RV Living in the 21st Century: The Essential Reference Guide for ALL RVers

RV Living in the 21^st Century continues where Spirit of the Open Road leaves off. The author, Peggi McDonald, has taken the best of her internationally-acclaimed first book and has revamped and updated it to reflect the changing technology and rules in post-9/11 North America.

After Peggi and her husband John retired from the military (Peggi from the Air Force; John from the Navy), they sold their four-bedroom house and took up residence in their motorhome. They now call all of North America their backyard. RV Living in the 21^st Century draws on the situations that the couple has experienced after close to two decades of living fulltime in their RV.

As a fulltime RVer, Peggi first shared her knowledge with others in the pages of Spirit of the Open Road. With her latest book, RV Living in the 21^st Century, Peggi has taken the timeless information from Spirit (some things never change) and has updated it to include subjects that hadn’t even been developed when her first book was written. As a Canadian fulltimer who spends half of her time in the U.S. (and the other in Canada), Peggi addresses topics such as border crossings, types of campgrounds and how to get the most for your camping dollars plus satellite, cell phone and Internet usage while on the road. No book about RVing would be complete without solutions to everyday living and RV Living in the 21^st Century has addressed it all – including maintenance reminders, preparing a budget, travelling with pets and making the most of your living space.

RV Living in the 21^st Century is truly a must for anybody thinking about buying an RV or already enjoying the wonders of RV living in North America. This is the ONE book that should be required reading for ALL RVers!

Peggi McDonald and her husband John are approaching their 20-year mark of living and travelling in their RV. As a fulltiming RVer with close to two decades on the road, Peggi’s wealth of experience is shared through her writing. As well as being the author of the best-selling Spirit of the Open Road, Peggi is a featured columnist for many RV publications, has made a number of TV appearances, guest-hosted radio talk shows and is a featured seminar presenter at many of the RV shows, dealer open houses and RV lifestyle schools in both Canada and the U.S. She is also the author of two e-books and the host of www.rvliving.net – one of most-visited Internet sites by fellow RVers.

Outdoor Hints And Set-Up Tips

Just like the RV's interior, there are many little tips you can follow to maintain the exterior and prevent costly repair jobs later on.

Poor caulking around the running lights on the top of the unit can result in water leaking through the front and back windows. When correcting this problem, remove the lens cover plus the old caulking of the running lights. Clean the area well then re seal the running light unit with a bead of silicone. Put the lens cover back on.

For those who aren't mechanically inclined, when removing a battery for winter storage, place a small piece of coloured tape to each wire and terminal combination before disconnecting. Use different coloured tape for each combination and, to re install, match up the coloured tape pieces. When we recently had our 6-volt house batteries replaced, the techs made a diagram of our set-up before removing the old batteries.

On sunny days when you would like to keep the main door open but it's too chilly for comfort, ‘winterize’ your screen door the easy way. Cut a piece of Plexiglas to cover the screen and attach with brackets that allow easy removal. With the new ‘storm’ window you can enjoy the sunny day without being cold.

Bike kickstands frequently sink into the soft ground. To keep your bike upright, attach a golf ball to the end of the stand.

One RVing friend carries a rake in his storage area to retrieve those hard to reach items buried in tight spaces between compartments. John and I find that the awning stick works equally well (another double duty principle).

Sometimes boards are required to lift one side or the other of your RV before using levelling jacks. If your unit has dual tires ALWAYS place the same number of boards under BOTH the inside and outside tire.

Automatic levelling jacks also add to the ease of campsite set up. However, be sure the ones you purchase are heavy enough for your unit. Our first coach came with an electronic levelling system that would stabilize but not lift our motorhome. When using any form of levelling system, don't forget to place a pad or board between the jacks and ground; make it a habit to put chocks behind the wheels to avoid rolling off jacks.

Our neighbour, after arriving late one rainy night at his campsite, pushed a button to automatically extend his levellers. The next morning he couldn't move without tow truck assistance as his jacks had sunk deep into the soft ground.

When you raise your awning, always drop one end several inches lower than the other. Rainwater is extremely heavy and if it doesn’t drain the weight will tear your awning and/or bend the hardware. If you forget to lower one side, the water will puddle in the middle. Simply take a broom and push the water out before attempting to lower the awning side arms.

Cleaning your awning is not difficult if you apply a coating of gentle soapy solution to the top and bottom of the fabric. Roll the awning up and wait for five minutes, extend it again and rinse with a hose. If it doesn’t come clean, repeat. Using strong cleaners can damage the water retardant ability of the fabric. There are many solutions available designed to clean awnings from RV stores.

We always roll our awning at bedtime and, if we are going away for the day. Winds come up very fast when you least expect it. We also hate 3 a.m. awning calls – when it starts to rattle and you lay there hoping the noise will go away. It seems the longer you wait the worse it gets.

Post the CB channel that you monitor on the rear of your unit. We frequently tune to channel 14 and, occasionally we monitor #19 – both are posted. Vehicles travelling behind know how to reach us in an emergency and frequently call to simply say hello. If you're travelling with friends, choose channels other than #13 (Good Sam); #14 (FMCA) and, #19 (the trucker's channel).

Campground Set-up Hints

We often see RVers use green garden hoses to connect their RV to park water supplies. This is a dangerous practice because these hoses are not insulated and the heat generated from the sun creates a perfect atmosphere for bacteria growth. RVers beware – always use the specially designed drinking water hoses to bring water into your RV. It's not only tastier; it's a lot healthier.

Attaching a water hose to the RV city water connection can be a difficult task unless you use a quick disconnect designed for home garden hoses. Place one end permanently on your coach with the opposing end on your water hose and connection is a snap. These handy adapters are also a convenient way to join two hoses together.