Living on the road - home technology and RVs

March 22, 4:19 PMChicago Home Technology ExaminerMaryan Pelland

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       Is living on the road for you?             (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

On the road safety first and always

RV technology is evolving like other home technology. Now, hit the open road in your motor home on wheels and your recreational vehicle is packed with features once only available in brick and mortar homes. RV-ers have TV with mobile satellite signals for watching TV while on the road. Internet service goes anywhere with technology like EVDO now widely available.

RV kitchens are decked out well enough to suit Donald Trump (at least for a short time). Bathrooms are still a bit on the tight side, but motorhome bedrooms can rate five-stars.

If you want a piece of the high technology, high excitement world of RV living on the road, do your homework and find the RV that fits your needs, your style and your budget.

What comes first when buying an RV?

RVsafety.org, where you can order a FREE RV safety publication, advises having an RV weighed before you buy it. That way, you know the vehicle's carrying capacity matches your requirements. You might not be able to find someone to weigh it wheel-by-wheel, but you can do a weight evaluation if you know a few key numbers:

In pounds per gallon

• Water: 8.3
• Gasoline: 5.6
• Diesel Fuel: 6.8
• Propane: 4.2

Measure or estimate the size of storage areas, tanks, major appliances, generators, LP gas tanks, etc., then do the math. Everything you put in the recreational vehicle weighs something. that includes you and your companions. RVSafety.org says the average road traveling couple carries about a ton of stuff for part-time travel. For full timers that number jumps to a ton and a half -- 3000 pounds! For a good deal more info on weighing, try the RVSafety article on that topic.

If your budget or your preferences send you toward purchasing a used RV, have it tuned up and inspected before you take it out on the road. As prudent buyers do with used cars, run it by a mechanic before you drop your cash on the line.

Road tips and RV safety

• Keep in mind, such a vehicle tracks differently than a car, so consider size when you turn, stop, or start. Practice!
• Experts strongly advise before you drive a motor home, you sit in the driver's seat for more than a moment. Check the various mirrors and the seat and steering wheel positions. Feel ok for you?
• Never drive without a seatbelt fastened on each passenger and on the driver.
• Be sure, in traffic, to allow plenty of time to stop, slow down or change lanes. You're driving a big vehicle and it's sure not going to respond quickly. Back up with care. Allow extra response time if you need to accelerate. Maintain long intervals between you and traffic ahead and behind you.
• Give yourself enough practice driving before you head out on a trip. You might even consider renting or borrowing an RV for a weekend. What if you just hate hauling that big hunk of metal bus over the road?
• Travel only on roads your RV is equipped to handle. Be sure the road is paved to accommodate your RV.

When you make camp for the night

• Use marked campsites. Parking in a shopping center lot or private property is not safe and not appreciated by property owners.
• Try to be a "green camper." Limit the number of disposables you use - dishes, towels, soft drink cans, etc, or buy Earth friendly disposables made of bamboo or corn oil products.
• Maintain safe campfires, making sure they are out before you leave. Don't burn anything not burnable, like plastic or metal.
• Be considerate of your neighbors, whether they're human or forest creatures. If you travel with a pet be sure pets are permitted and follow pet rules to the letter.

Considering these tips before you load up and leave may mean a better trip and a happier adjustment to living on the road. As they say, take only photographs. Leave only footprints.