Pop Up Camper

A Recreational Vehicle (RV) gives you independence from hotel bookings and allows you to change your journey at will.  In theory you can go anywhere you like, but often you are limited to where to park for the night because you need a source of electricity.  Even if you use your batteries to power on-board appliances they will need recharging from time to time – usually more often than you had planned! And be warned, regularly flattening a battery will shorten its life dramatically. But there is now an attractive option that will give you the freedom of the road, and you can make it yourself easily and cheaply.

Most RVs have on-board generators, but these tend to be noisy, smelly and gas-guzzlers.  These days you can fit solar panels to your RV which will give you all or most of the power you need without hammering your battery, and literally anybody can put these together in their backyard.  Your generator, if you have one, can then become a backup – much less wearing on the ears and pocket. Keep your generator for powering the lights at your next backyard party!

Solar panels for RVs can be easily stored if foldable, and they tend to be quite lightweight so are easily moveable. One 4ft x 2 ft solar panel will generate about 75 to 100 watts, which is about the same as a pair of golf cart batteries.  A typical 24 ft RV would probably manage on this but it would depend, of course, on your personal electrical requirements. Most RVs use no more than 400 watts.  Perhaps start with a couple of solar panels, and fit some more as needed. We have some more information about this here.

If you plan to use your RV regularly in hot weather, you will have one or two other things to consider.  You will need to fit a solar-powered battery charger with battery temperature compensation to prevent overcharging of, and damage to, your batteries.  Also, solar panels on the roof of an RV can get very warm, which can lower their efficiency and can lead to a drop in voltage. Ensure that your solar panels have a rating of at least 17 volts to ofset this loss.  Just keep these thoughts in mind when planning your RV’s solar panel system.

There is a good range of RV solar panel kits on the market but these tend to be very pricey.  We thoroughly recommend making your own. You will find it very easy, a lot of fun, and literally anybody can do it.  And much cheaper than buying a kit.  It is very sensible, however, to get professional advice and guidance as you plan and build your solar panel, otherwise you could end up with a system that does not work properly or even at all.  Don’t worry, professional advice and step-by-step instructions are readily available if you know the right source, and only cost a few bucks.  We believe this is a good investment.

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Have you ever wondered how insurance companies come up with your Car Insurance Quotations? It may seem random, but in reality several factors are taken into account. While there are some factors you can change, others are really out of your hands. Here are a few of the factors that go into the calculation of car insurance quotes.

Age

Older people will have lower car insurance ratings than teenangers who just earned their licenses. Statistically, young and inexperienced drivers have higher accidents rates.

The Use of Vehicle

One thing that becomes an important factor is your annual mileage, whether your car is used for daily commute or business purposes. Of course, those with fewer miles will be less likely to have an accicident compare with those who drive more often. In other words your car insurance will be lower when you use less of your vehicle.

The Type of Your Car

When it comes to car and insurance, its safety statistics are important, and the average cost of repairs for your make and model figure in as well. An expensive minivan or crossover vehicle will cost less to insure than an expensive import or sports car.

Driving Record

Obviously, people with better driving records pay less for car insurance than people with several tickets or accidents on their record. The more moving violations you accumulate, the higher your insurance rate will be when they rate give you your Car Insurance Quotations.

Your Address

Insurance companies want to know where you live: what kind of neighborhood it is, how densely populated it is, and how busy the streets are. If you live in a city your Car Insurance Quotations will probably be higher than if you live in a rural area.

Credit History

You may not believe it, but your credit history is truly taken into account when it comes to figuring car insurace quotations. If you have a good credit history, you may pay less for your car insurance than those with bad credit scores. It is very important to know that each providers can give different quotations for your car insurance, so you better get at least five quotes before choosing any of them.

Technorati Tags: auto insurance, car insurance quotes, RV insurance

A recreational vehicle (RV) is a great way to travel and spend quality time with the family for many people today.The specialty RV lifestyle allows you freedom of the road, great time space and the ability to enjoy a great nature.The choice is something small like a VW Campervan, a larger Motorhome or RV fifth wheel or a truck hitch type.

As the baby boomers retire, the recreational vehicle industry has seen an upsurge in sales. For many people, nothing measures up to the independence and flexibility of enjoying the open road in a recreational vehicle (RV). There is certainly much to be said for taking your hotel with you wherever you go, and the savings on hotel costs can more than pay for the initial cost of an RV.

Current recreational vehicle travelers are aware of the huge savings of this type of travel. There are no hotel rooms to book and dining in your RV can save an enormous amount of money compared to eating in restaurants every day. Owning a fifth wheel or travel trailer, whereas you can unhook your RV from your truck, saves you from having to book a rental car. For those in motor homes, many travelers will tow a vehicle behind them.

When considering the purchase of an recreational vehicle, you will be faced with three choices; a fifth wheel which is pulled by a pick up truck and attaches to a wheel inside the truck box (hence its name fifth wheel), a travel trailer which is usually pulled by a truck with a rear hitch, or a motor home.All three types of RV’s have their plus and minus factors and each point will need to be considered based upon your needs and your budget.Other consideration for the free RV lifestyle is the current price of gas. However, it is still more economical than staying in hotels and eating at restaurants every night.

Traveling in a recreational vehicle or motor home is often a good choice for those who want to travel to different locations; however, it may be less suited to those who visit the same location year after year. Travelers who visit the same location every year may find it more economical to buy a vacation home. Buying a vacation home, and renting it out when it is not being used, can be a good way to both save money on lodging and build equity for the future.

Many RV travelers come to love the freedom of the open road and the easy care lifestyle. Traveling cross-country and stopping a various parks along the way is a wonderful adventure. The traveler can choose to stay a day or as long as they want at a particular location.

A well-known fact in the RV community is the free camping at Walmart. In most states, you are allowed to camp in a Walmart’s parking lot for as long as you like. I am sure you have seen recreational vehicles lined up in Walmart’s parking lot at least on one occasion. This is a win-win situation for the traveler and Walmart.The travelers has a well-lit place for campus over the night, for free, and Walmart receives revenues from those RV owners who frequent the mall. However, recently there has been an uprising among campground owners against Walmart’s free camping policy. Therefore, it is well advised that you check with the local chamber of commerce before you decide to stay a week at Walmart. In all cases, you can save alot looking into these deals if you are up to get yourself a new motor home RV.

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When my family was young, we made a point of getting away whenever we could as a family.  There was nothing better then camping in the mountains or traveling across country.  In later years, it became evident that the main thing that really made it possible was our camping trailer.  We had tried tent camping when we were adventurous and young and quickly saw the benefits of moving up into a camping trailer.  When you combine the costs of equipping a family for camping, you realize that a used camping trailer might be made to fit into your budget.  Although purchasing a camping trailer can be a considerable investment, buying used can present a real bargain.  A good used camping trailer can provide decades of use and fond memories.

Considering today’s economy, family camping is still a real bargain.  If you select the correct camping trailer, you can comfortably enjoy a week or two at your favorite camping resort at an affordable price.  Even with today’s rising fuel costs, modern trailers are made of super light materials which lessen the impact on the fuel gauge. Today, you will find used camping trailers available with a broad range of accessories and accommodations.  One of the real bargains available are folding tent trailers or Pop-Up campers.  These have been popular for years and good reason.  They are easily pulled by smaller cars and trucks and can be set up in minutes..

Travel trailers are probably what most people think of when you speak of camping trailers.  These offer more elaborate accommodations, full kitchens with appliances and many more things you would not necessarily expect.  In today’s economy you can find some decent bargains on these used trailers since many owners downsized their vehicles and find they no longer can pull these larger trailers.  These are excellent for families who might have a truck in their garage as a second vehicle.  Of course if you are a pickup truck owner, you could also consider what many feel is the very best family camper, the fifth-wheeler.  These fifth-wheelers offer high end luxury with master bedroom suites in many cases.  Owners have the feel of staying in luxury hotel suites but have the ability to park it anywhere they desire.

So the key to finding the best value in a used camping trailer is buying one large enough to comfortably fit your entire family and personal needs without going larger then necessary.  Today, you have the benefit of finding exactly what is needed by shopping for used camping trailers online.  Of course buying used always presents the possibility of having to make a few repairs or upgrading your family car with trailer towing equipment.  Fortunately, that can all be purchased online also.  So if you want years of family enjoyment and fond memories, consider buying a used camping trailer.

Technorati Tags: camper, fifth wheeler, Pop up camper, rv, travel trailer, used camping trailer sales

This text is a small guide that will serve to acquaint you with the parts of an RV electrical system that is rigged to function on renewable energy .  The goal is that you will be comfortable enough with the parts to install your own RV solar panels.  I will give details on each part.

Battery – most   are 12 volts. They often say 12V, but in realism they are 13.8 volts.  The voltage they write on the batteries themselves has actually been rounded to a lower level.  This won’t affect you, since most  things made to use 12 volts are in fact designed for 13.8.  Note that one of the most electricity hungry devices in an RV is more often than not the microwave oven.  If you’re planning on getting one in your RV, you’ll probably need at least three batteries, as a normal estimate knowing the power requirements you’ll face for the standard microwave and battery capacities.

Battery Cables – don’t ever underestimate the importance  of good , thick battery cables.  DC electricity is infamous for requiring big cables.  This is because the resistance intrinsic in some cable you’ll use has additional loss than would happen for AC power.  Always make sure to obtain good thick cables.  See references to AWG (Wire Gauge charts) to discover how large of wire you’ll need  based on your power requirements.  OKAY!  Let’s move on.

Inverter – This machine will get the DC power supplied to it from your batteries, which came from the RV solar panels (also in DC form), and convert it to AC shape that can be used by the majority of appliances you’d bring in into your RV from your home .  A television , for example , unless specifically  designed  to run on DC power, will need AC (like you’d obtain from an electrical outlet in your home ).

AC Breaker Panel – You’ll want a panel on the AC side of the inverter that is similar or even identical to the panel in your cellar at home that is full of circuit breakers.  These will trip when power usage exceeds the ability of the breakers, just like blowing a fuse, only without the hassle of having to replace the fuse…simply reset the tripped breaker.  Note that these can be, but often aren’t wanted on the side of the inverter fed by the batteries and RV solar panels.  Protection is recommended, but usually a fuse is sufficient here.

Generator – I normally don’t like to advocate these, since I’m a gentleman who likes to play it au natural, and who relies completely on my RV solar panels, but sometimes a backup generator is nice if you’re out in the open and just plain don’t want to wait for the sun.  I apologize, Mother Earth.

Charge Controller – The electricity produced by your RV solar panels will be required to be regulated when you are charging your batteries.  The reason is that a battery is only able to fit into it a certain amount of “juice”, and your RV solar panels may make them rupture , spill or blow up with no charge controller!  Not good !  It’s sure a safety issue and can be very boring , but if you have a desire to, you can monitor the battery voltage levels by yourself.  Don’t underestimate their importance .

That’s all.  Look for future write-ups concerning the importance of additional parts, and how to install them.  For additional info on RV Solar Panels, be sure to visit newenergytips.com.

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We have always liked to camp going back to when the children were young. We started out with a pop-up camper that we could pull behind our mini van. The children use to love to spend the weekends in some nearby campground where they met lots of new fiends.

As the years progressed we traded up to a truck camper. This camper slid onto the bed of our pick-up truck and the children could ride in the camper on our way to our destination. We had this camper for several years until the children began to loose interest in weekend camping. Teenagers like to spend the weekends at the mall with their friends instead of with mom and dad in the woods somewhere.

We eventually sold the truck camper and purchased a camper trailer that we could pull with our truck for short trips. Most of the time we would leave it parked in a nearby campground for the summer season. A lot of our friend would do the same in nearby lots.

Now that we are near retirement age, we would like to buy a motor home and do some serious traveling. We do not like the idea of pulling our camper trailer any long distances. So we began our search for RV sales and service in our area. We visited several RV sales in Georgia, RV sales North Carolina, RV sales South Carolina, and all of the local camper and RV sales. We also checked the online RV sales.

The internet gave us information on Maine RV sales, Indiana RV sales, Montana RV sales, and RVs for sale in Texas. Although every dealer offered good prices, which were very similar, we decided that it would be best to do our buying close to home. We decided that we could get better service from a local dealer if we purchased the vehicle from that dealer.

So after looking at several models, sizes, and manufacturers, we still could not make a decision. We had it narrowed down to a couple of models, so our dealer suggested that we try out two of their rental units to see which one we liked the best. This was a good idea. It was very helpful in making our decision.

So now we are major leaguers and are ready to hit the road in our new motor home. We are looking forward to many enjoyable years of retirement.

Carl Kinnebrew
http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/advancing-to-the-major-league-rvs-102818.html

Central Florida has to be the RV capital of the world. If not, then it has to be right up there near the top. The great exodus from the north happens in late fall much like the migration of birds. Thus the term “snowbirds” was coined. Since the baby boomers have hit retirement age, things have really exploded. Had I been looking ahead, I would have jumped into the RV business years ago.

The classified ads are full of RVs for sale, RV lots for sale, used RVs for sale, and RV parks for sale. Wait a minute; did I say RV parks for sale? Maybe I should check this one out.

The baby boomers spend more on themselves than their parents ever did. Their parents were survivors of the Great Depression and World War Two. Their goal was saving money not spending it. There was always the possibility of another depression in the back of their minds. This baby boomer generation, including myself, goes on the idea that you only live once and you may as well enjoy it.

Baby boomers have the luxury of their parents’ hard work and sacrifice that has made their life easier. The get it now generation certainly has kept the economy strong by their spending habits. Let’s face it, we are spoiled.

So by the good fortune of our parents’ wisdom, and a strong steady economy, we baby boomers can retire early, afford that big RV, and hit the road without a care in the world. Never before has a generation had it so easy.

RVs are getting bigger and more luxurious with every new model. Gone are the days of pop up campers or truck campers. Trailer campers are no where near as popular as they once were. This generation wants the big motor home. Home away from home is what we want. Television, microwave ovens, laundry facilities, and air conditioning are all necessities. This is great isn’t it?

So baby boomers keep buying those big RVs, your children need the work.

Carl Kinnebrew
http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/baby-boomers-and-rvs-106574.html

Motorhomes for hire come in all shapes, sizes and prices. The trick is to find a motorhome to suit your requirements and budget.

There are a few styles of motorhome to choose from, with varying levels of comfort and price. Smaller vans are easier to handle, but larger vans offer more comfort. If it’s your first time, I suggest you go for the largest van that you feel happy to drive, within your budget.

A hightop is basically a van conversion with a specially made high fixed roof. These come in various lengths, short, medium and long. These sizes refer to the wheelbase, which is the distance between the front and rear axle. Motohomes with a medium wheelbase are popular hire choices as they are easier to handle than the long wheelbase versions, whilst still offering a good degree of comfort. Some companies also offer motorhome hire with folding roofs. The above types of motorhomes are often referred to as camper vans.

Coachbuilt motorhomes (C class) are generally a lot larger than campers and are more like a house on wheels. Most will have all the comforts of home and often a double bed. Many of the designs have a bed area which sits over the top of the drivers cab. These motorhomes can be expensive to run and hire.

Fuel costs are a definite consideration for many when deciding to hire a motorhome. This problem has been taken on board by some rental companies and manufacturers. Many motorhome hire companies now offer vans that have been converted to run on LPG. This should at least half your fuel costs.

For most people, the hire cost is a definite consideration when looking to hire a camper or motorhome. My advice is to not overstretch your budget on the rental cost. Part of the enjoyment of the motorhome is being able to visit and enjoy new places. If you are a couple, a medium wheelbase motorhome should provide you with good overall comfort levels, ease of use and at a reasonable price.

One thing I should mention is that insurance cover for motorhome hire can be expensive and you should know up front exactly what you are covered for. Take time to review the policy. Remember to comply with most insurance policies you should carry out the daily maintenance tasks on the motorhome as specified by your rental agent.

You’ve booked the motorhome hire, now what.

Well it really depends on what type of holiday you are looking for. If you are using the motorhome as a base to visit new places then to get the most out of your hire, it’s always a good idea to plan your route in advance. This means that you will know each day where you are going and don’t waste any time deciding where to go while on your holiday.

Of course for some, there will be no route and hiring a motorhome is all about the open road with a new adventure each day.

Steve Thomas
http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/motorhome-and-camper-van-hire-the-basics-101502.html

Chapter 3 of 3, This is the ultimate 4WD campervan for those who want a real adventure in the outback of Australia. The rear cabin is very spacious and has plenty of ventilation with side flyscreens along the pop top roof. The vehicle is fitted with a large retractable side awning, which you can cook and eat under. At night you can even plug into caravan park power and enjoy home comforts of air conditioning. Comes with many special 4wd extras such as a Safety & Survival Guide, air jack and …

Duration : 0:6:56

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Technorati Tags: 4wd, adventure, apollo, australia, camper, Campervan, campervans, camping, hire, motorhome, motorhomes, new, Pop up camper, rental, rentals, zealand

Chapter 2 of 3, This is the ultimate 4WD campervan for thosewho want a real adventure in the outback of Australia. The rear cabin is very spacious and has plenty of ventilation with side flyscreens along the pop top roof.

The vehicle is fitted with a large retractable side awning, which you can cook and eat under. At night you can even plug into caravan park power and enjoy home comforts of air conditioning. Comes with many special 4wd extras such as a Safety & Survival Guide, air jack and …

Duration : 0:6:36

Read the rest of this entry »

Technorati Tags: 4wd, adventure, apollo, australia, camper, Campervan, campervans, camping, hire, motorhome, motorhomes, new, pop top camper, Pop up camper, rental, rentals, zealand