“We’ll Figure It Out!"

 In the world of full-time RVing, there are a multitude of things you need to know, and learn, not the least of which is flexibility. 

Fair warning: I try to keep these posts free of politics, and will continue to do so: that said, the topic at hand will require us to delve a wee bit into the political.

I promise to not make this a habit.

Onwards to being flexible….

There's the day-to-day maintenance of an RV’s systems, from the solar/electrical system, which is quite complex, to the mechanical systems. By their very nature, RVs are...shall we say, built to a price. 

These things are not inexpensive, and to make them at all profitable for us peons to buy, they are, frankly, not built well. They are built using minimal materials, assembled in haphazard ways, all of which are widely-documented, on the web.  

A good source of associated info, about RV issues, if you're interested…

For instance, the RV we’re in, a 5th wheel trailer, sold new in 2016 for around $100,000: were it built the ‘proper” way, one where low cost, cheap materials (few of which are really designed for the type of abuse an RV gets) wasn't a requirement to keep it at $100K, the same trailer would *easily* top out, or even exceed $350,000, or more. They would be lighter, more reliable, much more durable…and much more expensive.

During my working career, I acquired a lot of practical knowledge, from electrical work and troubleshooting, to mechanical systems maintenance and repair, and all RVs are a blend of these two areas. To keep this adventure even close to affordable, one really needs a pretty comprehensive understanding of how to maintain and repair these beasts. Mobile RV repair folks often charge $200/hour to do this stuff, and, trust me, none of it can be done in an hour!

For instance, the electrical system: All RVs operate on a blend of 12 volt and 110 volt systems, and the two work together in a difficult-to-orchestrate manner. With solar, the dance gets even more interesting! It’s not ‘one and done’, like sticks’n bricks homes; it’s much more ad hoc, in nature, due to the above mentioned minimal quality construction.

Example: this trailer was advertised, and even placarded, as being “Solar Ready.” When I installed the solar system, before we hit the road, I found that the wires for the solar, in the central control panel, were simply two unmarked wires, dangling in a haphazard way, and ultimately, were of insufficient gauge to effectively carry the loads an advanced solar system needs. I ended up having to run my own wires, and if you haven't priced copper wiring lately….😒

There are chargers for batteries, inverters and  converters to keep them charged, different interfaces that come into play, whether you’re out ‘boondocking (I’ll explain this in a bit), or attached to ‘shore power’ (which can be from a plug-in pedestal in a campground, or from a generator), which costs money, whether it be propane to keep your generator running, or park fees…and that brings us back to…flexibility.

“Boondocking” has a very specific meaning, in RVland, and also can encompass a range of circumstances. For example, where we wintered, at a BLM LTVA (secret decoder: Bureau of Land Management Long-Term Visitor Area) there is a place to dump our tanks, and a source of water, to refill our fresh water tank. Sometimes, boondocking requires days of no access to either, so as we travel along…we have to be flexible.

We had plans, this season (April through September) to travel northwards, up through California, Oregon, and Washington, then pop up in British Columbia, then back down through Idaho, back through Wyoming and Colorado, then on down to the farm in Oklahoma, then back here for the winter. At a nominal $US4/gallon, we had budgeted for that.

Then, someone thought it was a good idea to attack Iran, and blow up the world’s oil supply. I am quite sure any who are reading this are feeling the effects of this…misadventure.

Diesel, on the ‘cheap' side of the Nevada/California border is now just shy of $6/gallon, and in California, it’s nearing or exceeding $8/gallon. A dear friend of mine, who’s leading a similar life in Tasmania, is seeing $13/gallon!

https://www.youtube.com/@BackroadsandBowstrings

We didn't budget for that, nor CAN we budget for it: at a nominal 7 mpg, that necessitates a new plan. We spent a week or two, turning over many scenarios, a few of which meant ceasing the adventure, and returning to either Colorado, or the farm in Oklahoma. Neither of those are optimal places to winter over, with Oklahoma being slightly better.

So, the long and short of it is…we’re going back to work. 

Work camping.

That’s when you accept jobs, at various parks, some federal, most state-owned, and a few privately held, where ‘volunteers’ work for a small stipend, and/or free hookups. It’s not a lot of money—one we're looking at is a private family retreat center in Idaho, where we would get a FHU (full hookup) plus a $1000/month salary. It usually entails 10-20 hours of work, per week, doing things like checking in guests, stocking restrooms, and doing general maintenance.

A free FHU can save upwards of $600-$900 per month, which is a substantial savings!

We are also applying to be camp hosts here, at the LTVA, which will save us the $180 fee, and if we get it, we’ll have a FHU, which will be a saving on propane and heating, both of which are needed to run the generator, to charge the batteries, and also to run the AC units, and the fuel in The Beast needed to go get it. That can be upwards of $300/month.

We are also greatly shortening our travels, and the report of that will be the next installment.

This isn't the end of our adventure: it’s a different direction. There are many millions whose very livelihoods are in the balance, because of the actions of a madman. We will be OK, because we have the luxury of having these choices and opportunities, which many do not.

We’ll figure it out!