Do you have a video, or could do a future video, that explains the cost of boondocking and how long can one typically go before needing to empty the tanks? Mainly how much propane can one expect to use when cooking, running the fridge, etc.; how much water can you expect to use; and how long the black and gray tanks can take before they need emptied? How much does a generator help in offsetting the use of propane? I know this also depends on size of tanks so perhaps you can give examples from the most common sizes. My wife and I have a few kids, and are making a 3 year plan to purchase and move into an RV full-time so we can get out of our dilapidated rental home and avoid the insanity that is the housing market. We are currently keeping an eye on the Keystone Avalanche 390DS and anything with a similar floorplan. We plan to mainly stick with staying on family property in the beginning until we can get a budget figured out. I don't want to rule out boondocking, and I will definitely want to test the length of time we can go once we get into this, but just wanted to know if you have any experience to share ahead of time. Thanks for your time.
Those are all great questions. We don't do a lot of boondocking, at least not more than just a couple nights at a time. So it may be best for me to steer you toward those that do it a lot more frequently than we do. The first resource that I recommend is here - www.rvwithtito.com/articles/boondocking/ and the second is here - www.thervgeeks.com/boondocking-tips/ There is a lot of boondocking wisdom found on both of these sites, so I think you would probably get all of your questions answered there. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Thanks for the positive feedback John. We just moved into our home base fifth wheel in Arizona, so you probably won't see the Newmar Class A background again until next summer when we start our cross country trip for next year. You're the first one to mention the change ... :-)
@@RVInspectionAndCare It looks very nice. It seems like we are 180 degrees out of phase from you. We are leaving Tennessee for Sarasota in the morning.
Hi Julie. Here is a link to an article that includes our review of the Thousand Trails system - rvinspectionandcare.com/thousand-trails-review/ It's pretty comprehensive and explains how it has worked for us. I hope that helps.
I don't know if you covered this yet but helping people discern whether a mid-size or larger 5th wheel or truck camper (like Host or EagleCap) only needs a 350 or must have a 450 or even 550 would be a great future topic. I'd love to know if there's a much smaller, compact vehicle that has the CCC of a 450/4500/550/5500 but isn't such a beast, something that can still drive in smaller downtown streets & park in most parking lots. Unicorn?
I keep hearing online that it can be very difficult to get reservations for 1000 Trails, for example in Florida during the winter. Is there any truth to that?
Unfortunately, a lot of what you hear about TT online is exaggerated or is misinformation. Yes, it is more difficult to get reservations with TT parks than it was a few years ago. But that is true of all RV parks and campgrounds due to the surge in interest for RV camping lately. And if you like to make last minute reservations, TT is not going to be a good fit for you. But if you are willing to plan your travels in advance, and start making reservations at least a couple of months before your arrival, you can most often do quite well. And if you have an upgraded membership like we do that allows you to make reservations 4 months in advance, you will most likely have little trouble at all with making reservations at TT parks in general. However with all that said, Florida has become the preferred destination for hordes of snowbirds and RVers during the winter (honestly, I don't get it. I was born and raised in Florida and it is just too crowded now). And there are only a few TT parks in Florida too. There are several Encore parks that you can get access to if you upgrade to the Trails Collection of Encore resorts though. But my experience has been that Encore resorts in general in Florida are not that great. So getting reservations in a quality TT park like TT Orlando in Florida during the winter is going to be a challenge. But there are lots of other TT parks in Texas and Arizona that can be a great winter destination and are fairly easy to reserve if you do so well in advance. I hope that helps.
@@billchesney8949 We have noticed that some in Texas are doing that. And we run into it every now and then, but we have not experienced much of a major issue with that in our travels. We have always had free sewer hookups everywhere we have gone so far and the 50 amp extra charge is only a few dollars a night. So it hasn't really impacted us much at all so far. Let's hope it stays that way. 🙂
Do you have a video, or could do a future video, that explains the cost of boondocking and how long can one typically go before needing to empty the tanks? Mainly how much propane can one expect to use when cooking, running the fridge, etc.; how much water can you expect to use; and how long the black and gray tanks can take before they need emptied? How much does a generator help in offsetting the use of propane? I know this also depends on size of tanks so perhaps you can give examples from the most common sizes.
My wife and I have a few kids, and are making a 3 year plan to purchase and move into an RV full-time so we can get out of our dilapidated rental home and avoid the insanity that is the housing market. We are currently keeping an eye on the Keystone Avalanche 390DS and anything with a similar floorplan. We plan to mainly stick with staying on family property in the beginning until we can get a budget figured out. I don't want to rule out boondocking, and I will definitely want to test the length of time we can go once we get into this, but just wanted to know if you have any experience to share ahead of time. Thanks for your time.
Those are all great questions. We don't do a lot of boondocking, at least not more than just a couple nights at a time. So it may be best for me to steer you toward those that do it a lot more frequently than we do. The first resource that I recommend is here - www.rvwithtito.com/articles/boondocking/ and the second is here - www.thervgeeks.com/boondocking-tips/ There is a lot of boondocking wisdom found on both of these sites, so I think you would probably get all of your questions answered there. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Great information as always Duane . . PS your new studio looks great !
Thanks for the positive feedback John. We just moved into our home base fifth wheel in Arizona, so you probably won't see the Newmar Class A background again until next summer when we start our cross country trip for next year. You're the first one to mention the change ... :-)
@@RVInspectionAndCare It looks very nice. It seems like we are 180 degrees out of phase from you. We are leaving Tennessee for Sarasota in the morning.
Yes Sir Thousand Trails is first on our list! Harvest Host and Passport American comes in very handy in between! SAFE TRAVELS HAPPY HOLIDAYS
Right on! Ron! With just those three camping memberships you can save a ton of money on RV travel and camping!
You always provide great information.
Thanks Joe. I appreciate the positive feedback!
We Use KOA, Sams Club so far they are ok. We are looking at Thousand Trails Yearly pass. We full time RV and travel all the time.
Hi Julie. Here is a link to an article that includes our review of the Thousand Trails system - rvinspectionandcare.com/thousand-trails-review/ It's pretty comprehensive and explains how it has worked for us. I hope that helps.
I can never hear too much about campground options! Thanks.
Glad to hear that Randall. Thanks for watching and leaving a positive comment!
I don't know if you covered this yet but helping people discern whether a mid-size or larger 5th wheel or truck camper (like Host or EagleCap) only needs a 350 or must have a 450 or even 550 would be a great future topic. I'd love to know if there's a much smaller, compact vehicle that has the CCC of a 450/4500/550/5500 but isn't such a beast, something that can still drive in smaller downtown streets & park in most parking lots. Unicorn?
That's a tall order Celeste. But I'll put that topic on the video list. Thanks for the suggestion!
I keep hearing online that it can be very difficult to get reservations for 1000 Trails, for example in Florida during the winter. Is there any truth to that?
Unfortunately, a lot of what you hear about TT online is exaggerated or is misinformation. Yes, it is more difficult to get reservations with TT parks than it was a few years ago. But that is true of all RV parks and campgrounds due to the surge in interest for RV camping lately. And if you like to make last minute reservations, TT is not going to be a good fit for you. But if you are willing to plan your travels in advance, and start making reservations at least a couple of months before your arrival, you can most often do quite well. And if you have an upgraded membership like we do that allows you to make reservations 4 months in advance, you will most likely have little trouble at all with making reservations at TT parks in general. However with all that said, Florida has become the preferred destination for hordes of snowbirds and RVers during the winter (honestly, I don't get it. I was born and raised in Florida and it is just too crowded now). And there are only a few TT parks in Florida too. There are several Encore parks that you can get access to if you upgrade to the Trails Collection of Encore resorts though. But my experience has been that Encore resorts in general in Florida are not that great. So getting reservations in a quality TT park like TT Orlando in Florida during the winter is going to be a challenge. But there are lots of other TT parks in Texas and Arizona that can be a great winter destination and are fairly easy to reserve if you do so well in advance. I hope that helps.
@@RVInspectionAndCare Thank you. Love your UA-cam channel. Be well and stay safe. Sam in NH.
@@kingdavidcoffee All the best to you Sam. Stay warm! 🙂
A lot more parks are charging extra for 50 amp and sewer
Which parks are you referring to Bill? Thousand Trails parks or RV parks in general?
@@RVInspectionAndCare Thousand Trails
@@billchesney8949 We have noticed that some in Texas are doing that. And we run into it every now and then, but we have not experienced much of a major issue with that in our travels. We have always had free sewer hookups everywhere we have gone so far and the 50 amp extra charge is only a few dollars a night. So it hasn't really impacted us much at all so far. Let's hope it stays that way. 🙂