Taking Flight - Good Sam Club

2017 GEAR GUIDE: ONE-STOP RESOURCE FOR RV ESSENTIALS

ABCs of LPG

PROPANE SYSTEM FUNDAMENTALS

Taking Flight

Travel Lite's Easy-Towing Falcon

Dirty Tricks

Serious Tools for Spotless RVs

Try Your Puck

Hitch Mounting Simplified

APRIL 2017

Get Going!

? South Carolina's Oldest City ? California's Newest National Park

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CONTENTS APRIL 2017 | VOLUME 77 | NUMBER 4

18

24

42

FEATURES

14 Travel Lite Falcon Eclipse The lightweight F-21RB adaptable travel trailer packs comfort and style into a slender -- and unique -- profile

18 To the Brink and Back Soaring to new heights in central California's Pinnacles National Park, home to rocky crags, spelunking caves and a thriving colony of endangered condors

24 Let It Shine It's a dirty job, but doing a thorough spring cleaning will keep your RV visually appealing and in tip-top shape

30 The ABCs of LPG A refresher course on LP-gas systems keeps owners up to speed when it comes to maintenance and safety

36 Charleston's Glory Days Savoring the culinary renaissance and cultural treasures of South Carolina's oldest city

42 Latch and Release The easy-in, easy-out Companion OEM fifth-wheel hitch takes advantage of mounting platforms from Ram, Ford and GM

46 2017 Gear Guide Trailer Life's annual roundup of products designed to enhance the RV experience

Famous for its grand antebellum homes and glorious harbor views, the Battery stretches along a historic seawall at the tip of the Charleston Peninsula. Page 36

DEPARTMENTS

4 Driver's Seat Still on a Roll 6 Letters Readers respond loud and clear 9 Around the Bend News, events, places and trends 12 RV Resolutions Trailer Life is your referee

Airstream and Tommy Bahama team up for a special-edition island-inspired trailer. Page 10

58 Hands On RV Cable Grip

60 10-Minute Tech Now why didn't I think of that?

62 New Products Goodies to improve the RV lifestyle

64 RV Clinic Answers from the Trailer Life tech team

74 Roads to Adventure Tybee Island, Georgia

On the cover: Travel Lite Falcon at Amish Acres Historic Farm and Heritage Resort in Nappanee, Indiana. Photo by Shawn Spence Photography April 2017 TRAILER LIFE 3

DRIVER'S SEAT APRIL

Still on a Roll

As Bob Livingston hands over the keys, we continue sharing his enthusiasm for the RV lifestyle -- taking readers along for the ride

T he year was 1971, when household income averaged $9,027 and a gallon of gas cost just 36 cents, that a sportswriter and photojournalist by the name of Bob Livingston came to work for Trailer Life Publishing, parent company of Trailer Life and Motorhome Life (now known simply as MotorHome), and the Good Sam Club. Hired by then-Publisher and Editor Art Rouse, Livingston grew to know the RV industry inside and out, as both an avid RVer and technical expert, and he has been a guiding light at the magazines ever since.

A 2014 RV/MH Hall of Fame inductee, Livingston served on standards committees for the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association and National Fire Protection Association, as well as authoring the first published guide to RV maintenance and repair. He created the Telly Award-winning RV Today show, which aired for five seasons on the Outdoor Life and Versus networks, and helped found the Great North American RV Rally, later renamed the Camping World/Good Sam Rally.

Although Livingston retired this year as publisher of the magazines, his fans needn't worry. He will continue to contribute technical articles and provide guidance to the editorial team, as we endeavor to fill his very deep footprints. As a longtime RVer myself, I am honored to take on the responsibility of penning this column and delighted to be part of the Trailer Life team.

My family owned a horse farm in upstate New York, and in 1973 we purchased a new Winnebago Chieftain for use at shows and on occasional trips. That was the start of a journey that has included ownership of many RVs, a 10-year stint as a full-timer, and a rewarding career on both the technical and media sides of the RV business. My wife, Karen, and I currently own a diesel Ford F-350 and a Coleman travel trailer that we enjoy customizing.

Trailer Life strives to publish informative and interesting content for a wide range of readers, whether you own a small camper or a 45-foot fifth-wheel. In that spirit, Managing Editor Donya Carlson tests a cool-looking 20-foot 8-inch trailer, the Travel Lite Falcon, on page 14 of this issue. With its lightweight construction, the Falcon F-21RB can be towed by a variety of properly equipped six-cylinder vehicles.

Our annual "Ready to Roll" gear guide, on page 46, moves from September to April with this edition because RVers tend to ramp up for travel in spring rather than fall. For new RVers and those looking for refresher training, Ed Bolduc goes back to basics with an LP-gas primer on page 30.

Speaking of RVing basics, we'll continue to cover them in the magazine, as well as on our website, , and our YouTube channel. As always, we welcome your comments and suggestions at info-tl@.

It's a great time to go RVing. Let's roll! q

-- Chris Dougherty, Technical Editor

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4 TRAILER LIFE April 2017

PHOTO BY SHAWN SPENCE PHOTOGRAPHY

Publisher Ann Emerson Editor Valerie Law Managing Editor Donya Carlson Technical Editor Chris Dougherty Senior Art Director Rick Damien Production Director Bob Dawson Production Manager Brenda Hutchinson Business Manager Katey Purgatorio Publisher Emeritus Bob Livingston

Consulting Editors Chris Hemer, Jeff Johnston Contributors Lisa Ballard, Ed Bolduc, Kristopher Bunker, Emily Fagan, Peter Lewis, Jeremy and Stephanie Puglisi, Pamela Selbert, Bruce W. Smith, Gary Wescott

Vice President National Sales Terry Thompson 847-229-6759

RV Marketplace/Classifieds Katey Purgatorio 847-229-6756, katey.purgatorio@

Advertising Sales/Southwest Sue Seidlitz 847-229-6813, sue.seidlitz@

Advertising Sales/Southeast Kim Whitaker 919-412-6325, kim.whitaker@

Advertising Sales/Northeast Lou Cicirelli 954-297-9234, lou.cicirelli@

Advertising Sales/Northwest Scott Oakes 847-229-6758, scott.oakes@

Customer Service Subscriptions (print and digital)

800-825-6861 trailerlife@ Editorial info-tl@

President Mark Boggess Vice President/Publisher Ann Emerson Vice President/Advertising Sales Terry Thompson

Trailer Life (ISSN 0041-0780) is published monthly by GS Media & Events (a division of Good Sam Enterprises, LLC), 2750 Park View Court, Suite 240, Oxnard, CA 93036. Periodicals postage paid at Oxnard, CA 93036, and additional mailing offices. The annual subscription rate is $17.97 per year in the U.S. For Canadian and International subscriptions, add $12 per year. U.S. funds only.

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