Name That RV
We enjoyed reading letters in “Readers Write” from people about naming their RVs and would like to share how we came about naming ours “Gypsy Palace.” We are Jimmy Buffet fans and belong to two Parrot Head Clubs. One of Jimmy’s songs is called “Gypsies In The Palace.” Since when we travel, our RV is our palace, and we move from town to town, we named it the “Gypsy Palace.”
— Bill & Sue Nichols, F436730
Port Charlotte, Florida
I’m not sure when the Bellios named their RV “SeeMoor” (Readers Write, May 2021, page 12), but my Tiffin Class A has been “CMore” (pronounced the same as theirs) for almost nine years. A boat (“Celebration”) and a convertible Miata (“Calvi”; don’t ask), each pulled by CMore at one time or another, demanded the name begin with a “C.” “See more” of this beautiful country and “See more” national parks made the choice easy. Now full-timing for two-plus years, “CMore” is living up to its name.
— Dale Sain, F510905
Lacey, Washington
Mattress Talk
The article about RV mattresses in the April 2021 issue (“Buying An RV Mattress,” page 30) was very informative and had some excellent advice. However, the language on page 31 concerning “short” or “RV” king and queen mattresses could be misleading, as the two terms are not the same. One has less width and the other less length.
It is correct that a “short” king or queen normally is 74 inches long, which is 6 inches shorter than a standard king or queen. On the other hand, an “RV” king mattress is only 72 inches wide versus a standard king, or 6 inches less in width, not in length.
As a note of interest, at least a few Mattress Firm locations sell RV mattresses.
— James Harman, F291089
Crestview, Florida
Editor’s note: It seems RV king-size beds especially can differ in size. This website lists a variety of RV king sizes: bit.ly/RVmattress. Mattressfirm.com does indeed offer several RV mattresses, including RV king, RV short king, and RV three-quarter king. So, it seems the key when you are replacing an RV mattress is to measure the existing mattress before making the purchase.
I was so glad to see an article in the April 2021 issue regarding buying an RV mattress. With great anticipation, I immediately turned to the article hoping to get some insight on that “perfect” mattress for my RV. My hopes quickly went up in smoke as I proceeded to digest all the information presented about RV mattresses. Though the article covered many aspects of RV mattresses when it comes to size, thickness, firmness, etc., it didn’t address the problem that some of us face. My Class A motorhome has two slides, and one of them is for the “king size” bed; however, for the slide to fully retract, the lower half of the mattress needs to fold up. I wish mattresses of this nature were also covered in the article. I’m sure there are other RVers facing the same issue.
— Rob Bard, F481463
Lakewood Ranch, Florida
Books And More Books
At the end of Chris Guld’s article “A Fun-Size Book Library” in the January 2021 issue of Family RVing (page 62), she asked, “Anyone else like reading on your phone as much as I do on mine?” So, this is one answer. I don’t know how much you do, but I love reading books and having them. We have 12 sets of shelves filled with books, some that go back to my days long ago at West Point.
In my opinion, there isn’t any other form of entertainment that matches a good book. It is the most cost-effective method there is. Unfortunately, I learned speed reading my first year at the academy, so I go through books at a quick clip. I loan but almost never give away a book (unless it is a planned gift), so books are everywhere. And then along came e-books. Before Kindle, I had over 500 books on my phone, and then the service I was using went out of business, my reader became out of date, and the books sort of went poof.
Now, I always have a book on my Kindle that I am reading. Last year I noted with surprise that I had been reading for 545 days in a row. But I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised. Whenever I have downtime, out comes my Kindle book. The surprise really is wondering what caused me to miss a day.
I enjoyed the article, so to “pay back” the author, I will pass on a hint I received years ago from my much younger cousin. And as he told me the hint, he said that one day I would say, “I hate you!” And he was right.
So, with that forewarning, I recommend www.bookbub.com to you to enjoy. You enter your preferences, and then every day they send an email with amazing offers from all kinds of authors (many are main-line authors) and free e-books as well. I am a science fiction fan, and one free book caught my eye. I enjoyed it and then found out it was a series of 18 books. And 17 were not free. But they were reasonably priced, and they provided many, many hours of entertainment!
So, thank you for the article, Chris, and may you keep finding ever better books to add to your library.
— John Darrah, F456901
Panama City, Florida
Basement Air/RV Service
In 2018, I contacted your magazine about finding a company that repaired basement air-conditioning units in RVs. I heard from several fellow motor-home owners who needed the same information, and from some who replaced the unit on their own. Fortunately, I heard from Dan Rankin, who referred me to Integrity RV Service Center in Douglasville, Georgia, west of Atlanta. He noted that he had his unit repaired there and was very happy with the results.
On April 14, 2021, I was able to take my motorhome to Integrity RV Service Center. Greg, the new owner; Jeff, the service manager; Doug, the foreman; and Brittney, Jerry, and Melvin in service were very friendly, courteous, and knowledgeable people. They diagnosed my RV problems immediately and started ordering needed parts. Not only did they fix the basement air, but they also fixed the dash air and the water heater. And they made sure we were taken care of while our RV was being worked on. We will be returning for future service.
If anyone needs their basement air repaired or any other RV service, I recommend contacting Integrity RV Service Center at (770) 693-1186.
We have enjoyed 46 years of motorhoming and plan to enjoy more.
— Edward Woodson, F420223
New Tazewell, Tennessee