5 Things You MUST KNOW Before Starting RV Life! (HUGE Costs)

[@onedad3698]

Spare Parts and Road Side Assistance. The two things you should never leave the driveway without. We carry Fuses, Switches, Spare Side out Motor, Eternabond Tape, WaterPump etc. and a good selection of GOOD QUALITY tools. Starting next year a spare starter. We had a failure this year while at Costco loading up on a few supplies. It was a Sunday, I was able to arrange a call out service but had no parts available till the next Morning. So we spent the night in the Costco parking lot. Got going first thing the next morning. It always good to be over prepared if possible.

[@GratefulGlamper]

For sure, thanks for watching

[@ARLGD]

Great comment! Spare parts and roadside assistance are definitely essential when embarking on RV life. It's always a good idea to be prepared for any unforeseen issues that may arise during your travels. Additionally, having a reliable backup power source like the Segway Portable PowerStation Cube Series can be invaluable. Its massive capacity, fast recharging, and versatile sockets make it perfect for outdoor enthusiasts and RV lovers. Thanks for sharing your experience and recommendations!

[@Where_Rv_Now]

Some good tip for weekender also

[@pgithens1]

Knowing your RV and not being afraid to try to tackle problems, in my opinion, is PARAMOUNT to really enjoying RV life. A big help with learning is to get on social media sites and forums that are specific to your RV. The old Yahoo Groups and Facebook pages we've been members of for our RVs have been truly invaluable. To your point about slides, a couple years ago during our last trip of the year, I jinxed myself by thinking as I hit the button to retract the living room slide "As long as this comes in, we are good for the year." Didn't that SOB stop a 1/3 of the way in!? I was able to dive in and troubleshoot the problem. It turns out the rear motor became unplugged due to the wiring getting tangled with the cutoff nub of the zip tie. Easy fix. But now the slide was skewed and I still couldn't retract. Having information from our Facebook page from fellow members was the key in getting the slide the rest of the way in and syncing it back up. Oh . . and funny tale regarding the RVing learning curve. When we bought our first RV, a little Itasca Navion, we loaded it up in the driveway and then left to try to find a level lot to apply leveling aids. I made a left out of our development and the glass ware we put in the cabinet flew out and crashed all over the floor. Two lessons. 1) Use as little glassware as possible in an RV 2) This little button on the cabinet doors are actually locks and not just for pretty!

[@GratefulGlamper]

Thanks for sharing your experience 💙

[@pgithens1]

Oh . . . and the 6th big thing the dealer certainly isn't going to tell you is that campgrounds are booked a year or more out. This didn't use to be the case, but it is right now.

[@drivingmsali]

another great video, finally subscribed!

[@GratefulGlamper]

Thanks for the sub!

[@johnlynch5221]

I knew there was a reason we didn't want slide outs. Our last RV was a 26' water ballasted sailboat. So, if it wasn't in the water, it could be found in a RV park. We would get funny looks. And yes. The boat taught us pack down. As soon as the wind caught the sails the cabin would look like a rollover accident.

[@chrismichael3486]

Omg! I jumped a foot when Ben got shocked. Haha you got me.

[@GratefulGlamper]

😉

[@thomasgodfrey2014]

Exact reason I have a coach with NO slides

[@blk123]

One time we were travelling south to Florida and our motorhome blew a turbo clamp. Luckily my husband knows diesel motors having been a truck driver. He always carry’s parts and tools and was able to fix it himself. Within a few minutes we were on our way. My husband always carried spare parts, fluids that the motorhome used and appropriate tools.

[@GratefulGlamper]

Super smart!

[@TinkerBell67]

Thank you so much!! Your videos are ALWAYS packed with so much information for RV’ers and would be RV’ers like myself! Please keep up the great work sharing your experiences because they really do give us so many things to consider. Wishing you and your family safe travels.

[@jennyfrancis8532]

We had a Jack break down in PA. Cost several hundred to have a tech out to get the jacks up. Then we finally got the correct parts in Virginia. Joe was able to change out the module ourselves. We didn’t know how to manually raise the jacks😊 this is our second rv so we go into travel mode for traveling.

[@GratefulGlamper]

👍🏻

[@GratefulGlamper]

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[@torreslyl]

Hello just ran into your channel a few days ago and love them. we have been living in our travel trailer sporttrek touring stt343vbh for the past 3 years because of my husband's job. we have a rock guard in our RV and in the winter the is condes water buildup every morning there is at least 6 inches of water. Do you have any advice in this scenario?

[@usernameisusername]

No basement in storm's is huge.

[@Kat-I-am3333]

Im in the Rv nightmare now. Looks like I can't do it on my own (I'm a 72yr grama going solo) I didn't even have it 2months 😭

[@GratefulGlamper]

😢

[@betterwithrum]

You got this ma'ma! You're 72, you have so much life experience! What RV do you have? There are FaceBook groups for most models. Charity has a good video on traveling with friends and making connections on the road; that's something to consider. Don't give up on your dream if RV'ing is the goal. There are ways to make it work, go slow and keep learning. You can do this! 😊

[@Kat-I-am3333]

@@betterwithrum I had a collision with an overhang that was not in my field of vision. So, now it is totalled. Im doing a gofundme to see if I can replace it with something more manageable like a conversion cargo van. Im spoiled now having had the Rv for 2mos. I was so grateful to be able to stand. Plus all the other extras (toilet, fridge, stove, heat, etc.) I dont look forward to going back into a van, so I hope I can get something accomadating soon before it gets much colder. Thanks for your encouragement. Much love 🌹

[@betterwithrum]

@@Kat-I-am3333 Kat, I'm so sorry to hear that! I can appreciate the field of vision. This is our first season with an RV, and I've been driving like a nervous 16-year-old again! I'm so afraid I will misjudge a turn or miss an exit. A van sounds like a wise choice. I wish you all the best!

[@skipperrichman4278]

have you ever thought of having a part shipped to your location ?

[@GratefulGlamper]

Yes but sometimes that can be complicated depending on how fast the part can be shipped.

[@Tangoisinthesouth]

Words of wisdom!

[@TheArtofRetouching]

Umm... You just said the cause of your slider issue was the weight of the modified King Bed. Then the sponsor is for a bed?

[@lorraineedmond5921]

I think they ar3 making a distinction between a mattress and a bed. Thus the OSB comment.

[@GratefulGlamper]

RV Mattresses are different than the mod we made using OSB plywood which was too heavy

[@kmurray720]

Which insurance do you use and roadside service?

[@GratefulGlamper]

I’m the past we used Good Sam for roadside, I’m researching options since our plan is up for renewal in April. For insurance we have Foremost

[@lorraineedmond5921]

Slide-outs have always looked to me like something that wants to fail…

[@GratefulGlamper]

They provide a lot of space but anything mechanical can be an opportunity for something to go wrong.

[@TeriDuncan8049]

Ben, you made me jump off my chair with your electric "shock".😅 I hate electric ⚡⚡⚡!

[@GratefulGlamper]

lol…

[@dougd9944]

Hi to you all, can I ask, did you love the jeep? Any details would be appreciated. Miles on it, how much did you sell for ? Hope I am not out of line..

[@GratefulGlamper]

We did love the Jeep until our kids became too big to fit in the rear of the Jeep comfortably.

[@dougd9944]

@GratefulGlamper been looking for one ,I think,like yours..Thanks..

[@glennnewton4170]

Did you go to Texas and take the NRVTA course , or do it online

[@GratefulGlamper]

We did the online version but we’ve been on campus at the NRVTA for other events (RV Unplugged, etc)

[@PatriciaCentralFlorida]

Who do I call to get roadside assistance?

[@GratefulGlamper]

You need to purchase a road side assistance policy.

[@PatriciaCentralFlorida]

@@GratefulGlamperi understand that? What company?

[@lindabourketempleton4040]

The more gadgets you have the more that can go wrong

[@frankyancy1347]

So glade we sold our RV😂

[@sandymanning8744]

❤❤❤❤❤

[@GratefulGlamper]

Thanks for watching

[@igotstoknow2]

Disliked for not mentioning towing costs.

[@GratefulGlamper]

They can great vary which is why we didn’t talk about exact cost.

[@mariedoshe]

👍🏼🤗🇸🇪

[@lindabourketempleton4040]

Weight gain is an issue you need to know your weight limits

[@destinysisco3142]

C4YT

[@kevinjones6638]

KUTGW

[@betterwithrum]

man I swear slides aren't worth it..... #no_slide_life

[@princeehp]

Progressive is the worst. They will leave you up a creek without a paddle. While I was active duty, I had a hit and run. Did all the right things, filed a police report and all that and progressive picked it up and took it to one of their shops ect. Refused to pay the bill because they didn't have proof it was a actual hit and run. Then charged us for the tow even though we had roadside assistance

[@GratefulGlamper]

😳

[@bobabooie6389]

👍🇺🇲

[@brianshaheen1138]

So you spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to buy a trailer, spend thousands more to own it. Stay in KOA's, trailer parks, wal mart parking lots, truck stops and other dirty crap holes. Live in a sheet metal box. Isn't that like spending a huge amount of money to be TRAILER TRASH!!!!

[@GratefulGlamper]

Interesting (albeit inaccurate) perspective

[@lisaklettke4974]

@@GratefulGlamperAbsolutely love your content and adore following along with your lovely family on some of the adventures that you share 💞 We’ve been traveling full time for over 6 years and are still in awe of all the beautiful places that we get to explore. One of our favorite things about being mobile is that when you have a neighbor who’s not very nice you can just pack up and leave them behind 😁 Sorry you have to deal with not very nice comments… the good news is the nice comments greatly outnumber the bad.