Tough Week in Camperland

[Just Plain Jeff]

This week, Sunline Corporation of Denver, PA, a pretty good towable company ceased operation and closed up shop. A well-known manufacturer of furnaces and hot water heaters, Atwood Corporation, just announced that it was in Chapter 11.

Tough times ahead for a segment of the market.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Is Sunline the victim of gas price increases?

Atwood may be a victim of the clear trend away from propane. I may be wrong but propane devices and appliances seem to be diminishing as more campgrounds provide 50 amp service. Another cause may be the never ending downward pressure on costs. It is a cruel world out there for manufacturers.

[dalej]

Guys its our fault, its a case of us POGers fix'in all our own stuff. All the companies out there are saying what's the use...."They will just fix it, not replace it!"

[win42]

Jon: We generally have to head East to start finding 50 amp hookups. West Coast RV parks are way behind on providing 50 amp service. They are mostly suffering with old antiquated wiring systems barely getting 30 amps to you. I think they feel they are saving money by not upgrading their power systems. Nothing could be further from the truth. I do know they run into permit problems on upgrades. It's the old "We don't want to let them expand the old trailer park " syndrome at city hall.

[Ben]

The place I'm parked at right now has zero amp service.... it's where I usually park.

I'm parked in front of a $6 million + dollar house (could be $20 mil) with a view of the water and alcatraz here in San Francisco. Some people might consider this roughing it... but it's quiet and I don't see any fiberglass out my window and I can walk to the Golden Gate Bridge.

Just wish I wouldn't have to run the generator every other day to keep my fridge running.

[dreadnought]

Ben, I wish you would put the address where you're parking on the "parking overnight" category. That is just the kind of place I'd like to know about if I'm ever in SF.
RV Parks are OK, but they don't have the best views, and are seldom close to the action. Besides which, I blew my life savings on the bus so I can't afford a Park You full timers have so much more time to explore than us desk-bound types. Matter of fact, why don't you start a thread, something like "Ben's Valet Parking" and add to it when you find one of these places.

[MangoMike]

DN,
Ben's sites may be like a Chef's recipe, kept close to the chest. Better to keep it quiet so it's available his next visit.


MM

[Ben]

I'm usually parking where I can find it... often it's a spot that will not be available the next day, etc.

I've parked for two nights at my last spot. There is a sign that indicates 2 hour parking from 8am until 7pm... so, I make sure to leave by 10am and I don't go back until after 5pm. If the spot is taken, then I'll jump in the Jeep and cruise around the neighborhood until I find another open spot before I bring the bus there.

During the day, I'm parked about 4-5 blocks from the Golden Gate Bridge. The bridge fills the three windows on the drivers side of the bus and I see young people jogging by (nice view in both cases).

My recipe is simple... find a place that does not have any signs that indicate restricted parking and then stay there for 1 or 2 nights (moving the bus during the day helps keep the neighbors happy). That way I can claim ignorance if a cop knocks on my door (even though I know many areas have ordinances that would prevent me from legally parking in some areas). I prefer neighborhoods that have political signs, flowers and nicely groomed yards. I assume that means there are more owners than renters and therefor a lower chance of getting my Jeep broken into (that happened when I parked in an industrial area in Berkeley, CA). Also, the more upscale the neighborhood, the more I blend in since people assume the bus is owned by one of the homeowners in the area. The problem in San Francisco is the weight restrictions in many areas which would prevent me from going down many streets. That really cuts down on the number of parking spots around here.

I only park at RV parks when I need to dump/fill (if I can't find that at a rest stop or other location) or when I can't find a stealth spot which is rather rare.

[Ben]

I'm usually parking where I can find it... often it's a spot that will not be available the next day, etc.

I've parked for two nights at my last spot. There is a sign that indicates 2 hour parking from 8am until 7pm... so, I make sure to leave by 10am and I don't go back until after 5pm. If the spot is taken, then I'll jump in the Jeep and cruise around the neighborhood until I find another open spot before I bring the bus there.

During the day, I'm parked about 4-5 blocks from the Golden Gate Bridge. The bridge fills the three windows on the drivers side of the bus and I see young people jogging by (nice view in both cases).

My recipe is simple... find a place that does not have any signs that indicate restricted parking and then stay there for 1 or 2 nights (moving the bus during the day helps keep the neighbors happy). That way I can claim ignorance if a cop knocks on my door (even though I know many areas have ordinances that would prevent me from legally parking in some areas). I prefer neighborhoods that have political signs, flowers and nicely groomed yards. I assume that means there are more owners than renters and therefor a lower chance of getting my Jeep broken into (that happened when I parked in an industrial area in Berkeley, CA). Also, the more upscale the neighborhood, the more I blend in since people assume the bus is owned by one of the homeowners in the area. The problem in San Francisco is the weight restrictions in many areas which would prevent me from going down many streets. That really cuts down on the number of parking spots around here.

Another trick is to pull up at a brewpub that has a large parking lot, drop in, ask for the manager and say something like "I'd like to sample your brews and have dinner here, but I'm driving a motorcoach and I don't want to drive afterwards. Would it be okay if I park in your lot overnight and leave first thing in the morning". I've done that 3-4 times and have yet to be turned down. But I also only do it when it really looks like a good spot and is not in an overly busy part of town.

I only park at RV parks when I need to dump/fill (if I can't find that at a rest stop or other location) or when I can't find a stealth spot which is rather rare. In over 8 months of living fulltime on a Prevost, I have yet to get a ticket or have a cop knock on my door and ask me to move. I'm sure it will happen at some point, but it hasn't yet.