Hitting the Road
On the Road to Find Out...
by Yusuf / cat stevens
PK & I have been living in our RV since 2011, we’ve been stationary in a MH/RV park in Mesa, AZ. But now we’re ready to start a nomadic (traveling) lifestyle. So the things that we currently using may or may not work for us now.
We’re starting to sell & give away stuff that we don’t need. Our main focus is preparing our tiny home is ease of use while traveling, self sufficiency (solar & generator) and freedom to go where we want (boondocking).
We’re getting a lot of help from all kinds of sources. This is what we’re doing / researching now.
Lift-off: May/Jun 2021.
In the immortal words of Darreyl D Davis Jr (that’s a lot of Ds, dude!) “What’s stopping you now?”
From All About RVs
Download Jared’s diagrams here & be sure to watch the video.
Power your Entire RV w/Solar.
If you do a quick Google search for RV Solar systems, my search brought back 109M hits. That’s a lot of data to sift thru, but here’s what I found:
Jared Gillis from All About RVs walks you thru a DIY installation of his system. Breaking it down, so it’s not rocket science, here’s a link to his YouTube video: Hybrid Solar Set-up. He’s able to use his RV in 50 Amp to no Amp situation; so this looks like the perfect set-up for us.
The last step was choosing the Solar installers, started chatting with Scott from SolSeekersSolar (facebook) on his thoughts how Solar can/can’t supply our electrical needs. He’s friendly, knowledgeable & understood that this was a huge investment and errors would be costly. Now it comes down to installation timing.
Target date for install is Late Apr, 2021.
Scott said that his hobby turned into his On-The-Road business. Just like mine!
How to use your AC w/Solar
SoftStart RV Solutions
RV ACs require a lot of “start-up energy” to get the compressor & motor started. Even the best battery bank will be seriously drained. To run the AC with solar, you’ll need to reduce start surge (redline on graph – 52 Amp peak).
SoftStartRV can to reduce the start-up current up to 70% while providing the startup torque for the compressors & motor. It will can save you money (wear, service cost & life) by reduces the mechanical stress your AC.
Of course, Mike Sokol (Mr. RV Electricity) has a great video that explains the SoftStartRV can solves your RV AC troubles. Completed: Mar 2021
I was pleasantly surprised to receive an email SoftStartRV with installation instructions and videos. Simply choose your AC type for the info.
The need for Keys
MORryde Lift Gate
We wanted to make sure that IF we lost the keys or something happened to us, that our Girls with have spare set of keys to the RV. Getting the keys did take a bit of trial & error. There are a number of sites that you can send a image of your key & get a duplicate made. But the lift gate key or blank couldn’t be found ANYWHERE!
I contact Forest River Parts dept (via webform) & they promised that they would look into that for me. When I finally found a live person, he was unable to assist me due to downsizing, mgmt changes & impossible workloads.
So I decided to contact MORryde. MORryde doesn’t list their lift gate on their website, but I took a chance, filled out an online form, & within a hour, I got an email from Jennifer G indicating the part number that I needed & a phone number to call to order the keys. It was so simple… and when we got the package it only had ONE key, needed to call back for another one!
Completed Mar 2021
Keepin’ it simple. Made key tags to indicate what it’s for.
Mojo's a House kitty now!
Mojo - 24x7 Guard Cat
Mojo protects his territory from delivery people, friends, family and local wildlife. He’s quick to hiss at everyone and chase the feral cats from his yard. He takes full advantage of the look-out spots both inside the RV and his yard outside. It’s not uncommon to find him on the roof surveying his domain.
But when we start to travel, I know that Mojo will still want to go outside. But since we won’t be in his “home territory”, he’ll be exposed to new dangers: wandering/getting lost, @sshole neighbors with aggressive pets, hungry wildlife, & other outside dangers.
A Catio “cat patio” provides a purrfect solution to protected him from these dangers & still get to enjoy the “great outdoors”.
Mojo Diary Day 1 of Catio: Stupid Hooman, what’s up with the cage thing! I’m a free roaming cat & deserve my “roof time”. 1 Week later: Takes full advantage of the night.
Completed Mar 2021
The perfect batteries to use with Solar
Battleborn Batteries - Getting Ready for Solar
Found a great 2020 Cyber Monday sale from Battle Born. We purchased 4 batteries & then purchased 4 more. We picked Battle Born because the batteries are worry free, no water or chemicals to worry about, can be mounted in any position and a 10 yr warranty/3k to 5k cycles.
Battle Born as a team of battery specialists to answer any questions, a very informative website.
Of course, Jared from All About RVs has a video on RV Battery Buyers Guide & you can order them by using the links in the show more links.
Completed Feb 2021
RVers spend a lot time and money making sure that set-up and tear-downs are as easy as possible.
We visit to the Quartizite RV show in AZ each year. We get to see the products in action, talk to the vendors & find some great sales. We found our way to the HOSS booth & that started my wheels turning. (PK having a lot of experience with my wacky ideas & this is the point that he normally starts looking for cover.) Unfortunately, Jeff having no experience dealing my crazy thought process, answered each & every question that I had & offered solutions that would work for my RV.
Of course, I’ve got a plumber in mind, but I don’t speak plumber-ese & talking thingamajigs & thingamabobs isn’t going to produce a great install. Jeff provided us with the schematics & example of the finished product.
It took a 1/2 hour from start to finish to get the drain installed & tested. Works great for us (stationary). I’m excited to see how it will perform on the road!
Completed Jan 2021