Hey there, Greetings! We are thrilled to have screens while traveling through the South in spring. On the coast of Alabama, windows were kept closed and air conditioning was running most of the time, but it was surprisingly cool and comfortable in both Texas and northern Florida. We had the window wall open most of the time which let in a nice breeze.
The four season design of a Travel Home, with double and triple pane windows, closed cell foam insulation in a 4" wall, and a high efficiency mini-split A/C-Heat unit, does make it quite comfortable in both the searing heat as well as freezing cold.
We get a lot of positive feedback on our solar set-up and most folks we speak to either have or want to make sure their future rig have the ability to capture the energy from the sun. Actually, 100% of our survey respondents said they want the ability to run everything off solar and batteries (click here for full results). Even with an electrical RV hookup available, it actually feels really good to run off this renewable resource, knowing we do our part to live with a smaller footprint.
It is interesting to note that solar panels are actually less efficient when the sun gets really hot. We found that when the temperatures reach 90+, the resulting energy output can be down 25%+, so you have to size your setup accordingly. If you are often in an area where you also run the A/C most of the night, an adequate battery capacity is required. It is all about planning and we can help with that.
Design Update - we are getting a new skin. As some of you may know, we often talked about the option of changing the exterior. We currently have teak siding, which stemmed from Robert's dream of having a teak deck boat, and this was the next best thing. It is beautiful, and with a simple application of oil, once or twice a year, the maintenance is not an issue. However, wood is a natural material and when you travel like we do, from -7 degrees to 100+ degrees, from almost no humidity to close to 100%, wood will expand and contract. It is not as tight as it once was, so it is time we put on an exterior that we will offer on our production units. The look will be very similar, with the black and dark reddish wood look. We are using high end extruded aluminum, which will not only look beautiful, but retain its shape and also save significant weight.
TravelHomeNation™️ Across America tour for summer/fall '23 will be on the East coast. Julia and I are going to get married in Stockholm in a few weeks and will then travel Europe until we get back in mid July. We will then embark on an exciting East coast trek that is way overdue. The dates and specific spots are not set yet, but we know we need to visit the Carolinas, TN, VA, MD, NJ, MA, ME, NH, VT, and western NY at a minimum. We will be stopping at MORryde in Elkhart, IN for some meetings, and then heading out towards the National HDT Rally in Kansas in early October. As we confirm our travels, we will update the travel page on our TravelhomeNation™️ web page.
We have not booked anything yet, and would love to hear your favorites and any suggestions we should not miss.
Tampa RV Show - As mentioned, we are confirmed at the Tampa RV Show in January '24. Don't have the details as to our show location yet, but we will keep you posted.
