Winter tips to keep your RV safe
RV tips: tips for safely storing your RV for winter
You may have winterized your RV - but did you get all the things that could be a problem when it’s time to take it out of storage? We have some additional tips to consider for your winterized RV no matter where you live.
Then, did you know there’s a big invasion going on in Tulsa, Oklahoma, but you might just want to be part of this wave? We have the full story on that in our Goofy USA segment.
Other places to hear the podcast
Mentioned on this episode
Our article on how to protect your RV from freezing
Can I use a winterized RV? We have an article with tips to camp in a winterized rig.
Can I use a portable electric heater in my RV?
Adam Douglas’ RV winterization tips and tricks.
A nifty gadget - the Airlight skylight insulator.
Our review of the Wolverine Tough Bottle water totes
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 StressLess Camping RV podcast episode 336
Peggy
You may have winterized your RV, but did you get all the things that could be a problem when it's time to take it out of storage?
Tony
We have some additional tips to consider for your winterized RV, no matter where you live.
Peggy
Then, did you know there's a big invasion going on in Tulsa, Oklahoma?
Tony
What? But, you know, you might just wanna be part of the wave.
Peggy
We have the full story on that in our Goofy USA segment.
Tony
We have this week's podcast along with the notes and all the stories that go along with this episode, plus discounts, deals, helpful tips, and more, at our home on the web at stresslesscamping.com.
Peggy
We really appreciate your likes and your shares, and we thank you for joining us for podcast episode 336.
Tony
Wow.
Peggy
Stressless Camping.
Tony
Stressless Camping. Hey, by the way, look who's back.
Peggy
Hey, we said it at the same time-
Tony
I know.
Peggy
... 'cause there's no delay.
Tony
Oh my gosh.
Tony
The delay was so bad.
Peggy
This should be an easier edit.
Tony
Yeah, no kidding.
Peggy
Which is good because I just got back on Tuesday and today is Wednesday, and by the time we go to bed tonight, this has to be edited, done, and uploaded to the internet.(laughs)
Tony
Zoinks. Oh my gosh. Well, you know what? That-
Peggy
We don't usually cut it so close.
Tony
No. But, eh, what the heck, you know? We're young, might as well enjoy the rush.
Tony
I'm Tony.
Peggy
I'm Peggy.
Tony
And we're two RV industries veterans who travel part of time...
Peggy
Sometimes in a Rockwood Mini Lite.(laughs)
Tony
Well, always in a Rockwood Mini Lite, which happens to be at the RV repair place right now. We're getting some upgrades. We ha- we gotta test a new gadget and we'll tell you about that in the future.
Peggy
Yeah. Uh, and what else? And, and sharing big adventures(laughs) and helping you with great tips...
Tony
Tricks.
Peggy
... and discounts.
Tony
Woo. Some people assume that this is a one-way street, that we're just here babbling on, and yeah, we're here ba- babbling on.
Peggy
I mean, we are.(laughs)
Tony
Well, yeah. But, we always appreciate your posts at our Facebook page, but also you can email us. So if you have questions or anything like that, we get some good emails, and we really should share those a little bit more. But anyway, there's a contact us form on our website, and you can contact us and if we have an answer for you, uh, we always reply with that. If we don't, we just make up stupid stuff, but...
Peggy
Right. I mean, if you have a question.
Tony
Oh, right, right, right.
Peggy
Now, if you have a podcast idea for us-
Tony
Oh, gosh, yes.
Peggy
... we have done some really great podcasts w- uh, as recommended by some of our listeners. So if you-
Tony
Yeah, as opposed to the normal lousy ones.(laughs)
Peggy
If you have an idea for us, I'm not guaranteeing we'll do it, but we will definitely consider your idea.
Tony
Yeah, yeah. And by the way, uh, several have already suggested go jump in the lake, so you don't need to-
Peggy
Yeah.
Tony
... bother with that.
Peggy
We're waiting for warm weather to go do that podcast.(laughs)
Tony
Oh, man. Remember the year I did the polar plunge?
Peggy
Oh, yes. On January 1st in the snow.
Tony
Oh, yeah.
Tony
My gosh. No, I'm not doing that ever, ever, ever.
Peggy
Yeah, I bet not.(laughs)
Tony
Well, we are gonna talk about some things that some people seem to overlook when winterizing their camper. But before we do that, we do have a whole guide to winterizing your RV.
Peggy
Right. Now, winterizing, you know, the basic winterizing that everybody knows and thinks of is getting the water out of the system, right?
Tony
Right.
Peggy
Getting the antifreeze if it's needed. But there's actually a lot more to winterizing than just the water aspect, and so we wanted to kind of go through some of those other things that may or may not come to your mind as you're putting your trailer away f- or your RV away for the week, uh-
Tony
For the weekend.
Peggy
How w- Let me try this again.
Tony
Yeah.
Peggy
You may not think of when you're putting your RV away for the winter.(laughs)
Tony
Yes, indeed. Uh, the first thing, uh, on all RVs, they recommend that you inspect all the exterior seals, and that's the roof, windows, baggage doors, door doors, anywhere where there's a water inlet or any other hole punched in the outside of the rig.
Peggy
Right. There's like water heaters and furnaces, the inlets, the, uh, ex- uh, what's it called? Exhausts.
Tony
Yep.
Peggy
Um, marker lights, especially marker lights.
Tony
Oh, yeah. Right.
Peggy
We don't think of those, but they're not always sealed very well.(laughs)
Tony
No, no, no. Anyway, so that's the first thing is, if you haven't, take the opportunity to check out all those seals because that's actually a maintenance item and is not covered typically under the RV warranty. Now, here is a Tony tip. You can take your phone camera or whatever camera and go around and video all of those holes and seals, because as somebody who managed a warranty department, people would...
Tony
You know, if we got leaks in, people would say, "Oh, yeah, yeah, I, I inspected my seals." "Really? How do you prove it?" And so, what I do is I take the camera and I video the whole exterior of the RV with, you know, you zoom in on where there's holes and stuff, or, you know, like marker lights and doors and stuff, and that way, you can also have a record of your inspections, but also you can see if something is starting to change or looks like it needs attention.
Peggy
If you look at a video and you're like, "Hmm, this doesn't seem the same," and you look at the video you took two or three months ago, and you're like, "Oh, yeah, it is the same. That's how it's always been."
Tony
Mm-hmm.
Peggy
"Must not be a problem."(laughs)
Tony
And now you've got a record that-
Peggy
Yeah.
Tony
... yes, indeed, you did do your routine inspection because that's really what's required.
Peggy
And that's good for you, like I said, as a comparison, if you think something looks different, you can check last time's video. But it also helps if you do have to take your RV in, especially if it's under warranty, it proves that you've been keeping an eye on it and you didn't just let a leak go for...
Tony
Yeah, a year.
Peggy
I was gonna say years, but then the warranty-
Tony
Yeah, right. The warranty's-
Peggy
... would be expired anyway.(laughs)
Tony
... not it. Um, also, very, very important to know what specific types of sealant are used for the outside of your RV. And I know everyone... There's a lot of people who always go, "Oh, Dicor," and Dicor makes a good product, but-
Peggy
Dicor is a brand, not a style, right?
Tony
Right.
Peggy
Yeah.
Tony
It's a brand. But, for example, Rockwoods, Brinklys use an AlphaPly roof. You do not wanna use normal Dicor sealant on that because it reacts with the chemicals in that membrane and it'll make bubbles. And I think I have a picture of, of that going wrong. So know what sealants are supposed to be used on the exterior of your RV, and if you do have to go over any seals, use the right sealant. It's not just go by Dicor.
Tony
Dicor does make a sealant, for example, for a AlphaPly roof. Dicor does make a compatible sealant, but it's not the one you might normally pick up at the local RV store or online or whatever.
Peggy
Right.
Tony
So.
Peggy
So you've inspected your roof, you've done your water, you've inspected your roof. What else are you gonna do? Now, if you're storing it, and particularly if you're at all concerned with invasion of non-human-
Peggy
... residents-
Tony
Yeah, the little furry friends.
Peggy
Uh, we want you to think of removing all of the soft stuff, the bedding, the blankets, I mean, really the mattress, but that's not very easy to do.
Tony
No.
Peggy
Uh, anything that you can get out of your RV, all the towels and the extra toilet paper, all that stuff that might make a lovely nest. Uh, if you can't remove it, maybe get a heavy-duty tote and bag, um, I'm sorry, box up or vacuum bag and box up all those soft things so that they're not... If, if something does get in, they're not going to use that as their home.
Tony
Yeah, and that, what an awful thought, right?
Peggy
Yes, yes.
Tony
Oh my gosh. Yeah. The other thing is to remove anything that might even hint of food.
Peggy
Mm-hmm.
Tony
Uh, even spices, mixes, uh, you know, go through all your pantries and take out all of the food and then give them a good going over because, you know, the, the smell of food is obviously a big attractant if you're a little mouse or something-
Peggy
Mm-hmm.
Tony
... and you're like,(sniffs) "Ooh, I smell Fritos," whatever.
Peggy
Right.
Tony
I don't know.
Peggy
Now, canned goods are probably fine. However, I'm not so sure it's a good idea to leave canned goods in a frozen place for a few months at a time.
Tony
Yeah.
Peggy
So you probably should just bring in those cans and eat them over the winter and buy fresh canned goods next year.
Tony
Yeah.
Tony
There you go.
Peggy
Which is also, I mean, nothing to do with anything except, you know, how long do you wanna store a can of Spam or green beans or whatever.
Tony
Mm, Spam.
Tony
Oh.(laughs) But yeah. Good point. Uh, we also bring all the plates, forks, knives, utensils, pots, pans, and run 'em through the dishwasher in the house.
Peggy
Right, because even though we wash our dishes in the camper, if we're boondocking and we're really trying to save on water, maybe we don't do as good a job as the dishwasher can do.
Tony
Yep.
Peggy
Right? And so we take all that stuff out, as Tony said, we run it through the dishwasher, we box it up in a tote, and put it in a closet until it's time to put it back in the camper.
Tony
Yep.
Peggy
Now we are talking winterizing and we kind of say that we don't technically fully winterize. Uh, we happen... Well, we might actually be home for a whole f- four or five weeks this time.(laughs) It's-
Tony
Yeah. We, I don't think we're leaving until early January.
Peggy
And we've actually been ho- technically been not camping for the last two weeks, although I've been at my mom's three weeks. So anyway, you know, even if it's a short period of time, it doesn't hurt to run those dishes through the dishwasher and take 'em right back out. But if you're storing for a long amount of time and you take them out and you put a cover on your camper and then you can't really easily put the dishes back in, that's okay. Just store them somewhere in the house or the garage and wait until it's time to reset up your camper.
Tony
Yep.
Peggy
You know what another good thing? I don't think that you really have this in the notes, but this is also a good way to downsize, you know, make sure that everything that's in there is really something you need in there.
Tony
Do you need all that junk in yo trunk?
Peggy
Right. We tend to pick up little things and stick 'em in drawers and put 'em in cabinets and then when we take 'em all out, go, "Why on earth do I have this stuff?" And so this is also a good opportunity to sort of spring clean as you winterize.(laughs)
Tony
Uh, winter clean. Yeah. I, I heard elsewhere about how small a hole a little mouse can get into. It's tiny, tiny, tiny. So one of the pieces of advice that we've heard from several people is to kind of look under your RV and any place where there is a hole, uh, even a, you know, what might seem kinda too small, to figure out a way to block that. I've seen, like, little collars around, like plastic collars, around some of the slide mechanisms.
Tony
As long as, of course, it doesn't interfere with the slide function.
Peggy
I think if a pencil can get through it, a mouse can get through it.
Tony
Yeah. So some people have said where there's holes or gaps, uh, in the underside of the RV to use steel wool and that spray, not spray foam, but, like, that-
Peggy
The expanding foam?
Tony
... expandy foam. But again, be very careful. You don't wanna impede on slide room-
Peggy
Sure.
Tony
... mechanisms and stuff like that.
Peggy
Now, I've heard a really good way to know if there's a hole is to wait until dark, turn on all the lights inside the camper, and then crawl out, crawl underneath the camper.
Tony
Yeah.
Peggy
Or look around.
Tony
Yeah, look for light.
Peggy
And look for light coming out. So you want it to be really dark.Hopefully, you, uh, can lay on the ground without freezing or-(laughs)
Tony
Oh, gosh, yeah.
Peggy
We have to lay on railroad rock, so...
Tony
Yeah, gravel.
Tony
Yeah, we have... Our yard is either gravel or sand, so...
Peggy
So anyway, but that is a way to look for holes, is to see if any light passes through. So, you need a good dark night and all the lights on inside.
Tony
'Cause there's a light over in the Frankenstein place.
Peggy
There, yeah.(laughs)
Tony
Um, one of the things, a few weeks ago, we spoke with the people from Winegard, and they have all those new sensors. Let's say you have your RV in a storage lot somewhere. They have motion, or not motion sensors, door sensors, temperature sensors, all these different sensors that you can remotely monitor your RV with. You know, break-ins happen a lot in those storage lots and if you have those, uh, sensors, you'll know if somebody opened the door, if they're starting to move the RV.
Tony
We also have, at our house, solar-powered cameras.
Peggy
Mm-hmm.
Tony
So they don't need, other than a solar panel and the camera-
Peggy
You need power source.
Tony
... but they don't need a power source. So you could put them with, like, suction cups on the outside of your RV and then, if you are in a storage lot, you know, somebody's gonna look at like a dozen RVs and if they're gonna break in and they see one has cameras mounted on the outside, guess which one they're less likely to break into?
Peggy
Yeah, yeah.
Tony
So, uh, those kind of things w-... We'll put a link in the show notes to the solar-powered cameras that we have and, and we've been very pleased with them. Also-
Peggy
Now, you do need WiFi for that.
Tony
Yes. And then, again, if you have that Winegard system, you'll have WiFi-
Peggy
Yes.
Tony
... in your RV. So it, it helps in a number of ways. We'll put a link to the interview with the Winegard folks too. We have been very, very pleased with that system.
Peggy
Mm-hmm, yeah.
Tony
It's really worked well.
Peggy
Back to the mice situation.(laughs)
Peggy
We got rid of the food, we got rid of the soft stuff, we've got rid of the holes, but let's just play it extra, extra safe and we really like the Grandpa Gus rodent repellent. You can get pouches or you can get a spray. So I will spray, like, the tires.
Tony
Yeah.
Peggy
And if we, if we-
Tony
The jacks.
Peggy
... put the jacks down, anything that-
Tony
Yeah.
Peggy
... touches the ground, I spray so that they're not as likely to climb up to even get to the floor of the camper. Um, if we leave the steps out, you know, spray the steps. Again, we don't, like, fully, fully winterize. If you're putting a cover on it, you're probably not leaving the steps out. Maybe you don't leave the jacks down, you know, that's a, that's a whole other story.
Tony
Right, right.
Peggy
But anyway, the Grandpa Gus rodent repellent comes in pouches or in, in spray. And so I spray the outside and then we put the pouches kind of in corners, where if there was a breach, that would be the breach. What this does is just repel them. It doesn't get rid of them.
Tony
Right, right.
Peggy
If they're already there, it's too late. But if a rodent is thinking about getting in your trailer and comes up and smells that pouch, they're gonna be like, "Ew, no."
Tony
Right.
Peggy
Now, the good thing is, that's ew to a mouse or a spider. It is wonderful to me. It is cinnamon and peppermint and it's very potent essential oils that smell fantastic to me and smell terrible to a critter.
Tony
Yeah. By the way, if you get that, I would recommend getting a bunch. I put it in our truck too, because we have had, uh, mice in the engine compartment of the truck 'cause it's a nice warm place to be.
Peggy
It's a nice warm place and a lot of wires are coated in, like, soy-
Tony
Oh, that soy wiring now?
Peggy
... or something. Well, that's food for a rodent.
Tony
Yeah.
Peggy
Right? And so, people, you know, a lot of, I know a lot of people that have had mice or pack rats get up in there and chew their wiring.
Tony
Well, it happened i- in our truck-
Peggy
It happened in our truck, yep.
Tony
... before we bought it, so.
Peggy
So, it's another good place to put it. Uh, we just got some for my mom.
Tony
Oh, you did? Oh, cool.
Peggy
We're kind of helping clean up my mom and when she, when my brother uncovered the barbecue, there was signs that there had been one in there. So they cleaned it all up, of course, and now we have a, a packet, a pouch in the barbecue under the cover-
Tony
Oh, man. That's cool.
Peggy
... in her storage shed, on the steps down to her basement.(laughs)
Tony
Oh, there you go. Yeah, you can use it in your house too, 'cause this-
Peggy
Yeah, absolutely.
Tony
... This stuff works pretty well.
Peggy
Mm-hmm.
Tony
So at least from our experience. One more thing. You might want to cover the tires on your RV, because not moving and the sun can actually accelerate wear on the tires. So if you have covers that you can put to protect them from sunlight, that's ideal.
Peggy
Is there a, an ideal, um, surface to park them on?
Tony
I- I've been told wood, that concrete can leach out some of those chemicals. A- and there's so many conflicting answers to this. I mean, if you can get, like, go get some used planks and park on them, that's probably the best thing. But if you can't, you should be fine. And this is probably part of why they say these RV tires age out after five years 'cause let's face it, a lot of them are just sitting around.
Peggy
Mm-hmm. Spend three months, uh, solid sitting on concrete-
Tony
Mm-hmm.
Peggy
... in one spot, so that means a, a weak spot may be perhaps on the tire.
Tony
Well, and it can leach out some of those chemicals, I believe, that... You know, the tire is made up of all these different chemicals, not just rubber. And so actually using the tire kinda gets it to last longer, believe it or not. Although it wears out.
Peggy
All right.
Tony
Um, the other thing, uh, you know, you've got smoke detectors in the RV. Now would be a good time to maybe pull the batteries and check them. Uh, also, if you have those electric door locks, which we really, really like, uh, check the batteries in that too. Um...
Peggy
Yeah, you don't wanna get(laughs) ... You don't wanna get there in the spring and you can't get in 'cause you-
Tony
Right.
Peggy
... 'cause you're relying on the door lock working.
Tony
Right. So those long-term batteries... And-A couple of weeks ago, we talked about how much we like rechargeable bat rays. Bat rays?
Peggy
Batteries.
Tony
Batteries.
Tony
And we really do, but we don't put them in things that... Like smoke detectors, door locks, and such. They are not as good for long-term storage. We do have 'em in lights all over the doggone place.
Peggy
Mm-hmm.
Tony
Uh, we have them in our, uh, weather radio because it also shows the battery level. Uh, we have 'em in walkie-talkies. I mean, we use the... We have so many rechargeable-
Peggy
And those things we use often enough that we can easily replace the batteries. We know when they're going low. If it's in your smoke detector and your battery dies, do you even know it?(laughs)
Tony
Right. Well, you know, you get the chirping for a while-
Peggy
Well, yeah.
Tony
... and then...
Peggy
But if it chirps all through January and you get there in March-
Tony
Mm-hmm.
Peggy
... and you don't realize your smoke detector has died-
Tony
Yeah, I wonder how many people, like, walk around those storage lots and you can hear-
Peggy
Listening to chirping.(laughs)
Tony
... someone's smoke detector going nuts.
Tony
And then by the time, uh, by the time you go and get your RV it's no longer working.
Peggy
Yeah.
Tony
That would be, that would be a... That'd be bad, dude.
Peggy
Yeah, so maybe in March when we do the un-winterizing and we unpack-
Tony
Yeah.
Peggy
... all these things, we should remember to say to check again, you know?
Tony
Yeah.
Peggy
Make sure that everything lasted through the winter.
Tony
Absolutely.
Peggy
Now, speaking of batteries-
Tony
Yes.
Peggy
There are, uh, you know, we've talked a lot about this, but there are basically three kinds of RV battery, right? The, the flooded battery that's in vehicles that you have to keep, uh, the water de- de-ion- de-natured.
Tony
Yeah, yeah. You'd... Uh, the... Oh my gosh.
Peggy
Whatever.
Tony
Now you, you jinxed me.
Peggy
That fancy water.(laughs) That we have to put water in. Yeah, you know, you have to keep them-
Tony
Right.
Peggy
... flooded. There's AGM and then there are lithium batteries. Uh, depending on what kind of battery you have may change what storage method you use.
Tony
Yeah. We had talked with our friends at ABC Upfitters about what do we do with our A- our ABC Upfitters system because it's a big battery that's out there in the cold, right? And it's a big lithium battery. We said, "Well, so what are we supposed to do with this thing?" 'Cause we can't really take it out, it's-
Peggy
Mm-mm.
Tony
... it's pretty well-mounted in the trailer itself. Well, they said, for the Mastervolt power system, there is a master shutoff, so the best practice is to charge it to 100% and then shut the system off, and it'll only lose about 3% state of charge per month. So, even if you're there for six months... Gosh, I hope you're, I hope you're able to camp.
Peggy
I hope you don't have to store it for that long.(laughs)
Tony
Right? Oh my gosh, how sad. But, but let's be honest, maybe it loses 18%, so that's good.
Peggy
The good news is it's not dead when you get back, no matter-
Tony
Right.
Peggy
... you know, it... There's really... It'd be very unlikely that a... that your lithium battery would die-
Tony
Right. Well, if you-
Peggy
... over whatever your storage period is if you've turned that battery disconnect off. And that means, you know, that means nothing's working, right? So anything that's battery-powered, your refrigerator, which that seems to be the only way we can turn our refrigerator off.(laughs)
Tony
Ah, it's that yellow button.
Peggy
Uh, your-
Tony
Or that toggle.
Peggy
Your, um, CO detector, right? That runs off of battery and if that kinda goes bad, you know, it... They, they age out. If that goes bad during your storage and you-
Peggy
... and it spends its whole six months beeping-(laughs)
Tony
Yeah.
Peggy
... it might lose more than 3%.(laughs)
Tony
Yeah, so... But base, you know, lithium batteries, uh, just so you know, they do not accept a charge below f- depends on the unit, but let's say below freezing just as a catchall.
Peggy
General, yeah.
Tony
But they still will r- operate, some of them, down to -20. Again, that's just a generalization. But your lithium batteries will be fine even if you're living in the Great White North.
Tony
Uh, the people at ABC Upfitters suggested if you have one of their Mastervolt systems, uh, there's a yellow toggle switch to shut that off and you'll be, you'll be fine. Uh, again, optimally, have the system fully charged, then go in and shut that off. Uh, now, if you feel like you wanna keep it charged up, one of the really nice features of the Mastervolt system from ABC Upfitters is that you can set the, what they call the in-rush current, basically how much power the RV will take.
Tony
You can set it way down, they said, to about four amps, which ultimately means it's kind of a trickle charger. So you can dial in your AC l- in-rush limit to four amps, and now you've got a trickle charger if you're plugged into, like, a wall outlet or something like that.
Peggy
So in case you wanna have your CO detector working or something.
Tony
Right, yeah, and that way you can do that. But either way, the system is fully, is fully safe, uh, even, you know, below freezing, so, so the... Again, one of the reasons we just like this system. It's just, it just works, it's really bulletproof and all of that. Uh, and I called 574-333-3225 this morning to just double-check and confirm the information and they're there to happily answer my questions, so...
Peggy
Now did they tell you what to do if you still have an AGM or a flooded battery?
Tony
Bring it in and put it on a trickle charger is ideal.
Peggy
Just take it off of the camper.
Tony
Yeah.
Peggy
And put it in s- keep it... If you're, if you're cold, they're cold, so you should probably put it-
Tony
Yeah.(laughs) Right.
Peggy
... somewhere that's not-
Tony
Yeah.
Peggy
... so cold-
Tony
Right.
Peggy
... and, and let it char- let it stay charged. So again, 574-333-3225 is the number to call if you have further questions about this or, of course, write to us.
Tony
Yeah.
Peggy
Right? And we'll try to get you answers if we don't already know them. Uh, there is also a QR code showing up somewhere on the page that will link you to the information that we have on our website, and we'll put it in the show notes for ABC Upfitters.
Tony
Absolutely. Those are our winterizing tips. Um, we have another...... thing that we like. As you know, we love boondocking and off-grid camping, which is why we like our ABC Upfitters power system, but water is really our biggest challenge.
Peggy
Yep.
Tony
And so, we have been using these Wolverine water bags when we're in the desert camping. We ... Instead of hooking up the trailer and going to get water, we just take these five-gallon Wolverine bags-
Peggy
Mm-hmm.
Tony
... and fill them up at the fill 'em up place, and you can-
Peggy
And then, we can bring them back to the camper and fill the tank.
Tony
Yeah, and I've done that at grocery stores, Walmarts. Uh, in Quartzsite, where we'll be in January-
Peggy
Yeah.
Tony
... uh, there are water fill stations. So, there's plenty of places to fill 'em up, but I-
Peggy
Now, you may know that, at our home, we haul our own water in. And-
Tony
Yeah, we're off the grid.
Peggy
... as RVers, that was not a deciding factor for us in buying the house. Uh, but our city recently had a water main break, and there was a significant portion of the city that was out of water for two days. So, even if ... Well, I guess, even if you're not an RVer, I'm not sure why you're watching this, if that's the case.
Tony
Well, maybe the wannabes.
Peggy
But, if you wanna be an RVer, maybe now, buy your Wolverine water bags and have them for home emergencies, as well as using them for boondocking.
Tony
Yeah. One of the things I really ... That's a good point. One of the things I really like about these Wolverine bags is, a lot of these plastic bags have these sharp edges, so when you put five gallons of water in, it's not comfortable to carry them.
Peggy
Yeah, yeah.
Tony
These do not. These are made by a US, a company in the US that's veteran-owned. And the quality of the product is good, but here's the cool thing. When you're not using the Wolverine bags, they fold, you know, they fold up and go really small, so they're not taking a lot of storage space. When you are using them, you've got a ... Well, they have different sizes, but you've got a five-gallon bag of water, and you can go ... At the grocery store, they have those fill machines, and you can go get your five gallons of water in the store.
Tony
I've never had trouble checking out with those. You just say, "Hey, I've got five gallons of water."
Peggy
Mm-hmm.
Tony
And they charge you whatever they charge you.
Peggy
Like a refill fee.
Tony
Yeah, a refill fee. So, anyway, it's a, just something that we have that we like very much. We have a full story about it that we'll put a link to in the show notes. So, there you go. It's an idea that's good. It's not all wet.
Peggy
Uh, well, hey, um, what's, what's, what's all this?
Tony
And this?
Peggy
This is ... Our Goofy USA segment is back.(laughs)
Tony
Yeah, finally.
Peggy
They, it's been a little break, for no apparent reason, but, uh, t- today, we do have a Goofy USA segment. You know it is a separate video, so if you're an audio listener, just keep listening. If you're a video listener, go watch the separate video in our Goofy USA, on our channel on YouTube. Um, but again, I always stress, if you're a listener, you might wanna go see some of the pictures-
Tony
Yeah.
Peggy
... and video that we post in our Goofy USA segment. So, take it away.
Tony
The town of Tulsa, Oklahoma, has been invaded by giants.
Peggy
Woo!
Tony
These giants started back in the 1960s, but they've come alive again, thanks to a few enthusiastic individuals. And now, they've descended on Tulsa in a big way.
Peggy
What are you talking about?
Tony
Muffler Men!
Tony
These giant fiberglass folk are making a huge resurgence in Tulsa, thanks to the passion of Mary Beth Babcock, whom we've met.
Peggy
Yes. The Muffler Men were originally int- intended as advertising specialties to bring people to a business. And we have the full story about the history of Mu- Muffler Men, which you can read at our home on the web, linked in the show notes. Maybe a QR code somewhere.
Peggy
You know how I love those.
Tony
But much of this invasion is taking place near the Meadowgold district of Tulsa, which was so named because there was a big dairy, Meadowgold Dairy, that was there once. And they had this big, beautiful sign, and that sign is still there, and they've re-lit the sign. But it's just a beautiful reminder of the past, and so, hence the area got the name the Meadowgold district.
Peggy
So, it's not a dairy anymore, but now, it's still a really fun place to visit. It's a, um, kind of an antique mall.
Tony
Yeah. Well, I mean, the whole area-
Peggy
Well, the whole district.
Tony
Like-
Peggy
But I mean the, that location of where the sign is.
Tony
Yeah. So, what happened is, uh, Mary Beth Babcock opened a shop call- ... Well, she had this whole vision of Buck Atom, and opened a, like a tchotchke gift shop called Buck's, Buck Atom's Cosmic Curios.
Peggy
Mm-hmm.
Tony
And it's all kinds of cool little gifts, including, you can even have your own take-home Buck.
Peggy
Buck, yep. In-
Tony
Um-
Peggy
... in various versions, not-
Tony
Yeah, they have various versions.
Peggy
Yeah. There's bobbleheads and stuffies-
Tony
Yeah.
Peggy
... and all sorts of things.
Tony
And, and so, the idea's that Buck landed to help revitalize Route 66, and he really has.
Peggy
He really has. So, Mary Beth started her souvenir shop in an old PIMCO gas station, which was perfect, right? Uh, she came up with the name Buck. Uh, her story is that Buck was a space cowboy.
Tony
Yeah.
Peggy
He was a cowboy in the '60s, along Route 66. He got zapped up by aliens.
Peggy
And he came back as Buck Atom. Now, this is not A-da-m, but it's A-T-O-M, like-
Tony
Yeah.
Peggy
... you know, atom. So, it's very spacey name, and that was her store to start with, and then-
Tony
Yeah.
Peggy
... it got better.(laughs)
Tony
Yeah. So, anyway, working with Joel Baker from American Giants, he owns all the giants that are on display in Atlanta and Illinois at the American Giants Museum.
Peggy
Mm-hmm.
Tony
And he collaborated with Mary Beth and another gent, Mark Kline, who owns Enchanted Castle Studios in Virginia.... now, originally, they were going to use one of Joel's Route 66 giants.
Peggy
Mm-hmm.
Tony
But ultimately, you know, that was gonna be a len thing-
Peggy
Yeah, kind of a rental-
Tony
... and then what happens with, right.
Peggy
... and, yeah.
Tony
So, ultimately, that didn't work out, but then Mark Klein did sketches about a Muffler Man with a big cowboy hat and a space helmet, and that was Buck Atom.
Peggy
So, let's for- fast-forward six years. After Buck was installed, it really did work.
Tony
Yeah.(laughs)
Peggy
Her idea to have a, uh, side, a roadside attraction that would attract people to that section of Route 66 took off.
Tony
Yeah, and we are among the many people who have sought out curios from Buck Atom's, like my little buck here-
Tony
... the shirt that I'm wearing.
Peggy
Yep.
Tony
And we've made multiple trips just to stop there-
Peggy
Right.
Tony
... on our way through Oklahoma. So, the attraction of these giants is, is real. But then, Mary Beth, if you ever meet her, and I hope you can-
Peggy
Oh, I hope so.
Tony
... she is just, she is 10 people's energy in one people.
Peggy
And she thought that Buck might be lonely.
Tony
Aw.
Peggy
So she went back to Mark Klein, and together they came up with, uh, now Buck is 21 feet tall, so she gotta be a little bit shorter.
Peggy
And 19 foot tall, or maybe it's the hat. His girlfriend is Stella Atom.
Tony
Yeah, and so-
Peggy
Wait, if they have the last name, they're either siblings or married.
Tony
Yeah.
Peggy
But whatever.
Tony
They're probably.
Tony
Anyway. Uh, so Stella came, what, two years ago? Three years ago?
Peggy
Yeah, not too long ago.
Tony
Yeah, and we went back. We missed the installation-
Peggy
Yeah.
Tony
... but we went back to check out Stella and, and all that, and bought more stuff at Buck Atom's Cosmic Curios-
Peggy
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Tony
... of course. Meanwhile, Mary Beth was opening another venture across the street that basically is there to feature local artisans, and there's over 50 who are represented. She's like, "Man, these giants are really working," and needed another giant, and it turns out, talking to Joel Baker from American Giants, he sold one to someone in Oklahoma a while back, but it just kinda never saw the light of day. What-
Peggy
Yeah, apparently someone bought a giant and they were storing it in their basement.
Tony
Yeah, and it was one of the original lumberjack giants.
Peggy
Oh.
Tony
So, they worked together and now that lumberjack giant stands tall in front of the artist collection, which is named after him, Meadowgold Mac, the Friendly Lumberjack.
Tony
So, now we've got three giants in that Meadowgold District, and-
Peggy
Whoa.
Tony
... it's buzzing.
Peggy
Now, wait a minute.
Tony
Yep.
Peggy
This is not the end of the story.
Tony
No, but we were fortunate enough to be there for the grand opening of Meadowgold Mac's. Gotta check it out.
Peggy
Yep.
Tony
It's...
Peggy
There is so much to see there.
Peggy
It, I, we spent an hour, but we should've spent a few.
Tony
Yeah, we got ice cream too.
Peggy
Yeah,(laughs) we did.
Tony
So, and, and Mary Beth is really good. All of these are local artists. And some of this stuff is just, it's, these people are very creative. And some of it is, you know, T-shirts and, and a- but it's worth the stop for sure.
Peggy
And some of it is antiques.
Tony
Yeah, that's right.
Peggy
Yeah.
Tony
Yeah, yeah, yeah. They had antiques too.
Peggy
Mm-hmm.
Tony
So.
Peggy
So the Meadowgold District also has a number of places to eat, like Ike's Chili, which has been in Tulsa since 1908.
Tony
Yep, and Will Rogers is one of the more famous former customers, but Martha Stewart even called Ike's the best chili in the US, but-
Peggy
Ooh.
Tony
... what if you wanna really get the word out? Well...
Peggy
Well, use a giant maybe.
Tony
So-
Peggy
And along comes Rosie the Riveter.
Tony
Yeah, there's Mark Klein again, making another giant, and he made Rosie the Riveter, and, and we have not seen her yet, but we will on our Route 66 trip.
Peggy
Absolutely.
Tony
Um, and we haven't been to Ike's, but we will, so we can see Rosie and get the best chili in the US, according to Martha Stewart.
Peggy
Yeah, uh, wait a minute, we're not done.
Tony
Oh, yeah. This, we said it's an invasion.
Peggy
Rosie brought a friend.
Tony
Yeah, on the same truck, Cowboy Bob, who's the mascot for Buck's Vintage, another new store in Tulsa-
Peggy
Hm, what could that be?
Tony
... at the hands of... Mm, you never know.
Peggy
We have to spend some time in Tulsa.(laughs)
Tony
Yeah, I think I would like to just spend a few days there just-
Peggy
Yeah, absolutely.
Tony
... goofing off, eating chili, eating that local ice cream and-
Tony
... and looking at all the curios and hi-, uh, antiques and such.
Peggy
And, yeah, and crafts. So these American Giants are proving the value of these huge fiberglass friends. S- just as significant now as it was when they first started popping up on Route 66.
Tony
Now, we watched an interview with, uh, Joel Baker and Mary Beth, and we'll put a link to that in the show notes. But one of the things that Joel said is that the, the local officials have really been a part of embracing these giants coming in, and the result is a lot of tourism.
Peggy
Yes.
Tony
And so it's, it's just worked and it shows what can happen when the local planning folks are com-, are a part of understanding the value of these giants because-
Peggy
Absolutely.
Tony
... the giants have absolutely brought people to, uh, the Meadowgold District again. It was kind of-
Peggy
Yeah.
Tony
... an old, tired part of town, and now it's an exciting, revitalized part of Route 66 there in Tulsa, so.
Peggy
Yeah, and as Joel said, sometimes a person like Mary Beth will have a, a really great idea, uh, an artist will be willing to help with that idea, and then the city council has 15 different views and-... those ideas get squashed.
Tony
Yeah.
Peggy
Fortunately, in Tulsa, the, the city council is very much into having Route 66 revitalized and Mary Beth is helping that along.(laughs)
Tony
And we've-
Peggy
In a big way.(laughs)
Tony
Yeah. And then we've also shared that we visited the Muffler Man Museum in Atlanta, Illinois. And again, another example of the local establishment saying, "Oh, this is a good idea."
Peggy
Mm-hmm.
Tony
"Let's do it." And we visited multiple times, and again, Joel's st- uh, Muffler Men are there at the Muffler Man Museum, but they already had the hot dog Muffler Man.
Peggy
Mm-hmm.
Tony
And we met Lumi, who is a, a lady at one of the local restaurants.
Peggy
Yep.
Tony
And if it had not been for Lumi, we would probably not have gone in there, but-
Peggy
Yeah.
Tony
... my gosh, we've gone back multiple times 'cause-
Peggy
Oh, that is a great restaurant.
Tony
Oh my gosh, yeah.
Peggy
Lumi did not steer us wrong.(laughs)
Tony
No, she didn't. And I would imagine Rosie the Riveter wouldn't steer us wrong about Ike's Chili.
Peggy
About Chili.
Tony
I mean, if it's been around for 100 years, it's gotta be good.
Peggy
Right?
Tony
So... Well, these oversized people continue to be a great way to advertise a business, but you know what else they are?
Peggy
They are goofy USA.
Tony
Goofy USA.
Peggy
So last week was, of course, Black Friday, and our question of the week was, have you finished(laughs) or have you even started your holiday shopping?
Tony
Man, oh, man.
Peggy
And appreciate the feedback that we got on that. I actually did some shopping at some craft shows-
Tony
Yeah.
Peggy
... when I was with my sister.
Tony
Well, heck, you can go to-
Peggy
At my sister's booth-
Tony
That's right.
Peggy
... a couple times. You can go to Tulsa and buy somebody a buck.
Tony
Right.
Tony
Or other curios from Buck Adams or from Metagold Max.
Peggy
Yeah. And this week, we wanna know, is your RV put away for the winter? If you... If it is, we're really, really sad for you.
Peggy
But we know that you are spending your time looking, uh, at your plans for next year, and we hope that your plans include joining us for some segment of our Route 66 trip that we'll be taking. We've made a couple of slight probable changes. We won't talk about them just yet, but, um, really do keep in touch with us and we will update as we have updates. But we definitely do have our first two stops-
Tony
Mm-hmm.
Peggy
... in Santa Monica and just out, you know, the next stop planned-
Peggy
... figured out so that we can at least get people started knowing how we're gonna get started on Route 66.
Tony
Yep.
Peggy
Going backwards, of course.
Tony
Yeah, we are.
Peggy
At least for the western half. We'll go from California to Albuquerque.
Tony
Albuquerque.
Peggy
And then we'll take a little break and then we'll figure out the r-... We will have the f- the rest figured out, but...(laughs)
Tony
Yes, yeah, we'll, we'll update you on that.
Peggy
Yeah.
Tony
And of course, one other way to find out is to subscribe to our once-a-week spam-free newsletter.
Peggy
Mm-hmm.
Tony
With links to the stories, videos, and podcasts that will help you get the most out of your stressless camping experience, and you can sign up on just about any page at stresslesscamping.com. And know, of course, we always only send one email per week, including how to find us when we're out and about.
Peggy
Yeah. And that, uh, specific information about finding us is only available to newsletter readers.
Tony
Yeah.
Peggy
Yeah. Uh, we also do not sell or give away or share in any way your information. That is just for us to send you emails.
Tony
Yep. And it's only once a week.
Peggy
Yeah.
Tony
You'll also find the show notes for this episode, Episode 336, on the podcast page at stresslesscamping.com.
Peggy
You can also at stresslesscamping.com find our... Well, we keep saying new, but it's not so new anymore.
Tony
No.
Peggy
Our favorite RV products and services page. That is the shopping page for all the things you'll need for your stressless camping adventure. One little reminder, there is an Amazon link there, that's our affiliate link.
Tony
Oh, yeah.
Peggy
If you're, if you do all your holiday shopping on Amazon, if you wouldn't mind taking one extra little step and start on our page linked to Amazon. Once you push that link, you're in Amazon just like you would any other way. But Amazon knows that we recommended shopping through them and they give us a little feedback, a little, a little kickback.(laughs)
Tony
Yeah. Well, uh, yeah, a little. It's, it's a teeny tiny-
Peggy
Yeah, a little.
Tony
But it doesn't raise the price of what you pay.
Peggy
It doesn't change anything for you once you do that click and then you're in your account and everything is the same. But it helps us-
Tony
Yep.
Peggy
... and we really appreciate. That could be your holiday gift to us.
Tony
Oh, thank you.
Peggy
'Cause we know you were trying to figure it out.(laughs)
Tony
If you're an audio listener and you don't wanna miss a future episode of the Stressless Camping Podcast, it's free-
Peggy
It's free.
Tony
... to subscribe on any podcast app.
Peggy
We are saving you a seat around our virtual campfire.
Tony
And if you're watching on YouTube, uh, go ahead and don't forget to tap that like button. And heck, if you wanna subscribe, well, that way you won't miss a future episode of the Stressless Camping Podcast or any of the other stuff we put on YouTube.
Peggy
That's right. You can also click share and then you can share the link all over your socials.
Tony
Yep.
Tony
And, and of course you can also share any articles, stories, and videos from stresslesscamping.com. It really does help, uh, and we really appreciate it.
Peggy
It really does. We appreciate it very much.
Tony
Yep.
Peggy
Well, that is this week's episode. I'm so glad to be home.
Tony
I'm glad you're home.
Peggy
Uh, now we have got to get back to work. So, have a terrific week and stressless camping.
Tony
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!(instrumental music)
