The old joke talks about the fellow unexpectedly hurtling toward earth after being tossed out of a plane. Struggling to figure out the rip cord on his parachute, he spots another man flying upward toward him. “Hey!” he calls out. “Do you know anything about parachutes?”

If you’re an RVer, chances are pretty good you’re also a do-it-yourselfer. Sometimes it’s a matter of necessity: Get out in the backwoods with your RV, something breaks, and you’re suddenly on the spot to fix it. Others of us are just gluttons for punishment, taking on repair and upgrade projects for the sheer joy (?) of it. 

Looking to buy a new diesel pickup? The Big Three truck makers would sure like to make you a deal. And this year, thanks to a federal mandate, the stuff blowing out of the tailpipes of these new rigs is much lower in nitrogen oxide (NOx). This is good news for the environment, but for owners of 2010 (and later) diesel burning vehicles, there will be one more detail to look after: Your rig will most likely have an additional fluid to keep topped off—diesel exhaust fluid (DEF). Are you ready?

For boondocking purists such as we are, it seemed impossible that we’d ever have a generator on an RV. Maybe we wouldn’t have, had it not been that a truck camper we picked up came equipped with one. We’re almost embarrassed to note that having the generator has proved to be a fine thing. We don’t use it for long periods of time—we still rely heavily on solar—but it has come in handy pretty often. However, having a generator is like having a pet—you’ve got to take care of it, or you’ll learn to regret it. Happily, it’s not difficult to handle simple generator maintenance.