As I mentioned in the last post my wife and I recently returned from a three week adventure through the boondocks of Montana. Part of the appeal of RVing in Montana during the month of August was the ability to beat the summer heat by camping in the mountains at higher elevations. Several mornings we awoke to temperatures in the thirties. However, just like most things in life, there are always trade-offs between the positives and negatives. In this case, the positive of the high mountains is the cooler temperatures, the negative is the lower air pressure and thinner air. Thinner air means more huffing and puffing when exerting ourselves, especially for those of us that live near sea level. It also equates to an unbalance in air pressure between the atmosphere and the sealed items in our RVs. The first clue that danger lurks is when the bag of chips appears to be in the third trimester of pregnancy ready to burst at any moment. What you are witnessing is higher pressure air trapped in the bag straining to be equalized with the lower pressure atmosphere outside the bag in your RV, much like pressurized air being forced into a balloon to inflate it and we all know what happens when the membrane of the balloon is breached. When you see the pregnancy of your chips advancing make a mental note and be extremely cautious when opening any containers with a “squirt” nozzle containing fluids such as mustard, ketchup, mayonnaise, honey, shampoo, lotions, etc. especially those designed to be stored on their lids. The fun starts when we pop the lid of a container only to be surprised with a pressurized stream of seemingly endless supply of the contents. Picture a “mustard geyser” and you will have a firm grasp of what I am talking about. To avoid this unpleasant adventure in RVing be sure to always tap the contents of any liquid filled container to the bottom of the container (i.e. away from the spout) before opening.
RVing with pregnant Doritos and mustard stained dinette cushions, just another adventure in RVing!
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.
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