SeaDawg

I was waiting for a long time for a good 12v unit, then settled on the smaller Houghton for our 2008. I spoke at length with a friend in the yacht industry about the 12v units. The power consumption is just too high for our small battery bank, so we went with the 110 .

I talked about this, in another thread. Rv awnings are principally designed only for shade, not rain. The old school manual awnings can handle some light to moderate rain, but even those stretch over time. We stretched ours, an older dometic made by fiamma, manual awning, using it in the rain. . I take full responsibility. We replaced it three or four years ago. Because the manual awnings can achieve more pitch to spill the water, we still use ours in light to moderate rain. I know it may suffer the same stretch as the old one. And, I'll live with the consequences if/when it does . I wouldn't do that with an electric awning. The rvs we deliver to Alaska have electric awnings. We Always roll it in if it rains .

If you are asking that of me, yes. I, my husband, and a friend did the swapout from a 2008 dometic (very heavy) to the smaller Houghton 9500 btu in an afternoon. As far as I know, four or five of us have swapped for Houghton unuts,,and we've all done it ourselves. Any good rv shop could do it, if the would tackle it. Not difficult. The most difficult part for us was getting the very heavy old Dometic off the roof, safely. Second most difficult, getting the new Houghton unit on the roof, safely. The rest was pretty easy. Thank goodness for younger friends, good ladders, and safety ropes.

Has anyone tried a solar bug zapper, like this one from Lowe's? Certainly priced right, but wondering about effectiveness. Even though it's still dropping down into the 50s at night here in our part of wnc, bug season is coming. No chemicals, and no power draw, would indeed be a nice thing, if it works....

I'd probably lay in a supply of good long zipties, rather than string, til you figure it out . We've never had a carefree, but most awnings have adjustments. Sound like you've already worked on making sure its all rolling at the same rate on both ends.. If that hasn't worked for you, I'm guessing two possibilities. 1), the fabric has stretched unevenly from ponding water in rain event(s.) 2) the rail at the top has sprung a bit from the weight of rain ponding on the awning. We could see a gap at the middle, under the bow, in our old awning. But, our awning was 10 or 11 years old. Both the above happened on our original awning. We used it in light rain, though not recommended. Even though we were careful to create spill with a change of plane, it can happen.

I don't see a problem with removing the fridge in the future. With our former dometic, I think there were two trim panels, top and bottom, that had to be removed , then some screws on the face of the fridge cabinet. I don't remember anything in the sides that would mess with your new tile. I hope not, anyway. You did a lovely job on the installation.

Looks like a really fun time! And, a beautiful spot. Thanks for the photos!

Is it this tile, cslevel? Real metal, not vinyl, so safe to use in the stove area? https://www.menards.com/main/kitchen/backsplashes-wall-tiles/aspect-trade-3-x-6-peel-stick-brushed-metal-backsplash-tiles-8-pk/a52-50/p-1444423162724-c-8163.htm?tid=-7059569836711836833&ipos=12

I've seen Dr. Olson's map before, and it's an interesting route. But, I'd want a year, or more, to drive and enjoy camping along the way. Another idea might be multiple trips, branching out from the center? Sometimes, we'll drive five or 600 miles in a day, to get to a destination, then not move for days, or weeks, or, wander slowly for a month after. All depends on time and availability.

My favorite gizmos, in no particular order. Rooftop solar, plus home made "portable solar", from cheap Coleman panels. My conical shape tea kettle, plus pourover coffee cone. At our camping property, the $100 ecotemp shower/water heater. Has worked for 13 seasons, with one small part replacement. This year's fave, as we are camping a lot on our property, this year, a redneck deck from reused dock boards, and pt stringers, in three sections. 8 x 12 in total. Keeps our feet dry in the rain. Will make a great tent platform someday . 5 gallon stackable water jugs, bought many years ago.

Because you look for beautiful, isolated spaces, and defer hookups???

Hi, and welcome! I was just talking yesterday to some old friends in your area. It's beautiful! Happy travels!

Fourteenth season now with original cushion, just replaced second topper with a new memory foam topper. The cushions are included, and easier to move around and remove than a mattress, especially in our smaller Elite. We leave the bed set up all the time, but have to move cushions a few times a year to change valves, access systems, etc . I'd personally give them a try, first. With good toppers.

Hinkle's book is in our library. We do love the coe parks in which we've camped.

I think the hybrid was a wise choice, too. I am looking forward to seeing it, actually.

Thanks, jed for doing the research I didn't do. I assumed viking would be lithium. That's just sad. And heavy. Came up in my feed. ... We're happy with the little lifepo4 box. We'll stick with that, for now

https://www.businessinsider.com/ford-maverick-pickup-analyst-reaction-competition-sedans-crossovers-2021-6 So, soon, Ford will be putting the new Maverick trucklet out there. Too small to tow even my little Ollie, but should be a great around town vehicle, with occasional truck bed use. Like my mom's early, early ranger. Tiny, but fun. And, hybrid is standard. I'd say it's a big gamble. But, a number of people may just like it... It would easily tow a small boat. Like, I towed my Sunfish with my Bronco II, back in the day.

If I were going to look at a jump box above the $150 mark, I'd probably look at this new offering from Viking. Combination jump and compressor. Paul already got his father's day present, (Yet another) saw. So, maybe Christmas? Roughly $180. Probably a coupon or sale between now and Christmas 🎄.

Back in the day (2008-10) , unless we planned to meet up, we saw only a single Ollie "in the wild." On i26. There were less than 50 of us, then.

Technically, 3 db doubles the sound energy, but perception is 10 decibels doubles the sound. It's exponential, not linear, but not quite that bad. Many of the "other brand" gensets are pretty quiet these days. The Westinghouse 2500 we bought is, indeed, a little louder than our 14 year old Honda 1000, but not by a lot. I also don't have high expectations of 15 to 20 years of service, but it has done quite well in its first 100 hours of service, running saws and charging cordless tool batteries, and the sound levels are quite tolerable. Def not the quiet and quality of a Honda or yamaha, but pretty nice for the price. We have 4 generators, all for different purposes. A big yamaha, the tiny Honda, the midsized Westinghouse, and a huge open frame (very noisy, quite old) from Chicago Electric to run a log splitter and a few other non-electronic things. The only noisy one is the big open frame. And, it's close to 15 years old, too.

I wouldn't get too carried away on spares, honestly. Other than a hold down coming off, and lid grommets, I've had to do nothing but normal daily use cleaning for 14 seasons. From the uk websites, don't use foaming spray cleaners. I usually wipe out wit water, and use stainless steel cream polish a few times a year. If I were to carry a "spare", it would be a single induction burner, or a coleman type camp burner, in propane or butane. Or, both. I love cooking outside. Have fun on your trip!

Your sales rep can arrange a visit, if someone here doesn'trespond.. Don't worry. They won't bug you. They have plenty to do, and they don't ever harass prospects.

In full swing

😮

Since one of us can actually reach our analog thermostat from bed, in our elite 2008, I guess I'm less understanding.