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HITCH HINTS: TOW VEHICLE UPDATE RV TIPS: CHOOSE YOUR IDEAL MOTORHOME PLUS: THE COOKING LADIES TECH TIPS AND MORE! DESTINATIONS: ONTARIO’S MISSISSAGI PROVINCIAL PARK TRAVEL TIPS:TRAVEL TIPS: Take your furry friend on your next RV adventure www.rvlifemag.com $5.95 NEW RVS FOR 2021 10 ROAD TESTS: Roadtrek Zion Slumber ✓ 268 - 44 Crawford Crescent., Campbellville, ON L0P 1B0 Publications Mail Agreement #43638025 Vol. 49 No. 2 49-2.indd 149-2.indd 12020-11-19 2:11 PM2020-11-19 2:11 PMBEST FIFTH WHEELSBEST TOY HAULERSDEALER AWARD 5X At Grand Design our goal is simple... We strive for nothing less than customers for life and we would be honored to welcome you to the Grand Design RV Family. GrandDesignRV.com/RVLifestyle We love our customers and they love us back. Dealers rate all Grand Design products at the top of the entire industry in reliability, quality, service, and warranty. grand desing.indd 12018-11-15 3:38 PMFollow us on Facebook! @ RVLifestyleMagazine Follow us on Instagram! @rvlifestylemagazine Departments 6 HITCH HINTS by Andy Thomson Towing Vehicle Updates. 12 RV TIPS by Garth Cane Pick the perfect RV! 18 THE COOKING LADIES – Phyllis Hinz and Lamont Mackay Signs of Autumn – time for Chicken Lollipops… Road Test 22 ROADTREK ZION SLUMBER Popping the top on one of North America’s most popular class B models. By Norm Rosen 3 Volume 49 Number 2 | RV Lifestyle ON THE COVER Roadtrek Zion Slumber Cover photo by Norm Rosen CONTENTS VOL. 49 NO. 2 HITCH HINTS: TOW VEHICLE UPDATE RV TIPS: CHOOSE YOUR IDEAL MOTORHOME PLUS: THE COOKING LADIES TECH TIPS AND MORE! DESTINATIONS: ONTARIO’S MISSISSAGI PROVINCIAL PARK TRAVEL TIPS:TRAVEL TIPS: Take your furry friend on your next RV adventure www.rvlifemag.com $5.95 NEW RVS FOR 2021 10 ROAD TESTS: Roadtrek Zion Slumber ✓ 268 - 44 Crawford Crescent., Campbellville, ON L0P 1B0 Publications Mail Agreement #43638025 Vol. 49 No. 2 Destinations 28 VISITING MISSISSAGI PROVINCIAL PARK Travel Editor James Stoness takes us to an Ontario treasure. Tire Tech 40 TRAILER TIRES Tyrel Williamson from OK Tire shares tips for safer trailering RV Show in Print! 36 FOCUS ON THE NEW RVS FOR 2021 Here’s a selection of new and exciting units for your RV lifestyle. 46 HAVE PET, WILL TRAVEL! Marney Carmichael and Dr. Rebecca Greenstein discuss touring with your furry friends 52 COOL PRODUCTS FOR COOL WEATHER! These new products will bring warmth to your off-season camping adventures. RV Lifestyle Magazine archives are open for your viewing pleasure – check them out at www.rvlifemag.com Watch our road test videos at our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/ UCFP3PKGEf131iOB8HaxPbig SUBSCRIBERS: e-mail editor@rvlifemag.com for FREE access to the latest digital edition! RV 49-2 CONTENTS.indd 3RV 49-2 CONTENTS.indd 32020-11-19 2:13 PM2020-11-19 2:13 PM4 RV Lifestyle | Volume 49 Number 2 While we all mourn the loss of friends and neighbours to the COVID-19 virus, there are two positive results stemming from the lockdowns and travel restrictions: more Canadian families are discovering the RV vacation alternative, and Canadians are focusing their travel itineraries for 2020 / 2021 on destinations spanning the provinces and territories. At RV Lifestyle Magazine, we shifted from our regular print schedule to an online mode during the Spring lock- down, as our printers, newsstands, campgrounds, and many of the RV deal- erships battled to “flatten the curve”. By early Summer, we were back up and running, but the 2020 publishing sched- ule had been impacted by the pandemic, so subscribers will have their subscrip- tions automatically extended to cover the lost issues. Despite the challenges, our team at RV Lifestyle Magazine continues to provide the expert content that readers enjoy. Our website at www.rvlifemag. com and our online DIGITAL edition archives have enjoyed a very strong increase in visitors and pageviews – and we take great pride in providing Canada’s #1 source for RV information, entertainment, and inspiration. In January 2021, we will commence our 50th year of service to the Canadian RV community. Over the years, we have printed 350 issues – and distributed more than 14 MILLION copies of the magazine. To commemorate this very special milestone we will draw from our archives some of the timeless treasures that shaped generations of RV adven- tures, to share with you some of the highlights of our first half-century of RV experiences. Throughout 2021, we will expand our multi-media coverage of the RV scene, through our social media pages, the website, our weekly newsletters, and our YouTube channel. If you have not yet discovered these RV Lifestyle Magazine online activities, please take a few minutes to check them out, and share the links with your friends and family. You can find information on all of the online features at the web- site – www.rvlifemag.com – look at the top right corner to click on the links to our Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram pages. If this is your first encounter with RV Lifestyle Magazine, I thank you for sharing your leisure time with us, and I invite you to join our growing family of subscribers… all of the details and a special subscription offer can be found on page 45. If you are a subscriber or a regu- lar newsstand reader, and you are not receiving our weekly newsletter, please send an email to editor@rvlifemag. com and ask Norm to add your name to the newsletter list – it’s FREE, it’s fun, and it’s the key to a world of RV adven- tures. Keep well, stay safe, and we will see you soon with another spectacular issue of RV Lifestyle Magazine! RVING THROUGH THE PANDEMIC Publisher’s MESSAGE William E. Taylor, Publisher TMTM TM TM volume 49 number 2 Publisher: WILLIAM E. TAYLOR bill@rvlifemag.com Group Publisher: MELANIE TAYLOR-WALLIS melanie@rvlifemag.com Editorial Director: NORM ROSEN nrosen@rvlifemag.com Assistant Editor: MARNEY CARMICHAEL mcarmichael@taylorpublishinggroup.com Technical Editors: GARTH CANE info@rvlifemag.com Art/Production Manager: GISELLE BANSAL Design: TAMARA TAYLOR Contributing Writers: PHYLLIS HINZ LAMONT MACKAY JAMES STONESS ANDY THOMSON JAMIE RUSSELL Advertising Sales: info@rvlifemag.com 1-800-354-9145 EXECUTIVE OFFICES: TORONTO: 268 - 44 Crawford Crescent, Campbellville, Ontario L0P 1B0 Tel: 905-844-8218 Fax: 905-844-5032 MONTREAL: Tel: 514-856-0788 Fax: 514-856-0790 VANCOUVER: Bob and Carole Taylor, 1745 Rufus Drive North Vancouver, BC V7J 3L8 ADMINISTRATION: President/CEO: WILLIAM E. TAYLOR Group Publisher: MELANIE TAYLOR-WALLIS VP/Special Projects: NORM ROSEN Advertising Sales: TODD TAYLOR Accounting: NANCY MUELLER Camping 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) $30: 2 years (14 issues) $45. U.S. subscriptions:1 year (7 issues) $40 US. Other: 1 year (7 issues) $75 CDN. Single copies are $6.95 for regular issues, and $9.95 for the annual RV Buyer’s Guide and the annual Campground Directory issues. Subscription inquiries 1-800-354-9145 Advertising 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, pho- tographs, 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 inde- pendent columnists. PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT #43638025 Undeliverables to: 268 - 44 Crawford Crescent, Campbellville, Ontario L0P 1B0 MONTREAL, QUEBEC © 2020 CAMPING CANADA MAGAZINE PRINTED IN CANADA RV 49-2 CONTENTS.indd 4RV 49-2 CONTENTS.indd 42020-11-19 4:53 PM2020-11-19 4:53 PMHappy travelling In the 2021 Zion Slumber Built for a family wanting to explore the countryside together or a couple who is looking for separate living and dining spaces, the slumber option takes our popular Zion model to new heights. Experience Roadtrek www.roadtrek.comRV Lifestyle | Volume 49 Number 2 www.rvlifemag.com HITCH HINTS by Andy Thomson W 6 I was hoping that by now I could give you a much more complete report on towing with our Tesla. I had planned to take it to the Airstream Rally in Denver in June and do some testing in the Rockies − but alas, that was not possible. We now have only 4,000 kilometers of towing with the Tesla, made up of many test drives and a few 180 – 250-kilometer trips. In February we started customizing a 27’ Airstream to use with the Tesla but as the world changed it was moved to the back burner for this year. We did get the roof cleaned up and we made some changes to the A-frame area, but we still have not done anything with the under- body. The Airstream has an enclosed underbelly, but the tank enclosures are several inches below the underbelly and there is an opening for the spare tire. My goal was to make the 27’ wide body Airstream tow as easily as the 22’ Bambi that we had been taking to the Toronto RV Shows. When you are towing with the Tesla you can accurately determine the amount of drag by referring to the read- out on the dash. Pick a time when there is no wind, and you can see exactly how much power you have used over 10, 25 or 50 kilometres. The Tesla on its own uses 200 watts per kilome- ter (WPK) at 120 kph. When towing the 22’ Airstream Bambi that number rose to 380 WPK at 90 kph. The 27’ Airstream in its current form is running 390 WPK so I think with the undercar- riage cleaned up we may get down to 360-370 WPK. Last week, I towed a small Lance 1475 travel trailer to Toronto, and I was pleasantly surprised how well it did. The Lance is 7’6” wide and has a tor- sion axle. The trailer features a nice low profile with a sloped radiused front end, but the back is still square. It was able to roll along at 375 WPK, I was expect- ing 400 or more. Conditions were per- fect and it was cool outside so possibly the car was using less power to cool the batteries and motor, so this would help with power usage, then again, cold air has more density so more air drag. When I was towing the 27’ Airstream the weather was warmer, we were run- ning the AC, and while the Airstream is very aerodynamic, the 27’ loaded for travel is 6,500 pounds, so the cooling system definitely has to kick in when you are towing up a hill. One interesting thing is that I thought I would have to unhook the trailer at superchargers because the spots are designed for cars to back into. This would not be the end of the world with this combination, because I can unhook and reconnect in less than 5 minutes, however, we have yet to have to unhook to recharge. Many of the stations are now being built with drive through charging stalls, and when we have had to charge at the non-drive-through stalls, we were able to pull in from the end and only block two stalls – we made a point of doing this only when there were empty stalls available for other motorists. To give you an idea what a short trip looks like, in August we took the Airstream from London to Riverside Campground, south of Niagara Falls. We drove from London to the Supercharger in Hamilton which is 137 kilometers. We had lunch in the Airstream while the Tesla was charging, and it was fully Andy 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 8 TOW VEHICLE UPDATE The Tesla at a pull-in charging station. Hitch Hints 49-2.indd 6Hitch Hints 49-2.indd 62020-11-19 2:17 PM2020-11-19 2:17 PM3 YEAR WARRANTY hyundai.indd 1hyundai.indd 12020-11-19 2:16 PM2020-11-19 2:16 PMHITCH HINTS by Andy Thomson W 8 continued from page 6 RV Lifestyle | Volume 49 Number 2 www.rvlifemag.com After tweaking the rig, the 300 sits a little taller. charged before we were finished lunch. When we got to the campground, I sug- gested that they charge me $20 extra as I might use $10-12 worth of electric- ity to charge the car. On the way home we drove to Hamilton and stopped for a quick lunch as we only needed 25 minutes of charge time. The cost of charging at the Supercharger is $10- $14. The Superchargers are very con- venient; they know it is your car when you plug in, so no credit card or cash is needed. The other chargers that I have used (only twice) were not as good, you needed their smartphone app, and it was not easy to arrange the payment. I am not sure why they don’t work like a conventional gas pump. Towing with the Tesla is all about efficiency, on a trip of 100 miles tow- ing the trailer we use the equivalent energy of 8 litres of gasoline burning 4,500 litres of air. This is the equivalent of 50 miles per US gallon towing (60 to our old imperial gallon). This is where I am not sure how much sense all the upcoming electric truck pickups are going to make. You cannot get a much less aerodynamic shape than a pickup truck, and they seem to have no intention of lowering the current ride heights. This leaves me with a few conclusions: we still have a lot to learn about aerodynamics and energy management, hot weather climbing in the mountains, and dura- bility over the long run. On the other hand, everyone loves driving and tow- ing with this car. I can say without a doubt I have bought my last gas-pow- ered car. TIGUAN TOWING… Another vehicle I should update you on is our VW Tiguan. This is a 2.0 Turbo (see the article “Towing with a Turbocharged 2.0 Litre” in RV Lifestyle Magazine Volume 48 Number 4). As we experienced with the Tesla, the border closure has curtailed the amount of towing we planned for the Tiguan, but we have still managed to add 9,200 kilome- tres to it since the article was written. We have worked it pretty hard, tow- ing much taller trailers than we would ever consider recommending for it. So far, the Tiguan has had no issues. Interestingly, it feels pretty good tow- ing one of these tall trailers, and you are not really aware how hard the little motor is working. This is encourag- ing as we are seeing more vehicles transition from V6s to 2.0 litre Turbos. The latest example is the 2021 Toyota Sienna, which will now only come with a 2.5 litre 4-cylinder turbo with hybrid assist. If you are looking at a new vehicle and still have the choice of a proven 3.5 litre V6, that is still what I would recommend for the fore- seeable future. CHRYSLER 300 I have lost count of how many hun- dred test drives our 2014 Chrysler 300 has done. One change we made last Dodge Ram pulling a 2010 Airstream 27. Hitch Hints 49-2.indd 8Hitch Hints 49-2.indd 82020-11-19 3:01 PM2020-11-19 3:01 PMBuilt on the Ford Transit 2500 & 3500 chassis, the all new Ontour 2.0/2.2 feature the popular 3.5L EcoBoost® V6 engine, 6-speed SelectShift® transmission, lane keeping alert and other cab conveniences. Offering more headroom, the largest bathroom (2.2), and longest bed in our Class B lineup, the Ontour also comes equipped standard with a solar package to extend dry camping times. With our extensive list of standard features, exceptional craftsmanship and 5-Year Freedom Warranty, it’s easy to see why Pleasure-Way has received 9 consecutive RVDA Quality Circle awards! STANDARD FEATURES • 200/300 WATT SOLAR PACKAGE • 78" OF HEADROOM • 68W X 77"/79L" REAR BED • 12V REFRIGERATOR • 2000 WATT PURE-SINE WAVE INVERTER • DUAL 100AH LITHIUM COACH BATTERIES • DUAL 7" TOUCHSCREENS • 24" SMART LED TV W/ BOSE® SOUNDBAR www.pleasureway.com ONTOUR 2.0ONTOUR 2.2 Proud recipient of 9 consecutive RVDA Quality Circle Awards. pleasureway 49-3.indd 1pleasureway 49-3.indd 12020-11-19 2:20 PM2020-11-19 2:20 PMNext >