SeaDawg

Our dog Liv (means life, in Norwegian) and Bosker are good camping buddies. She's looking forward to camping with Bosker again. (As are we.)

We also have an electric fridge. Similar to yours. We run the genset in cloudy/rainy/ dismal conditions for a half hour at night, if below 12.4. (We have 2 x 105 ah agm batteries.) In the morning, I'll run the genset again for 30 to 45 minutes. Then, let the 400 watts fixed solar, and 200 w portable, finish on slow charge. My idea is to get the biggest boost (and bang for the buck) from the fossil fuel when the battery is lower, and running in boost mode, while maintaining 60 to 70 per cent state of charge, for best battery life . Just my thoughts. Our agm batteries are now in 7th season.

Years ago, "everyone" thought we "needed" a 3000 watt generator, so we bought one. Fortunately, I found an almost new used unit, at a great price, (probably 70 per cent off new.) The 3000 has never gone camping with us. The Yamaha 3000 has wheels, but it's ridiculously heavy, at +/- 150 lbs, even for the two of us, to lift in and out of the truck bed. (We used our atv ramps to pick it up and put it in the garage.) It does not owe us a dime, however, as it has saved our bacon (and frozen turkeys, other food, etc), plus our neighbor's, and charged cell phones and sparked the home gas water heater, in a number of power outages here on Florida's west coast. (One hurricane left us for a week with no power.) I know a few people have heavy gensets mounted to the tongue, but we didn't feel that was a good option for us with a single axle 2008 Elite I. So, we normally charge with a Honda 1000, which I can easily lift with one hand. Still works great, at age 15, with regular maintenance. If we "upgrade", it will be the smallest Honda that can do the job, and still allow me to lift and start it. If we need ac (almost never), we seek out a campsite with power. We also have a Westinghouse 2000-something that we bought to charge and run power tools when we built a pole barn on our camping property a few years ago. Surprisingly quiet, and it ran our small 9500 Houghton, on a test. Though it's a nice unit, I don't think it has quite as pure a sine wave as the Hondas, and of course, it's a bit louder, but not obnoxious. (5 per cent, I think, and I believe my Honda is 3 per cent THD, much like home electricity. ) Harmonic distortion is definitely something to think about, with all the electronics, especially in the newer trailers. Good luck in your decision. I'm obviously in the camp of the lightest unit to do the job, 95 per cent of the time.

Guess that's true, for most of. Best of luck !

We're (finally) getting a Bucees near us,,on i75, North if Ocala . Looking for to the experience. .

Is what it is. Glad I have mine. You can add lettering, but Oliver can't, since they must adhere to the arbitrary rvia "rules."

I'm going to have to think about about that. Distance should not have made a difference, imo. Did you have an onboard controller on the panel? So many variables

Is what it is. We occasionally discuss a lot of "stuff" stored that we "should" delete to make life easier for our daughter when we're no longer around. For the most part, she's going to be busy..... not quite ready to part (yet) with all tools/spare parts/ junk/ decorations, etc, etc, etc

What happened? I would "think" the only result would be minimal or no charge, due to resistance loss?

Have fun! Imo, camping in the driveway would be better than not camping at all.....

Maybe it's a different system today. Our 2008 fasteners have never felt loose. But then, we do adjust the panels at a long term campsite, and it's been on us to make sure all is good. I'm all in on that old saying, "an ounce if prevention is better than a pound of cure." (Quote from my mom, and ageless others.) Check and be confident.

We all have to fuel up. We've met nice folks at gas stops, including @Hokieman and his wife a few years back, near Ocala. its a fun experience, indeed.

I am deeply sorry for your loss, and for your brother's family.

No worries. If you're not used to looking for marine features, why would you know? Btw, the Scandvik fixtures in our trailer are entering their 16th season. Still bright and shiny, and work as original. I have no complaints.

That's awesome. I hope you enjoy your retirement as much as we have.Well deserved, and now, time to explore, and enjoy the wonders. Do everything while you can. My motto.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery, @Anita Johnston.

You are experienced campers, with previous trailers, so you know the drill I know you had the dexter recall. Don't remember what else. Enjoy the 2023 season! Looking forward to your photos.

80 miles round trip is a good shake down tour. Better than driveway camping. Enjoy the trip. Hope it's at least a long weekend. Check out all the systems. (As we tell everyone with a new camper.) Every year, we usually have some small, or sometimes big, thing that doesn't work. That's the nature of rving, imo. You're close to home. Even dead tires will probably make 80 miles round trip. Check the brakes, and hopefully you've greased the hubs. If something else doesn't work, well, that's camping. That's why we carry flashlights, portable grill, etc. Have fun, and let us know how it went.

I also would be suspect of 7 year old tires. We usually replace our tires at 5 years. Get the hubs/bearings/ brakes serviced and checked. Time does take a toll on some parts, whether they move, or not.

? I think I missed something? Oh, you mean the drain holes? .got it, i gurss.

Welcome to the forum. You may have a number of questions, before, and after delivery . Ask away. Lots of folks here with answers. I'd second @Patriot's suggestion to acquaint yourself with oliver university. Invaluable.

I've used a family member's Toyota Highlander (2008) recently. Really nice ride, though much more suv than truck. The one I've driven had a 5k tow rating, but I wouldn't be confident with it beyond local , flat land camping, even with our smaller Elite. I'd probably look for something with a higher tow rating, if you want to get out of Florida/Georgia flatlands. More power equals less stress, imo. In contrast, my 2005 1500 Siverado, and my husband's 2008 ram 1500 4x4, tow the Elite like it isn't there. Both get "decent" around town and (reduced) towing mpg.

That's a really good list. When we traveled to Antarctica and Patagonia last fall, my physician suggested something similar, plus carrying a cd with my recent scans and x-rays, and recent medical history, "just in case." Thanfully, never used them, but helpful for comparison for a physician if I'd taken a(nother) tumble or had an other emergency, in his opinion. In addition, it can be important to understand your insurance coverage away from home. Emergency services in the US are usually covered, depending on your policy, but it can be an unpleasant financial surprise to get sick or injured outside the US, even in Canada. Travel health insurance is relatively cheap, and often covers flight evacuation to the USA for you and your spouse, if necessary. This is especially true if you are covered only by traditional Medicare and spend a lot of time camping in the Yukon, as we have. Not a pleasant topic, but a sometimes a necessary one to explore.

We've found Florida mosquitoes to be small , slower, and annoying, but nothing like the larger and faster Minnesota state bird... (I'm from Minnesota. )

We don't have a basement light in our 2008 elite, (no basement) but we have a closet interior light that could have caused the same issue. It's led, so I didn't fret too much about power draw, but turning off my main cabin switch solved long term problems. And, a piece of surveyor tape, reminded me to look... before closing the closet door, while camping.. Since we have a light that is mounted on the opposite cabimet wall, I just don't use it. Problem solved.