Author: David Mitchell

David Mitchell Quick Answer: To store water on an overland trip, use food-grade, opaque containers, sanitize them before filling, and mount them low within your payload limit. Plan about one gallon per person per day for drinking and cooking, add more for washing, and treat questionable sources. On day three of a desert loop in a Tacoma, I opened the cargo area and found a water jug sloshing half empty. A loose cap and a rough washboard road had done the work. That small scare taught me more about how to store water on an overland trip than any gear…

By David Mitchell Quick Answer: To tow a travel trailer safely, keep the loaded trailer under your vehicle’s tow rating, aim for tongue weight near 10–15% of trailer weight, set up the hitch and brake controller correctly, check tires and lights before every trip, and drive slower with extra following distance. The first time I hooked up a travel trailer, the highway part was easy. The twenty minutes in the driveway were the hard part. A calm trip is mostly decided before the wheels turn, so this guide follows one travel day, from first light to campfire. Here is how…

By David Mitchell Quick Answer: To troubleshoot RV fuse problems, turn off the affected circuit, find the right panel (12V DC or 120V AC), pull the suspect fuse, and compare its amp rating to the label. Replace it with the same rating only. If it blows again, look for a short or overload. It was 9 p.m. at a quiet campground. The kids wanted the water pump, the lights flickered, and then the whole living area went dark. I grabbed a flashlight, opened the little panel by the entry steps, and found a tiny blown fuse. Five minutes later, we…

By David Mitchell Quick Answer: Open the propane valve, make sure the house battery is charged, clear the furnace vent of snow or debris, test your CO and propane alarms, then set the thermostat to Heat. The blower starts, the burner lights, and warm air flows through the ducts. Never heat with the oven. It was 5:40 a.m. at a quiet national forest campground, and my breath was fogging inside our Class C. The thermostat read 41°F. I had a full tank and a charged battery, yet I had never watched the furnace run a full cycle. That chilly morning…

David Mitchell Quick Answer: To use a propane tank in an RV, secure it upright, close all appliance knobs, connect the regulator, open the tank valve slowly, and check every fitting with soapy water. Never use a flame to test. Close the valve when storing the rig, and have any leak fixed by a certified technician. Picture this: you pull into camp, the sun is dropping, and you are standing at the propane compartment wondering which valve to touch first. Every new RVer has been there. Most of us ask the same three questions. What do I open first? How…

By David Mitchell Quick Answer: To use a recovery strap safely, pick a kinetic strap rated well above your vehicle’s weight, attach it only to rated recovery points with soft shackles or rated D-ring shackles, clear the area, drape a damper over the strap, and pull with smooth, gradual power. Never use a tow ball. Picture this: it is late afternoon on a sandy two-track, and your Tacoma is buried to the axles. A friend pulls up in a Land Cruiser with a strap in the back. The next ten minutes can be a quick, calm recovery or a dangerous…

By David Mitchell Quick Answer: Turn the pedestal breaker off, plug the surge protector into the pedestal, then connect your RV power cord to the protector. Switch the breaker on, confirm the lights show normal power, and wait out any start-up delay before running appliances. Match 30-amp or 50-amp to your rig. Picture a lakeside campground on a hot Saturday. Every neighbor has the air conditioner running, and the pedestal has seen a hundred plugs this season. That is exactly when a little gray box earns its keep. Pull up a camp chair. I will walk you through how to…

By David Mitchell Quick Answer: Attach the regulator to the campground spigot first, then connect your drinking-water hose and run it to your RV inlet. Turn the water on slowly, check the gauge, and aim for roughly 40 to 50 PSI unless your manual says otherwise. Disconnect and drain it after each stay. Here is a question I hear at almost every campground water station: “Do I really need that little brass gadget on my hose?” In most cases, yes. This guide is built around the questions new and seasoned RVers ask most, and it shows you how to use…

By David Mitchell Quick Answer: Anchor to a rated point with a tree saver strap and shackles, spool out the line, drape a damper over it, clear bystanders, and pull in short, steady bursts with the engine running. Stop if anything looks wrong. This is how to use a winch for vehicle recovery with less risk. On a weekend creek crossing, a buddy’s Tacoma sank to its frame in a soft bank just before dusk. Nobody panicked, but nobody agreed on a plan either. Ten minutes of calm rigging settled it. A winch is a patient tool that rewards setup…

David Mitchell Quick Answer: Park on firm ground, set the parking brake, and place levelers under the low-side wheels. Drive up slowly, then wedge chocks snugly against the tires before you unhitch or step out. Check your bubble level, adjust, and only then extend slides and stabilizers. Picture rolling into a sloped site after a long day. The fridge hums oddly, the door drifts open on its own, and a small voice asks, “Will this thing stay put?” This guide shows you how to use RV wheel chocks and levelers so you can park with calm confidence. We will answer…

By David Mitchell Quick Answer: To ventilate a van while sleeping, crack two windows or run a roof fan so air enters low and exits high. Add rain guards and bug screens, keep any heater’s exhaust sealed outside, and place a working carbon monoxide alarm near your bed. Never run an engine or generator for warmth overnight. At 2 a.m. in a quiet forest pull-off, I woke to drips falling from my camper van’s ceiling. The doors were shut, the night was cold, and two of us had been breathing in a small box for hours. That morning taught me…

By David Mitchell Quick Answer: To winterize an RV water system, drain the fresh tank, water heater, and low-point lines, bypass the water heater, optionally blow out the lines with low-pressure air, then run RV antifreeze through every faucet, drain, and toilet until it shows pink. Always follow your owner’s manual. Pull up a stool. Picture a gravel driveway in late October, a cold coffee on the fender, and a travel trailer that has one more season of memories in it. I have stood in that driveway more than once, and the lesson is always the same: knowing how to…