Guest #1 May 9, 2003 Hey, I'm planning on going to the WFFC this year, but I don't want to stay in a hotel, 'cause it's too freakin' expensive! The Fanmarker Inn, for example, still has rooms available, but they are $54/night plus outrageous Illinois taxes (about 11% IIRC). If you do the math for a full-convention stay (9 days), that puts you well over $500 that could be much better spent on jump tickets. I don't mind camping, and since I'll have a rental car I'll have someplace fairly secure to stash my stuff (the trunk), so that isn't a worry, but being unable to escape the heat will be a serious, possibly life-threatening problem. When I've overheated at the WFFC in years past, I've always had a nice air-conditioned hotel room to crash in (to say nothing of the quiet). I've decided to be more adventurous this year and stay at the DZ, and cool off in the pool, etc. as needed. The best of all possible outcomes would be an air-conditioned RV with hookups. The worst would be my own tent in the campground area with no amenities. So, anybody willing to share SMOKE-FREE RV space at Rantoul? I will in turn make my rental car available. I'm also willing to chip in for the hookup fees. Any takers?"The mouse does not know life until it is in the mouth of the cat." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhillyKev 0 #2 May 9, 2003 RV hookups are $295. It might be worth the extra cash to share a hotel room with someone rather than an RV slot. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jerm 0 #3 May 9, 2003 as much as i relish the thought of sharing a small confined space with that face for 9 days, phillykev is right, if it's economics you're looking for, share a room. the nice thing about an RV, obviously, is having a place to hang during the day that is still fairly sociable, etc... but it ain't cheap unless you can camp near someone else's RV who you know Landing without injury is not necessarily evidence that you didn't fuck up... it just means you got away with it this time Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skymedic 0 #4 May 11, 2003 problem with being in a hotel is you have to watch how much ya drink....with the tent thing it was no problem for me to stumble back with Anne last year... Marc otherwise known as Mr.Fallinwoman.... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
VectorBoy 0 #5 May 11, 2003 What about a tent is that viable? Or will you die in the humidity... oh that is what beer is for silly me, I regress. No seriously? How bout dat? Glen Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wingnut 0 #6 May 11, 2003 if i can make it i'm just gona park my rv in the area right across from the aircraft museum next to the c-130 bar... i can live withought a/c and i'll probly dring my evaporative cooler and just run it off my bateries...... unless i can find a cheap genorator and then i'll be using that in full force...... ______________________________________ "i have no reader's digest version" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Opie 0 #7 May 11, 2003 so wingnut what kind of motorhome did you end up getting? or have you covered this somewhere else? pics....... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wingnut 0 #8 May 11, 2003 ended up with a little 19 footer..... got everything i need and isn't overly huge a ittle old(1978) but it was cheap lets say cheaper than a rig and everything works besides the fridge on a/c.......... i'm redoing the celing right now and should have it all done for wffc.... ______________________________________ "i have no reader's digest version" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Opie 0 #9 May 11, 2003 cool, I've been thinking of selling the camper I have at the dz and getting a motorhome but don't think it'll be this year. The more I look the nicer I want Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 3,107 #10 May 12, 2003 > RV hookups are $295. I think this has been asked before, but why do you really need a hookup? We just got an RV (I think it's the smallest one on the planet, sorry Mark) and we're planning on just parking it somewhere. Propane to run the refrigerator, and we've got like 30 gallons of water. We can only store 10 gallons of sewage - but then that's what portapottys are for. Lights take next to no power. The only thing I see needing power for is A/C. We're going to do that via solar but that's pretty easy to do with a generator. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wingnut 0 #11 May 12, 2003 QuoteWe're going to do that via solar but that's pretty easy to do with a generator. how ya gona run a/c off solar??? is it expensive?? and if it is.. how expensive????? ______________________________________ "i have no reader's digest version" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jceman 1 #12 May 12, 2003 Quote> RV hookups are $295. I think this has been asked before, but why do you really need a hookup? We just got an RV (I think it's the smallest one on the planet, sorry Mark) and we're planning on just parking it somewhere. Propane to run the refrigerator, and we've got like 30 gallons of water. We can only store 10 gallons of sewage - but then that's what portapottys are for. Lights take next to no power. The only thing I see needing power for is A/C. We're going to do that via solar but that's pretty easy to do with a generator. Bill, it depends on how much and for what purpose you use the facilities in the RV. 30 gallons of water is enough if you do minimal cooking/washing/toilet use. We can carry 70 gallons and our holding tanks will take 40 gallons each, but with a full hookup, you have better water pressure and are hooked up top drainage, this means we can take care of all the S functions without using the poratpots (which are located elsewhere anyhow). As for electrical supply, you certainly can run a genset and supplement it with a solar panel and it may be sufficient if you do not spend a lot of time in the unit during the day. If you run the AC in a high heat/humidity, you will either need to be plugged into shore power or have the genset run all the time. Many camping locations have rules about not running gensets after a certain time, they are nosiy, smelly and bothersome to those surrounding you. (If you are in a gas-powered motorhome, the genset is usually located directly beneath the master bed - quite irksome.) Bottom line, you CAN get by without using a full campsite hookup if it suits your needs, but if you want to have a cool, quiet place to retreat during the day or have a pet along, you can't beat the convenience of a full hookup. Faster horses, younger women, older whiskey, more money. Why do they call it "Tourist Season" if we can't shoot them? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 3,107 #13 May 12, 2003 >how ya gona run a/c off solar??? is it expensive?? and if it is.. how >expensive????? Charge a large battery bank during the day, run off batteries (via an inverter) at night. It's very cheap if you already have all the stuff, expensive if not. Batteries, panels and an inverter to do that (for running a few hours a night) would be around $1200 at Ebay prices. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 3,107 #14 May 12, 2003 >If you run the AC in a high heat/humidity, you will either need to be >plugged into shore power or have the genset run all the time. All depends on the size of your battery bank. I hate generators, so it's coming out and getting replaced with a 4 kilowatt-hour VRLA AGM battery bank. With our A/C (small) that should last 13 hours, and it's only dark around 10 hours that time of year. The inverter (1800 watt Prosine) will easily run the A/C, and everything else will run off DC. Holding tank size/water etc - yep, I agree there, but I don't think we're going to use the RV for much more than sleeping. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
