Kirk W

That is what I have on my Dodge/Cummins too. So far they seem to be doing quite well but they are only 2 years old now and have only about 10k miles on them.

Absolutely yes! Here are links to several insurance agencies that specialize in coverage for fulltimers that also have good reputations with Escapee's club members. AIS Insurance Specialists Miller Insurance Agency Foremost Insurance Group RV Advantage Thum Insurance Agency

Notince also that this was his first post and he has not returned. Like Bob, I have serious doubts about this ever having happened.

I am guessing that you are in your first RV and have no previous RV experience? While there are thouse who have done as you are, many of us began years ago with a small, much less complex RV and then worked our way upward over a period of years. There are several advantages to doing thins that way. When you start very small as we did, the first RV is much less complex, as we began with a very basic tent-top trailer that was little more than a tent on wheels, then a nicer pop-up trailer that had a stove, furnace, refrigerator, a hand operated water pump, and nothing more. By the time that we bought our motorhome that we lived in fulltime we had worked our way through 5 different RVs, each one a bit more complete & complex. That gave us two big advantages in the youger people grasp new things more quickly and with more confidence and it also ment that we had much less to learn with each new RV than you are dealiing with. The point is that you need not be all that impressed by our knowledge as most of us didn't have to learn so much so quickly, but you are getting there and very rapidly! One thing to keep in mind is that you only live through that first week one time! There may be days that it is difficult to believe, but one day you will look back on this first few weeks as one of the best experiences of life. Do not be afraid that you will make a mistake because you are very unlikely to make one that has not been made numerous times before by many of us. There are very few mistakes that you can make which can't be corrected without serious consequences. Just take your time and if things begin to overwhelm you, stop & relax as nothing has to be done immediately. One of the advantages of living in an RV is that you have everything right there and all day to do things so there is no rush.

If you live in east TX you will have the same problem. Of course, if I were heavily invested in the industry I might be publicly promoting it as the best answer too!

In a few cases of walking over the border crossing, I have seen people taken into a more private area for a search but never anyone that I knew. Once when walking back from Los Algodones we did see a person that we didn't know taken from the line of exiting people when a leashed dog went to alert as he walked by. I would assume that the dog was a drug dog but some also alert for explosives. The person involved appeared to be a middle aged anglo.

Are you planning to sneak something in? Today border stations do have technology to help them know what to look for and where to look. Everyone replying were just experiencing random spot checks so you need to keep that in mind.

When we crossed into Canada with our motorhome severaly years ago via Sandy Bay Township entry we were searched by the Canadian border officers. There were 2 officers who conducted the search and we were instructed to stand in front of the motorhome where the officers could see us while they searched. The search took about 30 minutes and while one could tell that a search had taken place there was no major disturbance of our possessions. We could see into the RV just as the two officers could see us, but there were times that the officers were out of our line of sight or at least one officer was. We could not see into the rear bedroom at all and one of the officers was back there for perhaps 10 minutes. After they finished the search I offered to open the basement storage but they declined and they only looked through the windows of our towed vehicle and did not ask me to open it. The officers were respectful and professional. They thanked us for our cooperation and wished us well on our journey. Neither of us were personally searched in any way. Later when we returned to the US we had an inspection by a USDA officer for agriculture products which took perhaps 5 minutes and mostly looked into cupboards and refrigerator. In this case we were present for the inspection.

The lack of a reply has most likely been because nobody on the forums has an answer for you.

From the Escapees Roadside Service page....

If it takes 6 months to frost up badly, I don't believe that you have a very serious problem.

The same is true of Escapees policy.

That may work, but you could need to replace the door if it is warped. I gather that it is having to be defrosted frequently?

It didn't take nearly that long for the one which I served on, but Winnebago needed you and I!

I would certainly hope so. This sort of story makes one wonder about the members of the jury.

If you are traveling down the highway in bad weather and slide off into the ditch, is that not accidental? I never really thought of that sort of problem but would think that road service should provide a winch-out service. I may have to contact our service and ask about that situation.

Welcome to the Escapee forums! If you have never towed anything I wonder if you really want to take on this size of RV and the big truck that would be required to tow it? The Oregon coast is a wonderful place with spactacular scenery but it also is a very challenging drive for the inexperienced RVer. Since I do not know you at all, I really can't give very good advice but most who have no towing experience would not enjoy a trip like you want to have for their first time towing, even with a shorter trailer. You may be able to do this and enjoy it, but you would be the exception if you can.

Is that the loaded weight as it will be when ready to travel or is it the empty weight? If you aren't used the GVWR for the loaded vehicle you will be pushing the maximum when you tow. You need to get a quality equalizer hitch to tow with. Do you want the very best regardless of cost or do you want the best inexpensive equipment? There is a wide range in prices.

My trailer came with guards to prevent the issue of dragging the jacks. I did add some small wheels to the metal guards.

My best answer is yes, as we do still volunteer when at home, driving about 35 miles each way, 1 or 2 times each month to the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center, but in all honesty I probably would have done less of it when fulltime if we had not received the free sites. With our budget we couldn't have afforded to do so but would likely have looked for a paid position at least part of the year. Let me add one more thought. Since you seem to be so jealous, why don't you try it yourself so that you can post from knowledge, rather than bias?

A great deal of the answer to this is also dependent upon who you are a working with. There is a very fine line between volunteer with benefits and barter income. A "for profit" business is a little different from something like a national wildlife refuge or historic site where they build RV sites specifically to attract RV owners to do volunteer work there and do not rent them or offer them to the public. In the example, each party believes that they gain more value than they are giving up which could be considered barter. With the wildlife refuge there would be no RV pad expense at all if not to attract the volunteers. The argument in either case can be made that this is no different than it is to give your working time & skills to an employer in return for a paycheck. We have done many RV volunteer positions, as recently as 2018, where we did receive an RV site and some amenities in return for our services to a public agency. I like to believe that we were volunteers because we gave more value than what we received and because we did enjoyed what we did there and that was the attraction. Barter versus volunteer with benefits is a very complicated issue and has long been debated on RV forums. I prefer to think of myself as a volunteer and I never reported barter income, but the only way to be sure would be to go to court over it, which I don't believe has ever happened. I did read of a case with a commercial RV park where the IRS ruled against both the RV park and the RVers on the basis that the park had paid employees living off-site who did the same type of work as the RV workers but that was more than 10 years ago. The IRS has discussion about what constitutes barter for tax purposes in Topic No. 420 Bartering Income and also in Publication 525, Taxable and Nontaxable Imcome. Like most things with the IRS, this isn't easy reading. I suspect that we are all pretty safe because the amounts of tax that would be involved are so small that it isn't likely to get IRS attention.

Check out Don Wright's Camping with the Corps of Engineers

Yes. We have the current one.

I don't believe that he means the auto position of the light switch but most also have a position for running lights only as well as for headlights (and running lights). I usually tow with the running lights on even in daylight hours. With the tongue jack, if it doesn't run due to a dead battery, leave your tow vehicle running but close to the tongue and connect the power cable from it to the trailer and the electric jack should work.

I'm not sure of her age but am very sure that she was younger than I. Any idea what caused her death? Really sad to hear.