RV Tools & Maintenance Supplies

Those of you who are experienced do-it-yourself mechanics will quickly identify the kinds of tools you will want to take along to handle emergency repairs on your RV and motorized toys. But for those who may not share that expertise, I thought I'd make a few suggestions.  Of course, you will need some basic mechanical skills for any tools to be useful, although you might luck out and find a fellow camper who has the skills and could make use of your tools until you can get trained.  If you have no mechanical skills or interest in obtaining them, you might pare down the following suggestions and only bring along what  you can make use of.  If you need training, check out your local adult education and community college classes.  You can usually find some basic mechanical courses there at reasonable prices.  You may even find having those skills productive and rewarding in other aspects of your life besides camping.

I keep a small tool box with frequently used hand tools behind one of the lounge chairs in my motorhome.   Major tools live in a larger tool box in an outside compartment.  My inside tool box includes frequently used things like pliers and screwdrivers.  The outside tool box has the heavy duty stuff, like socket sets and wrenches for bigger tasks.

For the major tool kit I would start with a good basic socket set, including 1/4", 3/8", and 1/2" drives. Make sure you get the right set for your vehicle: SAE for those with standard nuts and bolts and metric for metric fittings, almost always found on foreign vehicles and many newer American motorhome chassis and tow vehicles. If your budget and space will allow, you might want to have a full set of both SAE and metric sockets. You can also get "Metrinch" brand sockets and wrenches that fit both.  Some metric sizes have corresponding SAE sizes.  For example, 14 mm  and 9/16" are  equivalent. However, others may be close, but not close enough.  1/2" SAE is smack in the middle between 12mm and 12mm metric sizes.    A 12mm is too small for a 1/2" fastener and 13mm, while close, will be loose enough to risk slipping and rounding off the fastener.  Metrinch tools  are engineered to cover most popular SAE and Metric sizes with a minimum number of wrenches or sockets.  You will want a good quality set of tools that you can depend on, but you probably don't need to buy a high grade professional brand like Snapon, although that would be nice. I would LOVE to have a complete set of Snapon tools for my motorhome and my motorcycle trailer. But I'm afraid they are beyond my budget. Expect to pay at least $30-40 for each socket set. Anything priced less than that (I've often seen sets containing all 3 sizes for under $40) is likely to fail the first time or two you use it, leaving you as helpless as if you had no tools, but probably with skinned knuckles and screwed up fasteners.  Typical failures include stripped out sockets and internal failures of ratchet mechanisms as well as rounded off fasteners.  I like to carry deep well as well as standard depth sockets. It adds to the space and weight of my tool kit but gives me options for dealing with extra long bolts I sometimes encounter.  You may or may not find them necessary for your applications. Fancy things like universal-joint sockets are optional and, unless you know of critical places you need absolutely them on your RV, are probably not worth the space, weight, or expense. Craftsman brand hand tools, sold by Sears and K-Mart, are good quality at a reasonable price and come with a lifetime guaranty. Another pretty good brand for the "shade tree mechanic" is Husky .   Harbor Freight offers their own house brand (Pittsburg) tools at really good prices (especially if you wait for a coupon sale) and they also have a lifetime guaranty. Their tools are foreign-made and, based on my personal experience, aren't as quiert reliable and durable or as precision made as Craftsman, but they are certainly adequate and they are quick to honor their guarantee if you do break one.  I have found that nice, shiny chrome looking wrenches are usually more precise than the those cast with rough surfaces.  The textured surface may give you a little more grip, but they are also harder to keep clean.  I have had occasion to use Harbor Freight's lifetime guarantee a couple  of times and they honored it without any hassled.  I once twisted a couple of T-handle allen wrenches so the flutes were cork-screwed and they gave me an entire new set without any argument. I was certainly impressed by the strength of the plastic handles as well as by them honoring the warranty! BTW, I have had to use Crafstman's lifetime warranty a couple of times too -- and again without any hassle whatsoever.  I once bought some Craftsman screwdrivers at a garage sale.  One of the Philips tips was broken so I went to Sears to buy a replacement.  The salesman insisted on replacing it under warranty, even I explained I was not the original purchaser.

Second, a good set of combination wrenches. Again, either make sure you have the right set (SAE or metric) or a set that includes both. Also go for fairly good quality wrenches. I've seen some cheap sets that look like they were poured in sand molds. Look for tools with clean, square cut edges that contact the fasteners neatly and have smooth, comfortable grips. If they don't fit right, there is danger of them slipping and ruining the nut or bolt -- and your fingers! I like the polished chrome finishes because they clean easily, feel good, and they're nice to look at. While we're on the subject, always keep your tools clean. Dirty tools can be slippery and contaminants can affect their ability to grip fasteners. Cheap tools have a tendency to fail under stress. I've experienced enough bruised and bloodied knuckles to develop a strong appreciation for good quality, clean tools.  It may pay to invest in a few extra quality wrenches of commonly used sizes, like 10 mm and 12 mm for dirt bikes.  Because of frequent use they tend to get lost easily and you sometimes need more than one to use on the bolt and nut simultaneously.  By the way, if you come across some Craftsman "crossfit" wrenches they are really nice to have.  They look a little different than ordinary wrenches because the ends are turned 90° from the handles.  Ordinary wrenches have the ends flat with the handles.   Crossfit wrenches let you push against the flat side of the handle instead of against the edge.  This makes them for comfortable to use and lets you exert more force when needed.

If you do choose to include both SAE and metric wrenches and sockets in your RV tool box, that may provide you with most of the tools you will need for your OHV, so having both is not necessarily overkill if you have the room for them. And you never know what opportunities you may have to help others if you have the right tools on board.  On my first dirt bike trip I quickly discovered the fairly complete set of SAE tools I had in my motorhome were pretty much useless on the metric fasteners on the bikes.  Only  made that mistake once!

Next on my list is screwdrivers. I like the Craftsman professional set. These have comfort grip handles and tempered tips.  Craftsman is also a good choice, although somewhat pricey, for sockets and wrenches too. One distinct advantage to all Craftsman hand tools is their lifetime warranty. I've only had to use it once or twice, and Sears was happy to handle the replacement. One of the biggest advantages to Craftsman's lifetime warranty is that the tools are high enough quality that you probably won't need it -- and having dependable tools that won't fail when you're at some remote campsite is invaluable. Regardless of the brand, choose a set that gives you several sizes of both flat and Phillips head screwdrivers. You will find different sized tips required for different sized fasteners and will often need extra long or extra short handles to access screws in some places. Those with tungsten tipped or tempered blades are usually sturdier and grip better than untreated models. A set of screwdriver tips to fit a 1/4" drive handle or power drill/driver can be helpful. These sets often include other useful tips, like the square drive (clutch head) used on many fasteners on interior trim in RVs. You can also get torx bits, even those designed to work on "security screws" that ordinary torx bits don't fit (the screw has a pin in the middle of the opening and you have to have a bit that has a matching hole).  I keep a set of "through the handle" screw drivers in my dirt bike trailer.   The steel shaft goes all the way through the plastic handle and is topped by a hex form that allows you to use a wrench to turn the screwdriver when your own grip isn't enough.  You can also tap on the top of the metal end to help "set" the bit into the fastener, which  can be useful on dirty or rusty screws.

Another basic tool that is good to have on hand is pliers. I carry both 6" and 8" regular pliers and at least one pair of 8 - 10" slip joint, Channel-lock style pliers. A pair of diagonals is also handy if you need to cut wires or shorten radiator hoses (which often have wire reinforcements). I also like to have a pair of linesman pliers. They have square nose and are equipped with a wire cutter. An especially useful form of pliers are Vise-grips. Like most pliers, these come in various sizes. For my motorhome I carry medium-sized Vise-grips (about 6"). I carry a small set in my fanny pack or fender bag on my dirt bike because I can use it for many fixes on the trail, including as a temporary replacement for a broken shift lever. A variation I've found useful is something called "Meyers pliers". They look like a pair of Vise-grips with a C-clamp welded to one handle, making a good portable vise for holding parts. My tool box in my motorcycle trailer also includes a pair of safety wire pliers.  These are designed to lock on to safety wires like those on hand grips and twist them tight.  A good wire stripper and wire crimp tool can be helpful when you have to make electrical repairs. While we're on the subject of electrical repairs, you'll at least need a test light for basic trouble shooting. An inexpensive multi-meter will give you even more options, if you know -- or learn -- how to use it.

I have two or three hammers in my tool kit. One is a carpenter's hammer for driving and pulling nails and I usually have two or three ball peen hammers of different sizes for driving chisels and punches or hammering metal. I also have a small (2 1/2 lb) one-handed sledge hammer I mostly use for driving tent pegs, but it also comes in handy when changing tires on my dirt bikes.  If your worried about weight and/or space, you can leave out some of the hammers.  Only bring along what  you will use.  If you only have room for one, I suggest using a roofer's hammer that has a regular hammer head on one side and a hatchet blade on the other.

By now you already have a pretty full tool box and it probably weighs more than you would like it to, but you should be covered for most emergency repairs you could handle in the sticks. Sometimes you can get a fairly complete kit all in one plastic molded toolbox for a quite reasonable price that will be adequate for most emergency needs. These are usually quite compact, making them easy to store in the limited space in most RVs. Just be careful of the quality. Flimsy tools may be worse than not having any tools because they may cause further damage to your RV/OHV -- or injury to you! Believe me, it is cheaper -- and a lot less bloody and painful -- to buy good tools than pay the doctor bills when cheap tools fail and you get injured.

I have personally had pretty good success with relatively inexpensive hand tools from Harbor Freight Tools. And they do have a lifetime guarantee if you should break one. I have had to take advantage of their guarantee a couple of times and have never encountered any resistance. Most of the time their products have proved to be quite durable and effective -- and at a considerable savings over brand names. I find it a good way to expand my options without breaking the bank. Since they only get occasional use, I have found them to be quite adequate for my DIY needs.  As I mentioned before, I prefer the polished versions.  They seem to be more precisely manufactured than those with a grainy or dull finish and I like the way they feel in my hand.

Some other things you should have include a jack of sufficient capacity to lift your RV to change a tire, and a lug wrench to fit the lug nuts and provide enough torque to loosen the them. Best to try it out at home sometime. Lug nuts on RVs, especially large motorhomes, are likely to have been tightened using large air-impact wrenches. I've even seen road side assistance technicians with 10' extensions on their lug wrenches still not be able to break loose the lug nuts on a motorhome. We finally had to limp the rig into his shop where he had a 3/4" air impact wrench.  BTW, if you do have a behemoth motorhome, you may want to invest in an RV roadside assistance program instead of a heavy duty jack. 

I've found it helpful to carry my own windshield cleaning tool in my motorhome. The ones in ordinary gas stations aren't long enough to reach the huge windshield on the RV. The ones in truck stops usually are but there isn't always a truck stop when I need gas -- or need to clean my windshield. Ones with telescoping handles are particularly handy since they take up less room when not in use and easily fit under or behind the driver's seat.

Not really tools, but often necessary to effect repairs, you should carry some useful materials such as electrical wire, electrical tape, tie wire, cable ties and duct tape. I've added an assortment of solderless terminals and pair of terminal pliers.  A variety of lubricants will also be useful.  WD-40 is one of the most popular but having some silcone based lubricants and even dry teflon lubricants may also some in handy.  Dry teflon, for example, is good for lubricating curtain tracks and zippers to ensure smooth operation.  Ordinary wet lubricants may drip onto the fabric or collect dust.

Add to that spare fuses and light bulbs for you vehicle. There are several different styles of fuses used on vehicles and RVs so check to see which style -- and amperages -- you need. There are tons of lights on most RVs, including marker lights, taillights, stop lights, turn signals, dash lights and interior lights, and almost all of them are different from each other, so make sure you have an adequate supply of spares of each type. Check the numbers on the bulbs, not just what they look like. Many times the bulbs in the interior fixtures have the same size base as turn/stop lights, but the interior lights are single contact, single filament bulbs while turn/stop lights usually have double contacts and double filaments.

Miscellaneous stuff. I've found many uses for nylon cable ties too. They are inexpensive, light weight, take up little room, and can be used to secure lots of things that come loose. A can of WD-40 will come in handy to eliminate squeaky hinges, reduce wear on moving parts and help loosen rusted bolts. By the way, the "WD" in WD-40 stands for "water displacing". It also works well as a hand cleaner or even to pre-treat grease stains on clothing and for cleaning lots of greasy stains just about anywhere.

Take a look around your RV and see what, if any, special tools might be required. Many RVs use square-head drive instead of slotted or Phillips screws on interior panels and trim. Having one on hand to tighten loose fasteners may, keep your RV from literally falling apart! Other popular styles of fasteners are allen (hex) head bolts and screws, and Torx heads, which use a kind of star-shaped tip. You can often find inexpensive tool kits with a single drive handle and multiple tips that include various shaped bits -- or you an buy additional individual bits at your local automotive supply or hardware store.  Some OHVs required special tools too.  Our Honda dirt bikes have to have  special spark plug wrench.  It is literally impossible to change the spark plug with out it.

Power tools are usually not necessary for emergency repairs, but I carry an inexpensive, Harbor Freight house brand 18-volt drill-driver in my motorcycle trailer, along with an assortment of screwdriver bits, nut drivers, and drill bits. Since I have an air compressor in the trailer I also bring along a small air impact wrench. I recently splurged and bought a cordless 1/2" impact wrench from Harbor Freight too.  I know it will make in camp OHV repairs easier and faster.

Supplies. I already mentioned a few items (electrical wire, safety wire, electrical tape, bulbs, fuses, nylon cable ties, and WD40) but there are some other items I've found useful. I try to keep an extra set of fan belts on board. Extra engine oil and coolant are essential to have. And duct tape. You'll find dozens of uses for duct tape, from temporary repairs to torn awnings to emergency radiator hose fixes and broken windows. I usually keep some general purpose automotive wax/cleaner products in one of my outside cabinets, if there is room. That allows me to touch up the exterior when I have some "down time". It is also useful for removing road tar before it permanently stains the surface. I once found small cans of battery cleaner and protector that I added to my RV supplies. The normal sized cans (about the size of spray paint) take up too much room and will very likely become clogged or loose their propellant before I'd ever use them up. I've seen fellow RVers carry belt dressing to quiet squealing fan belts but hair spray works just about as well and it can also be used when installing hand grips on OHVs where it works initially as a lubricant to slide the grips on, then, as it dries, it helps glue them in places so they don't slip. And while hair spray may relieve the symptoms of squealing belts, the tension of squealing belts should always be checked and tightened or replaced if necessary.

Happy repairs!

RV , Camping, and OHV Activities

There are many different activities you can enjoy in conjunction with traveling in your RV or tent camping. Sometimes, camping is a good way to support other desirable activities.  We brought our tent and sleeping bags along on a multi-day trip to visit family 3 states away.  We blew near $100 for one night in a motel on the way there but found a small, private campground on the way home where we could set up our tent for just $7.00.  In both cases we enjoyed a good night's sleep before resuming rested the next day. 

Just camping is a rewarding and satisfying activity in itself, but there are lots of options for other things to do in and around the campground. Most of my family activities have involved OHVs as well. RVs provide an excellent base camp for OHV rides and OHVs provide great recreation on RV trips. It is OK if you prefer tent camping to using an RV. It just may involve a little more work and a little less convenience. We've gotten to visit a number of remote locations that are rich in geologic and cultural history. I have found it enjoyable to do a little research on each of the sites we frequent. I learned that one of our favorite landmarks, an old railroad water tower, was all that was left of a small community that had served as a way-station for the famous 20 Mule Teams hauling borax out of Death Valley and later as a rail transfer station. Not too far from there is also a small monument erected by an Eagle Scout at the site of an X15 crash to recognize the sacrifice of Major Michael Adams, American's 27th Astronaut (having flown the X15 to more than 266,000 feet) and the first astronaut casualty. The concrete marker isn't grandiose, but it sparks the imagination. Try Googling "X15 crash site" for details and photos. Another popular OHV destination in the southern California Desert is the Husky Monument. I also enjoyed the ride report at Husky Ride Report and I think you will too. It includes some great photos of the jaunt from Randsburg over to the Husky Monument. The primary attraction here is an old Husquvarna 390 dirt bike anchored in cement in the ground. It was placed there as a monument in memory of rider Jim Erickson in 1987. It continues to collect flags and scarves and now has a number of other memorials surrounding it, including one dedicated to "OGRE", who, it turns out, is Ron Griewe, father of the 1996-2003 ATK thumper and long-term editor of Cycle World Magazine. Someday it would be interesting to collect the stories of all the riders now memorialized near the Husky Monument. I have several riding buddies who claim their final request is to have their ashes scattered at the Husky Monument. The Husky Monument web site mentioned above gives a pretty complete list of the riders already memorialized there along with photos of their plaques. But more are being added every year. It would sure be interesting to know the stories behind each one. In Utah we have ridden portions of the trails used by Pony Express riders and visited the Sunset Mine nicknamed "The Jeep In The Hole" where someone drove a Jeep into a vertical mineshaft. The driver and passenger survived and were rescued by a passing ATV rider. Everyone suspects part of their surviving the crash stems from the same level of blood alcohol that caused them to drive into the hole in the first place!

While I have a particular preference for dirt biking, there are many other fine opportunities awaiting the RVer or camper. Visit distant family members. It is convenient to have your own accommodations when you get there, to say nothing of the flexibility to check out interesting side trips along the way. There are many great state and national parks to visit. Museums and the historical districts of many towns and cities provide entertaining and educational experiences for the whole family either as a destination or along the way. We chose to drive the "49er trail" on our way to Oregon from southern California one year instead of cruising up the rather boring I-5 through the central valley. It follows much of the route used by the sudden influx of miners following the discovery of gold in California. Give yourself time to stop and avail yourself of the many museums and historical exhibits along the way.  The 49er trail added a day or two to our journey to visit my Mom and Dad, but it was fun for the family and actually quite educational.  Be aware some the highways are narrow and twisting and the streets in old mining towns can be very narrow.  I knocked off my right hand mirror when a large truck coming the other way forced me too close to the curb and I clipped a street sign.

Of course an RV or tent can also serve as a wonderful base camp for fishing, hunting, hiking, bird watching, rock hounding, swimming, boating, and simply exploring and sight seeing. Ranger- or self-led trails near many Forest Service campgrounds are educational, entertaining, fun, and good exercise.

Closer to home an RV makes great foundation for tailgate parties at sporting events. On that note I heard of a fellow who pretty much used his RV only for such activities so he converted the second gas tank to an extra holding tank for sewage. One morning, during a gas shortage, he came out to find a 5 gallon can, a length of siphon hose, and huge deposit of vomit on the driveway next to his RV.   Someone had apparently tried to siphon gas out of the tank that had been converted to hold sewage. Talk about poetic justice! Wow! Did that potential thief get what was coming to him!

When our kids were active in soccer we often used the RV to transport them to and between games. Many of the soccer fields, being school playgrounds, lacked basic sanitation facilities on weekends and having our own private restrooms was advantageous on more than one occasion. Of course, cold drinks from the fridge and an air conditioned interior were welcome after hours of sitting or running around in the warm California sun.

You don't need an RV to enjoy OHV activities, although having one greatly adds to the comfort and convenience. I've seen folks spend a 3-day weekend sleeping in their cars to go dirt-biking. My daughter, who raced women's desert expert class in southern California had a truck-tent she used in the back of her S-10 pickup. Prior to getting the truck tent she camped in a pop-up tent at her races. You'll quickly learn from other campers and riders what makes life easier, but here are some basic suggestions if you venture out without an RV: Ice chest, camping stove, tent, sleeping bag, ground cloth, first aid kit, camp stools or chairs, axe or hatchet and, of course, proper tools for your ride. And don't forget extra fuel -- and plenty of water. We've found that a Camelbak-style hydration pack is ideal for staying hydrated on the trail but you'll need a larger source in camp to refill it often. You don't even have to stop when you get thirsty. I added Velcro just behind the bite valve on the tube so I could attach it to a matching Velcro tab on the center of my chest protector where it would be easy to find and safe from getting caught on passing bushes. Those darned bite valves come off fairly easily and they are kind of pricey! On top of that, you'll likely loose your precious water and may end up with it in your lap or under your butt, neither of which are very comfortable or pleasant, even in hot weather. Some kind of canopy, awning or umbrella can add a lot of comfort in camp on hot sunny days. We sometimes add a mist system to our RV awning to make it even more comfortable when desert temps soar.

Where ever you go in your RV or on your OHV, be responsible: don't leave your trash behind, be considerate of fellow campers, and obey all signs and ordinances regarding use of the area you are visiting. Something all too many folks fail to take into consideration is noise pollution. No one, even fellow riders, want to hear your dirt bike rapping up way before breakfast, nor do they want to listen to YOUR loud music, not even in the afternoon, late alone late at night. I once encountered a bunch of teenagers who roared into a campground about 3:00 am and left their doors open and car stereos turned up to just below the threshold of pain while they set up camp. Fortunately they responded to a polite request to respect the fact that there were dozens of people trying to sleep nearby. Which brings us to another point: be polite and diplomatic even if your inconsiderate neighbors are not. While you will feel a lot like being nasty, it will probably only lead to an escalation that will far exceed the original problem. Sometimes they simply haven't thought about what they're doing. The teens in my previous example didn't think about there being anyone on the other side of the trees that surrounded their camp. Of course they should have, but they didn't. They weren't being deliberately belligerent, just thoughtless. In many cases, people will willingly adjust their behavior when they realize they are negatively impacting those around them, but not always. Some, even without being on drugs or alcohol, quickly become defensive and nastier. And there is little you can do about that but withdraw and endure the situation, unless you are willing to call in legal authorities to deal with the problem. For the most part we've found that, contrary to the image often portrayed in the media, RVers and OHVers are a thoughtful, considerate, and helpful bunch of people. I was among those skeptical of dirt bikers during some of our first family outings. I'd seen too many movies where the dirt bikers were always portrayed as bad guys. Then one day I was stopped on a low hilltop watching a couple of my sons riding in the off road "playground" on the flats valley below me. My younger boy managed to ride off into a narrow gully and went over the bars. I rode down as quickly as I could, but even before I could reach him, less than 100 yards from my position, at least a half dozen other riders who didn't even know us were already on the scene, checking him for injuries and helping extricate him and his bike from the gully. My opinion of my fellow dirt bikers significantly improved that day and it has been confirmed over and over again ever since.

Camp and ride!

Mermbership Camping

A lot of people participate in campground memberships. Like condo time-sharing, these membership programs usually offer members access to multiple RV parks (sometimes just one park) at reduced rates, sometimes even free. Is a membership program right for you? Depends on how much camping you do and where you like to camp. If you are doing a lot of off-highway activity and mostly boondock in remote areas, you will probably not benefit much from a campground membership. However, if you prefer camping in developed campgrounds with full hookups and near golf courses or other attractions and enjoy sharing the social atmosphere with other campers with similar interests you may find membership camping appealing. Compare your total cost with and without the membership. Count up how many nights you plan to use. For a basis for comparison, calculate how much you would spend at the normal, posted rate. Then see how much you would spend if you joined the "club". Be sure to include initial investment and annual dues as well as nightly fees. You may find that the payback may take several years before you break even and start saving money. However, money isn't the only reason to get a campground membership. Members often receive priority reservations and are offered discounts on local attractions. On top of that, there is often a social benefit to being part of a membership community. If you enjoy getting together with fellow RVers, the benefits of campground memberships may be appealing.

If you own an RV you are likely to receive unsolicited offers from membership campgrounds.  These usually take the form of an offer for one free night of camping in exchange for sitting through one of their sales presentations.  I've tried a few of these and found the sales tactics to be too high pressure for my taste.  An instant turn off for me is when they hit you with the "you have choose now or loose your chance forever" pitch.  I suspect they won't turn you down if you decide later you are interested.  It would be extremely tedious to keep track of every attendee and it just wouldn't be good business to turn people away.  As far as I'm concerned, quality products and services sell themselves.  High pressure sales tactics reek of inferior products or poor attitude toward customers.

Of course there are other RV clubs around you may want to look into. Probably the biggest and most famous is the "Good Sam Club" . Good Sam membership includes discounts at many campgrounds and often on merchandise as well as nightly fees. Good Sam membership now includes Camping World's President's Club, giving 10% discount on all Camping World merchandise. Many manufacturers sponsor or support clubs comprised of owners of their products.  There are also generic RV organizations, such as the Family Motor Coach Association. There are many local off-road motorcycle, ATV, 4WD, and RV clubs, as well as rock hounds, birdwatchers, dog owners, campers, equestrians, and those with an interest in history, rock collecting, bird watching, and mining. Most clubs are anxious to share their wisdom and their knowledge of local attractions and activities and you are very likely to make some new friends who share your interests and with whom you can enjoy outings.  Clubs are a good place to  hook up with like-minded people for social activities and service projects.

If you don't find an existing organization that meets your needs, you may want to look into forming your own. When I lived in southern California I was part of an unofficial, family-oriented group of recreational dirt bikers. We called ourselves the "Desert Rats" . We had no dues and no meetings and no formal organization. We came together through our common interest in dirt-biking and shared many memorable and exciting adventures. We got together just about every holiday weekend for some fun OHV activities and good companionship. You many want to form a more formal club or association. If so, be sure to check with your state parks officials to find out the rules and regulations for RV and OHV clubs.  After ten years living in Utah we still haven't been able to organize a similar group, so you may or may not be able to find compatible companions or create your own.  Registering your club or at least making local land managers aware of your purpose can help establish good working relationships with those in charge of the areas where you want to camp and ride. Properly organized as service organizations, donations to such organizations may be tax deductible. Be sure to check the tax status of any club you join or form. Contributions to many tax-exempt associations may be tax deductible.  A club, formal or informal, is a powerful unit for organizing and conducting service projects to maintain or improve facilities and help promote our sport as well as a fun way to enjoy your sport and support each other.

And the most important thing of all: Have Fun!

Handy Gizmos and Gadgets

Check out any RV or camping oriented store, catalog, trade show, or website and you will find dozens of clever gizmos and gadgets. Some are actually useful and may enhance your camping experience. Many are simply cute and clever and their greatest function is to make the seller rich -- to transfer your hard earned money into their pockets!  No matter how many neat gizmos and gadgets you buy, there will always be new ones competing for your attention -- and your $$$!   The 2012 Camping World Catalog had 5 pages of kitchen gadgets and 9 pages of grill accessories alone.  There are hundreds of other items which claim to enhance your RVing or camping experience.   Here are some of the things we've found actually useful:

Navigational aids. I like having a large, Roadmaster compass mounted on the dash of my motorhome. It is quite helpful when navigating unfamiliar roads. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find any current retailers who sell them but you might find one on ebay.  There are other compasses you can get to use in your vehicle.  Many vehicles these days have built in compasses if not sophisticated navigation systems.  Of course these days, a GPS is even better but they cost a LOT more. I also found an altimeter useful on trips to higher elevations and have tried various forms of "clinometers" (devices that show the vehicle orientation side to side and front to back).  They are something like the artificial horizon used in aircraft.  They are usually not sensitive enough for final leveling but are very useful in finding the most nearly level spot in a remote camp site and I find them easier to read than bubble levels at a glance. Bubble levels are, of course, good for final leveling. Clinometers are sometimes used in Jeeps and other larger off-highway vehicles to measure roll-over potential when crossing side-hills.  They show both front to back and side to side degree of level.

Trash bag holders. These are plastic gadgets that attach to a wall or the inside of a cabinet door and hold a standard plastic grocery bag. Since most RVs are sadly lacking in providing any space for trash, these can be quite helpful. Since they use standard grocery bags, they are economical to use and even provide a way to recycle those pesky grocery bags that tend to accumulate under the sink. These have been one of the best additions we've made to our RVs.  For larger trash bags in camp, I modified a standard bag style (quad) camp chair into a trash bag holder.  I removed the seat and the backrest leaving a 4-post frame.  It takes up little room in an outside cabinet while traveling but can hold a large, heavy duty trash bag for use in camp.  You can buy "leaf baggers" intended for yard use to hold large contractor sized bags too.

Paper towel holders. As essential and useful as paper towels are in and around an RV or campsite, I am surprised that RV manufacturers don't include them as standard equipment.  I guess they might leave for consumer installation because people may prefer to have them in different locations.  Fortunately, they are inexpensive and easy to install. Ordinary residential holders can be made to work in an RV, but there are some that are especially made for RVs that will help keep the paper towels from unwinding due to the motion and air movement when traveling. There are tricks that can be used with ordinary holders, such as attaching a mini-bungee cord or ordinary rubber band across the roll or using an empty 2-liter soda bottle to confine the roll. We had an entire roll of paper towels pile up on the counter and the floor on more than one occasion while traveling before we learned some of the tricks.  To use a soda bottle, rinse it out and let it dry thoroughly, then cut off both the top and bottom and split it down one side.  You can now open it up and clip it over your paper towel roll.  Then simply open it at the cut when you need to pull off some towels or keep the edge of the roll sticking out through the cut.  The see-through plastic lets you monitor paper towel usage without having to remove the cover.  I prefer using a clear bottle because it is easier to see how much of the roll remains.

"Pop-it" Products: These are a series of plastic holders designed to hold various commonly used paper camping products. Pop-a-plate holds paper plates; Pop-a-napkin holds paper napkins; Pop-a-bag stores standard grocery bags for easy use. The plate and napkin holders are typically installed beneath kitchen cabinets for convenient access and to avoid taking up valuable space inside the cabinet.  Pop-a-bag makes it convenient to stuff new bags into the top and to pull out what you need from a slot in the bottom.  The retrieval slot is designed to deliver one bag at time.

Bathroom organizers. The limited space in most RV bathrooms dictates that you make the best possible use of every bit of it. The most convenient bathroom organizer I've found combines toothbrush storage with a paper cup dispenser. The hinged top keeps dust out of the paper cups and off the toothbrushes. The mounting bracket attaches easily with screws or double-sticky tape, then the unit slides onto the mounting bracket. At first I was skeptical about the slide on mount staying in place on bumpy roads, but it is very long and well designed and I've never had the holder fall off, even on washboard desert roads.

Blender bottles. Light weight, break resistant, and require no electric power, these are plastic bottles with a kind of a spring ball inside. Fill with water or milk and add your favorite flavoring and shake about 40 times. Most useful for car or tent camping where you don't have power, but can be a convenient way to make single serving beverages in your RV without an electric blender.  Shake up a serving of Tang for breakfast without the need to fire up the generator to run the blender.

Awning clamps. Awnings tend to be quite susceptible to wind. Consider the design and function of sails on sailing ships. Awnings, if caught by the wind, quickly become rather efficient sails if they are not properly secured. Awning deflapper clamps dampen the annoying flapping noise and help reduce the potential of having your expensive awning damaged by reasonable winds. You will still want to roll up your awning prior to any strong winds, but awning clamps, properly securing both ends of the awning fabric to the rafters, will help prevent damage by unexpected lesser winds. And they reduce the annoying flapping noise that often accompanies even light breezes. I have tried out two different styles: one that clamps rigidly to the awning arms and one attaches via velcro straps. The rigid clamps seem to be a little better at reducing flapping but the velcro strops are much easier to put on and take off. Another type of awning clamp is used for additional security while the vehicle is in motion. They attach to the side of the RV and clamp around the rolled up awning. You open and close them with your regular awning wand. They are not needed on awnings that roll up into a metal box. Having personally experienced having an awning unroll on the freeway in high winds, I can attest to their value.  It is always a good idea to listen for unusual noises (like an awning flapping against the side of your RV) and to keep an eye in the rear view mirror so you can detect an awning coming loose when it first starts and before it causes any serious damage.  Left uncontrolled, it can destroy the fabric and the hardware, damage the sides of the RV, break windows, and possibly damage other vehicle on the road, all of which tend to be rather expensive to deal with.

Awnbrella awning rafters.  Another really useful awning accessory is the "Awnbrella" awning rafter.  They fit between the roller and the wall of the RV and bow up, giving the awning a shape that sheds water instead of sinking down and collecting it when it rains.  They also give you a little more head room, in case your awning is low, like they sometimes are on smaller RVs.

Awning lights.  You can buy both 120 volt ant 12 volt lighting systems for your RV awning.  The ones I find most appealing are still kind of pricey (over $100):  they are multicolored LED rope lights.  They usually come with a remote control so you can select the color and flash pattern from the comfort of y our favorite chair.   However, I have found solar powered LED rope lights (just in white, and no flash patterns) on sale at Harbor Freight for around $10 and they do a good job of proving even and comfortable illumination under your awning.   Both are designed to fit in the accessory slot on your awning roller.  You can also attach regular patio light  strings using clips that slide into the accessory slot, giving you a lot of choices to match your mood or party theme.  Whenever you use awning lights, be considerate of your fellow campers.  If your light intrudes into their space you should turn it off.

"Multi-tools". There are many different types of "multi-tools" or multi-function tools on the market. One of the most common is the Leatherman brand. The original leatherman is a cross between pliers and a Swiss army knife. Some have more than a dozen functions. They take up little space and can be used for many common tasks around your RV and OHV. I found that "fencing pliers" is a good multi-use tool that can be used as a hammer, pliers, and wire cutters. I have seen 8" pliers with screwdriver tips on the ends of the handles (flat on one, #2 phillips on the other), and a hammer-like disk on one of side of the working end of the pliers. Tools like this take up little room and can reduce clutter and weight in your RV or camp tool box without sacrificing functionality. Another tool I have found convenient, though not usually advertised as a "multi-tool" is a roofer's or framer's hatchet-style hammer. The heads of these tools have a hammer on one side and an axe-blade on the other. Rather than carrying a large hammer AND an axe or hatchet, one of these covers both functions in a single tool. It is surprising how many times you need a fairly heavy hammer when camping. Driving tent pegs or stakes to hold down your awning mat or awning strap are among the most common.

Kitchen gadgets. There must be literally hundreds if not thousands of RV kitchen gadgets out there (at least 5 pages in the 2012 Camping World catalog alone). Before buying one, think through whether or not you will actually use it. The last thing you need is to fill up your precious drawer space with useless junk. If you have a taste for peeled apples, a tricky apple-peeler might be appropriate for you and fun to use, but for most of us, a simple paring knife or hand peeler will suffice -- for this and many other tasks -- and is light weight, takes up little room, and is versatile and inexpensive. Powered kitchen tools, like blenders and mixers are common in our homes and can be nice additions to your RV kitchen -- if you have room for them. For the most convenience and least impact on space and weight, choose compact appliances. Unless you do a lot of baking, a hand mixer is probably adequate for most RV cooking tasks. We found a single beater plastic mixer that operates like a push drill at our local Dollar Tree. It is light weight, takes up little more space than a manual whisk, and is not only fun to use it is quite effective for light mixing. And look in to the hand-held "Ninja" blenders. They are small and light weight and very effective. A pop-up toaster is a nice addition, unless you LIKE burning your toast over a campfire.  You might even re-purpose and old toaster you retired when you upgraded at home.  There are also campfire toasters which consist of little metal frames that hold the bread over a camp stove burner or campfire that will do the job, but lack the convenience and precision of an electric toaster (if you have power available to operate them). Another option is toasting bread in your RV oven. I sometimes resort to that if I'm making breakfast for a large number of people and need lots of toast in a hurry, but for regular family breakfasts, it takes a long time and wastes a lot of propane compared to using a toaster but it can get a lot of toast ready at the same time. By the way, the campfire toasters work really well on RV and camp stoves and they're really inexpensive, less that $5.00.  You may need to experiment and practice with them to get proficient at getting your toast just the way you and/or your family members like it.  Built-in blenders are popular in some of the more expensive luxury RVs.  We've had Nutone systems in several of our RVs.  There are many different attachments available for them.  Some of the options include blenders, mixers, ice crushers, and knife sharpeners.  Of course you need 120 volt power to run them (shore power, generator, or inverter).

Table cloth clamps.   Table cloths on picnic tables tend to flap and curl up or blow away with the slightest breeze.  These springy clamps slip over the edge of most picnic tables and keep your table cloth from becoming a kite.

Cleaning appliances are another category to be considered. Hand-held, 12-volt "car vacuums" simplify many cleaning tasks in your RV. For more heavy-duty applications, a compact canister vacuum is a good option (assuming you have a generator or shore power to run it). Look for one that will fit in one of the cabinets under the dinette so it doesn't take up valuable closet space. Some larger RVs have central vacuum cleaner systems. If you are so lucky, take advantage of it. If not, look for an appropriate canister vacuum. Uprights clean well, but take up a lot of room in an RV and don't fit in limited cabinet space like a canister model. Canisters will usually fit in the small spaces under dinettes or beds.  Adding a central vacuum is sometimes a possibility, albeit a fairly expensive one. The difficulty in running pipes and wiring combined with needing to sacrifice cabinet space often makes after market installation less than appealing.

Leveling blocks. Unless your RV is equipped with a leveling system, you are probably going to need leveling blocks sooner or later. Even if you only camp in developed campgrounds, the sites aren't always perfectly level. And if you prefer boondocking, you will almost never find a level site. There are many commercial leveling block systems or you can make your own from 2x6 or 2x8 lumber. Homemade wooden leveling blocks tend to be heavy and cumbersome, but are fairly inexpensive, especially if you have scrap lumber lying around and they are very sturdy. Some of the fancier commercial leveling blocks fit together much like giant Legos and allow you to easily create various heights as needed for the occasion. There are also chock kits available to prevent you from driving past the blocks when positioning your RV. When choosing leveling blocks, consider the weight of your vehicle versus the capacity of the blocks, the size and weight of the system and whether you have an appropriate place to carry it, and the expense. Purchasing low-cost blocks only to find out the hard way that they can't support the weight of your vehicle can be a lot more expensive than buying proper blocks in the first place. For one thing, inadequate blocks will probably be crushed if you vehicle exceeds their rated capacity and you have to replace them right away. For another, your vehicle may be damaged or you or someone else nearby may be injured when they fail.

Battery Chargers: the charger circuits on most RV converters are woefully inadequate. Converters are primarily designed to convert 120-volt AC current in to 12-volt DC current. Charger circuits are an afterthought, and usually not a very good one. Over the years I've upgrade the converters in several motorhomes to Intellicharger converters with the Charge Wizard option. This configuration monitors battery condition and adjusts the charge rate to more effectively charge and maintain RV batteries. This is a convenient and effective, but relatively expensive option. A cheaper alternative is to install a separate battery charger. This option was, in fact, suggested to me by an engineer at on of the converter companies when I called with some technical questions about upgrading the battery charger circuit on my convert. If you choose this option you have a couple of choices. One is a "maintenance" charger that supplies a constant low charge to compensate for normal loss during storage. These are usually fairly inexpensive. A better option is a good multi-stage charger that will sense the state of the batter and adjust the charge accordingly. Multi-stage chargers usually include a mode that supplies a high voltage to "de-sulfate" the plates in the battery periodically. If you are going to leave your RV in storage for more than a week or so at a time without using it, it is a good idea to add a multi-stage battery charger to maintain the batteries. Allowing batteries to become fully discharged shortens battery life and diminishes performance. Exercise caution when connecting multiple battery chargers as they may tend to cancel each other out and you won't get the benefits you expect.

Auxiliary heaters may be a necessary option if you camp in colder weather. Some RV furnaces are not adequate to keep up with the demands of colder outside temperatures. I think many RVs are designed primarily for fair weather camping and fall short when used in cold, winter weather.  One of the simplest ways to add more heat, if you have a generator or shore power, is via electric heaters. They are small, lightweight, and can be easily moved around to warm cold spots as needed. We have a small "electric fireplace" that delivers 1500 watts of heat and adds a nice cabin-like ambiance. Another option, that is especially good for camping off the grid, are catalytic heaters. They run on propane, and unlike a furnace, do not require 12-volt power since there are no fans. You can choose from wall-mounted units that attach permanently to your RV propane system or portable units that run off standard propane bottles. There are also catalytic heaters that run on white gas. White gas is less convenient and can be more more hazardous to store and messy to transfer. When using any catalytic heater be sure to read and follow the manufacturer's instructions for lighting, clearances, and ventilation. They don't usually give off toxic fumes but they do consume oxygen and you can suffocate if you don't have an adequate supply of fresh air. I read of an experienced camper and professional camping writer who died when he forgot to leave sufficient ventilation using a catalytic heater. It is tempting to skimp on ventilation when you're trying to get warm and want to keep the cold out, but DON'T!  It can be a fatal mistake.

Campfire accessories. Most of us have burned a few marshmallows on sticks or wire coat-hanger cookers but there are lots of other tools to enhance your campfire experience. You might want to try out some of the fancy marshmallow and wiener cookers that have nice wood handles. Some even have the tines pointed back toward the handle to reduce the chance of injuring your fellow campers.  Telescoping versions are easy to store and yet let you maintain a safe distance from the fire.  Pie cookers are a handy way to fix a tasty, hot desert. Just put in a couple of slices of white bread, add your favorite pie filling, and in a few minutes in the fire you'll have fresh, not, individual pies.  Wire pop-corn poppers let you pop corn over your stove or campfire. Wire grills, both with and without attached legs make campfire cooking easier. A "potdangler" suspends your coffee pot or dutch oven over your campfire at whatever height you chose. Cast iron skillets, dutch ovens, and griddles are great for campfire cooking.  Portable fire rings help confine and control campfires.  We us a portable fire pit we call R2D2. It is an old washing machine tub.  One without a center tube makes adding firewood easier but one with a center tube can provide a place to insert a cut-down RV table leg in the bottom to put a base on it and a place to fasten a grill on top to use it for cooking.  Raising R2D2 a few inches off the ground gives room to warm cold toes on especially chilly evenings.

Instruments and Electronics.   There are dozens of electronic gadgets to enhance your RV experience.  Many RVs include entertainments systems (radios and/or TVs).  One of most popular, fun to use, and useful add-ons, is a GPS or a computer with a GPS app.  Great maps and vocal turn-by-turn instructions make navigating easy.  The only down side is they're a little pricey, but getting more affordable all the time.  Electronic compasses are not as expensive but can assist navigating with a paper map.  Some other useful instruments are an altimeter and a clinometer. The altimeter displays your elevation above sea level. useful when negotiating mountain passes and a clinometer, which shows the orientation of your vehicle relative to level, which is helpful in finding the most level spot in a remote campsite.  Electronic thermometers are a handy way to find out both indoor and outdoor temperatures.  You can even get one with up to 3 remote transmitters so you monitor the temperature in your fridge and/or in outside compartments as well as normal indoor/outdoor temps.  Knowing the temperature inside your RV, in the outside storage cabinets, and outside your RV can be critical in protecting your investment during winter camping and a useful aide to summer comfort.   A clear plastic thermometer that sticks to the outside of a window is inexpensive way of easily monitoring outside temperature.  Barometers measure air pressure and if you learn to recognize trends can be a fairly good predictor of impending weather changes.   Fancier weather stations are available if you're really into weather details.  Some even connect to your computer to record trends and provide data for future analysis.  LED rope lights are a neat way to light up your awning for patio parties.  Some even have multiple colors and a variety of patterns that put on quite a light show.

Modern smart phones provide wonderful technology for communication, navigation, and picture taking.  Apps are available for nearly any recreational activity you may want to try.

Shopping for and experimenting with various gizmos and gadgets can add an extra measure of fun to your RV or tent camping experience. Just checking them out at trade shows, RV stores, camp stores, and in catalogs and sharing them with fellow campers can be fun. Using them is the ultimate test of their value. If you don't like using or get bored with certain items or find a better solution, leave them home or put them in your next garage sale.  I like to take advantages of year end sales to check out new gadgets so I don't have a lot of money tied up in them if they don't work out.

Gadgets designed particularly for RV use will be found in RV stores and catalogs, but you may find useful items in other places, ranging from Internet web sites to your local grocery store and even travel stores. I frequently scan the wall of kitchen utensils when I visit our local dollar store. If I see something interesting, we try it. If is doesn't work out, we haven't lost much if we just throw it out, donate it to charity, or toss it into our next garage sale. I also like to check out the bargain and closeout tools at my local hardware and home stores. You never know what you'll find there.

Watch for sales.   Most of us like to get bargains, and I am certainly no exception.  In fact, I almost hate it when I have to pay full retail price for something.  I especially hate it if it is an unproven gadget that I'm not sure I am going to like or use regularly.  I'm OK with paying full retail for something I have either personally tried and like, have seen it used and like, or has been recommended by a trusted associate.  Picking up gadgets on clearance to try them out is a good way to explore your options without breaking your budget.  If it turns out you don't like them, you're not out so much and have a better chance of recouping part of your cost if you resell the item on ebay or at your garage sale.

More to come...there are always new gizmos and gadgets popping up.

OHV Community Service

The OHV sport is too often the subject of unflattering and even ficticious attacks by the media and environmental groups.  Many of these groups are well funded even if they are misdirected making it very expensive and difficult to respond to their accusations.  One easy and direct way to combat negative impressions is by participating in service projects.  Service projects often directly maintain, improve, or enhance OHV facilities but volunteering to help land managers (BLM and Forest Service Rangers) with non OHV areas is also an effective way to demonstrate our civic spirit.  You will seldom find the opposition working on any kind of OHV facility unless it is to close it down.  I did, however, have an environmental group from a local college work on one of my OHV clean up projects at Searle Station near Ridgecrest, California.  It was very interesting to see OHV enthusiasts and environmental zealots working elbow to elbow and actually getting along.  I think both groups leaned important things about each other that day.  I am sad to report the invitations for environmental groups to join other service projects were universally ignored.  The media tends to portray off road  users in a negative way, often depicting them as lawless and even criminal.  The Bureau of Land Management in southern California fought futilely to correct misinformation about environmental damage near some popular riding areas.  Once the original off road slamming article which was badly distorted had been widely published it tended to override all official communications from the BLM.  It had shown photos of some over-used trails near a popular staging area and represented them as typical of wide-spread damage through a large area.  In reality the damage was very limited and restricted to a few trails where environmental closures had unnaturally concentrated traffic from many trails into one or two paths.

There are usually many opportunities to get involved in OHV related community service projects. Check with your local BLM, Forest Service, or state parks OHV representatives to find projects in your area. Common projects include trail maintenance, signage, and general cleanup and maintenance of camping and staging areas. Get involved with a local RV, OHV. or camping club. They will keep you informed of volunteer service projects and provide you with contacts to develop relationships with other riders. Most organizations sponsor various rides or other events each year that are fun and often educational. Most of the OHV service projects I've worked on included a ride at the end of all the work.

No one enjoys camping, hiking, or riding in an area that is filled with trash.  Poor citizenship by previous users -- or abusers -- often leaves an area covered with trash and fire pits filled with nails, broken glass, and other non-combustibles. By exercising good citizenship and common sense we can make sure we aren't contributing to the problem. We once camped in a remote desert area where there had previously been a "Rave" with a huge bonfire. Apparently they had burned a giant pile of pallets. We dragged magnets through the campsite and picked up about 10 lbs (by actual weighing) of rusty nails that otherwise could have ended up in our RV or OHV tires. We can't put all the blame on raves -- we have found plenty of nails left behind in camp sites frequented almost exclusively by OHV riders. However, most of the service projects I'm aware of collect far more trash that was illegally dumped by nearby residents than could have been hauled in by OHVs -- stuff like sofas, TVs, and toilets!  Yeah, just try hauling something like that on a dirt bike or ATV!  SO...first of all, don't become part of the problem by leaving trash behind. And secondly, volunteer whenever you can for OHV community service projects. Keeping our riding areas clean makes them more enjoyable for everyone and shows the land managers (BLM, forest service, state parks) that we CARE and we are good citizens.  There are certainly more than enough "environmentalists" campaigning to do away with OHV activities.  It is important that we show the land managers -- and the public -- that we are responsible and caring users of our great outdoor resources.  I firmly believe a dedicated off road user is actually more environmentally responsible than some arm-chair activist hundreds of miles away who has no personal connection with the site.

Many service projects are family oriented. Participating as a family allows you to set a good example and allows your children to learn the value of volunteer service. Well-planned service projects will include rider education and opportunities for some family OHV fun. One of our recent projects included kids so young they still had training wheels on their dirt bikes and at least one family with three generations participating.  Working together as a family is also FUN!

Participating in service projects is critical to maintaining and preserving our riding and camping areas. Volunteering for service projects demonstrates good citizenship and shows land managers we care about our facilities. It also helps us as individuals and organizations to develop good working relationships with the land managers and that is critical to preserving our riding and camping areas. There are many well-organized and well-financed groups who oppose all forms of OHV activity and spend millions of dollars every year campaigning against and filing law suits against our sport. In more than 30 years of dirt biking I have found OHV users, in general, to be responsible users who leave an area better than they found it. Of course, just as there are people who show poor judgment in other walks of life you will find a few bad apples in our own OHV community who tend to spoil things for everyone. When you encounter one of these types, try, diplomatically, to educate them to the damage they are doing, not only to the environment but to the future of our sport. Those who rebel against closed trails by riding on them anyway only give the opposition more fuel for their arguments. There are ways to legally appeal trail closures. Some are successful, some are not, but blatantly ignoring signage almost always leads to further limits. In some cases, closures of certain trails may actually be a way to keep others open. I have personally worked on signage programs designed to direct riders to approved trails to avoid having an entire area totally closed to OHV travel.   When we encountered riders violating the signage they were actually grateful when we stopped them and explained the situation and pointed them to legal alternatives they could safely enjoy.  Working with land managers (BLM, state parks, US Forest Service) instead of fighting them produces much better results when it comes to preserving our OHV riding areas. Confrontation and so-called "civil disobedience" only aggravates already hostile situations. Instead, contact your local land managers and ask what you can do to help!

Setting up you own service project. If you can't find a project to your liking, organize your own. I once started promoting an advertised service project to my Desert Rat group for a riding area we occasionally used. The feedback I got was they'd rather put their efforts into areas we used more frequently so I contacted the BLM, who managed the areas we frequented, and worked with them to put together our own clean up project. We didn't have as many people as I had hoped but the hundred or so that showed up were very effectgive.  We did have a good mix of both dirt bikers and environmentalists participate! I was very pleased with the great support from the BLM. I was somewhat intimidated when I learned my contact with the BLM carried a title that included environmental oversight as well as recreation. He turned out be an wonderful asset and our project went well. If you organize your own clean up project you'll need to arrange for a dumpster, trash bags, and toilet facilities. Sometimes the BLM or other responsible agency can help with these basic necessities. I like to solicit support and contributions from local OHV dealers for a free raffle to reward participants. I've also been able to arrange for a free lunch. Funding for service projects can sometimes be obtained through grants from government agencies like your State Parks. Some grants are also available through the OHV industry. You may be able to get local OHV dealers to pony up a few bucks to help with lunch and promotional expenses. We budget some of our UTMA funds to cover our annual High Five cleanup day at Five Mile Pass, in case we aren't able to get outside funding.

In short, service projects are fun as well as productive and rewarding and are critical to continued OHV access to public lands.

Pitch in!

First Aid

In my mind, first aid training should be a pre-requisite for purchasing or renting an RV or an Off Highway Vehicle or just going camping. The very nature of OHV and camping activities mean you will often be in remote locations doing things you don't normally do with few, if any, readily available medical facilities. Operating equipment or even just hiking in various kinds of terrains offers its own challenges and potential for injury. Knowing how to treat various kinds of injuries you or your companions may sustain can, quite literally, save a live. At the very least, having sufficient knowledge and supplies can reduce the affects of many injuries, reduce the suffering, minimize injuries, and add to the comfort of the injured. Knowing when and how to evacuate a seriously injured victim is a critical skill.  Proper first aid can prevent minor injuries from becoming major problems.  Lack of treatment or inappropriate treatment can lead to serious infection and/or additional an unnecessary injuries.

Always familiarize yourself with readily available emergency services near your destination, such as rangers and  local law enforcement.  Also know where to find the nearest Emergency Room or Urgent Care facility.   Even after you've done all you can do with first aid,  you or your patient may need professional medical attention.

There are two critical components of proper first aid:  adequate supplies and proper training.   All the supplies in the world won't do you any good if you don't know how to use them, how to assess injuries, and what to do to aid your victims and knowing what to do won't do you much good if you don't have anything to work with.  A completely equipped emergency room would be of little use to someone with no medical training.  And even a doctor will need certain equipment and supplies to be effective in the wilderness.  There is a special program called "Advance Wilderness Life Support" to teach medical professionals how to handle situations outside the hospital.  Of course, with the right knowledge you can often improvise if you're short  on supplies.  In this article we will focus on some basic and  useful first aid skills and procedures.  Another article (First Aid Kits and Training) will give more detail about first aid supplies and training options.

The Red Cross offers first aid and CPR classes in most most communities. Often these classes are often free or have very nominal costs. Check with a local hospital, fire department, sheriff or police department to find out about available classes.  Schools and churches, community groups, and even some employers often sponsor first aid and CPR classes.  Some basic knowledge of life-saving techniques could, quite literally, determine whether a family member or friend lives or dies following an OHV or other outdoor accident. First aid and CPR classes are usually not expensive.  In many cases the classes will be free although there might a charge for processing your certification.

The ABCs of first aid -- Airway, Breathing, Circulation, are key things to remember. Airways: if the airway is blocked, a person cannot breath, and will quickly suffocate -- in about 3 minutes. First aid and CPR classes teach you how to quickly check to see if the airway is blocked and how to clear a blocked airway. Sometime this alone is all that is needed to save a life. Breathing is the second critical function to be checked. If a person is not breathing, they will soon die. If the airway is clear and they are still unable to breath CPR (Cardio-pulmonary resuscitation) may be required until they can breathe on their own again. Circulation refers to the circulation of blood throughout the body. Blood carries lift-sustaining oxygen to the organs and hauls away waste products. Lack of circulation may be due to heart stoppage or to pinched, blocked, or severed arteries and veins. Another life-threatening circulation problem is arterial bleeding. This occurs when an artery has been sliced, ruptured, or punctured. This can be identified by blood spurting from the wound as the heart beats. You may see copious blood flow from other wounds but if it isn't spurting, it isn't arterial. Arterial bleeding and any other severe bleeding must be stopped or the patient will quickly bleed to death.  A person will "bleed out" and die in just a few minutes from a damaged femoral artery.  First aid classes will teach you how to stop bleeding. The preferred method is direct pressure on the wound. Tourniquets should only be used as a last resort and often lead to the loss of the body parts beyond the tourniquet.   Still is is better to lose a limb than a life. Internal bleeding is harder to identify and usually life threatening.  If the abdomen is hard when you press on it, it could be filled with blood from internal bleeding.  Shock, pale skin, and rapid or erratic heart beat may also accompany internal injuries.  Don't underestimate the danger of internal injuries.  I know of a dirt biker who crashed, picked up his bike, insisted he was all right, and finished the ride only to die of a ruptured spleen sitting around camp a few hours later, still claiming he was "fine" until it was too late.

However, a more up to date procedure is MARCH:  Massive Bleeding, Airway, Respiration, Circulation and Hypothermia or Head injury.   A recent presentation during our fire fighter training strongly urged us to use MARCH instead of ABC when dealing with mass casualties.

The most important thing is to have a plan of action and to follow it.   Every incident  you  might encounter requires first of all, some kind of assessment (what happened?  Is the scene safe?  Is it safe to attempt to treat victims?  What are the major injuries?  How can you best help?)  An initial assessment might  determine the scene isn't safe, in which case you should do nothing until the scene can be stabilized by qualified personnel.   Traditional treatment scenarios usually begin with some kind of triage, e.g., sorting the victims by severity of their injuries.  A simplified approach to dealing with mass casualties uses a 2 point system.  As the victim a question.  If you get a reasonable answer, they score 1 point.  If they are conscious and they have a heartbeat, they get a point.  Anyone with 2 points is categories "delayed".  Anyone with 1 point is categories "immediate".  Anyone with 0 points is probably dead or at least beyond help.  Focus medical treatment first on those classified as "immediate", then re-assess the delayed group to see if the status of anyone there  has changed and respond appropriately.  Don't waste time on delayed patients until all of the immediate patients have been taken care of.

Broken bones are not uncommon in outdoor activities. Broken ankles occur often among hikers. OHV and horseback riders can break just about anything when they part company with their mounts and land harshly on rocks and other unforgiving objects.  A simple fracture is one in which a bone is cracked or broken but does not protrude through the skin.  A compound fracture is one in which the broken bone is exposed.  Simple fractures can be identified by pain, discoloration (bruising), and misshapen body parts, like a forearm that is bent in the middle.  Broken bones should be splinted to reduce the chance of additional injury and for the comfort of the patient.  Compound fracture should be washed off with clean water (no antiseptic),  then dressed and bandaged.   The exposed bone should be kept moist if possible.  Splints should be rigid and should be snugly secured above and below the break.  Also immobilize the joints on either size of a break to minimize discomfort and chance of further injury.  DO NOT attempt to set or straighten a broken bone unless you have the proper medical training to do so.  Immobilize the broken bones and transport the victim to a hospital or other emergency medical facility as soon as possible.  Dislocations are also fairly common, with a shoulder being among the most frequent.  Other frequent possibilities include hips and elbows.  The best treatment for a dislocation is to immobilize the joint and get the victim to an appropriate medical facility. However, if the dislocation is causing severe pain, is affecting nerves or circulation, you may need to reduce (put back in place) the dislocated joint to prevent long term damage.  If, for example, a victim with a shoulder dislocation is experiencing numbness in their fingers, they likely have a pinched nerve.   Check capillary refill to test circulation.  Press on a finger nail or toe nail.  The color should return quickly.  If it doesn't, the dislocation is constricting a blood vessel.   Nerve or circulation problems warrant an immediate attempt to reduce the dislocation.   While putting a joint back in place can be momentarily painful, the patient usually experiences almost immediate relief of pain from the original injury.  I have learned techniques for dealing with dislocations but would only use them if there were no other reasonable options.  Field methods usually involve yanking on an arm or leg to pull the shoulder or hip joint back into place. You should not attempt to reduce a dislocation unless you have been properly trained.  Improper attempts to reduce a dislocation can result in additional injuries.  We had a rider in our group who had had a bad shoulder  (I think it occurred during a desert race years before).  He wore a leather brace, but his shoulder would still pop out from time to time and we had to help him put it back on more than one occasion.  It wasn't fun, but it was less distressing (for him and for us to watch) than seeing him slam himself into a tree or other solid object to put it back himself or seeing him in pain.

Treatment of less serious injuries is still important. Proper treatment will avoid unnecessary complications such as infection, reduce pain and comfort the patient, and help prevent further injuries. For example, splinting a broken bone may prevent it from become a compound fracture (where the bone is sticking out of the flesh) or prevent additional splintering or fracturing of the damaged bones. Immobilizing a broken bone usually reduces the pain and suffering of the patient right away as well. Proper treatment for cuts and contusions is needed to prevent infection and speed healing. Large, and especially deep cuts, may need to be surgically repaired by a trained physician. Superficial cuts may be cleaned and treated with anti-biotic ointments. Sometimes a "butterfly" bandage or even superglue may be used to close small cuts. If blood is spurting, not just oozing, from the cut, it likely to have penetrated an artery and should be considered very serious and will require professional treatment as soon as possible. A victim with arterial bleeding will probably bleed out and die within a matter of minutes if they don't receive appropriate treatment.  Premature closing (suturing, stapling, or gluing) of wounds that have not been properly cleaned may result in serious infection and improper healing.

Superglue can be a handy way to close small wounds.  There is a pharmaceutical grade version of it known as "Dermabond" made specially for medical uses.  Superglue is a lot cheaper (you can even usually find it at your local dollar store).  It may sting a bit more than real Dermabond, but it will do the job.  Hold the wound tightly together and lay a small bead of Superglue across it.  Wait for it to dry before releasing the wound.  It bonds instantly to skin but it will need a few moments to dry enough for the bead to tie the two pieces of the wound together.  Try not to get it too far down into the wound.  I have used Superglue successfully on cuts on my own fingers.

Recommended treatment of burns has changed over my lifetime. When I was a child we were told never to put burns into cold water.  I soon learned different.  A close friend of mine in high school ignored that rule when his little sister spilled a pot of boiling water all down her arm. He plunged her arm immediately into a bucket of cold water that happened to be nearby. When her arm healed, there was no scarring where her arm had been submerged, but there was significant scarring above the "water line" where her flesh continued to cook from the heat absorbed from the boiling water. Today cooling a burn is the first and perhaps most important thing you can do. Cooling a burn quickly may reduce the amount of long term damage. The folk medicine of my childhood said to put butter on a burn. Another fallacy.  That is NOT recommended today.   Carefully remove any loose debris and gently clean the wound with clean, preferably sterile water.  Burns are common in camping and other off highway activities. They can come from camp fires, cooking stoves, radiators, or hot exhausts. Technically a burn is caused by dry heat. A heat-related injury caused by hot liquid is called a scald. In either case, the first treatment is to cool the affected area dousing it with copious amounts of cook, clean (preferably sterile) liquid. Thorough cooling may take 10 minutes or more. A patient with severe burns is likely to go into shock. Superficial (first degree) burns only penetrate outer layers of skin, kind of like a mild sunburn and usually do not require professional medical treatment. The deeper the tissue damage, the more serious the burns. "Partial thickness" (second degree) burns penetrate several layers of skin and form blisters. Burns of this type larger than the victims hand require immediate professional medical treatment. Smaller burns might need delayed treatment but should be watch carefully.  Partial thickness burns covering 50% of an adult's body may be fatal. "Full thickness" burns (third degree burns) damage all layers of the skin and may extend into nerves, muscle, and fat or even bone. Full thickness burns require hospitalization. Anyone with full thickness burns should be transported to a hospital or other emergency medical facility as quickly as possible after administering immediate first aid.

First, move the damaged area away from the source of the burn and cool the affected area.  People usually remove themselves quickly from the source of a burn, but a severely injured or unconscious victim may need assistance.  Burned clothing may continue to smolder and do additional damage if it isn't removed.   Quickly cut or tear burning clothing away, but don't attempt to remove the remnants that have already seared into the burned skin.

Cover the burn with sterile, non-fluffy burn sheet. A sterile plastic bag or even kitchen plastic wrap may be used in an emergency. The covering is to keep out debris and to prevent infection.

DO NOT apply ointments, lotions, or fat or butter to the injury.

DO NOT apply adhesive bandages to the area. Use only non-stick dressings.

DO NOT break blisters.

DO carefully remove jewelry, watches, and restrictive clothing from the area before it begins to swell.

Watch for signs of shock and be prepared to begin immediate treatment for shock.

Shock.  First you need to be able to recognize the symptoms of shock.  The victim may experience or exhibit one or more of the following symptoms:

• decrease in blood pressure.
• rapid, weak, or absent pulse.
• irregular heart rate.
• confusion.
• cool, clammy skin.
• rapid and shallow breathing.
• anxiety.
• light headedness.

A primary cause of shock is low blood pressure, which results in many of these symptoms.  A victim with multiple symptoms is almost surely going into shock.

Treatment for shock.  Treating shock can be life saving.  Without treatment, your victim may die.  Unless you suspect the victim has a spinal injury, have them lie on their back with their feet elevated to increase blood flow to the brain and vital organs. DO NOT raise their head.  If they have leg or back injuries or if raising the legs causes pain, let them lay flat.  Loosen any tight clothing and cover them with blanket to keep them warm.  Administer first aid for any wounds or obvious injuries.  Do not give them liquids by mouth, even if they complain of thirst because there is a risk of choking if they experience a sudden loss of consciousness, which is not uncommon in cases of shock.

Minor injuries such as contusions or bug bites can usually be adequately treated using good first aid practices. Clean the wound with clean water. Avoid harsh antiseptics like alcohol and hydrogen peroxide. While they are effective in killing germs they are also effective in killing skin cells in addition to being painful. Here is a rather unusual tip: if you have no sterile water to clean a wound, you can use urine! Unless the donor has a urinary infection, urine is sterile. Someone asked the nurse in a first aid class I attended about using soda pop and she told them absolutely not -- it would be much better to use urine! Club soda would be OK, but it would not be good to use any of the sugar-rich flavored sodas or fruit juices. Quickly taking care of small wounds or bites can reduce the chances of infection and prevent them from become large sores.  Some bites benefit from an application of alcohol, ammonia, or baking soda.  Ammonia is the active ingredient in many "bite sticks".  Tooth paste and even ordinary mud can help take the sting out of insect bites, but you run the risk of infection from germs in the mud.  Stopping the itch is more than a comfort issue.  Itching causes the victim to scratch, usually creating a larger wound and introducing infection.  Even if mud might contain germs, using it to stop the itch is probably safer than letting them scratch and make things worse as well as making them more comfortable.

A critical component of first aid is being first.   What you do in the first few minutes after an injury can be a significant factor in making the victim comfortable and avoiding further injury or infection.  Simply being there with proper skills and confidence will help calm victims, making it easier to treat them and take care of their needs.  Knowing what to do first is essential.  Too may would-be rescuers skip the first and often most important step:  size up or assessment.  Before beginning any kind of first aid treatment you need to assess the situation.  First of all, is it safe for you to approach and treat the victim?  Next, if it is safe, assess their situation and their injuries.  If they are trapped in a burning car your first priority is to either put out the fire or get them out of the flaming vehicle.   If they're hanging off the edge of a cliff,  you obviously need to pull them to safety or find a way to support them so they don't fall any further.   Once you have accessed their situation and determined you can safely assist them without putting them or yourself in further danger, then you can approach them to begin treatment.  If they are conscious, you should obtain their permission.  If they are unconscious, you can usually assume "implied consent".  One of my C.E.R.T. classes proposed addressing conscious victims as follows:  "Hi.  I'm (your name) and I'm medically trained.  It is OK with you if I treat your injuries?".  This simple statement helps you assess your patient's mental status based on their answer as well as obtaining their permission to treat them.  Note that you are not claiming to be a doctor or nurse, just "medically trained".  First aid certification qualifies as "medically trained".  If you lack first aid certification, don't claim being trained.  It can be comforting and reassuring to an injured person that the one offering to provide treatment has proper training.  In an emergency, people are anxious for knowledgeable help.  I donned my C.E.R.T. vest and hard hat following the Northridge Earthquake in California to check on some friends and neighbors and everywhere I went I was immediately thronged by people looking for assistance and information.

Be FIRST in first aid!

Never Ride Alone!

Never, never, NEVER go off alone on an Off Highway Vehicle. You may be an excellent, even professional level, rider, but accidents can still happen. If you are injured and unable to ride out you may easily die before anyone even knows you're missing. And even if you don't die, you could find yourself in a world of hurt.  I have an adult friend who is a a very experienced and excellent rider. One day he took an "easy ride" alone on some familiar desert roads. He was very much enjoying his ride and the solitude -- until he crashed:  just hit some rain ruts on an easy desert road that grabbed the front wheel. The bike went down, he went over the bars. He broke an ankle, a collar bone, and a couple of ribs. How would you like to try to pick up a 300# motorcycle with your body in that condition? Somehow, in spite of great pain, he managed to get the bike up, get it started (no electric starter, just a kickstarter), and ride back to camp, load up his bike, and then drive himself 100 miles or so to ER for treatment. The closest I have come to a similar situation was when I was riding with this same friend I broke my collar bone when I crashed about a half mile from camp. I didn't have to worry about getting my bike up alone since I had help, but just riding it back to camp and then driving the RV home from the desert with a broken collar bone was definitely not the kind of fun I'd come out for! I cringe when I think about the pain my friend went through picking up his bike and loading it by himself with the additional injuries he had sustained.

My grown son went riding his dirt bike in one of the canyons in Utah near his home. He is an excellent rider. He was very familiar and comfortable with the trails -- perhaps TOO comfortable, since he set out alone. He was on his way back down the mountain after a wonderful ride. He was crossing a rock slide where trail skirted a large boulder in the middle. There had been a light rain so the rocks were slick. He approached the boulder with more caution than usual and that was a mistake. His bike stalled right next to the boulder, leaving him with no place to go uphill and about 15 feet between his downhill foot and the ground! The bike fell over downhill and rider and bike went sliding down the steep slope. Fortunately he was not seriously injured (thanks to proper riding gear and some skill in getting off the bike before it fell on him). He was also lucky that there was a clump of brush growing up through the scree that arrested their descent. After catching his breath, he wrestled the bike up and tried walking it across the rock slide toward the trees -- not an easy task! The slope was too steep to make his way back up to the trail pushing a 300# bike. It was probably too steep to even climb back up in riding boots! So he had to look for a way down hill and an alternate route back to his truck. He felt relieved when he entered the trees but that presented a new problem: twisting the bars and tweaking the bike through the tight thicket. He was relieved when he came to a little clearing and thought he could make some quick headway. He pushed off into the clearing with great zeal, only to find the tall grass covered a nasty nest of fallen trees that ensnared his feet and the wheels of his bike. Crossing the clearing was NOT the easy relief he expected, but one he started he had no other choice and managed eventually to reach the other side. He found a little game trail heading downhill that finally intersected with a fire road that led back to the main road. It was quite an adventure and, while makes a good story now, it isn't something he wants to ever repeat. The rain had picked up again on his way down and the effort to get off the rock slide and down the mountain and delayed him until it was headed quickly toward dark. He had no lights on his dirt bike and was afraid he might have to spend the night on the mountain in the cold rain. Violating another cardinal rule, he hadn't told anyone where he was going, so we no one would have known his was missing or where to come looking for him. He pretty much learned his lesson and always finds someone to ride with him now. And his experience has been a lesson to his siblings as well. He was very lucky it turned out as well as it did. A situation like this could have had disastrous results. If he had been seriously injured when he fell (he missed a good chance!), or if his bike had been disabled, or if hadn't been able to get it off the rock slide, or if he'd gotten stuck in the log jam in the clearing, he might have been stuck for who knows how long and might have even died before anyone found him.  Even summer nights in the Utah mountains can get pretty cold and add rain, hypothermia within 2-3 hours is almost a given.

It isn't just riding dirt bikes and other OHVs that will benefit from not riding alone.  Horseback riding and even fishing, hunting, and hiking should always be done in groups too.  There may have been a time, glamorized by Western movies, when your horse would bring an injured rider home safely, but now, with having to trailer horses many miles to riding areas and with fences and roads and other development to contend with, there are few places even the most loyal and capable horse would be able to succeed.

Always ride with a buddy. Or even two buddies. If there are two of you and one gets injured, the other can provide first aid and then go for help. Of course, it is even better if you have more than one companion so someone can stay with the injured rider while someone else goes for help. If you have enough riders in the group, send at least two riders to get help. Remember NEVER ride alone! Someone hurrying to get help is likely to be distracted and could easily be injured themselves.

Always let someone know where you are going and when you expect to be back, Even when you ride with a group, Even groups can get into trouble in difficult terrain and may need to be rescued. But who will know to come looking for you if you haven't told someone where you're going and when you should be back? Let someone know where you are going and about when you expect to be back. Try not to significantly change your planned route once you set out. You don't have to over-limit your choices on the trail and take the fun out a ride, but stick to your plans when you can -- just in case someone has to come looking for you. And, unless you take off in a completely different direction that you told people you were going, they',ll at least have some idea where to start looking for you if you don't return.  Letting someone know where you're going applies not only to overall camping trips but to individual excursions out of camp.

Riding with others is not only safer, it is a lot of fun and presents opportunities to learn --or teach -- useful riding and navigation skills. In any group there will always be someone with either more or less expertise than you have (often there are both!) so you an either learn or share your skills and tips. Both learning and teaching new skills are personally satisfying and help build friendships with your fellow riders. Who doesn't like learning a new skill -- or showing off what you already know by teaching others? Not that teaching others has to be showing off. Mostly it is just sharing experience and expertise for another's benefit so, unless you are deliberately showing off for the sake of showing off, don't feel guilty about it.

Never ride alone!