The south end of the beach at Hua Hin, Thailand.
Where are Kevin and Ruth now? Hua Hin, Thailand.

Where are Kevin and Ruth going next? Maldives on March 23rd.

Our 1st RV

Sherman was our first motorhome. When new, he was sold as a 1996 Damon Daybreak, but on a 1995 Chevrolet P-30 chassis. He was 28 feet (9 metres) long. There were no slideouts, and no leveling jacks.

We bought Sherman in September 2007, and he only had 25,000 miles (40,000 kms) on him. We sold him in August 2020, and he had 134,000 miles (215,000 kms) on the clock! But it's almost all highway driving, and that's pretty easy on the engine. Plus, I changed his oil regularly!

Took this photo the first day we were introduced!

Sherman had a Chevrolet 454 cu in (7.2 litre) 8 cylinder gasoline engine. And he had a 60 gallon (228 litre) fuel tank. It's a good thing for the big fuel tank because Sherman only gets 10 miles to the gallon! 

We have done a lot of modifications to Sherman. We installed three 80w solar panels, four 6v deep cycle batteries, and a power inverter. This is our supply of electricity because we like to be self sufficient and it enables us to park overnight for free when we can.

We also removed the television and the microwave. We didn't use either one of them very often, so we got rid of them. Now we have more cupboard space!

And we replaced the carpet and flooring in the living area.

The two front seats swivel around to provide extra seating if necessary.

We put the laptop on the table opposite the couch and it's a great setup for watching movies on the laptop.

The grand entranceway!

Walkaround double bed is so comfy with a memory foam topper mattress.

The "facilities".

Speaking of the facilities, Sherman has a 38 gallon (144 litre) fresh water tank, a 42 gallon (160 litre) black water holding tank, and a 42 gallon (160 litre) grey water holding tank. With careful use of water, we can go almost two weeks without refilling or emptying tanks.

The kitchen has a nice double sink, but a typical lack of countertop space. Fortunately, the stove cover folds down, and you can see the sink cover leaning against the wall beside the big pot. Using these two items makes the lack of countertop space bearable.

New floor in the entrance way, kitchen, and bathroom.


29 comments:

  1. It's great that you have a motorhome that suits you to a tee. It took us three tries before we got it right, though I shouldn't complain, our first one lasted us 16 years. As for the length, we went from 33 feet to 30 feet to 36 feet. My three large dogs would need 28 feet for themselves.

    Sherman, as in masculine. I'm surprised because I though all boats, planes and campers were feminine.

    Paul

    ReplyDelete
  2. Paul and Helen...Yes, he does suit us to a tee but then we had nothing to compare him to, as we have never been in and RV before. Sometimes it would be nice to have a slightly smaller unit.

    As for his name, our friends who got us into the motorhoming said they had 2 units that had female names and that they were both bitches, so we chose a masculine name, after the Sherman tank.

    Kevin and Ruth

    ReplyDelete
  3. Have you ever thought about installing a composter toilet?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was curious about this, too. My husband and I are divided on the topic. I surprised him and me both by being pro. He is con.

      Delete
    2. Yes, we have and really the only thing that has stopped us has been the price! We don't normally have a problem finding a sani-dump for free and we have learnt to conserve so if we were sitting in a spot for awhile and needed to dump our tanks then it is just time to move on to another spot.

      Delete
  4. How many miles does Sherman have now? in 2013 :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Now, Sherman has 75,400 miles on his clock. Hasn't really been driven since March 2012!

      Delete
  5. Hi Kevin & Ruth,
    Great blog,enjoyed reading it.
    Do you pull a car behind? if not doesn't Sherman slow you down when you want to take a scenic ride through the mountains?
    Enjoy your trips

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sorry for the delay in answering your questions, I only came across it today. No we do not tow anything behind Sherman. we have bicycles, our feet and public transportation for most of our needs. As for Sherman slowing us down in the mountains, we love it that way. If we find a nice place to camp then we can just pull over and park for the night or if we like it there then we can stay even longer. We have done lots of mountain driving with him and we love it. Slow and easy is the way we like to travel anyway!

      Delete
  6. I'm really loving your blog. It's making me realize possibilities I didn't know existed. What's your opinion on doing this kind of travelling with a truck and 5th wheel vs a motor home? Better, worse, no difference? Thanks, just trying to look at all options!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So glad that you are enjoying our blog and our adventures. That is one of the purposes of our blog, to show people that you can live your dreams if you put your mind to it, you just need think outside of the "box".

      We have never traveled with a truck and 5th wheel so we can't really say. Each has it's pros and cons so you need to right them down and decide which works best for you.

      Delete
  7. Hi, I'm not sure if it was on your blog that I read about connecting to the wireless at Starbucks or Libraries by using some type of extender. This allows you to park outside, use the service, and not even have to go in. Was it on your blog. If so, can you tell me what you use? Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, you can find a link to buy that antenna here... http://www.travelwithkevinandruth.com/2015/09/good-news-and-bad-news.html

      Delete
    2. Hi guys, I just followed the lead from the blog and the 2013 model is out of stock, but there is 2015 model now listed on Amazon that seemed to get positive reviews.

      Delete
    3. Yep, the "2015" is the newer version. Great product, and I notice the price has dropped a bit from the older version too.

      Delete
  8. Can you give me a link to your info about the caravan you are going to lead in Mexico?

    ReplyDelete
  9. My wife and I are looking for an RV to go down to Mexico (Zihuatanejo/Ixtapa) this winter. We've heard lots of stories about what size works and doesn't work down there. We would like to buy 29'. In your experience, does that pose problems in Mexico? It's only 1' longer than Sherman!

    Bob (Pender Island, BC)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi there Bob, glad to hear you are thinking of traveling to Mexico this winter. We personally won't go any larger than our 28' but as you said one more foot probably wouldn't make a big difference. Having said that having a longer unit will restrict you to some places, even at 28'. If we were to get another unit for travelling in Mexico we would go smaller. Another thing to keep in mind is height. Our unit is lower compared to most newer units. We are 11'3" and have to watch for low hanging wires. Most newer units are much taller these days. If you plan on staying on the toll roads and main roads then the only time you would have more of an issue would be in the small towns and cities especially as you get closer to El Centro which you really don't want to do! ;-)

      Delete
    2. Thanks Ruth, for the heads up on height. If you were to go smaller tomorrow, have you thought about what you'd buy, size, Class A, Class C?

      Delete
    3. Probably go with a Class B or B+. One of our blog readers came to visit us our first year here at the campground and they had a really nice Class B+ that had a Murphy bed in it. We really liked the design of their unit which was a Regency Grand Touring 24' or Regency GT 24 made by Triple E, the last year it was made was in 2013. Hope that will give you an idea.

      Delete
    4. I'll check it out, thanks Ruth!

      Delete
  10. Gosh, reading this makes me feel greedy, in that we've been using a truck/camper setup (camper has a slide) and we're feeling cramped. My thoughts where to go with a 40' Class A motorhome with the diesel (would have air ride and..most importantly an exhaust brake) rather than starting off with a Class A or fifth wheel, as most folks we know 'move up' over time, whereas I thought it might be better to take the hit now ($$ wise)? This of course would be a 'used' unit, close to 10 years old (hopefully with updates) but some more reasoning would be to give one another some 'space', which we all need from time to time! Then comfort...and then the ability to take our daughter and family (2 grandkids) on occasion. There is a whole host of different brands, so I'm trying to do my research on most, but find they all have their issues, and most are close to 9-10 mpg with fuel. I'm of the mind that filling the roof area with solar panels is the way to go, but I need much more education on that topic too! So much to learn before jumping in with both feet, to spend a month/two or more enjoying this vast country of ours!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, I can see a truck camper set up making you feel a little cramped but a lot has to do with the weather. If you can stay places where the weather is great and you can spend a lot of time outside that the size isn't as important. We love the length of Sherman and the fact that he doesn't have slides or levelers but that is just us and many, many people want something bigger so no need to feel greedy. ;-)

      Yes, all motorhomes have their issues but personally we think going with a slightly older model is the best route, just look for one that is gently used and with lower mileage if possible as well as a unit that has only had one or two owners that have taken care of it and have all the paperwork on any repairs that have been done to it. Again, you are correct most units only get between 8 - 10/mpg smaller class C units generally do a little better.

      To us solar is definitely the way to go, we have never regretted it once! It is a bit of an expense at the beginning but if you start out with the basics you can add to it down the road until you find the right match for your needs.

      Delete
  11. Again, another great discussion for those trying their best to complete their due diligence before diving into the RV world. This blog is really a treasure trove of information. I find the opportunity to "search this blog" for places to visit very helpful. Your willingness to share is appreciated by many including this writer. Thanks for your recent response concerning durable chassis and engine choices.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you very much for your kind words MR. Please don't ever hesitate to ask us a question if you can't find what you are looking for, we will try to answer it the best that we can.

      Delete
  12. What a refreshing blog to read and follow. Thanks so much.

    Barb

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you very much! I hope that you will keep on reading and enjoying it. :-)

      Delete

There are more comments on our facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/TravelwithKevinAndRuth

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.