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HITCH HINTS: AERODYNAMICS VS. POWERRV TIPS: WARRANTIES AND ROADSIDE ASSISTANCEPLUS: A VISIT TO WESLEY CLOVER PARKSOTTAWASNORTHWESTTERRITORIES SPECIAL REPORT: RVING THROUGH THE AGES see page 261121 Invicta Dr., Unit 2, Oakville, ON L6H 2R2 Publications Mail Agreement #40010957Vol. 45 No. 3www.rvlifemag.com$4.95The world’s wildest drive! ROAD TEST: Lance Camper 1475 Travel TrailerContentsDEPARTMENTS6 HITCH HINTS by Andy Thomson How displacement and aerodynamics affect fuel efficiency and handling.10 RV TIPS – USED RV WARRANTIES Garth Cane discusses coverage for used RVs.14 THE COOKING LADIES ~ Phyllis Hinz and Lamont Mackay Enjoying Potato Cod Cakes in Prince Edward Island.DESTINATIONS16 TOURING THE GRAND CANYON – BY RAIL! James Stoness visits one of the seven wonders of the world.32 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORIES – THE WORLD’S WILDEST DRIVE Aaron Spitzer takes us on the roads less travelled… 36 WESLEY CLOVER PARK, OTTAWA So much more than just a campground!ROAD TEST20 LANCE CAMPER 1475 TRAVEL TRAILER By Norm Rosen Aerodymaic excellence in a compact travel trailer. SPECIAL REPORT26 RVS THROUGH THE AGES A visit to the RV/MH Hall of Fame Museum in Elkhart, Indiana.Follow us on Facebook!www.facebook.com/RVLifestyleMagazineON THE COVERThe 2017 Lance Camper 1475 travel trailer. Cover photo by Norm Rosen.3Volume 45 Number 3 | RV Lifestyle 4RV Lifestyle | Volume 45 Number 3Publisher: WILLIAM E. TAYLORbill@rvlifemag.comGroup Publisher: MELANIE TAYLOR-WALLISmelanie@rvlifemag.comEditorial Director: NORM ROSENnrosen@rvlifemag.comTechnical Editors: GARTH CANEJAMIE RUSSELL info@rvlifemag.comArt/Production Manager: GISELLE BANSALDesign: TAMARA TAYLOR, TRAVIS KINGDONDigital Media: MICHEL JULIENContributing Writers:PHYLLIS HINZLAMONT MACKAYCRAIG RITCHIEJAMES STONESSANDY THOMSONAdvertising Sales:info@rvlifemag.com1-800-354-9145EXECUTIVE OFFICES: TORONTO:1121 Invicta Dr., Unit 2 Oakville, ON L6H 2R2Tel: 905-844-8218 Fax: 905-844-5032MONTREAL:970 Montee de Liesse, Suite 310St. Laurent, PQ H4T 1W7Tel: 514-856-0788 Fax: 514-856-0790VANCOUVER:Bob and Carole Taylor, 1745 Rufus DriveNorth Vancouver, BC V7J 3L8ADMINISTRATION:President/CEO: WILLIAM E. TAYLORGroup Publisher: MELANIE TAYLOR-WALLISVP/General Manager: ROY C. BAIRDVP/Special Projects: NORM ROSENAccounting: NANCY MUELLERCamping Canada’s RV Lifestyle Magazine is published seven times a year by Camping Canada Magazine Ltd. Reproduction of any material appearing in this magazine in any form is forbidden without prior consent of the publisher. Subscription rates: Canada (prices include G.S.T.) 1 year (7 issues) $19.99: 2 years (14 issues) $32. U.S. subscriptions:1 year (7 issues) $30 US. Other: 1 year (7 issues) $60 CDN. Single copies are $4.95 for regular issues, and $5.95 for the annual RV Buyer’s Guide and the annual Campground Directory issues.Subscription inquiries 1-800-354-9145Advertising rates available on request.Editorial contributions must be accompanied by return post-age and will be handled with reasonable care. The publisher assumes no responsibility for return of safety of artwork, photo-graphs, or manuscripts. Camping Canada Magazine reserves the right to refuse any and all advertising and disclaims all responsibilities for claims or statements of facts made by its advertisers or independent columnists.PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT #40010957Undeliverables to: 1121 Invicta Dr., Unit 2, Oakville, ON L6H 2R2MONTREAL, QUEBEC© 2016 CAMPING CANADA MAGAZINE PRINTED IN CANADAvolume 45 number 3Interest in the RV vacation lifestyle is at an all-time high in North America, as families of all ages discover the many advantages of what we like to refer to as “The Good Life”. The North American RV manu-facturers are gearing up to produce 500,000 RV units in 2017 – the high-est production number ever planned for this vibrant industry. Sales of the RV units are so brisk in the U.S.A. that some manufacturers are taking orders for units that will be scheduled for pro-duction in the spring of 2017 – that’s a 7-month lead time… Canadian RV enthusiasts should start shopping now for the RV that they want to use next summer! As we go to press with this issue, the 2017 models are starting to appear on RV dealer lots across Canada. We had the opportunity to road test one of the first 2017 travel trailers from Lance Campers, and we are lining up a series of road tests on the new models for the coming issues. As advanced as the new RV models may seem, many of the design concepts trace their roots back to the origins of the RV industry. We travelled to the RV/MH Hall of Fame and Museum in Elkhart, Indiana, to bring you a special report on some of the RVs of yester-year… it is amazing to see that the first use of a slide-out section was on a 1913 Model T based “housecar”. To see a sample of the treasures that are on dis-play at the museum, please see the fea-ture starting on page 26. 2017 will be an exciting year for Canadians, as we celebrate the 150th anniversary of confederation. We begin the RV Lifestyle Salute to Canada with the first of a series of travel features focusing on Canadian destinations, a road trip to the Northwest Territories. The series will continue in each issue of the magazine as we travel to destina-tions from sea to sea to sea. Our celebration of the Canadian RV experience will continue throughout the year with special spotlights from the Camping Canada and RV Lifestyle Magazine archives, to be posted at the website www.rvlifemag.com These special features will show how the Canadian RV industry evolved, and how the special requirements for a “Canada-friendly” RV have made many of the RVs safer and far better suited to colder weather camping. If you enjoy this issue of RV Lifestyle Magazine, please take a min-ute to check out our special subscrip-tion offer on page 45. If you are an existing subscriber, please check out the subscribers’ digital edition archives – e-mail Norm Rosen at editor@rvlifemag.com for access information.SEE YOU ON THE RV ROADS TO ADVENTURE!Bill Taylor,PublisherWilliam E. Taylor,PublisherLOOKING FOR AN RV?Publishers MESSAGEIf you have a story to share, send it to me and you might just be part of RV Lifestyle’s next edition.btaylor@taylorpublishinggroup.comBecause Quality Never Goes Out of Style51 YEARS AND C OUNTING…MODMODELEL 2152155S5SHOWHOWNIN N ROADSTERMODMODELEL 1991995 SHOWN IN IN PAPASSAGAGEEIntroducing the all new 2017 Lance Ultra-Light Travel Trailer line up! With over 50+ standard and optional feature enhancements including three all newdesigner interior decors to the all new radiusroof, a new contoured molded LP coverwith available “tri-five” tank configuration,available 2 5/8" chassis lift kit and dual locking battery compartments, we have taken bothform and function to an all new level! VISIT LANCECAMPER.COM FOR ALL THEDETAILS, A VIRTUAL PLANT TOUR AND TO LOCATE THE LANCE DEALER NEAREST YOU.RV Lifestyle | Volume 45 Number 3 rvlifemag.comHITCH HINTS by Andy Thomson6Not long ago, an RV Lifestyle Magazine reader sent me a very interesting question:Hi AndyI have read several of your articles including one where you towed a 30’ Airstream with a Chrysler 300 with just a V6 Motor. Well I tow a 30’ Airstream with Ford F250 with a 6.2 Litre gas motor and I cannot imagine towing with just a V6. The 6.2 gets the job done just fine but I cannot imagine trying to tow with an engine a little more than half the size, I find it hard to believe you really tow as much as you say you do with that car.Joe HWe do indeed tow quite frequently with the 3.6 litre 300 (see 8 speed 300) in fact, I towed to California and back with it last November. Whenever it is not off on a delivery somewhere it is here at the store, connected for test drives - so feel free to stop in and try it out. However maybe I can explain this another way.Each year, I attend the Alumapoluza rally at the Airstream factory. This is a fun event and they always ask me do a towing seminar while I am there. I generally take a few people out for test drives as well. One of the things that makes it interesting is that everyone has a pretty much the same trailer - no matter what size Airstream you tow, the aerodynamic drag is the same and the trailer weights don’t vary enough to have much significance. So when some-one test drives our combination the test trailer is likely to be pretty comparable with their own unit. Even the generally close knit group of Airstream owners rarely tow with the optimal vehicle and hitch setup, so many or the Airstreamers who test drive our demo rigs are quite surprised at the stability and perfor-mance we can achieve. One 20-year Airstream owner who tried out one of our rigs kept saying “I had no idea tow-ing could be as easy as this”.This year, I took a relatively unusual combination to the event - our Chrysler 300 with the 3.6 Litre engine and 8-speed transmission, mated to a 31’ Airstream Classic. One of the attend-ees took me to task about how under-powered the 300 must be to tow with. Like Joe, who posed the question that sparked this column, he said that his truck was adequate, but no way would he want to tow with a smaller engine than the 6.0 Litre in the 2500 series GM pickup he was driving. I explained to him that even though the 300’s engine was much smaller, the actual towing performance would be similar. When I said that, he looked at me like I was crazy, after all there is “no replacement for displacement”, right? Well maybe... So I suggested to him that the higher level of tune in the 3.6 Litre (4 valves per cylinder, variable valve timing and direct injection) combined with the 300’s efficiency gave it pretty much the same towing performance as his three-quarter-ton gas fuelled truck. rvlifemag comDISPLACEMENT AND AERODYNAMICSComparing tow vehicle and trailer combinationsAndy Thomson has been writing for RV Lifestyle Magazine for more than 25 years. He also owns and operates Can-Am RV Centre located in London, ON.continued on page 8When it comes to buying an RV that can offer you everything, there is a sweet spot. That special niche that offers the greatest technologyalong with the comfortand luxuries you deserve. Find it all in a Roadtrek.roadtrek.com 1.888.ROADTREK (762.3873)RV Lifestyle | Volume 45 Number 3 rvlifemag.comHITCH HINTS by Andy Thomson8continued from page 6which makes sense as the truck has 4230 pounds of thrust in first gear while the 300 produces 3026. Interesting when running 0-100kph the 300 makes one shift from first to second gear the truck is into 3rd by 100kph MPH. Once we had done all this, he thought there must be something wrong with his truck so I had to try and find a way to explain the difference.As it turns out, his hitch set-up was terrible, and the real problem he had was bad handling. I gave him a hand to get his hitch readjusted, and then took his combination out for a road test. His Airstream was comparable to the one I was towing with the 300. He took the opportunity to kid me about all the power, so I asked him if he wanted to test drive my rig. The area around Jackson Center, Ohio, has plenty of very quiet, flat, paved roads. So with his help, we mea-sured the 0-60mph time of his combina-tion. Turns out it took 20 seconds for the pickup with the airstream in tow to reach 100kph. Then I took him out in the 300, towing our trailer, and we did the same test on the same road and it took 21.5 seconds. When we mea-sured 80-110kph, the 300 was actually 3 seconds quicker than his truck was, the truck was quicker from 0-40kph Vehicle 0-60 Seconds 60-100 Seconds Dodge Ram Hemi 1500 Hemi 5.7 6.1 11.5 Chrysler 300 Hemi 5.3 7.5 Even though the 1500 weighs in about 500 pounds more than the 300 it is only .8 seconds slower from 0-60mph. However, from 60-100mph where rolling resistance and air drag come more into play, it is a full 4 seconds slower. In fact, the 300 with the 3.6 V6 is faster than the truck with the 5.7 Hemi. Chrysler 300 V/6 6.3 9.3F150 Eco Boost 5.6 10.2Ford Taurus Eco Boost 5.2 7.8Dodge Power Wagon 2500 6.4 Litre 8.4 9.7 (to 90 MPH) GovernedThe Dodge 2500 Power Wagon gets an even larger 6.4 Litre Hemi, yet it is considerably slower than the 1500 truck. The focus of the Power Wagon is off-road performance - not highway speed, but it is still interesting to see how just throwing more power at a truck does not improve its performance as much as improving its efficiency. The reader’s F250 with 6.2 Litre engine, straight front axle and tall ride height is likely comparable when it comes to efficiency.We see similar results when we compare the Ford Taurus with the F150 even though the 3.5 Eco Boost is detuned 30 HP in the Taurus.Car and Driver Magazine tests cars and trucks for both 0-60mph times and 0-100mph. By subtracting the 0-60 time from the 1-100 you get a 60-100mph time. It is quite telling when you com-pare the same engines in different vehi-cles, as you can see in the chart below. The 60-100 time gives you a better feel of each vehicle’s total drag and rolling resistance.So all the power that is not being used in the more efficient vehicle goes towards pulling the trailer. It is not pure-ly how big an engine you have; it is how much power is left over to tow the trailer after you move the tow vehicle. Or, to put in another way, if we were install the 3.6 Litre from the 300 into the reader’s F250, it would be doing well to move the F250 with reasonable performance, so there would be little left over to tow a trailer. Another disadvantage to all that drag in the tow vehicle is fuel economy, we would be pouring a lot more fuel into the F250 than we put into the 3.6 Litre 300 to achieve similar performance.Part of the equation on this test is that the Airstream is pretty aerodynamic, so a taller square trailer would likely per-form better behind the F250 than behind the 300, partially because the F250 has put a larger “hole in the air” for the trail-er to go through, that the Airstream does not really need. So the bottom line is that the aerodynamic drag of a combina-tion is always going to be hard to pre-dict. For those of us who are not lucky enough to have a wind tunnel, a towing test becomes a very important factor when it comes time to pick the best tow vehicle/trailer combination. The Aerodynamics of the 300 do not help much when the RV behind it is this tall. If you want the interior space that two or three large slides will give you, a less aerodynamic tow vehicle will likely give you relatively equal fuel efficiency when towing. INSTANTCONSTANTENDLESSEXPECT MORE !For true hot water comfort – Go for the new Truma AquaGo™ Upgrade your hot water experience, install the Truma AquaGo™ instant water heater in your RV.www.truma.net• Hybrid technology with constant temperature – no scalding• Simple maintenance with “Easy Drain Lever”• Endless hot water even at low and high flow ratesNext >