2019 Camping Season Top 5 Lessons Learned & Next Steps

2019 Camping Season Top 5 Lessons Learned & Next Steps

• Tires
• Mice
• Fuel
• Maintenance
• Thank You

The 2019 Camping Season is all but in the books 🙁

Due to one of the rear interior tires blowing out and damaging the interior part of a bay and also and part of the electrical wiring harness we have closed the books on 2019 and given Ferocious but Fabulous a a few months off to rest up for what will be a fun 2020.

As I reflect on our 2019 Camping Season the Top 5 Lessons Learned.

1-Tires, Tires, Tires-Making 100% sure that the tires haven't aged out, worn out or are improperly inflated. I am not exactly sure what caused the interior tire to blow and I don't want to speculate without more information. All I can do is look forward and  take a few different steps next year.

1. Replace the 5 remaining tires prior to the beginning of the next season. I plan to utilize the discounts offered by either Coach-Net or FMCA.
2. Have an extended valve stem installed on the rear tire
3. Install or have installed a TPMS that has both an internal and external sensor. This may be overkill but it is overkill for my peace of mind
4. Get in a habit of checking my tire pressure on all 6-tires before each trip

2-Mice-In our 10+ years of RV'ing we have NEVER had a mice issue. Until this year. I am not sure exactly why this year they have found our 2nd home as a nice little nest.

1. Clean, clean & clean-I will make 1000% sure that nothing is left in Ferocious but Fabulous that will attract the attention of a mouse.
2. A few times each season I will empty out the bays and all cabinets vacuum it out and make sure that no extra crumbs are left. Time to invest in a mini shop vac
3. Prior to winterization I plan to use a natural rodent repellent like Fresh Cab Botanical Repellent  in all of the bays, NOT original Irish Spring and or Dryer Sheets in all cabinets

3-Fuel-I used to religiously fill up at Pilot/Flying J's due to the discounted fuel, mostly clean service centers and locations along the interstates but after traveling where Pilot/Flying J's were few and far between I had to take off the blinders and look around

1. Grocery store cents off-We live near a Harris Teeter which offers cents off per gallon based upon how much you spend in a particular period (week, month...etc.). This past year after a few trips the posted Diesel Price was $2.97 a gallon. Based upon how much we spent in the past period the actual price that I paid was $2.47 a gallon.
2. TSD-It’s an existing program that has been available to trucking fleet owners for many years and this past year they started marketing it to RV'er through the Prevost Owners Community or FMCA. The basic details are that you can fill up at a number of locations (Love's, Travel America..etc.) and receive a significant discount per gallon. The only cons are that the money immediately comes out of your account as opposed to Pilot Flying J which bills monthly. The per gallon discount amount varies based upon where you fill up. Also, unless you stop at a Love's or Pilot/Flying J you are fueling up a truck stop, not a travel center with clean bathrooms or nice amenities.
3. Plan better by using the Gas Buddy App for Example on September 27th the price per gallon of Diesel

• Northern Virginia-$2.99
• Frederick, Maryland $2.89
• Fredericksburg, Virginia $2.84
• Breezewood, Pennsylvania $3.55
• Inwood West Virginia$2.85

I can easily save 10-70 cents per gallon if I plan my fuel stops. With a 100-gallon tank every penny helps 

4-Maintenance-I am not a mechanically handy guy and I am a firm believer in preventive maintenance and leaving the maintenance to the experts. Ferocious but Fabulous sits on a Freightliner Custom Chassis.  

Freightliner has done a great job of 1-Clearly outlining by miles or months of service what needs to be done. 2-Identifying the dealers who have gone through special training to work on RV's 3-Maintaining a 24/7 help line and app... just in case you have a problem you can call or log in with the app.

5-Thank You-I appreciate all of the people (owners and employees) who work at the RV Parks that we frequent. They all work hard and put up with a lot. I took advantage of a sale (not sure if it was or not..but the ad said sale) from Vista Print and had a bunch of post cards made up. After each trip I typically will send out a quick note that lets them know that we had a great time. 

It only takes a second to make someone's day.

Until Next Week




#liveagreatstory
#etctacampingadventures2019