Category: Gear

Bye Lectric, Hello Maui Summers

by JamesE-Biking / Gear / Mods

While camping at Cattail Cove State Park in Nov 2023, our Canadian neighbor had a compact, folding “Maui” e-bike. I was unfamiliar with the brand but it resembles the Qualisports Volador I was considering buying to replace our Lectric XPs.
We love our Lectric XP 2.0s E-Bikes but at 65+lbs each, they are hard to travel with. So we often bring our much lighter conventional Zisso folding bikes. They are much easier to ride but work best on flatter terrain like Yosemite Valley.
I considered the Lectric XP Lite but didn’t like it being single-speed. We prefer to peddle and only use the peddle-assist on hills, so having 7-speeds is important. Plus the Lectric XP Lite equipped is close to 50lbs and we wanted something closer to 40lbs. Unfortunately, the lighter the e-bikes, the more it costs or the smaller the wheels (14″-16″). Qualisports has several lightweight 7-speed ebikes around $1000. So when I saw the Maui e-bike, I had to check out its specs and compare it.

Maui Summer $1100
Qualisports Volador $1200
Black Zizzo Urbano
White XP Step-Thru 2.0
Red Zizzo Urbano
Black XP 2.0

The Maui Summer, from Canadian-based Maui Bikes, is their lightest e-bike at ~41lbs. It has 20″ wheels, 7-speeds, and a seat-post battery. No suspension, lighter frame and a 350w motor so it’s a much lighter design than the Lectric (the Maui Jack model has specs much like the Lectric XP, including the weight). The Maui ebikes have really good components (see list below) & are folding for easy transport. So the Maui Summer is perfect for our rv-lifestyle. Availability in the USA is via their US website maui-bikes.com with a Florida warehouse.
Because of their excellent Black Friday pricing, we bought us two Maui Summers. We’ve tested them on some local trails and they performed great. There are some compromises compared to our Lectric XPs – we miss the suspension & fatter tires for trail riding plus the rear racks. But because they are 25lbs lighter, they were much easier to load/off-load. Plus both fit in my Tacoma truck bed without needing to be folded. We will definitely enjoy taking the much lighter Maui e-bikes in the RV on our next trips.

Maui Summer

  • Pros:
    • 350W BAFANG motor
    • XD-E300 Hydraulic disc brakes
    • Removable battery.
    • Bike weight – 41lbs (19kg)
    • Misc: CHAIN – KMC Z7; CRANK SET – PROWHEEL, 46T; REAR DERAILLEUR – SHIMANO Tourney 7-speed; ROTORS – 160mm; TIRES – KENDA 20 x 2; MOTOR – BAFANG 36V/350W brushless rear hub motor; BATTERY TYPE – SAMSUNG 36V/10AH Lithium battery, integrated in the seatpost.
  • Cons:
    • Weight capacity – 250lbs (114kg) – not a con for us but lower than the Lectric by 80lbs
    • Rider height – 4’6″ to 5’8″ (seems short but that’s what they list)
    • Range: 22-32mi (35-50km), which is plenty for us but ~30% less than the Lectric
    • The coiled battery cable hangs down below the crank housing. I’ll zip-tie it so it can’t catch on anything.
    • Price when not Black Friday: $1100

Lectric XP 2.0/3.0

  • Pros:
    • Motor: 500W (850W peak) geared rear hub motor
    • Top speed: 28mph (45 km/h)
    • Range: 45mi (72 km), but actually less if not peddling a lot IRL
    • Battery: 48V 9.6 Ah (460 Wh)
    • Lockable battery
    • Max load: 330 lb (150 kg)
    • Rider height: 4’10” – 6’5”
    • Rear robust rack
    • Suspension: front fork suspension; optional seat post suspension in the Comfort Kit
    • Fat 3″ off-road tires
    • great warranty & US (Arizona) support
    • a pile of new accessories
    • Price: $999 with great accessories
  • Cons:
    • Weight: 64lbs (29 kg); actually more like 66-68lbs w/ racks & accessories

Similar specs:

  • LCD screen that displays your speed, battery status and odometer throughout your ride.
  • Folding 20″ frame
  • Removable battery
  • Charge time: 4-6 hours
  • front and rear LED lights
  • On demand half-twist throttle
  • POWER ASSIST – 5 Levels of power assisted pedaling
  • SHIMANO 7-speed trigger shift; SHIMANO 7-speed 14-28T gears
  • fenders included standard, although Lectrics are sturdier/heavier
  • Folding Pedals.
  • Kickstand.

A few issues with the Maui Summer I’ve noticed that are not deal-breakers for me:

  • No mount holes for rear rack. Unlike similar ebikes, like the Qualisports Volandor, there are no threaded holes on the frame where you can attach accessories like a rear rack.
  • The LCD controller manual (King-meter K5317 LCD) doesn’t list the full settings. The manual lists settings from P01 to P13 and our controller has settings from P01 to P20. I contacted support & they sent me a link to a pdf of the same manual. Perhaps there was a firmware update?

RV Dog Playpen

by JamesGear / Mods / Travel Trailer

On our trip to Lake Havasu we brought our dog Bodhi and Ollie, my eldest son’s dog. We’ve traveled with Bodhi before and he’s always been on-leash when outside the RV. So we decided to buy a fence like we’ve seen around other RV, so they could be outside without being on a leash. Ollie jumps high but we figured a 32″ high panel would be adequate. Plus we wanted to keep the weight down – a 16-panel 32″ high set is ~57lbs. The similar 16×40″ set is 72lbs.
We’ve never used a fence pen so I looked for one with great reviews on Amazon & recommended by RVLifestyle.com. We bought the FXW Rollick Dog Playpen from Amazon. We would have ordered the FXW Aster 16×32″ but it wouldn’t ship in time for our trip. Both are very similar but the Aster is silver & $20 cheaper.
The pen was easy to setup and we ended up using all 16 panels, placing the two gates at the front & back of the RV. Ollie escaped within minutes so we had to block under the stairs where there was a small gap. Using our Starlink carry bin & a shoe storage box kept him from escaping again. If possible, I’d create a complete enclosure and not use the RV as one wall.
When I ordered the pen, I added two (rather-pricey) storage bags that hold 8-32″panel + 9 stakes. It’s a significant additional investment but unless you have a good storage compartment. A necessity for keeping your panels in good shape.
The enclosure breaks down in about 15mins. The 8 panels fit snug, like a glove, in the well-constructed storage bag. Since one bag holds 8 panels/9 stakes, they weigh a little over 30lbs – manageable. Both bags fit in the bed of my Tacoma perfectly so that’s how we’ll carry them on future trips.

Dog Playpen (32″x16 panels)
Ollie
Locales enjoying the leftovers
Two storage bags fit Tacoma truck bed

Starlink for RV 2022 Update

by JamesCamping / Gear / RVing

After six months of using Starlink for RV I think the pluses strongly outweigh the minuses. Not a glowing endorsement but the main plus is having internet when there isn’t cell service or wifi. That’s a pretty big plus when you are traveling. Plus Starlink’s tech support is excellent if you ever have issues.

The main trip in 2022 where Starlink shined was during our trip to Yosemite National Park. We stayed at Thousand Trails Yosemite Lakes RV campground west of the park. There was zero cell service and wifi cost $6.95/day and sucked (according to the office manager). We had decent download speed ~52Mbps and were able to stream Netflix, Youtube, and DirectTV. I was also able to make a cell phone call to book a layover campsite for our drive home. The Starlink antenna had a good view of the sky (photo above) here with only a few trees nearby.

We also used it during our stay at Bass Lake RV Resort south of Yosemite. That campground also has poor cell service and wifi since it sits on the side of the mountain. Although on a hillside, our campsite had a good view of the satellite and decent internet speeds. Some trees were obstructing the antenna (photo >>) but signal was pretty stable, no outages .

Between trips, I setup the Starlink for RV antenna for use at home. Since we had other trips planned and the monthly charge is $135 ($150 in 2023). I figured I might as well use it between trips. I bought a weBoost Antenna Telescoping 25ft Pole to elevate the Starlink antenna above our roofline. It worked great but during a wind storm, the top-heavy pole blew over. My pole setup couldn’t handle the torque from the wind blowing on the antenna 20ft in the air. No fault of the pole, it’s plenty sturdy. I just didn’t install solid enough support on the base since it was a temporary home trial. I’ve since bought a stainless-steel eaves antenna mount. The pole was for elevating the antenna when on-the-road. But, so far, I’ve been setting the antenna on the RV roof, secured with cable ties. I’ve seen other rv’ers setup their antennas on the ground at their campsite but I’m concerned about theft. I do not know if that’s an issue but rather not test it.

Unfortunately after the pole & antenna fell over, the Starlink antenna motor started to struggle. It would stow and unstow and start to search for satellite but then would display a ‘Motors Stuck‘ error. I messaged Starlink Tech Support and they called back by phone a few minutes later – nice! It was 6pm PDT. I explained the issue and without me asking, they offered to send me a replacement. I would keep the faulty but working antenna until the box arrived. Then use the box to send back the defective antenna. The box came within a week – it was a complete refurbished kit with router. I swapped all the ‘new’ components with the old and shipped it back prepaid (free). I’m impressed with Starlink’s support which is stellar ;-P
There was no issues re-establishing service with the new unit. It was already listed in the app under my account & it activated when powered on. I was online within minutes and it worked without any issues.

The next trip we used Starlink was to Utah where it had even more impressive numbers. Zion Canyon RV Resort has decent cell reception since it is in Springdale. The campground also has good wifi but I still setup the antenna on the roof of the RV. After hiking in Zion National Park, we were able to stream the Homerun Derby and Allstar Baseball Game. Evening peak hour speed was much slower than morning but still plenty fast for streaming and general internet browsing. This was using the refurbished replacement system.

From Zion, we moved to Bryce Canyon and although our site was shaded by multiple trees. I set the antenna on the roof and still got reasonable internet. We stayed at Ruby’s Inn RV Resort which has cell and wifi but the Starlink was used for streaming TV and internet surfing.

After Bryce Canyon we stopped for a few days in Kanab Utah. We did not use the Starlink since Kanab RV Corral RV Park boasts excellent wifi. Plus, since this campground is on the south end of town, there was good cell phone reception (T-Mobile). But it’s great to have the piece-of-mind that we could set it if the campground reception was bad.

After this trip, I did not setup the Starlink for use after returning home. Because the antenna pole setup is a pain and the at-home speeds are so-so compared to cable internet. I decided to pause the service when not on the road.
An important note about billing: I received a Starlink billing notification Nov 1st that my service would be billed Nov 9th. So I tried to pause the service Nov 4th and couldn’t. You have to pause the service BEFORE you receive the billing notification. Once the notification email is sent, “your invoice has been generated & is in the system” (Starlink Billing Support quote). You will be billed $135 ($150 in 2023) even though you do not plan on using the service. So be sure to pause your service well before your billing cycle if possible. The service is billed monthly and there is no prorated refund or credit for unused days.
The $135/mo fee is kinda pricey but I enjoy trying new technologies. I have not tried cell phone boosters or other RV internet options though. If you can afford the hardware cost ($599) & monthly fee, Starlink is a great way to get internet when you otherwise would be offline. ‘Unplugging’ is not a bad thing but we like having internet during our down time and staying connected to family. If you are on the road for only two weeks or less per trip, like us, then Starlink for RV is an expensive luxury. If you are a full-timer or at least on the road for a month or more then Starlink’s cost is worth it. Especially if you do not stay in campgrounds with wifi or in an area with cell service.
In addition to the $135/mo subscription ($150 in 2023), the standard RV hardware bundle is $599 (late 2022). Which isn’t bad actually compared to top-end cell phone booster hardware. Mobile Starlink hardware costs $2500 (in 2022; price has comedown in 2023) and will give you internet while driving.
I’ve tested using Starlink for RV at home to replace my home internet service. It’s promising if you do not consume a lot of bandwidth and have decent weather. If you have thick cloudy conditions, the internet speed drops. Since I was testing Starlink at home, when this happened, I just switched to cable internet. Starlink for RV is also throttled during peak hours versus residential Starlink. Conversely, when my cable internet went down for whatever reason, it was really nice to have Starlink as a backup.
Unfortunately, the residential Starlink service requires a different system, firmware, & antenna according to Tech Support. You can use Starlink Residential when camping – there are YouTube vlogs about how to change your address. But you cannot switch/upgrade your Starlink for RV to Starlink Residential for use at home. Starlink for RV will work at home, just not given the bandwidth priority of the residential service ie throttled.
So Starlink Residential may be the system to choose if you want to use one Starlink system both at home and on-the-road. Right now (late 2022), Starlink’s policies allow this or do not block it. In 2023, they changed this so your residential Starlink service address is difficult to move.
The technology, software and hardware are changing so what’s working well now, may change for better or worse. I’m betting on better. But we’ll have to see as more people join, if peak traffic clogs the bandwidth.

For now, we are sticking to cable internet at home and Starlink for RV on the road. I’ve just got to remember to pause the service at the appropriate time.

Tacoma Mod: Sumo Springs Jul 2022

by JamesGear / Mods / RVing / Tow Vehicle

Our GeoPro G19RD has a tongue weight of ~420lbs. When the truck bed is loaded for a RV trip, the weight of cargo plus the GeoPro causes hitch sag. There are a variety of solutions to improve the truck’s rear suspension but Sumo Springs are easy to install and simple. I opted for the black ‘1,800lb’ version There are two others colors: blue = ‘1400lb’ light-medium duty; and yellow = medium-heavy duty (not designed for the Tacoma). For everyday driving & light duty, the blue would typically replace the stock bump stops. But if you tow a trailer, the black higher density is better at reducing hitch sag.

I installed the Sumo Springs using a socket wrench to remove the nuts holding the bump stop u-brackets. Tip: turns out you do not need to completely remove the u-brackets, just loosen, since the stops only need 1/2″ of foot clearance to be removed. The Sumo Springs replace the (surprisingly small) stock Toyota bump stops. I did not need to jack my 2020 Tacoma TRD Off-Road 4×4 up since there was enough clearance. I did the installation on level ground with tire blocks to insure the truck didn’t roll over me.

Since the hitch will dip ~1″ before contacting the Sumo Springs, the difference isn’t clearly perceptible in the sideview photos. But I did see a difference in the rear fender clearance of Tacoma when loaded & hitched to the GeoPro. Plus the tow ride has definitely improved with much less ‘porpoising’ and less overall tail bounce. It is a firmer ride but since there’s less bounce, it’s a worthwhile improvement.

Starlink for RVs

by JamesCamping / Gear / Mods / RVing / Travel

Update: Starlink for RVs 2022

After nearly two years of rv’ing and relying on our cell phones &/or campground wifi, we decided to try Starlink for RVs. Residential Starlink service in our area is scheduled for sometime in 2023. So when Starlink for RVs was announced & became immediately available, we bought the antenna & service. We had planned on testing the residential service ‘on-the-road’ when traveling as some RV YouTuber’s demonstrated. But a legitimate, roaming, mobile satellite internet service appeared to be an easier solution. Plus we can use the antenna & service at home when not traveling – this is currently being tested since Starlink for RVs is throttled. A speed test at home can get over 200mbps then, a short time later, get only 22-30mbps.
On our 1st trip w/ Starlink, to Yosemite, there was zero cell service & campground wifi was terrible/non-existent. We were online in several minutes once the antenna was set on top of our travel trailer & the router powered on. Although partially obstructed by trees, we were able to stream DirectTV, Netflix & place phone calls. Starlink’s speed varies quite a bit due to congestion, throttling, partial obstructions, and the ‘growing pains’ of new technology. But having any reception in an area without cell service is wonderful. Stay tuned for continued assessment & comments.

SmallWanders Logo

by JamesGear / Mods / Travel Trailer

We do not typically do a lot of customization to our vehicles, let alone our travel trailer. We’ve had our GeoPro several months and the only mods we’ve done are to make it more liveable – bed extension, table reduction, sink counter extension. I know many people add a lot to their RVs to make them more homey. But so far, we’ve keep ours pretty stock primarily cause we like the way it looks. BUT one thing we truly enjoy & appreciate is when RV’ers add a logo or exterior sticker that uniquely identifies them.

I dabbled in Graphic Design in college and enjoy logo design and fonts. So I thought I’d design a logo for Howie our 20ft GeoPro G19RD. Starting with a few Adobe Stock vector elements, I came up with a these ideas.

Adobe Stock provides vector illustrations, usually in .ai format, so I subscribed to Adobe Illustrator in order to customize the stock art. An Adobe Stock subscription is required separately and allows you to download 20 pieces of vector art per month. Vector art is preferable so you can scale the image, edit & add elements, and produce print-ready artwork.

I found wrapping the text easier to do in Adobe Photoshop so I converted the .ai to .pdf and imported it. Choosing the right font so it’s legible from several yards away is important. Once typed in and positioned in Photoshop, browsing fonts will change the text in the logo dynamically so it’s easy to see which works best.

Printing – so doing a sunburst graphic requires a continuous tone printer. The popular (on Facebook’s RV groups) Etsy decal designer Jenny of JadeDesign couldn’t do it. She does wonderful monochrome RV-wide decals and could do the two or three-color versions. But we wanted the continuous tone version to go along with our GeoPro graphic.
So google-searching ‘vinyl decals for rv’, I ordered from two vendors: BestOfSigns.com and StickerApp. BestOfSigns.com was 1/2 the price of StickerApp. Both had easy to use online logo upload portals and order forms. BestOfSigns was the first to complete our order and shipped in one week, ordered Aug 18, arrived Aug 30 from India. StickerApp was ordered on the same day, Aug 18 and arrived today Sep 2 from Sweden.
They both turned out great but the BestOfSigns UV ink is matte finished. The StickerApp is glossy so the colors are more vibrant and font legibility is better. I do not know if I could have had both as glossy. On the order page for BestOfSigns, you picked glossy, matte, or uv. I did not see an option for glossy+uv. But the BestOfSigns decal came with instructions and a squeegee for applying the decal. StickerApp only had the decals.

Lectric E-Bikes Setup

by JamesE-Biking / Gear

It took a little over 2months to get our two Lectric e-bikes. Unlike some new owners on the Lectric XP EBike Owners Facebook group, ours seem to come undamaged and working fine. After unboxing and general checkout, it took ~4hrs to charge each bike’s battery. My Black XP 2.0’s front brake was scrapping slightly which I read isn’t uncommon and should go away after 100 miles of use. But after my 1st short ride, I adjusted the disc brakes open 2 clicks on both front & back as prescribed in YouTube videos that discuss this problem. When looking down on the disc pads, the outside pads were touching the disc when the brake was open. Making this adjustment seems to remedy the problem.

We bought a few accessories from Lectric – the matching comfort packages for the XP & the ST, one set of mirrors, and a cargo package. Using a discount code found on YouTube (changinglanes2.0), accessories were 20% off which made them comparable in price to similar third party parts. The mirrors and cargo package still haven’t arrived – ordered in Jun 26 & today is Aug 26.
I installed the XP comfort package which is a suspension seat post and softer, wider seat. It’s heavier than the stock seat & post, adding probably 2lbs, but installed easily and is definitely more comfortable. I also installed a (Amazon) well-reviewed left handlebar mirror for my XP.
My wife’s ST comfort package has a shorter seat post and weighs close to the standard seat & post. But, in it’s lowest position, is ~two inches higher due to the springy portion of the column. This put her on her tip-toes when stationary so we will hold off on using the suspension seat post for now. I switched the wider, softer seat onto the standard seat post so she can touch the ground while seated. The bike is 63lbs so its handling is quite different than the 24lb Zizzo folding bikes we have been riding. Once she feels more comfortable with the heavier bike. We can consider re-installing the suspension seat post and raise her seat so she has fuller leg extension when peddling.

The other accessories added to my XP are: Abus 6000 folding lock & iPhone mount. A pannier bike bag will be added soon to carry bike tools & other necessities like a first aid kit. Her ST also has an Abus 6000 folding lock (keyed the same). Since her iPhone has a PopSocket, she will need a compatible phone mount.

Settings changed:
P09=1 on both bike to prevent throttle from being active when the bike is not moving. So we’ll have to pedal from a standstill.
P10=0 on the Step-Thru since my wife doesn’t want throttle enabled; P10=2 on my XP, both PAS & Throttle enabled.
P11=4 on the Step-Thru so it takes an extra revolution for the motor-assist to engage.
P21=1 enabling walk mode on both bikes to help push them uphill

Some of these setting will be set differently once we are accustomed to the bike handling. But while learning, we are erring on the side of caution with conservative settings.

Trying to Buy a Lectric XP 2.0 E-Bike

by JamesE-Biking / Gear

Aug 22 2021 Update #2: My wife’s White Step-Thru 2.0 appeared unannounced Sunday 8am. I never got the FedEx shipping label that is usually sent a few days prior. But we are happy since Sunday was the day we were going to celebrate her birthday with family. It took 8 weeks for us to receive our e-bikes, one week longer than listed on their website. In hindsight, perhaps the lead time they list is for the shipping label to be sent. The bike arriving a week later. Finally, we can both hit the road – we are happy with the bikes but they are hefty at 63lbs each.

Aug 15 2021 Update #1: It’s finally here! At least my Black XP 2.0 is, still waiting on my wife’s White Step-Thru 2.0. It was ordered a week later so hopefully she’ll get it one week later, in time for her birthday. I was skeptical that FedEx would deliver my e-bike on a Sunday but by 12:30PST it was on our porch. The box is huge and really heavy. There is a lot of packing wrapping every component and it appears to have arrived without any issues. I charged it yesterday for a little over 4hrs and am ready for my first ride. The front disc brake scraps slightly when I lift the front wheel and spin the tire. But I am hopeful that it will break in (pun intended) as I ride it a few miles. Now if only the shipping label for my wife’s will arrive. Note: I received the shipping label notification Friday and got the bike Sunday. Phoenix isn’t far from San Diego so the deliver was fast. Stay tuned for more info on the White Step-Thru delivery & riding adventures.

Jun 18 Black XP 2.0 order arrived Aug 15 2021

After watching a variety of e-bike videos on YouTube, we decided on the Lectric XP 2.0 e-bikes due to the favorable reviews. They aren’t the lightest folding e-bike at 63lbs but, for the price, seem like “best-bang-for-the-buck”. I ordered a Black XP 2.0 Folding Fat Tire E-bike on lectricebikes.com for $999, the most I wanted to spend on my first e-bike. I’ve ridden another brand of e-bike (Ecotric) and found it fun. E-biking has a bit of a learning curve on how to start/stop & corner safely, plus turning off peddle-assist. YouTube reviewers also recommended the comfort seat upgrade for a more comfortable ride and offered a discount code for 20% off. So I added the seat & cargo package to my order. This was going to be a late Father’s Day gift, ordering Jun 18 2021.
I considered waiting till I received mine before buying one for my wife. She’d have a chance to try mine out and see if it worked for her. BUT with a 7-week lead time (at the time of our order, 4-weeks now in early Aug), we changed our mind and I ordered her a White Step-Thru with comfort seat & mirrors Jun 26 2021, as an Aug birthday gift. I got confirmation email receipts showing my credit card was charged the full amount for both right away. So now we wait 7 weeks to get our FedEx Tracking numbers. Mine should ship early August, her’s a week later, in time for her birthday.

The comfort seats for both orders came first, mine July 23, and my wife’s Aug 3rd. These were expected since they were in stock July so shipping within 4-weeks of ordering. The cargo package was listed as shipping in August.

Well it’s been over 7 weeks (Aug 10 2021) and I still haven’t received my tracking label. The only contact from Lectric was an email after 4 weeks offering expedited shipping for an additional $150/bike. They would put it on a plane (“limited space so act quick – they’re actually paying part of the cost”) and I would receive my bike in less time. But we didn’t want to spend anymore and thought that the 7-week delay was acceptable since we agreed to wait that long.

I sent customer service an email inquiry using the link in the receipt and …crickets – no reply. So I finally called them today (Aug 10th) and the rep blamed it on FedEx. Saying they were moving the shipping of bikes from Los Angeles to Phoenix cause FedEx could ship them faster from Arizona. “One – two week additional delay for our orders” she says. So now we have to wait even longer.
Funny, after mentioning I sent an email and got no response to the rep on the phone. I got an email response just a bit later repeating the same 1 – 2 week dealy. So I think they are trying, probably overwhelmed by the growth of their business. Still if you are going to specify a 7-week delay – 7 weeks – it shouldn’t turn into 10 weeks, 2 1/2 months. But according to the Lectric XP Facebook Group, 12-14 weeks is common. There’s A LOT of bitching on Facebook about the time it takes to get one so I guess I’m just one of many.

Based on this experience and trying to be patient in the “Covid-era”, I’m reconsidering my decision. There are a lot of e-bikes out there. If you want one within a reasonable amount of time, order something other than the Lectric e-bikes. A similar price-spec’d Ecotric e-bike can be ordered and arrive in a few days. Plus, in the two months since I ordered, there are more to choose from, some priced cheaper, and some with the same “bang-for-the-buck” awesomeness. Stay tuned for updates – see update 1 above^^^.

Towing With A Tacoma

by JRWilkinsonGear / RVing / Tow Vehicle / Travel Trailer

We bought our tow vehicle first. I picked a Toyota Tacoma after driving a Prius for 12yrs. Our 2020 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off-road 4×4, crew cab short bed is rated to tow ~6400lbs. So we shopped for small trailers under 4000lbs, starting with teardrops. We bought the Geo Pro G19RD because we loved its floor plan – rear dinette, front bed, adequate storage, tank volumes, dry bath – and its low GVWR. The sticker on the frame read 3150lb GVWR, but many rv’ers say this weight does not include the extras Rockwood adds. So reviewing Forest River’s 2021 G19RD specifications, the UVW may be closer to 3271lbs. Following the “80% rule” of not towing more than 80% of your rated tow weight. We should be able to tow up to 5000lbs. We wanted to keep it closer to 4200lbs loaded. We have not stopped at a weigh station but it’s on our to-do list.

Update: Towing With A Tacoma 2022

Forest River/Rockwood 2021 Geo Pro G19RD (discontinued in 2022)


This model of Tacoma is equipped with a tow package which means there are some manufacturer’s add-ons that help when towing. The class IV receiver hitch with trailer wiring, transmission cooler, engine oil cooler, 130-amp alternator and heavy-duty battery to allow you to tow 6400lbs.
We added an Equal-i-zer 10k E4 weight distribution hitch with 4-point sway control. I installed a Tekonsha P2 brake controller, using the appropriate Tacoma pigtail that integrates it with the Tacoma’s 7-pin wiring. A ScanGauge II OBD monitor is installed & configured to readout transmission fluid temperature. Which some people feel is the most critical engine item to monitor when towing w/ a lighter truck. The Geo Pro has a tire-pressure monitoring system factory installed which is also critical for any trailer, especially a single-axle trailer.

Since picking up the trailer in Nov 2020, we’ve done five trips, mostly short & within 270mi of home. Our 1st was a 3-day shakedown trip to Campland-By-The-Bay in San Diego, 30mi from home. The longest & farthest, a one-week trip to Ventura-Pismo Beach-Carpinteria. Two other short trips: 2 days in Joshua Tree; 5 days in Indio.
We’ve been very weight-conscience, only taking what we need. On our last trip, we added two folding bikes and dog to the Tacoma (~100lbs) and found the truck rode more smoothly. In the trailer, we distribute gear weight throughout the compartments – hoses, hardware, hookup accessories – in bins. The griddle, power cord w/ surge protector, leveling blocks, and safety cones in the rear compartments. We’ve been bringing food and 1-2gals of drinking water, depending on the length of the trip. For the Joshua Tree “dry-camping” trip we added 12gals to our fresh water tank, which adds ~100lbs.
Following the advice of another Tacoma tow’er, we shift our automatic transmission from “D” to “S4”. We’ve found that “ECT PWR On”, another towing feature of the Tacoma, so far does not make significant difference. Our mileage has been averaging 11.5mpg with it on. It’s too early to tell but we towed with “ECT PWR Off” last trip and may have averaged 12.4mpg. But we need more miles since this stat is based on towing with very few inclines.

Equipping Our Travel Trailer

by JRWilkinsonGear / RVing / Travel Trailer

After watching dozens of RV YouTube videos, we’ve outfitted our Geo Pro G19RD with the essentials plus some extra safety equipment. Like other rv’ers, we ended up with a huge pile of Amazon boxes. A few items were ordered from Campingworld.com using our Good Sam membership discount. We also shopped at a local Camping World store. Being able to see & handle the gear before buying is educational & practical.

Outfitting “HoWie” our Geo Pro G19RD 20ft Travel Trailer
After watching several YouTube videos & reading online articles on RV essential equipment. We ordered many many items from Amazon and Walmart. Geo Pros come with some nice standard equipment like electric tongue jack, 190w solar panels, propane tanks, batteries, & a propane grill. But none of the gear to interface with campground hookups except the 30amp power cord.
Fresh water hoses (35ft, 10ft x 2), black water hoses & connectors, black water hose cradle, hose fittings & regulators, leveling blocks, aluminum folding table (Walmart), voltage surge protection, Dewalt cordless drill w/ 3/4″ stabilizer socket, torque wrenches & sockets for truck & rv, air compressor for truck & rv – there’s a lot of stuff to get setup and be safe.

Essentials+Extras Travel Trailer Shopping List