GiGi215513 wrote:
Thanks again all. Fortunately my husband is very mechanically inclined and he also adds his thanks for the heads-up on the resonater thingamajig thing. Also, buying Pleasure Way from a friend so have good intel on the history of the RV. BTW, has around 66k miles on it.
Throwing couple of other questions out there. First is the bed. Comments and suggestions on comfort? I am making a bed sack with sheets like ones I saw on line.
And, at some point taking our 2 kitties with us on trips. Anyone have experience with that?
Thanks?
Resonator: the Bobster knew all about the resonator eliminator and actually bought one to carry in lieu of a spare resonator (after he installed the spare in the situation described above).
The bed: We find the bed very comfortable as-is (our '14 even more so then the 07), so can't help with that. What we have found though is that we prefer to put the sofa down and sleep on quasi-twins. I tend to get up several times a night and it's impossible to scooch to the foot of the whole bed without waking the other person, so going the twin route where you can sit up and step into the space between was the best thing for us. We also bought separate comforters so the movement caused by getting up was minimized.
Cats: we no sooner bought our 07 than one of our cats was diagnosed with cancer. She required six weeks of radiation only possible at a University hospital 400 miles away, so she and I "moved" to Eastern Washington. She was unaccustomed to car travel, but quickly learned to love, I mean love like dogs love it, going on trips.
I remember well our first non-medical trip with her. To keep her safe, as she'd had a leg amputated by now, we bought a kiddie fence to keep her in the back while we were moving. We got exactly 15 miles from home when she showed up between our seats. She was fierce! (Which we knew from the day we brought her home--named her Tammy Faye.) She loved to sit in the cab and watch the world go by but rested a lot in the back in a little soft cat bin we bought for her and glued some of that non-slip Rubbermaid mat stuff to the bottom of. It stayed put on the leatherette. At Camping World we found an excellent collapsible food/water bowl, which was two silicone 'bowls' together in one from that went flat when not in use on legs that folded under. It could sit on the linoleum and didn't move while driving. A must have. Litter box: there's no good way to do it. Buy a 'reasonable' sized litter box with lid and handle on top for easy moving (we found one about 75% as big as the ones we have in the house). While driving put it toward the back and at night, move it up to the front kind of between the seats.
Also, at Petsmart we found this amazing cat carrier, essentially three parts: an oval firm top, an oval firm bottom, and a flexible but substantial middle. All zipped together to make a more comfortable carrier than any other carrier on the market; when not in use, the middle folded up on its side and fit between the top and bottom pieces--in that state, a mere 3" thick. The people in Pullman flipped over it--they see a LOT of animal carriers but had never seen one of these. Best ever, they said, and they all bought them for their own pets. Perfect for small dogs, too. They make several sizes.
Speaking of slim fits, another thing you can shop for? Though our vans have good galleys you'll probably want to consider an outdoor cooking device. I'm a chef of a cook but don't want to live with strong cooking smells, so whenever possible we cook outside. At Camping World we found a Coleman combo propane grill and burner and I wouldn't have anything else. Is about 4" thick when not in use, so doesn't take up much space under the bed. I can grill lamb chops on one side and boil a vegetable on the other. Can use the grill side for skillets, too. Generally, that's where I make toast in the mornings.
