SeaDawg

Avatar photos are showing again tonight, even on my android phone. And the forum is loading faster. I'm fine with the changes. Sherry

You'll get there , Nan. It just takes a little time, and practice. It's still just driving a vehicle, which we have all done, for many years. Sherry

Or, email him, see if they're closer, and see if you could just be that patient beta tester... I've always said, the worst anyone can say is "no." Well, I can see "quote" function didn't work very well on my phone tonight... Maybe better tomorrow. Advice would be the same. Sherry

Nan, Driving a pickup is definitely a different experience than driving a car. But, once you get used to it, you'll likely prefer the pickup, as I do. I see better ahead and to the sides in my truck, because I'm sitting up higher, and it's got a great big windshield and big side windows. And, I have great power. And, when I signal to change lanes, I find people are a bit more likely to fall back a little ( not always,) than when I'm driving a car. You're simply a bigger presence in a truck. Learning to back the trailer will take some practice, but honestly, that's better learned with your own trailer. You can try John's suggestion, but if you do, put some weight in the uhaul trailer.. an empty or light trailer tends to back really squirrelly. Most campgrounds have at least some pull through spots. You may have to reserve, or get there early, til you learn how to back. One skill at a time. If you want to try before you pick up Ken's, go " test drive" a few. Or, drive a truck. Use some air miles and rent a nice truck at Enterprise, and drive it, really drive it, for a weekend. The 2500 you're buying is the same size as a rental 1500, just the 1500 has not as much power, and a smaller fuel tank, and different suspension. The ride will be a little different from brand to brand, but turning radius, etc, isn't that much different. Today's trucks aren't the trucks of yesteryear. The interior is pretty plush, the ride is fairly carlike. I learned to drive a truck with manual transmission, as a kid. I love driving modern trucks. Sherry

Great idea. Glad it worked for you!

Lol. ???

If your neighbors are paying attention, they will likely notice the same pattern, if its a momentary brownout. And, that's likely, if it's hot where you are, as it is in most of the USA today. At home, before we installed battery backuo, i would bump up the ac so we wouldn't stress the compressor when we had momentary brownouts/ blackouts. Sherry

Mike, we don't have Tesla panels. Our system was installed over 4 years ago, by a local company. We do now have a Tesla powerwall system, battery backup vs generator for the house. We didn't have it during the Irma aftermath. Made sense to add batteries vs a fossil fuel generator, as during an outage, our grid tied system gave us zero power for the house. You're fairly close to us. I can give you the info on our solar panel provider, if you like. Great guy, great install, great followup service. We're figuring the roi at 8 to 9 years, maybe less. No power bill since install, december 2014. If you want to take advantage of the federal tax credit. biggest credit ends this year. Reduces to 26 per cent, next year. Sherry

Sounds like an interruption in power. Are you at home, or in a campground with electricity?

Yeah, that's my opinion. If I could double my home output, I could probably power my neighbor's home, too. I already produce more power than my home uses. And the power company doesn't compensate me much for my charitable contributions to the grid. I just get to feel good, which is ok. I like knowing that my home is clean powered by the sun. Update for later afternoon screenshot. Partly cloudy. Thundering in the distance. Time to get the thindershirt on the dog... Sherry

Are you committed to the new order? I'd personally be on the lookout for a 2019 closeout that ( mostly) met my wants and needs list. That's how I bought our 2008 ram 1500, August, 2008. But, you have to be ready to sign when the right truck comes up at the right price. But, that's us. We buy for the long run.

Everyone has to stick with industry ratings in panels and gear. Of course, most people understand that 100 watt panels mean max output 100 watts per hour, but perhaps some don't. Panel highest output has to be beliw wiring and controller capacity. Or, you run risks of overload. And fire, or equipment failure. Most people understand they won't get any solar generation at night, but may not understand the devastating effects of shade or clouds or sun angle. But, that's not tied to the panel's rating. It's tied to campsite shade, location, weather, and season. Even on our home system, installed in prime location, prime angle after sun study, the output varies with season and weather. We designed the roof to match the best solar numbers. That's why I often talk about 11 to 3 or 4 as prime solar hours. Our 10.8 kw system may give us 29 or 65 kw or more, per day, depending on above factors... it's all about time in the strongest sun, and, how long the sun hangs up there in the season, and travel path. Just for fun, compare my solar graphs for home, yesterday, and today. Yesterday. you'll see huge dips in production, as we had several big storms roll through. Today was often hazy to a little overcast, but no storms.

I'm with Overland. 100 watts/ 20 to thirty pounds is manageable. And, we can run minimal power off 100 watts, if we manage consumption, and get the panel into the sun during peak periods. Also, there was room on our Blue Sky controller for another 100 watts, so the size fit for us as added power to the 200 watts on the roof. 100 watts portable, maximized with a tracker, would be a huge boost, imo. I'm guessing the tracker would be a separate but easily linked frame for the suitcase solar? Sherry

We do the same, Shallowgal. Having the cold sink in the fridge really helps cut the cooling time.Double bonus, in summertime in Florida, its great to have those big ice blocks in the home freezer for power outages. We found some flat 1.6 gallon or so water containers at Walmart that really help the cooler stay cold, too. Tough to find block ice anymore. Sherry

Rideadeuce,the clock and barometer look shipshape! And the little fan is awesome. Practical Sailor has given that model great reviews over many years, for comfort, and longevity. It's quite popular on sailboats. Moves a lot of air without a lot of power, and easy to clean Sherry

Wow, sorry to hear that news. I, too, had heard about the heat, but not the fires. The report I read tonight indicates most of the fires were started by lightning. Hope all of you traveling are being careful. Sherry

Great to hear from you! Only about 2000 miles to the Alaska border now. Which route did you decude to take after you cross the Canadian border? We didn't make the Alaska trip again this year. Have you heard from Scubarx? Seems like about a week ago they were in Grande Prairie. We'd love to see some photos when you have the time, and signal strength! Safe travels. Sherry

Congrats! Trailer and truck look great side by side. Will look even better going down the road. :) Happy travels!

Honestly, you should be fine short term with one hundred watts, if you have them in the sun for roughly 11 to three, at a good angle. That's typically our best sun. Sherry

"Oliver has one unique feature that makes it exceptional for boondocking, and that is the ability to use the rear water port (on the web site they call it the EZ Winterizing port) and the water pump to add water to your fresh water tank. It works quickly and easily. I don’t know of any other trailer that has this feature! The Black series 15 and 19 have the same ability and provide a 1.5 inch hose." This is, indeed, an uncommon feature in the US market. Oliver is a leader here, imo. We've had that feature since 2008, when no one else had it. SAVED our trips, a number of times. The black series came from Australia, where many features are different. And, oh, so much variety in camping trailers that we'll never see here, I'm sure. Part of the fun of our two camping trips downunder was checking out the wide variety of rigs in our campgrounds. Paul and I discussed one last night. Two women and three kids in a tiny car pulled in next to us, with what looked like a tiny cargo trailer in tow in southern Australia. That little 4 x 6 ? Maybe trailer folded out to a huge tent, and equipment coming out like clowns out of a car. The Aussies have it down, for sure. Sherry

Yes. I totally misread your post, newshoes. The only viable use for the unused black tank is for extra grey storage, as it is still technically linked to the grey tank. I suppose you could replumb the bathroom sink to drain to the unused black. A lot of rvs send bathroom sink water to the black tank. Sherry

Trailer measurements, and rv measurements, are all over the map, from my experience. 24rb class c on the way to Alaska measures 28 something on a ferry. Airstream sort of measures tongue to bumper, but as another said, that tongue is really a short a frame, like most stickies, resulting a larger box, because of the shorter tongue. . Still rounded up, or down, or whatever. I think molded fiberglass is the only class that truly tries to measure tongue to bumper. Sherry

As to slides, I'm not a fan. Especially bedroom slides. Drafts, dust, and then when the weather warms up in the Alaska prolonged summer nights... mosquitos follow your breath in, and can make the nights miserable.. Sherry

Newshoes, you're (I think,) in the eastern US, where grey water discharge to the forest or anywhere but a dump station is typically discouraged, or prohibited, and/ or subject to big fines. Out in the arid part of the west, rules are sometimes different. Sherry

Whatda, have you checked out the 2020 GMC Sierra? I can't find info on the pedals, but the Sierra seems to have more features than the Silverado, including that trick tailgate for 2020... Sherry