RV Advice and WiFi Question

[safetythird]

So me and my girl are virgins but hopefully no one will notice. As soon as we bought our tickets for BM we started the planning for the event. We bought an older ('87) RV to be our refuge from dust storms and a nice place to clean up, cook, sleep, etc. It has all the trimmings of a typical RV, generator, toilet, microwave, etc. We've taken it out twice since we bought it on quick little over night excursions to test out and learn how to operate the different systems.

I've been trying to scour the posts here for useful RV advice, and have found some, but the signal to noise ratio isn't that great. It seems most of the posts with "RV" in them are usually pissing matches over the burniness of tents over RVs. If you're one of those militant tenters then please keep your opinions to yourself unless, of course, it's useful RV advice.

Obviously since we own the RV we want to keep it in as good condition as we can. The main reason we decided to buy instead of rent or borrow is that renting costs too much and we'd feel bad playafying someone elses rig. Hell, if we only use it to go to BM for the next 5 years it will pay for itself.

SOoOoOO... what kind of advice can any of your RV weilding burners give to a couple that is new to both RVing and BM? What kind of torture tests can we perform to ensure everything is working correctly before we head out to the playa? I've heard of taping up vents and stuff (with blue painters tape) to help keep dust out. Shouldn't a couple of those vents be left open? Like for the fridge (when on propane) and water heater? We plan on taping up the windows too since there's a fairly large gap between the panes and having a sorta decontamination area right outside under one of those Easy Up shelters where we can get undressed before we enter the RV. We're looking for some carpet remnants to cover the floor since that seems like a good idea too. Any tips for keeping the fabric covered furniture from getting too nasty? Do we really need to keep the roof vents closed the whole time? What about awnings? Is that thing going to fly off with the first hint of a breeze or should we just leave it rolled up/in? I heard mention of toilet chemicals. We haven't used them before so are they really needed? We plan on using the JOTS for most of the week and only using the RV toilet for midnight pee runs and from Fri night on. I'm not too worried about grey water since my fresh water tank shouldn't be bigger than both my grey and black combined, right?

Now, how about WiFi? I heard it may be available at BRC. Is this a free service? Is it a decent connection? I'm not going to be doing any webcasts or anything but it would be nice to check in with the outside world to make sure it's still there.

Thanks!

SafetyThird

[shitmouse]

I'm not going to be doing any webcasts or anything but it would be nice to check in with the outside world to make sure it's still there.

just an opinion, I'd say you'd get more out of your BM experience *without* checking in on the real world. opt for the 1000 yard stare and enjoy the surreal life of the playa. You'll see what I mean when you get back.

small advice on an rv, the better you can muffle the onboard generator
exhaust pipe, the happier your camp neighbors will be. -(RV's are kind of biased in their design as they are set up to have you sit outside on the front (right) side, and they direct the exhaust from the other (left) side of the vehicle.

as for the RV itself and the playa - cover interior carpet and furniture with plastic, and just know that once she's been to the playa, she'll have changed in some form. forever. but you'll be ok.

[dman]

I got one o' them Wilderness travel trailers and the brakes like to froze up on me from all that dust a blowin' and a blowin' all week long. We hinked our way from the playa out to where them kids what was washin' cars & such in Gerlach and the nice man with the fire hose sprayed them brakes clean as new. They was fine after that.

[Tiahaar]

Hmmm, what can I offer here...

Yes if using the fridge (on propane OR electric) or water heater vents must remain uncovered. A wind break on that side will help keep the pilot lights lit.

I recommend closing the roof vents when away from the rig not because it really makes much difference dust-wise (it gets in anyway) but because if open when a wind storm comes through they can get torn off, especially if they are plastic and old and brittle from sun exposure.

Get an isolater between the house and engine-start batteries so running lights and stuff in the RV doesn't leave you with no starting power.

I highly recommend adding a solar panel or two to the roof to charge the house deep cell batteries. Even 40-60 watts worth keeps you in lights and with an inverter added too you can run small AC stuff and never have to run the generator.

If using the awning, rope and stake it to the ground and block the RV frame up (unless you have built in leveling jacks then use those) so the wind won't rock it back and forth and tear out your awning anchors.

Have fun with the new adventure!

[safetythird]

just an opinion, I'd say you'd get more out of your BM experience *without* checking in on the real world.

I totally agree but I run my own business and we have children. The only 2 things we really need to check on to ease our minds.

brakes like to froze up on me from all that dust a blowin' and a blowin' all week long.

I'll make sure to put that on the BRC departure checklist.

especially if they are plastic and old and brittle from sun exposure.

Both vents have one of those Maxx Air things ontop of them so that you can leave the vents open in the rain. They seem kinda new and aren't brittle.

Get an isolater between the house and engine-start batteries so running lights and stuff in the RV doesn't leave you with no starting power.

It's already got one of those. Accidentally drained the coach batteries one night and had to use the motor battery to start up the rig and charge the coach batteries enough to start the generator. There's a switch where I can charge the coach batteries from the aternator while driving too.

I highly recommend adding a solar panel or two to the roof to charge the house deep cell batteries.

It has a solar unit on top. I'm not sure how many watts it puts out but it's supposed to trickle charge the coach batteries and by looking at the amp/volt meter on the wall it appears to be working.

inverter added too you can run small AC stuff and never have to run the generator.

I'm not sure if I have a problem with my inverter or if it's user error. I highly suspect the latter. I can only seem to get AC power with the generator on or hooked up to shore power. It would be real nice to a little AC to power some blinky stuff without running the generator.

block the RV frame up so the wind won't rock it back and forth and tear out your awning anchors.

I don't have the built in leveling jacks. So I'm guessing I need to somehow jack the RV (by the frame) off of the suspension, right? Do I just jack it up and put car stands under it?

Safety Third

[Tiahaar]

Hi Saftythird, very impressive actually it sounds like you've got a good handle on being fully ready!

Your rig sounds well-equipped too, big bonus on the solar being already on-line. (check the size of the panel....a 30 watt would be around say 2x3 feet, and charge at about 2 amps max, depending on model?)

If the inverter is hard-wired there must be a switch somewhere to toggle between shore/generator/inverter input to the AC panel...if its got DC input with outlets on the front you can just plug your shore power cord into it directly.

Those screw-top nesting trailer jacks are great to keep the RV from swaying and they aren't taking the full load...just put them on a wide board or piece of plywood to keep them from sinking in the playa and screw up tight to the frame on the four corners. My rig has airbags that set the whole weight of the bus on my blocks so I have to use solid 4x4 blocking...it would crunch the trailer jacks : )

Use the holding tank chemicals (there's some enviro-friendly stuff available) in both grey and black tanks, not only cuts odors but helps keep tanks and valves from clogging. Even when not in use, keep a few gallons of water and chemical in the holding tanks and fill sink/shower drain traps with water to keep odors out of the interior.

Others will have many more helpful hints!

[talisen]

For RV questions, I'd suggest the forums over at the Good Sam Club. Alot of really good info for new (and previous) RVers.



Oh yoour tires, check em. If your not sure take the RV to a good tire place and have them check them. For that matter, check all the working, and then check them again, and after that check again. Your going to be a bit aways from a garage. so make sure your vehicle is up to the task.

[Ron]

......SOoOoOO... what kind of advice can any of your RV weilding burners give to a couple that is new to both RVing and BM?

Last year was my first in an RV at the burn and I've got to say, RVs *rock* Folk will give you a bunch of crap about them, but here's how that went down for me, last year.

I camped with a large theme camp, over 150 people right on the Esplande. We got there a week early and lots of folk in my camp went out of their way to tell me how uncool the RV was. How it would reduce my experience of the burn, how ugly it was, and so on. I just laughed them off, and went about my own little self.

Over the course of the week, a fellow camper in an RV parked very close to me, on the right hand side. When we both opened our shade structues we created a cool little grotto that had sun block at all times of day. Between that, and the camp chairs we put out soon those same folk who had bitched about the RVs were wandering over to hang out in the cool space created between them. And then, after we'd been there a few days, the requests started coming in.

"Can I use your shower?"
"Can I use your toilet?"
"Can I use your privacy to do these drugs?"
"Can I borrow your bed for a session with this hot person I just met?"
"Can I cook on your stove?"
"Can I refrigerate this in your space?"
"Can I have some ice?"
"Can you lock this up?"
"Can you get this out of the dust?"
"Can you turn on the A/C so I can chill out?"
"Can you plug this extention cord in for me?"

And so on. Furthermore those very same people who had went out of their way to tell me how uncool the RV was were often the very same people at the front of the line asking me if they could use some part of it or another. It cracked me up.

So, bottom line on the attitude? Be a good neighbor and don't hold it against anyone when you've got to provide emergency shelter from that killer storm. Limit your self to one reminder of their previous attitude, at most, and let it go. Now on to your specific questions.

... What kind of torture tests can we perform to ensure everything is working correctly before we head out to the playa?

Go camping. That simple. Drive around a bit, make sure you get rained on, use all the subsytems, and have fun.

...I've heard of taping up vents and stuff (with blue painters tape) to help keep dust out. Shouldn't a couple of those vents be left open? Like for the fridge (when on propane) and water heater?

Yes, do leave them open. I didn't tape up a single vent, last year, and had no problems. Do close them, when you're not around, as open or closed does make a big difference. But don't tape them up, it's not worth the effort and on still nights you'll want to open them all up to cool the place down.

...... Any tips for keeping the fabric covered furniture from getting too nasty?

Plastic wrap of the kind used on warehouses, and blue painters tape and/or duct tape. I'm covering all the fabric in the RV with that this year. Last year I just made folk take their shoes off before coming in and that alone made a huge difference. Even so, cleaning up was a 36 person hour job.

... Do we really need to keep the roof vents closed the whole time?

No. But do close them whenever you leave the RV.

...What about awnings? Is that thing going to fly off with the first hint of a breeze or should we just leave it rolled up/in?

That's the one mistake I made last year. I left my awning up while I went walked around, a wind storm came up, and my campmates broke the awning trying to put it away. Cost me over $600 to fix it, but their hearts were in the right place and if they hadn't put it away it would have blown off I'm sure.

So if there's no wind, or only very light wind, and you're present it'll be fine. But don't leave it out and expect to find it in working condition when you return. Suddent winds happen. And those RV awnings are damn flimsy.

... I heard mention of toilet chemicals. We haven't used them before so are they really needed?

Yes, they are. You can get organic ones, based on coconut oil, but the results of my experiementation show dessert conditions and the black water tank don't mix well, absent some chemical warfare on the smart primate's part. Not only will you appreciate having them, but so will your neighbors. Without them, you can expect ordors to start after a few days in the sun. Furthermore, you should dump those chemicals in while the tank is empty, right after flushing it but before using the toilet. Go to an RV dealer/supply place and look for the stuff that's both lubricating and deodorizing. You'll be glad you did.

...We plan on using the JOTS for most of the week and only using the RV toilet for midnight pee runs and from Fri night on. I'm not too worried about grey water since my fresh water tank shouldn't be bigger than both my grey and black combined, right?

Shouldn't be, but you never know. Got an owner's manual? Also, do bring enough cash to be able to pay for the tank pumping service, on playa. You won't be able to buy potable water, this year, but you will be able to empty your tanks and get non-potable water to shower and flush with.

I filled the fresh water tank on the RV and then also brought about 20 gallons of drinking water, collapsable 5 gallon containers, for drinking. I had enough water for a shower a day, and flushing once or twice a day, for two weeks. Unforunately, due to those requests the RV ended up doing between two and three showers a day and I don't know how many toilet flushes. So I had to have the tanks flushed and refilled three times over the two weeks I was there. But don't worry about making an appointment for getting that done, it's much easier to flag down the tanker trucks as they drive by.

My only other thought is to be damn careful on the roads leading up to the playa. They really are tight, at times, and can get crowed. Your RV is very prone to getting stuck in the sand, right off the shoulder, and to rolling over. Go slow, go steady, and kill the squirrel before you kill yourself, if you get my meaning...

Ron

[Ron]

......SOoOoOO... what kind of advice can any of your RV weilding burners give to a couple that is new to both RVing and BM?

Last year was my first in an RV at the burn and I've got to say, RVs *rock* Folk will give you a bunch of crap about them, but here's how that went down for me, last year.

I camped with a large theme camp, over 150 people right on the Esplande. We got there a week early and lots of folk in my camp went out of their way to tell me how uncool the RV was. How it would reduce my experience of the burn, how ugly it was, and so on. I just laughed them off, and went about my own little self.

Over the course of the week, a fellow camper in an RV parked very close to me, on the right hand side. When we both opened our shade structues we created a cool little grotto that had sun block at all times of day. Between that, and the camp chairs we put out soon those same folk who had bitched about the RVs were wandering over to hang out in the cool space created between them. And then, after we'd been there a few days, the requests started coming in.

"Can I use your shower?"
"Can I use your toilet?"
"Can I use your privacy to do these drugs?"
"Can I borrow your bed for a session with this hot person I just met?"
"Can I cook on your stove?"
"Can I refrigerate this in your space?"
"Can I have some ice?"
"Can you lock this up?"
"Can you get this out of the dust?"
"Can you turn on the A/C so I can chill out?"
"Can you plug this extention cord in for me?"

And so on. Furthermore those very same people who had went out of their way to tell me how uncool the RV was were often the very same people at the front of the line asking me if they could use some part of it or another. It cracked me up.

So, bottom line on the attitude? Be a good neighbor and don't hold it against anyone when you've got to provide emergency shelter from that killer storm. Limit your self to one reminder of their previous attitude, at most, and let it go. Now on to your specific questions.

... What kind of torture tests can we perform to ensure everything is working correctly before we head out to the playa?

Go camping. That simple. Drive around a bit, make sure you get rained on, use all the subsytems, and have fun.

...I've heard of taping up vents and stuff (with blue painters tape) to help keep dust out. Shouldn't a couple of those vents be left open? Like for the fridge (when on propane) and water heater?

Yes, do leave them open. I didn't tape up a single vent, last year, and had no problems. Do close them, when you're not around, as open or closed does make a big difference. But don't tape them up, it's not worth the effort and on still nights you'll want to open them all up to cool the place down.

...... Any tips for keeping the fabric covered furniture from getting too nasty?

Plastic wrap of the kind used on warehouses, and blue painters tape and/or duct tape. I'm covering all the fabric in the RV with that this year. Last year I just made folk take their shoes off before coming in and that alone made a huge difference. Even so, cleaning up was a 36 person hour job.

... Do we really need to keep the roof vents closed the whole time?

No. But do close them whenever you leave the RV.

...What about awnings? Is that thing going to fly off with the first hint of a breeze or should we just leave it rolled up/in?

That's the one mistake I made last year. I left my awning up while I went walked around, a wind storm came up, and my campmates broke the awning trying to put it away. Cost me over $600 to fix it, but their hearts were in the right place and if they hadn't put it away it would have blown off I'm sure.

So if there's no wind, or only very light wind, and you're present it'll be fine. But don't leave it out and expect to find it in working condition when you return. Suddent winds happen. And those RV awnings are damn flimsy.

... I heard mention of toilet chemicals. We haven't used them before so are they really needed?

Yes, they are. You can get organic ones, based on coconut oil, but the results of my experiementation show dessert conditions and the black water tank don't mix well, absent some chemical warfare on the smart primate's part. Not only will you appreciate having them, but so will your neighbors. Without them, you can expect ordors to start after a few days in the sun. Furthermore, you should dump those chemicals in while the tank is empty, right after flushing it but before using the toilet. Go to an RV dealer/supply place and look for the stuff that's both lubricating and deodorizing. You'll be glad you did.

...We plan on using the JOTS for most of the week and only using the RV toilet for midnight pee runs and from Fri night on. I'm not too worried about grey water since my fresh water tank shouldn't be bigger than both my grey and black combined, right?

Shouldn't be, but you never know. Got an owner's manual? Also, do bring enough cash to be able to pay for the tank pumping service, on playa. You won't be able to buy potable water, this year, but you will be able to empty your tanks and get non-potable water to shower and flush with.

I filled the fresh water tank on the RV and then also brought about 20 gallons of drinking water, collapsable 5 gallon containers, for drinking. I had enough water for a shower a day, and flushing once or twice a day, for two weeks. Unforunately, due to those requests the RV ended up doing between two and three showers a day and I don't know how many toilet flushes. So I had to have the tanks flushed and refilled three times over the two weeks I was there. But don't worry about making an appointment for getting that done, it's much easier to flag down the tanker trucks as they drive by.

My only other thought is to be damn careful on the roads leading up to the playa. They really are tight, at times, and can get crowed. Your RV is very prone to getting stuck in the sand, right off the shoulder, and to rolling over. Go slow, go steady, and kill the squirrel before you kill yourself, if you get my meaning...

Ron

[jbelson]

I was just at the RV store and found this roll of plastic designed to cover the carpet. It's self sticking and made to hold up to some abuse. That should be used on your floor, and can also be used to wrap around the seat cushions and other fabric to keep the dust out. Didn't get the name of the product, but I'm getting it for my trailer.

Oh yean, whenever you leave the trailer, make sure all the windows are closed. Never know when a dust storm will kick up.

[Badger]

Someone more in the know might correct me but I believe if you have an RV this year and plan to have the tank(s) pumped out at any time during the event you'll need to make arrangements with JOTS 30 days before the event. There's not going to be much support for RVs this year compared to the past.

[safetythird]

Ron, your story struck me as very funny. I can already hear my friends hitting me up for stuff. Did you ever figure out a polite way of telling them to fuck off when you didn't feel like dealing with them? Maybe that should be another thread.

Plastic wrap of the kind used on warehouses, and blue painters tape and/or duct tape.

That industrial stuff sounds like it might do the job. I was going to experiment with household plastic wrap but figured it wasn't strong enough.

I filled the fresh water tank on the RV and then also brought about 20 gallons of drinking water, collapsable 5 gallon containers, for drinking.

That's about what we planned. Use the RV tank for showers, flushing and bring our own drinking water in 2.5 gal bottles.

Go slow, go steady, and kill the squirrel before you kill yourself, if you get my meaning...

MmMmMm ... Roadkill

I was just at the RV store and found this roll of plastic designed to cover the carpet. It's self sticking and made to hold up to some abuse. That should be used on your floor, and can also be used to wrap around the seat cushions and other fabric to keep the dust out. Didn't get the name of the product, but I'm getting it for my trailer.

If you get the name of the product please post it here. I'm pretty sure my local RV store doesn't carry it and I may need the lead time to order it from the web.

you'll need to make arrangements with JOTS 30 days before the event.

Damn, that seems pretty unreasonable. I barely know what I'm going to be doing 30 minutes from now let alone knowing when/if my tanks will be full 30 days prior to arriving. I'm hoping to dump at a camp ground on the way home but I'll carry extra cash in case that doesn't work out.

[dman]

Ahem.

http://www.burningman.com/preparation/e ... l/rvs.html

shows:

"...RV servicing will be available for a $45 fee for trailers up to 24’ in length and $55 for one gray and one black tank for RVs that are 25’-35’ in length. Each additional tank is $25. Sign up for the service at the vendor’s booth at Playa Information, between the hours of 11 AM and 1 PM daily. If you see a truck, you can flag them down for service, but signing up at PI is strongly recommended. Keep a space clear for the truck to access your RV; pump hoses cannot reach beyond 30 feet. On-playa pumping services include removal of gray and black water, and re-charging of non-potable water only to allow the toilet to flush. You can have your potable water tank recharged for a fee of $40. "

This appears to be a 2004 page (i.e. not a holdover from prior years).

[safetythird]

On-playa pumping services include removal of gray and black water, and re-charging of non-potable water only to allow the toilet to flush. You can have your potable water tank recharged for a fee of $40. "

I'm a bit confused by this. I only have 1 fresh water tank. I think you're supposed to put potable water in it. Do newer RVs have 2 fresh water tanks, potable and non-potable? I don't plan on drinking from the fresh water tank, ever, but I don't want to contaminate the tank because we'll be using it for showers/washing dishes.

[Captain Goddammit]

To the best of my knowledge, the sale of potable water at BM was due to a miscommunication with the JOTS people, and there supposedly will not be water sales this year.
Either way, the only safe plan at BM is to bring enough of everything in the first place, and don't count on anything being provided.

About taping the vents: Don't tape up the fridge vents or water heater or furnace vents... (it was me who was talking about taping hatches)
Just look for hatches that can let dust into the interior, or into the back of your cabinets and fill up your drawers... on my rig, the electric cord hatch needs taping to prevent that, as well as a few other access hatches.

I've found that if you have a generator quiet enough and bring enough gas to run it, you CAN keep the rig dust-free by keeping all windows shut and using the airconditioner to keep cool inside.

As to the "non-potable water to allow the toilet to flush", that would mean putting "dirty" non potable water into your fresh tank, unless you plumbed up your own separate system... I wouldn't do it.
Some people install a pump to supply the toilet with water from the greywater tank. That's not a bad idea, I might do that myself.

SOMEHOW, my awning survived a major widstorm in '00, but I haven't put it up at BM since... however, I finally opened it last weekend at the Seattle area pre-burn event (Critical Mass) and it rained a shitload of playa dust on us... Cool!

I hate to say it, but my biggest piece of RV advice, based on experience at BM, is lock the door whenever you leave! Ironically, this isn't to protect you from people who would do you harm, it's to protect you from people who think they're helping.
Most people aren't familiar with RVs. They will try to help by coming in and doing all your dishes, unwittingly running all your freshwater down the drain. They will take long showers that will cost you 20 gallons of freshwater. Etc., etc., etc. RVs are big expensive toys that many people don't know the care and feeding of, so lock it up to save it's life.

"Ron" is right on, take your rig out for a weekend whenever you can to learn about how everything works, and the rate of consumption of your water, propane, electric, etc,

Check out http://rv.net/forums
This is the best place on the net to learn all about using your RV.

[Badger]

Ahem.

This appears to be a 2004 page (i.e. not a holdover from prior years).

Like I said...

Still, you may want to verify. Trust and Allah but tether your camel - and all that...[/quote]

[Ron]

Ron, your story struck me as very funny. I can already hear my friends hitting me up for stuff. Did you ever figure out a polite way of telling them to fuck off when you didn't feel like dealing with them?

Nope, but this year I'm not going to worry about being polite. I'm posting an "Ass, grass, or cash, no one showers for free,' sign on the door and sticking with it. :)

Ron

[DVD Burner]

Nope, but this year I'm not going to worry about being polite. I'm posting an "Ass, grass, or cash, no one showers for free,' sign on the door and sticking with it.

Ron

Ha ha ha, Good for you. Right on.

[antron]

old rv often have small leaks that seem pretty harmless. but you may want to bring a tarp to spread under your rv to catch any leaks. blm checked under all of the rv around our camp last year, and made several rig something to prevent those leaks from hitting the playa.

[talisen]

Have the tarp a bit larger than the RV and you can pull up the sides and make even more of a wind break.

[theCryptofishist]

kill the squirrel before you kill yourself

Available on Tee-Shirt? Bumper Sticker?

[stuart]

signal to noise ratio isn't that great

welcome to the eplaya friend.

If you are there for more than the weekend do not
use the shower
the toilet
the sink

unless very sparingly and hopefully just for emergencies

you will need ventilation for the cabin but tape up all of the dash vents BEFORE you get onto the playa. For the SMALL amount of ventialtion that you are allowing, try taping filters on the openings.

another rule

NO SHOES IN THE RV

try having at least a small runner rug out infront of the door for your pile of nasty playafied shoes.

all of this will go a long way toward keeping your RV relatively tidy.

[Badger]

...and a Rubbermaid dish pan with water and vinegar sitting by the door to soak dusty feet in before going inside the vehicle.

[Bob A]

Ahem.

This appears to be a 2004 page (i.e. not a holdover from prior years).

Like I said...

Still, you may want to verify. Trust and Allah but tether your camel - and all that...

[/quote]

I don't know I think this was a 2003 page, I think I remember reading it when I was dreaming of going last year. I do remember reading something about RV services changing this year and to stay tuned. Will probably come out when the new survival guide comes out. May have been just the fresh water thing or the whole nine yards.

bob A

[Bob A]

just an opinion, I'd say you'd get more out of your BM experience *without* checking in on the real world.

I totally agree but I run my own business and we have children. The only 2 things we really need to check on to ease our minds.

I own my own business too and am bringing a computer on the off chance I will be able to get an emergency email if needed. I'm not planing on it working, I've heard that service was iffy last year. After all it is burning man and this was someone’s gift. Some people said it worked better closer to center camp, this is not first hand info so who knows. You may find yourself wandering around with your laptop trying to find a signal if you are desperate.

I'm leaving a manager in charge and I have complete faith that she can handle everything. The possibility of an email is more to give here comfort than me.

bob A

[Badger]

Will probably come out when the new survival guide comes out. May have been just the fresh water thing or the whole nine yards.

Yeh, but if my info *is* correct then it'll be well past the 30 day arrangement wndow for JOTS to take your request.

[stuart]

WiFi, ultra sketchy. If you need communication you can count on, this aint it.

[safetythird]

You guys are awesome! I really appreciate all the great advice. I hope to see you on the playa so I can thank you personally, not sure how but I'm sure I'll think of something. Maybe some otter pops. We didn't really plan on bringing gifts since it's our first year but I'll make sure we'll have enough otter pops.

There are 2 things I'm not counting on; water service and communications. While they'd be nice I won't plan on them being available. The kids will be in good hands (I'm more worried about the sitter) and my company may be out of business by then so I may not have anything to worry about.

If anyone sees me and I look like I'm overly concerned about something, do me a favor and put a beer or something in my hand. It's harder to care about stuff like that when you're inebriated.

[calsur]

Safetythird,

I am giving you my general RV list of things I would do here and it is a bit harsher because your rig is used. I was press ganged into RV service by my Dad in 1967 and have worked on his latest rig as recently as 2 weeks ago.

Unless you bought this from someone who provided a documented service record this is what I would do before the Burn.

Drain, flush and refill the radiator with the 70% coolant.
Check all the hoses and belts and have spares. Look for cracks in belts and feel for hard areas on hoses and cracks at the ends. Extra hose clamps and duct tape are a good thing.
Have all the batteries checked. You can do that with a test kit sold at any auto parts store and top up any batteries with deionized water only. And take a bottle of di water and a turkey baster with you.
Tires. Most RV tires fail because they are old, dry and sun damaged. Check the sidewalls for cracks. If you have cracks replace the tires. Check the spare. Check to see if you can break the lug nuts free or if you break the lug. Back in March with a 4 foot cheater bar trying to break lug nuts loose I broke 2 lugs of the 6 before I gave up. The shop I went to broke 8 more lugs with impact wrenches. Repack the bearings. Have the chassis lubed.
On the black water tank. Flush 3 times with clean water and check your dump valve for proper seating. And trust me on this. Just go and buy a new dump hose. Use chemicals. The chemicals slow down the production of methane and have a clean minty odor. Right. The black water tank is a fermentation vat. At 100 degree plus temperatures it is just more efficient.

Have a tool kit with you and make sure you have bits for the fasteners. RV use square and star fasteners in the weirdest places. Have a disaster kit of stuff like zip ties, electrical-duct tape, glue, rags, Windex, hose clamps, paper towels and what ever you can think of handy. You are now an RV owner. It WILL happen. And get one of those self contained battery jump kits. I am taking two with me.

On the playa. I have not been yet. But would you haul down a road at 70 miles an hour with your awning deployed? I would only use it when I was there at the RV.

And I always slide a bucket under the dump valve just in case. It will not help with a major blow out but it gives you time if the valve did not seat right.

There has also been a lot of good advice offer here. Learn by other peoples mistakes.

Just my opinion. And my advice is stuff that has bit me in the posterior.

[Captain Goddammit]

To go a little further... everything calsur said is spot-on... and I went as far as having my transmission rebuilt, you never know what shape a used automatic is in, you can't really check without disassembling them and they fail early because RVs are so heavy.
I put extra electric fans in front of my radiator. 80's model Volvos have nice ones, perfect for the job and cheap at a pull-your-part wrecking yard.

First gear and slow is the way down some of the steep hills leading to the playa, or you'll fry your brakes. If you tow a trailer (I put extra water in 33-gallon garbage cans, then use the empty cans for the extra greywater, couches, bikes, extra gas to get back off the playa, etc. on a trailer, you'll come up with plenty of things too!) make sure it has brakes and that they work.

Can't agree more with calsur about tires... I've had tires with cracks explode on the BM trip. You gotta have good tires, and I almost think that tread is less important than age and sidewall condition.

Sometimes I spend more on new stuff for the rig every year than on the rest of my BM trip... and I still think it's all worth it.