri couldn't care less about birds, and writes engagingly about many other aspects of the trip
The Milepost: (or email to books@themilepost.com) or order from Amazon. This book is the "bible" for Alaska travelers. It covers nearly every driveable road in Alaska and also covers the entire Alaska Highway through Canada as well as the other commonly used approach roads from the US border to Alaska. It is a very complete reference - mile-by-mile descriptions of scenery, historic points, fuel and service facilities, motels, RV Parks, restaurants, etc. It even includes useable maps.
And of course there is our own Alaska travelogue, in several chapters beginning here.
Canada Travel Information:
Canada's Gun Laws for Americans: Major changes in Canadian gun laws took place in 2001, with some revisions since then. Americans who intend to bring a gun (or a big knife, crossbow, pepper spray, airgun, etc.) into Canada should carefully read this document. It is written by an American who has extensive and recent experience with transporting guns (both handguns and long guns) through Canada to Alaska, and has gone to a great deal of effort to find out the entire story. Once you read this article, you'll know more about the subject than most Canadian law enforcement officers. The political rhetoric in the article is a bit tedious, but it's the most thorough presentation of useful information and advice that I've found. The official Canadian websites on this topic are confusing, and apparently sometime incomplete or inaccurate.
Canadian Customs Rules for Alcohol, Tobacco, Drugs, Pets,: This site is a well organized summary.
British Columbia Ferries: Schedules, fares, rules, etc.
Other Destinations:
Grand Canyon Dories: The best way to see Grand Canyon is from the bottom - by floating down the river in small, quiet boats. Grand Canyon Dories is the premier outfitter - organizing trips for small groups, with outstanding boatpersons/guides who have deep expertise on most aspects of the canyon - geology, flora, fauna, history, etc. The food is of high quality too! These trips fill up early - sometimes a year in advance - but the wait is worth it. The trips can be leisurely, allowing plenty of time to explore the side canyons and the many interesting geological features and Anasazi ruins along the way. We did the full length of the canyon this way - 270 miles in 22 days. We loved it, and will do it again someday. Early spring, with the desert flowers in bloom, or early autumn, when sudden thunderstorms cause mile-high waterfalls to cascade off the cliffs, are the best time to go.