Podcast 310 - finding RV techs near you
A new tool to find certified RV technicians near you
How do you find a great technician? What about an RV inspector? This week we talk to serial entrepreneur Heath Padgett who has come up with a simple and easy way to find vetted RV techs no matter where you are.
There’s also a lot of cool things we talk about - RV refrigerators. We’ve done a study of how much solar it takes to run your RV fridge. But we’ve also got a fridge that’ll fit in the back seat of your car for those road sodas - or Costco runs!
Other places to hear the podcast
Mentioned on this episode
RV Help - find a local certified RV service professional
Our article - how much solar or battery power do I need to run my RV refrigerator
Our test of the Bodega MCD25DD 12 volt portable cooler
If you’re confused about solar, battery power or just want to upgrade your RV we have found the solutions from ABC Upfitters are both reliable and exceptional.
We have a podcast episode and video where you can learn more here.
Automated Transcript of episode 310
Peggy
How do you find a great technician?
Tony
And what about an RV inspector?
Peggy
This week, we talked to serial entrepreneur, Heath Padgett, who has come up with a simple and easy way to find vetted RV techs no matter where you are.
Tony
We've done a study of how much solar it takes to run your RV fridge.
Peggy
We've also got a fridge that'll fit in the back seat of your car for those road sodas or Costco runs.
Tony
Oh, and speaking of road sodas, have we ever got a stop on Route 66 for you? I'm Toni.
Peggy
I'm Peggy.
Tony
We're two RV industry veterans who travel part time.
Peggy
In a Rockwood Mini Lite twenty five zero six f k.
Tony
Looking to share big adventures and help you with great tips
Peggy
Tricks.
Tony
And discounts and cool stuff too.
Peggy
Like, uh, your refrigerator test.
Tony
Yeah. So a lot of times I get people saying, okay. How long can I run my 12 volt RV fridge on solar? How much battery does it take? Blah blah blah.
Tony
If you don't know, in the past, we've had a 12 volt fridge installed in our RV, and we didn't like it.
Peggy
Yeah. It
Tony
was inefficient. It was noisy. The latch was terrible. So we replaced it. Sure.
Tony
And we replaced it with a 12 volt fridge that had a great latch. It was more efficient, lot quieter. It was just better overall.
Peggy
And then we replaced our trailer.
Tony
Yeah. Then we replaced our trailer, and this trailer came with a Magic Chef fridge that has a dual swing door and a bottom freezer.
Peggy
Mhmm.
Tony
And it just my perception was that this thing was really efficient. And we talked to a Lippert engineer at open house last year, and we're talking about RV air conditioners first, but then fridges. And he said the new fridges are remarkably efficient.
Peggy
So I thought What does remarkable mean?
Tony
Right. And how efficient is efficient? How long can you run it on solar and battery and blah blah blah. So I did a full test over twenty four hours of this fridge. I started with it just completely shut off and it had been shut off for over a week.
Tony
And then I turned it on and I measured, went out every half hour to forty five minutes to look at how much power was being used and how long it took to get to fridge safe temp, which is 41 degrees in the fridge and zero in the freezer. Mhmm. And I learned some stuff. First of all, it is remarkably efficient. I was Okay.
Tony
Really surprised at how efficient this fridge is. And I was also surprised, it took almost three hours to get down to temp. However, that's still better than a lot of the old propane electric fridges.
Peggy
Yeah. Those took twenty four hours.
Tony
Yeah. At least. So it's better. This fridge is also much quieter, and it it it is much more efficient than the old fridges that we had. So what I discovered, basically, is if you want to camp off the grid with a 12 volt fridge, first of all, not all 12 volt fridges are created equally.
Heath Padgett
And now
Tony
there are some big ones up to 20 cubic feet with French doors and lower freezers and all kinds of really great features. Um, this is your typical 10.7 cubic foot fridge. However, with a dual swing door, and it's a new offering, so it's pretty doggone efficient. So how much battery and solar would it need? If you have a single flooded battery, you're kidding yourself.
Peggy
Yeah.
Tony
Uh, if you have a single lithium battery, you might be single at 100 amp hour lithium battery, you may be okay. Okay. 200 is better. Okay. And, of course, more is always more.
Tony
More is better. And more is more is better. And, uh, speaking of more is better, that's why when we bought this new trailer, we took it directly from picking it up at the dealership to ABC UPfitters and had them install a just total solar and lithium system.
Peggy
And now our solar and our lithium are more better.
Tony
Yeah. They really are. The interesting thing is the people at ABC know that we do a lot of off grid camping. We do put a lot of demands on a system, and they built us a system that accommodates that.
Peggy
Right.
Tony
But if you're a regular camper and let's say you go two or three days away and you just want something for the weekend that'll run your 12 volt fridge, they can do that too, and it's gonna be a lot less expensive.
Peggy
Well, honestly, even if you want to if you always go where there's hookups, people don't understand why their their old flooded batteries die when they're always on hookups, and those still need to be maintained. So the great thing about lithium is even if it's not huge and you never use it by itself, it's maintenance free, and it doesn't need to be maintained. And it's gonna last you, quote, unquote, a lifetime.
Tony
Yeah. These these lithium batteries last a very long time. So, yeah, let's say you're you do mostly park camp, but you wanna go from wherever you keep your RV and then fire up your fridge and have it running and have it cold by the time you get to the campsite. You know, again, something different. So there's not one solution.
Tony
There's not one price, And that's one of the many, many reasons we really like the folks at ABC Upfitters. They listen to you. They ask you a lot of questions and help you determine what's appropriate for your RV lifestyle.
Peggy
And they use all Mastervolt parts. So if one thing doesn't work, the rest of the things know which thing is not working. If you build it yourself, you don't know which thing isn't working. So there's just seamless integration and everything works. And when I say if something doesn't work, that's never happened to us.
Peggy
So Nope. You know, I don't know why I even said it.
Tony
Well, it's always something that you think about as you're planning this. So Sure. If you want a great system that meets the way you like to RV and is reliable and they can even remote in and diagnose it if you have a question, give our friends at ABC Upfitters a call. They're (574) 333-3225.
Peggy
That's (574) 333-3225 or find them with the link on this page for the podcast or the show notes for those of you who are listening.
Tony
One of the biggest pain points I think all RVers have is getting service done on their RVs. Getting maintenance done or solving a you know, if something comes up and you're camping, it's like, oh, phooey, you know, now I'm stuck. Or if you're a full time RVer, do you really wanna drag your RV to a shop? Probably not.
Peggy
Your home.
Tony
Yeah. It may be
Peggy
your home. A full timer and it's your home, and they say, well, just bring it in. We'll look at it next week. Well, where are you supposed to live in the meantime? So having access to someone who actually can come to you is such a relief.
Tony
Yeah. And now some of these RV companies are actually honoring mobile tech.
Peggy
So To do their warranty work.
Tony
Right. To do warranty work. So we spoke with multiple entrepreneur, Heath Padgett, from his newest project, RV Help, and you're really not gonna wanna miss this. He he is, once again, another pain point for RVers he has solved. We have the pleasure of introducing an old friend to all of you.
Tony
If you don't know, Heath Padgett is just a fixture in this world, but a moving fixture. He started the RV Entrepreneur Podcast and then moved on. He started a campground booking software company, made that successful, and then moved on. And now he is with us from RV Help, a really incredible new product. So first of all, Heath, welcome.
Peggy
Thank you for joining us.
Heath Padgett
Yeah. Thanks, guys. Thanks, Tony. Thanks, Peggy, for having me. I've I you know, I feel like when when they're framed along the lines of, like, moving on, I I it makes me sound like a starter, and, like, I there were there was many years where, you know, like, five year run on the podcast and everything, but I I thought that 200 episodes was good, but then I was watching you guys recently, and y'all are, like, over 300 at this point now.
Heath Padgett
So I guess 200 episodes is not that impressive.
Tony
No. It it truly is.
Peggy
Well, it is because we couldn't we couldn't exit in the way that you exited.
Tony
Not that we wanna exit.
Peggy
No. No. I'm just saying it's different. It's a whole different thing.
Tony
But But you have done a number of things that have really helped RVers. I mean, the RV Entrepreneur Podcast lives on now. I found it very useful to hear all the different kinds of entrepreneur things that people were doing from their RVs. Then the software to do reservations was, I mean, who doesn't really dislike the way a lot of campgrounds do their reservations? You should be able to just do it online and you help to solve that.
Tony
And now you're helping another pain point with RVers in RV Help. So tell us a little bit about RV Help.
Heath Padgett
Yeah. I feel like the key theme of a lot of these projects and the thing that we haven't quit has been RVing. Like, even though we did we did it full time in The States for five or six years, and then we've done, I think, like, 12 or 13 r, uh, countries we've been RVing with the kids. And so that's been one thing I don't think we'll ever really quit. Um, but, really, the consistent threat has been finding things that are painful for us and asking the question of, like, why is this the way that it is?
Heath Padgett
And for a while, you know, we were making friends who are with people who are building a business on the road, and that's what the podcast was born out of. And then having to call campgrounds all the time was frustrating, so that's where the booking system came from. And the one that was always in the back of my head was service. I remember there being so many times where Alyssa and I, we would drop our RV off, and we were living in it full time, and something would break. And we'd call it, like, a a dealership or a service shop, and they would say, come drop it off.
Heath Padgett
And I'm like, this is my house. And we'd have to go leave it there for a couple weeks, and then they wouldn't look at it. It got to the point where because and we were lucky because we developed a relationship with Winnebago, but where we would be in Austin for our winters. And instead of taking it to our local dealership because we had such bad experiences, we would just drive sixteen hours to Forest City with, like, a checklist of all the things that needed to be done on it. And I'm just like, that is not an ideal process.
Heath Padgett
So that was kinda where RV help was born from is this pain point as an RVer that something is broken, and I need help getting it fixed.
Tony
Something is broken. The RV repair experience for so many people is is just awful. I mean, there's there's no nice way of putting it. And part of that is just finding great techs to do the work, and that's where RV Help comes in.
Heath Padgett
Mhmm. Yeah. I mean, so one of the things I've been following a journey, um, I'm sure you guys are familiar with the National RV Training Academy down in Athens, Texas. So I was following their journey, um, over the last so many years that they started the school and all the techs who were coming out of that. And I remember even when we were hosting our RV Entrepreneur Summit, we'd had several technicians who came to the event, um, and they just had their their logos and everything on their rig.
Heath Padgett
And I just remember thinking, like, how are people finding you? Because you're moving, you know, from market to market. So how are you actually being found? Because when I search RV repair near me on Google, it brings me all the dealerships, but I don't necessarily know that there might be a certified good technician somewhere just nearby in another campground or two. And so that was really where RV help comes in is, um, we launched in January.
Heath Padgett
We have a mobile app now, and we have about a thousand certified providers who are on RV help. And they update their location. They have their service radius in there. So and all of their credentials are verified. Um, and so basically, what you can do is you can pull it up no matter where you are and find providers nearby, and you can look and see, like you can drill down as well.
Heath Padgett
So say, like, I need somebody to work on my Aqua Hot or my Truma or my Lippert components. So you can actually look and see who's credentialed and look at the reviews and send them messages. Um, and the cool thing about it is it it's combining these two seasons of my life, which is RV Entrepreneur and the service side because all all of the people who are on this platform are small business owners. So for me, it's the it is a pain point for RVers as well, but I'm equally excited when we've gotten messages from service providers saying, like, my phone's ringing or I'm getting so many book jobs through our vHelp. Like, that's been the best.
Heath Padgett
Great.
Tony
Yeah. It, uh, it's such a pain point, and this is such a great way to solve that. And as you mentioned, all these individuals have certification in various areas, and some of them are specialized, as you mentioned, the Aqua Hot or Truma or whatever it happens to be.
Peggy
Right.
Tony
Um, and so you can say, oh, I have my, I don't know, BrandX air conditioner isn't working right. And you could just find a general tech or maybe someone who has specialized specialty in air conditioning Yeah. Or water heaters. I see a lot of people with that kind of thing.
Heath Padgett
Yeah. Exactly. I love that shirt, by the way.
Tony
Oh, thank you. So well, next year, we're gonna do Route 66 again, and we're gonna have mini meetups along the route. So Oh, cool. We're kinda pitching Route Route 66 a lot.
Peggy
Kinda keeping it right in their peripheral vision at least.
Tony
Yeah. I don't know. I think if the lights go out, this shirt will light up a room.
Peggy
Anyway No. But I mean, we may not say Route 66, but we'll say Route 66.
Heath Padgett
I have a I have a Route 66 story that's tangentially related to RV help. It wouldn't matter if it wasn't, but we we hit the road in 2014. And nine days into Alyssa and I being full time, um, we had this twenty year old RV. Uh, it was a Coachmen Leprechaun, '94. And we were going we were, uh, we just left the Grand Canyon.
Heath Padgett
We were, like, an hour in the middle of nowhere, and, um, it wasn't Prescott. It was, uh, maybe Williams, Arizona, if I'm not making up that name. I think it Williams, Arizona.
Peggy
Yeah. Oh, that's real.
Heath Padgett
And I remember, like, we pulled off and exited at to a red light, and I guess we were gonna get gas or something. And I went to press the gas whenever we were stopped at the red light, and it wasn't going to Alyssa's like, it's a green light. Go. I'm like, I can't. I can't move.
Heath Padgett
And I was able to kinda putts in, uh, and I and it literally happened that the next turn was a mechanic shop, and we had a fuel pump. It It was, like, eight or nine hundred bucks, which at the time we were like, oh my gosh. This is the most money in the whole world. It felt so stressful in that moment, and they even, like, ran a cord out there. They ordered the part, and we got on the road the next day.
Heath Padgett
But in that moment, it felt so heavy and chaotic, and I just remember feeling so grateful that there was somebody on the road who, um, showed us kindness and, like, helped us out in that moment. And I I remember we were, like, after all this moment, I was like, I need some comfort food. So I went we went to this restaurant. I ordered queso and margarita. And these people were so nice.
Heath Padgett
And they ended up inviting us to their dojo the next day to do martial arts. I didn't do any martial arts. I don't know anything. But we went because it was a cool, like, on the road experience on Route 66. And I remember the next day while I was waiting on my RV, I was talking to this guy, and it turns out his gas station is modeled off of the movie Cars.
Heath Padgett
Like, his dad started it on Route 66. So, like, Luigi's Tire Shop is modeled after anyway, so, um, I remember one feeling that it felt so good to know that there was a community of people that could step in when you have an issue on the road, which I think is what we're trying to do with RV help. But, also, from a Route 66 perspective, like, it was there's so much nostalgia there with that whole drive. So I'm excited for that for you guys.
Peggy
That you had an experience like you would have had back in Route 66 Heyday where everybody helped and
Tony
Yeah.
Peggy
And was independent owners and had little little stops on the way and nice. That's awesome.
Heath Padgett
I heard this story, and I think it's true. I've never really researched it. But Good Sam is something that's morphed in a ton of different ways today. But from what I was told when it when the organization first started, the whole idea behind it was, like, you would put a sticker and an emblem on the back of your car or RV. So you've maybe heard this.
Heath Padgett
And, like, the point was if somebody had an issue, you knew that they were part of this full timing community, and they would step in and help. And I think that in a lot of ways, like, that is a really noble thing to wanna try to replicate, to have this network of people that can help you when you have an issue and something comes up so you don't feel isolated and you feel like you're part of a bigger, you know, tribe or community sort of thing.
Tony
Yeah. That's fantastic. And and the fact that you're helping small businesses and independent people, as well as so many people, when when something breaks on your RV, I see in so many forums and and places online where people are like, I'm in the RV park, and I can't get my water heater to work or whatever. And and this can completely change your camping experience so that it goes from being terrible to stress less.
Peggy
Yeah. There
Tony
you go.
Heath Padgett
Yeah. Yeah.
Peggy
Could get many more.
Heath Padgett
That should be a skill, like, just in integrating that whenever you have a moment. Yeah.
Tony
Yeah. It almost should be stressless service, but, no, don't don't call it that.
Peggy
Do that. So how many, uh, we were talking about, you know, mob mobility.
Tony
Mhmm.
Peggy
Do do you have kind of a rough estimate of the, you know, like, how many of your techs or the techs in your system are in a permanent place and how many, like, you happen to catch up to them Yeah. Because they're very mobile as well?
Heath Padgett
That's a good question. Um, I'm sure we could pull the that number. I haven't nobody's asked me that. I wanna say the majority of providers, I wanna say, maybe 60% are actually traveling in their RV and moving, like, throughout the year. And so they may they may not be going to a place every month, um, but it's, uh, you know, maybe a few different service areas throughout the year.
Heath Padgett
So maybe they're in Texas or Florida. Most most providers are in, like, Texas, Arizona, Florida in the winter, and then they kinda distribute throughout the year, um, and go to the mark different markets where they, you know, people are traveling to or where they would also like to travel to. Um, I'm I'm actually interested in knowing exactly what the breakdown is because I don't know off the top of my head.
Peggy
I know that one of one of the things we have told, you know, especially younger people, like, floundering around trying to figure out what to do with their lives is to become an RV tech. You can travel. You can go wherever you want. You put a magnet on the side of your truck. And when you're tired because too many people have hired you, you take the magnet off and have a vacation and then start over again.
Tony
Exactly. This is like the ultimate magnet.
Peggy
This is the the permanent magnet on this or the yeah. Permanent magnet on the side of your truck. Actually, can these sorry. We have a list and I'm just, like, going all over
Heath Padgett
this place. That's the best conversations anyway.
Peggy
Can these techs, uh, turn off their locator, you know, if they have a vacation or they need a break?
Heath Padgett
Yep. Yeah. They have a feature in their settings where they can turn it off or, like, I know one provider recently had some family problems, so they just wanted to have a pause. So, yeah, they can go and and turn off their listing at any time.
Tony
Okay. And are you also working you're working with the RV technical wait.
Heath Padgett
There's too many acronyms.
Tony
I know. There's a there's the company in Texas, Todd, that Todd is a part of. And then there's the RV Technical Institute in Indiana that's from the RVIA. So you don't care where someone gets their certification or, you know, does it make a difference where the certification comes from?
Heath Padgett
I from a consumer perspective, I don't really know that it matters a ton as far as that goes because at the end of the day, people wanna know, like, have you, um, like, a credential is a great trust component, but at the end of the day, it's gonna be how well is someone taking care of you. Are they, you know, credible? So we do have a partnership with the National RV Training Academy and the RV Technicians Associations and the National RV Inspectors Associations. There'll be an acronym quiz later, Tony. Um, so we have a partnership with that.
Heath Padgett
That's cool. And a lot of a lot of the providers who have went through that school have also gotten dual certification. So they may have gotten their, um, their certification to be a tech, um, at the NRVTA, and maybe they went and got a master, um, become a master technician with RVTI, and they have, like, their own levels one, two, three, and four. So, um, right now, we're really working closely with the RV tech RVTA a, and we've had great conversations with RVTI. We don't currently have, like, a pathway to verify credentials from RVTI like we do with the in RVTA.
Heath Padgett
Um, so currently, when people graduate from that school, we're able to kind of ping them and validate this person is who they say they are. So, um, right now, we do have techs who are uploading their certifications, who have went through both schools, um, and our current association members. But one of the reasons we've been excited to work with the RBTAA is that, like, when we've gotten mobile tech coverage in the past you're laughing. I know. When we've got mobile tech service in the past, it's kind of been hit or miss.
Heath Padgett
Like, when someone shows up, like, we've had really good experiences and ones where someone shows up in, like, a cutoff shirt or just, like, okay. Like, there's not a lot of trust there. And so the RVTAA has kinda stepped in as the trusted organization that is helping to create good guidelines and practices for mobile technicians. And so right now, all of the techs who are on our platform are are certified through the RVTAA. And I think that is a really good thing to have an organization that stepped in and said, hey.
Heath Padgett
Uh, here's a good practice. You have to do a certain number of continuing education hours every year to keep your certification. So there's there's a lot of value, I think, in in having that body out there that's helping people, you know, continue to be better at their craft.
Tony
Yeah. And and do you also incorporate, uh, reviews from customers into the platform?
Heath Padgett
Yep. So people can leave reviews directly on RV help, and we get quite a people a lot of providers get reviews daily. Uh, we've also pulled in their Google reviews as well. Um, but that's been another issue. A lot of providers, because they travel, Google is not very friendly for, um, reviews or having, uh, you know, like, saying I'm in five or six places.
Heath Padgett
Uh, and so having that presence on RV help has the goal is for that to be helpful for providers. So, uh, for them to get those additional jobs because they may not be able to do that as well through easily through Google.
Tony
Yeah. That I mean, you're right because Google is very location based. And when your location changes daily, weekly, monthly, whatever it is, it it don't work so good. Yeah.
Heath Padgett
Exactly. Yeah.
Tony
So another component that I know you have is sort of, uh, online chat, for lack of a better description, where someone can maybe some things might just need to be walked through. Someone can figure it out if it's like, oh, you just didn't turn the winterizing valves on your water heater. Tell us a little about that too.
Heath Padgett
So we, uh, we've been going to shows. And and right now, the site RV Help is completely free. And we've been going to shows and kind of promoting the platform, and RVers are coming up and saying, like, well, how much does it cost? We're like, well, it's free. And they're like, okay.
Heath Padgett
So are you gonna charge like and and basically, as we went to these shows, we've been asking people, like, well, what would make what what would make it worth something that you would pay for? Or, like, what could we add to this so that, you know, there's something that's more useful in taking care of your RV or whatever? So we've been building out, um, you know, kind of a paid tier option. Everything's gonna stay free, but some of the things that we're starting to add into that paid tier are, um, ability for an RV owner to get a remote diagnostic, like a video call with certified techs. Um, another thing is basic troubleshooting phone calls with techs who are in your area.
Heath Padgett
So one thing a lot of people may or may not know is that most technicians, um, consider a good practice if you call them and say, hey, my hot water heater is busted. They don't wanna come out and charge you $300 for a service call and an hour rate to just say, hey, there's something really simple like a switch you could flip sort of thing. Yeah. And so most of them are more than willing to jump on a quick phone call as long as their time permits to help you out in that moment. So now there's a a filter on RV help where you can go and find those people who might be willing to offer you a free call.
Heath Padgett
And as a platform, we just ask, like, if you if you find that helpful, leave them a nice review. If they can't fix your problem, you know, hire them to come out and pay their hourly rate. But that's a way for providers to get more leads. Um, and so we've started asking them to, uh, opt in to giving those calls. Um, and then, you know, some providers have opted to give discounts for our pro members as we build out this membership.
Heath Padgett
Um, so that's currently the way that you can, you know, some a few of the ways you can use the platform today. And you can also just message providers, uh, and ask, like, for service. You can click contact and fill out and share what your problem is. Um, it's always better as a side note to give more details so that, you know, the more information, the better. For the providers, a lot of times they're busy on a job, and they're trying to know if they can help you or not.
Heath Padgett
So if you give them more information, that's usually, uh, better, uh, for them knowing if they can help you. And sometimes they may just say, I can't, you know, like, but here's somebody in the area. So, um, there's a lot of things that we're doing and adding in, uh, to make that a bit easier. And one of the things that, for instance, we've realized is, like, a lot we've learned a lot of our view owners are submitting multiple requests to a lot of different providers. And so we, um, just because they may not get help or they're trying to get help quickly, they're like, I'm in a Walmart parking lot.
Heath Padgett
My slide's stuck. Like, I need somebody soon. And so we've we're we've built out a feature that's more of like an Uber like dispatch model. So, um, you know, when you've called, like, roadside or other programs in the past, they basically, like, look on Google or platforms like ours to try to find people. And this is kind of a way for you to do that yourself where basically you create a job, say, here's what's going on with my RV, and then you can just invite a bunch of providers in the area.
Heath Padgett
Uh, so if you're trying to get help quickly, it's a way for you to know, you know, who's available and who might be able to come help you out sooner.
Tony
Yeah. That's that's really fantastic, and it'll probably also reduce the number of people on Facebook or whatever social platform asking, whose question is, my hot water heater doesn't work. What should I do? And well, it's not a hot water heater.
Heath Padgett
If you
Tony
had hot water, you wouldn't need a heater.
Peggy
But, yeah. But you doing that in socials, you're not getting these certified techs. You're getting random people who know maybe what they do or how theirs works, but you get a lot of bad advice on social media.
Heath Padgett
Yeah. And, I mean, realistically, like, we've had a hot skin on our RV before, like, when we had our our daughter, and it was, like, really, really hot skin. I mean, I was getting shot. Like, I don't know if you ever remember those pins that were, like, a prank pins you could buy at Spencer's, and it, like, make jolted you, but that's what the skin of our RV felt like. And I mean, there's there's just there's just certain things that, um, you shouldn't try to do on your own unless you're qualified.
Heath Padgett
So finding people nearby that can help you is is a wise thing.
Tony
Yeah. So you can sort by specialty, by distance, um, putting that you know, putting out that, hey. I have this issue, and multiple techs can answer you or maybe even help you, whatever. Uh, it it you've really solved a big pain point in the RV space. Yeah.
Tony
Because I think service might be the the biggest challenge RVer's have. And, you know, they they say if you're an RVer, you should be a good fixer, handy person. Right. But not all of us are. Yeah.
Heath Padgett
I'm right there with you.
Tony
Yeah. I mean, sometimes, you know, I have an issue, and I have to go on Google to see how to work a screwdriver. So
Heath Padgett
You're like, which one's the flathead again? Which one's the belt? I mean Which one do
Peggy
you think do I hold?
Heath Padgett
Yeah. I mean, in our sometimes you just have to. Like, you have to figure it out. Like, I remember in our first RV, I remember I was catching water with a popcorn bucket just thinking, um, you know, like, okay. I've gotta figure out how to, like, seal off my roof.
Heath Padgett
And so I got up there, scraped a bunch of stuff off, used a turnip on tape. I'm sure it was a horrible job. Um, but there's certain things you just try to, like, figure out as you go. And, um, but, yeah, it's nice when you can just call somebody who is an actual expert at this thing to come help you. And one of the things I didn't realize until getting deeper into this new business was how many things can actually be taken care of with a mobile technician.
Heath Padgett
Like, you might think so many issues have to be in an RV bay at a service shop, but about 70% of all RV service problems can be done through mobile technician. So there's a lot of scenarios that you don't actually have to, you know, haul your fifth wheel or travel trailer into a into a shop.
Tony
Well and I know there are some RV companies that now will, uh, reimburse for mobile techs under warranty, that is. Sure. Yeah. So it's becoming more common because I think they see the issue, the lack of available techs. And there are some that I know that will yeah.
Tony
Sure. We'll we'll support a mobile tech. So it may even be covered by your warranty depending on the RV and the circumstance and what phase of the moon and all that.
Heath Padgett
And I think that's wise. And from the manufacturers that that, um, that we've been talking to, it seems like the theme for a lot of OEMs is we just wanna be able to take care of our customers. Like, we're not necessary you know, there's a lot of obviously, there's a there's a intimate relationships that OEMs have with dealers, and and you wanna respect that. So, like, if you're near your dealer but a lot of times, like, you buy your RV to drive it across the country, not to sit, you know, in your backyard. And so there's just a lot of scenarios where you're not close to a dealer, so having somebody who can come out is helpful.
Heath Padgett
So I would love to see that adopted from all manufacturers, but some of the new ones are doing a really good job, um, of leveraging technicians, uh, to come out and take care of customers.
Tony
Well, and Murphy, being an RVer himself, knows that if you have an RV and it worked when you left your home base, the likelihood of it breaking depends on how far away you are from your home base.
Heath Padgett
There you go.
Tony
But, I mean, that's Murphy's Law of RVing. So you had said that it's completely free to use this, and you have an app now.
Heath Padgett
Yep. We have so we submitted for both the Android this is my first time going through the app approval process for any of these businesses, but, uh, so we've learned a lot. But we submitted it Android and iPhone at the same time. IPhone almost immediately approved it. Um, Android took, like, a two week process, and then they just got back and said, no.
Heath Padgett
You need to fix this. And it's actually a pretty vague process, um, as far as, like, feedback goes. So it's pending with Android, but it is live in the iOS store. And hopefully, whenever this goes live, it's live in both. But it Oh, fantastic.
Heath Padgett
We did submit it the same time. We've had several people be like, why are you hating on Android? I'm like, no. We No. We did them both.
Heath Padgett
But anyway. So
Peggy
It's good that you explain that because there are we do, uh, you know, seminars on apps, our favorite apps, and we're always like, okay. It's our favorite apps with an iPhone, you know. And I try to research and tell you if you can get it with an Android phone, but sometimes I can't figure it out myself.
Heath Padgett
Yeah. So I'm sure that a lot of times Android users might feel like the forgotten child, um, but we will have an RV help Android app as well. Perfect. And yes, it's free.
Tony
If you're a tech and you're like, oh my gosh, this is brilliant. I wanna join. How does somebody as a tech join or become part of this?
Heath Padgett
So we're we're working on adding providers, um, currently. Like, we've had this come up a few times of providers who have reached out. Currently, as it stands today, we only have, um, actively certified technicians on the platform. Um, so we don't have people who have maybe dealer experience and decided that they want to go start their own mobile tech business. Um, so we're currently working with the RVTAA to come up with a vetting process so that whenever we have people who have reached out and said they went to different different schools or have different backgrounds, like, what does it look like to become, um, actively certified or vetted, uh, so that we kind of we keep a trusted process for any technicians that we bring on the platform.
Heath Padgett
It doesn't cost any provider to to be a provider on the platform, it doesn't cost them any money. We just wanna be able to have, uh, technicians on the platform who are, uh, certified and have a good, um, you know are gonna take care of RV owners, essentially.
Tony
So wait. It's free to be on the platform as a tech and free to use the platform. I don't know, Heath. I mean, you're you're a very experienced business owner, but that's not how you serve less.
Heath Padgett
So we yeah. We we I did send you a link. We have, um, so when we went to a lot of these shows asking our viewers, like, hey. This is the free product. We think it's really useful.
Heath Padgett
We want to make this a great app for people to find nearby tax. We wanna build things on top of it so that if you like the free experience, there's some paid things that you can opt into as an RV owner. And so we currently have a founders club, which is basically means, like, we made it 50% off and said, hey, we're building this as a platform to support independent small business owners and for you to get better service. Um, and if you sign up, you can give us feedback on the things we're building. Uh, we currently have over a hundred providers who had opted in to give either a 10% discount on their hourly rate or a discount on their service fee, um, as well as a, um, like, the basic troubleshooting calls.
Heath Padgett
So if you ever have an issue, you can filter by those providers as part of the Pro membership. Um, and then we're building in other value as well, like a a maintenance tracker, um, to be able to see all your previous service that you've had on the platform. Um, and so the idea is to stack a lot of value and help RV owners not just get access to good help when they need it, but kind of simplify some of those big pain points that you have, like, as your RV breaks, knowing, like, when you need to take care of it. Hey. You can fix you can do this annual maintenance or find it local provider, uh, that type of thing.
Heath Padgett
So we will have we will hopefully make money at a certain point. But, I mean, honestly, as it stands today, we've had, like, 75,000 people use the site since we went live in January. We have about a thousand providers. We're sending over a hundred service requests per day. And so that's very, um, like, a it's a bucket fill on our end to see the fact that this is useful.
Heath Padgett
And and I I kinda it sounds, um, maybe a bit lofty, but, like, I do have every hope or expectation that we're gonna continue to be able to add value along the way, um, so that we can figure out a way to, you know, reinvest back in the platform and make it useful for our viewers so that, you know, whenever you have an issue, it's like, hey. I'm just gonna pull up somebody on our v help and and be able to book them. So we're building in other things to be able to monetize the platform for sure.
Tony
No, I figured I know you're a Sherpa guy. I just, I had to give you a hard time because that's my job.
Heath Padgett
Totally. Yeah. I appreciate it.
Tony
Yeah. If somebody wants to find an RV tech, you can just go right now. Well, no. Listen to the rest of this podcast and then
Peggy
Then go. Go right
Tony
now to rvhelp.com. Or you can download the app if you're if you have an iPhone, and you should soon be able to download the app if you have an Android phone.
Heath Padgett
Exactly. And you can also find uh, we also have, um, we also have inspectors on the platform. So NRVIA certified inspectors, if you need an inspection for an RV that you're looking to buy, new or used, you can go and find, uh, inspectors near you as well.
Tony
That's if if you're buying especially a used RV, without a doubt, hire an inspector. And this is a great way to find somebody because that's one of the big questions. Where do I find a a certified tech? Well, rvhelp.com.
Heath Padgett
Yeah. Whenever we first started RVing in 2014, I think, like, I I that was the year that the NRVIA started, so it was a very new thing to get an inspection. And during that time, it was not something I ever heard of. But for sure had I known that that was a service that existed, I would have used it. Uh, and and I don't know many people who wouldn't because why would you I mean, you wouldn't buy a hundred thousand dollar, 50 thousand dollar, you know, unit without having somebody come take a look at it.
Heath Padgett
So I'm a big fan in the, um, the value of the the third party inspection.
Tony
Yeah. I I completely agree with you. You're kidding yourself if you if you don't. Unless you're, like, an expert RVer, uh, it's absolutely worth the money. I mean, whatever you invest in having that person inspect the RV, you will likely save in not having to repair that stuff that they find.
Heath Padgett
Totally. Yeah. If you don't have to drive down the road and then get it fixed and you can have a a dealer fix it right there for you with the punch list, like, that's huge.
Tony
Yeah. And there are some people even having new RVs inspected.
Heath Padgett
A lot of a lot of people are having new RVs inspected. Yeah.
Tony
Yeah. It it it was rare, and now I think it's fairly common.
Peggy
Right.
Heath Padgett
Yeah. I mean, it's still the same logic. I mean, somebody's, you know, assembled it by hand, you know, good intentions on, I hope, most OEMs part, but somebody drove that RV to a location. So it doesn't take long for a a pothole or something to loosen something that shouldn't be loose.
Tony
Well and you you know the old joke, what's the difference between an RV owner and an RV delivery driver?
Heath Padgett
No, I don't.
Peggy
30 miles an hour.
Heath Padgett
There you go.
Tony
Yeah. You get passed by them on the highway.
Peggy
Yeah. Constantly.
Tony
Yeah. I mean, you've developed something that is absolutely going to solve a pain point for, I think, every RVer out there. So I commend you. Thank you again for another awesome product that helps we RVers.
Heath Padgett
You bet.
Tony
Speaking of RVers, Heath is also, in addition to being a serial entrepreneur, you're a serial RVer. You've been to New Zealand. Uh, you traveled all over The US. With getting a new job at every stop, which was how you got into this, you were a brand ambassador for Winnebago. So you've had a lot of RV experience.
Tony
What is the best thing you can remember? What is the best RV experience you've had so far?
Heath Padgett
Oh, um, I feel like a lot of times you think about the things that is more recent in your memory because that it's it the like, I have to think about things I've had since we've done kids because it's just pre kids. There's been too much lack of sleep. So one thing that comes to mind is we did a, um, a two week, uh, camper van trip across Japan. So we picked up our RV, um, in Tokyo, and then, uh, we went to Mount Fuji, uh, the volcano. And, um, we just woke up, like, a couple mornings in and then just, like, have this majestic view of this volcano in Japan.
Heath Padgett
And, like, we're the only Americans there, and all our our kids are playing with these, like, locals. And, um, and I just remember thinking it was, like, such a unique experience, and it's because we've built this habit of, um, like, that's just the mode that we like to travel. We've done the hauling our bags around Airbnbs and jumping around and hauling luggage and taking strollers and, like, it sucks. And so we when we can go to a country for a month, like, we almost always will find an RV and jump in and travel around. So, um, the the Japan experience was just so different than any of the other places that we've RVed that it it was very special.
Tony
Interesting. And how is Japan compared to you're in New Zealand too. Right? Well, in most cases, you're driving on the wrong side of the road with a stick shift.
Heath Padgett
Yeah. I'm trying to think if the Japanese RV is a stick shift. I can't honestly, I can't remember at this point. I've done some stick shift RVs in Italy and other places, but
Tony
Oh, yeah.
Heath Padgett
Yeah. The the Japan roads were the best, um, by far as far as, like, signage and quality of the roads. Mhmm.
Peggy
Um, I
Heath Padgett
can definitely give you, like, the worst as well. Um, I wanna say that, uh, Wales was by far the hardest to drive in, um, in an RV because, uh, they're just the roads are so small. Um, I mean, just pure terrifying. Like, you did go see small roads. And so, um, yeah, I I should make, like, a top 10 list of, like, best and worst places
Peggy
to drive an RV in
Heath Padgett
the world. Um, it has been something we've talked about a lot.
Tony
Yeah. So on that subject, what's the worst experience you can remember?
Heath Padgett
The worst experience.
Tony
Than your son being in the ER.
Peggy
Yeah. Other than that. Bad.
Heath Padgett
Sure. Yeah. Worst experience RVing? Um, gosh. Uh, is it is this a punch list of questions you ask on every episode?
Tony
Yep.
Heath Padgett
Yeah. Um, worst experience RVing?
Tony
Uh, gosh.
Heath Padgett
I feel like I should try it just to sort I honestly and this is a good question to ask because I feel like it's actually making me think. I don't have like a preloaded answer for this. I mean, when someone tried to break into our RV when we were in Italy A Few Years ago, like, we were all fine, but that was pretty scary, uh, because, like, sometimes the kids would be napping in there. So we were in just Sienna, and someone tried to, like, jam in. We were with our friends John and Peter, RV geeks, and, like, they tried to break in both of our RVs, and we were freaking out.
Heath Padgett
And they had, like, they were filming, so they had, like, thousands of dollars worth of video camera equipment. And, like Oh. Uh, Peter came back and we're like, they took it all. And it was just, like, kind of a crazy moment where it just felt like, oh my gosh. But luckily, he just forgot where he put it, and, like, it they didn't get in to take it.
Heath Padgett
Um, that was an unfortunate one, um, that that comes to mind for me. Oh, no. I do know the answer. I have a better one. So we were driving home, uh, from Canada and we had our tow vehicle on it.
Heath Padgett
We had our Winnebago Brave. So it's a class A 20 or, uh, it was a class A 33 foot, uh, motorhome and, uh, we had a doll a tow dolly and our Honda CR V was on the back and Alyssa was pregnant and, like, I was driving from Canada to Texas and we were just, like, crushing miles. Not our normal mode. And I remember we pulled off at an overlook and honestly I can't remember exactly what happened other than the fact that I, like, disconnected the car and it was in neutral and it wasn't in part like, I again, I don't know what was going through my mind, what happened in this moment till that led to this. I'd have to ask Alyssa because I'm sure it's in her memory.
Heath Padgett
But I remember I started chasing after the car. I have my pregnant wife jump out of the RV running at me. Oh. Tried and I I tried to get it to stop, and it's barreling at I 35. Um, like down a hill, massive hill.
Heath Padgett
There's tons of cars coming. And it finally, like, I'm running alongside it, sprinting, I'm in flip flops trying to like get in and stop it and, um, and eventually I just have to like let it go as it's barreling to and I was like, oh my gosh, this is gonna this is gonna kill somebody. This is I was just horrified. Um, and luckily, like, it coasted through with it didn't touch anyone, and it just kinda, like, bumped on the side of the road in the grass. And I we ended up, like, getting a tow, and I drove it home.
Heath Padgett
But it was that was terrifying. That was one of the scariest experience that we've ever had. And again Oh
Tony
my gosh.
Heath Padgett
I'm trying to remember. It was seven years ago at this point. Um, so I don't remember exactly I I definitely made a mistake, and I don't remember exactly what I did. But somehow, there was a sequence of events that allowed this to happen, um, and I lost control of the car, and it just barreled towards I 35.
Peggy
It could
Heath Padgett
ended poorly. So not a good experience.
Tony
Yeah. But But it could
Peggy
have ended so much worse.
Heath Padgett
Yeah. That's Exactly. Yeah.
Tony
I don't think we have any other questions. So I want to thank you for your time and for the things you've done for the RV industry and for We RVers. And wish you tremendous success. And also, it's just a pleasure to see you again.
Peggy
Yeah. For sure. Yeah. It's good to
Heath Padgett
see you guys too. Thanks for having me.
Peggy
So everybody go check out the apps on your for sure on your iPhone, hopefully on your Android, and find RV help. And get that ready so that when you I mean, if you do need a mobile tech, you can find one at a moment's glance. That, like a 12 volt refrigerator, was cool.
Tony
Man, it was like a 12 volt freezer. And speaking of which Yeah. Our gadget this week is another 12 volt cooler.
Peggy
Okay.
Tony
Uh, this one oh, go ahead.
Peggy
Sorry. This time is gonna be the bodega 26 quart cooler. Now we have probably talked about our bodega cooler before. That was a different one. Yeah.
Peggy
We just got another one.
Tony
Well, the the folks at bodega reached out and they're like, hey. How'd you like to try a different one of our 12 volt fridges? We're like, yeah. You don't have to ask us. Just Right.
Tony
Just yeah. So this time because we love gadgets and we love refrigerators and
Peggy
For sure.
Tony
And all of that.
Peggy
We love our pop to be cold. We, this time, opted for the 26 quart single I don't know what you call it. Single cavity? The one that we had before
Tony
Like just single chamber?
Peggy
Yeah. The one that we had before had two chambers, or still has. That's we still have it. The one that we've had for some time. And it could be powered independently for a refrigerator section and a freezer section.
Peggy
This one just has one temperature option.
Tony
Right.
Peggy
Which is fine because it's also smaller and it's easier for us to get into the back seat of the truck easier.
Tony
Yeah. It's, uh, it's much smaller than the other bodega we have, and it's significantly smaller than the Dometic that we have. Oh, yes. Yes. Is the size of a refrigerator.
Tony
This is just a single chamber. It is a small it it's a 26 quart. Why would you want something like this? Well, we're gonna use it. We're just gonna keep it in the back seat of the truck.
Tony
Yeah. It is gonna have our snacks and maybe some sodas or well, we don't really drink soda much, but We drink
Peggy
carbonated water.
Tony
Yeah. I like those carbonated
Peggy
waters. In summertime, I like cold water. So we'll have some cold water and some snacks so that if we get hungry on the road, you know, we like to eat beef and cheese sticks and those Yeah.
Tony
From Yoder's it's a
Peggy
lot better if they're not all
Tony
warm and softy. Yeah. That's true. Uh, so this cooler has, as I said, a single well. It is not Bluetooth compatible like the other bodega.
Tony
The other bodega was Bluetooth compatible. This one is not. This one's pretty simple, but it still has the typical bodega features like the lid. You can flip it around. So depending on which side works better in the wherever you're using it, you can flip the lid around.
Tony
That's kinda cool.
Peggy
Reach a cord one direction, you can turn the lid the other direction.
Tony
Yeah. Yeah. Speaking of the cord, it came with two. One is a wall wart for plugging into household power, and one is a very long 12 volt power cord. I still call them cigarette lighter cords, but they're just power ports now.
Peggy
I suppose you could then well, we can't anymore. We don't have back window. But you could put it in the bed of the truck and run that cord all the way up to the dash Probably. To plug it in. Yeah.
Peggy
Yeah. We can't now, but we had that in
Tony
the past. Although some trucks even have a power port in the back. I know. Yeah. You could do that.
Tony
This is also supposedly waterproof. I don't wanna test it, but, you know, haul it around in the rain, no big deal. You can also leave it in your vehicle plugged in. In some vehicles, that power port stays hot
Heath Padgett
Yeah.
Tony
Even when the engine's off. So there's a battery protecting mode, so you don't come out in the cooler, suck your battery dry.
Peggy
Oh, that's nice.
Tony
Yeah. So that's one of the features. Uh, you can either have the compartment be all fridge or all freezer. So you do have that option. So let's say you go to the store, and it's summer, and you're buying some ice cream.
Tony
Well, this is a great way to keep the ice cream from thawing while you're driving around.
Peggy
Have a freezer to get home with.
Tony
We tested this thing, uh, with our we have a little bougie RV battery pack. It's like a very small portable power station, and I tested it with that. And when it was on so this thing has a household power outlet that that battery pack, and then it has a cigarette lighter, a power port port. And on one ten power or household power, it used about 40 watts of electricity when it was cooling down. But on the 12 volt, it only used 28.
Tony
So I suspect that, you know, some of it takes energy to create that household power, the inverting process. So, uh, uh, it's basically, bottom line, it's really efficient, doesn't take a whole lot of energy. And, obviously, it's a refrigerator, so it cycles on and off, on and off. Uh, that was the interesting thing with that little power thing. When the fridge shut itself off, there was so little power draw that the power station shut off too.
Tony
So I had to fiddle around with it to make it work. So, anyway, uh, these things are
Peggy
Did you happen to check how long this one takes to cool down? Like, you talked about the 12 volt refrigerator, but
Tony
It's very quick. It looks like it's under an hour for fridge temp.
Peggy
So it's a lot smaller. So that makes a lot of sense.
Tony
Yeah. The one thing I don't like about this one is that the handles are not like, reaching into the truck and pulling it, the handles aren't really good for that.
Peggy
They're not deep. There's just a little bit of a lip to get your fingertips in.
Tony
Very griptiony. Yeah. But other than that, I mean, $200 for these things or so. Bring your ice cream home cold or your pop. And speaking of pop Pop.
Peggy
What does that make me think of? Maybe pops on Route 66. Yep. That is our goofy USA destination for this week.
Tony
Yeah. So if you're thirsty for something different and you happen to be on Route 66, perhaps, you know, you'd like a strawberry soda pop or a blueberry soda pop.
Peggy
Or something with extra caffeine or, uh, I mean, we didn't try these, but, uh, pickle soda pop?
Tony
Yeah. Pickle. And there are several varieties of pickle soda pop.
Peggy
Well, Pop's Soda Pop started on Route 66 in Arcadia, Oklahoma, and it's one of the newer attractions along Route 66 because it's only been open since 02/2007.
Tony
On the shelves and in the coolers, you'll find six to 700 different types of sodas ranging from regional specialties, things you might not have imagined, things you might not have heard of, or maybe a favorite from the past where it's like, oh, I haven't seen that one in a while.
Peggy
And by the way, those soda flavors are also color coordinated. Yeah. So the windows of pops are like a big stained glass window. They're so pretty with all those colors of soda in them. But anyway, there are sodas with, for example, ranch flavor, dill pickle, peanut butter, bacon.
Peggy
I don't know. We've tried
Tony
and so, you know, when we go, there's, you know, every flavor you can imagine. There's, you know, all the berries, for example, raspberry, blueberry, grape berry.
Peggy
Grape berry.
Tony
And not only do they have, like, one blueberry, they might have 10 or 20.
Peggy
Yeah. Like, everybody who ever made a raspberry soda pops carries it.
Tony
Yeah. Pretty much. So there's there's a lot of choices. Uh, and every time we go there, we we have to buy we're not big soda drinkers or pop drinkers, I guess, but we do have to buy a few that we know we're gonna like. Yeah.
Tony
Uh, and and then we gotta challenge ourselves to something. And I think maybe next time we'll try a dill pickle or a a ranch or something. Who knows? Right. We
Peggy
have tried Ranch sounds so bizarre.
Tony
Right. But that's the whole idea. You gotta try the weird stuff.
Peggy
So I guess so. We have tried what? Bacon soda?
Tony
And peanut butter and jelly.
Peggy
Yep. And they were I almost thought I said baking soda. Bacon. Bacon flavored soda pop.
Tony
Yeah. It was interesting.
Peggy
Yeah. And you know And you know you could try it. Right?
Tony
Why not? While you're there, you can not only fill your stomach with gas You can but also your car.
Peggy
Fill your car. It's a gas station, not a soda the you know, you don't have to put soda pop in your gas tank.
Tony
No. No. Right? Although they say things go better with Coke, but,
Heath Padgett
you know.
Peggy
There's even a little cafe on hand. So there's things that you would expect in a cafe and maybe some things that you wouldn't.
Tony
Yeah. And also, of course, the bottomless soda fountain.
Peggy
So Of course. Pups is one of those places along Route 66 that is one of the newer attractions, and it makes no bones about being historic, but it is iconic.
Tony
Yeah. And it's also near the round barn, so there is more than one reason to pop in.
Peggy
Oh, boy. That
Tony
That is Goofy USA.
Peggy
And, of course, our Goofy USA segment is on another video. So when you're done here, you can go check that out. But for those of you listening on audio, you don't have to go anywhere. It's just part of the audio.
Tony
Yeah. Well, every week we ask a question of the week and last week was what is the best or worst mod you have done?
Peggy
Yeah. I was hoping for best. But of course, if you've done something that you really regretted, we wanna know about that so that other people don't, you know, follow in your footsteps. Eric and I had a good conversation about a mod that we've both done that we're both un unpleased with. So I hope that he keeps in touch with me and tells me how he solves his so we can decide if we're gonna do the same thing as him or something different.
Tony
Yeah. I think this is the least modded trailer we have ever had
Peggy
Yeah. We didn't
Tony
so far.
Peggy
We didn't have to do a lot of mods to the twenty five zero six f k, you know, in the twenty two zero five. Of course, we took out the theater seats
Tony
And the shower.
Peggy
And made an office. We took out the shower doors and put in the shower curtain. Those were the major things. I mean, for us, the major thing that we've done, of course, is put in the ABC outfit.
Tony
Oh, yeah. I guess, yeah. That's true. That's a significant mod that we did.
Peggy
But we did see some great I saw some great pictures of way the ways that people have made the travel trailer more perfect for them or their RV more perfect for them. And luckily, not too many not too many regrets.
Tony
Uh, no regrets. So this week's question is, how confident are you in solving your own tech issues?
Peggy
Especially know knowing now that there's RV Help right there, an app on your phone.
Tony
Yeah. They may be in the campground and you can find them right on your phone.
Peggy
But I mean, the tech is still gonna cost you money. So can you do a lot of those things yourself? This might be like mods. Right? Or have you done a tech thing that you're super proud of?
Peggy
Have you started a tech thing and made it worse and had to call an emergency help?
Tony
Pitching doctor Beetz.
Peggy
So how confident are you in solving your own tech issues?
Tony
And you can answer those questions that are fun and friendly. Stressless Campers Facebook group where people really are polite in front.
Peggy
That's right. Because otherwise, we kick them out. Did you know that we do an once in a week newsletter that is absolutely, positively, and completely free?
Tony
And it's got links to the stories, videos, and podcasts that will help you get the most out of your Stressless Camping RV experience.
Peggy
Just visit stresslesscamping.com. And on any page, you can find a place to sign up for our once a week newsletter. No other newsletters each week. We don't give away or sell your name. We just make sure that you have a reminder every Thursday morning that there's a new podcast to listen to.
Peggy
Gotcha.
Tony
And you'll find the show notes for this episode, episode three ten on the podcast page at stressescamping.com.
Peggy
Check out our new favorite RV products and services page for the things you need for your stresses camping adventure.
Tony
And, of course, you know, if you're on a social platform, so are we. Yeah. And you can start at stresslesscamping.com. And from there, jump off to all the places that we all enjoy wasting too much time.
Peggy
If you are an audio listener and you don't wanna miss a future episode of the Stressless Camping podcast, it's free to subscribe on any podcast catcher, and we are saving you a seat around our virtual campfire. Of course, I'm pointing, but if you're listening, you don't know that I'm pointing at you.
Tony
And, of course, if you are watching on YouTube, then we always appreciate your clicking the like button and subscribing if you see value in what we do. And, heck, leave a comment down below. We read them and respond to them. So and appreciate them.
Peggy
We do indeed. Have you listened or seen something that you like? Did you read something on our website this week that you liked? Please, please, please feel free to share any of that stuff with I mean, anybody. Share on the socials, share with your friends, Share with your family over Christmas dinner or whenever.
Peggy
Over a summer swim.
Tony
Summer barbecue.
Peggy
Yeah. You know, people that are also buying a watermelon in the grocery store. Whoever you wanna talk to, let them know about stressless camping.
Tony
Oh, yeah. And we appreciate you very, very much. We hope, uh, you found value in this episode again. And most of all
Peggy
Stressless camping.
Mark Ferrell
We hope you learned a lot and had some fun and got some tips for your next stress less camping adventure. We're honored by your reviews on Apple Podcasts, which helps others find us too. Don't forget to subscribe so you won't miss out on the adventure, and we look forward to your joining us next week. Until then, happy camping!
