November 2006 RV Education 101 newsletter

NEW! RV Campground Basics DVD
When you purchase an RV, where to go and what to do when you get there can be confusing until you have a few RV trips under your belt. There is a lot to learn about public & private campgrounds and RV Parks, and the more you know, the better your camping experiences will be. How do you find RV campgrounds, parks and resorts? Should you make reservations before leaving on a trip? How do you register when you arrive at the campground? What kind of site should you request? Do you need a partial hook up or a full hook up? How do you set the RV up at the campground? What does campground etiquette mean? How do you determine the right camping club or camping network for you? That is the purpose of this DVD, to answer all of these questions and much more

Hi Everybody,

What? It's almost Christmas? You gotta be kiddin me! Every month I talk about how fast the last month has slipped by, but now it's the entire year. I guess it's true that the older you get the faster time seems to go. Speaking of Christmas, we are offering holiday discounts on all of our DVDs again this year. All of our single DVD titles will be priced at $19.95 and our 4 DVD Value Packs will be priced at $65.00. There is a special on my "The RV Book" too. Get yours at this discounted sale of $17.50. I am working on an updated second edition for 2007 and the price will go back to $19.95 when my current 2006 supply runs out. There is so much practical information in "The RV Book" that I know you will be completely satisfied with your purchase!

For those of you keeping up with our Miracle Truss building project there were a few delays in October. It took awhile to get the engineer plans for the foundation and there were some rain delays. If all goes well, the concrete contractor is planning to pour the foundation and slab tomorrow. Hopefully by this time next month we will have most of the building constructed.

The holiday season can be an extremely difficult time for soldiers who are doing their jobs far from home. I have personally been in these types of situations more times than I would like to remember, and cannot describe how wonderful it can be to get a care package from somebody back home. Here is a great web site where you can see what our soldiers need and want, and where you can show your support by sending a care package. Please take a moment and show your support for our soldiers who are in harms way>>http://www.anysoldier.com/index.cfm

Still haven't winterized your RV? Then don't forget about winterizing and storing your RV for the winter. Our RV Winterizing and Storing DVD with Printed Checklist instructs you on how easy it is to properly prepare and protect your RV for winter storage.

Dropping the fifth wheel can happen quickly and easily. You’re distracted at the campground and forget to lower the landing gear, or you’re in a hurry, forget to chock the wheels and you pull the hitch latch, or maybe you think the hitch is locked and you pull forward, and BOOM! It can happen to anyone, even the most experienced fifth wheel owner. The next time you go to an RV dealership look at their service trucks, chances are one of them will have damaged bed rails too.

When this happens it can be extremely dangerous to anybody in the immediate area. It can also cause extensive damage to your tow vehicle and fifth wheel, not to mention how embarrassing it can be when other people are watching when it happens. Costs to repair damage to the tow vehicle and fifth wheel can range from $2,000 to more than $4,000, and hopefully nobody was injured when it happened. The thought of this happening is always in the back of your mind. This causes stress and interferes with enjoying your camping experience.

So how can you prevent this from happening to you? The BedSaver, by Blue Ox, is an inexpensive safety device that prevents the fifth wheel from dropping onto the bed rails of the tow vehicle. In the event of a hitch failure, or accident, the BedSaver will catch the fifth wheel pin before any damage occurs. I like to refer to the BedSaver as an inexpensive insurance policy, or better yet, piece of mind for any fifth wheel owner. The BedSaver is available for most fifth wheel hitches and it’s easy to install using regular household tools. Once it is installed it stays on the hitch and doesn’t affect normal hitching or unhitching procedures.

Using a checklist for hitching and unhitching your fifth wheel can be extremely helpful too. I am including these checklists from my “Checklists for RVers” e-book. But, don’t assume that just because you use a checklist you will never experience any fifth wheel hitching problems, or make any mistakes.

Unhitching a 5th Wheel:
__ Chock the trailer wheels.

Fifth wheel owners have a significant investment in their tow vehicle and fifth wheel. It only makes good sense to protect your investment with something as practical and inexpensive as the BedSaver. You don’t want to be the fifth wheel owner who says, “That can only happen to the other guy!” The first time the fifth wheel pin drops and the BedSaver catches it, instead of dropping on the bed rails, it will be well worth the small investment. Get some piece of mind, get a BedSaver and let the other guy worry about it.

Click here for more information on the BedSaver and to view a short video.

Consumer feedback about RV Education 101 products
Mark, thank you so much for your info. The testimonies claim how helpful you are, and that on the videos it seems as though you're a friend or a neighbor. You've just confirmed that. Some day if our (pop-up) camper grows up to be an RV, your site is the first place I'm going to for help.....Thanks again Mark, Julie Hamilton

"I have completed your crossword puzzle. That was fun and fairly easy. You guys put out a good service for your customers. I wish you much luck with your business."~ Robert Murphy

Happy Camper Half Price Camping Club
We at Happy Camper Half Price Camping Club want to announce that we are in the process of adding 300 new parks to our half price camping system for the 2007 camping guide. You can join now, save 50% on your camp sites during your fall camping, and still be able to use all 300 new parks as they come on board... just check our updates often! Also check out RV Scrapbook...a vibrant community online for RVers and their families - and it's absolutely free to use. We invite you to join us there to help us grow this one-of-a-kind site for the camping community. You have to see it to believe it.

Start your half-price discount camping privileges today Not already a member? Join 1/2 price camping today!