Why I Recommend That You Never Buy An RV
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- čas přidán 16. 10. 2023
- 28 minutes that can save you thousand$ - and years of unexpected frustration.
Here are three links sharing real-life common sense perspectives to help you shape realistic expectations about RV ownership:
- Pathetic Quality: • "Pathetic Quality! RV ...
- Worst Travel Trailer Issue: • WORST TRAVEL TRAILER I...
- We REGRET buying our new camper!: • We REGRET buying our n... - Jak na to + styl
I just absolutely Love the freedom that a truck camper offers. I also enjoy the honesty and thoughtfulness of your videos and recommendations/reviews of products associated with this type of freedom, to do what we want when we want to. Keep up the good work. Take care, safe travels
And, safe travels to you also. Thank you for tuning in and being part of my journey.
Howard....I hope you realize what a service you are providing for folks. Truly golden advice!
That means a lot coming from you John. The RV world is definitely a different continent if not a different planet, and I've honestly had the conversation with my kids about "never own an RV". Without any exaggeration, it's truly hobbyist sawmilling x3 in terms of learning curve and commitment. But that's not how it's advertised or sold.
The rewards of RV'ing are amazing (and I hope that comes through) but the costs (emotional, physical and financial) are generally unexpected.
Thanks for being part of my journey John. I truly mean that!
Here's wishing you and Beth and the family all the very best.
I’m a host owner and totally agree with you about the little things that seemed to be overlooked
At the price point we pay you’d think details would matter more …
That being said also agree with you about having our own space wherever we go
Thanks for tuning in!
We're on the same page Eric. I'd trim back options if the frustration was not tolerable. Having our own space is just priceless IMO.
Here's wishing you all good things wherever your travels take you!
We have 2023 1140/GMC 1ton. Agree on every item but wet bath solves bath water issues. Dry bath shower is nice wardrobe if you get wet bath. Wet is easy easy cleanup.
Fridge pilot is pain, agree totally- we usually while travelling check by listening to gas hiss noise at black grill at exterior- dont have/ need slide awning- we learned never leave any awning out when away so avoided that issue. You nailed every item we have seen except our table up/down handle
wont lock in. Thanks- BTW, bought cheap gas sensor tester on amazon and found tiny leak in propane tank compartment that made detector go off- Thanks for confirming every item to a tee we have seen. BTW - after 8 RVs , Arctic Fox build is best we have seen at price point. Thanks!
Thanks for tuning in and commenting.
Haha - I feel the same way as you about the wet bath/dry bath issue, but we had a wet bath in a camper at one point, and Coral decidedly did not like it. And you know how that goes - when mama is happy everybody is happy. haha.
And like you, I've now learned to listen for the gas hiss.
Good point on the awnings. Seen some that got ripped off when folks leave them out for the day.
Thanks for the tip on the gas lead sensor tester from Amazon. Because of your comment I've just ordered one.
And - for sure - overall totally impressed and would say the same as you about the quality/price point.
Again - thanks for tuning in . . .
I am not yet an RVer, but I have been thinking about it a lot lately. Thanks for all the useful information. I am a new subscriber. Kudos for a job well done!
Welcome aboard! And huge thanks for commenting and becoming part of my journey.
At this end (Interior of BC, Canada) we'll be jumping into the RV again soon for more travel adventures.
Stay tuned - and again, thank you.
Hello Howard,
I'm a recent follower and found you in my research about Arctic Fox campers. I bought my current truck camper a 2000 Alpenlite Pendleton model purchased Oct 1999 for 16K USD. I've only had one major issue in 24 years. At year 7 my 3 way 6 cf. fridge circuit board went out costing a couple hundred bucks for repair. I 95% boondock in NE Wash, North ID, and Western Montana. I've really enjoyed the detailed reporting you have done on your unit. That level of detail is just about impossible to achieve from a walk through on a dealer lot. I was sold on the 1150 until I saw the new 1140 model with the large fridge. My current camper has 4-5 things your camper addresses.
1. Larger water tank.
2. Easier step-up into the cab-over.
3. Slightly larger bath with more storage.
4. More headroom in the cab-over.
5. Larger fridge.
6. No front window in cab-over.
But...after this latest video I'm wondering if it's worth the aggravation. :)
Best regards,
Kevin
Hey Kevin. First of all, thank you for reaching out and being part of my journey.
Sadly there are. I good solutions IMO in the current RV world.
It sounds like the Alpenlite was/is an ideal solution. It’s almost at the point where I would consider building my own. I’m sure that if I could just purchase an exterior shell I could not do worse.
Another video on the 1149 will be posted mid next week.
Thank you again for being g part of the conversation and my journey.
Hope to hear from you again soon
Thanks for telling us of your hard earned lessons !
My pleasure! Thanks for tuning in. Not sure if you're an RV'er, but nearly uniformly it's my experience that the RV community is uniformly great about sharing tips, tricks and perspectives.
Here's with gratitude to you for sharing and being part of my journey.
Im trying to be, I retire this Dec. at 64.
Ive been having a hell of a time getting an F450 Chassis Cab to put an 1150 wet bath on it. @@howardkettner
Thank you! You have the best videos, so entertaining and I love your enthusiasm! Thanks for sharing all your tips and tricks!
You are very kind. Thank you for tuning in and being part of the conversation.
Don't hesitate to reach out if there is any questions you have that I might be able to assist with. Viewer questions are what has created my channel.
Happy travels . . .
Inspiring video - thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for tuning in . . .
You should have recieved two remotes for your rig. The red one which you reference in your video only will operate when plugged in.
The black one ( hopefully you recieved also ) is the wireless version, change out the internal battery and I bet it works.
Your slide awning issue is either it’s not rolled up evenly or most likely not enough tension on the return spring mechanism, easy fix.
I agree on the bath vanity being a poor design. I installed a locking pin on the exterior to keep the door closed and also mounted a lip on the shelves and some elastic across the unit to keep items in place when opening up door, works fine now.
Your frig will default to AC when auto mode is selected but you should be able to select manually propane anytime regardless if your on shore power or not.
Just be aware if using the “auto mode” and your using an inverter for AC when camping you will be using a lot of ahr’s so…
I ordered my Arctic Fox 990 camper back in April of 2018 and picked it up in May from Apache Camping Center in Portland.
Haven’t had ANY issues except a faulty bypass valve on my H2O pump which Northwood sent me a replacement free of charge which I installed and has been fine ever since.
Sounds like your rig was built around the “COVID era” and was lacking in QC like a lot of vehicles and such.
Thanks for tuning in - and here's with appreciation for your suggestions.
I honestly had no idea that the black unit (wireless) had an internal battery - that required changing. I assumed it had a battery (how else would it operate) but also assumed ot would charge when plugged in.
It appears that is not the case. I've now placed my battery order with Amazon and am looking forward to wireless capability in future.
Huge thanks again.
PS - the dealer has resolved the fridge issues and apparently there is a fix forthcoming from Arctic Fox for the awning.
As you've suggested for the bathroom behind-the-mirror storage, I'll be in my little workshop crafting a fix similar to what you suggest.
Happy travels!
Thanks for the tips and perspectives Mike. Much appreciated.
The dealer fixed the fridge (there was an issue with the pilot light mechanism) and there is a new awning mechanism on order - and I'm working on the bathroom vanity - with hopefully a result/outcome that is as effective as what you've done.
Really appreciate you pointing out that there is a battery in the black unit that needs to be swapped out periodically. I assumed there was a batter but also assumed that it was a rechargeable that would recharge when plugged in. Took the little unit apart and now there are some replacement batteries on their way via Amazon.
Huge thanks again!
The replacement battery you suggested arrived yesterday. Installed it this morning - and it works! Love it. Had no idea. Thanks for the info.
Just want to correct you on the leak of propane sensor..it's a CO sensor not a CO2 sensor...it says so right on it.
Love you and Corals style, your AF videos are so helpful more than you know, looking forward to finishing the 1000 weeks and many more with you guys! Like others say it is a shame what these units cost and have the amount of issues they have, hopefully Northwood manufacturing watches your video's and learns something. On another note i ordered the book you talked about in your other video, cant wait to start it!
Awesome! Thank you as always for your kind words. Would love to hear your impressions of the book. Definitely gave me some new perspectives.
All the very best!
All of these problems within 3 months at 100K
When are the manufacturing going to fix these items before they sell it. Very frustrating and costly.
Agreed. It's like the quality control has been offloaded to the buyer.
But, they can only do it because we continue to live our 'hopes and dreams' life without the proper prior due diligence.
I think I'm a slow learner tho - because I keep repeating the pattern. haha
Great video as always ! As I watch from my now renovated truck camper on my job site in Kingston Ontario. Just made my coffee and watched your video.
Only thing negative was the mess along the bush area. I picked up a grab pull and garbage bags and cleaned up. I’m working at the Walmart and heard the store is thinking of not allowing over night parking for that reason . I went in and told them I cleaned up and posted it as well. I really wish people would take the garbage they create where ever they may be and suppose of properly. My girlfriend and I go for many walks and see the garbage and I told her we should walk with the grab pull and clean up as we go.
Enjoy your continued travel and be safe.
I’m back in BC again and working in Surrey and Kamloops and taking my son who works with me. Will be stopping in Armstrong again to see parents and brother
Oh wow! Congratulations on finishing the camper renos and on being a full-time RV'er! You have a ton to be proud of!
Yeah - the garbage that people leave in free parking areas is going to have a significant backlash. The same thing is going through the trucking industry right now. I still have my Class 1 license and love watching CZcams videos about big rigs - and there are more and more videos about truckers just cleaning out their truck and dumping everything right where they fuel - on the pavement - not in the garbage cans.
I'm sure that Walmart was most appreciative of how you always leave the area better than when you find it.
Would love to catch up for coffee when you're back over this way. Let's stay in touch.
Thanks for being part of my journey.
As I've said many times before, more people, more IDIOTS who will ruin it for EVERYBODY.
Great video. We’re still waiting for our 1150 but I now know of a few things to watch out for. Thanks for the great content.
I think you nailed the bbq issue. The gas is regulated in the camper and then regulated again at your bbq. I think that you need to remove the regulator from the bbq and replace it with a bbq hose that is just a straight hose with a quick connect on one end and threads to fit the bbq on the other. Our dealer warned us about this, so I’ll be picking up a replacement hose too. A quick search of amazon showed a few. Thanks again.
Huge tha Nissan for the tip on the non-regulated hoses available from Amazon. Until your post I thought I was relegated to little green propane bottles. Here’s hoping that the 1150 meets all expectations.
I'm a man in my twenties looking to potentially live in a camper for a few years up in northern bc and alberta this stuff helps me out to know
Thanks for tuning in and being part of the conversation. My roots are in Northern BC. Loved growing up and then growing a business there. Awesome communities, scenery and opportunity.
Here's wishing you all the very best.
We bought a 2022 Lance 1172. First off dealer put a hole in our rear slide topper when water froze on top of it. One of the propane tanks was empty and could not be filled. Shower tub surround cracked in 3 places. Hadn’t used it yet. Fridge wouldn’t work. Wasn’t plugged in. Propane line crimped when moving slide. So wouldn’t work on propane. LTE antenna fell off on our first trip. Unit is at the dealership now. We’ve used it once in a year. Waiting for parts from Lance.
No more time to camp now. I’m not into winter camping. Seems like every camper manufacturer has their issues.
Oh wow. Soooooo sorry to hear of your Lance issues. And it’s purportedly a 4 season camper - which it clearly is not (spoken as one who has owned one with the 4 seasons sticker for 10 years and the dumped it a few months ago)
We actually relentlessly prevailed on our dealer and finally they shipped our unit back to Lance corporate for a rebuild and correction of the advertised features - Sans the four seasons thing.
Thanks for tuning in and being part of my journey
Here’s wishing you all the best and hoping to hear from you again soon
I do love the Arctic Fox but after watching numerous videos of damage from water infiltration in various truck campers I'm going to opt for a camper made with Azdel composite construction... Also, rubber roofs are now obsolete, in my opinion PVC is much stronger and can withstand rips and tears much better than TPO or EDPM. NuCamp's truck camper's are made with Azdel and the roof is aluminum, so no worries about damage to a rubber membrane...
Very, very interesting. Huge thanks for the perspectives and new (to me) information.
@@howardkettner if you're so inclined check out the Citrus 920 ... All electric, no generator needed even for Fridge and AC... 930 watts solar and 810 amp hours of Lithium with DC to DC charging as standard equipment.. truckcampermagazine has a good article on the Cirrus 920 👊
@@roberts.1400 Just reading the article now. Wow! Amazing engineering, storage and more. Huge thanks for pointing me in this direction. I agree with the article - this could well be the way to the future.
Hi Howard. I think you have a 12v fridge without any propane function. The new campers do not have 2 way fridge anymore. I have a 2023 1150 with a propane and AC fridge.
I had to do a bit of an arm twist but I did get the three-way fridge as Coral and I do our share of boondocking.
Went back to dealer and it turns out the igniter had simply failed after the first few uses. All good now.
Thanks for tuning in and being part of the conversation.
@@howardkettner that’s impressive that AF would even entertain adding the 2 way fridge! I imagine this won’t be the last request they get for that. Was it an expensive option?
We are from SK and spend lots of our time in the Rockies. Heading to the kettle valley rail trail this year to finish up a bike packing trip.
@@darrylg7600 Super interesting. They included it as part of the Fox Value Package, no extra charge - as a 2-way fridge. Here's what's interesting. " Two way" is 120volt/Propane. I know - strange - right. But I had told them I didn't want 12volt. I could have had it as part of the 3-way fridge option, but on my previous unit, I had too many instances of the fridge auto selecting 12Volt and draining my coach batteries.
They agreed to go with what I wanted as part of the custom order.
Just checked the invoice and verified everything I just said.
@@howardkettner I think that’s really great that they work with their customers. I’m also of the opinion that large three-way fridges can leave you with dead batteries. I had a bigfoot with a three-way fridge in it and I was always fearful of that fridge draining my batteries. I may update my camper to lithium this year. I have the additional solar on the roof as an option. I see they include it now though. I have an F450. I’m not sure if I need to protect the charging system from lithium batteries as they draw so much if they are in a low state of charge. the truck has two alternators, but I’m worried about the voltage regulators.