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  1. #1
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    RV novice travel planning

    I am new to the world of RVing. Got a Reflections 337RLS from a family member. I have done a lot of reading on the web, but there are three specific questions I have not really gotten answers to.

    I am not unexperienced at puling trailers. I have more than 50k miles pulling boats. My most recent rig was a 30’ LOA, 11,000# fully loaded Amberjack on a tri-axle. It was pulled with a ¾ ton gasser. This rig was pulled to three specific places, the furthest 1000+/- miles away from home. I knew the routes like the back of my hand, new every gas station it was easy to maneuver in and out of and every rest stop along the way. It was the usual plan to do the 1000 mile run in 24 hours. Leaving at around mid day Friday, drive until about 9pm, pull into a truck parking area at a rest stop, sleeping in the boat for several hours, leaving in the middle of the night and completing the run. Arriving mid-day Saturday. However, I can see by all the RVing advice out there that this is not going to work with an RV. With the boat, it was simple, start the Honda inverter, start the A/C and go to sleep. With an RV there is more setup and time needed to get a few hours rest.

    My new truck is an F350 Diesel. My first Diesel. So this too has added a new thing to learn. So, here are my questions:

    1) When refueling, it is common or taboo to pull into the truck fueling pumps at truck stops? I see this as an easier option for refueling a diesel than pulling a 35’ trailer into the regular auto pumps.

    2) Is stopping at a highway rest stop for the night a thing? I understand the premise of 2/2/2 or 3/3/3 planning, but until I retire, I will not necessarily have the luxury of doing this as I learn the ropes and expand my range further from home. Some short stops, just to get some sleep, will be necessary if I want to get to the Rockies with the amount of leave I currently get.

    3) There is far more negative feedback for the RV phone apps than for the purchased GPS systems. Are the phone apps adequate for identifying fueling stations with easy access and for overnight boondocking locations?

  2. #2
    Site Sponsor Steven@147's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Trainman327 View Post
    I am new to the world of RVing. Got a Reflections 337RLS from a family member. I have done a lot of reading on the web, but there are three specific questions I have not really gotten answers to.
    snip

    My new truck is an F350 Diesel. My first Diesel. So this too has added a new thing to learn. So, here are my questions:

    1) When refueling, it is common or taboo to pull into the truck fueling pumps at truck stops? I see this as an easier option for refueling a diesel than pulling a 35’ trailer into the regular auto pumps.
    We always use the semi truck lanes while hitched when refueling. At @53 feet length and 13.5 height there are not a lot of auto refueling lanes that can handle our rig. We have never had any problems using the truck lanes and we immediately pull forward after refueling just like the trucks do.

    2) Is stopping at a highway rest stop for the night a thing? I understand the premise of 2/2/2 or 3/3/3 planning, but until I retire, I will not necessarily have the luxury of doing this as I learn the ropes and expand my range further from home. Some short stops, just to get some sleep, will be necessary if I want to get to the Rockies with the amount of leave I currently get.
    We do not over night at a rest stop, we either over night at a campground or a harvest host site. Nothing wrong with a rest stop though if it is allowed, no different than a semi driver over nighting or a short stop, but its considered bad form to extend your slides.

    3) There is far more negative feedback for the RV phone apps than for the purchased GPS systems. Are the phone apps adequate for identifying fueling stations with easy access and for overnight boondocking locations?
    We use RV Trip Wizard for planning our movements. Then using the RV Trip wizard GPS app for iphone, we then connect our iphone into our truck NAV screen or just use our Iphones stand alone. We like it and it has worked great for us. We also have a garmin RV660 that we use as back up and it seems to almost always select the same route as the Trip Wizard. i am not aware of an app that will tell you if a particular fuel station is adequate for your rig based on rig size information. RV Trip Wizard does use your rig information for route planning. If you plan your fuel stops with RV Trip Wizard you can link to the fuel stations web site for satellite images of the specific station. But if your using the truck stops and truck lanes for refueling it shouldn't be a problem. Now RV Trip Wizard will only show you established camp grounds it knows about, it will not identify boondocking sites or Harvest Host sites. I don't know of any app that will show you all camping options along your route (campgrounds , boondocking, rest stop over nighters, harvest host etc)
    Last edited by Steven@147; 10-05-2021 at 07:50 AM.
    Steve & Tami Cass - Escapee's, FMCA Members, Texas Fulltimers Since July 2020
    2019 Solitude 3350RL S-Class, 2018 Ram 3500 DRW, Laramie Longhorn, B&W Companion, Texas Class A Non-CDL Drivers License
    Sharing the Fulltime Lifestyle - www.youtube.com/@tsrvadventures3219/videos, Nonprofit Channel

  3. #3
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    I also use RV Trip Wizard along with RV Parky, campgroundreviews, and sometimes The Dyrt. If we're freewheeling for the day I still have my Garmin RV660 or Google Maps. I like the Garmin if we don't have cell service. You can download state maps to RV Trip Wizard if there's no cell service also.
    2019 F-250 Supercab
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  4. #4
    Setting Up Camp
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    Quote Originally Posted by Steven@147 View Post
    We use RV Trip Wizard for planning our movements. Then using the RV Trip wizard GPS app for iphone, we then connect our iphone into our truck NAV screen or just use our Iphones stand alone. We like it and it has worked great for us. We also have a garmin RV660 that we use as back up and it seems to almost always select the same route as the Trip Wizard. i am not aware of an app that will tell you if a particular fuel station is adequate for your rig based on rig size information. RV Trip Wizard does use your rig information for route planning. If you plan your fuel stops with RV Trip Wizard you can link to the fuel stations web site for satellite images of the specific station. But if your using the truck stops and truck lanes for refueling it shouldn't be a problem. Now RV Trip Wizard will only show you established camp grounds it knows about, it will not identify boondocking sites or Harvest Host sites. I don't know of any app that will show you all camping options along your route (campgrounds , boondocking, rest stop over nighters, harvest host etc)
    I suspected extending the slides would not be appropriate. It puts your width past the 102" mark. With that said, I can see how jumping up into the bed, when not extended, is no different than the v berth on a boat. And although the galley was accessible on the boat, we never used it while stopped on land.

    I have joined RV Trip Wizard and planned to give that a try. However, I have seen a bunch of feedback recently that the latest update on the app removed some much desired functionality.
    Last edited by Trainman327; 10-05-2021 at 08:54 AM.

  5. #5
    Setting Up Camp
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    Quote Originally Posted by jmbopp View Post
    I also use RV Trip Wizard along with RV Parky, campground reviews, and sometimes The Dyrt. If we're freewheeling for the day I still have my Garmin RV660 or Google Maps. I like the Garmin if we don't have cell service. You can download state maps to RV Trip Wizard if there's no cell service also.
    All the feedback I have reviewed leads one consider the Garmin RV660 among the best out there. I may not purchase right away, because I plan to do my first few long trips to the same areas I took the boat. I know those areas very well. But when we start traveling into unknown territory, I will definitely purchase the most up to date RV Garmin GPS.

  6. #6
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    I will mostly echo Steven@147,....

    1) When refueling, it is common or taboo to pull into the truck fueling pumps at truck stops? I see this as an easier option for refueling a diesel than pulling a 35’ trailer into the regular auto pumps.
    When hitched or if I need DEF, I always use the Truck Lanes/Pumps. Follow the rules and fill/move forward. Never had a problem. A few truckers have approached me to see if I need help, even though I am not having a problem or moving slow. I think they are trying to be pre-emptive and keep me moving. I get it and have no problem with others trying to get their job done. The other drivers have always been courteous and so am I. There are a couple of You-Tube videos out there that will be very helpful on RV's in the Truck Stop.

    2) Is stopping at a highway rest stop for the night a thing? I understand the premise of 2/2/2 or 3/3/3 planning, but until I retire, I will not necessarily have the luxury of doing this as I learn the ropes and expand my range further from home. Some short stops, just to get some sleep, will be necessary if I want to get to the Rockies with the amount of leave I currently get.
    Never tried this, we always us a campground for overnights (so far).

    3) There is far more negative feedback for the RV phone apps than for the purchased GPS systems. Are the phone apps adequate for identifying fueling stations with easy access and for overnight boondocking locations?
    We use RV Trip Wizard and a mobile device. So far it has been very good to work with.


    Just a side note. Some trucks do not follow the general courtesy rules and you can see others are not happy. One of us (self or wife) is always with the rig in the truck lane. We don't want to ever look like we parked and walked away. Lots of things to do a quick inspection on during fueling. Once you pull forward, then all is good if you need 5 or 10 minutes to do something inside.

    Rob
    Rob & Kathy
    2019 F350 CCSB SRW, w/Demco Autoslide.
    2019 Solitude 310GK.

  7. #7
    Long Hauler D2Reid's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Trainman327 View Post
    1) When refueling, it is common or taboo to pull into the truck fueling pumps at truck stops? I see this as an easier option for refueling a diesel than pulling a 35’ trailer into the regular auto pumps.
    As stated above do use the truck stop lanes to get diesel. I also fill my DEF tank there. Also do a search on EFS fuel card and get the Flying J RV card through the Goodsams club web sight. If you don't have those at many truck stops you will have to note the pump number, go inside pre-pay for the approximate fuel you need, then pump. Don't worry about over estimating the fuel, they only charge the card what is pumped.

    It is considered good form to fill the tank, then pull forward to allow the guy behind you to fill while you go inside and take care of business.


    Quote Originally Posted by Trainman327 View Post
    2) Is stopping at a highway rest stop for the night a thing? I understand the premise of 2/2/2 or 3/3/3 planning, but until I retire, I will not necessarily have the luxury of doing this as I learn the ropes and expand my range further from home. Some short stops, just to get some sleep, will be necessary if I want to get to the Rockies with the amount of leave I currently get.
    I too was a camping boater. You can do exactly the same thing with your RV. Be considerate with your generator noise please. You will need to make sure that overnighting is allowed at the rest areas you are interested in. There are many that state "no camping". Also take a look at Campendium for a list of free campsites.

    Things have become somewhat more restrictive over the last few years, it really depends on the area that you are traveling. You will find that more densely populated areas have greater restrictions.

    Getting to the Rockies; Long hard runs, I have done a few... I don't like doing night time set up's, I have broken things doing that. Tired, road foundered, can't see. Also be cognizant that out west fuel stations may be far and few, preplan your fuel stops. If you haven't already get a Tire Pressure Monitor System. I could tell when I got a flat on my boat trailer (also 30' overall...), but not on the 5th wheel. It has to do with the solidness of the hitch.


    Quote Originally Posted by Trainman327 View Post
    3) There is far more negative feedback for the RV phone apps than for the purchased GPS systems. Are the phone apps adequate for identifying fueling stations with easy access and for overnight boondocking locations?
    There are many many options out there now. I still use the old MS Streets and Trips program that was discontinued around 2015. One day I will have to change, but still works for me. I also use the Garmin Base Camp program, google maps, google earth. It mostly depends on your tech tolerance level, what you are comfortable with always works best.

    I do a multi-pronged approach to navigation. Preplanning the route I use my laptop and plan the distances and general route using the Streets and Trips program and Google Earth. Google Earth allows me to get a general idea of roads and terrain, and somewhat of an idea on what the campground looks like. Then I port the route into my Garmin GPS, I double up the guidance portion with my google maps linking the screen in my truck with my cell phone. It is now possible to download maps for use when there is no cell service. It's interesting to watch the 2 devices argue about which way to go. Which brings up that final leg, pilotage. You still have to read the signs and pay attention to which way you are headed.
    Dallas
    2017 Momentum 376TH, 2019 Ford F450, Dual Rear Wheel, 4x4, diesel.
    2015 Harley-Davidson Street, XG750

  8. #8
    Site Sponsor Steven@147's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Trainman327 View Post
    I suspected extending the slides would not be appropriate. It puts your width past the 102" mark. With that said, I can see how jumping up into the bed, when not extended, is no different than the v berth on a boat. And although the galley was accessible on the boat, we never used it while stopped on land.

    I have joined RV Trip Wizard and planned to give that a try. However, I have seen a bunch of feedback recently that the latest update on the app removed some much desired functionality.
    Accessibility inside the RV while buttoned up depends on the floor plan. On ours the bathroom and bedroom is easily accessible. the right side door of our fridge can be opened with the slides closed.

    that's interesting on RV Trip wizard update. I haven't used the latest version yet. thanks for that tidbit, I'll have to try it out.
    Steve & Tami Cass - Escapee's, FMCA Members, Texas Fulltimers Since July 2020
    2019 Solitude 3350RL S-Class, 2018 Ram 3500 DRW, Laramie Longhorn, B&W Companion, Texas Class A Non-CDL Drivers License
    Sharing the Fulltime Lifestyle - www.youtube.com/@tsrvadventures3219/videos, Nonprofit Channel

  9. #9
    Setting Up Camp
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rob+Kath View Post
    I will mostly echo Steven@147,....


    [/COLOR]Just a side note. Some trucks do not follow the general courtesy rules and you can see others are not happy. One of us (self or wife) is always with the rig in the truck lane. We don't want to ever look like we parked and walked away. Lots of things to do a quick inspection on during fueling. Once you pull forward, then all is good if you need 5 or 10 minutes to do something inside.

    Rob
    I think I'll fit right in. I'm about as courteous as it get's. A pet peeve of mine is people who dawdle. every minute wasted is a mile lost. I'm also very into continual safety checks of the rig. Many things can go wrong on a long haul.

  10. #10
    Setting Up Camp
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    Quote Originally Posted by Steven@147 View Post
    Accessibility inside the RV while buttoned up depends on the floor plan. On ours the bathroom and bedroom is easily accessible. the right side door of our fridge can be opened with the slides closed.

    that's interesting on RV Trip wizard update. I haven't used the latest version yet. thanks for that tidbit, I'll have to try it out.
    Ours is the same. restroom and bedroom fully accessible as well and the right side of the fridge. Albeit the bed is in almost touching the dresser. Still easy enough to get a few hours sleep.

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