New Years is a time to reflect back upon the year that has passed and a time to anticipate what the coming year holds. I have been writing this blog for over ten years and as I reflect on the hundreds of thousands that have read my blog entries over those years, I really have no idea who my readers are.
Are you old, young, male, female, longtime RVers, just entering the lifestyle, live in the west, live in the east, maybe you live abroad, pet owner, some may just be looking for interesting places to travel? I suspect there is a mix of everyone I just listed.
Boondocking in the sun. Photos via author
As I shared in my last post, I have been camping and enjoying the RV lifestyle my entire life. I can remember the days before RVs had gray tanks, you didn’t need a battery to operate your furnace or refrigerator, and most travel trailers were pulled by cars.
On the RV industry side of the equation, I have held every position in an RV dealership other than bookkeeping (my wife handled that end of things), so I understand how the industry (sales and service) works, its strengths and weaknesses.
In those ten years that I have been blogging, millions of new RVs have been purchased, some by those already enjoying the RV lifestyle and others just joining in the fun. While I don’t have statistics to confirm it, I bet there have been over a million first time RV owners during that time.
Author speaking at FMCA Convention
That said, I would love to help my readers (whoever you are—old, young, seasoned, or new to the RV lifestyle) reach your New Year’s RV resolutions by addressing items you are looking to tackle in the months to come.
Maybe it is camping more often, being a better dry camper, finding out-of-the-way places to explore, keeping certain parts of your RV maintained, what type of RV is best for me, etc.
Please use the comment box at the bottom of the page to give me a rough idea of who you are and what you would love to hear about in future blog posts.
While it is unlikely I can respond to everyone’s request, I will do my best to write entries that address the subjects I am qualified in and of interest to many. Hope to hear from you soon and may your New Year hold many adventures in RVing!
See also: 5 Free Resources For Your New Year’s Resolutions
Dave Helgeson’s many roles in the RV industry started before he even had a driver’s license. His grandparents and father owned an RV dealership before the term “RV” had been coined, and Dave played a pivotal role in nearly every position of an RV dealership. He and his wife Cheri launched their own RV dealership in the Pacific Northwest. The duo also spent 29 years overseeing regional RV shows. Dave has also served as President of a local chapter of the Recreational Vehicle Dealers Association (RVDA), worked on the board of advisors for the RV Technician Program of a local technical college, and served as a board member of the Manufactured Home and RV Association. Dave’s reputation earned him the title of “The foremost expert on boondocking,” bestowed by RV industry icon, the late Gary Bunzer (The RV Doctor). When he’s not out boondocking, you’ll find Dave in the spotlight at RV shows across the country, giving seminars about all things RVing. He and Cheri currently roam in their fifth travel trailer, with Dave doing all the service, repair and modifications to his own unit.
My name is Miles Walker, i just turned 62 and I’m a disabled veteran. Hopefully this is my last winter in N.C Taking my 28ft. Bounder to national parks out west
Go for it Miles. The western area of the US is amazing! Make sure you have the
National park pass for disabled veterans. Will save you a lot of money. Thanks for your service. My husband is retired USAF We are blessed! See you on the road! Safe travels.
Hey where in NC are u Fayetteville here also retired military thanks
My new year resolution is to get my generator, Onan 7000 running again for our 2003 Coachman class A. Must do myself as have a money shortage. We usually spend 5 to 6 months away from the Texas heat each summer, without the generator it’s a no go this year. Can plant a salad garden if I must stay. Will surely miss the open road though.
Most common problem with Onan (gas engines) generator is the carburetor. I can’t say if this is your problem without physically troubleshooting it.
Happy New Years
If you can, have the generator switched over to run on propane. I don’t know if it can be done to your existing setup but the benefits far outweighs the cost. Most will agree that running on propane nearly eliminates problems with the carburetor, and spark plugs. Also because propane burns so clean the engine oil stays clean for a long time and there is very little carbon buildup in the cylinder head and piston rings. Those reasons will reduce your generators frequency of maintenance and increase its reliability. If you can’t do the propane conversion and end up just having to cleanup the carb jets, try adding a little carb cleaner to each tankful of gas. Also that generator should have an in-line fuel filter that may need to be changed. Good luck!
My 2020 New Years RV resolution is to take our new (2009 Newmar Ventana 3961) to visit relatives, sites, water areas from the ocean to lakes, I am 72, in good health, along with my wife of 45 years and our doggie Sadie. It has been my dream for YEARS and now my sweet wife is agreeing to some trips to enjoy our RV adventures!
My husband and I are working towards possibly 1/2 full time RV lifestyle. We aren’t sure about reliable internet service so we can continue to work. Ideally, we would love an internet service and TV service that we can use at home and then take on the road. We don’t want to pay for these services for both the camper and the house. I’m wondering if there is such a thing out there.
Happy New year,
Never heard of an RV without a battery and I have been around RVs for the past 60 years, ok to be fair I won’t count the first 10 years of my life, so we will say 50 years. Would sure like to see a picture of that RV. That would only make sense if it were a tent, or tent trailer without lights, fridge and heater. Curious to know the make, year and model.
We have been fulltime for about 10 years now. We haven’t been traveling yet due to work. Just a few more years before hitting the road. We have been using this time to upgrade our 5th wheel. So far we have done more than we can list here. Our first upgrade for this year will be a water softener (to be started this coming weekend).
I think this year our goal will be to start purchasing and installing a new solar system. We have been researching a system that uses a Tesla battery. Expensive, trying to get a handle on where to start. Battery first, solar panels first or charge controller first. Once I get this narrowed down we will start. In the meantime we will continue our upgrades on the interior.
Gregg, The article didn’t say the RV didn’t have a battery, it said you “didn’t need a battery to operate your furnace or refrigerator”. A Tesla battery and a system to charge it would be a nice upgrade to any RV.
My Coleman tent trailer had an icebox (not a fridge) and we lit the furnace with a match. The water pump was operated by a foot pedal. On the plus side it could be towed behind most cars. Our family created some good memories in that tent trailer.
@Joan Goffinet – I don’t know the depth of what you need but I have an AT&T Unlimited hotspot I bought on eBay – they don’t have these plans anymore but some entrepreneurial souls bought a bunch and they are grandfathered. It is as fast as my previous home modem was, so I use it there and on the road too. It works ALMOST everywhere – basically anywhere ATT works. I build websites so I need something reliable. I work from the road and home.
As far as resolutions go –
– The usual “get healthier” stuff
– Move toward my goal of full timing. This is my retirement plan. I would start tomorrow if I could but family responsibilities preclude that.
– Find as many opportunities to get out on the road as I can – can’t be gone more than a few days but I will take those opportunities as much as I can in 2019!
Our new years resolution is . . .
My wife is disabled from a stroke back on 7-2013. End of 2018 I started doing power point presentations as a caregiver and husband. Other than a bunch of times to very small groups, I have talked at two major stroke conferences for two separate local hospitals here in the Cleveland Ohio area. The first one was in front of 60 people or so. The second conference was for around 160 doctors, nurses, therapists, and others working in the stroke related medical field.
I hope to make some money in 2019 continuing my power point presentations while traveling around the USA in our RV. A little profit would be nice, but making enough money at it to pay our expenses for the needed traveling for these talks would be great also. ( gas, campgrounds, food, etc. )
My presentation is around an hour to hour and a half with question and answer time, then meat and great at the end. I have over 40 photos included in my power point presentation.
What I talk about is very knowledgeable for not only to doctors and medical staff, but also to other caregivers.
I’m now looking for places to talk throughout the USA.
Age 72 and 65. Been camping since child hood for both of us. For 2019 we will sell house and go full time in our 33’ Class A. Began this adventure late in life so want to stay healthy to see USA. Starting in Fl this winter then eastern mountains then west for 2020 winter. Making wish list itenary now. Having fun wishing.
We have been fulltime since Sept 1999. When we started I (a now a 25 year cancer survivor) was on IV’s weekly which I could manage myself. The first 5 years of travel my husband checked on location of the nearest hospital for every area we traveled. Sadly, I have experienced hospitals from CA tp Fl.. have had my a kidney removed and major back surgery following a infection from a complication after a fall and fracture while biking the Virginia Creeper Bike Trail. But I was living and enjoying life and have outlived my doctors expectations for me. Then in 2014 my husband was diagnosed with Triple Hit Lymphoma (then a newly identified cancer with poor prognosos. After 2 poorly accepted chemos he was discharged with Hospice and told to expect 2 weeks of life. Long story short he is Mayo Clinic, Rochester’s first miracle survivor of this type of cancer. We are still traveling in our 2002 Country Coach , Intrigue which is laid out perfect for my medical issues. However, we now could use a RV with 2 bathrooms. But one needs extra storage that can be accessed while using the commode.. Very difficult to find and I’m very spoiled as we have had the living area of the coach altered to our specifications. Not interested in having to do that over again.. looking for a quality coach preferably used that will serve our needs..
Also, want to encourage people not to stop living there dreams because of health issues. Just talk to your primary doctor and carry your medical records and trust in God. It all works out.
Hi, I just want to first thank you for your email newsletter. I get so excited every time I see it in my inbox. I don’t think I have ever read one where I haven’t learned something or enjoyed almost every article! My husband and I are in our late 50’s and own a 20 room inn and a restaurant/brewery in the mountains of NC. Our businesses make it hard to go too far for too long! But we discovered something new this year…..”commuting”. We live in an amazing area for camping and this past year rented spaces for 2 weeks at a lake front campsite about 1 hour away. We stayed there as much as we could and on days we needed to be home (like payroll day) we drove back in our car while leaving the RV at the campsite. Worked GREAT and plan to do more of that this year!
Hopefully after we get our 2020 Talon by Jayco out of the hospital at the dealership… And hopefully all the stuff will be fixed (this is our 2nd Jayco within 2 years as the first was totally falling apart for a 2018-Jayco replaced it with a 2020), like the solar, the fridge the rear door for the garage, electrical and I could go on .. LOL .. We hope to get out more this year as last year the other jayco spent more time in the hospital than Carter has pills !! LOL
Happy New Year, Dave!
Enjoy your posts!
My wife and I are in AZ for the winter for the first time. Our sticks and bricks home is north of Boise, ID. We’re retired and gave up our annual trips to Paris, France after all the immigrant troubles there in favor of traveling the great USA in our Airstream Flying Cloud three years ago. It’s been a great time for us meeting new friends and renewing relationships.
Our primary resolution is TRAVEL MORE in 2020! Now we’re traveling approx. 50% of the year.
daddysmurf180 I.m now 73 and about to head out on my second big trip! I have a Thor 2019 Siesta “C” fantastic rig. I hope to meet a lot of you on the road, or while I’m boon docking, or in a park. Slow down smell the roses, go for a hike or a walk, sit down an just look around what ever it is that you enjoy! Take your time and be safe!!!!
New Year’s Resolution.
To spend 1-2 months each year with the 3-4 grand kids experiencing a different part of the USA each summer. Of course our kids can join but they have jobs and can only stay a short while. The grand kids are 4-8 years old and we plan on enjoying quality time together exploring Texas and the USA. This will give the parents some down time and the grand kids some time to spend together because right now they live 2000 miles apart and don’t see each other often. In 2019 we had a grand kid or two throughout the summer and going forward we want to have them all together (crazy!?).
We full time in a Montana 3721RL, own an RV Park in Bandera Texas, USA (www.BanderaRV.com) that we stay in as a home base.
Happy Trails!