The hunt for the perfect camper!

Hello all! I hope everyone had an exciting week, I had some time off so I spent a lot of it working on my blog, intro-video for YouTube and my ongoing search for a towable RV.

My search for a lightweight camper under 1,500 dry weight that won’t cost as much as a full size truck has been a fun challenge. There is a lot of them out there but a good deal of them are either very fragile or very expensive, and in some cases both. I have been looking at InTechRV Flyer, really hard. I love their campers, but I still want something that I can stand up inside. They have their pros; off-road capabilities and tough exterior. But the size my Jeep can pull is only about 3ft tall inside and that can make it difficult to dress in. In warmer weather we can dress outdoors in one of those popup tent things, but in the winter you’ll want to dress before you leave the warmth. InTechRV does have a model called Sol, while the Sol is a very sturdy built RV, the dry weight is over the limit of what my Jeep can pull. With the Flyer or RV’s similar to the Flyer, they don’t have a bathroom, which is not a huge deal there is some really impressive cassette toilets out there that you can buy. I also would like something that I can use boon docking and not have to a) use shore power or b) use a generator. Of coarse a generator is not a huge deal if I am going to be boondocking but they are so loud and you have to carry fuel, to me carrying extra fuel is taking up much needed space. Some of the places I like to camp, not having a generator won’t matter because I won’t have to use air conditioning as much but if I want to camp in the summer, out west with the dogs I will need more power (insert Tim Allen grunt here).

So my hunt continues. Today, I found a promising towable RV by the name of ProLite, they have a 3 models that my Jeep can pull, but only one can run completely off a Lithium or AGM battery; ProLite 12V. ProLite is a Canadian company and they only have a few dealers throughout the country, only 1 in Michigan. The one in Michigan is over on the East side of the state near Canton Michigan. HW Motor homes, Inc sells various brands and models but the one I will be checking out is the ProLife 12V. I emailed the dealer to see if they still have the 12V available, hopefully I hear back from them today. When I go I will take some pictures to share to Instagram, so check my instagram page out, to see the pictures.

This week I recorded my intro to my YouTube channel, and I am editing it and hope to have it released this week. I have to warn you, I am super new to recording myself, so it will probably be a fail but what’s life without some mistakes eh? I was super nervous about filming myself but it went better than I thought. Must be all those Zoom meetings that I have had to attend! Yay, for work time annoyances! I just recorded myself in my office where mp me was there to witness my nervousness, so I didn’t make nearly as many mistakes that I thought I would. I am also working on a short video of my favorite products for traveling with dogs, I hope to have that up by the time I post this blog but the weather outside is not co-operating to it might have to wait until next week or I’ll just have to shoot the video inside. I don’t like the cold but I think that the light would be better than my old, dark, house.

A couple things I wanted to mention in this weeks blog, since I have been RV hunting, I have been pointed towards a couple of places that make traveling across the county enjoyable and help you safe some much needed cash. It is also a great way to check out interesting places along the way, one of them is Harvest Hosts. Harvest Hosts is a membership that you can join, that allows you access to hundreds of places to stay overnight! You pay a yearly fee to Harvest Host and they give you a list of wineries, breweries, farm markets, farms, golf courses, and historical sites that allow you and your self contained RV to stay for 24 hrs. There is a list of rules on their website, but folks this is awesome news! I love exploring the off interstate roads and this would be fantastic way to do that without having to find a hotel or campground. Another option if you get tired and can’t find a campground, is checking out the local Walmart or Cracker Barrel. Not all of them are RV friendly; they will have signs posted. But for the ones that allow you to stay, it’s a great place to park and get a bit of sleep for the night and then move on to your next destination. Just remember if it looks sketchy, it probably is and you should move on to a safer location. This was awesome news because I stop at Cracker Barrel more often then any other place to get food because it’s so family friendly and there is so many of them in the Mid-west. And finally, my favorite find on overnight stays is Cableas. You can go to their website to see if they have overnight camping. Click the link above to see an example of what the Cableas page looks like that allows for overnight parking.

Oh, and I think you can stay overnight at most if not all of the Pilot/Flying J travel centers but for me, as a single woman traveler, I might save that one for a last resort, since a great deal of them are a bit sketchy to me. But that is just my opinion. You have to stay safe, when you travel by yourself.

If any of you have any suggestions or tips for overnight RV parking for free, that is safe, please let me know and I will add it to my blog. I knew about the BLM but I didn’t know about the pre-mentioned information and I am super excited to get out on my trip. I was spending so much hard earned cash for campgrounds and hotels, not to mention getting to campgrounds you have to stay on schedule, and for those of your that know me, know I am not a schedule kind of girl. Oh, I make up a schedule but I very rarely stick to it, I am like a dog who sees a squirrel when it comes to road trips! So this information made my day!

Well, that is it for this week, I hope you all enjoyed my 2nd blog….ever! So now I will say goodnight and wish you all a happy week and don’t forget what my favorite traveler, Rick Steves says, “Fear is for people who don’t get out very much.” is a membership that you can join, that allows you access to hundreds of places to stay ove is a membership that you can join, that allows you access to hundreds of places to stay overnight! You pay a yearly fee to Harvest Host and they give you a list of wineries, breweries, farm markets, farms, golf courses, and historical sites that allow you and your self contained RV to stay for 24 hrs. There is a list of rules on their website, but folks this is awesome news! I love exploring the off interstate roads and this would be fantastic way to do that without having to find a hotel or campground. Another option if you get tired and can’t find a campground, is checking out the local Walmart or Cracker Barrel. Not all of them are RV friendly; they will have signs posted. But for the ones that allow you to stay, it’s a great place to park and get a bit of sleep for the night and then move on to your next destination. Just remember if it looks sketchy, it probably is and you should move on to a safer location. This was awesome news because I stop at Cracker Barrel more often than any other place to get food because it’s so family friendly and there is so many of them in the Midwest. And finally, my favorite find on overnight stays is