Thanks to Erin’s post on existential ergonomics about her Yellowstone trip and Boomers with RVs, I remembered this post I wrote exactly eight years ago, today! FYI we sold the RV in 2020 prior to moving to AZ. Thanks to COVID, people wanted RVs, even used ones!
I love camping. My favorite memories as a child were Fourth of July weekends at Ross Lake near the Canadian border in Washington.
Open campfires, roasting hot dogs, followed by s’mores. Families laughing together, watching stars.
We introduced our kids to camping with an annual trip to Carpinteria State Beach, playing cards, sitting around bonfires and flying kites.
So what could possibly go wrong when we looked at RVs and decided to graduate from our tent? We had the perfect excuse. We would use the RV once a month at swim meets, instead of paying for hotels out of town. Our kids could sit inside between swims diligently doing their homework, rather than hanging out under a pop-up tent with their friends. Yeah. Right.
We bought the RV four years ago and took it to exactly NO swim meets out of town. We brought it to our own pool to give kids on our team a break from the pool deck during a big meet. I think the kids spent a total of 15 minutes inside.
We took three camping trips with our kids. Here are three things that went wrong:
• The first trip, the RV got stuck inadvertently under the roof of a gas station. The gas station owner yelled that he was suing us for damages to his gas station.
• The second trip, the generator went out while we were dry camping.
• The third trip, my husband said he hates driving it and buying it was the biggest mistake he’s ever made.
We’re trying to use the RV this summer. If not, it’s gone in the fall.
We took it out of storage. We plugged it into our house’s electric, so I could get it cleaned up for the trip to the mountains. What else could go wrong?
First, the power went out in our house. The refrigerator, TV and computers went dark along with the lights. This was before I started cleaning.
Second, the AC went out in the RV so I cleaned in the “hot tin can” heat. When I went outside for breathers, in the 110 degree temps, it actually felt cool compared to inside the RV.
We got “The Beast” up the mountain by hiring someone to drive the windy roads for us. He got it all set up and we were happy campers for about two hours.
Then, I turned on the faucet and it smelled like rotten eggs.
Next, we turned on all the faucets to clear out the smelly water and someone knocked on the door to tell us we had a leak. Water was pouring out from under the hook-ups.
The toilet wouldn’t flush and started leaking.
The carpet in the bedroom was damp from the leaks.
After our first night in the mountains, we decided to call it quits and come back to the heat of Palm Springs. At least we have a pool, AC, toilets and running water.
The good news is we get return to the mountains to hire a repairman and try RVing once again. My friends keep telling me I’m going to love it. I’ll let you know.
Are you a happy camper? What problems have you had RVing?
That is quite a story! I guess that is why my husband mentions renting one if we are doing a few days travelling.
Hotels are pretty cheap.
We have 2 pugs and would like to travel with them, also and explore a few places, visit family when we both have the time.
We have 2 dogs. That is a concern
Yes, sometimes it is hard to find a reasonable place.
I was going through our finances and we had at least 10 hotel stays of three to four nights for swim meets. We knew parents of older children with RVs who used them for swim meets and it seemed to make sense. But, it was not for us.
Renting would have been the smart thing to do. We would have figured out it wasn’t for us.
My parents owned a RV and went touring after their retirement. They went to places like Nova Scotia, Apache Junction, AZ. I did read my mom’s journal and one entry read ‘my dad got out his gun and they were on high alert in Georgia’ after someone tailed them. They did break down a couple of times but their travels allowed them to find where they resettled: Bon Secour, Al and settle down. So, it had a purpose and they did get to see some interesting places.
It seems like a fun idea of adventuring, but it didn’t work out for us. It sounds like your parents had a great time with theirs.
I believe they did. Although my mom’s journal indicates she missed seeing family but she was very social, so they did pick up a few friends. I think they toured and lived out of the RV for 2 years before settling down in Alabama.
Wow. That is something. Two years. We did go to Big Bear Lake for three summers and enjoyed it as a weekend getaway from the heat.
Nothing is ever perfect is it 😉 We tented camped for many years. It was fine but a lot of work so I think having everything all ready to go is often what encourages people who can to move up to an RV of some sort. There are so many options now. I would love to have a small one because tent camping isn’t my thing anymore. Sadly I could put a down payment on a house for what an RV would cost.
We did buy it used but it was a waste of time and money. Especially for storage and not using it. I liked tent camping better.
I chuckled all the way through this post, Elizabeth…especially this: “The third trip, my husband said he hates driving it and buying it was the biggest mistake he’s ever made.” I know some folks LOVE their RV’s and I’m happy for them…but once upon a time…I remember my dad saying something similar to my mom, Sue and then we watched the Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz classic silly film, “The Long, Long Trailer” for comic relief. We needed it. RV life was a stress bomb! 🤣
I remember that movie. I should have watched it when we had the desire to buy an RV. It was a fantasy where we pictured ourselves happily traveling the country. I think a small RV would have worked out better.
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That was entertaining. Thank you for sharing.
I’m glad you enjoyed it. It’s funny looking back on it. Not quite so much fun living through it!
Oh my goodness! That’s enough to deter me from ever considering one! I doubt if we ever would because Entrepreneur’s idea of camping is the Holiday Inn instead of the Hilton. I’ve tent camped before and, while it does have its enjoyable moments, I’m always happy to get back to my conveniences. 😜
That’s funny, a Holiday Inn rather than a Hilton! I think if we had gotten a van-sized camper, we’d have used it more. Ours was impossible to drive, it felt like a boat on the road.
I love camping, & backpacking but not with and RV for nearly every reason you mentioned. We bought a pop-up last year. I spent most of the past weekend prepping for out trip next week. My wife said I am going over board, I gave her the look and said better to be overboard then listening to her asking me why didn’t I get it ready. RVing is not for everybody, including me and apparently your husband. LOL.
I like tents much better! We had only good memories and it’s not too much maintenance or driving trouble to pack a car with a tent and sleeping bags inside.
Absolutely. My wife still tells stories of tent camping 20 years ago – she has a fear of daddy-long-legs…
That’s funny!
Even funnier when she saw the 100+ spiders on the outside of the tent then got the nerve to leave the tent…..
WOW! That would be creepy.
Lots of planning needed.
The problem with our idea to use it at swim meets were most of our meets were in busy metropolitan areas like Los Angeles or Irvine with no campgrounds close by.
We have an old mastiff who can’t manage steps anymore. It hurts his feelings to be left behind. He loves his dogsitter but hates to see us packing. I think next time, we’ll get her to take him to her house before we start packing so he’ll get a vacation too.
It’s so hard to have dogs getting older. It’s heartbreaking to the point that we can’t get another dog after our yellow lab Angus.
We have a 9 year old mastiff. I dread losing him.
We just couldn’t do it again. We had a 15-year-old yellow lab.
OMG. That sounds like a real lemon! Did you buy it new? Because my husband always wants coffee, even at 3pm, we pulled up to a kiosk and I managed to scrape the side of the van on the kiosk roof. I don’t think I damaged the roof, and they fortunately didn’t come out and yell at me. We got bad water once. Ick. We had a lot of troubles with the battery in our van, but the replacement has done well. When we had the pull-behind trailer, we almost didn’t make it around a one-lane switchback in the Utah mountains and coasted into Monticello in fumes. Almost ran out of gas in rural New Mexico one time, too! But nothing like your bad experiences. Or at least I’ve thankfully forgotten them.😂
We bought the RV used and I’m not sure if all the problems were due to the RV itself or us having zero knowledge of what we were doing! I think a van would be easier to manage. We had swim parents who are experts at RVs. They were driving up I 15 to Utah through the Virgin River Gorge and their tow car disengaged from their RV! I couldn’t believe such a thing could happen to them. The car went over a cliff and was totaled but didn’t injure anyone on the road!
Yikes!!
Now our friends have a much smaller RV and are learning how to camp off the grid. No tow cars allowed!
Wow! Bad adventures!
OMG – holy smokes, Elizabeth! I’ve also romaticized what it would be like to RV across the country. Now I’m thinking RVs are more like boats and take a lot of work. Thanks for the eye opener!
Yes, you may be right. We had a boat we kept in Anacortes when I was growing up. My dad was always working on it! We did romanticize about all the trips and freedom we’d have with the RV. We enjoyed a few summers at Big Bear Lake in the mountains above Palm Springs, using it for weekend getaways. But other than that, we didn’t use it except for three camping trips.
I’ve never been camping so I have no experience to share.
Is camping not popular where you live?
Nopes, only Boy Scouts go camping 😛
Interesting.
It’s a cultural difference
I thought so.
Besides we don’t have many camping grounds either
Really? I guess we are lucky in the US with so many state and national parks.
Very v true, you are.
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Oh I don’t like camping…
I loved camping as a child and when my kids were young. It was easier then.
Our old dog has trouble with the steps. We can’t take him again. He weighs 125 pounds. Too heavy to lift.
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I’m not a happy camper, but I am camping in Iowa for eight days during this cycling event. I’m not excited about that part of the trip! RV’s are a nice compromise to a tent when they are functioning properly. Hugs, C
I bet you will enjoy the camping part of your cycling event. I can’t wait to hear about it!