f there was a silver lining to the Great Recession of 2007-’09, it was that RV manufacturers had a lot of time on their hands. The national economy was in the toilet — and no industries were hurt more than those building recreational vehicles (we’ll include pleasure boats here, as well). According to the RV Industry Association, shipments to dealers dropped from 353,400 in 2007 to just 165,700 two years later. And actual retail sales were worse.

Obviously, something had to be done. So, the industry essentially reinvented itself. A case could probably be made that, prior to the recession, the industry was building units it wanted to build. By the time the recession ended, manufacturers had, to a large degree, begun designing and building RVs in the sizes, weights and floorplans that those consumers willing to make a purchase wanted — and, more importantly, they had recommitted to building quality units. For years, it had been accepted that Baby Boomers — then the largest demographic fueling the outdoor hospitality arena — were a hands-on group capable of making repairs on the road should something go awry. That wasn’t being said of the incoming wave of Millennial buyers more used to electronics that simply worked when you plugged them in.

The traditional RV buyer has changed in recent years. RVs have gained popularity with people leaving the corporate world behind; they sell everything they own and live and travel in an RV. To supplement their income, they start a blog and offer other RV owners advice on using and maintaining their RVs. Some, after a short period of time in the lifestyle, add the title of self-proclaimed “RV expert.” When their social media posts gain traction, capturing larger numbers of followers and subscribers, product brands take notice.

Consumers in the RV industry are attracted to young energetic couples traveling cross-country while documenting every move. People waiting to retire or planning to purchase an RV in two or three years live through these RV influencers’ lives, envisioning what it must be like. Product companies want these influencers to help sell their products.

You can verify this yourself. Type “RV influencer” in a search browser and watch as lists almost immediately appear — of top RV influencers, top RV blogs to follow, top 100 RV this and top 50 RV that. It is a business for those looking at ways to support their RV lifestyle.

elying on RV park internet service and/or cell-provider data hotspots is an exercise in futility. Most Wi-Fi systems in RV parks are pretty basic and are usually only fast enough to check e-mail and Facebook — try streaming in a campground and get ready to have your knuckles slapped and service disconnected. Travelers who work on the road, spend time on video calls and enjoy streaming are pretty much out of luck using campground internet — and will usually get throttled back quickly by cell providers who are pretty tight with their data allocations but not shy about pricing.

Then too, one of the greatest marketing farces in modern times revolves around “unlimited” data claims by cell phone providers. While providers technically never truly “turn off” data service to those subscribing to unlimited plans, they will throttle back speed after going through 20 GB or so of hotspot data usage, depending on the monthly payment level. In the real world, even entry-level technoids will go through that in a few days.

enerators. RVers can’t live with ’em and can’t live without ’em. We all hate messing around with gasoline containers, and portable generators large enough to power an RV’s electrical system are generally too heavy for one person to lift. Plus, some generators are so loud that they can be heard from a football field away. Then there’s a plethora of specifications such as continuous watts, starting watts, 120 volts AC, 120/240-volts AC, single fuel, dual-fuel, multi-fuel, inverter or contractor, SPL decibel levels, parallel operation…the list seems to go on and on.

It’s enough to almost make you want to forego all those creature comforts you paid for with your RV when you’re boondocking. At the very least, you need to invest some time and effort into educating yourself on what you need before you pluck down $1,000 or more for portable power. Let’s begin with a few definitions.

ne of the best inventions in the RV industry ever is the slide-out room extension. It’s not arguably one of the best; it is. Pioneered by Newmar Corp.’s Mahlon Miller, the power slide-out room, or “slideout” as we call it in RV land, completely revolutionized RVs and the available floorplan choices manufacturers can build. With the push of a button, an RV’s floorspace can increase by as much as 50%.

The first slideouts in the 1990s were more rudimentary than most contemporary counterparts, but that basic technology is still in use today. The design used by Miller, for example, was a rack-and-pinion system incorporating large cog wheels with round pins or lugs that maintained the room’s alignment while an electric motor pushed and pulled the room. Those cog wheels are still in use in some modern Newmar motorhomes, by the way. The rooms were frequently large and heavy, some requiring aftermarket supports to help stabilize them, although those supports actually defeat the design of the seal system and can cause damage.

o one enjoys the jolting, jarring and bouncing that comes with trailer towing — but most of us have accepted it as part of the lifestyle and just deal with it.

Unlike the tow vehicle, which has a carefully engineered suspension system, most trailers have little more than leaf springs to smooth out the uneven terrain, a “technology” that actually dates back to horse-drawn carriages. The thinking behind this basic set-up is that, since no one rides in the trailer, a suspension system isn’t really necessary — but poor ride quality actually causes bigger problems for trailer owners than just a bumpy ride.

For example, repeated contact with potholes and bumps transmits forces to the structure that, over time, can loosen fasteners and seams. All that bouncing also reduces contact with the road surface, which can affect handling and braking performance. And finally, anyone who has ever towed for hundreds of miles has gotten used to picking their belongings up off the floor. A comprehensive suspension system can help solve all of these problems — and make towing more enjoyable as well.

here are a lot of systems on a travel trailer or fifth wheel that we often take for granted will work when we need them–from the blissful, cool breeze of the air conditioner when it’s hot outside to a warm meal courtesy of the microwave oven. If these components don’t work properly, however, it can be aggravating — but won’t doom that long-planned getaway.

The same can’t be said of the brakes on that towable. A tow vehicle may have been designed with enough capacity and power to pull a trailer, but it wasn’t designed to have to continually slow and stop all the weight of the trailer. Put simply, the braking system on a trailer can make the difference between a stress-free journey and a potentially dangerous one.

Regular maintenance is crucial for keeping the electric brakes on a travel trailer or fifth wheel working properly. Many manufacturers, in fact, recommend adjusting the brakes every three months to compensate for friction-surface wear. It’s not a fun job, especially if you’re in the midst of an extended trip, but it’s a necessary evil.

here’s an old adage among some veteran RV owners that notes that the first rule of camping “is to fix what may have broken on the way there.” It’s obviously an exaggeration — contemporary RVs are built to higher quality standards today, and both manufacturers and dealers have implemented extensive pre-delivery inspections to catch most problems that may have crept into the assembly lines. That said, as RVs age they do tend to experience higher component failure rates; it’s an unavoidable aspect of towing mobile houses across untold miles of suspect roadways.

This is especially true of travel trailers and fifth wheels, which rely on leaf-spring suspension systems. There’s a reason for this: the suspension works, its simple design makes it inexpensive to use and it can be easily adapted to virtually any towable design. But while the venerable design does help to mitigate the terrain, there’s only so much a simple multi-leaf spring pack that’s bolted to the vehicle frame and axle can accomplish.

t was probably around two in the morning when I rolled onto my side and heard creaking beneath me like the sound of an old rope about to give way. This was followed by a few small pops — then it felt as though my hips were slowly sinking lower into the mattress. I woke up a few hours later in a position not unlike that of a person who is floating gently down a river in a large inner tube, with my hips seemingly sinking below my knees. Except, I wasn’t in an inner tube, I wasn’t out in the sun, and I definitely was not having a good time as I extricated myself from the shallow breach the following morning.

What happened? Like sofa beds used at home, tri-fold couch beds in RVs offer serviceable temporary sleeping accommodations when guests stay over, but they make a better sofa than a sleeper — and, apparently, the tri-fold unit I’d curled up to sleep on the night before had reached the end of its lifespan. I pointed out the unfortunate depression in the mattress to RV Enthusiast magazine’s Technical Director, Chris Dougherty, who frowned and said, “Well…that doesn’t look good, does it?” As a RVIA/RVDA certified Level 2 technician with an impressive array of tools, Chris got right to work disassembling the troubled tri-fold.

t’s amazing how far cellular data and communications have come over the last decade. So much of the continent is peppered with cell sites, there are fewer places where cellular connectivity can’t be found than where they can be. However, just because your device shows there’s service available doesn’t mean it’s usable service. For those of us who work on the road, a solid digital connection is truly essential. To help with that, Wilson Electronic’s weBoost cellular repeaters for vehicles and RVs should be considered essential gear.

To be fair, cellular repeaters are not a panacea for all connectivity problems. Having installed and tested many of these units over the years, I have found that there are times when the improvement is minimal — or even times when the booster is actually detrimental to cellular operation. Knowing when to use a booster is just as important as determining what system to select.

What is Cellular Telephony?
Since the late 1980’s, cellular telephones have revolutionized the way we communicate, gather data and live our lives. But what is a cellular network and how does it work?

f you haven’t visited the Keweenaw Peninsula yet, it’s a “step back in time” that you will not want to miss. The Keweenaw Peninsula is a finger of land that curves into Lake Superior — it’s the uppermost tip of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, or U-P as locals refer to the area. The U-P of Michigan covers 30% of the total land area of the state of Michigan but is only populated by 3% of its residents. Those who do live on the Upper Peninsula are referred to as “Yoopers” and must be tough individuals in order to survive the extreme winter weather conditions.

Most winters, the Keweenaw Peninsula receives an average of nearly 20 feet of snow. In addition, Lake Superior — the largest, deepest and coldest of the Great Lakes — is often visited by storms with hurricane-force winds and typhoon-like waves. Not surprisingly, there have been about 350 shipwrecks recorded on Lake Superior, one of which was popularized by Gordon Lightfoot’s song “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.”