RoadtripMojo spent a few hours at the West Palm Beach RV Show last weekend scouting new rigs and products for the campsite and music festival fair grounds. We dig walking RV shows. Did one a month ago. There’ll be another in a month or two. Yeah, we’re kinda quirky that way.
But we’re on a hunt for the latest or time-tested innovations that we unearth at these shows. Some products are new. Some are new to us. Some won’t jazz tent campers. Most are bright shiny objects that piqued our interest – and may turn heads among other RVers, campers, and festival goers. Best of all, most are buy today / use today simple (OK, maybe not new rubber for the RV, but read on and you’ll see…).
Along with a few bumper supported grill mounts and interior design hacks, here’s a few of the products RVers should be considering for their rigs. Have an opinion about these – or others you want to share? Leave a comment.
Power Up! Ready to power up your tent, car camping, or boondocking situation? ReadyGEN could be your solution. This is the self-contained, automatic power backup for your home or campsite. Small, efficient, and super-portable, it brings lasting, stable power to any camping set-up. It’s even a viable solution for power outages from natural disasters. The ReadyGEN line of solar generators deliver up to 3000 watts of pure portable power – even 6000W peak output power. Silly simple to use, there’s no installation required. Just plug the solar panels into the solar generator and you’re set. It’s a stand alone, self-contained clean alternative power source providing ample power and peace that’s perfect for outdoor enthusiasts, tailgating, RVing, or at your next music festival outing (https://www.readynetwork.com/readygen.asp).
Ride Smooth. Things get bumpy on the open road. Even when you’re towing your travel trailer, it can get rough in there. The Morryde Suspension is an independent suspension system that will help ensure a smooth ride for your trailer’s contents. No more broken dishes. No more slamming cabinet doors.The MORryde Independent Suspension System delivers premium towing performance. The independent design allows each wheel to respond individually to the road. This functionality allows your unit to seemingly glide over stubborn uneven and rough roads and gives your rig a comfortable ride. The unique rubber shear springs absorb road shock, so no more costly repairs of airbags and lines. Shear springs use rubber’s natural ability to dissipate this energy and leave you with a comfortable, worry-free ride (http://www.morryde.com/products/87-independent-suspension-system)
Goodyear Endurance RV Tires. Here at RoadtripMojo, we’re blogged about our first-hand experience with a tire blowout – two, actually. In a word, the cheap, dealer-provided “China bomb” tires suck and can put the kibosh on any music festival or camping roadtrip. So Goodyear came up with what’s now the industry standard solution: the Goodyear Endurance. With Goodyear’s Durawall® technology, these high quality, dependable Special Trailer (ST) tires deliver an N speed rating (instead of usual Chinese made L rating) with D & E load ranges. No more high- OR low-speed blow-outs. Just safe, reliable tires for the open road – starting at around $113 (https://www.goodyear.com/en-US/tires/endurance).
Step up to stable steps. RV steps are an unstable lot. They feel flimsy under foot, and the only way to fix that feel is to place a step brace beneath the first step. It works, but it’s not an ideal fix. The Morryde Step Above and Lippert Solid Steps. These sturdy braces eliminate bouncing, instability, and wobbling with innovative design that facilitates easy use and storage – even while parked on rough or uneven terrain with a 500-pound weight capacity. They even can be attached to the platform of your toy hauler. Handrails optional. Check out this YouTube video to learn more (http://www.morryde.com/products/194-stepabover and https://www.lci1.com/solid-step)
More Support, Jack? Whether automatic or manual, stabilizer jacks help eliminate motion from your docked RV. But when terrain is uneven, stabilizers and scissor jacks stretched to near full extension can lose their strength and effectiveness. And whom among us carries enough stabilizer pads or blocks to provide ample height and stability to lend support beneath the stabilizers and jacks? Starting at $21 or so, Camco Stabilizer Jack Supports deliver the height (7 inches) and width (13 inches in diameter) for stable use, and stackability for efficient storage when stashed away.
Knock knock. Who knows who’s there? Whether answering a knock on the door, or taking a peek at the weather outside, it’s nice to see what’s on the other side. Problem is, most RV doors have the “frosted” glass that’s impossible to see through – but has no problem letting in abundant early morning light or afternoon heat. Windows and ceiling vents are equally guilty of letting heat and light in. AP Products vent shade is an attractive, elegant, and effective way to keep light and heat in check. It’s Slim Shade does the same for the RV door’s window. Starting around $32 and easy to install by two people, the retractable shade keeps light out and reflect heat to keep the RV cool.
Have a product you want #RoadtripMojo to take a look at? Whether it’s for RV camping, car camping, tent camping, the music festival campsite, a hike, or the open road, drop us a message or comment. We’re always on the hunt for the Next Great Camping Thing.