Maintenance & Restoration

floyd · 09-09-2011, 03:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by honda03842

This is our general route for 2012/2013. Some 10-11,000 miles over 11 months. This will be our longest trip in any 12 month period. Usually we don't travel in the summer except for trips to Alaska or Newfoundland.

Hopefully we'll run into some of our Fiberglass friends at rallies around the country.

Looks like you're going right by the Scamp factory,stop in if you get a chance especially if you want to get anything... Shipping is awful nowadays. Maybe one of the new style door gaskets?

Greg H · 09-09-2011, 03:55 PM

Not enough to justify the cost of it.The first night in the previous owners yard and the two nights coming from Cali to Texas, a couple of nights in Texas when the wifey was being a little moody and the longest trip it took was actually 1500 miles riding on the utility trailer from Texas to Indiana, 1500 miles and it never touched the road.

Raz · 09-09-2011, 04:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Greg H

Not enough to justify the cost of it.The first night in the previous owners yard and the two nights coming from Cali to Texas, a couple of nights in Texas when the wifey was being a little moody and the longest trip it took was actually 1500 miles riding on the utility trailer from Texas to Indiana, 1500 miles and it never touched the road.

Hey Greg, I just went to recreation.gov. Looks like there are some pretty nice NFS campgrounds there in Indiana and it ain't snowing yet. Raz

Jane P. · 09-09-2011, 04:44 PM

This is my second year owning a travel trailer, and I spent 35 days in my Bigfoot.

I'm hoping to do some more trips before December 31.

I wanted to take it to BC, Canada last month, but my husband insisted on staying in hotels. Now that we understand what is involved crossing the border, I plan to camp there next year.

A companion question to this thread: how much $$ did you spend on your trailers this year? Between pre-trip maintenance work and after trip repair work (something always stops working!) lots. I really have to learn how to repair things on my own ...

honda03842 · 09-09-2011, 04:48 PM

Floyd, We definitely plan to stop at the Scamp Factory, Lil Snoozy and maybe the Casita factory.

We love factory tours.

Adrian,

Flying to Alaska is a perfectly fine thing to do. The down side is that you miss everything between where ever and there and the drive to Alaska is at least as good as visiting Alaska. You know that's pretty much the case for any trip. Destinations are great and so is the trip there if you take your time.

The cost of a trip to Alaska is not trivial, but if you're a traveler like us it can be affordable. We'll average about 1,000 miles a month while towing on this year's trip, about 45 gallons of gas a month. We'll probably use another 45 gallons exploring each month. This amounts to about $10 a day.

I would say that standing on the shore of Klaune Lake in the Yukon or driving the Skagway Road make the cost seem trivial. I think for most people it's not the gas money but rather the time, or their partner, or whatever..... It is certain that our journeys have been worth the cost and often less costly then staying home.

Everyday I'm reminded of somewhere we've been, both of us are now memory loaded. So often our minds are in the midst of our previous trips. We never thought we'd like to revisit spots we've been to but now they're sort of like old friends, waiting quietly for us to return.

As to trailer damage, it's not too tough to protect the trailer from your own 'stone kick ups'. As well we just take it easy in the gravel sections. This year our plan is to extend our mud flaps to virtual ground level. If this is not enough covering the lower portion of the trailer during rough sections is possible.

We feel so lucky....

Kimbopolo · 09-09-2011, 05:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by honda03842

This is our general route for 2012/2013. Some 10-11,000 miles over 11 months. This will be our longest trip in any 12 month period. Usually we don't travel in the summer except for trips to Alaska or Newfoundland.

Hopefully we'll run into some of our Fiberglass friends at rallies around the country.

WOW! My dream trip. As soon as I retire, I'm going to circumnavigate the US.

honda03842 · 09-09-2011, 05:27 PM

I think most of the costs of owning a trailer are there whether you travel or not. There's simply a yearly cost and it's mostly a fixed cost like trailer insurance, taxes and fees, depreciation,.....

Our year to year maintenance costs have been low. The biggest single item has been tires. You tyically don't wear tires out, they simply should be replaced after 5 years.

From year to year my maintenance consists of painting the frame and bottom of the trailer each year ($30), replacing the tires every five years (averaging to $70 a year), general cleaning ($30).

Over 11 years we've had the following failures: one water heater on a 25 year old trailer ($250), one propane pressure regulator ($30), one refrigerator thermocouple ($25), a thermostat ($10), a number of outside chair replacements ($100), one water pump failure ($60).

Really not too much and mostly things I can do myself.

Our bigger costs are probably trailer enhancements, the additions of features to support our long term travel plans. I would guess that they typically amount to less than a $1000 a year. Ginny thinks it's a good investment because it keeps me busy and gives her a chance to visit with family during the summer.

One thing we do is to never shut off our trailer. Even when we're home for months like this summer we do not shut the trailer off. We always keep it powered and everything running.

I don't believe maintenance is a significant cost issue but rather the direct cost of travel is the bigger cost.

Our extensive traveling reduces costs in other areas. We eat less. Our health is better and our stress is less. We buy less stuff. We purchase less clothing. We get virtually no magazines. We do less entertaining. We have one less vehicle.... we are really happier, more stimulated and have made many new friends.

We love RVing....

rgrugg · 09-09-2011, 05:45 PM

We bought our Egg Camper in the spring. Went out the first time for overnight. Went out July 4 for three nights, went to some friends' place overnight when our power was out at home. Then out for 16 days on a 5150 mile trip from Michigan through Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, a corner of Utah, across the top of Colorado and back to Michigan. We expect to go out for a few days late next week and again in October. Would have used it more but those darn doctor appointments are and have been spaced just right (or just wrong) to prevent more use. Until we got this, it had been years since we just went camping. We've snowbirded every winter since 1994 and travelled every summer but we don't really consider that camping. Did that with pickup campers and trailers.

Greg H · 09-09-2011, 06:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by P. Raz

Hey Greg, I just went to recreation.gov. Looks like there are some pretty nice NFS campgrounds there in Indiana and it ain't snowing yet. Raz

Yes there are plenty of nice places to camp and other than 4 days of drizzle the temps are great, but the $ is never good.

PamS · 09-10-2011, 01:49 AM

This is /was?

our first summer with a trailer of any sort. We spent 22 nights in it over 4 separate trips, and loved every minute.

The weather was great, my backing up technique is improving, and we weren't visited by any bears!

Alf S. · 09-10-2011, 05:52 AM

Hi: All...We managed to squeeze in for 40 nights away. 3 full week trips plus 4 weekend gettaways. I don't care what it cost to camp per nite or what it cost to fillup per day...cause it's in my contract under "Sanity Clause"!!!
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

p.s. The couple with the Bulgemobile tuggin' the Jeep couldn't get over how "sleek the lines" of "Our Escape Hatch" are. Every time we're out we get those same comments from Wall o MarT lookers to campground peekers!!!

Andrew GPSMapNut · 09-10-2011, 08:22 AM

One two week trip and three weekends.

Robin G · 09-10-2011, 11:33 PM

Not nearly enough! But as Dh declines the Casita won't be going out as much. But that is why I was comfortable purchasing the Casita in the first place. From reading here, I knew tucked away in the barn for how ever long his journey will be, it will be waiting for me when the time comes for me to enjoy life again.

Thankfully, I have a wonderful friend who is gonna step in and take care of Dh so I can attend the rally next weekend at Cherry Creek State Park. It will be my first trip out this year and my first solo trip. The rally will be a safe place for me to get my feet wet on traveling alone.

And let me tell you, I am ready!

**Frederick L. Simson** · 09-11-2011, 12:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bruce Thomas

Curious how much most people used their eggs this year...

How much was my egg was used? or how much I got to use it? The former is much greater than the latter...

I used it Two weekends in Quartzsite; in January and in February.
Two weeks in Oregon in July.
Soon to be 1 weekend at Lake Casitas coming in October.

My "friends" have told me I must clear my usage with them, so they can plan on using it when they come to San Diego.

Green Frog · 09-11-2011, 05:25 AM

I just bought my Burro in June, and although it is pretty bare inside right now, I slept two night in it in June and plan on a lot of camping in the Fall. It was just too blamed hot to enjoy it here this Summer!

Looking forward to Cherokee by which time it should be "wrung out" enough to enjoy the camping experience rather than just using it as a place to sleep.

Froggie

honda03842 · 09-11-2011, 06:47 AM

When we bought our first RV, we had it parked in the front yard and simply moved from the house to the trailer for a few months so we could figure out how to live in a smaller space.

Carol H · 09-11-2011, 10:46 PM

43 nights so far this year - first trip was in mid April and last will probable be in late October. Hope to get another 5 or 6 nights in before the trailer is put to bed for the winter.
So far this year I have been in 1 province and 5 states, attended 3 Vintage trailer rallys and 3 Fiberglass trailer rallys with another coming up.

james kent · 09-12-2011, 11:45 AM

Nada! Nope! Zippo! Zero!
This year was a wipeout as far as camping went. Had the trailer all packed at one point and the tow hooked up to it when Joan's mom {98] passed away and my mom turned 101 this year. Between parenting and lawers and insurance companies and banking and etc. ..... this summer has been a wipeout as far as camping went. There's still some clothes that have to be brought back in and then I can start to think about winterizing it .Even the family cottage only got a couple of week-end stints.
We're planning for next year.