You probably can still remember what February of 2021 was like in Texas. Massive power shortages plagued the state. In addition, many RV’ers failed to winterize or didn’t adequately winterize their rigs. This ruined many toilets and water heaters. Some causing peripheral damage as a result.

Complicating all of this was the existing RV Parts supply shortage. This became a nightmare for people who wanted to fix their travel trailers after the warm weather returned. Of course, some people gambled on their first trip. Later they regretted it when they discovered a major repair was needed after hooking up at the campground.

None of this is fun, and all of it is avoidable. No matter where you live, prepare your travel trailer for winter before Mother Nature gives you a rude wake-up call.

Today, I am reading that at least in North Texas, it is hard to find RV antifreeze. Yet another reason to be on top of things. If you can’t find any, do the next best thing: blow out your lines as thoroughly as possible. Or better yet, take a road trip to Florida and escape the madness; wouldn’t that be great?

This mornings temperatures started at about 57 degrees and by 10:00 A.M. we were in the upper 30s and dropping. It is only going to get worse. We will be below freezing for over 36 hours, and our night time temperatures will be well below freezing for the next week.

My Travel Trailer is here on my property and winterized. In addition I have a back up plan for my house should the power go out (and I have a bad feeling about this storm).I hope all of you, whether camping or storing your RV, have prepared for the Winter Blast. We will get through this! Most importantly though, Please stay safe and warm wherever you are.

The post Hunkering Down – The Winter Blast is Upon Us! appeared first on .

Check your fire extinguisher and make sure that it is fully charged and not expired. As a matter of fact it would probably be wise to buy another, larger, fire extinguisher as well. The stock fire extinguishers are probably too small to handle what could happen if a fire should start.

Also, don’t forget to keep that battery charged in the non-travel months if your RV is in storage. I used to take mine home and put it on a battery tender in the winter. If you leave your travel trailer in an outside storage location, check on it often. Several factors cause this. Thieves steal travel trailers more often than you might think. You probably won’t recover a stolen trailer, but discovering the theft early improves your chances. 2) Inspecting the trailer occasionally may help you spot a maintenance issue that needs immediate attention. 3) It should give you peace of mind that you are on top of things.

Also, it is not a bad idea to keep some sort of mouse poison inside the travel trailer. No one wants to deal with rodent issues. Mice will use whatever they can to nest, which is why we always say “empty your trailer completely before storing it”. We have always placed d-CON mouse bait in areas our dogs could not get to just to be safe (i.e. under the bed). We always remove it first thing in the spring. My Trailer currently sits on a cement pad under my shop overhang. Now I have bait traps outside the trailer that cannot be tampered with by Eva, our German Shepherd.

Once you get ready for your first trip, make sure you try all your systems. This means water and plumbing connections, electric, and propane. It will be much more convenient to take care of any issues before you leave home. Once you are at the campground, things become increasingly difficult and costly to take care of.

Make sure before camping in the spring that all family members know how to get out of the travel trailer should an emergency take place. Perform a drill and make sure everyone knows how to open the emergency windows. It should be second nature, as you cannot rehearse in an emergency. Have a plan on where to meet should an emergency take place.

Hopefully, this serves to get you thinking of things you need to do over the winter break. I’m sure most of you are eager to be camping already! Stay safe and warm!

The post With the New Year comes New Responsibilities appeared first on .