Put another way, it means that we need to be aware that we are caretakers of our environment for our children, and grandchildren. What should you look for in a sustainable campground?

Leave the land as undisturbed as possible

When building a campground, the ultimate goal should be to maintain and support the natural environment.

o There should be a sense of seclusion for each hookup with greenery providing privacy screening.
o Walkways should be wooden boardwalks above the ground level to avoid disturbing the eco-system as little as possible.
o Ideally, waste from the toilets, and gray water from showers should be used to nourish the plants.
o Any buildings on the campground should be prefabricated, and heavy equipment activity kept to a minimum.

Conscientious use of energy and resources

Look for energy efficient electric lights and appliances – and use them in your own motorhome.

o Do you see any labor saving devices being used that conserve energy?
o Do they use solar paneling as a power source?
o Have you begun using solar paneling instead of a generator in your toy hauler?
o Check for the quality of air indoors, and for signs of water conservation such as showerheads that help reduce water use.
o How pure is the water?
o Does the campground recycle organic matter into compost to be used in the plantings, and reusable containers?

Cultural and local preservation – an important part of being green

On a green campground, safety for wildlife and people will be visibly important. Respect for both the earth, and the people who live in the area will be evident.

o Does the campground store demonstrate that they encourage the local economy?
o Fresh produce and other food should be purchased as locally as possible to be cooked while fresh in your Class C motorhome.

The more aware you are of what it means to support sustainable campgrounds and camping, the more things you will find to incorporate into your own camping routines. Being “green” is no longer a fad. It’s a way of life for many people who have discovered how much richer it makes them feel.

1) Buy that RV and get on the road. Yes I know the economy is in tatters and times are tough but there are several great reasons why now is the best time to buy an RV. For one, prices are rock bottom and you can pick up a real bargain priced RV. Secondly, you wont find a much cheaper holiday than packing the family into the RV and heading for the hills. Thirdly, its about time that families relearned the art of working together for the common good and that family fun doesn’t have to involve shopping malls, electronic gadgets or copious amounts of money.

2) Keep a notebook on your travels in your RV – you never know when you’ll come across a really useful tidbit of information that you may want to remember for future reference.

3) Don’t reinvent the wheel – or in our case, RV travel tips. Hundreds of thousands of people have been there and done it before you and there is lots of information already documented and available for your convenience. From packing lists to RV cookbooks and deep cycle battery care, from LP gas systems to towing a vehicle behind your RV, fellow RVers have taken the time and trouble to put useful information together that will allow you to learn from their experiences and mistakes.

There is a vast chunk of the country out there waiting to be explored and appreciated. Make the most of it and use the wealth of knowledge acquired by other RV owners to make your travels an enjoyable and hassle free experience.

Recreational Vehicles have come a long way from “traveling homes” to style icons. Besides being passionate, RVers can be termed as resilient. The transition or evolution of RVs can be attributed to the dramatic changes in the technology. A few of them have been outlined in the following paragraphs.

The construction of the RV can be suitably given the first place. In the initial RV constructions, we can find that Roadmaster chassis was implemented. These days Dynomax chassis are implemented, along with traditional Roadmaster that results in the formation of semi-monocoque chassis. This unique construction leads to the equal distribution of weight throughout the RV. Also instead of the ribbed fiberglass materials employed in the older RVs, the new age RVs use smooth fiberglass side panels. Foam type insulations is also employed in the RVs. Aluminum frames are also welded into the structure and EPDM rubber along with polyester are used as the roofing.

Space constrain was one of the disadvantages of the older RVs. The RVs of those ages were even mockingly known as cigar tubes. Nowadays slide-out walls are provided, which can increase or decrease the space within a RV at the mere press of a button. The whole arrangement is motorized. The seats and other upholstery in the modern age RVs were upgraded. Back in the olden days, only a radio would be hooked up. But in modern RVs, LCDs and HDTVs come into action.

Heating used to be a problem. Usually gas furnaces were employed to heat the RV. Electric heat pumps have replaced such furnaces. Air conditioners are also mounted on the roof and help in the even distribution of air. The kitchen back then had a gas stove and other preliminary utensils only. These days even compact refrigerators have found its way into RVs. These refrigerators are intelligent and work on optimal cooling only. Storage spaces are also recent additions in a RV. Basement storage is often employed, and that helps in the distribution of excess baggage throughout the RV.

Automobile engines are quickly getting replaced with newer technologies as days pass by. The same had happened with RVs too, the older engines hardly gave 3-4mpg. These days the usages of turbo-charged diesel engines satisfy the heavy footed of the RVers. Radial tires also helped in increasing the comfort ability of a RV. Modern RVs even include tire pressure sensors on every tire, and hence the driver can get an approximate reading of the tire pressure from the comfort of his seat itself. Navigation systems using the GPS technology have also been incorporated. This ensures the RVer doesn’t get lost in the midst of nowhere. Tilt steering also helps in ensuring the comfort ability of the driver.

Backup generator systems are also a blessing. Instead of looking about of spaces where one can plug-in and recharge his batteries, the RVer of these days need not worry about such chores. Technology has advanced to such extremes that some RVs even have provision to keep the pets comfortable.

Most people don’t give much thought to the mattresses incorporated within a RV. For them it is just a piece of furniture. But little do they realize that they would be spending a larger part of their time in the RV Mattress either sitting or sleeping. Sleep is an important part of the human life cycle and the mattress on which one sleeps is also of immense importance. Usually RV manufactures also care less about the the RV Mattresses placed on their vehicle. Sooner or later the buyer will be changing the RV Mattress and may invest on a high performance mattress. Many kinds of RV mattress are available in the market these days. Depending upon the depth of ones pocket he/she can invest in good quality RV mattresses. Most common forms of RV mattress are spring mattress, foam mattress and air mattress. Air mattress is the costliest in the lot.

The upholstery, of which the RV mattress is covered with, should also be taken into consideration. They are the ones, which increase the comfort levels of the RV mattress. Quality of the mattress also plays a good part. Usually quality standards have been established for mattresses. The buyer should check and verify the RV mattress had been subjected to such quality tests. Different RV mattresses are available for back sleepers and side sleepers. Support and durability are some of the advantages of good RV mattress. Varied packaging techniques are also employed for packing the RV mattress.

Because of the varied nature of RVs, sometimes the buyer will be forced to build custom-made RV mattress. They are usually manufactured on some preset sizes and if such sizes doesn’t fit inside the RV, then he will have no other option than to go for custom made RV mattress. He will have to manually take the readings and present it to an upholsterer, who then starts working it.

The longevity of such mattress lies on the hands of the user. An intelligent RV user will know that such mattresses are to be rotated within the RV, just like the tires are rotated, to ensure proper wear. There exist double-sided RV mattresses, which take the whole chore of mattress rotation to another level. Such mattresses can be easily flipped to the other side and used conventionally. Also care has to be taken that they are not soaked, because apart from the ruining of the mattress, it produces a stagnant smell that fills the whole of the RV. And surely no self respecting RV owner would like to travel along with a smelly ride!