Setting out on an RV journey can provide many learning opportunities. When you’re transitioning from sticks and bricks to living full time in an RV, the lessons can be that much more important. We’ve grown a lot since embracing this RV lifestyle five years ago. Here are our top RV lessons. 1. Communication is paramount Communication affects every single aspect of RV living. If we’re not communicating well, we’re not living well. It’s important that we share our thoughts and expectations about travel days, setups, plans, etc. Otherwise, it’s easy to assume that what’s in my head is also in Bob’s head and vice versa — which is hardly ever the truth. We had to come up with recognizable terms when parking our 42-foot fifth wheel. For example, instead of saying “straighten out” to mean five different things, like on our very first trip, I’ve learned to give more helpful advice, such as “get your truck in front of your trailer.” That may sound ridiculous because, of course, the truck is in front of the trailer when we’re towing. But we’ve come to understand that to mean the truck needs to be aligned with the trailer. 2. Leveling doesn’t have to be complicated We’ve had more issues with leveling our rig than we ever thought we would, especially considering it has a Lippert auto-leveling system. After much trial and error throughout our first couple of years on the road, we gleaned a few tips and tricks that have helped us streamline the leveling process. We don’t push the auto-level button until our unit is above level. We determine that status using a LevelMatePRO wireless RV leveling device (paid link) we added to the rig. We also stack rubber and Camco leveling blocks (paid link) under our six stabilizer jacks before pushing the auto-level button to help prevent stroke errors. In addition, Bob learned how to reset the Lippert system using the digital display screen inside the RV. In conjunction with the LevelMatePRO unit, he retrains the Lippert system to what level is when the unit unexpectedly loses its memory. 3. Adaptability is the name of the game Nothing is set in stone when you live in a vehicle. It moves. The things inside it move. Sometimes its parts fail. Tires go flat. Weather shifts. Plans change. You have to be able to roll with the punches and adapt. Having been a perfectionist most of my life, it’s taken me many years to get to the point where I can go with the flow — and even enjoy doing so. I attribute much of my success in this area to my husband, who has helped round my edges and make me a better person. If it weren’t for his efforts, I might not be able to survive and thrive in the RV lifestyle, something I really enjoy. 4. Preventive maintenance is beneficial Benjamin Franklin is credited with saying, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Nearly 300 years later, that adage couldn’t be more apt for RV life. Making a point to keep up with vehicle maintenance — on both our truck and trailer — can go a long way toward preventing issues literally down the road. Keeping tabs on tire pressure, performing oil and transmission fluid changes, greasing joints, and doing similar tasks are well worth the effort and the time they take. We can’t help but wonder if preventive maintenance could have avoided our freeway mishap at the end of our last travel season. 5. A TPMS is invaluable With 10 tires between our truck and fifth wheel, we’ve had our share of tire issues. In fact, in one year, we experienced four flat tires — all on the RV. Thankfully, they didn’t all happen at the same time. Before we first set out on the road, we invested in an EEZTire tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS; paid link) and are super grateful we did. As soon as a tire starts losing pressure, we get alerted. On more than one occasion after safely pulling to the side of the road, we’ve gotten out of the truck and heard air rushing out of the faulty tire. Thanks to early notification, the TPMS has saved our rig from damage. 6. Pleather doesn’t last Our 2018 Jayco Pinnacle came with a three-person couch and a reclining loveseat. This furniture is wonderful for hosting family and friends who want to visit — or at least it was. Because the pieces are finished with pleather, or plastic leather, they started to peel after five years of use, making them quite unattractive.
We found a temporary fix with a self-adhesive leather repair kit (paid link). That lasted for a year. It’s still holding at the time of this writing, but it’s starting to detach at the edges. On top of that, our furniture began peeling in other areas. We’ll probably bandage it with the temporary fix as well, but eventually we’ll need to replace our furniture with fabric pieces. You might also like Our biggest RV mistakes. * As Amazon associates, we earn from qualifying purchases.
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If 400 square feet of living space sounds small to you, that’s because it is. Despite that, for our first five years of full-time RV living, we used two Google Home smart speaker devices: one in the bedroom and one about 15 steps away in the kitchen. Recently, we became an RV divided when we traded one of the units for an Amazon Alexa virtual assistant. Embracing convenience It only seemed natural that we would have Google devices. After all, both Bob and I own Google Pixel phones and Google Chromebooks. In addition, I have a Google Pixel watch. When we sold our house and moved into the fifth wheel, we ended up keeping two Google smart devices, with the intention of giving one away. Before that could happen, Bob set up both units, and we quickly became accustomed to their convenience. The kitchen Google Home assistant is handy for rapidly adding items to our grocery list when we think of them, setting timers for cooking, playing music, and answering our questions that arise from conversations and TV shows. The bedroom Google Nest Hub displays photos we’ve taken, in addition to occasionally playing peaceful sounds, such as crashing waves or thunderstorms, when we doze off and answering our all-important weather questions in the morning when we’re getting dressed. Facing issues
Two units may seem like overkill for our small living quarters, and indeed they are. Many times, the Google device we wanted to operate deferred to the other, setting a timer in the bedroom, for example, when we needed it in the living room. Although activated by a simple “Hey Google,” the Google devices’ abilities seemed to be lacking. For some reason, I was never allowed to add anything to the grocery list. Google didn’t recognize my voice for that, even though I could ask her anything else. I had to go through Bob to add an item to the list or open the app on my phone and manually add it. We encountered another issue with the grocery list when trying to add two items at once. Google didn’t know how to process that. Instead, she added the two items as a single entry: cheese and dental floss. Exploring an alternative Having set up Amazon Alexa for his mom and seeing her success in using it to turn her lights on and off and handle other tasks, Bob started considering having us transition as well. Logically, it didn’t make sense, given our affinity for all things Google. Seeing a smoking deal on Black Friday, we decided to purchase an Amazon Echo Dot (paid link) to replace our Google Home smart assistant in the kitchen. We debated transitioning to a single unit given our small living space but decided to keep the Google unit in the bedroom, at least for the time being. I have to admit I like the Amazon technology. I’m now able to add items to our grocery list by voice. If I want to add more than one item at a time, Alexa is able to parse that information and add two (or more) entries rather than combining the items into one. If I attempt to add something I previously added, she’s smart enough to tell me it’s already on my list and can even delete an item if I accidentally say something I didn’t mean. Google couldn’t do that. In addition, I can talk to Alexa from upstairs in the bathroom or bedroom, and she can usually hear me. So, do we still need the Google unit? No, not really. But we like the convenience of having it available. And sometimes, we like Google’s answers to our questions better than Alexa’s. You might also like Staying healthy and fit on the road. As Amazon affiliates, we earn from qualifying purchases. |
AuthorThis is the travel blog of full-time RVers Bob and Lana Gates and our truck, Gulliver, and fifth wheel, Tagalong. Categories
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