We toured USA, for 145days, 33 States, and averaged out cost to $106/day($US)..but we were tourists for sure😘 open that dang border..we wanna come back!! We are getting our new rig..bought a 3300 Firman, but will look into solar, so will watch your video about that! We spent about $14/day on gas. I think we went thru 2 or 3 tanks of propane but we cooked all our meals in the trailer.
Staying in State Parks will make a huge difference in your costs. A few one night, or two night stays in National Forests or BLM land will be a 0$. :) Except for the entry fee. Gas on the road is definitely a killer. So? Stay a bit longer, 1 day, where you go. Travel shorter distances from park to park and soak up all you can in the area. Drive Drive Drive will eat up $ and your patience. Slow down and take your time for quality and not quantity. :)
Hello Michael, We really are enjoying your reviews on the 2109s. We're probably going to buy one if we can find one in the next 6 months or so. Of coarse we're interested in cost, as we're never owned before. So thanks for trying to help us get an idea of what we're getting into. I'm shocked at your Grocery spend! I'd love to hear more on how you survive. We do store a lot of food at home but our average spend is way over what you have. If we could cut spending on groceries down to where you are we could justify the purchase with ease! I have to say though, that I'm having trouble with the math. Vermont/Maine $4818.96/42=$114.74, x/49=$98.35. Same for Quartzsite, AZ. $1659.87/22=$75.45, x/49=$33.87. Have I missed something? Do you have your MPG while towing? I'm using MapQuest to estimate using 8 mpg. Great info in your reviews! I'm so glad I found you! Thanks so much!
Wow.. Cool, I hope you can find YOUR camper. :) I'm willing to bet you can probably get a good deal on a used 2109s if you search.... Costs! Don't forget to look into and plan on additional costs like Storage, insurance, and registration for the camper... Groceries. I spend the same amount in the camper as I did at home. I was a comparison shopper deluxe, shopped Kroger and wrote down the prices on my list, went to Walmart and got what was less expensive there, then back to Kroger to get the rest. I wish I had time to do that now, but it's too much hassle as Linda doesn't DO that tagging around with me. LOL I get 1 weeks worth of food at a time, make a menu and follow it. Eating for 2 isn't expensive if you plan right. GIVEN, I don't eat meat, only Linda. So that's a big ticket item. I'll freeze portions for her and cook later. :) We only carry what we need too, so that cuts down the urge to by MORE than I really need..... Vermont/Maine. Primarily ALL RV park stays, it adds up to a good amount, and heading east things just get more expensive. Gas, RV parks, entertainment, food, you name it. Also there was more vacation type stuff included, admissions to parks, monuments, museums etc. :) Quartzsite. Almost all of the 22 days were spent dry camping/boondocking at free sites. The majority of the costs for that trip was gas. :) I get about 10 mpg when towing, 18 mpg unhitched, so you can see why. If you can spend a day or two at no cost, it brings down a $50 RV park stay for a night to $25 on average. See what I mean? :) I do all my videos in chronological order, so you can probably see all the places we stayed on that trip for 22 days. Most were free stays. Thanks and good luck. Michael
Yes. You can run your generator all you want. I suggest you be considerate and stay a good distance from your neighbors however. Or just don't run it at night when folks are trying to sleep. Sounds in the desert carry a long way. :)
very good info...thanks! glad I found your blog and subscribed. Am still researching trailer to buy, but I REALLY like the 2109S...would like the room of a 25fter, but don’t want to pull that behind me
Hi Sheila. :) I'm glad you liked the information. :) I researched for almost 3 yrs Sheila. There came a point where enough was enough and I got one. We started small, so if we didn't care for camping, or loved it and wanted smaller or bigger, we could do either. The point is... find out what you want to do, then find the rig that will meet those needs. There are other reasons we got a camper and truck as opposed to van, Class C or B. But we made the first step. Thanks for watching and subscribing. Go back through my videos, I think you may find them educational.
Garland Style Hi, Garland....thanks so much for the response back! Appreciate the input....I would like a class C, but really can’t afford that and heard they only get about 7 mpg, so that would be costly! I did watch your owner review after I watched a video about the 2109S put out by pleasure rvs from CO.....am glad you did that one....it was good to know those things, but they all seemed minor. It will be just me (67 y/o) and my 2 medium-sized dogs, so don’t want to feel overwhelmed by it all. I already have a 3/4 ton Dodge Ram, so have something to pull with. I still have several of your videos to watch, and feel certain that they all will be helpful.....Happy RV’ing.....so if you researched for 3 yrs and wound up with the 2109S....that makes me feel more confident about it
You are very welcome. If you already have a truck, well you can manage a small camper. There is always someone eager to help out on the road if you need it. A friendly bunch. If you had a Class C, think about pulling up camp every time you wanted to go somewhere! I did. That means you'd need a tow vehicle as well. I didn't want to pull another vehicle. Expect about 10 mpg with a truck too hon. You could get more, who knows. Research the heck out of it.
Sheila. Just thinking to myself. If it is just you and two pooches... A very close third choice for me was an RPod. I didn't choose it because it had and east west bed and one of us would have to crawl over the other to get up at night. Now! That is a smaller trailer, will tow easier, you can hitch/unhitch easier and has MANY of the amenities that our camper does.. I got to thinking about you setting up and all. It's not hard, but the RPod is smaller and will be easier to get into places. :)
VERY limited radio indeed. Closer to Mexico you get, the fewer English stations. Both AM FM came in however. Linda was wanting SPORTS broadcasts.. *LOL* Thanks for watching.
How did the rest of your wheel lugs look after you had the incident with the lug nuts coming off your right front wheel? Very glad you and your wife weren't hurt. Were the nuts overtightened recently?
Hey Jack. Sorry to be late replying. Still getting used to this UA-cam thing. The other lugs were ok. I think the guy finishing up was rushing and didn't tighten right. I watched the mechanic in Indiana as he fixed it and yacked with him a bit.. He said never trust a Air Powered wrench. He does it the old fashioned way with a torque wrench. :) We were 200' from turning onto an Interstate.. I'd have been doing 65 to 70 mph and that wheel may have come off. VERY scary. i check my lug nuts daily when traveling now. Michael.
Thanks for the reply. Glad the situation involved only a repair - not an injury. As shown by the damages to your truck, haste does make waste doesn't it?
I just joined Boondockers Welcome!! $5/night! $25/year! We have a 6000mile trip planned and I figure we will save $5000!!!! 1600 places to stay in North America! Most offer hydro, water, wifi and sometimes rv dump😎
Coral. The slide is on the drivers side as you know. I would try to pull into a parking area where I could put the slide out over a green area or such so as not to have anyone walk into it or hit it, parallel park if you will. If I couldn't find an area like that, we kept the slide in. Good question.
I might add. There are etiquette's you should follow when parking for free at Walmart or any other commercial location. There are videos about that all over UA-cam. :) Be considerate, and you won't go wrong.
When the slide is in, you still have room to easily walk from the bathroom to the bed, and cook. In fact, the bathroom door will open completely inward. The couch moves up to almost flush with side of the door. Linda sleeps on the left side of the bed as you face it and just crawls over the foot of the bed if needed. The right side is completely open as always and you can walk to the bathroom. We've spent many a night that way and it doesn't seem cramped to us.
If you saw our interior review, you noticed the two foot stools. When the slide is in, I set one stool in the middle of the couch (seats 3 comfy), and slide one towards the bed. Plenty of room to still move around. I suggest you have the dealer slide it in and you will see how much room you have.
Garland Style sounds great sized and laid out rv. Do u have any thing you would like to change or see where the manufacturer could do a better job. Is it a quality unit in your opinion. Thanks watching all your videos. Keep up the great information.
We toured USA, for 145days, 33 States, and averaged out cost to $106/day($US)..but we were tourists for sure😘 open that dang border..we wanna come back!! We are getting our new rig..bought a 3300 Firman, but will look into solar, so will watch your video about that! We spent about $14/day on gas. I think we went thru 2 or 3 tanks of propane but we cooked all our meals in the trailer.
Staying in State Parks will make a huge difference in your costs. A few one night, or two night stays in National Forests or BLM land will be a 0$. :) Except for the entry fee. Gas on the road is definitely a killer. So? Stay a bit longer, 1 day, where you go. Travel shorter distances from park to park and soak up all you can in the area. Drive Drive Drive will eat up $ and your patience. Slow down and take your time for quality and not quantity. :)
Hello Michael, We really are enjoying your reviews on the 2109s. We're probably going to buy one if we can find one in the next 6 months or so. Of coarse we're interested in cost, as we're never owned before. So thanks for trying to help us get an idea of what we're getting into. I'm shocked at your Grocery spend! I'd love to hear more on how you survive. We do store a lot of food at home but our average spend is way over what you have. If we could cut spending on groceries down to where you are we could justify the purchase with ease! I have to say though, that I'm having trouble with the math. Vermont/Maine $4818.96/42=$114.74, x/49=$98.35. Same for Quartzsite, AZ. $1659.87/22=$75.45, x/49=$33.87. Have I missed something? Do you have your MPG while towing? I'm using MapQuest to estimate using 8 mpg.
Great info in your reviews! I'm so glad I found you! Thanks so much!
Wow.. Cool, I hope you can find YOUR camper. :) I'm willing to bet you can probably get a good deal on a used 2109s if you search.... Costs! Don't forget to look into and plan on additional costs like Storage, insurance, and registration for the camper... Groceries. I spend the same amount in the camper as I did at home. I was a comparison shopper deluxe, shopped Kroger and wrote down the prices on my list, went to Walmart and got what was less expensive there, then back to Kroger to get the rest. I wish I had time to do that now, but it's too much hassle as Linda doesn't DO that tagging around with me. LOL I get 1 weeks worth of food at a time, make a menu and follow it. Eating for 2 isn't expensive if you plan right. GIVEN, I don't eat meat, only Linda. So that's a big ticket item. I'll freeze portions for her and cook later. :) We only carry what we need too, so that cuts down the urge to by MORE than I really need..... Vermont/Maine. Primarily ALL RV park stays, it adds up to a good amount, and heading east things just get more expensive. Gas, RV parks, entertainment, food, you name it. Also there was more vacation type stuff included, admissions to parks, monuments, museums etc. :) Quartzsite. Almost all of the 22 days were spent dry camping/boondocking at free sites. The majority of the costs for that trip was gas. :) I get about 10 mpg when towing, 18 mpg unhitched, so you can see why. If you can spend a day or two at no cost, it brings down a $50 RV park stay for a night to $25 on average. See what I mean? :) I do all my videos in chronological order, so you can probably see all the places we stayed on that trip for 22 days. Most were free stays. Thanks and good luck. Michael
Sounds like a great trip. Thnks for all the info Michael.
Thanks Steve. Just got back from a 45 day trip today. Unfortunately, time to winterize my lil ole trailer and patch it up.
Hi my friend, I have a question? In the quartsize are you allowed to run the generator?
Yes. You can run your generator all you want. I suggest you be considerate and stay a good distance from your neighbors however. Or just don't run it at night when folks are trying to sleep. Sounds in the desert carry a long way. :)
very good info...thanks! glad I found your blog and subscribed. Am still researching trailer to buy, but I REALLY like the 2109S...would like the room of a 25fter, but don’t want to pull that behind me
Hi Sheila. :) I'm glad you liked the information. :) I researched for almost 3 yrs Sheila. There came a point where enough was enough and I got one. We started small, so if we didn't care for camping, or loved it and wanted smaller or bigger, we could do either. The point is... find out what you want to do, then find the rig that will meet those needs. There are other reasons we got a camper and truck as opposed to van, Class C or B. But we made the first step. Thanks for watching and subscribing. Go back through my videos, I think you may find them educational.
Oh, you may want to watch my "Owner Review. Likes & Dislikes" video. That may help some, and the one I did on the "Inside tour". :)
Garland Style Hi, Garland....thanks so much for the response back! Appreciate the input....I would like a class C, but really can’t afford that and heard they only get about 7 mpg, so that would be costly! I did watch your owner review after I watched a video about the 2109S put out by pleasure rvs from CO.....am glad you did that one....it was good to know those things, but they all seemed minor. It will be just me (67 y/o) and my 2 medium-sized dogs, so don’t want to feel overwhelmed by it all. I already have a 3/4 ton Dodge Ram, so have something to pull with. I still have several of your videos to watch, and feel certain that they all will be helpful.....Happy RV’ing.....so if you researched for 3 yrs and wound up with the 2109S....that makes me feel more confident about it
You are very welcome. If you already have a truck, well you can manage a small camper. There is always someone eager to help out on the road if you need it. A friendly bunch. If you had a Class C, think about pulling up camp every time you wanted to go somewhere! I did. That means you'd need a tow vehicle as well. I didn't want to pull another vehicle. Expect about 10 mpg with a truck too hon. You could get more, who knows. Research the heck out of it.
Sheila. Just thinking to myself. If it is just you and two pooches... A very close third choice for me was an RPod. I didn't choose it because it had and east west bed and one of us would have to crawl over the other to get up at night. Now! That is a smaller trailer, will tow easier, you can hitch/unhitch easier and has MANY of the amenities that our camper does.. I got to thinking about you setting up and all. It's not hard, but the RPod is smaller and will be easier to get into places. :)
Garland, you mentioned listening to the radio in Quartzsite, what type of stations (AM? FM?)
Very good report! "Geaux West young man"!!!
VERY limited radio indeed. Closer to Mexico you get, the fewer English stations. Both AM FM came in however. Linda was wanting SPORTS broadcasts.. *LOL* Thanks for watching.
The link has apparently changed to www.blm.gov
Thanks for the update. :)
How did the rest of your wheel lugs look after you had the incident with the lug nuts coming off your right front wheel? Very glad you and your wife weren't hurt. Were the nuts overtightened recently?
Hey Jack. Sorry to be late replying. Still getting used to this UA-cam thing. The other lugs were ok. I think the guy finishing up was rushing and didn't tighten right. I watched the mechanic in Indiana as he fixed it and yacked with him a bit.. He said never trust a Air Powered wrench. He does it the old fashioned way with a torque wrench. :) We were 200' from turning onto an Interstate.. I'd have been doing 65 to 70 mph and that wheel may have come off. VERY scary. i check my lug nuts daily when traveling now. Michael.
Thanks for the reply. Glad the situation involved only a repair - not an injury. As shown by the damages to your truck, haste does make waste doesn't it?
I just joined Boondockers Welcome!! $5/night! $25/year! We have a 6000mile trip planned and I figure we will save $5000!!!! 1600 places to stay in North America! Most offer hydro, water, wifi and sometimes rv dump😎
We have a new 2109s. When you stayed at Walmart, did you slide out the slide? We are contemplating that in June overnight.
Coral. The slide is on the drivers side as you know. I would try to pull into a parking area where I could put the slide out over a green area or such so as not to have anyone walk into it or hit it, parallel park if you will. If I couldn't find an area like that, we kept the slide in. Good question.
I might add. There are etiquette's you should follow when parking for free at Walmart or any other commercial location. There are videos about that all over UA-cam. :) Be considerate, and you won't go wrong.
That daily cost didn't include fuel did it?
Yes.. the top line : GAS $15.60/day. oh.. the propane is categorized under Trailer/Truck expense line. :)
When your slide out is in do u have enough room to move about. Are u cramped?
When the slide is in, you still have room to easily walk from the bathroom to the bed, and cook. In fact, the bathroom door will open completely inward. The couch moves up to almost flush with side of the door. Linda sleeps on the left side of the bed as you face it and just crawls over the foot of the bed if needed. The right side is completely open as always and you can walk to the bathroom. We've spent many a night that way and it doesn't seem cramped to us.
Garland Style Thanks seems like a great floor plan. Planning on buying one soon.
If you saw our interior review, you noticed the two foot stools. When the slide is in, I set one stool in the middle of the couch (seats 3 comfy), and slide one towards the bed. Plenty of room to still move around. I suggest you have the dealer slide it in and you will see how much room you have.
Garland Style sounds great sized and laid out rv. Do u have any thing you would like to change or see where the manufacturer could do a better job. Is it a quality unit in your opinion. Thanks watching all your videos. Keep up the great information.
:) I have an upcoming video.. Likes and Dislikes of a 2109s Rockwood Mini Lite. *LOL* Stay tuned!