Beyond the Wheel

Today’s podcast is special as we were invited back to Tucson, Arizona by FMCA to host a series of live Beyond The Wheel Podcast episodes right from the fairgrounds. We explore the exciting world of RVing with the help of FMCA, the Family Motor Coach Association. Chris Smith, CEO of FMCA, discusses the upcoming conventions in Tucson and Redmond, highlighting the variety of entertainment and educati...

In today’s Drivers Edition, we dive into the world of RVing, discussing our experiences at the FMCA convention, a memorable RV trip to Mexico with Fantasy RV Tours, and an upcoming Jeep adventure in Moab. We also explore the latest developments in the industry, including Kleen Tank’s mobile holding tank cleaning service, T-Mobile’s impressive hotspot performance, which is availab...

Thermal Truck and RV In today’s podcast, Sherry Huff, a Co-Founder of Thermal Truck and RV, discusses their family-owned business’s impressive growth and its ability to adapt to the changing needs of their customers. She shares insights on the business’s mobile RV repair services, the importance of regular maintenance, and the challenges of working with extended warranties. The p...

Spot2Nite In this podcast episode, Terry, the CEO and co-founder of Spot2Nite, joins the show to discuss the app designed to eliminate common pain points in booking campgrounds. With Spot2Nite, Terry and his son-in-law Sam, the COO, aim to simplify finding and booking campgrounds by offering real-time visibility and immediate booking capabilities through the app, effectively marking a technical mi...

The Americanizer On this episode of Beyond the Wheel, we dive into the world of RV innovation and practical solutions with guest James Adinaro from the FitRV. James, an RV industry influencer with a background in engineering and IT, introduces listeners to his invention, The Americanizer—a sewage adapter for cassette toilets that simplifies the dumping process, allowing RV users to empty their cas...

About the Resort In this episode of Beyond the Wheel, we are introduced to the upcoming Locker’s Southern View Luxury Motorcoach Resort, set to make waves in Nashville, Tennessee. Joey Locker, the visionary behind this RV resort, shares his journey of creating a unique destination offering the allure of lake life without the hefty price tag. Drawing from 72 acres of land with a stunning half...

Today, we examine the state of the RV industry as it continues to perform at a higher level than we expected. We use a few articles from RVbusiness.com to help us understand what is driving the industry forward. The New Golden Age Of Camping The Dyrt CEO Kevin Long believes we are in the “new golden age of camping.” “The demand for camping has never been greater, but technology i...

Battle Born Batteries’ New Product Today’s episode introduces us to a brand-new product poised to transform the RV industry. It is a prewired power system designed for simple installation. Brandon Newman from Battle Born Batteries discusses the LPP 6500 – a powerful, all-in-one lithium-ion battery solution that emulates the footprint of traditional RV generators, specifically the Onan...

The Family Motor Coach Association (FMCA) is making some big changes, and Chris Smith is helping us navigate them. You may remember Chris from other episodes, as he is the CEO of the FMCA and a good friend of the show. Chris will let us know how these changes will affect current and upcoming members of the FMCA. FMCA Tech Connect One of the changes involves their Tech Connect program. The FMCA is...

If you need roof repairs or are looking for a way to protect your roof for life, then you will want to learn more about Flex Armor. Joining us today is the president of Flex Armor, Jennifer Adair. Jennifer and her husband started Flex Armor in 2005 to help those needing roof repairs. Flex Armor is a pure polyurea that can flex with changing temperatures as you travel across the country. When you h...

With the new year comes new year’s resolutions, and one of the most popular resolutions is trying to save money. We thought this would be a great time to share some clubs and discount cards we use to save money while RVing. Saving at the Campground Passport America Passport America is a discount club that saves you 50% off your nightly stays. We are both lifetime members and believe this is...

We have a fun show for you today, discussing the best of 2023. This list includes our favorite RV of the year, the best RV show, our favorite guests, and our favorite trip of 2023. We also look forward to 2024 and what is on our wish list for the new year. Spoilers Ahead If you are reading this after listening to the show, then please continue, but if you haven’t heard the show yet and do no...

With RV sales continuing to slow, we are seeing big players in the RV industry making positive moves to invest in the future of RVing. In this episode, we talk about some of these companies and some trends we notice. We will also provide the links to all the articles mentioned in this episode to allow you to dive deeper into each topic. As you will notice, many of these articles come from RV Busin...

SB 139 A new bill has passed in South Dakota, and many RVers are discussing what this could mean for using South Dakota as their domicile. There has been some misunderstanding and misinformation regarding SB 139 and what it means to be a resident of South Dakota. To help us better understand the new bill, we invited William Linsenmeyer from Your Best Address to the show. William has worked for ove...

BedInABox Are you tired of your old RV mattress? You might even be tired of your new RV mattress. It is one of the most common items replaced in an RV. If you answered yes to either of these questions, we have good news for you. Not only do we have BedInABox on the show, but we also have a discount code to share. The discount code, beyondthewheel , will save you $50 off their lowest online price....

I just returned from a Walt Disney trip where I stayed at the campsites at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Campground, and I thought I would like to live there! But what makes it so special, and why is it my favorite campground to stay at? Check-In The magic, so to speak, starts as you enter, as this is one of the few campgrounds where you don’t get out of your vehicle to check in. Instead, y...

Wholesale Warranties Do you have an extended warranty on your RV? Do you think your RV is too old or has too many miles for an extended warranty? Well, today, we are going to find out as Jim Hoffman, Vice President of Operations at Wholesale Warranties, joins us to discuss policy changes happening in the new year. Because of these changes, now might be the best time for you to start a conversation...

In today’s minipod, I will share why I sleep at gas stations while traveling in my RV. I will focus on Pilot Flying J’s because they are my favorite, mainly because of the convenience of a one-stop shop, how they are usually easy on/off from the highway, and the amenities they offer us as RVers. Pilot Flying J Pilot Flying J’s typically have dedicated RV parking spots separated f...

About Cortes Campers Cortes Campers is a new and exciting RV manufacturer building campers with zero wood. This fiberglass-constructed RV is strong while staying very lightweight, so mid-size trucks or even some SUVs will be able to tow them. The CEO of Cortes Campers, Anthony Corpora, joins us to chat about the construction and innovation going into each of their RVs. He also gives us a sneak pee...

RV Travel Study The RVIA recently reported on a study conducted by GoRVing, the RVIA, and CBRE Hotels Advisory Group, which found considerable savings for those traveling by RV compared to other types of travel. The article is on the RVIA website . As a researcher, I would like to read the study, but it is only available to RVIA members. Nonetheless, there were interesting findings reported in the...

About the Show Today, we are doing something a little different and chatting about our experience at the Hershey PA RV Show. The Hershey RV Show is a five-day event where RV dealers, manufacturers, and aftermarket suppliers meet up to sell you an RV, a service for RVing, or an aftermarket part for RVing. There are also seminars to help you learn about RVing, such as plumbing systems, electrical sy...

Long Weekend working the Overland Expo I just returned from the Overland Expo MTN West. Belle and I dry camped for five days and thought now would be the perfect time for an update on our RV power system expansion that we did six months ago. I just used these batteries exactly how I envisioned over this long weekend, and that is to protect Belle from the heat when I am away from the RV. I worked t...

Are you looking to get more power back into your house batteries fast? Are you wondering if there is a way to harness your engine’s power to do so? Well, good news. There is! The Wakespeed Advanced Alternator Regulator is a device that regulates the power that comes out of an alternator and delivers it safely to your house batteries. Dragonfly Energy recently acquired Wakespeed, and today, w...

In this minipod, Sean reviews the Cape Charles/Chesapeake Bay KOA Resort located on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. This is one of 16 KOA resorts in the U.S. and one of 17 in North America. KOA resorts are the creme de la creme of KOAs and offer a lot of amenities to their guests. Cape Charles/Chesapeake Bay KOA Resort Location The resort is located on the southern end of Virginia’s Eastern S...

About AdventureGenie We hear the word AI used often. Some of us understand it, some don’t, and some fear it. On today’s show, we talk to the founder of AdventureGenie , Scott Lengel. AdventureGenie is the first RV trip planner powered by AI, and Scott shares how it all works. Scott also talks about the fear of AI and how people can be put at ease by using it, as well as how AI can make...