On this week’s Q+A episode of The RV Atlas podcast Jeremy and Stephanie are back answering questions from the RV Atlas group on facebook. First they take a deep dive into dog-friendly RV destinations on the east coast. Then they discuss the pros and cons of propane refrigerators vs electric refrigerators. They wrap up the episode by talking about options for upgrading your RV mattress–from budget to bougie. Along the way they share responses from group members who also weighed in on the questions above!
Dog-Friendly RV Destinations
Courtney Runs asked…
Hi! Until Jeremy and Stephanie release Where Should Dogs Camp Next, anyone have recommendations on East Coast/Mid-Atlantic/ish campgrounds that are really dog-friendly? As in, trails, dog-friendly beaches, nice dog parks, etc.? Thank you!
We did an article on this for Go RVing!! Click below for 8 great dog-friendly campgrounds.
https://www.gorving.com/tips-inspiration/trip-planning/rving-dogs-8-campgrounds-awesome-puppy-parks
Connie Welch responded…
Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park are dog-friendly RV destinations. The town is very dog friendly and there are many trails in the park where leashed dogs are allowed. We had a great time even with the foggy rainy weather.
Angela Fasnacht responded…
Kiptopeke State Park in Cape Charles VA has it’s own dog beach. We love that area. 4 Paws Kingdom in NC isanother dog friendly campground.
Ted Moore responded….
Not an answer to your question, but if you ever get to the Midwest, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, where I volunteer, is one of the few NPS units that allows dogs on any trail. Just keep them leashed and pick up after them and you’ll be welcome on all 200+ miles of trails. Maybe SYOTT someday
Gretchen Holcombe responded…
Maybe too far south, but Jekyll Island, GA is very dog friendly…dogs are allowed on all the beaches year round except for a couple of stretches where shorebirds nest.
Brigitte Ardea responded…
So exciting to hear about this book! Next year I’ll be traveling with 2 L dogs, and this will be so helpful to get me started.
Jeremy responded…
Sorry Brigitte–this is a great idea for a book. But we are not currently working on it–maybe someday soon!
Erik Anderson responded…
Courtney, here a few East Coast parks we’ve liked staying at on our full-time travels with our Hershey Pup :
> Cape Henlopen State Park, DE
> Asseteague Island State Park, MD
> First Landing State Park, Virginia Beach, VA
> Huntington Beach State Park, Murrells Inlet, SC
> James Island County Park, Charleston, SC
> Skidaway Island State Park, Savannah, GA
> Hanna Park, Jacksonville, FL
Also, do you guys use the “BringFido” app? Such a great tool for doing pup-friendly places, restaurants, and events!
There are so many great dog-friendly RV destinations on the east coast!
Propane Vs. Electric Fridges
Jessa Dittberner asked….
Back with another question! On our hunt for a new RV and finding that there is apparently a push to only electric refrigerators, we boondock occasionally and the propane fridge has been amazing. Does anyone boondock frequently and use only solar to keep their fridge going? Any info on your panels and light requirements for them would be great. Thanks again!
Jeremy answered…
This may not be a popular answer—but an electric fridge will drain the heck out of your batteries when boondocking. We have had them on our last two RVs. I just shut the fridge down at this point and bring coolers when boondocking. You will need a fair amount of solar and battery power to keep a fridge going while boondocking.
Bill Tozzo responded…
Agree with Jeremy. When the 12v fridges came out, they were all the rage. But folks are finding they kill batteries, especially in the heat.
Gretchen Holcombe responded…
yep. I didn’t realize ours was electric only until we got it. We have just the one battery and a tiny solar panel, and we can only make it one night boondocking–mostly because of the fridge.
Erik Anderson responded…
Great question, Jessa. Like you, Jeanne and I do a lot of boondocking and dry-camping. We have absolutely loved our dual AC/propane, RV fridge for off-grid!
The answer for us was 720 watts of solar on the roof combined with three BB lithium house batteries. With that midsize set up, we easily handled 65 days straight in Arizona Desert…without needing the generator once!.
We don’t like the thought that we wouldn’t be able to replace our current RV fridge with another one that couldn’t utilize propane
Rob Groves responded…
I have a propane refrigerator but the electric control panel will still drain the battery. I decided to buy a 200 watt Renogy solar suitcase to keep my battery charged while boondocking. Game changer!
Gerry Zagorski responded…
You’d likely need at least 500 watts of solar panels and 300 amp hours of batteries to be on the safe side and even then you also want to bring a generator in case there isn’t enough sun. They do make DC fridges that are a bit more efficient so that might be a better option than a regular electric only residential fridge.
RV Mattress Upgrades
Debbie Nolan Groeneveld asked…
My husband and I are planning to be full time RVers. Can someone recommend a good mattress?
Guy Fredrick responded….
Mattresses are really subjective… And, so are budgets. Most of the “content providers” are hawking Brooklyn Bedding RV Mattress, but they get them for free to review. They are great but spendy at above $800 a pop. We use a Zinus Green Tea gel foam 8 inch in our trailer and we have slept very well on it for three seasons. It is under $200 depending on size, and they have all the RV sizes (Amazon or check Home Depot). Others like Purple are not recommended for the temperature extremes found in an RV (I asked), so be careful.
Ellen Rehm Rimkus responded…
Brooklyn Bedding RV mattress is so comfy!
Jeannine Payne responded…
We have a 10 inch Zinus mattress, it has been very good. My husband is 6ft 5in and I am a large woman. We both sleep very good on it. We ordered from Amazon. It was easy to install. There are a lot of conversations about mattresses on this page. Do a search and read some of them
