Martha and I camped with our Jayco Escapade CSLP Motorhome this weekend at the KOA RV Park near Wellington, CO.
The goal was a shakedown ride, use of all systems and see if everything was in working condition as this is a 2006 unit.
I'm happy to report it all went well, though it took me a few tries to figure out the proper way to flush the black water tank! I thought the gray water tank, upon being drained, flushed the black water tank, it does not. Doh.
The water level sensors on these holding tanks are notoriously unreliable and I'll have to figure out the right amounts of cleaners/deodorizers to use but otherwise, no issues and more importantly, no messes when I did the flushes at the RV Camp's sewer port conveniently located at our parking spot.
It didn't take Martha long to get comfortable on the J-Steel Sofa.
It pulls out into a twin sized bed, we slept in it together the
first night, with no real issues.
The second night, Martha had the above bed all to herself, and I tried out the queen-sized bed in the overhead compartment. Quite roomy, though a bit short on headspace. Quite comfy otherwise.
Martha cooked us a couple of meals and the testing of the restroom facilities went as planned, with everything working as it should.
Sunday morning, we packed everything back up in about 30 minutes or so and headed on home.
We did find, the upgraded sewer hose we bought will not fit in the tube compartment designed to house such things. The sewer hose that came with the RV will be thrown out, too short and lacking a coupler on one end.
I need to cut some 2x8 boards for use as leveling blocks, even a slight grade can cause some slight issues like pots wanting to slide off when on the stove.
It's really nice to have full hookups when glamping, you don't worry about power usage and don't have to run the generator which is a bit noisy and of course produces fumes when running. The fresh water tank was 1/3 full when we picked up the RV, but since we had "city water", we didn't use any of it except to make sure the water pump worked.
The RV electrics are powered from a single deep cycle battery! I was quite surprised, figured there'd be a bank of batteries. Of course this means either putting another deep cycle in series for more capacity or perhaps solar panels for when boondocking or dry camping.
Cost for the night was $45, not too bad considering the cost of lodging for two these days. The price is lower in state parks and such I believe.
Sunday morning, leaving the RV Park.
You'll note the TV antenna is stowed and the motorhome is
not trailing power/water/sewer tubes!
The Jayco Escapade (we're still working on a name for her) just fits on the driveway but blocks one of the bays for the garage. Still, the HOA doesn't permit an RV to be parked more than 72 hours so it's not like it'll block the bay for long.
Chatting with our neighbors about the motorhome
I'll be taking the Escapade over to its storage parking spot on Tuesday, there's some stuff to do like applying fresh sealant on the roop openings, outfitting it with "nice to have" stuff inside, putting in a small TV, trying out the towing of the trailer with URAL sidecar on it.
Looking forward to the next outing!
15 comments:
Glamping, an accurate term. It looks like the unit is working out pretty good. The one we are looking at is even older but no engine or driveline to complicate things. And fairly low mileage. There is a company out of Canada that makes a tank gauge that actually works. It affixes to the side of the grey and black tanks and doesn't rely on physical probes sticking through the tank. Lots of reports that they work really well. While camping in RV parks, you may want to get an electric heater so you don't have to use your propane for heat. Especially since you paid for electricity. The cheap plastic leveling blocks break easily if you are not parked on pavement.
I'm told that 2x6V golf cart batteries (flooded, old technology) provide more useable capacity and live longer. This assumes that you actually have space for them. You may find that the single deep cycle battery will be completely drained after only one cold night of running the furnace. At least that's my experience going through the Yukon in late summer. Plus the furnace seems to use a ton of propane.
Good info RichardM, I saw a post somewhere about those external sensors...must find it again to see how much they are. If you have it, please send it along. We did use an electric heater the first night but it was noisy. The furnace only cut on and ran for a few minutes, regularly during the night, but will have to monitor how much it uses in terms of propane.
We'll see how things work out with the battery for the RV.
Tank sensors. https://www.garnetinstruments.com/products/7094ph-seelevel-tank-monitor/
My email gets rejected by your domain due to "Spam like behavior"
Thanks RichardM, it seems to be a popular alternative: http://www.motorhome.com/rv-how-to/seelevel-ii-tank-monitor/
Nice!! It's exciting to see alternative options for getting out, and taking the wife along. :) I might have missed this, but are there plans to pull Scarlett on a trailer?
I've explored the solar idea for ours and back it. The panels have come down in price over the years. So it is affordable now. The second battery is nice for boondocking. We used good blankets rather than relying on a heater. But that was also when nights were only in the low 50's.
Where is the first destination?
BeemerGirl, yes, Scarlett or Fiona will be towed behind the RV. We'll use the RV as base camp, the Ural to get around for errands and for exploring of course.
In sites with full hookups, we'll be running the furnace though thinking of other heater options.
Boondocking will necessitate solar panels, haven't gotten serious yet about those until we get "full hookups" camping down pat.
First destination still being debated.
I am glad to hear that all worked perfectly well. You can't always expect this from a used unit. The rental RV's we had while travelling in Canada had a grey water flush through system to clean the black water tank. I wander if you could do something about the piping. It sounds logical to me that the used water can be reused perfectly for that purpose. Can't wait to hear more about future adventures.
SonjaM, thanks, I looked at the plumbing on the gray tank and it just connects to the drain tube for the black tank. Kind of a bummer but if hooked into the tank, you'd also have to add a anti-back flow device.
Fun!! Looks like it will suit you two just fine.
Ah, a new toy hauler, or toy puller, Congrats to you and Martha...
Any plans to make the USCA rally in Corning, New York next summer? Will be cooler than Hotchkiss, (I hope).
Wonder if those stick-on tank gauges would work on steel gas tanks too?
Thanks CCJon, I doubt I'll try for the NY rally though. I've my doubts re those stick-on sensors as the RV tanks are not metal.
Nice shakedown cruise. :) What a great time you guys are going to have!
Thanks Kari, and all we forgot at the site was the water pressure regulator!
I am reasonably sure that there will be no glamping for Susan and I.
I therefore encourage the two of you to carry on so that I can get my kicks vicariously.
we'll do our best to entertain, David Masse!
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