Category: RV Life Blog

Scrolling through your Instagram feed and seeing amazing traveling photos just makes you think, “How do they capture such gorgeous photos that makes you want to travel there?” That’s when the word drone comes to mind and since JR already has experience from his past real estate job flying the DJI Mavic Pro Platinum he has been saving up to buy one for our traveling adventures.

It was his birthday this past week and thought this was the perfect opportunity to treat himself and get the best drone he could find on the market. He was even more motivated to buy one because of our upcoming trip to Iceland this October. Once he researched that drones were allowed in Iceland we knew that be the best first trip to try it out on with the hundreds of waterfalls we are going to see we have to capture them the best way possible.

About DJI Mavic Pro Platinum

We decided to test out the DJI Mavic Pro Platinum for a week before writing a review on it and it’s been fun! When I first saw it fly it reminded me of the movie ‘Batteries Not Included’ which I used to watch a lot as a child. Our drone does not have a disc space ship look but it has a 60% noise reduction sound that has a similar sound to the tiny space ships in the 1980’s classic.

The DJI Mavic Pro looks like a mini helicopter that can go 10 miles away from you, goes 40 miles per hour and as high as 400 feet in the air! Growing up as a millennial, we have seen technology change a lot but this one takes the cake, and never expected to own one anytime soon.

Having these great cell phones now-a-days give us great cameras so why buy an expensive camera when you have one on you all times. But buying this drone which takes 12 megapixel photos, captures 4k videos and can take those photos and videos that you cannot reach yourself is like having gold at our fingertips!

The maximum flight time of most models has been 27 minutes but the DJI Mavic Pro Platinum extends to 30 minutes flight time. If you have an IPhone or an Android you can easily hook up either one to the remote controller to fly the drone. Install the DJI GO 4 app on your phone and start recording videos or taking pictures all while you can see right through your phone screen!

Highlights of the DJI Mavic Pro Platinum

Some highlights and specifications on the DJI Mavic Pro Platinum are:

• Maximum weight is 1.64 lbs
• Maximum speed (when in sport mode) is 40mph without wind
• Maximum Flight time is 30 mintures
• Maximum Hovering time is 27 minutes
• Maximum Flight distance is 9.3 miles
• Operating temperatures are 32-104 degrees Farienheit
• Has GPS satellite positioning systems
• 2.4 GHz transmitter power
• 12.35 Megapixels on camera
• 28mm lens
• 8s Electronic shutter speed
• 4000×3000 Maximum image size
• Single shot still photography modes
• 4k video recording mode
• 16 GB micro SD card
• 2970 mAh battery
• Chargers are 13.05 voltage
• 11.4 Voltage for the Intelligent Flight Battery

Save $149 on DJI Refurbished Phantom 3 Professional

Fly More Accessories

You can just buy a drone but there are a lot of deals that offer double the accessories within the same price for triple the amount of accessories for the ultimate Fly More experience! One battery allows you the 30 minutes fly time but when you have 3 batteries that’s 90 minutes of more fly time!

• Remote Controller
• 3x Intelligent Flight Batteries
• 16 GB MicroSD Card
• Charger
• AC Power Cable for Charger
• Micro USB Cable
• RC Cable with Micro USB Connector
• RC Cable with USB Type-C Connector
• RC Cable with Lightning Connector
• 2x Pairs Gold Tip Propellers
• 2x Pairs Platinum Tip Propellers
• Gimbal Cover
• Gimbal Clamp
• 2x RC Cable Slider (Large)
• 2x RC Cable Slider (Small)
• Battery Charging Hub
• Car Charger
• Battery to Power Bank Adapter
• DJI Shoulder Bag

Adventurous Pictures

What I am most excited about is how we can always have something else take our picture instead of always doing selfies or just having one of us in a picture with a fantastic view. All we have to do is make a picture motion with our hands and the drone will automatically take a picture of us without holding anything and pressing a button. No more tripods, no more asking someone else to take a photo, just pull out the drone and click!

With the follow me option we can get in the RV and go up to 40mph while the drone follows us capturing 4k video of our off-roading adventures. We could even do a hiking trip and have the drone follow us while we reach the peaks of amazing views!

If you have a DJI Mavic Pro Platinum and want to share your experiences please comment below so we can gather other’s adventures with this valued piece of equipment!

I don’t know if it’s a good thing or bad thing that I am easily impressed but if I am shown a simple yet amazing product that makes my life easier on the road then one should be easily impressed, right?  That is why I want everyone to know about The Best Portable Refrigerator Freezer due to it’s quality and popularity.

Love At First Sight

When I say “love at first sight” don’t worry its not just about the fridge but it was actually JR!  The first few days we chatted before our date in person he would reference how “he always had cold beer” and I just thought he meant he also had some beers on him because we both share a huge passion for craft beer.  Well on our first in person date he showed me what he really meant….

I was already impressed when said he would pick me up for the date instead of just meeting him and then he picks me up in a super nice outfitted Range Rover with a beautiful mid night blue color.  How could I be impressed more?  When he opens the back and slides out this 50 quart electric fridge/freezer that is powered off his solar panels on top the roof!  What the….?

So that’s why it was love at first sight because here is this awesome guy who was a complete gentleman with a cool off-road vehicle who literally always has cold beer!  Great item to have for any adventure loving guy to impress an adventure loving girl, that’s why this is the best portable refrigerator freezer to make that happen!

How Easy It Is To Use

Anyone who loves going off-road like us has to know that it can take hours in remote locations so why wouldn’t you prepare yourself and make sure you have cold beer!  If you have a large SUV like a Range Rover, a pick up truck, wagon or any 4×4 vehicle this is the most practical product when you want to spend a day or two on the trails with plenty of food and drink.

Some main features:

• Can maintain an interior temperature of 0 degrees
• Continues to cool products inside of fridge even while vehicle is off and will not drain your vehicle battery due to it’s automatic battery protection system
• Includes two power cords; one for your vehicle and one for your house
• Has electronic LED display for temperature control settings
• Large EZ latch lid that tightly seals and protects from leaks
• Drain plugs for easy cleaning
• Has an efficient and powerful Danfoss compressor and control system
• Comes in multiple quart sizes:  37 Quarts, 50 Quarts, 63 Quarts and 82 Quarts
• The 37 quart can hold up to 50 12-ounce cans
• The 50 quart (the most popular size) can hold up to 72 12-ounce cans
• The 63 quart can hold up to 90 12-ounce cans
• The 82 quart can hold up to 120 12-ounce cans
• They have a separate compartment for dairy or fruit which we could always use!

**There are so many more features and facts you can find here.**

The ARB Refrigerator Has Accessories

ARB Canvas Travel Bag

• Sizes available for multiple quart sized refrigerators
• Helps insulate the portable refrigerator more
• High quality made with premium materials

ARB Fridge Wiring Kit

• Consists of 20ft cable (6m) of double insulated
• Has a 10 gauge auto cable
• 15 amp fuse and eyelets
• quick installation onto your own battery terminals

ARB Remote Fridge Monitor

• Remotely monitor ARB Fridge/Freezer operating conditions
• Easy viewing lit up display

ARB Fridge Slide Out Extension

• Slide Tray Extends Longer Than Fridge Length
• Heavy Duty Steel
• EZ Latch Mechanism
• Comfort Plastic Coated Handle
• Latch In Fully Open Or Fully Closed Position

Other Portable Refrigerators

Dometic Fridge Freezer

• Great for solar setups or other off-grid
• Heavy-duty design with reinforced corners
• Monitor the cooling temperature
• Energy-efficient LED interior light
• USB port for extra charging of devices
• Mid-range price between the ARB and Smad models

Smad Portable Fridge Freezer

• LED controls
• Energy management systems that provide flexibility for your every need
• Weather resistant compare with similar items
• Least expensive comparable portable refrigerator

Why We Have to Keep The ARB Refrigerator

So the debate is whether to keep our ARB fridge or not.  I say keep it, why?  Well we do have a really nice sized refrigerator in our RV so that’s all we should need but we are craft beer people and I think our 50 quart ARB portable refrigerator should hold our many finds of great craft beer we find along our travels.  The RV fridge should be full of food and the portable fridge full of cans and bottles of deliciousness!  If anyone reading this agrees with me please comment below.  We have plenty of plugin outlets and I can already think of two spots we can fit the ARB portable fridge with no problem.

So you think our RV is “Cool”? Well yes it is and that is exactly why we bought it. We saw a large vehicle that would not only take us off road, shelter us and take us where we want to go but it was also known as the “Cool RV”. We get questions, looks, pics and videos taken of us when we drive it around but take this as a warning when buying with big excited eyes like us. We are positive people and based on our tag line “live, love laugh and explore” we don’t want give out negative posts, information or vibes but this is a sad day and I don’t want anyone else to go through what we have gone through.

What Happened?

Today marks the day of 7 months since our last trip in our TravelingbeastRV. Today also marks the day when we were supposed to take our next epic trip across the country but unfortunately there he sits, lonely and sitting in the same spot as we parked it back in September. What happened? I wrote a very vague blog months and months ago about our mishap and it has taken me awhile to write what every body else who is thinking of buying the “Cool RV” some advice before they do.

Our RV is jacked up and standing tall but it’s heavy. It’s so heavy in fact that we have had two cracked wheels; one when we came back from a small two-day trip and the second on our day home from Asheville, North Carolina. The first cracked wheel was noticed while the RV was parked in our yard after the first two-day trip so we thought maybe we just drove too fast or hit too many bumps. We called the previous owner who put those particular wheels on the RV (who was also the person who converted it to 4×4) and he said “yeah I had a wheel crack on me once when we rode it hard on the beach off-roading.” So we thought OK no big deal and luckily he had another set where we bought one and had him replace for us. Wait, it gets worse…

Within our first 4 days of our Asheville trip JR’s brother noticed a rear left tire getting flat and we needed to pull over. Weird because that was the same side and wheel as last time. We had to find a quick fix because we had 6 more days on our trip. So we found a welding shop about an hour away. Whilst driving to this welding shop we had to stop and fill up every 10 miles or so which was stressful in its self. We get the welding shop and the owner said he does not weld aluminum wheels anymore due to the liability. After begging to get his help and to pay cash for his work ($500 out of our pocket that we could not use on our trip) he decided to do it. Five hours later we were back on the road to our next stop and just hoping we got there in one piece.

We Are Saved?

We arrived to our camping spot for the next four days and had a great time! We constantly checked the wheel throughout the days we spent there and it seemed fine. On our day home which was supposed to take us 8 hours took us another 28 hours. An hour into our trip I see the tire blow out and smoke everywhere! JR did amazingly pulling over on the side of the highway in what looked like a calm matter while I was freaking out. What happened was we moved the welded cracked wheel over to the right side rear because all the tanks are on the left side of the RV. The water tank, grey water tank and black water tank all on the same side. As a precaution we thought moving it to the side with no tanks would be more safe, but it was not.

We called our road side assistance and they sent someone out in about an hour. Unfortunately, the tow company that answered my insurance company thought they said “Golf” like the Volkswagen golf and not our brand which is a Gulf Stream RV. He basically didn’t have the tools to lift up our RV and put on the spare but you know what we didn’t have the tools or jack to do that either. So we called the insurance company back and they sent out someone else and made sure they knew it was an RV. Three hours later they came out, spare tire was put on which was an old dry-rotted and small donut. We sat on the side of the busy highway where there was also a major accident that happened a few miles up creating dead stop traffic. We thought we may have caused the accident or traffic with our “Cool RV” but the tow driver reassured us we did not because he saw it happen 15 minutes before he got to us. The only luck we had that day was a large road sign that said “Campground next Exit” which seemed to be a sign, if we believed in that.

The RV Check List

We got to the campground extremely slowly because we were riding on a donut and an almost full tank of water and gasoline. We showered and calmed down and started looking for tire centers as close to the campground as possible. We wrote a list of tire places and a list of all equipment we need to purchase to make sure this did not happen again. We also started researching why this happened to us and what we need to take responsibility for.

1. Buy a Jack!
2. Buy a new spare wheel
3. Better yet buy two new spare wheels
4. Always, always empty your water tanks before traveling even if it’s for an hour
5. Buy all new wheels

We woke up the next day and called all the places we looked up the night before. After two hours we found a company willing to work with us but they were 45 minutes away which was longer than we wanted due to the donut we were riding on. The customer service rep we worked with in Salem, North Carolina was super nice and he found a dully wheel for us to get us home! Unfortunately, they did not have it in stock at their particular location but at a nearby location which was about an hour west. We had no choice so the carrier went to pick up the dully wheel and three hours later it was put on and we were on our way!

JR drove the whole way home because he wanted to keep us safe in case we had another blow out or any problems. We sat on the edge of our seats until we saw our driveway at almost two in the morning. I always hate coming home from vacations because I just want to keep exploring but this was definitely a time when I was so happy to see a safe place.

Lesson Learned

So there are many lessons here that I hope we can share with others and if you have had a similar problem like this or just want to share another nightmare, please leave a comment below because we could really use some encouragement! For those who tell us all time how cool our RV is we do appreciate it but if you are about to find one you own here are our items for you to look for:

1. Know the weight of your RV before full tanks and after.
2. Ask your RV dealer if they know if the wheels and tires on RV now are from the previous owner.
3. Know what kind of wheels and tires are on your RV and make sure you look up reviews and check with manufacture that the wheels and tires can hold the weight of your vehicle.
4. Check the spare tire that comes with vehicle and if it looks “iffy” see if the deal will negotiate a new one in the sale.
5. Everything on or done to the “Cool RV” you are looking at make sure you learn all about it from the dealer and if they don’t know do your research!

So this is me looking out our “Cool RV” window that has not moved in 7 months. The view I should be looking at this week are canyons and the desert of the West but instead I am looking out at my own yard wishing I was able to go with JR to Overland Expo West in our TravelingbeastRV. We still have not been able to afford to finish the new wheels on the RV and that is why it is still sitting here but after this negative moment we have talked, planned and kept each other’s spirits lifted up as much as possible. Please do your research before buying an RV and always come together as a team and work together through tough travel times like these.

It’s been awhile since we have blogged from trip and its because we had a big mishap!  So we bought the RV and checked out all the possibilities we thought we could as new RV owners, except for one thing, weight on the wheels.  We learned all about the tanks and what to hold and not to hold for weight on the road but after the 3rd wheel crack on our amazing trip home from Asheville, NC we knew our “cool wheel factor” was the problem.

Everywhere we go or even on social media there are many many comments thrown at us about how cool our wheels look so we thought the previous owner had something going on!  Before I explain this last horrible day J.R. basically found out that these “cool wheels” can not hold weight over eight thousand pounds and our RV at max capacity is 15 thousand pounds which we already knew.  We just thought why would anyone put low rated wheels on such a heavy vehicle especially when traveling around with special cargo such as your family?

So you already read about the first cracked wheel when we first received vehicle and just thought well it must have been sitting too long and just got a new wheel put on by previous owners since he had extra.  The second cracked on our way to Asheville, NC and we thought “because the tanks are completely full and didn’t get a chance to empty” so we knew we had to always empty first before getting on the road.  We thought this because it was always the left rear wheel cracking which is right underneath all the tanks (gas, water, grey and black tanks).  We got it welded midway to Asheville which took many hours and some persuasion of the welding company to weld aluminum wheels which they did not want to do anymore.  Unfortunately it was our only option until we got home.  The aluminum wheel was transferred to the right rear side just in case and it traveled very well for us all the way until the last day of our trip.

We were about two hours outside of Asheville when I just thought to myself (that woman instinct) we should pull over and check the wheels and literally a few minutes later I see the tire blow in my side mirror.  I am obviously in the passenger side so it was the same wheel we had welded that cracked and then blew the tire.

You can see the welded part at the bottom of the wheel and the tire tread is completely disheveled.  For the next four hours we sat on major highway waiting for roadside assistance service.  The first assistance that came thought Geico said Golf as in Volkswagen Golf not Gulfstream RV, so he just said he couldn’t do anything and just left us.  Then the second assistance that came got the job done but didn’t have all the right tools so in my sight he used a lot of block wood pieces to jack the RV up.  For four hours  feeling the highway traffic wind constantly shaking the RV was a very uncomfortable situation and one we never want to be in again.  We said forget the cool factor of these wheels and get safe ones!  We were definitely very agreeable on figuring out how to keep us safe and others on the road.

About the last hour of sitting there an accident happened about 2 miles up so traffic started backing up which means we would have been sitting there still.  Oddly enough this was the sign in front of us we just happened to pull over as our tire blew…

We don’t believe in signs but this seemed to be very convenient.  The roadside assistance service put on our very old dry rotted single dually spare wheel just to get us safely to the camp site.  J.R. went online and booked a night so we could research tire places nearby.  We broke down on a Sunday so we thought it best to stay somewhere safe and not stress out more then we had to.

After we settled in at the campground we looked up all tire and wheel places within the 10-20 mile radius (because we didn’t want to travel further than that on a crappy spare) and we set an alarm to wake up early and start calling all the places we researched.  From the 12 places we called only one seemed to be helpful and to keep it in our price range as best as possible.  Discount tire in Salem North Carolina found us a wheel they freighted up to their location for us and put on two new tires and after four hours J.R. drove us the rest of our six hours home!

So we learned a lot from this incident:

1.  Know your weight limits on all aspects of the RV.
2.  Must have a durable spare or make it two durable spares.
3.  Must get an RV jack so you don’t have to rely on Roadside service who does not have a jack for any RV.
4.  Do not weld aluminium wheels!
5.  Being safe is always better than looking cool.
6.  Make sure you do this lifestyle with someone you completely trust and can get through these hard issues together!

I have had very bad past experiences with road travels but I have realized its not the bumps in the road that give you these bad experiences but the person who you are with.  If you aren’t traveling with the right person who unites with you to keep stressful times like these calm then its that person and not just the journey.  I definitely was very upset at first but J.R. kept everything cool which was inspiring to me and made me realize this is the person I was supposed to meet and live this adventure life with, no matter how many tire mishaps, breakdowns and so on.

So its been awhile since I have blogged because of this and we finally found our solution.  To keep the same cool look and the same tires which are perfectly good new ones, barely used, we bought Military style wheels that can hold nine thousand pounds each per corner.  I think they will do, haha!  J.R. found them so he is not messing around and keeping us fully safe on and off road.

We just received them and will be sand blasting them to buffer them up a bit.  These will fit the nice tires we already have on the old aluminum wheels that were on the RV when we purchased it.  Then we will measure to get wheel adapters to switch from 8×170 in the front and 8×6.5 in the rear to 10 lug all around.  We were going to work on these this weekend but there was an unexpected snow storm so I thought we would blog about it instead.

The person you travel with makes the journey, that has been my biggest lesson from this and I am excited to experience more with him!

Haven’t been able to post anything for awhile because the Traveling Beast has been back at dealer getting new batteries and a new microwave.  When we first brought the Beast home we plugged in over night but the power source was still not up to par.  JR realized they put one used battery and one new battery which apparently a used battery can drain the source of a new battery for those who just learned this little bit of common sense like me Hahaha!  Luckily still less than 30 days of purchase they put two brand new batteries and large microwave to fit whole casserole dishes in!

So it’s finally back in our driveway safe and sound but only an hour later it’s leaning on the back drivers side….thinking it’s a flat tire??  Well guess again, it was a cracked wheel!  I never in my life have seen a cracked wheel.  Meanwhile we just got the Beast back in time from the RV dealer two days before our first trip and now we felt we were never going to take it on the road.

This next paragraph is going to give you the reason why I am not fearful one bit to eventually travel for an extensive amount of time.  JR, he is the reason!  Without any hesitation he said “I will email the previous owner about what happened to see if he can fix it quickly from his old wheels.”  I am so very overwhelmed learning everything that this thought didn’t cross my mind.  Sure enough the previous owner called him at 10 after 8am and we were booked!  The previous owner has been such a lucky charm to us and we say to each every time how this RV was meant to be for us.  The previous owner’s shop is only 10 minutes from where we live so we were able to drive this Beast on a cracked rim in no time; even though our nerves were on the very edge.  He offered us to buy his other wheels and tires overtime so we can always have spares.  Also offered us a brand new, never used, custom made cover for the Beast for free because he would never be able to use it.  Shows you to always stay positive even when you do not understand situation rely on those and each other to find a solution!

We embark on our first trip today to Frederick, MD to see great friends.  We will also be going to the Annapolis Renaissance festival which is my official first time there and I cannot wait!  This will be an easy first time getaway before we venture to Asheville, NC for our big trip at the end of the month.

Happy Labor day everyone!  Hope you spend your freedom weekend with your loved ones and be adventurous!