I’m not going to lie. We like to cook and eat pretty well on the road. Anybody who’s visited, traveled with us, or come to the RV, will all agree….we feed ya well. Don’t we?  That put me in search of a Portable Smoker Grill to take with us on the road.  One of my favorite pieces of gear that I bring along (and make room for) is my smoker.  Making good smoked food on the road can be difficult due to the size that many smokers require and the availability of fuel. Not for us!

We travel with the Pit Barrel Junior (PJB) Smoker by a company called Pit Barrel Cooker.  The PBJ’s relatively small size and simple design of a portable smoker grill makes it easy to bring with us. Even though it’s the smallest size they offer, I’ve cooked up to two full racks of ribs and two whole chickens at one time. Plenty of food to have 2-3 families over for a visit.  

As a full-time RV’er, do we really “need” a smoker?  Well no, but as carnivores, do we want a smoker?  That’s easy, YES! Like I said earlier, we eat pretty well, and I personally enjoy a lazy day around the campsite cooking. Besides, I also love filling the RV, campgrounds, and boondocking locations with that “smell” of deliciousness for hours and hours a day! 

The Pit Barrel Cooker isn’t just for the road. They have home-based cookers as well. They come in three sizes: humungous (PBX), regular (PBC), and junior size (PBJ). They also have various accessories to expand your cooking abilities with rubs, grills, hooks, and gadgets.  

Pit Barrel points out “seven advantages” to choosing its smoker over other portable smoker grill products.  These points were pretty helpful in our research (and good marketing, to be honest) in deciding which smoker to bring with us full-time RV’ing.  

The seven advantages are Portability, Cooking Capacity, Consistent Temperatures, Charcoal, Durable Design, Ease of Clean, Versatility.

Here is how they each apply to our situation:

Portability 

This smoker will go anywhere. I can haul it in my truck bed or put it on our RV bumper platform. It even packs back up in its box pretty well. I’ve developed an elaborate “pool noodle” protection system to keep it from getting scratched or dented while on the go. It sets up in about three minutes and cleans up in about two! Super easy!

Cooking Capacity  

When we cook, we make enough for us, some guests, and leftovers for everybody! We’ve cooked whole chickens, slabs of rib, pork shoulders, butts, and even pizza with our PBJ. We’ve done wings and steaks as well (using the hanging basked mod).  If you have bigger groups, the very large PBX has enough cooking space that you could literally cook enough food to start your own restaurant!!!  It holds up to 20 racks of ribs or 16 chickens at one time!!  

Consistent Temperatures  

Well, I guess it cooks with consistent temps. I’m going to be totally honest with you. To me, this is a “set it and forget it” smoker. You could simply follow the directions on the box and cook “perfect food” every time. Of course, I like my cooking to be “interactive,” so I measure temps all day. The outside of the smoker, inside, meat….whatever I can do to use my Themroworks gear! Haha!  

The temperature is managed by simply controlling airflow through the smoker. Standard settings will give you that slow, low temperature you need to get those smoke flavors we all love. Or you can turn the heat up to finish off those ribs or put a crisp on the skin of your wings. I’m always surprised at how responsive it is.  

Fuel/Charcoal

Pellet smokers need pellets, Green Egg’s desire natural lump charcoal, Electrical smokers…well need electricity. The PBC needs fire and charcoal! The same charcoal you find at any store. They do recommend Kingsford, but any charcoal will work. Easy to get and have on hand. I can fire up and cook at a moment’s notice.  

Durable Design  

This smoker is steel everything – nothing is plastic or cheap about it. Cooking surfaces and hooks are stainless steel. My PBJ has about 16,000 miles of traveling across the USA on it. It either rides in the bed of my truck or on the bumper of our RV.  It looks like it’s new and just came out of the box.  

Easy to Clean  

Is it easy to clean? Yes! I dump the ash & coals out after they cool. It’s cleaned…

Versatility 

Combined with PBJ’s portability, versatility is probably the most important feature of anything we bring with us on the road. Like I mentioned earlier, we’ve cooked pizza, wings, and deserts in our PBJ before. I can easily convert my PBJ to a grill or oven if needed. The possibilities are endless!  

In addition to all the meats we’ve cooked on our PBJ, I have my eye on a few more recipes that will happen very soon.  

• Smoked Queso
• Smoked Cobbler

We support Veteran-Owned Small Business

The last thing I’ll bring up about the Pit Barrel Smoker is the company. Pit Barrel Cooker is a veteran-owned small business. They offer specialized products (Military, DoD, Civil Service logos) to show your support for your service or organization. They’re located in Louisville, KY, and have excellent customer service. When I ordered mine, it was delivered to me in South Florida about 36 hours after placing my order. You can’t beat that!  

Conclusion

Ok ok…If it sounds like I’m trying to sell you a Pit Barrel, maybe I am. At least “suggesting it” as your portable smoker grill of choice, especially if you want portability, consistency, and ease of use.  I often cook on mine, and I’m thrilled to share my experience with my Pit Barrel.  If you decide to buy any PBC based on what you’ve read here, I would appreciate it if you clicked this link before you buy, as I’ll earn a small commission on the sale (at no cost to you). If you have any questions on the PBC, please message me on Facebook or Instagram, as I always enjoy talking about cooking outdoors. 

Check out my Outdoor Cooking Kit Below.  

The post Portable Smoker Grill for RV’ing appeared first on Ohana Expedition.

One of RV travel’s most significant benefits is that you can have all the comforts of home with you. This includes having your own bed to crawl into at the end of a long day of exploring new areas, hiking, biking, kayaking, or just enjoying the beautiful outdoors.  This is where your RV mattress matters!

When we decided to travel full-time in an RV, we had never really even camped in one. And to make matters more challenging, we lived in Hawaii (NO RV anything to look at). So we did all of our research online, and we did a LOT of it! One of the things we kept coming across was how horrible RV mattresses are. We knew, this being our home on wheels, we needed to have a new bed ASAP once we moved in.

What RV Mattress to Consider

There are so many mattress options out there, and it can be pretty overwhelming. When choosing what to get, there were many things to consider, from weight and size to comfort and price. I started with the most important of these on the list and kept narrowing it down.

Once I knew what size we needed for our RV, I quickly learned that we did not require anything special, just a standard queen-size mattress. That helped a lot! Some RV’s actually need special order mattresses to fit the shape/size. And yet, some people get lucky and can transfer their bed from their sticks&bricks into their RV (we had a king and were not so fortunate).

I narrowed my search down to what we could have delivered to us easily and actually get in through the door of our RV. For us, all of these decisions led us to a memory foam mattress, which typically comes vacuum sealed (in a much smaller package) and could be shipped to us.

There happen to be a sea of options for these as well, so I further dwindled my search down one by one, reading through hundreds of reviews and the specs on each one.

Next, our mattress needed to fit a few additional criteria for us.  This included support, comfort, weight, and cost.

Support

I am a side sleeper, and my husband is an every/any position sleeper (life in Navy racks does that to you). We needed something that would support all positions comfortably.

Comfort

I also used to get very HOT (like wake up in a miserable sweat hot) in our bed in Hawaii. I knew I wanted something that wouldn’t hold heat through the night.

Weight

As with any full-time RV’er, weight was important for lifting the bed to get into our storage area underneath and limiting the added tow weight.

Cost

The last deciding factor for us was the price. Once I knew what passed all the other tests, I compared the prices to see which was the best deal.

Winner, Winner

What I found…..The Nectar mattress passed all the tests, had great reviews, and was surprisingly quite affordable compared to the others I was researching. We ordered it and actually had it with us in the truck when we went to pick up the RV. You might think, why would we have to have it in the truck at pickup?   We were those crazy people that drove hundreds of miles in our truck with all our stuff to pick up our trailer. We towed it off the lot (kudos to the husband, who had never towed anything before) and straight to an RV park nearby for our “shakedown” trip.

Upon hooking up and opening the slides, the first thing we did was remove that horrible thin mattress still in its plastic from our bed and moved in the Nectar. It was easy to get in through the doors (shrink-wrapped in plastic) and open up in place in the bedroom.

An absolute bonus with our Nectar mattress decision was that they offer a 365-day trial, free return if you are not happy, and a lifetime warranty. We figured worst-case scenario, we’d spend a few months traveling with it, and if we didn’t love it, we would send it back.

We slept sooooo great that night and have ever since. I describe it as “firm-ish,” yet still soft as it cushions right around you, giving you support where needed. We are going on two years of full-timing, and there have been nights that we have stayed with family or friends or even at hotels for a few nights, and it always feels absolutely incredible to crawl back into our fantastic bed in the RV. The Nectar has impressed us and given us a great night’s rest.

Other RV Mattresses to Consider

There were three other options we were closely considering. LUCID, Casper, and Zinus. While all of them met the requirements and weren’t far off in price, the reviews were what set the Nectar apart for us.

Are you considering a mattress purchase for your RV? If you have any questions, we’d love to hear from you.

Sweet Dreams!

The post RV Mattress, It Matters When You Travel appeared first on Ohana Expedition.

Having easy access to clean water is very important and something most of us take for granted. Yet, if you question the quality of your city water, use well water, or travel like we do, having access to clean water can be a concern. We solved the dilemma of having clean drinking water anywhere, anytime with the Trave Berkey.

What is a Travel Berkey Water Filter?

A “Berkey” is a water purifier with the key advantage of being a countertop gravity-fed unit you can easily take with you. It utilizes up to four ceramic and carbon-activated filters (depending on the unit’s size) located in the unit’s upper portion, where you fill with whatever water source you have.

The water flows through the filters into the lower chamber and removes bacteria, viruses, chemicals, heavy metals, and even contaminants like fertilizer. It removes all the things that would make your water taste bad or unsafe to drink. It does this all while keeping the good minerals in, something most purifiers can not do. Optionally, you can add fluoride filters to the Berkey as well. These filters will reduce up to 97% of the fluoride in your water if that is a concern for you.  In the Travel Berkey, a pair of the included black Berkey filters can process up to 6000 gallons before needing replacement!!!

Why we chose and loved our Travel Berkey Water Filter.

When we were preparing and planning to go full-time in our RV, we kept reading about low-quality or questionable water supplies across the country. Many RVers choose to buy bottled water or refill giant, heavy water jugs to solve the problem. We wanted to be assured we would have clean drinking water and minimize our use of plastic and waste at the same time. These factors led us to choose the 1.5-gallon Travel Berkey Water Filter.

There are actually four different sizes of Berkeys to choose from, so you’ll have to assess your needs before deciding which is suitable for you. We contemplated between the Big Berkey and the Travel Berkey in the beginning because we were not sure if the smaller size would meet our needs. However, after almost two years of use, we are glad we went with the “travel” size unit. It measures 7.5″ across and 19″ in height and filters water at a rate of 2.75 gallons per hour, so still not very small. However, it perfectly fits our kitchen bar/countertop in the RV without taking up too much space or looking big and bulky. I’ve actually had friends comment on how sleek and nice it looks.

The Travel Berkey Water Filter was the best answer for our family of 3, plus 1 very adorable yet stubborn Goldendoodle. In my research, I found that a dog’s digestive system can be just as sensitive (if not more so) than humans. We knew it was just as important to have consistent, clean drinking water for our “Dood” as it was for us. We refill our Berkey as needed (usually 2-3 times a day). This allows us to have clean water to make coffee, tea, fill the dogs’ water bowl and keep our Hydro flasks full. On travel days, we even bring an extra Hydroflask for Hurley in the truck and can easily give him water with his collapsible water bowl while rolling down the road. It makes the best clean-tasting ice as well (we use this ice maker).

Speaking of travel days….this is how our Berkey travels.

After filling up what we need for the day, we simply move the Berky to our kitchen sink with a few other items. The rubber gripping on the bottom keeps it in place perfectly, but we figure if a spill or something does happen while we’re going down the road, at least it would be in the sink.

Maintenance and Cleaning

The Berkey Filter System is super easy to keep clean and maintain, making it even more convenient. The unit is made of stainless steel and can be hand-washed using clean hot water and dish soap once the filters are removed. Even the filters can be gently scrubbed with a new 3M Scotch Brite pad to remove any buildup and rinsed with water before re-installing.

Other Options

In our research phase, we also looked into reverse Osmosis systems. The ones we looked at required a power source to filter the water. Since we planned to do some boondocking through our travels, we didn’t want to rely on power for clean water. Since the Berkey works via gravity alone, it almost made it a no-brainer.

Another perk of the Berkey was that we didn’t want something that would have to be installed permanently. We found this extremely useful as we recently purchased a cabin in the mountains to use as our “home base” between our travels. We simply carry the Berkey into the cabin when we arrive and continue to use it there.

Not just for the RV

In our cabin, when we lost power due to a crazy summer storm.  The Berkey became even more of a lifesaver for us as our electric pump stopped working for our well. We were able to get a couple of days of water supply from our local Fire Department in large containers for general use.  This was great for flushing the toilets and washing hands, but we also used it to fill the Berkey, and it made clean water for all of us to drink. We could have even filled the Berkey with water from our nearby lake if needed, and it would have made it safe to drink, which still blows my mind!  You don’t realize how important clean water is until you don’t have it!

Problems with Berkey

We have found only one problem or issue with our Berkey, and it was a 100% operator error. We chose to purchase the S/S spigot, which is turned forward to dispense. Since its gravity fed, when the Berkey runs out of water, nothing will come out of the spigot.  I accidentally left this open (not once, but twice…I like to learn the hard way) when it was empty. Then later, after refilling the water (gravity took over), we were alerted to the dripping sound of water. (NEVER a good sound in an RV.) Fortunately, our trash can is located right below the unit, so it caught all the water dripping out.  Lesson learned….ensure you always have the spigot turned to the “off” position when you are done using it.

Conclusion

What we love most about our Berkey is how A-MAZING the water tastes. It consistently makes the freshest, cleanest tasting water no matter what the source.  The portability of the system, cost-effectiveness, gravity-fed, and the amount of water each filter cleans over its lifetime makes it an easy pick.  The Berkey is an excellent system to have on your RVing adventures.

Now, that is some high-quality H2O!!!

The post Travel Berkey Water Filter appeared first on Ohana Expedition.

We frequently get this question, “What is boondocking?” from family, friends, and other RV’ers.

Have you ever heard of “off the grid” camping? Well, they’re pretty much the same thing as boondocking. If you’re a seasoned tent camper, try not to laugh, but it’s like primitive camping in an RV.

Boondocking is when you set up your RV without shore power, water, or sewer connections. Why would you want to do this, you might ask?  We’ll cover the various reasons, but knowing how to boondock is a great skill to have if you’re going to take your RVing adventures to the next level.

RVs typically have holding tanks for fresh water, gray water (kitchen/bathroom sink & shower), and black water (sewage). Using a converter, many RVs come wired to run some electrical components on both 120v and 12v power sources. This configuration gives you the ability to sustain yourself for short periods without being in a traditional RV park.

To put it simply, an RV with a full tank of fresh water, empty collection tanks, and a fully charged battery is technically ready to start boondocking.

Being ready to boondock is the easy part. Where it gets challenging is pulling it off. If I could describe Boondocking, “it’s an art” of resource management for your RV. Several variables need to be taken into consideration when boondocking. It’s almost a trial and error exercise in the beginning.

Managing Resources

No two RVs are alike, no two families use the same amount of water per day, and no two people have the exact power requirements over 24 hours. Boondocking is about knowing your RV systems, usage requirements and managing them with the resources you have.

Here is an example of how we manage our water usage and the effect it has on power while boondocking:

Our RV has a 60-gallon freshwater tank. A family of three could easily use that in one day if we were careless. To run all that water we also need power for the pump. If we’re going to boondock in one spot for 3-5 days, we would need to stretch all these resources to ensure access to our water. Here is how we would adjust:

Tips

No long showers

I don’t know about you all, but I have some world record, long shower takers in my rig most of the time. Not when we’re boondocking.  We make it a point to get in, rinse, turn the water off, soap up, wash off, then out! Aka, a Navy Shower!

Flushing Discipline

RV toilets don’t flush like those in a home. They run water as long as you hold the pedal down. So you can use a lot of water to flush the toilet if not careful. You can also end up filling up your black tank sewage system with your precious freshwater.  That’s no bueno!  You won’t have a readily available spot to empty those tanks, and that can end a boondocking trip fast!  Only use what you need to flush.

Dishes in the Bucket

Washing dishes can also use a lot of water. We always try, but especially when boondocking, wipe all words first with a paper towel into the trash. Then, we’ll let the dishes build up a little before washing, rather than after each meal. 

We’ll use a secondary bin in our sink when boondocking to minimize our water usage.  We’ll fill the container in the sink with hot soapy water, scrub and set dishes aside, then dispose of that water outside if allowed. Fill again while rinsing and then dump. Even if you’re not able to dump this water out, you can control which tank you want to dump the water into and better manage your tank levels.  Lowing the water requirements saves the freshwater we have, puts only the water we use in the holding tanks, and lets us use our battery for other things.

These are just a few to start. There are dozens of tips and tricks you can learn to extend your boondocking time. One of my favorite tips is from You, Me, and the RV. They capture the cold water from the shower (before the heated water arrives at the fixture) and use that for dishes later in the day. It saves the holding tank’s space while using the water that would have just typically run down the drain. Brilliant!

Power Management

One single 12v battery doesn’t last that long in an RV, and draining a led acid battery below 50% can destroy it. With one single battery, you won’t be running your AC or watching TV, but your water pump, slides, lights, exhaust fans, and maybe some USB ports are going to have power available to them by that single battery.  So you’ll need a way to keep the battery charged.

When boondocking, we recharge our battery every day with either an inverter generator or have the option to run solar panels. On battery power, we can keep those USB ports on for our wireless router, phone chargers, and 12v fans!  Oh, of course, to make sure the pump and slides work too!!

Unless you have a generator or an enormous onboard battery system, you’ll have to be very frugal with your power needs. It might even be impractical if you don’t have a way to recharge your battery at some point in your boondocking trip.

Some who boondock a lot upgrade their RV to have solar systems with lithium battery banks. With a system like that, you could have your power needs met almost indefinitely.

View our Off-Grid RV Gear list on Kit.co

Why?

Now, WHY would you want to put you and your RV through this?

Check out the hashtag “#rvboondocking” on Instagram to see what I mean. With boondocking, you’ll find the freedom to visit and camp at places like no other. You can stay on designated federal and state properties such as Bureau of Land Management (BLM) areas or Army COE sites.

We have also boondocked at wineries, breweries, farms, and golf courses, using our Harvest Hosts membership (a great place to learn how to boondock). Some of our most memorable RVing stops have been while we were boondocking from one place to another on a long trip.

It’s not all remote opportunities either. In large cities, you can also stay at some local venues (RV shows, infield racing events, and multi-day sporting events). Knowing how to boondock opens up a lot of additional opportunities for your RV experience.

An Even Better “Why?”

Boondocking is also very much about building confidence in your RV knowledge. Suppose you plan to (or unexpectedly) park in a Walmart parking lot or truck stop for the night. Knowing you and your family will be somewhat comfortable and that your RV can provide for you is important.

Conclusion

Every RV’er should know their equipment well. Understanding how systems interact with one another or how you can best manage your RV resources can help you troubleshoot problems or issues that pop up unexpectedly. That same knowledge can help get you off the grid for some epic camping adventures you’ll tell tales of to all your friends.

Happy boondocking! We’ll see you off the grid!

The post What is Boondocking? Take RVing to the Next Level appeared first on Ohana Expedition.

If you’re on the search for a delicious, quick go-to dinner recipe while RVing (or anywhere, honestly), I’ve found the answer. With this Instant Pot Spaghetti, you can easily & quickly have this ready even after a long drive day.

The icing on the cake…its all in one pot, so super easy to clean up as well. Winner-Winner, Spaghetti Dinner!!!! (I know, I’m not very funny, but I keep telling myself I am.)

This isn’t just any spaghetti…this is Instant Pot Spaghetti with an amazingly flavorful meat sauce! The flavor is completely magnified by cooking everything together in one pot (yes, even the pasta) compared to your regular stove-top spaghetti.

Don’t own an Instant Pot?

If you don’t own an Instant Pot yet, what are you waiting for? Jay was actually the one that ordered ours many years ago, and I am embarrassed to say that it took me over a year to actually warm up to the idea of it, let alone get brave enough to start using it. I honestly don’t know why, because this has become a necessary kitchen appliance for us now.

I don’t think I’ll ever be able to cook spaghetti any other way now. The noodles come out cooked perfectly and actually soak in so much flavor from the sauce while cooking under pressure. This is where the IP magic happens.

The added bonus of cooking the pasta this way is that it won’t require straining the water. We try not to strain starchy pasta water down into our grey tank, so sometimes we’ll do it over the fire pit (especially if we plan to have a fire after dinner that night anyway). But that isn’t always possible, so this solves that problem as well.

Serving Tips

Before serving, I like to top the spaghetti with grated parmesan cheese and fresh basil sprinkle (if I have it). This Spaghetti is so delicious I am happy with it just as is. But my guys usually like a little something extra. Jay’s favorite to pair with this dinner is a good salad and a glass of red wine. Caleb (my carb-loving teen) likes anything garlic & bread, preferably garlic knots and a side of broccoli. Any way you try it…just try it!

Even More Tips

-We prefer a mix of Italian sausage & ground turkey for our meat sauce. When I buy a pack of ground turkey, I split it and freeze the other half. I usually purchase Italian sausage in the casing, so I split the pack in half (freezing the rest) and removing the casing before adding it to the pot. You can easily use one or the other or even ground beef if you prefer.

-Always scrape the bottom of the pot after sauteing the meat. I usually use red wine for this, as we like the added layer of flavor it adds, but you can also use chicken stock or even water in a pinch. Any small amount of liquid will help those stuck on bits release, which will assure you won’t end up with the dreaded “burn warning” on the IP.

-Use a good quality marinara sauce that you like the flavor of. In our sticks&bricks, this would have been homemade for me, but I don’t have the storage space now, so our next favorite is Rao’s (we buy the two-pack at Costco). I like that it doesn’t have sugar added or any extra stuff (it’s closest to how I make my own).

-Pasta. Our family prefers “thin” spaghetti or angel hair, so this recipe’s cooking time is based on that. If you prefer a regular (thicker) spaghetti noodle, I’ve done this as well and adjusted the cooking time to 5 minutes, with success.

-Rinse your sauce jar. When it comes to the step of pouring water over the noodles. I like to measure the water first, then pour it into my sauce jar and shake it to get every little bit out.

-When you first open the Instant Pot, your sauce will look very watery. This is normal, I promise! Give it a good stir mixing everything up, place the lid back over the pot, and sit for about 3-5 minutes. Every time I get to this point, open my cover, and see the watery sauce, I freak a little. Then I follow my own advice and all is good!

Instant Pot Spaghetti with Meat Sauce Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

½ lb Ground Turkey

½ lb Italian Sausage

½ tsp Garlic Powder

¼ tsp Onion Powder

¼ tsp Salt

¼ cup Red Wine

8 oz Dry Thin Spaghetti Noodles

2 cups Water

Grated Parmesan Cheese (for serving)

DIRECTIONS:

Saute Meat. Press SAUTE. Once hot, add ground turkey and Italian sausage. Cook, breaking the meat up into small pieces. Add the garlic powder, onion powder, and salt and continue to cook until browned (about 5 minutes).

Press CANCEL.

Add wine & sauce. Pour in the wine. Stir, scraping all the stuck-on bits from the bottom of the pan. Then pour in the sauce, stirring to combine with meat.

Break spaghetti noodles in half. Add them to the pot in a spiral method and layering if needed (so they won’t stick while cooking) on top of the sauce. Do NOT stir at this point!

Pour water from the sauce jar (see tip) over the pasta. You can press the noodles down gently into the sauce at this point, but again no stirring.

Place the lid on top and into the locking position. Set pressure valve to SEALING position.

Select MANUAL and HIGH mode. Then adjust to 3 minutes for cook time.

When cooking time finishes, turn the pressure valve to VENTING for a quick release. Unlock and release the lid (turn OFF the IP).

Give the pasta and sauce a good stir at this point and let sit with the lid covering for 5 minutes to thicken.

Serve with a sprinkle of grated parmesan, and if you have it, some fresh basil that has been chiffonade (I, unfortunately, didn’t when I took these photos). Now…Enjoy!!!

Also, check out our Five Favorite RV Kitchen Appliances.

Instant Pot DUO60 6 Qt 7-in-1 Multi-Use Programmable Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker,...

Instant Pot DUO60 6 Qt 7-in-1 Multi-Use Programmable Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker,...

$79.00

$89.99

in stock

1 used from $53.68

as of April 4, 2022 11:21 am

READ MORE

Amazon.com

Last updated on April 4, 2022 11:21 am

The post Instant Pot Spaghetti with Meat Sauce Recipe appeared first on Ohana Expedition.

We started the year out moving pretty fast by visiting the Florida National Parks, Space Coast, and the Tampa RV Show. From there, we made our way towards our western route, stopping in Pensacola, Galveston, Houston, Waco, and San Antonio along the way! Then the virus hit!

We got pretty lucky, though. If you recall, New Mexico was one of the first states to shut down and restrict travel. All of our reservations across the state were “canceled” just days before we were suppose to arrive. Stuck in Texas, we found a great park just outside San Antonio and stayed all of April & May. We got to see some sites but mostly kept to ourselves, watching and learning how to navigate the pandemic. We made some great friends and met up with our navy family during our traveling hiatus.

In late May, we found ourselves making an unscheduled drive back east to North Carolina. Without knowing how long the pandemic’s effects would last, we decided to invest in a vacation rental and establish a home base for our future travels. A cabin in the mountains near one of our favorite spots in the whole country. Mt. Pisgah, NC!

We tested our “home base” theory by spending about three weeks on the road playing in our new backyard (North and South Carolina). We visited places from Asheville, Kitty Hawk, Charleston, and everything in between.

July through December, we spent time working on our property and enjoying the western NC outdoors. We spent the last few days of 2020 making it back down to Florida, where we can soak up some “vitamin sea” for the remainder of the winter.

So far, we’ve found this new option to be a good compromise on our travel style. It gives us all some downtime, space to spread out and enjoy some creature comforts (hello long hot showers, great internet & dishwasher) and leaves us all yearning to get back out and travel when we do. As long as it remains safe, we have plans to continue traveling in 2021! In June, we will head to the country’s interior to visit the Dakotas, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico. Basically, picking up where we left off. From the mountains (mauka) to the sea (makai), we travel! Aloha & Happy New Year to all!!!

The post Happy New Year Update!! appeared first on Ohana Expedition.

We are doing well after our first week of social distancing. Last week, we left Galveston and made our way to the “Heart of Texas” (aka Waco). We’ve been fortunate enough to find the things we need and be in areas where the competition isn’t too crazy for goods. We’ve made some adjustments to our daily routines and set some personal & family goals to accomplish while we’re in this forced downtime. Making the best of it as we can and taking advantage of the breaks in the bad weather to stretch our legs outside the RV.

The place we’re staying (Airport Park) is on Waco Lake and is an Army Corps of Engineers flood control area. Flood control measures must have been activated as the lake is rising after all the rain. So much so – we’ve been asked to move to higher ground as some sites by us are nearly underwater. So we got to do a “quick breakdown exercise” to help the day pass! It worked – Very fun! Hahaha!

Navy life prepared us for this over the years because plans change, and then change again. Sometimes (as we saw today), even in a matter of minutes. We’ve also made the important decision to put a hold on our travels, to be stationary for the next 30 days or until things blow over. So we’ll be heading south tomorrow to a private park as all COE Parks are unofficially “closed” for camping. We assumed Rangers would ask us to leave at some point, so we went ahead and made plans to stay put at our next stop. We’ve seen many concerns about National, State, and other Government parks closing across the RV community. Private parks do seem widely available in Texas at this time.

We hope everybody else is doing well. I think RV’ers are prone to be prepared for the unexpected. We have the flexibility to move to areas that are less impacted or completely isolate ourselves if we choose to. The trade-off is we can’t stockpile a bunch of supplies, but we’re finding it’s not so bad to get what you need outside the major cities. Stay safe and healthy, everyone!

Source

The post A Week of Social Distancing appeared first on Ohana Expedition.

We’re making our way to Texas first, with a few quick stops in some new states for Caleb (Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana).   We are excited to check out some Gulf beaches from the other side in Galveston, TX, and then are headed to hang with Chip & Jojo and explore Magnolia Market at the Silos and Waco, TX.

Our itinerary is somewhat “loose” after that, with plans to visit friends and make our way to some more exciting and new (to us) National Parks. We can’t wait to see what our travels have in store for us!

UPDATE

Well, we thought we were making our way out of Florida and we did (for a night).  That’s the beauty of RV life…travel plans can change like the wind and we roll with it.  Atleast, we are still making our way “West”, LOL.

Somehow we missed “qualifying” for our Georgia sticker (yet drove through it three times) so we made a point to sleep over one night in the state. We stopped at Eastbank Army Corps of Engineers Park for another incredible night of magnificent views. There is something so soothing about being on the water.

Eastbank Campground is located on Lake Seminole on the Georgia-Florida state line. Driving into the park was shocking and heartbreaking. The damage that remained from Hurricane Michael was devastating, with so many downed trees. The staff and volunteers at the park had done such an incredible job cleaning it up. The lake and surrounding area provide a variety of outdoor recreational opportunities for camping, fishing, boating (with a launch), picnicking, hiking, biking, and incredible bird watching. Caleb really enjoyed riding his scooter around the park with all its hills.

We fall more and more in love with Army Corps of Engineers parks with everyone we visit. They are quickly making their way to the top of our list for favorite places to stay.

The post 2020 – Lets Go West! appeared first on Ohana Expedition.

Note: Your results may vary….our situation was a little unique. In three weeks, we left Hawaii, picked up our RV & tow vehicle (TV), got all our gear, and hit the road. In the 8-12 months prior – all of our research was done exclusively online. Hawaii does not have an “RV Industry” so we couldn’t go out and do our own research (even if we wanted to). Everything from what RV to buy, where we should travel to, and what gear we would need was mostly done online. We relied “heavily” on YouTube, blogs, and FB groups, which we’re very thankful for, but there are things you can’t learn anywhere but on your own!  

1. Teamwork is important! You must iron out who does what and trust in each other.

It should be easy for us, right? We’ve been married for over 24 years, so you’d think we are a well-oiled team? Well, when it comes to RV’ing, they don’t make this pillow for no reason. We had a few incidents where a breakdown in teamwork almost got the best of us. One of the more vivid memories is our “third” time setting up. We nearly totaled our trailer due to a significant drop off the tongue jack blocks. We were in a site that had too much of a grade for us to safely level (we didn’t know any better) and had not chalked correctly. When we came off the hitch, the entire trailer shifted. While it didn’t totally fall, it was precariously balancing on a set of collapsing Camco leveling blocks (don’t ever use those for this task). It was just a matter of time before it fell off. Because of the downward movement of the hitch during the shift, we couldn’t hook back up because the truck suspension was too high to come back on the ball. After a lot of swearing, arguing and strange looks from other campers…the camp host came to the rescue. He brought his lower truck over and saved the day for us. We dodged a bullet for sure!

Lesson Learned: It’s absolutely imperative to know how to use “ALL of your equipment” before use. Even simple items such as Camco Blocks and X-Chocks. Ours were not correctly installed and combined with the steep grade of the site cause the shift. We also learned to talk through the problems and not rush. Knowing an accident like this could have a considerable impact on our entire travel plan, we slowed our response and worked through safer options. Finally, allow others to help you. RV’ers are a helpful bunch…they won’t leave you hanging when in need.  

2. Driving is a team sport!

We had NEVER pulled anything before, so learning to back up, turn, navigate while towing in new locations all presented quite the challenge for us. On “day one,” our dashboard looked like the cockpit of a fighter jet. Jay drove Jeeps for the past 20 years, and everything in them was mostly analog. Now, he was trying to manage our new trucks instrument panel, the navigation system, running Trucker Route (App on an iPad), back up camera, dash camera, and Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS). While some of these devices don’t require much attention, they can saturate you with too much information. It was overkill, for sure! This leads to missed turns, unscheduled appearances on-roads too small for your RV and undesirable backroad shortcuts…which leads to arguments, intense discussions, and a lot of swearing…see where we’re going with this?

Lesson Learned: Never rush and take your time. You’ll be uncomfortable if it’s your first time towing or backing up a large RV or Travel Trailer. Make some short trips first to get the hang of driving your rig. If you can, make the first few RV park reservations “pull-through” sites. These are pretty easy to manage since you simply pull in and pull straight out. Oh, and most are nice and level too. The added benefit is you’ll be able to focus on your set up routine and not burn a bunch of time and energy of struggling to back in. The skill will come to you with just a little practice.

Google Maps is your friend! The night before you travel, follow your route on satellite view and look for tight turns, low bridges, and bad roads. We’ve found this gives us the insight we need, especially when pulling into RV parks (as you’ll have a basic understanding of the traffic patterns). You can also use RV Trip Wizard, Trucker Route APP, or Road Trip Planner (OSX) to help with planning your trips.

Have your co-pilot help you with monitoring all the information displayed. Our passenger (typically Jen) keeps an eye out for upcoming lane changes, exits, and watches the TMPS for the RV. Our son has recently started assisting as well by doing visual checks when changing lanes and backing in.

Tone down the tech. While it’s nice to have, it’s not absolutely necessary. Sometimes we deal with a few glitches on the road, which are sometimes more of a distraction for us. I would say use what you’re comfortable with and add/subtract whatever helps you drive safely.

3. Watch who and where you get your information from.  

This one didn’t come to our realization until about the 90-day mark. One day Jen and I were unhooking at an RV Park, and we found ourselves in the same “discussion” about the process. We had many of these types of “discussions” on nearly everything when it came to RV’ing. We were never on the same page, and it was causing some strain on each other. We realized we were not operating with the “same information” when it came to performing specific tasks safely. While Jen is a voracious researcher on YouTube and online, Jay tends not to read manuals (until I absolutely have to) and 1/2 watch manufacture videos. We found our information was sometimes conflicting between the two sources. We took the time to educate each other where we were getting our information from, and that solved nearly any disagreements we had.  

Lesson Learned: RV’ers and YouTubers are a tremendous help, and we really enjoy learning from them! We’ve got a lot of great information from several weekly videos and vlogs about RV’ing. We really like seeing others on the road and learning from their experiences as well. However, you must be very careful when using blogs, vlogs, and personal websites as your source for “how to’s.” In two instances, we were watching videos from a long time RV’ers on the “setup and takedown process” as we refined our checklist. We found significant steps or safety items were accidentally missed in each video. One video completely misses the chalking process (I’m surprised they didn’t have a similar situation as we did above). The other disregarded a critical piece of information when placing the X-Chocks on the wheels. It wasn’t until we BOTH went to the manufactures website, watched those videos, and read the manuals we realized additional steps were recommended. It sounds like common sense to do this, but we found ourselves overwhelmed with all the manuals, information, and tasks early on in the process of full-time RV’ing and foolishly overlooked it. Take the time to read all your manuals and look at manufacturer demo videos!

4. This “can” cost a lot of money!  

We got into full-time RV’ing to travel the Mainland and spend time as a family. I’m glad we didn’t get into it to save money because this lifestyle can get expensive very quickly. Not even the Hawaii cost of living had prepared us for the cost of full time traveling. I’m not talking about unplanned expenses, upgrades, and repairs. I’m talking about just day to day living the lifestyle. Very early on in our trip, we attributed up our “blown budget” to be “the cost of getting started.” Remember we started RV’ing with nothing, so we had to buy all of our equipment at once. While I don’t want to hang a number on it, it was more than I expected, and we are well equipped… A few meals out, a trip or two to the grocery store and clothes…yes, clothes became a thing for us. We needed winter clothes, close-toed shoes, something other than board shorts…hahaha! Could we have buckled down and stayed within our budgets? Yes, but the excitement of the lifestyle had us overspending in our first few months. We’ve seen many other RV’ers make similar comments. So just be prepared to add a little extra $$ to your budgets if you’re starting off full-timing.

Lesson Learned: One of the advantages of RV living is the limited space “you own.” You don’t have space to do “impulse buy’s” or pick up things you “could use.” You’ll find you’ll buy the stuff you absolutely need. This is helpful when controlling what you’re spending your money on. That is one area we found to be beneficial and enjoyable as we were fulling embracing the minimalist lifestyle.

Of course, you’ll purchase all the gear you need. Hoses, electrical connections, towing equipment, chocks, leveling gear, protective covers, etc. It’s the things you don’t anticipate buying when going full time are what gets you in the beginning. Everyone knows the mattresses that come with RV’s are purely for show. We slept on ours “once” and woke up very stiff and in pain. Now that this was our home, it’s no way to live – so we spent several hundred dollars replacing the mattresses in our RV. Also, we learned, with a small wardrobe, you’ll find you go through clothes a lot quicker than you did when you had that big full walk-in closet. The laundry cycles at the laundromat are brutal on clothes. We unknowingly bought some supposed “rugged outdoor adventure pants,” which needed to be washed on “delicate”…wait WHAT? They fell apart in two months of laundromat washings, let alone going on adventures we were doing with them. Those were two areas of unexpected expenses we didn’t encounter in all of our research. We also had a few more…

If you move often, regional tolls, fluctuating gas prices, and seasonal RV rates all contribute to the variations in spending with a monthly budget. It’s tough to track on the fly. We recommend you overestimate your cost 10%-20% and be sure you have a “travel savings” set aside each month. If you end up under budget, then good, roll that into savings. If you go over budget, track your spending to see where you’re going over and attack those areas one by one. We found this quite the challenge the first six months and are hoping to tighten it up in our 2020 travels.

5. Take space when you need it. 

We used to live in a decent size house in Hawaii but frequently found us all occupying the same 10 sq ft at the same time. We regularly joked with each other about it, and it’s one of the reasons we thought pulling off full time living would be super simple. Well, let us tell you…living in 312 sq ft is COMPLETELY DIFFERENT! Nothing gets said, done, smelled, annoyed, clicked, buzzed, open, closed, or slammed without everyone in the RV knowing. That tends to require more patience and understanding by all (including our furry) than we were prepared for. We’re an introvert family, so when we pull into a new park or area, we usually stick together until we have the lay of the land. That, plus we only have our tow vehicle, so if we go out, it’s usually for multiple tasks – so we spend A LOT of time in direct proximity with one another. Spending time together is one of our main goals in choosing this lifestyle, but it can also be too much sometimes!

Lesson Learned: In our situation, simple tasks such as grocery shopping were once done exclusively by Jen. We didn’t realize Jay, and Caleb tagging along would be so disruptive to the flow! Jay shops with his eyes and Caleb is a fidgety young kid, so it just throws chaos into the event. In turns out, spending time “not asking” where stuff is in Home Depot, Harbor Freight, and Tractor Supply Company isn’t how Jen & Caleb prefers to spend an afternoon (I wonder why, LOL). So we’ve made some ground rules and split our trips so we can get micro-breaks from one another and get our jobs done. We’ve always done “Date Nights,” “Dude Days,” or “Mommy Dates,” but it is even more important to have those on the road.  

If you’re still reading at this point, I applaud you! Hahaha! One might say oh “poor them” as we seem to be droning on about our endless vacation woes. That is not our intention, as many of you, we are people who try to take a common-sense approach to stuff like this, but found ourselves challenged by them on more than one occasion living the full-time lifestyle. At times early on in the process, we felt beat & almost made the call to quit. We’re just grateful our family unit is strong enough to work through the challenges and continue our journey. We owe that to a lot of family and friends we have supporting us. We find ourselves extremely fortunate and very humbled by this opportunity.  

Over this time, we’ve found out a lot about each other and ourselves. We’re continuing to learn as we embark on our 2020 travels. If you’re getting ready to hit the road and have questions, please let us know on our FB Page (we loved making connections and sharing info about our passions).    

The post NEWBIE Mistakes – Lessons we’re Learning about Life on the Road appeared first on Ohana Expedition.

We can’t wait to continue in 2020!!!!

Happy New Year from Ohana Expedition!

The post Happy New Year! appeared first on Ohana Expedition.