Long(er) term camping

[mookieblaylock]

My wife and 3 girls will be staying in our DX3 at the beach for nearly a month starting in a couple of weeks. We're still very much newb's, and this will be, by far, the longest time we've stayed in it in one stint.


Any tips/advice/things to be cognizant of for a stay this long, or is there nothing really to be concerned about?


Thanks!
JT

[Kimber45]

if you are on a full hook up site what is to worry about? Having to run to the store when you are out of drinks?

[letsgorving]

A few things I thought about.....

Have a canopy tent with you. The awnings are really sensitive and if you're near ocean breezes it won't stay out and you'll need shade!

Extra beach towels

Pie irons for quick meals to satisfy the whole family!!

Multi-port phone/outlet extension cord. I found a good one on amazon we keep on dinette. It has 3 outlets plus USB ports. There is one outlet under the dinette in the DX3 and 5 people charging. (if your girls have phones etc)

Bottom line, it's true, if you have a store nearby, you're good!

[Scrapper]

One thing everyone has left out. Enjoy.

[bclemens]

pie iron?

You need a suction cup bar for the outside like HALLA. wet towels from the beach take up lots of space inside. Under the slide is way better.

If I didn't think someone would sue me if they ran the slide in, with the bar still attached, I would include it on every coach.

[mookieblaylock]

Thanks for the feedback, everyone...especially for the suction cup towel bar reminder! I had seen that in one of the other threads but completely forgot about it. I'll have to find that post and get one ordered.


I overthink everything and was wondering if there were some aspects of the major mechanical systems (AC's, AquaHot, slides, waste, etc) one might need to be aware of when in use 24/7 for several weeks straight. Sounds like there are not...


Thanks!
JT

[Kaadk]

Originally Posted by bclemens

pie iron?

You need a suction cup bar for the outside like HALLA. wet towels from the beach take up lots of space inside. Under the slide is way better.

If I didn't think someone would sue me if they ran the slide in, with the bar still attached, I would include it on every coach.

I'm sure your engineers should be able to come up with a free swinging, self folding bar that can hang under a slide and tucks itself away when the slide comes in.

[FOURWHL]

Pie iron: https://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&ke...xoCtlYQAvD_BwE

[FOURWHL]

May seem obvious but if hooked up you can leave your grey dump open and enjoy the luxury of running water without worry but never do that with the black. Wait til it’s 2/3 to 3/4 full to dump the black as needed

AC and aqua hot I wouldn’t worry about.

[JohnD10]

I'm guessing most of the previous replies are from those who haven't lived in their RV's...

I've been living in my 5th-wheel since mid-January, and while it sounded adventurous at first...it is a whole lot of work!

I'm in Denver right now and just finished emptying my storage unit into my 5'ver for a final trip to my new home in Yuma, AZ.

This will be the last leg of my full-time journey...for now!

Anyway, there are a whole lot of things to consider when spending more than a few days in an RV...

Remember that RV's aren't as big as a house...

So tight quarters will eventually make you all get on each other's nerves...

Gotta keep those shower times down with that many people...unless you have a close supply of LP handy, not to mention full water and sewer hookups!

And if you are boondocking...well...the above sentence x5!

And if you have an RV refrigerator...don't pack it too tight, otherwise it won't stay cold for very long.

Keep all of your beer and soft drinks in cans or plastic bottles and not in your fridge, but a large cooler with ice.

RV refrigerators (unless a residential unit) will not stay cold with that much stuff in it, let alone having the door opening and closing frequently.

Don't forget about laundry...can't leave those stinky socks fermenting in the hamper for too long!

And a good vacuum cleaner is a must!

I went through three different small vacuum cleaners before I found the Shark Rocket...that thing is awesome!

There is more...I'll be back later!

[mookieblaylock]

Originally Posted by FOURWHL

May seem obvious but if hooked up you can leave your grey dump open and enjoy the luxury of running water without worry but never do that with the black. Wait til it’s 2/3 to 3/4 full to dump the black as needed

AC and aqua hot I wouldn’t worry about.

Thanks for bringing that up, as we've never hooked up like that before. To date, we've never filled the tanks up during a single stay and just empty them right before pulling out using the macerator hose.



I bought one of the 20' rhino hoses and one of those collapsible supports that allows you to deploy the hose at a downward slope. I was planning on connecting that to the currently capped outlet and leaving the grey valve open the whole time like you mentioned.


So, the newb question - when it's time to dump the black tank, do you just hook up a water hose to the black tank flush and let the black tank empty through this rhino hose, or do you disconnect the rhino hose briefly and use the macerator for black tank dumping like we normally would do?

[bclemens]

I say you want the fridge cold, packed, all the items cooled down, helps minimize temperature swings when you open the door. As soon as I took one beverage out, I replaced with with another. That way the fridge is only cooling down one item at a time instead of a case.

(just have a system for rotating the cold ones...in case you get on a roll).

[mookieblaylock]

I hard wired a 50 qt. ARB fridge in the large passenger side storage bin. We usually pull it out and leave it next to the RV beside the bunk slide, and pretty much all drinks are cycled through it. Three functions - leaves more room for food in main fridge, keeps us from constantly opening the main fridge when getting drinks, and minimizes foot traffic inside the coach.

[bclemens]

...and the student becomes the master.

thanks for blues clues'ing me. (hangs head in shame)

[rskeans]

Originally Posted by mookieblaylock

I We usually pull it out and leave it next to the RV beside the bunk slide, and pretty much all drinks are cycled through it.

Bad idea here in AZ. Right now it is 110*. Drinks would never get cold.

[bclemens]

"but its a dry heat"...

you can melt the skin off your feet on pavement...but its a dry heat.

[alsdas88]

Have been living in my 340RK for about 1 3/4 years now. In the South East AZ weather no less. Yup, 110deg temps and all. If you plan carefully and do regular upkeep and maintenance, RV living can be good in all environments. Yes the AC units will have a hard time keeping up in the super hot temps, and the tanks will have a slight odor occasionally, but regular and sound upkeep will keep everything operating well. I leave my gray tanks open and leave the black tank closed until 3/4ish full. I use the black tank flush, with its own "private" water line and run clear water until it runs clean thru the clear fitting I have on my Rino hose. My fridge seems to do ok, it will keep ice cream "mostly" solid, and the rest of the frozen stuff rock hard. Never have a problem with the fridge part, only once when I blew a fuse during a power surge, but he fridge switched to propane and actually got a degree or two colder than electric. Overall I have been pleased with my experience and would not be afraid to continue to do this longer.
In case you were wondering, I stay in the RV during the work week and go home on the weekends. Best of both worlds!

[halla]

with the towel bar just leave the hangers on the bar so you remember, we also thought about hanging a colored ribbon on one end permanently. What else would cause that slide to jam, just incase I have a warranty claim, not related to the clothes rod?

[rskeans]

Originally Posted by bclemens

"but its a dry heat"...

you can melt the skin off your feet on pavement...but its a dry heat.

[alsdas88]

Dry heat is nice. Wet heat is just plain miserable.