A Good RV Cooking Grill

Early on in my camping career (1998) I use to lug around a small gas grill for cooking. I started out with those cheapo portable units you can get at Walmart and they would maybe last a season, but the latch or

Coleman Roadtrip

handle would break. And since they where so cheap the paint would burn off and you could not clean it very well and mold would begin to grow inside as the humidity and heat hit in the summer. So then I thought I would get smart and I purchased one of those Coleman Roadtrip grills probably around 2001.  That sucker was not cheap, but it had that non stick cooking surface and was easy to clean since everything was captured in the front part of the grill. (sorta like a George Foreman Grill) One morning I got ambitious and decided to put the griddle plates on and cook some bacon and eggs on the grill.  Now they warn you to make sure the grill is tilted slightly forward before beginning to cook which I thought it was.  Well, it wasn't long before some bacon grease leaked into the bottom portion of the grill from the back.  Next thing I know I have a little fire going in the back which proceeded to catch the rubber hinges on fire and then the whole thing ended up on fire.  Luckily it was not close to the RV and not to many campers where awake to see me running around like a lunatic trying to put it out.   I quickly cleaned up the mess and with head held low rolled my new $100+ burned rubber smelling grill to the dumpster.  It was my fault and so I decided I was done with portable RV grills for good. (Well not for good, I actually carry a Cadac Safari Chef Portable Grilling System now which is easy to clean and use.  Hey alot has changed in 12 years since I burned that grill to the ground) 

So I started looking for an easier way to cook while camping and decided to start cooking over a campfire.   Why not, we usually started one in the evening anyway and food cooked over a wood fire always taste awesome.  One of the very first companies we took on here at RVupgrades was Tring who actually came our way by another company I own which sells automation products to the industrial and robotics industries.  Tring is a metal fab shop and it's owner is an avid RV'er like myself.  He also felt there had to be a better way to cook over a fire and developed the Deluxe Cooking Grill Kit. He sent us one to do a review on  and after just one use I

Deluxe Cooking Grill Kit

was sold!  This has got to be the easiest, most flexible and rugged over the fire cooker on the market today.  I still have that original grill kit 11 years later and it's as good as it was when new.  We use it just about every other weekend from spring till fall and it does the same great job every time.  The genius behind this grill is it's ability to be adjusted up or down simply by pushing down on the back of the handle. Now don't do that without holding on to the handle, but this simple design works every time and has never slipped.   No locking bolt or other device to break, just leverage that works perfectly.  The kit includes a heavy duty pointed driving stake, which is driven directly into the ground, I usually use a split piece of wood that will go in the fire, but if you carry a hammer that will work as well. This setup can be used around any type of fire ring or fire pit. Not only do you have fast and easy height adjustments of the grill, but you can quickly swing the grill off the fire for safe attention to food being prepared.

Check out the Deluxe Cooking Grill Kit for your next camping trip, you wont be disappointed.

~Bill

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Get Your RV Ready for Summer

The temperature is climbing, the sun is out, and you’re ready for roadtrip season. Before you fire up you RV and hit the road, however, it’s important to take care of a few things for the coming season. It’s likely that your RV has been sitting for most of the winter, so getting your RV ready for summer will give you peace of mind while you’re on the road. Read on to find ways to prepare your RV for summer.

Inspection

The first thing you want to do is give your RV a thorough inspection, especially if you had it in storage for the winter. Check the interior and exterior for any damage, particularly from harsh winter weather. A few other points of inspection are:

• Tires: Check the condition of your RV’s tires, including the treads, the tire pressure, and the lug nuts.
• Brakes: Inspect the wear on your brakes, and if it’s been a few years since they have been professionally inspected, bring your RV into a shop. RV brakes have to handle a lot of weight, and it’s crucial to your safety that they work properly.
• Water System: Flush out your water system and turn on your hot water heater to make sure it’s working properly. It might sputter a bit while it’s warming up, which is normal. Propane: Making sure your propane tank and system is working well could save your life. If there are any leaks or it appears that something is out of order, get a professional to look at your system.
• Carbon monoxide alarms and smoke detectors: This goes hand-in-hand with checking your propane system. Changing the batteries in both your carbon monoxide and smoke detectors will ensure that you and your family are safe in your RV.

Prepare an emergency kit

You should always keep an emergency kit in your RV in case you break down and can’t easily get help. Flashlights, batteries, jumper cables, basic tools, bottles of oil, brake fluid, steering fluid and transmission fluid, a gas can, portable radio, reflective road triangles, fuses, flares, duct tape, and wheel chocks should all be included in your emergency kit.

Clean out and inspect the interior

Cleaning out your RV after it’s been sitting through the winter isn’t just for sanitary purposes. You probably have a lot of things from last season that can be thrown out or recycled, some of which might add some significant weight to your vehicle. We all know that RV’s aren’t exactly good on gas, so getting rid of any extra weight will help stretch your gas mileage. This is also a good time to check out any interior lights that are out, any outlets that aren’t working, or any other interior components that need to be repaired.

Take it for a spin!

Don’t let a road trip be the first time you take your RV out on the road. Drive around town a few times just to be sure everything is in working order. Bring the family along so they can test out the various components within the RV so you don’t find out something is broken when you’re already on the road. Make a note of anything that needs to be fixed so you can get it taken care of before your first summer roadtrip.

RV Upgrades carries a wide selection of RV parts and accessories so you can get back on the road quickly with reliable equipment. Browse our store and get everything you need to stock up for the coming summer months. RV Upgrades has low prices every day so you know that you are getting the absolute best price online.

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Memorial Day RV Weekend

Each year we look forward to the Memorial Day holiday as the true start of the RV season and warmer temperatures here in Northeast Ohio.  This year we selected Maumee Bay State Park after doing some Rand McNally TripMaker GPS to guide our way to the campground and I absolutely love so many of the features this GPS has to offer. The best of these is the huge number of campgrounds that are pre-loaded into it's own point of interest category.  But I have found that the routing has not been optimum and quite a bit different from directions from google.  One unique thing about the Tripmaker GPS is the ability to add your RV's details such as height and weight.  On this trip we found that on a certain road close to the campground a warning came up that we had exceeded the roads weight limit.  I think I now know why we have found ourselves on roads that do not make sense and lead us far out of our way.  The weight limit function must be obeying the published limits and routing us around these roads. This will be one function I adjust to get more accurate routing to our destinations.

We got into the campground around 5 o'clock on Friday with clearing skies and found the sites to be extra

Our campsite at Maumee Bay SP

large with a tree and shrub barrier between each site.  We thought we where in heaven!  The dogs where laying in the grass and it wasn't long before we headed out and walked some of the trails.  As we returned to the RV we realized we had a problem in the form of a tiny pest. (ticks!)  That night we removed a total of 5 from ourselves, the dogs and the RV.  One of the papers we received during check-in was a note about the Brown Dog Tick and how to remove them.  This place is loaded with them!  Over the 3 day weekend we removed over 20 with the dogs fairing the worst.  And that was being very careful, keeping the dogs away from any long grass, checking them every time they went outside, it was a nightmare.  If you don't have a dog you will far much better since these ticks generally do not bite humans, be sure to bring a tick repellent which contains DEET.

Beside the ticks this state park has a great nature center with 2 miles of board walks through a wildlife

Maumee Bay SP Board Walk

marsh.  You will mostly likely see just birds, but if you get there early enough there are quite a few deer.  The park also has a lot of asphalt paths for biking, walking or running, a huge lodge if you need to get away from the ticks, beach, pools and playgrounds.  There are also some amazing cabins if you would like to be off on your own or have a family group you would like to be with.  There is not a whole lot in the area to do, but with so many amenities on site you really don't need those things.

I am not sure if the tick issue is just a seasonal problem or year around, if it's not this place could be an amazing destination.  Having traveled hundreds of thousands of miles visiting so many different places we had not run into such an annoying problem as ticks. Unfortunately for now we will not be back.

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