Our new home...

It's been a crazy week!  We picked up the new Mesa Ridge (MR) on 1/17/19 and parked it at our lot in Mesa right next to the Hideout. I was stressing about parking this sucker - it is a full five feet longer than the Hideout, but it went really smoothly.  In fact, we parked so close to the Hideout, it's been a bit of a pain to move all of our stuff!

Yes, the door of the Hideout practically hits the slide on the MR.  It's a tight fit.  Every arm full of stuff required navigating the hoses, sewer connection and wires on the ground...but then again we only had to move our stuff over one trailer - We've had much worse moves!

While we are reflecting on this picture, I will point out that we opted to get stabilizer jacks for the super deep slides on the MR and you can see one of them here.  I think this is a great idea for slides that are out for an extended period.  Why not provide support for all that weight?  We bought a package of two for about $85.  I don't know if we will use them when we are traveling, but they seemed like a good idea for when we are parked in AZ.

So other than a few cleaning supplies the Hideout is now empty of our belongings.  This has been a great opportunity to purge and toss all the excess we have accumulated in 19 months.  It was surprising how much we had to donate and throw away and move to storage (yes, we will have a 5x5 storage we can't seem to empty out).  The thing about moving into a new rig is that there is a lot of organization that needs to happen.  In a tiny space everything has it's place.  When you start all over you have to find a place for everything.  This means a few trips to IKEA for storage bins and when they don't fit, time on Amazon to order the right sized boxes and shelves and stuff.  There is also all the command hooks that need to be placed.  I took them all out of the Hideout for reuse.  I rely on them very heavily and noticed their absence in the MR immediately.  Hooks for bath towels, coats, keys...you get the idea.

We also have had some issues learning the systems in the new trailer.  At first we couldn't figure out why we didn't have hot water - then learned the bypass valves were not set properly.  That took some time with the manuals and trying different things.  We also realize that the dealership must have filled the fresh tank to test the water and we cannot locate the fresh water dump valve.  The Hideout was so simple - unscrew a cap on a hose - but this one is supposed to have a valve and we think it might be hidden under the enclosed underbelly.  So far our communication with Highland Ridge has not been helpful.  They asked for pictures, we sent pictures, they asked for a video, we sent a video, then they asked us if we can locate the valve....uh no dude, read the chain of emails - watch the video....there is no valve.  So that issue is still TBD...Yes, we could just empty it using the pump, but we shouldn't have to.  There should be a valve.


Here are a list of things I absolutely LOVE about our new home.  The fridge seems huge.  It has one more shelf and one more door compartment, but that makes a huge difference.  Actually the kitchen is just wonderful on so many levels.  Lots of counter space, storage....yeah!

The kiddie dinette is amazing.  Already we have put it to full use for school and the bunk room is a great place space for Sister when she wants to get out all her little toys.  She can actually sit on the floor and spread out her mess and we won't have to walk on/over it!  Each bench has storage under it so each kiddo has all their special toys in their own special place.  It is magical.

The downside of the kiddie dinette is that mama smashed her head on Sister's bunk - ouch.  Gotta be a bit more careful.  We bought bed railings from IKEA for each bunk and they fastened on nicely.  It gives me some peace - Sister has never slept on a top bunk, let alone one that is a bit narrow.  The railing is a comfort.







Ok, so I didn't think I cared about this, but let me tell you massage chairs are always a good thing.  Yes, we have heated massage chairs.

The chairs are really comfortable, there is storage in the middle arm.  There are cup holders, lights, heat and massage.  After a long day of moving stuff and walking around and around these trailers all day I sat down and turned that baby on - well, I was sorry I didn't value it more before that moment.  Because now this is something I need to have in my life.  I don't know how anyone camps without them!




Finally, I want to say so many good things about the bathroom, the shower/tub, and the space in the bathroom.  The shower head is SO nice.  The shut off has a satisfying click and there are two settings.  (The Hideout's was terrible and I can't believe we didn't replace at any point during 19 months - I had no idea how much better it could be) The hot water seems to last forever.  The tub is huge.  I think I could take a bath in it.  I can kneel in front of the tub to help Sister take a bath.  Sister and I can both be in the bathroom at the same time without me standing on top of her.  There is so much space.  The toilet's flush is different and I think it is a better design.  The medicine cabinet is larger and has nice solid shelves with lips/edges so nothing will slide out after a drive and go down the drain....(to be retrieved by Husband...it only happened a few times)  Fixtures are good....excellent bathroom.

The place feels like home.  We hung art on the walls today and things are almost all put away.  The kids said the Hideout does not feel like home anymore and this one does, so I guess we've done it.  It's a big upgrade.  Life is good.  This weekend we will finish cleaning the inside of the Hideout and Monday morning the exterior will be washed.  We hope to post the Hideout on RV Trader by Monday evening.  We need to get it sold because our community tells us we are breaking a rule by having two trailers....We are so thankful that the Hideout has been such a good home for the past 19 months, it's time for it to serve the next family just as well.

Tow trucks...

You may want to ignore this post if you don't care much about tow vehicles 😉

The #1 rookie mistake is to only look at the towing capacity of the truck...unfortunately choosing a vehicle to tow your trailer is a bit more complicated.  Oh, and by the way, neither the trailer dealers nor the truck dealers will have the correct information so you seriously need to do your research.

When we first bought the Hideout we were focused on our Tacoma's towing capacity of 6,500 lbs.  We were looking for a trailer that had a dry weight in the area of 4,750-5,000.  The Hideout is at 5,000 lbs dry.  The trailer sales rep told us that for each person staying in the trailer add 150 lbs of personal property (not true if you are full-time).  Ok, we figured that we would have about 600-1000 lbs of personal property and we would be well under the max towing capacity of the truck.  However the GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) of the Hideout is 7,500 lbs and we altered the Hideout before we even brought it home by having the dealer enclose the underbelly.  When we have weighed it we have been over 6,500 lbs by a couple hundred pounds despite trying to thin out our personal property.  So we have been overweight on towing capacity alone, but that is only part of the issue.

You also have to consider the payload of the truck.  The payload is the weight of all the stuff the truck can carry including passengers, stuff in the bed, the weight of the hitch, and the tongue weight of the trailer.  Trucks front and rear axles also have maximum weight ratings.  If the tongue weight of your trailer is around 1000 pounds and the truck's payload is only slightly over 1000 lbs you have no available weight for passengers and stuff in the bed.  This is also the problem we ran into.  Our rear axle was overloaded by approximately a hundred pounds.  The Tacoma is an awesome truck and despite the fact that we were slightly over towing capacity and payload it performed really well on steep grades up and down as well as on flats in windy conditions.  However, it did give me stress.

This time we are wise to the details.  Our new Mesa Ridge has a GVWR of 9000 lbs - that is the maximum it should weigh with property, propane, & water.  The tongue weight is 931 lbs and we want to include 700 pounds for passengers, bikes in the bed and other stuff.  In other words we need a payload of at least 1630 and a towing capacity of over 9000 lbs.  However we don't want to be right up against these limits, we want a little room to work with.

The trailer always has a sticker either on the side, inside or both that looks something like this:

I also really want to maximize fuel efficiency - this is something that really give me heartburn about upgrading the rig.  So I did a lot of research into half ton trucks and found that the Ford F150 comes in many different configurations including a 4x4 with a towing capacity of 10,700 lbs. and a payload of 2030 lbs.  The unloaded mpg are 17 city, 23 hwy, and 19 combined.  Because we use the truck as our second vehicle while "home" and because we use the truck for sightseeing once the rig is unhitched we could benefit from a truck with decent gas mileage.  We want the option of 4x4 for the land because those dirt roads get bad and are not maintained by the county.  We want enough truck to pull the trailer, but not too much truck so as to sacrifice gas efficiency.  We were looking for the Goldilocks truck!

So we spent a few days traveling to six different Ford dealerships looking for a very specific configuration of truck.  The necessities were a truck with a payload of 2000 lbs or close to it, a towing package, 4x4, and towing capacity of over 10,000 lbs.  We also wanted the 3.5L V6 Ecoboost engine which give you the max power with the best gas efficiency.  At many dealerships we were disappointed that their "best" truck had a payload in the 1700's.  This is because of all the other options piled on which cost more in terms of money and weight.  We soon learned that we needed a very basic model with few frills to meet our payload requirement.  Finally we found one at Camelback Ford...here are the stickers from inside the driver's door:

Together you can get a good idea about how much weight is available on the rear axle, which is the one you have to avoid overloading.  With this truck the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (maximum load is 7000) and the payload, or available cargo/passenger/trailer weight is 1994 lbs.  We anticipated needing around 1700 lbs of payload considering the weight of our family, cargo, the hitch and the tongue weight of the trailer. 

The final piece is the towing capacity of the truck.  For that there is a sticker underneath the rear bumper that looks like this:

This shows that with a weight distribution hitch this truck can haul up to 11,000 lbs. And the max tongue weight is 1,100 lbs.  Given the GVWR of 8995 lbs for our trailer and tongue weight of 900 lbs this truck is sufficient.

So we did it!  We bought the F150...

And today we brought the new rig home right after a quick stop at the CAT scales to get an unloaded weight.  Both of the truck's axles are well under the GAWR (Gross Axle Weight Rating).  The trailer axle was a little light from what was on the sticker.  Prior to our next adventure we will weight it loaded, but the truck pulled like a champ - it felt much more stable than the Tacoma.  The best part about this set up is we have a 10-speed automatic transmission as opposed to the 6-speed manual on the Tacoma.  While the Tacoma did well going forward it was always terrible to back up with the manual transmission.  I really enjoyed backing the rig up today (I seem to be terrible at giving directions from the ground, but I am very good at taking direction while in the driver's seat so I've been doing the backing up). 

Tonight the Mesa Ridge is sleeping next to the Hideout!

New Rig for a New Year

Well we did it.  After a month of serious deliberation, debate and consideration we found the "perfect" rig!  I say that in quotes because everyone will tell you - there is no perfect rig.  There are always pros and cons, but this one included most of the features and the layout that we wanted.  The best part about this purchase was the fact that we found a new 2018 model and it was seriously discounted to sell.  I have many tips to share about negotiating for a rig (and I do want to share our good and bad experiences).  But for now let's talk about our new home which was purchased in Mesa, and we live in Mesa for 9 months of the year, so why shouldn't it be called Mesa Ridge Lite!?  

Highest on our list of features was some type of thermal package - there is no industry standard regarding thermal packages or 'four seasons' packages.  The fact that there is some attention given to the rig staying warm in cold weather and cool in hot weather is necessary when one lives in the desert.  No matter what steps are taken to insulate the rig by the manufacturer, we will still have to take additional steps to keep it cool when we return to AZ at the beginning of the school year.  Air conditioning units will keep the rig 20 degrees cooler than the outside temperature - but when the temp is in the high 100-teens, that is a small comfort.  Speaking of air conditioners, we needed this rig to have two.  Having two air conditioners means this rig is 50 amp, not 30 amp like the Hideout. The Hideout has a 13,500 BTU A/C.  The new rig has a 15,000 BTU main A/C and a secondary 13,500 BTU ducted A/C.  So those were two huge pluses to this particular unit.

Next let's talk layout.  Most RV buyers chose their unit solely or primarily on layout and I think this is a mistake.  There are structural and practical considerations that should weigh at least evenly in the decision.  In our case we did not want more than two slides.  The more slides the harder it will be to keep cool in the summer.  We needed a bunkhouse and in this upgrade we wanted the kids to have more space overall.  We specifically wanted to have more desk spaces for work/school.  

Mesa Ridge Lite 3110BH (2018) by Highland Ridge

 NAILED IT!  I'm not sure if you can tell, but under the bunk on the slide there is a kiddie dinette!  This booth is not small either.  All four of us could sit at that table - I don't think four adults could fit, but my point is it is a good size.  Wait...let's remember what we have been living in for the past 20 months...

Hideout 25LHSWE by Keystone

We are increasing our livable space by 115 square feet! The Hideout has 200 square feet, the Mesa Ridge has 315 square feet.  Let's talk kitchen.  People - do you see the counter space I have been working with in the Hideout?  Do you see the improvement in the Mesa Ridge?  The kitchen in the Hideout is fully functional.  I have made all kinds of wonderful vegan meals, but have I missed having a decent counter?  Uh, yes. 

My new kitchen!

So. Much. Counter.

In addition to the counter space (highest on kitchen wish list) the fridge is slightly larger.  Oh, and now I will be able to stand at the stove while someone passes behind me without having to get out of the way!  Yes, the corridor between the couch and the bathroom (Hideout) is not really a passing zone for two adults, a kid and an adult may be able to pass...you get the point.  It's tight.  But, regarding the kitchen....I now also have an outdoor kitchen!

Huge outdoor kitchen

If you've followed our adventure you know that I cannot cook indoors in the heat of the summer.  Actually, if the air conditioner is running you should not use the stove or oven if you want to have a cool indoor space.  But check out that outdoor fridge!  It is huge!  I have seen a lot of outdoor kitchens and most do not have that size of fridge.  The outdoor kitchen also has a two burner cook surface.  There is also a grill mount on an arm attached to the rear of the unit which swings around to add the grill to the outdoor kitchen.  There are so many cabinets between the indoor and outdoor kitchen cabinets.  Storing groceries has been a challenge, though I do have grocery shopping down to a science.  

Bunkhouse room with kiddie dinette

The other exciting aspects of the new rig is that the kids have an actual room with a door that closes.  Since living in the Hideout we parents have been confined to our bedroom after the kids go to sleep so as not to wake anyone.  I am really looking forward to closing that door and hanging out in the living room in my heated massage chairs in the evening (not a joke).  Finally we are glad that this rig includes two 30 lb propane tanks like the Hideout.  We saw others that have two 20 lb tanks.  It also has a prewire for our solar setup. 

Heated massage chairs - what camping trip would be complete without this perk?

As with all rigs there are downsides.  The biggest one is the size of the gray and black tanks - at 28 gallons each they are WAY too small!  We are living with 40 gallon tanks for each.  With 40 gallon tanks we have to empty the black every 4 days, however I guess we will be emptying it every three days now.  While we are stationary and hooked to the sewer the gray is not an issue, but when we in dry camping situations it will fill too fast.  I complained a lot about that to the dealer and their solution was to throw in a 35 gallon portable external tank for free (on sale for $150).  I think that will solve the problem for us and will in fact increase our capacity to 63 gallons which exceeds the fresh water - showers for everyone while boondocking - Hooray!  The final negotiated price for this beauty was $31,495 with the portable external tank and all vent covers installed at the dealer's expense.  I think we got a good deal.  We will be selling the Hideout by owner.  The purchase price of the Hideout was $22,000 and we hope to get around $16,000 for it.  

Having a bathtub was a necessity too and this one seems longer and more sturdy than the Hideout's.
It's also nice to have a second door placed in the bathroom.

So...the next step is to get a new truck.  If you are ever going to buy a trailer and a truck I highly recommend buying the trailer first so that you can size the truck to the trailer.  As you might recall we bought the Hideout because it was the biggest trailer our Toyota Tacoma could pull, we were limited by our truck's capacity and even when we tried to keep our weight down we were a bit over while on our 2018 adventure.  So the dealership is prepping the rig and we will find a truck over the next week and we will be able to bring home our new home next week.  I will discuss towing capacity and payload in one of my next blogs because fitting a truck to a trailer is not as simple as you may think!

Happy 2019!!

Happy New Year!  I hope you had a wonderful holiday season.  We had a good one!  We didn't leave the area - I had to work - but we enjoyed each others' company and found many ways to have fun.  Husband and I quit putting up a Christmas tree years before the kids were born and we have never had one with them (though we have made one for the fridge door last year and this year).  In addition, this year we all went to Make a Wish Pottery and painted a ceramic tree.  It was a cute and small addition to the Hideout...though the presents weren't really under the tree!

Our painted ceramic tree with a holiday lights necklace
is in the midst of the presents on Christmas Eve.

Brother turned nine in December!  Parents say this all the time but it is true, it seems like yesterday he was my little peanut.  He has turned out to be such a cool kid.  I couldn't even imagine how awesome he would be when I first held him.  I am so proud to be his mom.  I am so lucky to be able to share so many moments with my 'little birds.'  It seems so natural and right to spend our days together, making, playing, hiking, cooking, learning, joking around and exploring our world.  I love that we are not a very busy family.  Thankfully I was able to work mostly from home over the holiday break so that we could all be together.  

Don't look!  It is so hard to
see your kiddo suffer pain.

But my poor kiddo suffered - the day after his birthday party he fell while playing outside and broke his arm again (nearly 10 weeks after he first broke it) except that this time it was not a buckle fracture of the radius and ulna, it was a complete fracture of both bones in the exact same place.  His arm was at a terrible angle - there was no doubt it was broken.  The drive to Phoenix Children's Hospital emergency room was a horrible experience for all of us.  Of course Brother was howling in pain and agony, Sister was crying in sympathy and we parents felt completely useless and anxious as we fought rush hour traffic...ultimately Husband drove on the shoulder of the freeway to reach our exit as sitting still just didn't seem like an option.  So...it has now been over three weeks.  He has had his cast on for two weeks.  It is a full arm cast (above the elbow).  He may graduate to a short arm cast when this one comes off in two more weeks...we will see.  I have so much love and empathy for parents with suffering children.  I am glad our tribulations have been relatively mild compared to the plight of others and these events really highlight how fortunate we are to have our health.

In other news we finally purchased high-speed internet.  Though we have been able to do everything with our two line, $100/mo, T Mobile unlimited data plan (using 70GB a month!) via hotspot to our computers and other devices, there were some down sides.  For instance we had limits to the number of devices that could be connected and/or streaming while others were, well, working! If too many were on/streaming, others would have to be very patient on a slow internet.  We now have a $65/mo bill.  Because we avoided that for 18 months we saved almost $1200!  The real reason we decided make a change is that we bought an Xbox for the kids because their cousins have Xboxes (is that a word?) and we wanted them to be able to play games together.  Though Brother could not even hold a controller for the first week after the break, he is now Minecrafting (another made up word?) with his cousins.  It is so nice for him to have that while his activity options are limited.  Even Sister has enjoyed playing, though her attention span is significantly shorter.  I love that the connections the kids made over the summer can be built upon and they have a relationship with their family 2,000 miles away.

Stormy seems to be pretty happy with his new home

In fun news, we added a furry friend to our family! We adopted Stormy the kitten from the Humane Society almost four weeks ago and he is a sweetie.  The only problem is that he has persistent conjunctivitis and we have taken him to the vet three times for more medication.  I really hope it clears up soon because goopy cat eyes are no fun!





Husband and I have a decision to make because our yearly lot fee here in Mesa will come due in April and they raised the rate to $3,600/year ($300/mo).  We had set this renewal date as the date when we decide if we want to continue this lifestyle or move back into something more conventional.  We have been debating and investigating so many options it makes ones head spin.  The bottom line is that the kids have both celebrated two birthdays in the Hideout and they are getting big!  Sister was two when we moved in....when winter finally came to AZ we had to get winter clothes and they are bursting out of the clothes bins!  Also, the Hideout is not ideal for the beginning of the school year when the temps in AZ are still in the high 100-teens.  It is too small of a space for four people to be stuck inside.  The good part about this life is that we have spent a lot more time outdoors - but in the desert it's just not possible in August and September.  While I think that our current rig is ideal for traveling across the country in terms of size and gas efficiency, it is not as ideal for being parked for nine months of the year.  We also have significant limitations in space when it comes to homeschooling and working from home.  Our goal is to become location independent which means we have to have a better set-up for work.  The new semester begins Monday.  Husband is taking all of his classes online.  I am teaching all but one of my classes online, Brother needs a work space for fourth grade and Sister is also doing preschool workbooks and projects and will start Kindergarten next year.  Both Husband and I do most of our work sitting in our bed, which wreaks havoc on the lower back.  We have considered renting, buying a home, buying a manufactured home and buying a new rig.  Our number one priority is to stay debt free and continue to save money.  We also want to minimize the hit to our current savings, but one thing is certain we LOVED traveling and want to do it again and again.  So...after much deliberation we have decided to move into a larger rig and get a bigger truck (selling and/or trading in both the Hideout and our Tacoma).  If we did have a house to stay in for the school year we would keep our current set up, but we like the full-time RV life and don't want to be burdened with home ownership, landlords, or costly rent.  When we started this adventure we didn't want to sink too much money into it because we had no idea if we would like it.  We were fortunate that we owned our truck outright and that it was able to pull the Hideout (which we bought for $22,000).  Now that we are no longer rookies and well versed in the lifestyle we are ready to take the next step.  So we have been looking at rigs and will be making a change in 2019...stay tuned!

(P.S. To my friends that I have spoken to over the past month, I may have said something different because that was where we were at that point in time - but I think this decision is final....well, nothing lasts forever!)