RV Podcast 216: Our Absolute Top RV buying Tip

Thinking about buying at RV? Hold up. Don’t do it until you follow our advice. What advice is that? Simple: Try before you buy. Unless you are an experienced RVer and know – from experience – just what you want, RV newbies should try out an RV for a couple of days to make sure it fits their needs and lifestyle. In our interview f the week coming up in a few minutes, we introduce you to Outdoorsy, a company that specializes in helping people find RVs to rent. Also this week, RV news, especially about the dangers of taking selfies in daredevil locations; RV tips, your RV questions and a great off the beaten path report from the Burketts that all who love Mexican chips and salsa will appreciate. Show Notes for Episode #216 Oct. 31, 2018 of Roadtreking - The RV Podcast: WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK Mike and Jennifer We talk about: Our plans to head to Florida this week and Pogo’s Happy Campers Gathering at Walt Disney World The dilemma of whether we bring Bo or leave him back in Michigan with our daughter Using our RV all year around Our winter camping trip to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan - We are taking Bo up camping at Tahquamenon Falls in Michigan's Upper Peninsula January 11-13th. This is not an "official" gathering but an informal one. We have a tradition of five years of doing this and Bo insists on a snow vacation before we head south. Anyway, we have reserved site 177. If you also want to head up there, you need to reserve your own spot with the Michigan DNR at Tahquamenon Falls State Park, at the Lower Falls Hemlock campground. Here's the website: https://www.midnrreservations.com/TAHQUAMENONFALLSSTATEPARK If you do reserve a spot, then join our winter campout group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1697339513886451/and let us know there that you're coming and what spot you reserve. This part of the program is brought to you by AllStays Pro, the best tool for RVers looking for places to camp. RV LIFESTYLE NEWS OF THE WEEK JENNIFER Park rangers investigate deaths of couple who plunged off Taft Point at Yosemite National Park Another sad story about people slipping and falling to their deaths at a national park - this time it happened in Yosemite National Park. They were a couple who had a travel blog, citizens of India who were living in the US. Their blog has been taken down but previous posts had a lot of photos of them in precarious places and the woman wrote that they were fans of “daredevilry attempts of standing at the edge of cliffs and skyscrapers, but did you know that wind gusts can be FATAL???” Ironically, she then added: “Is our life just worth one photo?” The National Park Service is investigating how the pair fell. Their bodies were discovered Thursday about 800 feet below Taft Point. Taft Point is the same place we told you about in last week's newsletter where a photographer took a stunning picture of a proposal. Again, just how this couple died has not been determined. But the tragedy is a good reminder that many of the most breath-taking locations in our parks do not have safety rails. There is an inherent risk in getting too close to the edge. While we do not know yet if this couple had a camera, let's use this sad story as a reminder to be careful because no photograph is worth dying over. MIKE RV dealer shipments drop 29 percent for month of September RV shipments from manufacturers to dealers for the month of September were down about 29 percent between 2017 and 2018 according to a story out of Indiana last week. The story quoted an industry spokesman who attributed the decline to a number of things including RV manufacturers increasing their capacity so dealers do not have to order far ahead, and tariffs. While the drop is being carefully watched, many are not worried. Attendance at fall RV shows, like the recent one we attended in California, is setting records. Also retail sales are up, suggesting maybe the wholesale drop was a manufacturing issue. JENNIFER Camping costs rising at Nebraska's state parks Camping in a Nebraska state park next year will be a little more expensive after the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission approved a staff recommendation last week to raise camping fees. The fee increase, which varies based on the type of camping spot, is expected to bring in $2 million in revenue. The new money will be used to maintain the campgrounds and address a maintenance backlog. A full service RV spot will now cost $35 a night most of the time, with a primitive tent-only location costing $10 a night. MIKE Thinking of selling all and hitting the road as a full-timer? Then check out this story I came across a fun story in Newsweek last week about a couple from Long Island, New York, both in their 30s, deciding to sell their home and move into an RV to travel the country for a while. The story is one we run across in person pretty regularly - couples, or sometime single people, deciding to hit the road and live a nomadic life for a while and get out of the rat race. I'll share a link here. The couple gets into their predicted expenses and provides a tour of their new home on wheels, in case any of you are considering such a move. JENNIFER Tennessee Park Blonde Ale sales bring in $7,000 for state parks Here’s another story on funding for state parks. Lastyear a microbrewery in Tennessee came out with the Tennessee State Park Blonde Ale, pledging to donate a small portion of the profits to Tennessee State Parks Conservancy. One year later, the effort raised $7,000. A story out last week quoted a park official as saying Tennessee is one of seven states in the country that does not charge an entrance fee to its state parks in part because of such partnerships. This part of the podcast is brought to you by OvernightRVParking.com, the only place you can access a searchable database of the most complete, accurate and up-to-date listing of places where RVers are and aren't allowed to park overnight. JENNIFER'S RV TIP OF THE WEEK Have any of you women campers ever struggled when applying makeup because the lack of good lighting in your RV? This week's tip comes from a reader named Debra who wrote in to share her solution. Debra camps in a Roadtrek 190 Popular. She says she enjoys it very much but has found it very challenging to find good lighting to apply makeup. Her solution? The Riki Cutie Mirror by LimeLife. Debra wrote that she was not a salesperson for the company and does not order their make up but loves this mirror. The size is just right for the RV lifestyle, Debra writes, and the mirror provides plenty of light. Well, Debra's email raised my curiosity so I went online to learn more. The Riki Cutie Mirror is about the size of a cell phone, costs about $55, and has three different light levels. The mirror appears to be VERY popular with many YouTubers who do makeup tutorials and many have filmed themselves unboxing this mirror. The mirror comes with a built-in stand and a retractable finger ring, so you can wear the mirror on your finger as you apply your make up. It also comes with a carrying sleeve and micro USB cable as it is rechargeable. It weighs 11.7 ounces and could easily fit in a purse. It operates on 1 Lithium ion battery and appears to have very powerful lighting. Its size makes it easy to carry to all sorts of settings. I must say I, too, have found lighting to be a challenge when camping so some time ago we bought I lighted vanity mirror, with magnification, that we attached to the wall above the sink in our bathroom. I do not recall what brand I am using, but it has worked pretty well. But, after reading Debra's email and learning more about this product, it has caught my attention. I like the idea of a mirror that is so lightweight, powerful and mobile. And with so many on-line recommendations from people who do make up tutorials, it must work very well. Thank you so much Debra, for sharing your tip. I really appreciate it and share it in hopes of helping others. Here’s the link - https://amzn.to/2yFNKN8 Jennifer's tip of the week is brought to you by RadPower Bikes ,an electric bike manufacturer offering direct to consumer pricing on powerful premium electric bikes. Now with free shipping. To see our Rad Power Bikes in action, just click here. Visit WWW.RADPOWERBIKES.COM LISTENER RV QUESTIONS OF THE WEEK Chris from Chicago asks our opinion about RV inductive cooktops versus propane cooktops. Sharon asks for a good campground reservation near Pensacola, FL. We suggest Fort Pickens on the Gulf Islands National Seashore on Pensacola Beach. It is located very close to the water and contains 137 family sites with electric and water hookups, as well as 41 non-electric tent sites. A group site with water hookup is also available. Amenities include flush toilets, showers, drinking water and a dump station. This part of the podcast is sponsored by Steinbring Motorcoach, Roadtrek’s newest dealer and a third generation family business in Minnesota’s beautiful Chain of Lakes region built on quality motorhomes and excellent pricing and service. RV INTERVIEW OF THE WEEK If you are a regular listener of the podcast, you know our absolute Number I piece of advice we give those trying to buy a new RV is to try before you buy. Well this week we are going to talk about that and tell you the best way we know that you can find an RV to rent. It’s from a company called Outdoorsy and if you go to https://rvlifestyle.com/outdoorsy you can check out what RVs are available to rent wherever you want to go in North Amrica. Here is a video version of the interview that also shows the way the Outdoorsy service works: And here’s a transcript of our interview with Austin Green. Mike Wendland: So one of the problems that people have when we say, "Rent a vehicle first, go out and rent an RV, make sure you're comfortable with it," is finding what,