Rock'N'Roll Trailer Adventures

To start off the new year, I thought I would tell a funny story. This was definitely a FAIL. We searched for our trailer for over a year. I did not want to buy new, but the floorplan and size we were looking for was never in the used market. The new ones would sell like hotcakes. It seemed that the further North we went, the more likely we would be able to find our trailer. We ended up all the way up in Upland, about 120 miles away. Ugh. Once we signed all the paperwork and got hitched up, it was rush hour(s). We hid out at a nearby casino while it died down. By the time we got home, it was late, dark and we were tired.  Rule #1 for trailer ownership: Don't do anything related to the trailer (other than rest inside of it) when you are tired. Nothing good will come of it. We recently had our driveway widened and redone with pavers, mostly so we could park the trailer in the driveway as well as both vehicles. *fake sneezes* Naive! Here's the thing about our driveway, it's on

Flex Seal might be my new best friend. Just saying... It's my new duct tape as far as the travel trailer is concerned.  Broken door hook bracket... FLEX SEAL! This stupid little bracket hooks the screen door to the exterior door. When it came loose, I realized what a pain it actually was to have the two separate. The screws were not holding to the door because they didn't really have anything to hold onto in the first place. FLEX SEAL basically glued the bracket to the door and created a base for the screws to use. Haven't had any issues since! Boom! Broken bolt on the stove cover... FLEX SEAL! The bolts holding the stove cover to the hinges are PLASTIC. Once broken it was easy to see how easily material will crack over time and with plenty of movement. I used flex seal because I didn't have anything else and we were boondocking. I didn't want to the glass to rattle and crack. What a pain that would've been. Well, the flex seal broke down over time for this par

DIY RV Project: Zero Gravity Blinds With all the fun of open and closing and toddler tinkering, our strings were on their final strand. Here are the steps I took to repair our zero gravity blinds, along with a link to the handy YouTube video that guided me through the process. I would've made my own video, but it would have been a Marx Brothers comedy in comparison. Something I'll save for another time.     Above, you will see the issue of the last strand. As I removed the valance, I discovered (as will most removals in our trailer) that the manufacturer took shortcuts on the installation. Instead of installing brackets, they screwed the valance directly to the wall, luck to find a stud, and through the blinds themselves. I'm afraid what I'll find on the next window repair... Once I carefully held the valance away from the blinds, I was able to weasel into the space and remove the blinds from the wall. Here's where the YouTube video comes in handy for the actual rep

Howdy! It's been a crazy year and definitely one for the books. So long 2020 and hello to 2021!  Upon the return from our last trip, we received enough "How do you plan?" questions, that I felt it was worthy an address on the blog. Especially since it's going to be new trip planning time soon! It all starts late at night with a thought and then muttering as we are falling asleep... "What do you think about going to..." Then the next morning I'm online obsessing about our next destination. I start with Google maps and begin shaping a road trip between home and the destination. Some of the ideas out floating around in the ether are Route 66, Grand Canyon, Disney World, East Coast in the Fall, National Parks, Burning Man (but not Burning Man), weird roadside attractions, etc. Fire Tour 2020 was "What would it be like to take Highway 1 all the way up West coast?" that turned into a friends and family tour. Plus a hunt for Bigfoot through the Redwo

Well, after a year like 2020, we are all looking forward to moving on. A lot of folks decided to do just that over this past summer... Move. They hit the road like never before. It was a safer alternative to hotels and high occupancy public spaces.  And some of these folks found that RVing was not only fun, but something they wanted to invest their time and effort into.  If you know someone, or are one of these folks, here are a couple of great gift ideas for all price levels that are practical AND fun.  Have a safe and happy holiday season! Hun, Cabana Boy and Spawn Rock'N'Roll Trailer Adventures Easy On The Wallet Ideas From  tension rods  and  command hooks , to  bins , buckets and boxes and  racks , oh my! Throw in a couple  lazy susans  and  stacking dry good storage  (my favorite, so I have multiple sizes!) and start calling yourself a damn RV organizing expert! All the little things really start to add up. Since organizing is personalized, a REALLY great idea would be a

Welcome to the Top 10 of how we have personalized our travel trailer. When you get a new, or new to you, rig, the first thing is nesting! You want to make it your home on wheels. I LOVE organizing! I know that's weird, but it makes me feel almost as good as tiki music and a couple cocktails. Here are the Top 10 things we did to personalize our happy mobile home! 1.   We REMOVED the Massive Decals from the Front and Sides of the Trailer It was very important to me to tone down the free marketing on this trailer. Decommodification. Since it was new, the decals hadn't yet molded to the trailer, so the removal was fairly easy. We did keep a few that weren't so in your face "THIS IS A WOLFPUP!" The ones that were difficult, we used Goo Gone to clean it up. Worked like a charm.   2. I Organized the Space Quick AF!   From tension rods and command hooks , to bins , buckets and boxes and racks , oh my! Throw in a couple lazy susans and stacking dry good storage and st

Owning a travel trailer means maintaining it to keep it in top condition. The smallest thing can turn into the biggest nightmare in the blink of an eye. My biggest fear is LEAKING. If I leak, it's not good. If Spawn leaks, it's definitely an issue. If the trailer leaks, its going to cost a lot of money.  So, here is my maintenance plan. Ok, so there are more than TEN musts, but I wanted you to click on the blog link and TOP 10 is a magic topic. Thanks for clicking. Before Each Trip Check tire pressure : Our tires are optimal at 65 PSI (Pounds per Square Inch - I looked it up because fake news is a bad thing). We have those fun little pressure notice stem valve caps. But they are UN-RE-LIABLE. So, I got us a good pressure gauge and check each time we head out. Check propane levels : There are a few ways. Here's an informative video (I get a giggle whenever this guy says propane). I pour hot water on the outside of the tank. Cab

So, now you've taken a trip, or two, and are noticing little things like "I really don't need this and I really wish this wasn't there."  I got to that point the first night I was packing our brand new trailer. I got so tired of having to remove the cushions in the dinette to get to the storage spaces underneath.  So I took a hammer and smashed the panel out of the side of it. Now, not only do I have easy access under the seat, I just created a shoe nook! You have NO IDEA how fraking annoying it is to constantly trip over shoes in a tiny space. Other seat WITH panel   There are some panels that are clearly protecting something. Like drilling holes in the wall, I was too afraid to move these panels. Until one day, the panel under the sink broke. And low and behold, there was a MASSIVE amount of storage space under the stove!!! With a little more demo, I took out another panel using a flat head screwdriver to pry apart