By Barry Zander, Edited by Monique Zander, the Never-Bored RVers
RVing is Great! I said that in my previous article, and I stand by that statement … despite the anti-RV list that follows. I mentioned 11 good things about our infatuation with the recreational vehicle life; yet, I have to face the realities – the dark side!
After reading this I welcome your negative (but, please, not cruel) comments. By the way, the response to the first part, The Good Side, was overwhelming. Lots of interesting comments that added to the discussion.
Now, in no particular order, here are what we consider to be the 11 Most Adverse Things about RVing:
1) This whole topic occurred to me while we were in a coin-operated Laundromat. In the sections of towns with more expensive homes, each house has a washer-dryer. Those residents don’t go outside the home to do the
No. 1 On the List -- Using Coin Laundries
laundry. Where do we usually find the coin-op laundry? In less desirable parts of town. [There are many exceptions] 1a) Making it even worse, after an uncomfortable three hours watching shirts tumble, it’s time to return to the rig and sprawl out to make the bed. Rarely an enjoyable day on the road. [If you have a washer/dryer in your rig and you actually use it, you have a right to be thankful]
2) Monique frequently trips over my shoes in the “grand salon” of our trailer. “Where do you want me to put them?” I ask. No. 2 on the list is definitely limited storage, which is even worse for those of us prone to long trips where you need every type of clothing, all the tools, and everything else nearby to have an almost normal life.
3) Ever go into a campground where there is everything you expect? Soap over the sinks, phone service, level parking. Well, maybe once in a while, but my No. 3 is disappointment at campgrounds. If you checked into into a typical motel, everything you expect is usually there, plus a hair dryer. Campgrounds don’t get that message.
4) Houses in most parts of the country don’t shake, so repairs are only sporadic. Seems like all the bouncing, the sharp turns and hitting the brakes take a toll on rigs that requires fixing. Okay, handyman chores give me something productive to do; however, 4b) trying to find RV parts in the middle of nowhere is another challenge to the good life on the road.
Fun at the Dump Station
5) Dumping. Dumping in the rain. Dumping in the snow. Dumping when the pipe sticks out six inches above the muddy trough. Waiting to dump when a 48-foot Class A is ahead of you.
6) The greatest joy of RVing for us is being in the world during days of good weather. Doesn’t always happen. Two or three days staying inside the RV can get a bit uncomfortable. We remember being outside of Mammoth Cave, Kentucky, when temperatures stayed over 100 degrees for 13 straight days. Even with a/c, it got old. Days of rain, with everything feeling damp, is also not RV-friendly.
7) This one is good/bad. We gladly accept the challenge of dry-camping for days and even weeks on end. There are times, however, when we fail at the task and begin living under the threat of overflowing tanks.
8) Many people are hobbyists. Space considerations do hamper the ability to spread out and/or save the products of most hobbies and crafts.
You're Sometimes All Alone in the World
9) People are social animals. Most of us like to spend time with others, especially family and long-time friends. AHA, along has come “social networking,” but is that a substitute for going down the street to join friends for their backyard barbecue? And visiting relatives is a must for many. That becomes more of a production than it would be in normal houses-on-the-ground neighborhoods.
10) Of course, you can still use the phone now that cell service is overwhelming the old cord-into-the-hole-in-the-wall version. Can you always get service? Nein. Can you always email and Skype? ‘course not. Can you always get TV reception? Nope, but it seems so contrary to plan a trip around phone reception and those other communication conveniences. I’ve been scolded in a past blog for mentioning the importance of reception, but when you live on the road, it’s a reality.
11) And finally, mail. We have a service in South Dakota, a state where we don’t have to pay state taxes for road maintenance on highways we rarely use. Our registration and insurance are also more reasonable (Texas, Florida and a few other states have similar benefits). Our service is very satisfactory, but from time to time there are glitches. I gave the forwarding zip code for a post office in Hot Springs, Arkansas, that doesn’t accept General Delivery. For three days we bounced over hot, crowded under-construction streets playing dodge ball with different postal stations. Ready to admit defeat, we were blessed to find one postal employee who was willing to track down the mail and forward it to our next stop.
Consider this my lesson in what to expect as an RVer. It’s the dark pattern in the white tapestry, the character-building part of our chosen pursuit of the great outdoors in our great nation (plus other great nations). I feel like this lifestyle of RVing is wonderful, even with a few drawbacks.
And now, we all look forward to reading your comments.
From the “Never-Bored RVers,” We’ll see you on down the road.
© All photos by Barry Zander. All rights reserved
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marianj
Great blog We love R. V.ing But we only go in the fall when we go south for the winter. I use laundermats in campgrounds and dont get mail on the road. we use a debit card so no bill to pay. It is great fun. We winter in Texas then head north in March. Very seldom have a problem that sticks with me. Have fun enjoy.
Ed
We went to a coin laundry and the people who use it put in so much soap that I had to reach up and into the soap dispencer to remove clumps of soap. While we were there a man came in and filled the dispencer to overflowing. When his wash was running the window was total white even in the rinse cycles.
We were at a campground in Conn. and a fellow camper was dumping his tank he just put the hose on the ground and opened the valve and let it run, it went down the hole but the stink was terrible. I said “hey pull closer or buy a longer hose! The hose goes into the hole in many states you are required to have a bung to stop sewer gas escape.” he looked at me like I had two heads and I should go mind my own busness.
The next day on his way out he did the same thing. I should have gone to the office the day before or called someone about this.
steve
as to #2, my wife and i built a shoe box that fits right behind the drivers seat, out of the way ofevery think. try it.
Phil Schoner
Visiting family is made easier with an RV. You don’t stay in their spare bedroom and you are not constantly there for them to entertain.
Pat
Re the cost of gas…we too see this as a downer…though we have increased mileage by keeping an eye on our speed (max is now about 57/58) and tire pressure…we went from about 9 mpg to 10-11 (except when bucking a head wind)…not a lot, but it helps a little. We are not yet too discouraged by gas prices, but could see a time when we could be!
Millie
The main problems I find are space so close that you hear everything your neighbors say, even when they are consider and are not loud. Or the ones that cross thru your site, of the ones that start shouting 4 lots away, and are loud, or play loud music so that you hear it 2 or 3 sites away. We camp to enjoy the sounds of nature and usually try to go to state parks. Have not bookdocked yet but will be trying it, to help control the cost of camping due to the high gas prices.
Ron & Sharon
All my kids and most of my grand-kids live within a short drive of my home. I still go RVin for a couple months at a time and invite them to visit in campgrounds when they can. Some have, especially at Disney campground. Missing time with family is only real negative for me. I get a lot more exercise when camping and have a more relaxing lifestyle which is great benefit. All the other things are easy to deal with. We used a laundromat regularly when we were first married 50 years ago. We have survived a diverse stream of neighbors over the years and mostly enjoyed them. Best campgrounds for us are in the forests. We can’t afford much, mostly older, but still enjoyable equipment. RV is not for everyone but those of us who enjoy it the most can sit on a tack for at least 30 minutes.
Travelling Man
Hmmm…well noisy neighbors, barking dogs, trashy sites can be added to the list as well as RVers who wash their rigs at their sites. Grumpy unfriendly owner/managers are high up on the list. All that being said…check the place out beofre you check in and have a back up campground if possible. Flip side is if you’ve never owned and operated a campground, it’s really easy to be an armchair pilot without ever taking the controls. Walk a mile and then see what it’s like…better have a high tolerance for pain…
JC
I don’t know…we’ve stayed in some hotels/motels over the years that make Cousin Eddie’s RV look like the Taj Mahal (if you know what I mean). At the end of the day, our clothes stay in our closet, our food stays in our refrigerator, our backsides lay in our beds, use our toilets, and are cleaned in our shower….paradise on the road!
However, I have noted one consistent theme in these postings…campground conditions. We just finished our first long trip…a month out west and only made one bad location choice. Our travels definitively reinforced the need to research the destination as much as possible and to use more than one source as people’s perceptions vary (wildly at times). Plus, as stated earlier, there are few evaluators out there that just might find the local landfill more than suitable for an excellent rating.
Thank you to all of you for your contributions…we have and are learning so much from you seasoned experts (and the newbies too!).
Fred C
We are newbee’s. My Wife just retired and we bought a older 30′ Class A because thats all we can afford. At the camp grounds (state and federal) a lot of the campers with the high end units won’t even say hi. Thats not true with all for sure, but our unit is not battered or beat up. We still love the campgrounds and most of the people.
dgypz
11. We just returned from a 10K, 3 month trip from Florida out to the west coast and up and around back to Florida. We found that the USPS offers a wonderful service – every Wednesday they would priority mail all of our last week’s mail to either an address or General Delivery. We gave them a list for the first few week’s when we were visiting friends or we would call them on Monday or Tuesday and give them a zip code of a small town with only one code where we would pick up our mail on the following Monday. The system worked great and along the way we met some wonderful post office personnel. The cost was minimal.
JJLJR
I must bring this up as a real negative. I get 9 miles per gallon towing at 62 MPH. At $3.60 per gallon for gas (low today), my fuel cost per mile is 40 cents. This severly limits my travel plans. As an example, we go to FL twice a year. My fuel costs up and back in March (2,200 miles) was $824.00 and the cost per gallon has increased since. Frankly, I can rent for amonth in FL and get a bigger place by driving a fuel efficient auto. A vehicle getting 24 miles per gallon at $3.60 per gallon would cost $550.00 less in gas up and back, not counting costs saved driving around in FL. This would get worse the farther we drove. This is a real issue negatively impacting the RV lifestyle.
Manuel Enos
Have encountered just about all the negatives mentioned and we still love RVng!! Had a guy try to break in to our RV around 1am in the morning in Florida Caverns State Park – I stuck a .357 in his face and he beat a hasty retreat!! Security is basically my only worry on the road now that I am getting older and not as spry as I use to be. Therefore I go armed wherever I can lawfully do so and try not to get in situations that may call for extreme measures. There are a lot of crazies out there that would love to ruin your day just to please themselves. Stay safe on the road.
Pat
Thanks…funny and annoying experiences…
Our biggest pet peeves:
1. You CAN’T trust the Good Sam ratings, their inspectors definition of clean is usually far different from ours…Instead of using numbers for campground ratings, just use a red GS logo for fair, yellow for good, and green for best…
2. Open pit fires when rugs are only 2″ a part…
3. Inconsiderate RVers…noisey (especially after hours), walking through your space, and not picking up after their pets…
We have found KOAs overall to be better than most GS ‘approved’ campgrounds…though pricey! Bob D is right, boondocking is great, second to that, Casinos! Clean, quiet, and easy in and out! Best usually are the 55+ RV “Resorts” – though again pricey!
Even though we miss a certain few TV shows (when we can’t get the Dish to work), we have satellite radio and we can catch the news that way, or NPR on the rigs radio…but we love reading and I like to write, so we’re never bored on that count…As noted, cell phone/internet connectivity can be an issue, but we are usually OK…
We are not yet fulltimer fulltimers, but right now 90% of our mail is junk, so no loss there…we are almost 100% snail mail free when it comes to finances…but fortunately we have family to sort through and forward mail when the time comes.
So overall, we love the RV lifestyle, even with all the bumps…a lot better than shoveling snow, mowing lawns, climbing property taxes, etc., though when out we miss the space…luckily my hobbies don’t take space and my wife’s beading and knitting doesn’t demand much either!
See ya’ll on the trail!
Serge
Another preoccupation is security on the road, mostly at night. Two family where hijacked on the road around midnight by two cars driven by gunmen on I-95 in the state of Georgia. Is it the same in other states ?
If so, we better not breakdown at the end of the day…
Doug Schoen
I have experienced most if not all of the problems you mentioned, but the best outlook is to keep a positive attitude, and you can get through anything. The RVing community is by far the most friendly group of people I’ve ever come in contact with. In my 7 years RVing with 2 years full time, I have probably only met a couple of folks whom I wouldn’t bother talking to again. They tried to impress me with their units, and I really don’t care if you have a 45′ Class A, or a pop-up. I care that you are having a good time and enjoying the freedom of RVing. I have such a good mail arrangement, that I only require mail once a year at tax time, and I am even trying to improve on that. If you are having trouble paying bills on the road, it can usually be rectified by using Bill Pay through your bank or directly on the internet to the provider. I’m still looking for that negative I can’t overcome. You just have to be resourceful and come up with new and innovative ways of doing things. I also love to help out other RVers with questions or problems.
Hopefully I’ll be on the road for many more years.
Enjoy
Merrily
I actually (mostly) like doing laundry on the road! I have met some VERY interesting people! Learned about some interesting places and found out about local activities and good restaurants! Now at home – I LOVE my washer & dryer!! If nobody is around to chat with, I get to read and have quiet time!
Thanks for the articles! 🙂
David (retire09)
Hello everyone a newbie to Rving someday maybe fulltimer have lot of Questions.
Retired Jan 09 and purchased used class C. and started by taking short trips to Cape May , NJ home upstate NY, and went to Maine our 1st year. Last extende destation trip to N. Carolina near the outter banks and to the western part of the state near Ashville, NC. Finished up eastern Tenn. and then headed home. Later that yr went into Canada, to cut over to upper Michigan to Mckinaw City and spent a week there before returning home. Went to store RV for the winter ended up trading up to a used 2008 class C Forester, which had very little use and mileage under 1,300 miles the people didn’t like the driving part and traded in for a trailer and permantly parked in one spot. Manueals came with it about the appliance’s stove AC etc, but manueal doesn’t explain much about the workings of the rv itself. Our 1st motorhome was smaller and no slideout, this one has 2 and run by power but no instructions on how to close slideouts if motor fails etc. This yr made dowm to N.C. again, and was going to explore further west untill I broke my foot trying to bring in awning during bad thunderstorm when i tried opening door 3am the wing threw the door open and I lost my balance , and fell broke foot which shortened trip and had to return home upstate NY. Now would like to leave this December, and head south to FLA and on to Ariz Concerned about freeezing pipes and this motorhome has some electrial wiring that’s suppose to keep pipes from freezing. Again nothing in the Manual mention about the switch. Have other concerns, and I enjoy reading everbody’s comments because it helps me learn. Any suggestions, on this up coming trip I would sure appreciate.
Thanks
Be Safe and happy RVing
Rae
If I find myself tripping on something, I find a place to put it… or I get rid of it. 😉
The absolute only thing that drives me batty about this lifestyle is that unlimited hardwired internet can be had for, at most, $50 a month, but I have to pay $75 a month for 5GB of mobile bandwidth, and $51 for every subsequent GB I use.
Gary
#3 if you want a hotel/motel go get one. Leave us campers alone. #4 When your holding tank(s) need to be dumped, but it’s plugged and the guy charges a minimum of $80./hr to fix it. Bought the same psrt for $19.95. Do it ownself. #5 yes, had to dump, but that idiot if front of me…….#6 move to the areas that suit your clothes, Wrong time. Wrong place. It happens.. #7 Didn’t you plan for every change? #8 Get another hobby. You are not an RVer, you are a poser.#9,#10,#11 C’mon, get a life. Hardships come with the “job”. RVing can be an absolute chore. Trying to have some quiet time does not work, and finally” #12. “you got mold” can happen in a house too, but it is a constant in a RV. The ceiling can fall down. How many RV ads say “had a leak” might need work. IT WILL. They leak and will continue to leak,, everywhere, anytime any place and the leaks are hard to track down. But it’s a great way to live and explore.
Brad Peterson
Always good to hear the problems that others have had, gives one a heads up.
The comments you received are also noteworthy.
Keep up the work, it helps others.
Dianne Dickerson
Sorry. The e-mail address was incomplete on my previous post.
Dianne Dickerson
I made all the reservations for our first RV trip online, and checked reviews for every campground, and still got burned. We were to stop for the night at the Twin Lakes RV Park in Newberry Springs, CA. We got to a rocky road that said, “This road not maintained by San Bernardino County.” As we turned down it, my daughter said, “We could get murdered here.” We entered a nearly abandoned campsite with a scary, hostage type sign that said, in different sized letters, “Sorry. Gone to town. Pick a site and pay us when we get back.” There were 2 or 3 old campers, but noone around. The “lakes” looked like toxic waste dumps. There was a No Dumping sign in front of a yard that could have been on that hoarders TV show. We quickly used our phones to find another campground and ended up at a nearby KOA. When we checked in I told the clerl jokingly that we had just escaped certain death. When I told him the name of the campground, he said, “Oh, I see you found the local nudist colony!” Don’t believe all the reviews you read!
Also, regarding cell phone/internet reception, can anyone recommend a cell phone signal booster for use in a 35 ft Class A? We’re desperate to get a faster, more reliable internet connection.
Malcolm Kosowan
All of the negatives are superficiall
I love RVing but I also love sailing the Great Lakes.
When you go sailing all of the negatives are equated to sataionary homes. Tripping over shoes!!!! try having several sails on your bed.
Confined to the RV in the rain, try , you have to be on deck in the rain.
RVing is fantactic, enjoy what it gives you
Dan Rambow
Yes there are negatives, nothing is perfect. But many of your negatives are self-imposed.
i.e. shortcomings from the rig you have chosen, or from the mistakes you have made.
Bad weather happens, but in an RV, you can move.
Bad neighbors happen, but in an RV, you can move.
Dumping isn’t the most fun, but neither is a stopped up, upstairs toilet, in a sticks ‘n bricks house.
It does cost a bit to move your home down the road, and keep all in working order, but keeping a sticks’ n bricks house maintained, and taxes paid, isn’t cheap either.
Socialize with people, its your choice, you can move to be near relatives (or move away), all those in an RV Park already share your interest in RVing, so just strike up a conversation (or not), it is all up to you.
In our one year of full-timing, we have had more fun, met more people, and felt better than the last 20 years living in a condo. Oh, and we both still work, and I have my office in the RV bunk-bed space, it all works. Yes, there are a few problems occasionally, but leaks and failing appliances happen in all manner of homes.
And with an RV, you get the mild amusement of talking with folks who are terrified of, and can’t understand how anyone could live in an RV. Different strokes for different folks, the world is a great place for all. (except maybe politicians)
butterbean carpenter
Howdy Barry,
Man, get off that mountain and back on the road and enjoy life.. You never b…….d
like that when you were on the road before, going all of those beautiful places..
Me thinks you got too confined with the inlaws in that little trailer..
Smooth roads, clear skies & balmy breezes !!!!!!!!!!!!
catchesthewind
Hey James. I drive a 38ft class A Winnebago Voyage with SD plates. If the camping gods decree that we should share the same campground you have an open invitation to stop by and we will drain a few cold ones and offer a wiener in sacrifice and we will have a good evening. Looking forward to it. This is an open invite to all.
Wild Bill
So sorry about the negatives voiced. Really the only downside we’ve suffered is being next to or to near other rv’rs who just don’t know what peace and quiet are after ‘hours.’
Most of the other stuff can be solved by just staying at home!
catchesthewind
Re #11. I too have an excellent mail forwarding service out of SD. My solution is that I ask them to hold my mail until I get to my next campground or to a post office that will accept gen del. mail. Love SD.
Ralphie Boyo
As far as campground rating goes, I used rvparkreviews.com over our five month, 11K winter journey around most of the perimeter of the US. Only one disappointment in fifty-four tries. Great column, guys… you have the gift.
James Braam
I don’t appreciate the snooty looks that come from those that own the newer higher end RV’s. What I have is what I can afford and I do think I can enjoy mine as well as or even more so since I can go way off the beaten path without worring about my precious rig. Thanks for letting me vent and have a great evening.
riggarob
I guess that’s why we’ve always had a class A rig. 40″ tv, washer/dryer, plenty of storage space.We spend 3 months dry camping in Key West every winter.Our biggest problem was always fueling up, now all we use is the truck lanes. We deciced not to even check the prices. That made our life UNBELIEVABLY easier. Now to the worst problem, MAIL. We finally got to where we pay all of our bills on line, and try to have all of our pkgs del. either by Fed-x, or UPS. They usually del. right to our site. I think it may be just a matter of getting used to your situation, and rollin’ w/the punches. Keep those articles comming. Robbie
Elario
As a full-timer, one of the things I find annoying is relying on the info I get from RV parks’ web sites. A good site designer can make a place look like Shang-R-La, but when you get there (after reserving a site) you discover you’ve moved into a “labor camp”. A lot of “full-time” RV’rs are actually using an RV and a site in an RV park as a cheap place to call ‘home’. They leave for work at 6:00 AM, and after a hard days’ work in the “fields”, they use the restrooms to ‘clean-up’, without worrying about who’s going to clean up their mess. So, very careful evaluation of the park on the I’net is quite important.
Harold Hansen
I meant to say BillPay in my post above, not PayPal as a monthly bill paying solution.
joe milyko
Thats all part of the fun!!
Enjoyed that thanks
Harold Hansen
One of the problems can be tackled pretty much – mail – by using your credit union or bank checking account paypal service. Mine is free with the credit union and it is so simple to use especially with reocurring monthly bills such as motor home or car payments. You can just sit down once or twice a month and pay all bills and you have access to online data from anywhere. You can also change some magazines to the digital version and most utility companies, phone and other monthly bills can be set to be paperless so you can access them via the internet. Doing the above gets rid of about 95% of real mail service and the rest of the junk can be tossed by the mail service you may use. We haven’t had any mail problems for a long time.
Bob Difley
Easy resolutions to your problems:
(1) Go naked. You will do fewer loads of laundry.
(2) Go barefoot. No need for shoes. Always camp in warm places.
(3) Boondock more, then you won’t be dissatisfied with campgrounds.
(4) Buy a new rig when things are broken.
(5) Do as a bear does. You’ll have to dump less often.
(6) Never camp where it is raining or over 100 degrees.
(7) See #5.
(8) Try sleeping as a hobby. You already have the space for it.
(9) Fly the cocktail flag from your antenna. You’ll have plenty of people to socialize with.
(10) If people want to talk to you they will call you–and keep calling until you have reception.
(11) Stop paying bills and receiving magazines. Then you won’t need the US mail.
Glad I could help.
Good column Barry. Lots of fun. Glad to see you’re still out there enjoying life. Happy travels, my friend.
Bob
Fred Wishnie
A lot of the negatives you mention seem to be caused by either too small a rig or one that is not designed for full time living. We have an apartment size washer and dryer, satellite for internet and Direct TV, a fireplace to take out the chill or dampness, more than enough storage space for the relaxed full time lifestyle, I have my own hair dryer and soap and NEVER go in the campgrounds restrooms. We are not particularly social people, but have developed more great friendships with other full timers than we ever had in a S/B environment. Yes, you do sometimes lack cell service, but there is always email, and after you forget once to find out the PO that accepts General Delivery, you never make that mistake again. I guess what I’m saying, is that if you are properly set up, there are few if any downside to this lifestyle.
Fred Wishnie
Sheldon in Port Angeles, WA
We fell victim to number 3 last year. It even had 5 stars in a popular camping guide. I now spend more time reading actual campers reviews before booking into an unknown campsite. What made the above more insulting was a campground closer to where we actually were visiting was only rated 3 stars. But the place was beautiful, right on the river and full of happy campers! And was within walking distance to town center.