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Mimi Maness, Dutchmen before 2006 are well built, before the company was sold. They also build Komfort, which is well loved.
Any older models, of course, will need to be leak-proofed (roof maintenance), and possibly gutted and repaired (depending on water damage).
Also, RV fridges, water pumps, and hot water heaters are among the first to need replaced. You’re lucky if they last five years.
Jon
Pros and Cons, to get back on topic. 🙂
Pros, no noisy neighbours over, under or beside you. And if you do get any, you can easily move.
Cons, the black water tank. I’m planning on installing a composting toilet, then thoroughly cleaning out the black tank and turning it into Grey 2. Then I can make a grey water irrigation system for my garden. Once I buy the land, of course.
Jon
If your RV has one, open up the roof vent and put the fan on for cooking. If it doesn’t have one, open a window … or door?
You can always wash clothes in a bucket with a plunger (or in the bathtub, if you have one) and hang in the bathroom to dry with the overhead fan on or window open.
Damp is your enemy, no matter what size of RV you have. You can buy fancy RV dehumidifiers or pick up a cheap Damp Trap at a dollar store. I saw a big metal one in Canadian Tire with an expensive refill. But it’s the same stuff(calcium chloride) you use to melt ice on sidewalks, so you can get it cheap, too.
I’d suggest buying a tiny cheap one, see how it’s put together, and build a larger one (with a drain?) for the kitchen or bathroom.
Jon
I’ve heard that plain baking yeast works just as well as expensive products to break down septic tank waste. Has anyone tried that in RV black water tanks?
Jon
Why drain your fresh water tank? You’ll have to fill it again when you go off city water to camp.
If you are staying in one place for a long time hooked up to city water, you could turn it off for a bit and just use up what’s in the tank. A few showers, dish washing or laundry, depending on your tank size and if you have a washer. Then go back on city water.
Jon
Think of a Surge Protector as insurance. You may never need it, but when you do, it’s good to have.
Factor in the cost of replacing your RV refrigerator or laptop if a surge kills it. Then the protector isn’t so expensive.
Check out this inexpensive one on Amazon.ca (US prices on Amazon.com) https://www.amazon.ca/Camco-55310-Defender-Circuit-Analyzer/dp/B00JGJH8QU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1479672577&sr=8-1&keywords=rv+surge+protector
Jon
A friend of mine, who traveled a lot, had a mail box (not at a post office, a private business) and listed her “address” accordingly. eg. 123-456 Street, City, Canada, Postal Code.
She never had a problem getting her driver’s licence or official papers and gave me her key to get her post when she was out of country.
I remember someone official looking at her address and saying, “Oh, I get a lot of people with addresses here. It must be a huge apartment complex. Have you been inside?”
I replied, “Only in the lobby, where the mail boxes are.”It’s only a two-story building, so I told a version of the truth.
Jon
P.S. Pippi, I love that this site has a built-in spell checker. And an Edit button!
A Four Season RV is really only good for three. For winter camping you’ll need the Arctic Package. And still, you’ll have to skirt the base and cover the door, windows and skylights/vents.
Perhaps you should look into Tiny Houses and build your own, then you could insulate it for your climate. They are still classified as RVs, for insurance purposes, but are not suited to be moved very often.
Jon
I would check locally before buying abroad. Class A’s are rare in the UK and you may not find places that can accommodate its large size. I’d hate to try to drive one on a roundabout.
Also, the steering wheel will be on the left side (because in the US, and here, Canada) we drive on the right side of the road.
Are there proper dump stations for the black tank in the UK or do the smaller B class caravans all have Thetford cassette toilets?
Doing diligent research can save a lot of heartache later.
Jon
