January 16, 2025 • 28 mins
Today, we delve into the critical topic of towing capacities, emphasizing the importance of ensuring your truck and trailer are a compatible match. Understanding the math behind your towing setup can enhance safety and performance on the road, preventing potential accidents and mechanical failures. Eric Stark shares insights on storm awareness while staying in RV parks, highlighting the need for preparation and safety measures during unexpected weather events. The episode also features a virtual visit to Cottonwood, Arizona, a hidden gem for RV enthusiasts, and a discussion on Jerome, Arizona, known for its fascinating history and vibrant arts scene. Additionally, listeners will learn about 12-volt heating cable from HeatLine, a product designed to protect plumbing in winter conditions, and tips on saving money by finding DIY alternatives for RV accessories.
Towing capacities are a central theme in the RVing world, and Eric Stark unpacks the essential considerations for RV enthusiasts in this insightful episode. He emphasizes that the math must add up when it comes to pairing your truck with the right trailer. Stark warns against the negligence of some dealerships who may prioritize sales over the safety of their customers, leading them to mismatched vehicle-trailer combinations. This discussion is not just theoretical; Stark draws from real-life experiences in his store, where he encounters numerous customers who have overlooked their vehicle’s towing limits. He encourages listeners to educate themselves on the various weight ratings and capacities, ensuring they don’t end up in potentially dangerous situations on the road.
The conversation takes a practical turn as Eric and Alexis discuss storm awareness while staying in RV parks. Alexis motivates RVers to stay informed about weather conditions and suggests creating a storm emergency kit filled with essentials like first aid supplies and bottled water. This segment underscores the importance of preparation rather than panic, equipping listeners with actionable steps to take before hitting the road. The hosts also stress the significance of inspecting RVs for damage post-storm, a crucial step that can prevent larger issues down the line.
In addition to the technical discussions, the episode includes a travel segment highlighting Cottonwood and Jerome, Arizona, two charming destinations for RV travelers. Cottonwood emerges as a vibrant hub for culture and outdoor activities, while Jerome offers a glimpse into Arizona's mining history and artistic revival. The interplay between practical RVing advice and the allure of travel encapsulates the spirit of adventure, making this episode a valuable resource for both seasoned RVers and newcomers alike.
Takeaways:
- Understanding your truck's towing capacity is crucial to ensure safe RV travel.
- Always prepare for unpredictable storms by having a storm emergency kit ready in your RV.
- Inspect your RV for damage after a storm to prevent future problems from developing.
- Consider using 12-volt heating tape from Heat Line to protect your plumbing in cold weather.
- Research RV parks for safe shelter options in case of severe weather warnings.
- Creating a personalized checklist for RV trips can streamline your preparation process.
RV Extended Warranties from WholeSale WarrantiesHeat-Line 12 Volt Heating Cable
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Towing capacities. Does themath add up with your truck and trailer?
That's what we're going totalk about today in staying on the
road and then enjoying the RVlife. We're going to talk about storm
awareness while you're stayingin RV parks. Very important to know
that. And then we're going tovisit Cottonwood, Arizona in the
next stop. Then right next tothat in Shadows in the Past, towns
(00:22):
that once were. We're going tovisit Jerome, Arizona. And then in
RV Envy, we're going to talkabout 12 volt heating tape from Heat
Line. This is Eric Stark withthe Smart RVer podcast, your trusted
source for tips and insightsto embrace the RV lifestyle without
worries. So let's talkeverything RV, and today is episode
(00:43):
168. So let's just dig rightinto this. So, Alexis, welcome to
the show today.
Thank you. I'm excited to behere again.
Again. It's always an iffysituation, you know.
Only if I'm good.
Well, it's like minus 40today. Well, maybe not, but it's
cold out and cars may notstart. Cars crashing everywhere.
(01:05):
I get it. You know, on thesewild west roads.
It's true.
Here in Victor, Montana. Yeah.
We had to get the horse outthis morning.
Yeah. And they're always cold.You gotta tap their legs a little
bit.
Right.
All right, so first off, agreat show planned today, but I want
to give a shout out to Craigfrom Selma, Texas. Got me thinking
(01:27):
about 12 volt heating tape.And so I did some research, a lot
of research, and found a greatcompany named Heat Line, which we'll
get to that in RV Envy. Andthen also, Craig brought out a great
point. What he does is hecreates this checklist for his RV
when he's getting ready to goout on a trip. So it's personalized
for him. He didn't get onlineanywhere. He just made this. So he
(01:49):
goes down the list and makessure everything's done before he
goes out. Then when he comeshome, he does it basically in reverse.
Make sure everything's undonethat needs to be undone. And there
you go. He has a great trip.When he does that makes it a lot
easier. And then also,somebody didn't like what I said
about putting needles in yourarm at the factories. The workers
(02:11):
walking around all hopped upon heroin. So I want to apologize
for that. Maybe it wasinsensitive because some people are
dealing with problems likethat. And I made it sound like every
worker at the factories, youknow, walks around a needle in their
arm. And that's not the case.I'm going to stop right there before
I really go into that toodeep. So today or this weekend, I'm
(02:32):
going to the NTP show inColorado. So I'm going to learn a
little bit more about RV partsand accessories. So when I come back,
I'll be a full fledged expertone more time. All right, so now
today our show is not broughtto you by Wholesale Warranties, but
that's going to be ourhonorary sponsor today.
There you go.
We like them, so they're justgoing to be our guy today. So go
(02:53):
to our website or in thepodcast description you'll find a
link for Wholesale Warranties.If you need an RV extended warranty,
check them out. They got agreat company and they have great
service. So go ahead and lookat that if you're looking for a warranty.
Extended RV warranty. Nowlet's get into enjoying the RV life.
And the subject today is stormawareness while staying in RV parks.
(03:16):
And so this is a prettyinteresting subject. And Alexis chose
this because sometimes I'vetalked about being out in our RV
and you know, storms come outof nowhere. And I'm from Arizona
as well, and sometimes airstorms will be on you and within
minutes you see it out on thehorizon, all of a sudden it's on
you. So in an RV park, you'regoing to be out there for days, camping
(03:37):
or wherever you're at, youwant to be ready for a storm. If
you think a storm's coming,you don't want to just leave your
RV unattended with the awningout and your chairs and tables and
all that stuff. So talkingabout some of that kind of got Alexis's
curiosity stirred up. So shewants to share some things that she
found online about stormawareness while you're in an RV park.
(04:00):
Yes, exactly. And this, again,is not to scare you, it's to prepare
you. So we want you to be thesmart rv, right? Yeah. No, we want
you to be the one inside yourRV watching everybody else scramble.
So one of the first things wewant you to do is to stay informed.
So however you do that,monitor the weather with an app or
(04:22):
whatever you have on yourphone. Sometimes we don't have a
WI fi connection, though, soyou have to be ready to know what
that is and then keep track ofwhat the weather is and then also
create a storm emergency kit.You can never have enough kits. Have
stuff ready, first aidsupplies, bottled water, flashlights,
(04:43):
you're going to wanteverything that you're going to need
if the power goes out or ifyou're going to be in your RV for
a little bit. Alsoidentifying, if you're in an RV park,
you want to identify safety,safe shelter options if you can't
make it back to your RV forwhatever reason. So sometimes those
RV parks have, you know,bathrooms or laundromats. So maybe
hiding in there if they're concrete.
(05:05):
Oh man. Depending on the park,I'd just soon die. Hide one of their
bathrooms.
That's true. It might not bethe best option. But of course, after
any storm hits your rv, you'regoing to want to inspect for damage,
make sure there's no leakinggoing on, no structural damage, because
that could really causeproblems in the future for you. So
(05:26):
those are just some of thethings we want you to think about.
And obviously there's going tobe more personal things to worry
about. These are just somethings we came up for you.
All right, very good. So allthat information is on the website,
the smartrver.com under stormawareness under enjoying the RV life.
So you can check out the fullarticle there. And also we have a
(05:49):
money saving tip which we, Ithink we missed the last one. Not
sure. Alexis, do you recall?
I, I do not.
Yeah, I don't remember if wedid. We're sorry. But all of them
are on our website as wellunder money saving tips. So this
was try cheap or do ityourself alternatives to RV accessories.
You could, rather than buyaccessories, you could actually go
(06:10):
to like in or thrift stores,garage sales, and find things that
you can incorporate in thedesign of your RV on the interior.
Remember we talked about thatlast episode about changing up the
inside of your RV to kind ofgive it a refresher so you don't
feel inclined to go buy a newone. Saving thousands of dollars.
These thrift stores, evenantique stores, have a lot of stuff,
(06:32):
a lot of cool little tin typeitems that would fit on the walls,
lightweight, that you coulduse to decorate. You might be able
to find some things if you'rehandy. You know, you could buy curtains
and cut them up and make theminto covers for your toilet seat,
things like that. I mean, I'dlove to see that people buy that
kind of stuff, you know, Imean, you can find curtains with
(06:54):
a cool design or an RV design,an old T shirt and why don't you
get a T shirt and shove stuffin it? Make a pillow. There you go,
man. Art at interior design atits best.
Yes.
Seriously, there's ways tosave money. You don't have to buy
all the stuff from A store orgo online to spend hundreds of dollars.
And believe me, we like you tobuy stuff because we sell a havoc
(07:17):
store and we sell stuff likethat. You know what, sometimes you
got to save some money, cutback where you can. So that's our
money saving tip today. Sothat should help you out with a few
bucks and keep you aware whenyou're going out in an RV park or
wherever you go camping to beaware of storms, keep an eye on the
weather and to make thechanges that you might need to make.
(07:38):
That brings us to staying onthe road. This staying on the road.
We're going to talk abouttowing capacities and does that matter?
Math add up. So what I mean bythat is, is your truck and trailer
the right configuration andit's important that you have that
understood or figured outbecause you don't want a little wimpy
truck pulling this big oldmassive trailer that weighs too much.
(08:02):
The brakes barely stop it, youcan barely accelerate. I mean those
are problems. But there's somebasic things about this and why I
brought it up. This episodetoo. We, we get a lot of our customers
in the store who don'tunderstand this and a lot of dealerships,
I shouldn't say a lot. Somedealerships really don't help you
if you're buying a new trailerto hook up to your truck. Whether
(08:25):
it's a fifth wheel or just atowable trailer, you know, a pull
behind. They just want to sellyou a trailer. And so they don't
care if you go in there with aToyota pickup, a little tiny thing,
they might sell you some bigold trailer that you can't tow. You
might even be able to get offthe lot and well, you just got to
get a new truck. But it's notalways that simple. Not every truck
(08:46):
can troll every trailer. Andalso you don't need to go out and
buy a one ton truck to pull alittle 18 foot trailer. So you don't
need to go overboard either.Unless you need that truck. Be aware
of that. And even consumers orRVers who are buying a new RV and
maybe they're going privateparty, you still have to have an
understanding there. Theprivate party again, they're just
(09:07):
going to sell you the rv.They're going, I don't know, it looks
like it'll pull it. And in alot of cases, just by looking at
a truck and a trailer, youknow, someone who's been around a
bit could tell whether it cantow it or not. But you want to be
sure. And there's Other thingstoo. Do you need a weight distributing
hitch? Do you need a swaycontrol, which everybody should have
those two things, if you'repulling a trailer that should just
(09:30):
be, hands down, everybody hasit. And the reason why I say that
is I remember a couple yearsago we were going down this mountain
road. So there's a truckpulling a trailer and as he's going
down the road, the trailer isswerving all over the place. It's
going back and forth, back andforth, and there's curves and straightaways.
And every time you go intocurve it'd get all, you know, swaying
(09:53):
on him and going everywhere,totally unsafe. So that guy, you
know, eventually I was able topass him and you could. He didn't
have a weight distributinghitch, no sway control. He's just
going, pulling this trailer.And whoever sold them the trailer
probably didn't sing to him,or maybe they did, but he didn't
want to spend the extra fouror five hundred dollars minimum to
(10:14):
get set up. Right now, weightdistributing hitches, when you go
to a dealership, they're notgoing to sell you the 4 or 500 $1.
They're going to go up to the1200, 1700, 1800, $1. Because after
all, you don't want to killyour family, right? You just bought
this new RV and boy, I'd hateto ruin that. And you know, there's
(10:36):
some truth to that. But youdon't have to go high end on these
weight distributing hitches.They've been around for decades.
And the basic ones like fromEaselift or Reese, they work just
fine. They're just not asfancy and easy to hook up as some
of the newer ones. But theywork. The main thing is to have one.
(10:58):
Back to the real thing hereabout the capacities. There are some
dealerships on their website,they're going to have charts to help
you make the right decision.Like General RV, they do that. Generalrv.com
you can go their website andget probably all the information
you need because they have afit chart. Basically you put in the
(11:19):
year, make, model, year,truck, whole deal and then it'll
set you or hook you up to oneof their trailers. One of their trailers,
you know, but it gives you anidea. It might not be the trailer
you want. General RV might notbe near you, but it'll show you the
trailer, the size and theweight capacity. So now you can go
and shop other places if youdecide you want to do that. So that's
pretty helpful. So that's justone website, you know, There's a
(11:41):
lot of them. Even some bankshave them. So you buy the right thing.
But it's important to get itfigured out before you ever buy the
rv, what your truck can tow oryour SUV or whatever it is you're
using to tow. Don't try todecide that later. Buy the RV based
on what you have. Unless youwant to buy a new vehicle. Then maybe
(12:02):
look at RVs and vehicles andfind that, you know, nice match there.
And there's a lot of terms anddefinitions when it comes to towing
capacities. You have tongueweight, pin weight for fifth wheels.
You have dry weight, grossvehicle weight, gross vehicle weight
rating. You have cargo weight,tongue hitch weight. It goes on and
(12:24):
on. Payload capacity. You'relike, wow, look at all these numbers.
You know, I don't even try toremember all this stuff. I mean,
it comes to me when we'retalking about it. But what you need
to do is just know that forthe RV you're buying, you don't need
to have this stuff memorized.Like I said, you know, you can go
to our website. We got anarticle here under do it yourself
(12:45):
articles with all thisinformation on it broke down into
categories. So it makes itreal easy to understand it. So you
can jot down some notes. Andthis is what I need to look at when
I'm buying an RV or a towabletrailer. That way you get the right
match. And that's where themath adds up. And that's what's so
(13:06):
important, because all thesenumbers will be very confusing. There's
a lot of people that willthrow out numbers this that it gets
confusing. Just make notes onwhat you look at or what you see
that's important. You like theweight of the trailer empty versus
the weight of it after you putall your stuff in there. You know,
your tools, your sewer hoses,your awning shades, your chairs,
(13:30):
your tables, your coolers,your spare this, your spare that,
little Billy the dog, yourwife, all that adds up. And then
all of a sudden, you maybeadded a thousand pounds to it. That'll
also tie in with the axlerating as well. But when you look
at the website, you see allthat, and it'll come together for
you. So don't panic. It's notthat complicated. And also, if you
(13:54):
already have an rv, maybe youwant to go back through and just
kind of double check thisstuff to make sure maybe you're having
problems towing. It doesn'tfeel right. And you can double check
that information. Now. One ofthe things that also ties into this
is the receiver hitch that youhave on your tow vehicle. So you
want to make sure yourreceiver hitch will tow the trailer
(14:15):
as well. Because there'sdifferent rate weightings on receiver
hitches. You have class 1, 2,3, 4 and 5. So you want to make sure
you get the right one. Youdon't want to buy the wrong hitch
either one, that's underrated.And you go to hook it up and drive
them down the road and thingjust breaks right off and you, God,
gee, Davey, what happens?Sorry, anybody named Davey out there,
(14:38):
right? But so then you'redriving, the trailer's gone. Oh,
well, you know, have to go geta new rv. Do this one again. There
you go. You don't want to dothat. Most trucks today come with
the right hitch that'sdesigned for what that truck can
tow. But if the vehicledoesn't have a hitch and you're buying
one or you want to upgrade,you got a clue. There's different
(14:59):
size hitch ratings. It's notone size that fits all. And sometimes
what we do is we think thatthis is what my truck has. So every
truck must have the samething. You know, we hear it with
RVs, this is what my RV has.And the RVer thinks that every RV
has the same thing and theydon't. A lot might have the same
(15:19):
thing, but not every rv. Andthen another question we get asked
a lot. This isn't so muchabout capacities for towing, but
it's just in general. If yourtongue jack breaks and you have to
replace it, you want to buysomething that's the right weight
rating. The tongue weight ofyour trailer is 10 to 15% of the
total weight.
(15:40):
Right.
You know, 10 is easier math.Add a few little bit more to it.
But that's what you want tocalculate. 10 to 15%. I pretty much
just go on 10%, add a fewpounds to the trailer and go off
of that and then you're goingto be safe. And generally you're
going to buy a bigger tonguejack than what their weight rating
is anyways. Just the way itworks out. Especially if you go to
electric, they don't have asmany options or size options, which
(16:04):
is fine. Bigger on that isdefinitely better. You have a lot
of different things, axleweight, payload capacity, hitching
up correctly, all these termsand stuff. So don't be worried about
it. Just go to our website,the smartrver.com, look at the do
it yourself articles andyou're going to find exactly what
you need there. Be able to dothe math on it. And if you need help,
(16:27):
you can always just call us orcontact us through the contact us
page on our website, or justcall us at our phone number, which
is listed in the descriptionof the podcast as well. So you'll
see that from here on out.Also, if you do need to call us,
it just makes it a little biteasier. All right, so that's going
to conclude. Staying on theroad, it's important that you get
(16:48):
the capacities right or theright vehicle trailer combination.
Don't push it to the limitbecause it becomes unsafe. And you
can wreck your trailer, killyour family, all that fun stuff.
You know, unless you got greatinsurance, you probably don't want
to do that.
Yeah, we're a bad family.
Then again, you know,insurance, the way it's going with
(17:08):
fires everywhere, thingsburning down, insurance might, you
know, be a hundred milliondollars a year soon. All right, that's
an exaggeration, hopefully.Alexis told me to not do that anymore.
I can't help myself. This isgoing to bring us to the next stop,
and first off, we're going tovisit Cottonwood, Arizona. So Alexis
(17:31):
is going to take us on this.It's going to say aerial tour, but
we're not flying. She's goingto try to bring this alive for us
so we can really appreciatethe next stops in these towns we
choose. And sometimes they'renot places that we've been to personally,
but when we find them, we do alot of research, and we really feel
(17:51):
that these places are reallycool for RVers and great places to
go and do some exploring. So,Alexis, the floor is yours.
I'm taking it away. Okay.Well, like Eric said, sometimes we
haven't been to these placespersonally, but we do do research
and put them on our lists togo visit. So we're headed into the
(18:13):
Verde Valley in Arizona,specifically Cottonwood, which we.
When I realized that was thename of the town, I. I didn't really
think of it being green andlush at all. But it is in the higher
desert, so, you know, Ithought it was going to be all hot
and brown. But the Verde riverruns alongside the town. You know,
verde means green, so I lookedit up, and it's green all the way
(18:36):
down the river, which isbeautiful. There's greenery all along
the water. It's just gorgeous.You have to look it up, or if you
live there, I mean, you knowhow special it truly is. And then
this town kind of getsovershadowed by Jerome. We all know
Jerome. It's the ghost townthat's, you know, creepy. Not really
(18:56):
creepy, but it's very cool.But Cottonwood, it's his own destination.
You can go there. It's a greatbase for RVers who want to see the
Verde Valley go all over. Butit's a neat town on its own. If you're
going to go there, I mean, yougot to see Cottonwood. It offers
a little bit of everything.History, culture, wine, outdoor adventures.
(19:19):
And it's close to Jerome,Sedona, and the whole valley is just
gorgeous. So it's a perfecthub for travelers.
So there we go. The perfecthub. So that's it. It becomes that
hub. And that's what most ofthese towns we choose are their hubs.
They're not your finaldestination. You get there, set up
your base camp, prepare forthe coming storm, then you go out
(19:40):
and do some exploring.
Correct.
So you mentioned Jerome,Arizona. That's interesting. Because
you know what? Just the otherday I was talking to my great grandpappy
Popeye, and he gave me this.
Oh, look at that.
This is a story of Jerome,Arizona. Okay. And what's more interesting
(20:00):
is we are going to talk aboutJerome, Arizona, in the shadows of
the past. The towns that once were.
I love it. I love the connection.
Isn't that just amazing howthat worked out? It is. It really
is. It's just phenomenal. Solet me go ahead and read this. This
is very interesting. I'm justgonna read it. Okay. Okay. So everybody
ready? You guys ready outthere? Listen, picture this. It's
(20:24):
the late 1800s, and themountains of Arizona are alive with
the clang of pickaxes and thepromise of copper wealth. Welcome
to Jerome, Arizona, a townthat earned the nickname the wickedest
town in the West. Let's diginto why Jerome is one of the most
fascinating places in Arizona.In its heyday, Jerome was no ordinary
(20:49):
mining town. It was a boomingmetropolis perched precariously on
Cleopatra Hill, home to theUnited Verde Mine, one of the richest
copper producing mines in theworld. With 15,000 residents. Saloons
lined the streets, gamblinghalls thrived. And, well, let's just
(21:13):
say it wasn't known for itsbedtime prayers. That's hilarious.
But when the copper ran out inthe 1950s, this town was around for
a while. The people left,leaving behind a ghost town. And
I mean that literally. Today,Jerome is home to just four hundred
and fifty residents. But somesay the spirits of his rowdy past
(21:37):
never moved on. Take theJerome Grand Hotel, for instance.
This former miner's hospitalis now a hotspot for the curious.
Or the sliding jail, abuilding that no joke. Slid 200ft
downhill thanks to unstablemining land. If walls could talk,
(21:58):
Jerome's would scream. YetJerome isn't just about ghosts and
old stories. In the 1960s and70s, artists breathed new life into
this crumbling town. Today,it's a vibrant haven for art lovers,
with galleries like PieraVerde and Raku showcasing everything
(22:20):
from pottery to stunningcopper jewelry. You'll find quirky
shops, antique treasures, andeven the chance to sip local wine.
Talk about electric. And let'snot forget the views. At 5,000ft
above sea level, Jerome offersjaw dropping panoramas of the Verde
(22:41):
Valley and Sedona's iconic redrocks. Feeling adventurous? Hike
nearby Mingus Mountain or takea scenic drive. The kind where you
roll down the windows and justbreathe. Want to explore more? Just
a short drive away, you'llfind the attractions at the Verde
(23:02):
Canyon Railroad and TuzygoteNational Monument. Whether you're
a history buff, a wineenthusiast, or someone looking for
a thrill, Jerome is the placeto be. So there you have it. Jerome,
Arizona. A place wherehistory, mystery and creativity collide.
Whether you're hunting for thepast, savoring a glass of wine, or
(23:24):
just soaking in the views,Jerome is waiting to tell you its
story. Thanks for tuning in.Until next time, keep exploring.
So there you have it, Alexis.That's from my grandpappy, Popeye.
Wow, Papa, isn't that just amazing?
That's beautiful.
That's just like history righthere. Taking place at the Smart rver
(23:46):
podcast. Who would have thunk?All right, so there we have it. That's
Jerome, Arizona. So two placesright next to each other. Cottonwood,
Arizona. Jerome, Arizona. Yougot to go see it. That's what you
gotta. That's two T's and anA. So now let's move on to RV envy.
(24:09):
And today in RV Envy, we'regoing to talk about the heat line.
12 volt heat cable. We're notgoing to call it heat tape. That
cheapens it, right? So again,Craig from Texas turned me on to
the heat tape, thinkingbecause 12 volt heat tape in RVs
just typically hasn't been,well, that really good of a thing
because there's so much outthere on the market that's just junk.
(24:32):
The quality isn't there. Orpeople are taking 110 volt heat tape
and wrapping it around pipesand melting them around sewer hoses
and melting them, notunderstanding that that's not how
it works. Wrapping, makingtheir own heated water hoses and
failing at that. Throwing awaygood money. Heat line makes a great
(24:53):
product. And there'll be alink to the website in the description
of this podcast. So it's heatline. And just to give you an idea
how this works with them, now,they're a Canadian company, they
ship to the States, they'reshipping there a little bit of time.
But all their heat tapes aremade to order. Now they don't go
by the foot, they go by fivefoot increments, but that's okay.
(25:15):
You know, any extra tape orline or cable, you're just going
to wrap it around. Let's sayyou're doing a pipe with your 3 inch
valve on there for your wastetank. You're just going to wrap it
around it and the excess goesthere and it just does a little extra
heating, that's all. So togive you an idea, the cost of it,
because I know you want toknow the cost. Everybody wants to
(25:35):
know the cost. I wanted toknow the cost when I'm talking to
him. Get to the cost. Get tothe cost. It going to cost me. So
a 15 foot section ready to go12 volts is $277 plus shipping. Now
depending where you're at, theshipping could be 20 bucks, could
be 40 bucks. I don't know.Shipping's a lot today. It's gone
up quite a bit. And I don'tknow exactly how they ship, if they'll
(25:58):
do flat rate boxes. Well, theydon't have USPS though. They're in
Canada, so wonder if they haveCanada sps. Does that work? No, whatever,
whatever. Canada pull. Anyway,it seems kind of pricey and here's
what Craig said about that.Because when I was telling him about
it, you know, he says, well,you know what, you scream once in
(26:19):
the beginning and then younever scream again because you don't
have a problem. And I likethat because when you buy it, it
seems like that's a lot ofmoney for 15ft. But if it works and
you have no problems, that'sgoing to be the best $277 you ever
spent. And it's made to sizeso you don't cut it down after you
buy it, you get the sizes youwant. So you might need 2, 3, 4 runs
(26:41):
to do this. So it might getexpensive. But if you're protecting
your plumbing, it's well worthit. And the other thing is too, what
shows this is what to me sayshow good this product is that you
can actually wrap a sewer hosewith it and it won't melt the sewer
hose. It works that well. Sothat's definitely worth consideration.
(27:02):
If you're buying or trying toheat your plumbing or sewer hose
in the winter months. And forpeople that live in certain areas,
this probably doesn't mean athing to you, but it's good to know.
If you travel someplace youmight need to heat some plumbing
up because you can't let waterfreeze in an rv, things break, stop
working, you spend more money.So we're trying to help you to avoid
(27:24):
that. So again, the link willbe on our website, thesmarterver.com
under this podcast and it'llalso be in the pod description if
you're listening on itunes,Spotify, whatever your flavor is.
So there you have it. Heattape for everybody. And seems expensive,
but really it's prettyreasonable considering the money
you can save down the road.Now, again, we're recommending these
(27:52):
RV extended warranties throughwholesale warranties. And you got
to talk to them. They'retotally transparent on everything.
They're going to give you thewhole package before you ever give
them a dime. And that's what'simportant. And it's geared towards
you. It's not one of thesewarranties. One size fits all that
you'll get at a dealership fora lot more money. Henceforth, wholesale
(28:14):
warranties, right, Alexa?Wholesale. What does that mean to
you? Cheap. Save money, savemoney. Cheap. Cheap. All right, so
there we go. That brings us tothe end of the show today. We had
a great show today. In twomore weeks, we'll have episode 169
with some more great content.So, Alexis, thanks for coming by
(28:35):
today.
So much fun. Thank you.
Sharing Cottonwood, Arizonawith us or. Yeah, with us. And. And
there we have it. So this isEric Stark with the smart RV. Your
podcast, your go to guy forsmart RVing and creating those unforgettable
adventures on the road. Sothanks for stopping by.
Towing capacities. Does themath add up with your truck and trailer?
That's what we're going totalk about today in staying on the
road and then enjoying the RVlife. We're going to talk about storm
awareness while you're stayingin RV parks. Very important to know
that. And then we're going tovisit Cottonwood, Arizona in the
next stop. Then right next tothat in Shadows in the Past, towns
(00:22):
that once were. We're going tovisit Jerome, Arizona. And then in
RV Envy, we're going to talkabout 12 volt heating tape from Heat
Line. This is Eric Stark withthe Smart RVer podcast, your trusted
source for tips and insightsto embrace the RV lifestyle without
worries. So let's talkeverything RV, and today is episode
(00:43):
168. So let's just dig rightinto this. So, Alexis, welcome to
the show today.
Thank you. I'm excited to behere again.
Again. It's always an iffysituation, you know.
Only if I'm good.
Well, it's like minus 40today. Well, maybe not, but it's
cold out and cars may notstart. Cars crashing everywhere.
(01:05):
I get it. You know, on thesewild west roads.
It's true.
Here in Victor, Montana. Yeah.
We had to get the horse outthis morning.
Yeah. And they're always cold.You gotta tap their legs a little
bit.
Right.
All right, so first off, agreat show planned today, but I want
to give a shout out to Craigfrom Selma, Texas. Got me thinking
(01:27):
about 12 volt heating tape.And so I did some research, a lot
of research, and found a greatcompany named Heat Line, which we'll
get to that in RV Envy. Andthen also, Craig brought out a great
point. What he does is hecreates this checklist for his RV
when he's getting ready to goout on a trip. So it's personalized
for him. He didn't get onlineanywhere. He just made this. So he
(01:49):
goes down the list and makessure everything's done before he
goes out. Then when he comeshome, he does it basically in reverse.
Make sure everything's undonethat needs to be undone. And there
you go. He has a great trip.When he does that makes it a lot
easier. And then also,somebody didn't like what I said
about putting needles in yourarm at the factories. The workers
(02:11):
walking around all hopped upon heroin. So I want to apologize
for that. Maybe it wasinsensitive because some people are
dealing with problems likethat. And I made it sound like every
worker at the factories, youknow, walks around a needle in their
arm. And that's not the case.I'm going to stop right there before
I really go into that toodeep. So today or this weekend, I'm
(02:32):
going to the NTP show inColorado. So I'm going to learn a
little bit more about RV partsand accessories. So when I come back,
I'll be a full fledged expertone more time. All right, so now
today our show is not broughtto you by Wholesale Warranties, but
that's going to be ourhonorary sponsor today.
There you go.
We like them, so they're justgoing to be our guy today. So go
(02:53):
to our website or in thepodcast description you'll find a
link for Wholesale Warranties.If you need an RV extended warranty,
check them out. They got agreat company and they have great
service. So go ahead and lookat that if you're looking for a warranty.
Extended RV warranty. Nowlet's get into enjoying the RV life.
And the subject today is stormawareness while staying in RV parks.
(03:16):
And so this is a prettyinteresting subject. And Alexis chose
this because sometimes I'vetalked about being out in our RV
and you know, storms come outof nowhere. And I'm from Arizona
as well, and sometimes airstorms will be on you and within
minutes you see it out on thehorizon, all of a sudden it's on
you. So in an RV park, you'regoing to be out there for days, camping
(03:37):
or wherever you're at, youwant to be ready for a storm. If
you think a storm's coming,you don't want to just leave your
RV unattended with the awningout and your chairs and tables and
all that stuff. So talkingabout some of that kind of got Alexis's
curiosity stirred up. So shewants to share some things that she
found online about stormawareness while you're in an RV park.
(04:00):
Yes, exactly. And this, again,is not to scare you, it's to prepare
you. So we want you to be thesmart rv, right? Yeah. No, we want
you to be the one inside yourRV watching everybody else scramble.
So one of the first things wewant you to do is to stay informed.
So however you do that,monitor the weather with an app or
(04:22):
whatever you have on yourphone. Sometimes we don't have a
WI fi connection, though, soyou have to be ready to know what
that is and then keep track ofwhat the weather is and then also
create a storm emergency kit.You can never have enough kits. Have
stuff ready, first aidsupplies, bottled water, flashlights,
(04:43):
you're going to wanteverything that you're going to need
if the power goes out or ifyou're going to be in your RV for
a little bit. Alsoidentifying, if you're in an RV park,
you want to identify safety,safe shelter options if you can't
make it back to your RV forwhatever reason. So sometimes those
RV parks have, you know,bathrooms or laundromats. So maybe
hiding in there if they're concrete.
(05:05):
Oh man. Depending on the park,I'd just soon die. Hide one of their
bathrooms.
That's true. It might not bethe best option. But of course, after
any storm hits your rv, you'regoing to want to inspect for damage,
make sure there's no leakinggoing on, no structural damage, because
that could really causeproblems in the future for you. So
(05:26):
those are just some of thethings we want you to think about.
And obviously there's going tobe more personal things to worry
about. These are just somethings we came up for you.
All right, very good. So allthat information is on the website,
the smartrver.com under stormawareness under enjoying the RV life.
So you can check out the fullarticle there. And also we have a
(05:49):
money saving tip which we, Ithink we missed the last one. Not
sure. Alexis, do you recall?
I, I do not.
Yeah, I don't remember if wedid. We're sorry. But all of them
are on our website as wellunder money saving tips. So this
was try cheap or do ityourself alternatives to RV accessories.
You could, rather than buyaccessories, you could actually go
(06:10):
to like in or thrift stores,garage sales, and find things that
you can incorporate in thedesign of your RV on the interior.
Remember we talked about thatlast episode about changing up the
inside of your RV to kind ofgive it a refresher so you don't
feel inclined to go buy a newone. Saving thousands of dollars.
These thrift stores, evenantique stores, have a lot of stuff,
(06:32):
a lot of cool little tin typeitems that would fit on the walls,
lightweight, that you coulduse to decorate. You might be able
to find some things if you'rehandy. You know, you could buy curtains
and cut them up and make theminto covers for your toilet seat,
things like that. I mean, I'dlove to see that people buy that
kind of stuff, you know, Imean, you can find curtains with
(06:54):
a cool design or an RV design,an old T shirt and why don't you
get a T shirt and shove stuffin it? Make a pillow. There you go,
man. Art at interior design atits best.
Yes.
Seriously, there's ways tosave money. You don't have to buy
all the stuff from A store orgo online to spend hundreds of dollars.
And believe me, we like you tobuy stuff because we sell a havoc
(07:17):
store and we sell stuff likethat. You know what, sometimes you
got to save some money, cutback where you can. So that's our
money saving tip today. Sothat should help you out with a few
bucks and keep you aware whenyou're going out in an RV park or
wherever you go camping to beaware of storms, keep an eye on the
weather and to make thechanges that you might need to make.
(07:38):
That brings us to staying onthe road. This staying on the road.
We're going to talk abouttowing capacities and does that matter?
Math add up. So what I mean bythat is, is your truck and trailer
the right configuration andit's important that you have that
understood or figured outbecause you don't want a little wimpy
truck pulling this big oldmassive trailer that weighs too much.
(08:02):
The brakes barely stop it, youcan barely accelerate. I mean those
are problems. But there's somebasic things about this and why I
brought it up. This episodetoo. We, we get a lot of our customers
in the store who don'tunderstand this and a lot of dealerships,
I shouldn't say a lot. Somedealerships really don't help you
if you're buying a new trailerto hook up to your truck. Whether
(08:25):
it's a fifth wheel or just atowable trailer, you know, a pull
behind. They just want to sellyou a trailer. And so they don't
care if you go in there with aToyota pickup, a little tiny thing,
they might sell you some bigold trailer that you can't tow. You
might even be able to get offthe lot and well, you just got to
get a new truck. But it's notalways that simple. Not every truck
(08:46):
can troll every trailer. Andalso you don't need to go out and
buy a one ton truck to pull alittle 18 foot trailer. So you don't
need to go overboard either.Unless you need that truck. Be aware
of that. And even consumers orRVers who are buying a new RV and
maybe they're going privateparty, you still have to have an
understanding there. Theprivate party again, they're just
(09:07):
going to sell you the rv.They're going, I don't know, it looks
like it'll pull it. And in alot of cases, just by looking at
a truck and a trailer, youknow, someone who's been around a
bit could tell whether it cantow it or not. But you want to be
sure. And there's Other thingstoo. Do you need a weight distributing
hitch? Do you need a swaycontrol, which everybody should have
those two things, if you'repulling a trailer that should just
(09:30):
be, hands down, everybody hasit. And the reason why I say that
is I remember a couple yearsago we were going down this mountain
road. So there's a truckpulling a trailer and as he's going
down the road, the trailer isswerving all over the place. It's
going back and forth, back andforth, and there's curves and straightaways.
And every time you go intocurve it'd get all, you know, swaying
(09:53):
on him and going everywhere,totally unsafe. So that guy, you
know, eventually I was able topass him and you could. He didn't
have a weight distributinghitch, no sway control. He's just
going, pulling this trailer.And whoever sold them the trailer
probably didn't sing to him,or maybe they did, but he didn't
want to spend the extra fouror five hundred dollars minimum to
(10:14):
get set up. Right now, weightdistributing hitches, when you go
to a dealership, they're notgoing to sell you the 4 or 500 $1.
They're going to go up to the1200, 1700, 1800, $1. Because after
all, you don't want to killyour family, right? You just bought
this new RV and boy, I'd hateto ruin that. And you know, there's
(10:36):
some truth to that. But youdon't have to go high end on these
weight distributing hitches.They've been around for decades.
And the basic ones like fromEaselift or Reese, they work just
fine. They're just not asfancy and easy to hook up as some
of the newer ones. But theywork. The main thing is to have one.
(10:58):
Back to the real thing hereabout the capacities. There are some
dealerships on their website,they're going to have charts to help
you make the right decision.Like General RV, they do that. Generalrv.com
you can go their website andget probably all the information
you need because they have afit chart. Basically you put in the
(11:19):
year, make, model, year,truck, whole deal and then it'll
set you or hook you up to oneof their trailers. One of their trailers,
you know, but it gives you anidea. It might not be the trailer
you want. General RV might notbe near you, but it'll show you the
trailer, the size and theweight capacity. So now you can go
and shop other places if youdecide you want to do that. So that's
pretty helpful. So that's justone website, you know, There's a
(11:41):
lot of them. Even some bankshave them. So you buy the right thing.
But it's important to get itfigured out before you ever buy the
rv, what your truck can tow oryour SUV or whatever it is you're
using to tow. Don't try todecide that later. Buy the RV based
on what you have. Unless youwant to buy a new vehicle. Then maybe
(12:02):
look at RVs and vehicles andfind that, you know, nice match there.
And there's a lot of terms anddefinitions when it comes to towing
capacities. You have tongueweight, pin weight for fifth wheels.
You have dry weight, grossvehicle weight, gross vehicle weight
rating. You have cargo weight,tongue hitch weight. It goes on and
(12:24):
on. Payload capacity. You'relike, wow, look at all these numbers.
You know, I don't even try toremember all this stuff. I mean,
it comes to me when we'retalking about it. But what you need
to do is just know that forthe RV you're buying, you don't need
to have this stuff memorized.Like I said, you know, you can go
to our website. We got anarticle here under do it yourself
(12:45):
articles with all thisinformation on it broke down into
categories. So it makes itreal easy to understand it. So you
can jot down some notes. Andthis is what I need to look at when
I'm buying an RV or a towabletrailer. That way you get the right
match. And that's where themath adds up. And that's what's so
(13:06):
important, because all thesenumbers will be very confusing. There's
a lot of people that willthrow out numbers this that it gets
confusing. Just make notes onwhat you look at or what you see
that's important. You like theweight of the trailer empty versus
the weight of it after you putall your stuff in there. You know,
your tools, your sewer hoses,your awning shades, your chairs,
(13:30):
your tables, your coolers,your spare this, your spare that,
little Billy the dog, yourwife, all that adds up. And then
all of a sudden, you maybeadded a thousand pounds to it. That'll
also tie in with the axlerating as well. But when you look
at the website, you see allthat, and it'll come together for
you. So don't panic. It's notthat complicated. And also, if you
(13:54):
already have an rv, maybe youwant to go back through and just
kind of double check thisstuff to make sure maybe you're having
problems towing. It doesn'tfeel right. And you can double check
that information. Now. One ofthe things that also ties into this
is the receiver hitch that youhave on your tow vehicle. So you
want to make sure yourreceiver hitch will tow the trailer
(14:15):
as well. Because there'sdifferent rate weightings on receiver
hitches. You have class 1, 2,3, 4 and 5. So you want to make sure
you get the right one. Youdon't want to buy the wrong hitch
either one, that's underrated.And you go to hook it up and drive
them down the road and thingjust breaks right off and you, God,
gee, Davey, what happens?Sorry, anybody named Davey out there,
(14:38):
right? But so then you'redriving, the trailer's gone. Oh,
well, you know, have to go geta new rv. Do this one again. There
you go. You don't want to dothat. Most trucks today come with
the right hitch that'sdesigned for what that truck can
tow. But if the vehicledoesn't have a hitch and you're buying
one or you want to upgrade,you got a clue. There's different
(14:59):
size hitch ratings. It's notone size that fits all. And sometimes
what we do is we think thatthis is what my truck has. So every
truck must have the samething. You know, we hear it with
RVs, this is what my RV has.And the RVer thinks that every RV
has the same thing and theydon't. A lot might have the same
(15:19):
thing, but not every rv. Andthen another question we get asked
a lot. This isn't so muchabout capacities for towing, but
it's just in general. If yourtongue jack breaks and you have to
replace it, you want to buysomething that's the right weight
rating. The tongue weight ofyour trailer is 10 to 15% of the
total weight.
(15:40):
Right.
You know, 10 is easier math.Add a few little bit more to it.
But that's what you want tocalculate. 10 to 15%. I pretty much
just go on 10%, add a fewpounds to the trailer and go off
of that and then you're goingto be safe. And generally you're
going to buy a bigger tonguejack than what their weight rating
is anyways. Just the way itworks out. Especially if you go to
electric, they don't have asmany options or size options, which
(16:04):
is fine. Bigger on that isdefinitely better. You have a lot
of different things, axleweight, payload capacity, hitching
up correctly, all these termsand stuff. So don't be worried about
it. Just go to our website,the smartrver.com, look at the do
it yourself articles andyou're going to find exactly what
you need there. Be able to dothe math on it. And if you need help,
(16:27):
you can always just call us orcontact us through the contact us
page on our website, or justcall us at our phone number, which
is listed in the descriptionof the podcast as well. So you'll
see that from here on out.Also, if you do need to call us,
it just makes it a little biteasier. All right, so that's going
to conclude. Staying on theroad, it's important that you get
(16:48):
the capacities right or theright vehicle trailer combination.
Don't push it to the limitbecause it becomes unsafe. And you
can wreck your trailer, killyour family, all that fun stuff.
You know, unless you got greatinsurance, you probably don't want
to do that.
Yeah, we're a bad family.
Then again, you know,insurance, the way it's going with
(17:08):
fires everywhere, thingsburning down, insurance might, you
know, be a hundred milliondollars a year soon. All right, that's
an exaggeration, hopefully.Alexis told me to not do that anymore.
I can't help myself. This isgoing to bring us to the next stop,
and first off, we're going tovisit Cottonwood, Arizona. So Alexis
(17:31):
is going to take us on this.It's going to say aerial tour, but
we're not flying. She's goingto try to bring this alive for us
so we can really appreciatethe next stops in these towns we
choose. And sometimes they'renot places that we've been to personally,
but when we find them, we do alot of research, and we really feel
(17:51):
that these places are reallycool for RVers and great places to
go and do some exploring. So,Alexis, the floor is yours.
I'm taking it away. Okay.Well, like Eric said, sometimes we
haven't been to these placespersonally, but we do do research
and put them on our lists togo visit. So we're headed into the
(18:13):
Verde Valley in Arizona,specifically Cottonwood, which we.
When I realized that was thename of the town, I. I didn't really
think of it being green andlush at all. But it is in the higher
desert, so, you know, Ithought it was going to be all hot
and brown. But the Verde riverruns alongside the town. You know,
verde means green, so I lookedit up, and it's green all the way
(18:36):
down the river, which isbeautiful. There's greenery all along
the water. It's just gorgeous.You have to look it up, or if you
live there, I mean, you knowhow special it truly is. And then
this town kind of getsovershadowed by Jerome. We all know
Jerome. It's the ghost townthat's, you know, creepy. Not really
(18:56):
creepy, but it's very cool.But Cottonwood, it's his own destination.
You can go there. It's a greatbase for RVers who want to see the
Verde Valley go all over. Butit's a neat town on its own. If you're
going to go there, I mean, yougot to see Cottonwood. It offers
a little bit of everything.History, culture, wine, outdoor adventures.
(19:19):
And it's close to Jerome,Sedona, and the whole valley is just
gorgeous. So it's a perfecthub for travelers.
So there we go. The perfecthub. So that's it. It becomes that
hub. And that's what most ofthese towns we choose are their hubs.
They're not your finaldestination. You get there, set up
your base camp, prepare forthe coming storm, then you go out
(19:40):
and do some exploring.
Correct.
So you mentioned Jerome,Arizona. That's interesting. Because
you know what? Just the otherday I was talking to my great grandpappy
Popeye, and he gave me this.
Oh, look at that.
This is a story of Jerome,Arizona. Okay. And what's more interesting
(20:00):
is we are going to talk aboutJerome, Arizona, in the shadows of
the past. The towns that once were.
I love it. I love the connection.
Isn't that just amazing howthat worked out? It is. It really
is. It's just phenomenal. Solet me go ahead and read this. This
is very interesting. I'm justgonna read it. Okay. Okay. So everybody
ready? You guys ready outthere? Listen, picture this. It's
(20:24):
the late 1800s, and themountains of Arizona are alive with
the clang of pickaxes and thepromise of copper wealth. Welcome
to Jerome, Arizona, a townthat earned the nickname the wickedest
town in the West. Let's diginto why Jerome is one of the most
fascinating places in Arizona.In its heyday, Jerome was no ordinary
(20:49):
mining town. It was a boomingmetropolis perched precariously on
Cleopatra Hill, home to theUnited Verde Mine, one of the richest
copper producing mines in theworld. With 15,000 residents. Saloons
lined the streets, gamblinghalls thrived. And, well, let's just
(21:13):
say it wasn't known for itsbedtime prayers. That's hilarious.
But when the copper ran out inthe 1950s, this town was around for
a while. The people left,leaving behind a ghost town. And
I mean that literally. Today,Jerome is home to just four hundred
and fifty residents. But somesay the spirits of his rowdy past
(21:37):
never moved on. Take theJerome Grand Hotel, for instance.
This former miner's hospitalis now a hotspot for the curious.
Or the sliding jail, abuilding that no joke. Slid 200ft
downhill thanks to unstablemining land. If walls could talk,
(21:58):
Jerome's would scream. YetJerome isn't just about ghosts and
old stories. In the 1960s and70s, artists breathed new life into
this crumbling town. Today,it's a vibrant haven for art lovers,
with galleries like PieraVerde and Raku showcasing everything
(22:20):
from pottery to stunningcopper jewelry. You'll find quirky
shops, antique treasures, andeven the chance to sip local wine.
Talk about electric. And let'snot forget the views. At 5,000ft
above sea level, Jerome offersjaw dropping panoramas of the Verde
(22:41):
Valley and Sedona's iconic redrocks. Feeling adventurous? Hike
nearby Mingus Mountain or takea scenic drive. The kind where you
roll down the windows and justbreathe. Want to explore more? Just
a short drive away, you'llfind the attractions at the Verde
(23:02):
Canyon Railroad and TuzygoteNational Monument. Whether you're
a history buff, a wineenthusiast, or someone looking for
a thrill, Jerome is the placeto be. So there you have it. Jerome,
Arizona. A place wherehistory, mystery and creativity collide.
Whether you're hunting for thepast, savoring a glass of wine, or
(23:24):
just soaking in the views,Jerome is waiting to tell you its
story. Thanks for tuning in.Until next time, keep exploring.
So there you have it, Alexis.That's from my grandpappy, Popeye.
Wow, Papa, isn't that just amazing?
That's beautiful.
That's just like history righthere. Taking place at the Smart rver
(23:46):
podcast. Who would have thunk?All right, so there we have it. That's
Jerome, Arizona. So two placesright next to each other. Cottonwood,
Arizona. Jerome, Arizona. Yougot to go see it. That's what you
gotta. That's two T's and anA. So now let's move on to RV envy.
(24:09):
And today in RV Envy, we'regoing to talk about the heat line.
12 volt heat cable. We're notgoing to call it heat tape. That
cheapens it, right? So again,Craig from Texas turned me on to
the heat tape, thinkingbecause 12 volt heat tape in RVs
just typically hasn't been,well, that really good of a thing
because there's so much outthere on the market that's just junk.
(24:32):
The quality isn't there. Orpeople are taking 110 volt heat tape
and wrapping it around pipesand melting them around sewer hoses
and melting them, notunderstanding that that's not how
it works. Wrapping, makingtheir own heated water hoses and
failing at that. Throwing awaygood money. Heat line makes a great
(24:53):
product. And there'll be alink to the website in the description
of this podcast. So it's heatline. And just to give you an idea
how this works with them, now,they're a Canadian company, they
ship to the States, they'reshipping there a little bit of time.
But all their heat tapes aremade to order. Now they don't go
by the foot, they go by fivefoot increments, but that's okay.
(25:15):
You know, any extra tape orline or cable, you're just going
to wrap it around. Let's sayyou're doing a pipe with your 3 inch
valve on there for your wastetank. You're just going to wrap it
around it and the excess goesthere and it just does a little extra
heating, that's all. So togive you an idea, the cost of it,
because I know you want toknow the cost. Everybody wants to
(25:35):
know the cost. I wanted toknow the cost when I'm talking to
him. Get to the cost. Get tothe cost. It going to cost me. So
a 15 foot section ready to go12 volts is $277 plus shipping. Now
depending where you're at, theshipping could be 20 bucks, could
be 40 bucks. I don't know.Shipping's a lot today. It's gone
up quite a bit. And I don'tknow exactly how they ship, if they'll
(25:58):
do flat rate boxes. Well, theydon't have USPS though. They're in
Canada, so wonder if they haveCanada sps. Does that work? No, whatever,
whatever. Canada pull. Anyway,it seems kind of pricey and here's
what Craig said about that.Because when I was telling him about
it, you know, he says, well,you know what, you scream once in
(26:19):
the beginning and then younever scream again because you don't
have a problem. And I likethat because when you buy it, it
seems like that's a lot ofmoney for 15ft. But if it works and
you have no problems, that'sgoing to be the best $277 you ever
spent. And it's made to sizeso you don't cut it down after you
buy it, you get the sizes youwant. So you might need 2, 3, 4 runs
(26:41):
to do this. So it might getexpensive. But if you're protecting
your plumbing, it's well worthit. And the other thing is too, what
shows this is what to me sayshow good this product is that you
can actually wrap a sewer hosewith it and it won't melt the sewer
hose. It works that well. Sothat's definitely worth consideration.
(27:02):
If you're buying or trying toheat your plumbing or sewer hose
in the winter months. And forpeople that live in certain areas,
this probably doesn't mean athing to you, but it's good to know.
If you travel someplace youmight need to heat some plumbing
up because you can't let waterfreeze in an rv, things break, stop
working, you spend more money.So we're trying to help you to avoid
(27:24):
that. So again, the link willbe on our website, thesmarterver.com
under this podcast and it'llalso be in the pod description if
you're listening on itunes,Spotify, whatever your flavor is.
So there you have it. Heattape for everybody. And seems expensive,
but really it's prettyreasonable considering the money
you can save down the road.Now, again, we're recommending these
(27:52):
RV extended warranties throughwholesale warranties. And you got
to talk to them. They'retotally transparent on everything.
They're going to give you thewhole package before you ever give
them a dime. And that's what'simportant. And it's geared towards
you. It's not one of thesewarranties. One size fits all that
you'll get at a dealership fora lot more money. Henceforth, wholesale
(28:14):
warranties, right, Alexa?Wholesale. What does that mean to
you? Cheap. Save money, savemoney. Cheap. Cheap. All right, so
there we go. That brings us tothe end of the show today. We had
a great show today. In twomore weeks, we'll have episode 169
with some more great content.So, Alexis, thanks for coming by
(28:35):
today.
So much fun. Thank you.
Sharing Cottonwood, Arizonawith us or. Yeah, with us. And. And
there we have it. So this isEric Stark with the smart RV. Your
podcast, your go to guy forsmart RVing and creating those unforgettable
adventures on the road. Sothanks for stopping by.
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