If you have ever purchased an after-market bed, like a Brooklyn mattress.  Suddenly opening the bed to get to storage can be a real pain. Any mattress other than the thin, cheap, flimsy one that came with your RV is going to weigh too much for the air shocks to lift it. That makes it almost impossible to get to the storage area under the bed.

Now, if the RV manufacturer actually put a decent mattress in your unit, chances are that the shocks are still struggling to lift it.

Our Delta 294RK had a 40lb shock on each side of the bed frame.  It provided almost no help in getting our mattress up so we can utilize the storage.  In fact, Tammy finally gave up trying to get things out from under the bed. I didn’t blame her at all – it was a pain to lift it and then hold it with your shoulder while you tried to get something out.

The solution for us was to replace those “stock” 40lb shocks with 80lb shocks. I did a fair amount of research before I settled on the 80lb shocks. If i had stepped up to a higher weight, like 100lb, then closing the storage door could become an issue. I didn’t want to create a new problem.

All you need to do this job is a small flat blade screwdriver. Of course, you need to measure your existing shocks to make sure you purchase the correct size. You will also need a tin snip or a scissors to cut the band off of the new shocks but more about that in a minute.

So click here to see what I purchased from Amazon.

Before I received these, I thought I would be unscrewing the existing brackets. However, this is so much easier than I thought. So relax, you won’t need to unscrew any brackets. On the back of each end of the shock, there is a clip that holds the shock to the ball joint end of the existing bracket. There is a divot under the clip. Place your screwdriver (a small one) under that clamp and pry it up. You really don’t even need to remove the clamp. Once the clamp is up, just pull the existing shock off the ball joint. Now repeat for the other end.

The good news is that you don’t need to do anything to the clips on the new shocks. You will just push them very hard onto the ball joint until they click into place. I would start with the bottom first. Then raise your storage door until the top of the shock lines up with the upper ball joint. Then press that one in and you are done!

Now, just a brief word on opening your new shocks when they arrive. Chances are that they will be wrapped in a cloth or metal band to keep them compressed. You will need to cut that band before installing them. When I read the directions, it really sounded like this was dangerous, and that they were going to expand at the speed of light. That wasn’t the case for me. They expanded quickly but not in a dangerous fashion. However, I would hold the shock at arm’s length when you cut the band. Also, as always, read the directions for more details, as your shocks, and manufacturer may be different than mine.

What an incredible difference this made for lifting that mattress to access the storage area. Needless to say, Tammy was happy and impressed with the results. Now we can resume putting Eva’s food, bowls, and our carpeting under the bed. So, do yourself a favor and quit struggling to hoist your mattress. Upgrade those shocks!

The post This simple RV fix took less that 10 minutes appeared first on .

Just as Diesel prices began to peak in May of 2026, we headed out to Caprock Canyons State Park near Quitaque, Texas. 

This is roughly a six-hour drive from our home base. Now, if you were driving in a car without a dog, you could make it in about five hours.

However, before we get into that, first let’s talk about why this was an important trip for us.  We have really only had one shakedown trip since we purchased the Delta. We did have another trip planned but ran up against a number of weeks of unrelenting thunderstorms.  If you have ever had a dog that hates thunder, you know what that means.  Eva hates thunder, gunshots, and fireworks.

As a result, we ended up having to cancel that trip. Of course, canceling a trip is easy, but trying to get another one added is almost impossible in a short period of time.

The first thing we wanted to learn from this trip is whether we had any other trailer-related warranty issues. The second thing we were going to learn was how we liked camping at Caprock Canyons State Park.

We have another trip planned for the 4th of July which is an attempt to escape the local fireworks.  In addition, we will have my grandson Trent with us. This will be the first camping stop in our trek to Wisconsin to drop him off at home.  Then we will spend two weeks there and later travel to Dodge City.

If you remember, last year, the Dodge City trip got canceled, also due to weather (severe thunderstorms).

We left home a little after 9:00 AM knowing we would have that six-hour drive ahead of us.  Everything went smoothly until we left our fuel stop at the Wichita Falls, Texas, Loves.  Then the winds out of the southwest really picked up. So much so that I told Tammy that if they got any worse, we would need to pull off of the highway and wait it out. It was also apparent that the winds were also killing my gas mileage.  I had been getting a little over 11 miles per gallon until that point.  After Wichita Falls, it dropped to 8 miles per gallon.  Also, keep in mind I was driving somewhere between 55 and 60 most of the time, and sometimes slower in that wind.  So that is incredibly crappy mileage for those speeds.

The other thing to remember is that once we left Wichita Falls, the elevation began to change.  From our home to Wichita Falls, we are only looking at a change in upward elevation of 300 feet.  From Wichita Falls to Quitaque (Caprock Canyons), you will be climbing an additional 2,156 feet. That’s a bit of a climb.  Of course, you are making that climb over 160 miles, but there is still an impact to gas mileage for sure.

Quitaque is an old town, and there isn’t much there. There is a Valero for fuel, and they have some hot food (chicken nuggets and hamburgers, etc.) for sale.  I thought the diesel at Valero was priced very well for being in the middle of nowhere.

There is a pretty nice grocery store on their main street. It is quite small, but the produce looks great and you can get just about anything you need there.  It looks like they might have a couple small diners but nothing that appeared open when we were in town. 

Caprock Canyons State Park is maybe a whopping seven minutes from the city of Quitaque.  There is a big lot to park in next to the headquarters building. You need to walk behind the building to get to the office.  The office has a store, but it is really just a souvenir shop.  The folks there are very nice, and the process goes quickly.

One thing to note, though, is that the map to the Honey Flat Loop looks much, much closer to the office than it really is.  I was pretty sure we were going the wrong way because it took longer to get there than you would ever have guessed from looking at that map. I got that sick feeling in my gut that we were going the wrong way.  After driving a while I told Tammy that I was really worried we might need to figure out a way to turn around.  However, five minutes later we arrived at the camping loop.  A few minutes after that we were backed in and setting things up as Eva sat patiently in the truck.

The weather for the trip looked really nice, with the exception of the first full day after we arrived (Day 2).  The high temperature was 92 degrees, with winds gusting to 37 mph. The heat was not horrible, but we only had 30-amp service at the campsite.  There are 50-amp sites available in the Honey Flat loop, but we were unable to get one of those sites. 

Even so, we were able to run both air conditioners on 30-amp service.  That is one of the selling features of the Delta.  I did try this and it worked flawlessly. I must admit, I am very impressed with the main living area “Chill Cube” air conditioner by Furrion.  It does a very good job, so we didn’t let the bedroom unit run very long.

I’m not sure there is a bad site in the Honey Flat Loop, with the exception perhaps of site number 1.  If you don’t mind your neighbor (at site 3) being able to look directly into your site, then site 1 will be just fine.  Unfortunately, that is the site we had reserved for our July trip. That would be fine if Tammy and I were traveling alone.  However, with Eva, well, she wouldn’t like that at all.  As a result, Tammy and I moved our reservation to another more private site for the July trip.

Our site for this trip was very level side to side.  The only drawback was the drop from the paved pad to the ground.  As you can see, I had to use my red leveling blocks as another step. Frankly, the three-step MORryde unit, just doesn’t work in terrain like this.  Since then, I have ordered an add-a-step for occasions like this in the future.  I would really prefer to go back to the Torklift GlowSteps, but I can’t find them on sale, and I would not spend $800.00 on steps.  I also cannot get anyone from Torklift to return a phone call or email.  That’s very disappointing.

Once we got everything with the trailer set up, I did the peripheral things.  I put out the Dish Antenna and the Starlink satellite.  Starlink was great to have on this trip because there is basically no cell service in that location.  Starlink allows you to make cell phone calls using your Wi-Fi connection. I highly recommend Starlink for this, as you never know when a horrible emergency might take place.

Caprock Canyons will now probably be one of, if not my favorite campgrounds. I highly recommend it over Palo Duro State Park.  I think it is a much, much nicer and quieter campground.  It is also more striking from a visual standpoint.  There are miles and miles of trails at Caprock Canyons, which is a big plus for Eva.  When Eva and I hiked the trails, we never saw another person, so it is pretty secluded.

The sites are all created on a very powdery orange, almost chalky, base.  So, if you visit, you will want to make sure you have a decent mat outside your door.  Even so, that powdery base will make its way into your trailer.  Just as an example, I washed the floor before we left for home and it was disgusting.  When we got home, I washed it again.  It was just as disgusting.  I believe with the winds up there, you probably won’t be able to keep the trailer free of this dust.

This is a very quiet campground, and at night it may be the darkest we have stayed at.  My advice is to take a decent flashlight if you are up before sunrise. Keep in mind that buffalo are most active just before dawn and dusk.

Another thing you will notice from the start is all the buffalo poo.  It is everywhere.  I don’t think you can walk 10 feet without seeing it.  You might think with that much scat that you would see buffalo roaming everywhere.  That’s just not the case.  The first few days we were camping, we never saw a single buffalo, even though Eva and I walked the trails constantly.

Oddly, with all that scat, you would think the flies would be busy enough to stay away from you.  Nope, they still will make a pest of themselves on and around you.  It’s not horrible, though.

My first experience with buffalo was on a very early morning walk with Eva when it was pitch black outside.  I saw two sets of eyes up ahead illuminated by my iPhone flashlight.  That really spooked me.  Eva and I immediately found a new route away from them.

The next encounter was on the afternoon of the third day, when Eva and I sat outside the trailer. Eva let out a very low growl at one point.  I thought someone must be walking a dog because she will do that.  Then I noticed she was looking behind us.  I turned around and a buffalo was walking through the rear of our campsite.

The windows were open on the travel trailer, and I called to Tammy, but she didn’t hear me.  I did manage to get a not-so-great picture but a pretty decent video.

That wouldn’t be the last buffalo to visit our site.  A few days later, we went for a drive and returned to find a buffalo at the entrance of our campsite.

If there were any negatives to this park, only two would come to mind.  The first is that the state park store is what they referred to as a “third-party store.” The business is physically located on park property (“on premises”), but it’s owned and operated by a separate company under a contract with the state park system.  So, this means you can’t get the 10% discount with your Texas state park pass.  Not a big deal, but I think it is worth mentioning.

The second issue is really just a heads-up.  There are many cactus plants along the hiking trail.  If you have a dog, keep them away from those.  Eva ended up with about four or five quills in her nose.

When we came home from our walk, Tammy asked, “What is on her nose?”  I hadn’t even noticed until she mentioned it.  “OMG, she has cactus needles in her snout!” They apparently come off the plant easily; HOWEVER, they are very hard to pull out of a snout.  I just didn’t see her get that close.  Poor puppy… bad Daddy!

Here are just a few pictures from the canyon rim trail that we hiked daily.

We were at the park six days but had reservations for one more day when we left.  We decided to leave early due to a storm system that was moving toward the Dallas area on our original departure day.  I did not want to risk driving into a severe thunderstorm, so we left a day early.  I always say, better to run from a storm than into one.

Now, as far as issues with the trailer, there really were not any issues with the exception of the solar panel.  We just need to figure out why the solar panel isn’t generating power.  A solar panel isn’t something that we were looking for, but if you have it, well, it ought to work.  Honestly, it could be user error, I’m not sure.

The only reason I realized the issue is that the power went out at the campground for a couple of hours (apparently a planned outage with no notice from the office).  When the power went out, I decided to use the solar panel, but that did not work as planned.  Other than that, it was a very uneventful trip from a trailer quality perspective.

I would highly recommend adding this to your camping list as a ‘must-see’ destination.

The post Caprock Canyons State Park appeared first on .

Therefore, in this post, I want to explain what I learned, why the Dish error messages are so misleading, and, most importantly, how you can quickly determine whether your setup is actually working correctly before wasting hours chasing the wrong problem.

The Frustration

After our trip to Caprock Canyons State Park, I learned something new about Dish Outdoors and how the satellites work. Unfortunately, one thing that never surprises me is that the support folks know less than me. Frankly, that should never be the case. I am not sure if they just don’t have a good script to follow, or if they simply don’t know the right questions to ask. Either way, this has been an ongoing problem ever since we have used satellite TV in our travel trailers for 10 years or so.

Since I did a video about satellite TV not long ago, I wanted to add what I learned on this trip. As you probably know, there are many things that can derail your setup. Because of that, I wanted you to have all the information, especially since I missed this in the video. So, here is the scenario that you may encounter:

You connect your receiver and run the test switch process, and then you see your local channels still listed in the guide after you boot up. In fact, the DISH Guide even shows what your local channels are televising (the channel description). However, once you select a local channel, you will get a blank screen along with one or two messages. First, one message will incorrectly tell you that something is obstructing the signal. Of course, you will know that is incorrect because the receiver checks that both satellites are received. Meanwhile, the other message will tell you that “Dish knows there is an issue with local channels and is working on it”. Unfortunately, both of these messages are misleading. Instead, a more helpful message would be something like, “National Channels are only available in this area.” Certainly, that would have helped me out a lot!

However, let’s talk about what is really going on in this case and what I learned. First of all, keep in mind that we have traveled many times far away from our home zip code and still received local channels. In fact, Dish subscribers can typically travel 150–300 miles from their service address before local channels become unreliable or disappear. Up until now, that has certainly been our experience, and that is exactly what sent me down a rat hole. So, with that in mind, let’s clear things up.

However, first a quick word about the Dish satellites:

• Satellite 119 = The majority of core legacy national programming.
• Satellite 110 = Some additional nationals + local channels.

There are actually two beams that Dish sends to your outdoor dish on satellite 110 (remember, you also receive satellite 119). First, there is a SPOT beam for local channels, and then there is a CONUS beam (Continental United States Beam) for national channels. Once you travel far enough away from your home zip code, the spot beam no longer delivers your local channels. However, despite that fact, it still sends the channel lineup information to the Dish guide.

The important takeaway here is that, even though local and national programming physically originates from the same satellite position (110°), they are transmitted differently. As a result, it is a nuance that can make things surprisingly frustrating.

This is exactly why I was so frustrated. I was getting all the channels associated with satellite 119. Therefore, it seemed like I wasn’t able to receive any channels associated with satellite 110. However, that is where I made my mistake. In reality, I was getting all the national 110 channels, just not the local ones.

What would probably help in situations like this would be a complete list of channels carried on satellite 110. That way, you could quickly determine whether you are truly missing the satellite or simply missing the local spot beam channels. In our case, these would be the local channels for satellite 110 based on my zip code:

DISH Guide Channel	Station	Network	Local
8	WFAA	ABC	LOCAL
11	KTVT	CBS	LOCAL
5	KXAS	NBC	LOCAL
4	KDFW	FOX	LOCAL
33	KDAF	CW	LOCAL
21	KTXA	Independent	LOCAL
13	KERA	PBS	LOCAL
27	KDFI	MyTV	LOCAL
23	KUVN	Univision	LOCAL
49	KSTR	UniMás	LOCAL
39	KXTX	Telemundo	LOCAL
68	KPXD	ION	LOCAL

Here are the National Channels for satellite 110 and my zip – They would still transmit because they are CONUS.

DISH Channel	Network	National Channel
112	HLN (Headline News)	NATIONAL
125	FXX	NATIONAL
129	Bravo	NATIONAL
130	Hallmark Channel	NATIONAL
133	IFC	NATIONAL
187	Hallmark Mystery	NATIONAL
192	Investigation Discovery	NATIONAL
202	HDNet Movies	NATIONAL
401	Golf Channel	NATIONAL
105	USA Network	NATIONAL
107	A&E	NATIONAL
120	HGTV	NATIONAL
140	ESPN	NATIONAL
139	TNT	NATIONAL
300	HBO East/West feeds	NATIONAL
318	Starz feeds	NATIONAL
327	Showtime feeds	NATIONAL

Finally, here’s what you should do instead of jumping to conclusions like I did. First, don’t assume that the guide is indicative of what you will actually receive on your TV. Instead, check the CONUS channels, and then you will know for sure whether your satellite dish is receiving satellite 110 programming.

I just wanted to share that information here because it caused me considerable frustration. Unfortunately, the Dish Outdoors folks were totally clueless about what was actually going on. As with just about everything else I have learned about Dish, I have mostly had to figure it out on my own.

You would think that the Dish support folks would immediately say, “Let’s check some non-local channels that exist on CONUS 110.” However, that never even came up. Instead, the representative offered the following explanations:

The representative told me I probably needed a signal refresh, although I knew that wasn’t true because I was already receiving channels from satellite 119.

In addition, the representative suggested that I might have an internal trailer wiring issue. Again, I knew that wasn’t the case because satellite 119 was coming in just fine.

Finally, he suggested that my satellite dish itself was not working. However, that explanation made even less sense. After all, why would I still be receiving satellite 119 if the dish wasn’t working?

The long and the short of it is this: with Dish, or really any outdoor satellite provider, you are pretty much on your own. Unfortunately, that is just the way it is.

Hopefully, this information helps. After all, many folks I have talked to have expressed incredible frustration with their satellite reception, some even to the point where they want to cancel the service altogether. That is exactly why good support is so important. Unfortunately, however, it is also something that Dish still does not seem to have a handle on.

The post A bit more about “Dish Outdoors” appeared first on .

The major players in the Dallas area were all there like Blue Compass, United RV, McClains, Holiday World, and Vogt. NIRV center was also there with their motorhome lineup.

I noticed nothing really new or innovative since the last show with the exception of the bathrooms going back to a normal size. A few years ago, it seemed like huge bathrooms were the “In” thing. That’s unrealistic in my view. No one lives in their bathroom.

The sale prices/discounts seemed decent, but not as decent as in September’s 2025 show. This show was smaller than last September’s show with fewer manufacturers, even though they touted it as the largest show of the year.

The long and the short is that we didn’t see anything that blew our socks off.

One thing I found strange was that is that Grand Design didn’t have an Imagine 2970RL on the lot.  That really surprised us as it is a really popular model. The rest of their lineup was really nothing to write home about, putting it mildly. Obviously, with what has gone on with Grand Design in the last few years, that is a brand I would stay away from. That is just my opinion.

When we got home, I decided to look at their 2970RL Imagine online, and wow, they’ve made some changes to it.  They have moved the pantry from next to the TV. It has been moved to the wall that borders the bathroom. That reduced that other counter as a result, which had two long drawers and overhead cabinets. Where the pantry used to be had now been replaced with long space for the Televator TV. That also took away a lot of cabinet storage. This is a huge reduction in storage compared to our old Imagine 2950RL. This newer floor plan has no appeal to me. Remember, you’re probably never going to ask yourself, “why do we have so much storage?”. My opinion is that they just ruined a very nice floorplan.

Alliance Delta was at the show.  They had a nice mix of trailers. We saw our salesman from last year, Chipper, a great guy and he was having a good sales day. On a side note –   It looks like quite a few of the manufacturers are moving to the interior colors that we first saw in the Delta.

Then there were the folks in the exhibitors section:

It was a Carnival atmosphere in the Exhibitors section.  Folks shouting out to you to look at their merchandise. It wasn’t always like this.  My recommendation is to change the atmosphere of that. No one wants to be called out like they are at a carnival. If they want your product they’ll seek you out.

I did stop and talk to the Flex Armor roof folks because at some point I’m not going to want to scale my RV anymore to do roof cleaning and maintenance.  That won’t happen anytime soon, but it will happen at some point. Other than that, we just kept moving.

There may be another RV show at the same location in September, that will be the Southwest RV supershow.  I don’t know this for certain, but it seems likely.

If that show takes place, it will be made up of Texas RV dealers.  Last year it was huge, and that’s where we found the Delta 294RK. An RV show is almost always a good time. Even if you are not in the market, it’s a fun afternoon.

You don’t need a supershow to get a deal on an RV, you just need to do your research and then negotiate.  If you are uncomfortable negotiating, then you will spend a lot more money than you need to.

If we are not camping during the next show in September, I will check it out and let you know what might be new and exciting, or old and boring.

The post Better Late than Never – What I thought about the RV show appeared first on .

The complicating factor is Eva. If it was just Tammy and I camping, and it was regular thunderstorms not severe), that would not be a big problem. Eva, however, hates thunder and needs to be in the storm room at home in order to feel safe. It’s quieter in there. If you have watched my videos or read my blog, you know how I feel about Eva, or any of the shepherds we have had. They are family members.

A travel trailer, as you all know, is a loud place during a storm. My job as Eva’s dad is to keep her as less stressed as possible during storms. It is sometimes a very hard job. We spent one night recently sleeping in the storm room. Needless to say, a travel trailer in a thunderstorm is no place for Eva.

As a result, we have cancelled our travel plans for the 12-17 of April at Mother Neff state park and moved it out to early June. The forecast for the original dates shows thunderstorms almost every day. On the 12th, thunderstorms are almost 100% likely. After that, every day is about 60%. Well, that’s a spoiler for sure.

Before I decided to simply move the trip to June, I tried to find another location in Texas where I could avoid the storms. I would need to drive almost to Marfa to dodge the storms. Or I could drive to Roswell, New Mexico. Both are longer drives than I want to take at this point. Although I am pretty certain we will be back in Marfa late this fall.

There are some folks that would suggest just drugging Eva. I really would like to avoid that at all costs. This is why we leave the neighborhood around July 4th. I’d rather drive four hours to avoid the fireworks than sit in the storm room with Eva all night.

I actually have a neighbor who posted a year or so ago, “We are looking forward to neighborhood fireworks…so drug your pups early.” They don’t own dogs. (FYI, fireworks in our neighborhood are technically illegal, though no one enforces it.) That comment really got under my skin. If your child was scared of thunderstorms or fireworks, would your first thought really be “Where’s the NyQuil?” Hopefully not. I’m not trying to be judgmental, but it feels like a very self-focused way of thinking—without much awareness of how stressful these things can be for others.

Dog owners know what I am talking about. I told my vet once, when my dog is sick, I feel sick. Her happiness is very important to me. So, we will happily postpone camping in storms to keep Eva happy. If we are in the middle of a trip and it happens, we just have to live with that. In this case it was avoidable.

Here’s hoping that every dog owner has a camping trip free from storms.

The post April weather in north Texas is not great for camping. appeared first on .

Let’s quickly talk about how these numbers are calculated. The percentage increases or decreases are a result of comparing shipments from February 2026 to February 2025. And keep this in mind—2025 was already a weak year for the RV industry.

Now here’s where things really stand.

All towable RV categories are now in double-digit negative territory. The only exception is truck campers, which are up 3.6%—but even that is down from last month.

• Travel trailers: down 14.5%
• Fifth wheels: down 13.1%
• Pop-up campers: down 18.7%
• Truck campers: up 3.6%

There’s no way to sugarcoat it—February was a rough month.

And looking ahead, I expect things to get even worse before they get better. Rising fuel prices will likely impact next month’s numbers even more. Add in high interest rates and ongoing quality complaints across the industry, and you’ve got a combination that’s hard to overcome.

If you think it’s not that bad, take a look at what’s already happening—Winnebago Industries and Thor Industries have both started laying off workers.

Even before fuel prices became a bigger issue, this was already a buyers’ market. These new numbers just confirm that reality.  Are you serious about buying right now?  This would be the time to do it.

What About Motorhomes?

The motorhome side tells a slightly different story—for now:

• Class A: down 1.8% They have been struggling for over a year.
• Class B: up 17.2%
• Class C: up 24.8%

But don’t read too much into that yet. Motorhome sales volumes are relatively low—often under 1,000 units per month—so it’ll take a few more months of data to see a clear trend. I predict they will all be in negative territory shortly.

What This Means for Buyers

If you’re in the market for a towable RV, you’ve got leverage—real leverage.

Dealers know what’s happening. Inventory is building. Shipments are dropping. This is exactly the kind of environment where strong negotiation can save you serious money.

Final Thoughts

I’m usually pretty good at reading where the market is headed—but right now, there’s not much guesswork involved.

The trend is clear.

One last thing worth noting: once again, the CEO of the RV Industry Association had nothing to say about shipments. That’s unusual—and it probably tells you everything you need to know about how these numbers are being viewed inside the industry.

The post RV Sales Are COLLAPSING… February Numbers Shocked Me appeared first on .

Having owned both a Grand Design Imagine and now an Alliance Delta, I’ve had the opportunity to compare these trailers where it really counts: real-world use. However, when shopping for a travel trailer, most reviews focus on floorplans, features, and first impressions. In reality, what really matters after purchase is the punch list—the issues that show up during ownership. Therefore, how do I measure the Alliance Delta vs Grand Design Imagine? To answer this, let’s compare the punch list I had with Grand Design in 2017 to what I’ve experienced so far with Alliance.

To begin with, let’s break it down.

Punch List: Grand Design Imagine (Entire Warranty Period)

During the course of the warranty period, here’s a summary of the issues experienced:

• Leveling jack failure
• Decal issues
• Entrance door sticking (causing paint wear on upper left door jamb)
• Screen door alignment problems with the main entrance door
• Deadbolt not fully engaging
• Kitchen cabinet alignment needed
• Exterior storage door binding
• Slide foam gasket missing (visible gap to ground)
• Improperly installed/broken slide screw (This later became part of a major recall.)
• Slide wipe seal twisted/warped
• Cosmetic issue on front cap
• Misaligned drip rails
• AC gaskets not tightened
• Electrical short behind recliners
• Ceiling panel bubbling
• Defective front cap lights
• Ultimately a major roof issue (“roof fiasco”)

Takeaway

Overall, the Imagine had a long and varied punch list, including:

• Structural concerns (roof)
• Electrical issues
• Fit and finish problems
• Hardware failures

Therefore, these issues point to quality control inconsistencies during manufacturing.

Punch List: Alliance Delta (Early Ownership, Still under warranty)

Now, lets look at what has come up so far with the Delta:

• Slide cable fraying
• Dump handles hard to pull
• Interior slide trim damage from sticker removal.
• Loose backsplash
• Outdoor satellite connection not working
• Toilet gasket leak (antifreeze found)
• Roof quality (not exceptional, but typical for industry)
• Wrinkled/misaligned exterior decals

However, to be fair, the Imagine list reflects a full warranty period. In contrast, the Delta is still early in ownership—but even at this stage, the difference in severity and frequency is noticeable.

Takeaway – Alliance Delta vs Grand Design Imagine

The Delta’s issues are more limited in scope and severity, and so far, fall into:

• Minor fit and finish
• Component usability (dump handles)
• Isolated hardware issues
• Satellite coax line severed (factory installation issue)

Side-by-Side Comparison

1. Volume of Issues

• Imagine: Extensive list across multiple systems
• Delta: Shorter, more focused list

Therefore, clear advantage: Alliance Delta

2. Severity of Problems

• Imagine:
  • Missing slide gasket
  • Electrical short that caused multiple outlets to lose power.
  • Roof failure and AC gasket
  • Recall-related slide issue
• Delta:
  • Mostly cosmetic. However, the exception being the slide cable fraying and the satellite coax cut in half.
  • A leak (toilet gasket), but easily explainable and fixable.

Therefore, clear advantage: Alliance Delta

3. Structural & Build Concerns

• Imagine: A major electrical short, Slide recall, ultimate roof issues, AC gaskets never tightened raise big manufacturing red flags.
• Delta: The roof is not great from a quality perspective.  The slide cable being improperly installed and the satellite coax being severed and then hidden in the bundle raises quality control concerns.

Therefore, slight advantage: Alliance Delta

4. Fit & Finish

• Imagine:
  • Door alignment issues
  • Cabinet adjustments
  • Ceiling panel bubbling
  • Exterior door alignment problems
• Delta:
  • Backsplash loose.
  • Wood facia damage caused by decal removal.
  • Wrinkled informational decals on exterior of trailer (black tank sticker etc.)

The number of fit and finish items of both units is pretty comparable. However, the Delta issues are more minor and isolated.

Therefore, clear advantage: Alliance Delta

5. Electrical & System Reliability

• Imagine: Electrical short behind recliners
• Delta: Satellite connection issue only – The Delta’s issue is isolated to a non-critical system, unlike the Imagine’s electrical failure that affected core functionality and is a huge safety related issue.

Therefore, clear advantage: Alliance Delta

6. Customer Support

In addition, customer support is another area where these two brands differ significantly.

• Alliance Delta: Support is handled primarily through email. In other words, you cannot immediately connect with a live representative. Responses are promised within 48 hours of receiving the email.
• Grand Design Imagine: Customers can speak directly with a live representative right away.

As a result, the difference in responsiveness is substantial. For example, being able to immediately talk through an issue can save time, reduce frustration, and help diagnose problems faster.

In contrast, waiting up to 48 hours for a response can slow down troubleshooting and extend downtime. This approach will not meet expectations for owners who need real-time support while on the road.

Therefore, clear advantage: Grand Design

Real-World Owner Perspective

Here’s the honest takeaway:

• The Imagine delivered a great ownership experience overall. However, it required significant warranty attention, including at least one major issue.
• The Alliance Delta, so far, feels more dialed in from the factory, with issues that are:
  • Easier to fix
  • Less intrusive
  • Less concerning long-term (with the exception of the roof, perhaps.)

Final Verdict

If you judge strictly by punch list experience:

Alliance Delta comes out ahead. However, keep in mind I still have 8 months left on the Delta’s warranty. We will revisit this if anything changes.

The Alliance comes out ahead right now, not because it’s perfect, but because:

• Fewer issues
• Less severe problems
• No major system failures (so far)

That’s exactly what most RV owners are looking for—less time in the shop, more time camping.

Finally, as many of you know, I loved our Grand Design Imagine. After the initial punch list items (and Roof issue) were resolved, it really was trouble free. There will always be things that fail after the warranty period (like schwintek slide motors). Don’t fool yourself into thinking otherwise.

We had almost nine wonderful years crisscrossing the country in out 2950RL. That says something about the overall build quality back in early 2017.

The post Alliance Delta vs Grand Design Imagine: Real-World Punch List Comparison appeared first on .

There are definitely things you need to think about before you decide that Satellite TV might be great to have in your RV.  Let’s talk briefly through some considerations:

1. Do you have a Direct or Dish satellite service already at home?  This will be the only economical way to have it in the trailer unless your full timers and that is your primary home service. For instance, if you already have dish at home, then your monthly charge to add a Wally to your rig is $5.00/month per receiver.  You can also pause your Dish receiver and stop paying while you store your unit. You can also suspend your service with DirecTV as well for up to 9 months.  DIRECTV is $7.00/month per receiver if you already have it at home.
2. What satellite dish manufacturer will you choose? – This matters because satellite dishes may be exclusive to a TV service provider.  In other words, a satellite might only work for a single provider like Dish or Direct TV. This prevents you from choosing a new provider without buying a new satellite dish.  Our satellite dish works for three different providers., Dish, Direct TV, and Bell.  We started with a Direct TV contract and now have been with Dish for many years.
3. Where are you planning on mounting the dish.  Portable vs fixed location. You need a clear view of the southern or southwestern sky.  If you mount it on your roof, trees and poor orientation toward the southern sky will likely prevent you from always getting satellite TV.
   
4. Are you planning on using satellite tv on more than one TV in your rig?  Some satellite dishes only have one input, others have two.  You might save money by buying a one port satellite, but if you have a second tv that won’t work. You might think you can use a splitter, but that won’t work, at least not with Dish. However, you could buy a second dish, and there goes your savings. It’s much better to pay a little more for a two-port satellite.
5. Auto find vs. Aiming your dish.  Some require manual pointing other will auto find the satellite – sort of.  More about that in a minute.
6. Local channels are a different animal.  Local channels like CBS, NBC, ABC, and local FOX, are only available in your zip code. I actually got my local channels outside my home area code, but I never got them outside of Texas. When I leave Texas, I no longer get my local channels.  Then we use air tv for local channels.  There is a nasty work around for calling and updating your zip code, but it will screw things up at home. That is due to recordings being different in the new zip code than ones you have programmed in your home zip code.
7. Get frustrated easily? There’s a lot of things to remember if you’re having issues.  If you get frustrated easily, this may not be for you.
8. Support from either of these companies (Dish/DirecTV) is not great. I can’t tell you how many different stories I’ve gotten regarding the same technical issues. I’ve had – and you will have them too, if my experience is normal.
9. You will need to refresh your signal if you don’t use your satellite every 2 weeks.  That is done via the dish outdoors section of mydish.app.

Alright so that’s the considerations part of the discussion.  Now lets talk about the reality of hooking up the dish.

First let’s talk about the location of the power inserter if you’re using a Winegard antenna.

The max amount of coax from the power inserter cannot exceed 50’.  Why is this important?  Because if you plug the power inserter at your tv location, the coax from there to your satellite tv connection in your storage area will add to the 50’ maximum and you will not get a satellite connection. That’s why I connect at the outdoor storage location.  Now you can plug in at the tv and then use a 25’ cable at the satellite tv connection in storage.  However, that will limit your flexibility for finding a good clear sky.

Once you have the satellite connected it is just a matter of aiming it fairly correctly to begin with.  Even auto find satellite features like the G2+ require a pretty close approximation of aiming. There are apps to help you aim your dish. There is an App called “Dish Align”. If you have DirecTV, or Dish, you can use this app to aim your satellite dish.

Then it’s time to go fire up the power inserter and go in your trailer. If you don’t get a signal to begin with, lets talk about possible issues.

1. You haven’t used your satellite dish in two weeks. Then you need to access your app or call your tv provider and have them refresh your signal. This is true for Dish, but I have no idea if DirecTV is the same situation. Once you get a refresh of your signal, you should wait 15 minutes before proceeding.
2. If you don’t have your satellite aimed correctly, you will not get any cannels at all either. You may get a message that tells you that you have “Complete loss of signal”. Just make sure you have a nice open view of the south/south western sky.
3. In the case of Dish, if you only get channels on one satellite (110 or 119) but both satellites are checked as being received then the Wally has locked onto only one satellite. You must unplug the Walley, wait a few minutes, and then reconnect and start over.
4. I typically go to the Wally menu to check system switches, if I have an issue. Do that through the Wally menu on the TV by pressing the little house icon on the Dish remote three times. That takes you to the diagnostic scree. Now scroll down to “Dish” on the bottom of the left side and press enter. Now scroll to the top right of the screen and highlight the Test Installation button and press enter. The Dish will now look for satellites again. This process can take at least five minutes to run. When it is finished it will list received satellite signals with a blue checkmark.

If you don’t get any satellites, then it’s back to the drawing board. Check your cable connections. Make sure your power inserter is plugged in and turned on (you should see four green lights if you hooked it up correctly). Then ensure you aimed your dish correctly and keep it free of obstructions.

If you continue to struggle you can call your outdoor service provider and get some support. However, the support I’ve had has been less than stellar. You might get lucky, and they do try to help, but sometimes they don’t seem to understand the basics.

Now for the sake of argument let’s pretend that you have satellite TV working and you want to use the second TV. If you only have one connection at the dish, you will need to disconnect the Wally from your current tv and move it to the second TV. If you have a second connection at the dish for a second Wally in your trailer you will need to do the following.

1. Start up the new wally.
2. Run the test installation procedure on the second Wally. Your primary satellite TV will be unaffected while you do this.

After that runs, it picks up the channels from the satellite that provides the primary TV’s current programming. The primary satellite TV can only read one satellite at a time. So, let’s say you turn to channel 39 and that is on satellite 110. The outdoor Wally can only use channels on 110 and cannot switch to any channels on the other satellite (in my case 119).

If you want to watch channel 40 and it happens to be on satellite 119, then you need to change the inside TV to channel 40, go back outside and run the test installation procedure again to pick up those channels. Confused? Just think of the indoor primary Wally TV as being the brains of the system. The outdoor second Wally is dependent on the primary Wally for programming.

Although this sounds like a lot of work, you can get the outside TV online in just eight minutes after you finish setting up inside.

Remember not all campgrounds are satellite friendly. Trees and other obstructions (like close neighboring trailers) will prevent you from getting a signal. In some cases when there are obstructions you may only pick up one satellite. Then you will need to decide if maybe air tv is a better choice for that stay.

I said this may not be for you if you get frustrated easily, and now you know why.

It’s really nice to have on longer stays at a campground. It may not be worth going through all of this for a two-night stay but that would be your call. We really like having it.

The post Satellite TV in your travel trailer appeared first on .

Now, not being able to open the tailgate when hooked up is not a showstopper. However, it makes things much harder at places like the dump station when I’m hauling the poop wagon. Lifting supplies over the tailgate is a pain. Secondarily, it is nice to be able to get things in and out of the truck easily when we arrive at our campsite. I can’t do that when I am unable to open the tailgate.

Obviously, there are some options available. The easiest way would be to have a mounting plate that has the versatility to rotate on the A-frame. The second approach is to allow the power head to be unbolted from the drive shaft, rotated, and then re-bolted into new holes.

The Bastion doesn’t allow for either of those two options. So, what you could do with the Bastion jack is drill a new hole, or two, in the baseplate. Or you could swivel it “as-is,” and then it will be at a weird, back-facing angle. This is because the holes won’t allow for 90-degree mounting. I did see one owner who completely tore the Bastion power head apart in order to reorient it. This involved a lot of work, like removing gears and drilling. That did not interest me.

I don’t think the 3500 lb Bastion is a great jack to begin with. It is by far the slowest jack I have ever had.

Since I had great luck with the Furrion power jack on my last trailer, that’s the option I chose. If you remember from a previous post years ago, I did turn the head on the Furrion. Back then, Furrion supplied additional holes for moving the head, but they needed to be tapped. Running a tap in the unit was not a big deal, but you did need to make sure you didn’t let metal shavings fall into the unit.

The good news is that since 2024, Furrion has threaded the spare holes.

Once the new Lippert jack arrived, I removed the head bolts, turned the head 90 degrees, and reinserted the bolts. Due to a massive storm coming through North Texas, I had to wait a few days before I could get back to the replacement.

Once the yard dried out, Eva and I continued working on the replacement. I cut all power to the Delta and turned off the 12-volt switch. As an extra precaution, I disconnected the batteries. Next, I jacked up the front of the trailer and placed a safety jack on each side of the A-frame.

I had raised the Bastion about two inches off the ground before I cut the power. This was so I could remove the baseplate before removing the jack.

Next, I removed the power wire from the junction box under the trailer, unbolted the jack, and lifted it up and off the A-frame. One thing that was quite apparent was the lightweight nature of the Bastion tongue jack compared to the Lippert. The Bastion is much, much lighter. I think that speaks to the better quality of the Lippert model.

Next, it was simply a matter of reversing the steps to put the new tongue jack onto the A-frame. The hardest part of this job was running the new power wire through the plastic conduit into the junction box. That took about fifteen minutes. If that had gone smoothly, I would estimate this job as a thirty-minute project.

Well, everything worked perfectly, and I no longer have my tailgate blues—and that’s a good thing!

The post Tailgate Blues appeared first on .

I’m going to start by saying that on a satisfaction scale of 1–10, I’m at about an 8 for the Delta 294RK. I think that’s pretty good for a new travel trailer. HOWEVER — keep in mind I still have eight months remaining on my warranty.

Today, I thought I’d go through what Alliance did really well and where things were less than stellar. Keep in mind there are always going to be issues with a new rig.

So, let’s dig into it.

What Alliance Did Correctly

• Azdel construction — one less thing to worry about
• PEX plumbing
• Solid-surface countertops
• Really great interior design
• Windows all the way around the trailer — a huge improvement over the GD Imagine
• Slides are the Exact Slide system and a rack-and-pinion slide — much better alternatives to the Schwintek slide system
• Storage — more than you could ever want
• A great open floor plan
• Decent-sized bathroom and bedroom
• Dimmer on the living room light and sensible lighting throughout the trailer
• It really seems like this trailer had a lot of thought put into it from a livability standpoint

I can’t think of anything they really missed from an amenity standpoint.

Where Alliance Fell Short

Some of these issues only apply to our unit, while others seem more widespread.

• The factory cut the satellite wire for the outdoor TV in half, then taped it into the bundle with the rest of the wiring. This was fixed under warranty.
• The Bastion tongue jack is, frankly, cheap. It could have come with a Lippert tongue jack with a rotating head. I suspect the price difference to Alliance would have been about $25. Any Ram owner who wants to lower their tailgate won’t be happy with the Bastion.
• The roof leaves a lot to be desired — like most manufacturers.
• The endless number of stickers in the trailer caused issues, not just for me but for other Delta owners as well.
• The 7-way power cord is far too long. I had to make several loops under the A-frame and fasten it to the trailer. Alliance could easily remedy this during the wiring phase.
• The pantry door cannot open completely due to the position of the slide. This makes accessing the power center and converter difficult if an issue arises.
• The Furrion 12-volt refrigerator may be a short- and long-term concern. If power is lost while it’s turned off and then restored, it will likely restart without you knowing. That has happened to me. The long-term reliability of these 12-volt units is still somewhat unknown, and they don’t have the best track record.
• The Delta has three outdoor shower hookups. It’s hard to imagine why anyone would need three, and it makes winterizing more complicated. In addition, the port fittings are very cheap. I would recommend a single, higher-quality connection.
• The countertop backsplash not being properly glued to the wall is a common complaint, and we experienced it as well.
• Bad toilet seal — not a big deal.
• The dump handles should be much stronger. They are probably the flimsiest we’ve ever had, although they do work.

Lastly, I want to give a shout-out to Tim, probably the best RV technician I’ve ever dealt with at a dealership. As you can imagine, I don’t trust many people with my trailers, but Tim is the exception. He’s just as concerned about getting things right as I am, and that’s a rarity.

The post What Alliance did right, and where they could improve. appeared first on .