2nd full season as Winnie owner

[Lil'Darlin1972]

<span class="ev_code_PURPLE">So this month marks the end of our second full season of camping with our motorhome. It was a much different season that the first time around. Year one we put over 9000 miles on it traveling around the country. This year money has been much tighter and we've had to stick closer to home. We are hoping to be able to make it to Florida over Christmas but we will have to see how this next month plays out.

Some observations from our season...

1- We really like our add a room. We used it whenever we were camping for at least a week. We got it down to about 25 minutes to set up and about the same to take down.

2- We didn't have any big problems this year. The only thing we had to replace inside was one of the a/c ceiling vents. It's the kind that has the louvre slats and a couple of them were broken. We had to order them from Winnebago as neither our dealer nor Camping World carried the right ones. We ordered a few extras just in case. I think they were $12 each.

3- Our awning rug really only lasts one season before it starts tearing at the seams. A little duct tape helps make it last a little longer...but they don't hold up as well as you would think.

4- Chad bought a reclining camping chair for me for my birthday and I LOVE it. I secretly used to make fun of people that used them...but I totally get it now !! My chair has a cup holder/storage compartment on one side and a soft sided magazine pouch on the other. I love sitting in it and reading/relaxing.

5- The puppy I got last Christmas has grown into a decent camping dog. We had to get a bark collar for awhile for training (she's a mini schnauzer and very vocal). We don't have to use the collar very often anymore and she's pretty quiet. She rode ON MY LAP for 1100 miles all the way to Florida over Easter Break. She's so spoiled. She immediately heads for my chair now as soon as we get in the rv.

6- The kids had a really fun camping season too. My oldest collected boys phone numbers and had fun meeting new people. At 14.5 her favorite camping activites are the teen activities. My son (7) is a bike riding pro now and put MANY miles on his new bike. Our middle daughter continues to be happy as long as she is spending time with the family.

7- We finally got our gray water gauges working correctly. We were having issues with the gray water backing up into the shower/sinks because the tank was full but not reading the level correctly. It's surprising how much the gray water smells....even with sanitizer !!

We bought some stuff at Camping World that you let soak in the full gray tank for 24 hours. We did that twice and didn't have anymore problems.

8- Chad invested in a backflush system and he really likes it. He plans to use it on a regular basis.

That's all I can think of now. I hope the rest of your northerners had a nice season...and the people in the south enjoy their warm winter !!

</span>

 

[Lil'Darlin1972]

<span class="ev_code_PURPLE">So this month marks the end of our second full season of camping with our motorhome. It was a much different season that the first time around. Year one we put over 9000 miles on it traveling around the country. This year money has been much tighter and we've had to stick closer to home. We are hoping to be able to make it to Florida over Christmas but we will have to see how this next month plays out.

Some observations from our season...

1- We really like our add a room. We used it whenever we were camping for at least a week. We got it down to about 25 minutes to set up and about the same to take down.

2- We didn't have any big problems this year. The only thing we had to replace inside was one of the a/c ceiling vents. It's the kind that has the louvre slats and a couple of them were broken. We had to order them from Winnebago as neither our dealer nor Camping World carried the right ones. We ordered a few extras just in case. I think they were $12 each.

3- Our awning rug really only lasts one season before it starts tearing at the seams. A little duct tape helps make it last a little longer...but they don't hold up as well as you would think.

4- Chad bought a reclining camping chair for me for my birthday and I LOVE it. I secretly used to make fun of people that used them...but I totally get it now !! My chair has a cup holder/storage compartment on one side and a soft sided magazine pouch on the other. I love sitting in it and reading/relaxing.

5- The puppy I got last Christmas has grown into a decent camping dog. We had to get a bark collar for awhile for training (she's a mini schnauzer and very vocal). We don't have to use the collar very often anymore and she's pretty quiet. She rode ON MY LAP for 1100 miles all the way to Florida over Easter Break. She's so spoiled. She immediately heads for my chair now as soon as we get in the rv.

6- The kids had a really fun camping season too. My oldest collected boys phone numbers and had fun meeting new people. At 14.5 her favorite camping activites are the teen activities. My son (7) is a bike riding pro now and put MANY miles on his new bike. Our middle daughter continues to be happy as long as she is spending time with the family.

7- We finally got our gray water gauges working correctly. We were having issues with the gray water backing up into the shower/sinks because the tank was full but not reading the level correctly. It's surprising how much the gray water smells....even with sanitizer !!

We bought some stuff at Camping World that you let soak in the full gray tank for 24 hours. We did that twice and didn't have anymore problems.

8- Chad invested in a backflush system and he really likes it. He plans to use it on a regular basis.

That's all I can think of now. I hope the rest of your northerners had a nice season...and the people in the south enjoy their warm winter !!

</span>

 

[FrontRangeRVer]

Good to have you back here! I for one have missed your posts.....and pictures!

 

[Petro]

Shannone;

Thanks for the nice post. Your kids will carry their camping memories all their lives. I was not able to camp with our 5 kids when they were that age but I sure made up for it with our grandkids. Some of them are now married and they often remark about the fun they had camping with Grandma & Grandpa. Keep doing it for as long as you are able.

Don

 

[KirbyRVA]

Shan:

Nice post about the joys of camping/RV travel and the positive impact it can have on the family. My wife and I have been blessed to have had the opportunity to travel to the great American West twice now, and both times I have commented that every child should get to see this beautiful country. There is so much to see, do and learn about this great land everywhere you look.

Bless you and your family and hope you continue to have many more great travels together.

 

[Belgique]

I'm hiding your post!!!

Daniele keeps asking me about the Add A Room that I keep, accidentally

forgetting to bring because that sucker takes so long to put up.

Seriously, (but I am serious about that room) congrats on a great 2nd year in your 35J. We sure are enjoying ours...so is grandson enjoying his private bunk. We've been on the road since early August and love the J.

 

[becks-WO]

Shannone.... Sounds like you and entire family are enjoying your coach to the max. We just finished up our 4th season and are now shut down for another midwest winter. Enjoy your travels and keep the posts comming.

 

[Lil'Darlin1972]

<span class="ev_code_PURPLE">Thanks for all of the responses. I always have a hard time keeping up with the forum during the camping season but now that I'm home more often I am looking forward to catching up with all of you and attending more chats. </span>

 

[Y-Guy]

Shannone, Good to hear from you. I was wondering how you were doing, I hadn't seen any posts from you here or RV.net in a while.

We kept closer to home this year, partially since we burned out a bit after our big 2 week trip last year.

Funny we have 2 awning mats that I've had now for going on 5 years, they just keep hanging in there. The white is now a bit of a beige but can't see tossing them out yet.

Ah we love our recliners, we bought the knock off type from Sports Authority though, had them two years and love them. Kids fight us for them all the time... they lose.

I installed the Tornado Back Flush system our first year, only complaint is these should be standard on all RVs period.

Funny about your Schnauzer, I got my pup this spring, Wire Fox Terrier, which is an odd combination with my wife's Golden Retriever. Both travel good, except the Golden is afraid of her own tail.

How did the A/C vents break? I went through and pulled all the A/C intake covers and cleaned the foam - wish that was easier to do. No problems with the rig at all this year. We still have 3 more trips planned; Next weekend, Thanksgiving and after Christmas through New Years, then we'll let it rest till mid-February.

 

[Lil'Darlin1972]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">How did the A/C vents break? I went through and pulled all the A/C intake covers and cleaned the foam - wish that was easier to do. No problems with the rig at all this year. We still have 3 more trips planned; Next weekend, Thanksgiving and after Christmas through New Years, then we'll let it rest till mid-February. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

<span class="ev_code_PURPLE">We open and close the a/c vents quite a bit. We usually keep the bedroom a/c on at night and it blows cold air into some of the vents up front as well. The kids don't like it as cold as we do. We also have to rotate the a/c vents that are near the stove when cooking so they don't blow the burners. With that much use and the kids helping open and close them it's just normal wear and tear.

We had to clean the a/c intakes about 3 times this summer. They sure get dirty fast !! And thank goodness they are there...it's gross when you look at all the stuff that we would be breathing in without the filters.</span>

 

[Sammie-WO]

Just thought you might enjoy seeing how another well trained and alert copilot schnauzer spends her time traveling with us. She has logged at least 10,000 miles in this position in her last eight years.

 

[Lil'Darlin1972]

<span class="ev_code_PURPLE">How cute Sammie !! Your pup looks much like mine did as a puppy. Ours has natural ears too rather than docked. And our girls likes to sit right ON my lap !! </span>

 

[JC2-WO]

We had the louvered ceiling vents in our rig and after reading a post from John_Canfield on this forum, we replaced ours with these http://dwincorp.com/product_info.php?cPath=55&products_...9731487043974fb965fe and have been very pleased with the results. We did keep the old ones in case we needed to be more specific in the air flow direction. The new ones don't rattle and seem to distribute the AC airflow better. For those that have the louvered ones, there is apparently an O-Ring repair that might also help the rattle if you want to keep them. http://irv2.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/9686094452/m/2481078314?r=2481078314
This is also our 2nd season with the MH and it is amazing the info that I have received from this site on making our adventures more enjoyable.

 

[Doula]

I'm another who has been wondering about you, Shannone! It's so good to hear from you. ...and oh, your doggie is absolutely adorable!

We are on our second season with ours, too. We keep camping through the first week of December, though (hunting season here in OH). Of course, that winter weather camping is A LOT different than the summer camping. Because of gas prices, we also stayed closer to home this season (mostly within a 3 hour drive radius) with the one exception of us driving it down to GA this past April for our son's Army AIT graduation. Gas prices aside, I just LOVE the long trips!

It's so good to hear of all of your good times. I was also glad to hear that you're enjoying your Add-a-Room. After the high recommendation and advice that I gave you, and assuring you that you'd get the installation time down with practice, I was hoping that you'd love it and not end up hating me!

We use our's a lot, too. We usually put ours up if we're staying longer than 3 days (which is often for us).

I'll stop my rambling for now. I just wanted to join in with saying "hi" and that I've missed seeing you here!

~Lori

 

[Lil'Darlin1972]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Doula:
I'm another who has been wondering about you, Shannone! It's so good to hear from you. ...and oh, your doggie is absolutely adorable!

It's so good to hear of all of your good times. I was also glad to hear that you're enjoying your Add-a-Room. After the high recommendation and advice that I gave you, and assuring you that you'd get the installation time down with practice, I was hoping that you'd love it and not end up hating me!


~Lori </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

<span class="ev_code_PURPLE"> Thanks Lori. It's nice to be missed.

While I really like our AAR....Chad is not as excited about it. We never put it up because HE wants to, lol !! He likes to keep set up and take down as simple as possible.

We camped at our local membership campground for 4 weeks this summer (2 weeks at a time) and the AAR sure came in handy then !! We often had extra kids with us and it was nice to have a space where they could watch tv/play a game and not be in our way if we were inside. It's also great when it rains because we just put the sides down and we can have a dry place for the swimsuits/towels/camping chairs...etc. Sometimes we put the picnic table in there...and sometimes we just put camping chairs in there.

It's on the small side...only about 13x8 and it feels even smaller with the furniture in there. That's the biggest we could get though because of our bunk slide.

When we upgrade to another MH one day (way down the road) I will make sure I pay attention to awning size. I'd really like to have a longer awning but unfortunately they are getting harder to find with all of the multiple slide units. </span>

 

[Doug Sage]

"We kept closer to home this year, partially since we burned out a bit after our big 2 week trip last year."

Surely you jest! We are on a 20 month trip and find new things to see and do every day. In fact just yesterday we met a man who discovered a dinosaur fossil of a type that had never been found in North America and had it named after him. We had a very interesting discussion with him. How on earth can you burn out after two weeks?

 

[Y-Guy]

No jest at all, kids and wife all felt a bit of burn out after it. Driving, attending a Rally, sightseeing, ATV riding, by the time we got home we wanted a break and appreciated being closer to home too.

 

[emmmw]

Welcome back! You know I've missed you. Heck, you are one of the main reasons we bought our 35J and I owe you and Chad a good meal. Hopefully we'll get to camp together some day.

I'm sitting in the front yard dishing out candy for Halloween and freezing. Probably would have been a good weekend for camping. I realize it is only about 35 degrees or so, but my laptop is on my lap keeping me warm and looking at our 35J in the driveway thinking of our next trip. We're going to do it all winter this year. A few ski trips and other snowy fun!

Have a good winter and hopefully we'll see you guys soon!

 

[Lil'Darlin1972]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by emmmw:
Welcome back! You know I've missed you. Heck, you are one of the main reasons we bought our 35J and I owe you and Chad a good meal. Hopefully we'll get to camp together some day.

I'm sitting in the front yard dishing out candy for Halloween and freezing. Probably would have been a good weekend for camping. I realize it is only about 35 degrees or so, but my laptop is on my lap keeping me warm and looking at our 35J in the driveway thinking of our next trip. We're going to do it all winter this year. A few ski trips and other snowy fun!

</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

<span class="ev_code_PURPLE">I may take you up on that meal

We aren't going to do any winter CAMPING, but we do go on a day trip each month during the winter to keep the generator and engine exercising. We'll go down and spend an afternoon at Cabelas, do some tailgating at the Thanksgiving Day parade, head over to the west coast for a day of snow tubing, etc. It's always fun to get out there in the MH, even just for an afternoon.

Steve- I know what you mean about burn out. After 2 weeks of camping, it's nice to come home and have more room to walk around the bed, have a bigger bathroom, and not FEEL it every time someone moves around the house

I think if it was just Chad and myself we could do longer trips with no problems. But with the 3 kids and 2 dogs, camping is sometimes a lot of WORK too. </span>

 

[Candace-WO]

Shannone:

While I am not an avid poster, I am an avid reader...and I do enjoy reading your posts!

We just finished our first year with our Winnie, and hate to see the season end. While cleaning out some items from the MH yesterday, our 'lil schnauzer was whining and barking, thinking I was packing for a trip, not unpacking, for she LOVES travelin' the MH and cant wait to go. I took her in the MH anyway just to keep me company.

Shannone and Sammie: Your 'lil co-pilots are adorable!

BTW...it is amazing how big your house is when you come home after living in the RV for awhile! But I find that the only work is packing and unpacking, not the camping in between...although I only have 2 kids and 1 dog to worry about!