RV
His name is Steve, and his number is (941) 650-6006. He worked on our Momentum 397TH twice over the years and will do some work on our 410THR soon. We were amazed at the high quality of repairs he can do with his mobile setup.
The thing about an RV GPS is it's designed to find the best route from point A to point B based on the criteria entered (size of RV, road type preferences, etc). And most GPSs do this dynamically based on traffic and can also re-route you if you make a wrong turn.
If you export a fixed route from any piece of software (RV Trip Wizard included), you are taking away the dynamic routing ability of a GPS and dumbing it down to just be a fancy map. Additionally, if the software exports a “trip” as just the start and end points, it's no different than entering the same destination on the GPS. So, not a lot of added value unless you have a lot of stops, or are exporting your entire vacation as one trip. But that just gets messy.
For us, a GPS “trip” is one day's travel. We put a ton of stays (usually several months out) into RV Trip Wizard, but are only worried about navigating to the next location for that day. So, we have the location entered into the GPS the night before and just click go in the morning. And, since we have the same location already in RV Trip Wizard, we use the RVLife App as a secondary GPS. Just click on the destination and go. Simple one-day navigation in both apps, backing each other up in case one gets wonky.
We have streamed everything since day one. We have unlimited internet and have AppleTV's hooked up to all four TVs in the RV. We use YoutTube TV as our “service provider” and for any Live TV we want to watch or DVR (YouTubeTV has cloud-based DVR).
We were in over 45 locations last year all over the East coast of the U.S. and 20 or so out West. We've never had an issue finding a site, and we've stayed in Campgrounds, RV Parks, State Parks, COE (Army Core Of Engineers) Sites, etc. We just plan ahead and make sure to call each site and confirm they can fit our RV. We also use RV Trip Wizard, which has a lot of great tools to find locations. National Parks are a lot more size restricted, but there are always great campgrounds and RV parks outside the national parks. We’ve only been in one or two sites where we didn’t have room for the patio.
Products
So far, we just ride them out. We've been in bad storms with winds up to 60Mph with no issues other than it being super noisy. Luckily no hail to date (fingers crossed). We do keep a weather radio / warning system mounted behind our TV that's on all the time and we double check it if storms are coming. We also have a portable radio for the truck.
When we get to each new location, we also make note of shelters so we have a plan in the event of a sudden severe storm or tornado. In the event of a hurricane, we can just pack up and leave the area. We never travel with wind over 30mph.
We never leave her unless we're on full hookups and can leave the AC / Heat Pump on. No different than when we lived in a house. However, RV park power being what it is (sometimes unreliable), we use MarCELL to keep an eye on Daisy's environment when we're not home.
It monitors power, temperature, and humidity. It does require service, which is $99/yr. You set thresholds (high and low) online for both temperature and humidity and define notification methods (text/email) all online. Then, when anything is amiss with anything, both Tara and I get emailed and texted immediately. You can also check the temp and humidity online. The MarCELL has been very reliable.
Additionally, since we have reliable internet, we've been testing the Govee WiFi Temperature Humidity Monitor (amzn.to/3antyDz…). Since it uses our existing wifi, there are no extra fees. So far, it seems good, but we need to test the notifications a bit more. We will update this FAQ and maybe produce a video once we're done testing.
Miscellaneous
Yes. I (Chad) am a veteran, but I never bothered with getting into the VA system. Until just a year or so ago, a veteran needed to be active duty, retired, or disabled from the military to have base access. However, now, any disability rating from 0 to 100 qualifies for base access, including camping. But, I still need to get into the system and navigate the endless bureaucracy.
His name is Steve, and his number is (941) 650-6006. He worked on our Momentum 397TH twice over the years and will do some work on our 410THR soon. We were amazed at the high quality of repairs he can do with his mobile setup.
For our security and privacy, we don't make our travel details public. Just the general area sometimes.
We have memberships with Xscapers (Escapees), Good Sam and KOA. They pay for themselves fairly quickly after a few nights. However, weekly and longer rates are almost always lower than the discounted nightly rate. But sometimes a combination of weekly and nightly can be used when not staying an exact multiple of 7 nights.
We've looked into Thousand Trails, but it seems you have to use them a LOT for it to make sense and we don't want to base our travel around Thousand Trails locations.
We get asked fairly often about how to get the music in our videos. We use EpidemicSound.com, Musicbed.com, and Artlist.io for all of our music under a creator's license (royalty-free). We know that some of the tracks are in iTunes, but many are not. The best way to find out is to use the Shazam app or ask Siri “what's this song” (Siri uses Shazam) as the music part plays in our video. If it's available, Shazam should recognize it and show you where you can download it.
She's the cutest kind, thanks for asking! 🐶 😀 Daisy is a “Morkie”, which is a mix between Maltese and Yorkie. She's hypoallergenic (doesn't shed), and very rarely barks. She's the perfect little travel dog at 3.5lbs!
We keep a waterproof and fireproof safe on board with all of our important documents (passports, daisy's records, marriage certificate, etc).
So far, we just ride them out. We've been in bad storms with winds up to 60Mph with no issues other than it being super noisy. Luckily no hail to date (fingers crossed). We do keep a weather radio / warning system mounted behind our TV that's on all the time and we double check it if storms are coming. We also have a portable radio for the truck.
When we get to each new location, we also make note of shelters so we have a plan in the event of a sudden severe storm or tornado. In the event of a hurricane, we can just pack up and leave the area. We never travel with wind over 30mph.
We have memberships with Good Sam and KOA. They pay for themselves fairly quickly after a few nights. However, weekly and longer rates are almost always lower than the discounted nightly rate. But sometimes a combination of weekly and nightly can be used when not staying an exact multiple of 7 nights. They are also good for overnight stays while traveling.
We've looked into Thousand Trails, but it seems you have to use them a LOT for it to make sense and we don't want to base our locations around Thousand Trails locations. Additionally, the few times we've stayed at a Thousand Trails park by coincidence, they have not been the nicest parks.
Our friends Jason and Rae (Getaway Couple) have a few videos in favor of Thousand Trails: www.youtube.com…
And, our friends Phil and Stacy (You, Me & the RV) have this one against: youtu.be/5zQxKYDD2OQ…
I was active duty in the U.S. Navy from 1986-1992. I worked as an AT (Aviation Electronics Tech) on E2-C Hawkeyes (big frisbee on top) in VAW-120, then VAW-124. In VAW-124, we deployed on the U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt for Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
Pilot and Flying J had a contract conflict with Good Sam and their RV fuel card (which is only good at Pilot / Flying-J), so that discount was removed or reduced. This discount may come back in the future when the good sam contract expires and TSD can try to renegotiate, but there's no way to tell.
These discounts are negotiated regularly and will come and go for various fuel stations. However, the card WILL still work at ALL of the truck stops. What we do is use the app to see if a station on our route has better discounts and we try to use it. Sometimes location and convenience trumps discounts, but we go for a discount when we can.
This question stems from our Save Big on RV Diesel in the Truck Lanes.
From the TSD FAQ Here: Why do you need my Social Security Number? Answer: We do not do a credit check. We ask for your social security number in the event that we cannot collect a payment, we need this number to file a claim.
Since the card is not a credit card, TSD has no recourse if you decide to not pay. Having your SSN gives them a way to at least put a negative mark on your credit file if you default on the balance.
We have personally referred over 3000 accounts, and we've never heard of a single issue from anyone. Additionally, we have never had an issue ourselves. We trust that our (and your) information is safe with TSD Logistics. 👍🏼
Our video files are super important to us. Not only the videos waiting to be edited but also our past source media and project files. Sometimes we talk about a place or event long after that video is released, and it's nice to have access to that footage for B-Roll in a current video. But that's TONS of data (currently about 70TB and growing constantly), and we live on cellular data. It's definitely a challenge to make sure we always make sure we have two copies of everything in separate locations. This is the process we've come up with:
- After every shooting day, the contents of our SD cards are copied to our 60TB Synology NAS (48TB effective) Files are organized as:
/YYYYMMDD-Location(or Event)/MMDD-Event/CameraName (e.g.
20190523-MesaVerde/0525-RideToDurago/(GoPro1, GoPro2, Canon, etc.)) (1 copy but on NAS which has redundant drives) - The NAS is Synced (using a script) to my laptop into a Dropbox folder. This starts the process of syncing to Dropbox automatically. (3 copies – NAS, Laptop, Dropbox)
- Once Dropbox has finished syncing, I mark the folder(s) as “offline only.” This free's up space on my local laptop, but files still appear to be local. (2 copies – NAS, Dropbox)
- Once the footage is used in a video, it is moved to an “Archive X” (X being a sequential number) folder (still on Dropbox but outside the “Active” footage folder). This move is done on my laptop (and Dropbox) and the NAS. The “Active” and “Archive X” folders are always identical. (2 copies – NAS, Dropbox)
- Once “Archive X” reaches just under 4TB, it is copied (from the NAS) to an external drive (WD portable hard drive). The NAS Copy is deleted, and my local (Dropbox) folder is marked to not sync. The files stay in dropbox. (2 copies – Portable HD, Dropbox). A new folder, “Archive X+1” is created for the next round.
This process ensures we have location-diverse local copies while the footage is new or recently used and cloud (Dropbox) copies of everything all the time. We also store our Final Cut project (FCPX) files for future use.
First and foremost, we are not tax professionals. Please consult a CPA for advice on your specific tax situation.
That said, as we understand it, it's really no different than living in a sticks and bricks and is all based on your domicile. We “live” in Florida. That's our permanent address. So, we file as such.
Many people “move” their domicile when they go full time. Escapees has a great article on this topic.
Also see this related FAQ Topic.
We have received one jury duty summons while living on the road full time. Being a thousand miles away is a perfectly valid excuse to get out of it. For us, in Florida, I simply called and explained that we would be out of town because we travel full time.
There are several online mailbox options for full time RVers who need a real physical address for license, domicile, etc.
We use Traveling Mailbox. All mail that arrives gets scanned (just the front of the envelope) and shows up in our Inbox online. From there, we can request an open and scan, so the contents can also be viewed online. Or we can have one or more pieces of mail forwarded if it's something like a check, vehicle registration, etc.
We can have packages sent there also, but it doesn't make sense to pay postage twice. So, when we order from Amazon Prime (or whatever), we just have things shipped to wherever we are. If we're a couple days from moving camp, we just ship to our next location. About half of the places we've stayed have packages waiting for us when we get there.. ?
If you require an address in your home state, you may have to shop around for a mail service that has an address in your state. If you can “move” because your employer doesn't care where you live, or you're retired, many chose to move their domicile to a tax-friendly state like Florida, Texas, or South Dakota. Escapees has a great article on how to accomplish that.
We get asked all of the time about how to find telecommuting jobs. But, since my job was already telecommute for many years, we don't really have any experience in that area. That said, you might try flexjobs.com. Also, Tom and Cheri (EnjoyTheJourney.Life) have a great video on making money while RVing here: youtu.be/x3jDWgYGjZ8…
The thing about an RV GPS is it's designed to find the best route from point A to point B based on the criteria entered (size of RV, road type preferences, etc). And most GPSs do this dynamically based on traffic and can also re-route you if you make a wrong turn.
If you export a fixed route from any piece of software (RV Trip Wizard included), you are taking away the dynamic routing ability of a GPS and dumbing it down to just be a fancy map. Additionally, if the software exports a “trip” as just the start and end points, it's no different than entering the same destination on the GPS. So, not a lot of added value unless you have a lot of stops, or are exporting your entire vacation as one trip. But that just gets messy.
For us, a GPS “trip” is one day's travel. We put a ton of stays (usually several months out) into RV Trip Wizard, but are only worried about navigating to the next location for that day. So, we have the location entered into the GPS the night before and just click go in the morning. And, since we have the same location already in RV Trip Wizard, we use the RVLife App as a secondary GPS. Just click on the destination and go. Simple one-day navigation in both apps, backing each other up in case one gets wonky.
We have not done a video on that topic. Primarily because we're not very good at budgets. But, also, because most of our stays (when were filming a location) are business expenses and we sometimes spend more on a location than we normally would if we were not running a youtube channel.
Prices for RV parks, campgrounds, state parks, etc vary greatly and there are lots of choices if you're willing to stay farther away from prime locations in prime season, or go places offseason. Staying longer and getting weekly or monthly rates can help too. There are also a ton of free camping on BLM (Beaurou of Land Management) land, and the like, if you're willing to boondock (no hookups).
When we started out (and hadn't launched our channel), we wanted to keep our nightly average around $35, that average including everything from $120 a night to free. Our first year, that turned out to be closer to $43. That's just RV Parks and such and does not include fuel, maintenance, etc.
That said, here are some things to consider about full-time RV expenses…
There are also ways to stay free and even get paid at some places as camp hosts. These require varying degrees of work and stay durations, but it can take expenses to almost zero if you're willing to work within those parameters. We've made friends with people who jump from gig to gig and save a lot of money in the process.
In regards to travel expenses like fuel and maintenance, those can be variable also by just staying longer in each place and not moving as often.
Our point in all of this is that expenses vary greatly depending on the style of travel and camping you do.
We never leave her unless we're on full hookups and can leave the AC / Heat Pump on. No different than when we lived in a house. However, RV park power being what it is (sometimes unreliable), we use MarCELL to keep an eye on Daisy's environment when we're not home.
It monitors power, temperature, and humidity. It does require service, which is $99/yr. You set thresholds (high and low) online for both temperature and humidity and define notification methods (text/email) all online. Then, when anything is amiss with anything, both Tara and I get emailed and texted immediately. You can also check the temp and humidity online. The MarCELL has been very reliable.
Additionally, since we have reliable internet, we've been testing the Govee WiFi Temperature Humidity Monitor (amzn.to/3antyDz…). Since it uses our existing wifi, there are no extra fees. So far, it seems good, but we need to test the notifications a bit more. We will update this FAQ and maybe produce a video once we're done testing.
Definitely not! It gets quite bouncy in the RV when traveling, which doesn't bode well for physical (spinning platter) hard drives. So, as part of our morning of departure checklist, it gets powered down.
Additionally, I have it sitting on 1″ weather stripping (stuck to the bottom) to absorb shock.
We have streamed everything since day one. We have unlimited internet and have AppleTV's hooked up to all four TVs in the RV. We use YoutTube TV as our “service provider” and for any Live TV we want to watch or DVR (YouTubeTV has cloud-based DVR).
We were in over 45 locations last year all over the East coast of the U.S. and 20 or so out West. We've never had an issue finding a site, and we've stayed in Campgrounds, RV Parks, State Parks, COE (Army Core Of Engineers) Sites, etc. We just plan ahead and make sure to call each site and confirm they can fit our RV. We also use RV Trip Wizard, which has a lot of great tools to find locations. National Parks are a lot more size restricted, but there are always great campgrounds and RV parks outside the national parks. We’ve only been in one or two sites where we didn’t have room for the patio.
Changing Lanes
We get asked fairly often about how to get the music in our videos. We use EpidemicSound.com, Musicbed.com, and Artlist.io for all of our music under a creator's license (royalty-free). We know that some of the tracks are in iTunes, but many are not. The best way to find out is to use the Shazam app or ask Siri “what's this song” (Siri uses Shazam) as the music part plays in our video. If it's available, Shazam should recognize it and show you where you can download it.
Our video files are super important to us. Not only the videos waiting to be edited but also our past source media and project files. Sometimes we talk about a place or event long after that video is released, and it's nice to have access to that footage for B-Roll in a current video. But that's TONS of data (currently about 70TB and growing constantly), and we live on cellular data. It's definitely a challenge to make sure we always make sure we have two copies of everything in separate locations. This is the process we've come up with:
- After every shooting day, the contents of our SD cards are copied to our 60TB Synology NAS (48TB effective) Files are organized as:
/YYYYMMDD-Location(or Event)/MMDD-Event/CameraName (e.g.
20190523-MesaVerde/0525-RideToDurago/(GoPro1, GoPro2, Canon, etc.)) (1 copy but on NAS which has redundant drives) - The NAS is Synced (using a script) to my laptop into a Dropbox folder. This starts the process of syncing to Dropbox automatically. (3 copies – NAS, Laptop, Dropbox)
- Once Dropbox has finished syncing, I mark the folder(s) as “offline only.” This free's up space on my local laptop, but files still appear to be local. (2 copies – NAS, Dropbox)
- Once the footage is used in a video, it is moved to an “Archive X” (X being a sequential number) folder (still on Dropbox but outside the “Active” footage folder). This move is done on my laptop (and Dropbox) and the NAS. The “Active” and “Archive X” folders are always identical. (2 copies – NAS, Dropbox)
- Once “Archive X” reaches just under 4TB, it is copied (from the NAS) to an external drive (WD portable hard drive). The NAS Copy is deleted, and my local (Dropbox) folder is marked to not sync. The files stay in dropbox. (2 copies – Portable HD, Dropbox). A new folder, “Archive X+1” is created for the next round.
This process ensures we have location-diverse local copies while the footage is new or recently used and cloud (Dropbox) copies of everything all the time. We also store our Final Cut project (FCPX) files for future use.
Definitely not! It gets quite bouncy in the RV when traveling, which doesn't bode well for physical (spinning platter) hard drives. So, as part of our morning of departure checklist, it gets powered down.
Additionally, I have it sitting on 1″ weather stripping (stuck to the bottom) to absorb shock.
