$10 Amazon certificate - If you could have only one book?
Ken Cindy Ditka and Sox said
03:50 PM Mar 15, 2007
Hey folks,
As I write this our new 382DS Sportscoach should be tooling down the highway from Elkhart to St. Louis. Howard's RV has some miscellaneous to-do's for us and then we go down next weekend for the big delivery inspection day and weekend, one night on their site and one night, on them, at Pin Oak Creek RV resort nearby, so we can fully checkout both off-grid and then with full hookups before driving it the two hours back to our hometown.
With the exception of the 'Life on Wheels' Seminar, we are REALLY rookies so I'll continue to hit up you experts with lots of silly questions because you are so very wonderful about answering.
So for today's question.... I just received a $10 amazon gift certificate. We have NO books so far to keep in the RV like campground directories, cookbooks, etc. I do everything on my laptop (with air card) when we are on the road. (Still, for a while, a full-time corporate geek...)
If you were in our position and could pick up only one book (King James version doesn't count here!!!)...what would you want to have in hardcopy in your MH.???
Hugs! C
bjoyce said
04:01 PM Mar 15, 2007
The Happy Camper's Cookbook by Marilyn Abraham & Sandy MacGregor
Luvglass said
04:19 PM Mar 15, 2007
Hi,
It's funny, we read a lot and probably have fifty books, mostly cooking and reference, with us, but when I try to think of one I come up blank.
Every one I try to justify, I rule out saying, I could get that online.
Maybe the book is a notebook. (computer, that is)
Fred
RVDude said
04:44 PM Mar 15, 2007
Imagine yourself suddenly without your laptop, gone, kapput - what then? What books would you need to stay on the road? Maybe think of the book as your computer-less emergency toolkit. What would be in it? Maybe try a few days NOT using your compter and see what you wish for the most? Maybe a campground directory - so you can continue to move about... Maybe a cookbook - so you can prevent starvation... Maybe a mapbook - so you don't get lost... Maybe a computer book - to fix the laptop... Maybe a phonebook - to reach out and touch someone... Maybe a good book - so you have something to do...
-- Edited by RVDude at 17:47, 2007-03-15
Ken Cindy Ditka and Sox said
06:54 PM Mar 15, 2007
Wow. Interesting responses!
Bill, the Happy Campers Cookbook definitely looks like the place to start to 'prevent starvation' as RVDude so aptly puts it!
So now...if we do want to 'continue to move about' anyone have suggestions on the campground directory best to have in hardcopy? Woodall's maybe? Trailer Life?
bjoyce said
07:05 PM Mar 15, 2007
On the campground directory I normally ask people, "how big is your RV"? Smaller RVs seem to like Woodalls, they list more places that are reasonably priced. Trailer Life is what you need if you are over about 35' since they will include useful info on how big the campsites really are. I admit it has been a few years since I looked at a Woodalls, but it didn't help us know if our 35' motorhome was going to fit while that info was much more obvious in Trailer Life. Now that we have a 40' motorhome we really depend on the Trailer Life campsite size to decide. A 38' Sportscoach pushes you towards Trailer Life unless Woodalls got better with their listings. We also find that we can get the Trailer Life directory at the big winter RV shows directly from the Good Sam booth for $11 with our membership card. They have booths at Quartzsite and the Tampa RV Supershow at a minimum. Saves postage and is much cheaper than the stores.
dreamjosie said
09:26 PM Mar 15, 2007
Re: Campground Directories: Trailer Life Directory is our bible. Has been since we got on the road. A wealth of information. Very thorough. Directions excellent. Don't always agree with their ratings, but they are close enough to give you the right idea. We keep the Trailer Life hard copy directory in the truck, as I sometimes spend the drive doing research. Trailer Life also has their directory on a CD with a trip planner that we put on our computers. Works great and easy to use.
We later bought the Frommer's "Best Campgrounds in America" and that added some more subjective analyses that we sometimes found helpful, but definitely not all inclusive. We recently got the Woodall's but wouldn't spend the money again. Doesn't tell you anything you can't get from TL and isn't even as complete.
TheBobGuy said
09:52 AM Mar 16, 2007
Hi Cindy!
Congrats on the new MH and may you make lots of happy memories!
If I could only have one book, and assuming that the GPS and laptop were not working, it would have to be The Next Exit book (available at Camping World and Flying J), If you are not familiar with it, it tells you everything that is on each exit of all the Interstate highways. Very helpful when you're in a MH pulling a toad and it's not easy to turn it around or park it just anywhere! When we are traveling in the evenings, we can look ahead to what's down the road for a spot to overnight (Wal-Mart, Cracker Barrel, Flying J etc) and we can pick our favorite eatery before we get there. Or find a place to get diesel or shop, camp, etc.
You can get all of that info off the GPS and laptop also, but we find that using The Next Exit book is easier. We have lots of other RV books on the MH, but the only one we consistently use is The Next Exit.
If you want some truly useful info for new MH owners, go online and look for Poop Sheets by Fred. (It's all free.) When we purchased our first MH, Bob printed out numerous sheets of directions for MH useage, hole-punched them and created a 3 ring binder to keep on the MH. We still refer to some of those today. I read them all and learned so many helpful things to make me a better "MH wife". Bob was pretty knowledgable and he still learned many helpful things from Fred's Poop Sheets. (If you need a web address, just PM me and I will find and send it to you)
Best of luck to you and hope to meet you down the road someday!
Molly
Ken Cindy Ditka and Sox said
06:58 PM Mar 16, 2007
Awesome -- perfect, folks!
Looks like
a cookbook - The Happy Camper
a campground guide (with CD) - Trailer Life
a overall interstate reference guide - The Next Exit
and free poop sheets...I think the 3 ring binder idea could be really useful as I'm find lists and references all over that it would be good to have in hardcopy
I also did not realize you could overnight at Cracker Barrel. Learning something new every minute here !
I suppose its a good idea to call these Wal-Marts and Cracker Barrel's ahead of time and ask if its ok? We are planning our first major trip to Badlands/Yellowstone in mid-July and I'm thinking a little boondocking on the way out and back might be a good idea, along I-29 then I-90.
I AM LOVING THIS FORUM...THANKS HOWARD AND LINDA!!!
Hugs, C
Old Snipe said
07:12 PM Mar 16, 2007
I second "The Next Exit" book, I don't leave home without it and I buy a new one every year. The nice thing is RV Friendly stops, meaning you will be able to enter/exit/park your RV, are listed in Red ink.
If I could only keep one RV related book, and I have bunches of them, this would be it.
Best Regards!
Tmcblane said
05:36 AM Mar 17, 2007
I third the "Next Exit" it was pricelss when we were traveling and we found some great campgrounds that way.
Ken Cindy Ditka and Sox said
08:28 PM Mar 17, 2007
We were at the our little mall here in Quincy IL to pick up our Radio Shack Weather Radio and I stopped by Waldenbooks to see if they had any of the books noted here. No luck on any but when I asked about the Happy Camper cookbook, the store manager said that she really needed to get some camping cookbooks in and when I explained to her how I got the idea for this one she orders 3 of them for her shelves!!
My dealer's RV store shows 'The Next Exit' and 'Trailer Life' directory in their catalog so will probably get one with our gift certificate there on Friday and then use my amazon gift certificate for the other.
...so I planned on getting one book this week and end up with 3, it's been a good week!
Hugs, C
As I write this our new 382DS Sportscoach should be tooling down the highway from Elkhart to St. Louis. Howard's RV has some miscellaneous to-do's for us and then we go down next weekend for the big delivery inspection day and weekend, one night on their site and one night, on them, at Pin Oak Creek RV resort nearby, so we can fully checkout both off-grid and then with full hookups before driving it the two hours back to our hometown.
With the exception of the 'Life on Wheels' Seminar, we are REALLY rookies so I'll continue to hit up you experts with lots of silly questions because you are so very wonderful about answering.
So for today's question.... I just received a $10 amazon gift certificate. We have NO books so far to keep in the RV like campground directories, cookbooks, etc. I do everything on my laptop (with air card) when we are on the road. (Still, for a while, a full-time corporate geek...)
If you were in our position and could pick up only one book (King James version doesn't count here!!!)...what would you want to have in hardcopy in your MH.???
Hugs! C
It's funny, we read a lot and probably have fifty books, mostly cooking and reference, with us, but when I try to think of one I come up blank.
Every one I try to justify, I rule out saying, I could get that online.
Maybe the book is a notebook. (computer, that is)
Fred
-- Edited by RVDude at 17:47, 2007-03-15
We also find that we can get the Trailer Life directory at the big winter RV shows directly from the Good Sam booth for $11 with our membership card. They have booths at Quartzsite and the Tampa RV Supershow at a minimum. Saves postage and is much cheaper than the stores.
Trailer Life Directory is our bible. Has been since we got on the road. A wealth of information. Very thorough. Directions excellent. Don't always agree with their ratings, but they are close enough to give you the right idea. We keep the Trailer Life hard copy directory in the truck, as I sometimes spend the drive doing research. Trailer Life also has their directory on a CD with a trip planner that we put on our computers. Works great and easy to use.
We later bought the Frommer's "Best Campgrounds in America" and that added some more subjective analyses that we sometimes found helpful, but definitely not all inclusive. We recently got the Woodall's but wouldn't spend the money again. Doesn't tell you anything you can't get from TL and isn't even as complete.
Congrats on the new MH and may you make lots of happy memories!
If I could only have one book, and assuming that the GPS and laptop were not working, it would have to be The Next Exit book (available at Camping World and Flying J), If you are not familiar with it, it tells you everything that is on each exit of all the Interstate highways. Very helpful when you're in a MH pulling a toad and it's not easy to turn it around or park it just anywhere!
When we are traveling in the evenings, we can look ahead to what's down the road for a spot to overnight (Wal-Mart, Cracker Barrel, Flying J etc) and we can pick our favorite eatery before we get there. Or find a place to get diesel or shop, camp, etc.
You can get all of that info off the GPS and laptop also, but we find that using The Next Exit book is easier. We have lots of other RV books on the MH, but the only one we consistently use is The Next Exit.
If you want some truly useful info for new MH owners, go online and look for Poop Sheets by Fred. (It's all free.) When we purchased our first MH, Bob printed out numerous sheets of directions for MH useage, hole-punched them and created a 3 ring binder to keep on the MH. We still refer to some of those today. I read them all and learned so many helpful things to make me a better "MH wife". Bob was pretty knowledgable and he still learned many helpful things from Fred's Poop Sheets. (If you need a web address, just PM me and I will find and send it to you)
Best of luck to you and hope to meet you down the road someday!
Molly
If I could only keep one RV related book, and I have bunches of them, this would be it.
Best Regards!