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PLUS: TOWING WITH THE TOWING WITH THE TESLA MODEL S PLUS: HITCH HINTS THE COOKING LADIES COOL NEW PRODUCTS AND MUCH MORE! EXPLORE THE MARFA LIGHTS LOOKING FOR A GREAT VACATION? - YOUR RV ADVENTURE STARTS HERE! LOOKING FOR A GREAT VACATION? - YOUR RV ADVENTURE STARTS HERE! www.rvlifemag.com $9.95 ROAD TESTS: General Coach Citation Reward 25 ✓ 268 - 44 Crawford Crescent., Campbellville, ON L0P 1B0 Publications Mail Agreement #43638025 Vol. 51 No.4 Destinations: 51-4.indd 151-4.indd 12022-10-05 3:13 PM2022-10-05 3:13 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 Long-range towing with a Tesla Model S and an Airstream. 12 RV TIPS by Garth Cane New York State RV Adventure 20 THE COOKING LADIES Phyllis Hinz and Lamont Mackay Easy, Tender, Oktoberfest Pork Schnitzel! Road Test 22 WORLD PREMIERE: GENERAL COACH CANADA CITATION REWARD! by Norm Rosen Streamlined and exquisitely towable! CONTENTS VOL. 51 NO. 4 ON THE COVER Road testing the 2023 Citation Reward 25’ travel trailer, towed by a Tesla Model S. Cover photo by Norm Rosen PLUS: TOWING WITH THE TOWING WITH THE TESLA MODEL S PLUS: HITCH HINTS THE COOKING LADIES COOL NEW PRODUCTS AND MUCH MORE! EXPLORE THE MARFA LIGHTS LOOKING FOR A GREAT VACATION? - YOUR RV ADVENTURE STARTS HERE! LOOKING FOR A GREAT VACATION? - YOUR RV ADVENTURE STARTS HERE! www.rvlifemag.com $9.95 ROAD TESTS: General Coach Citation Reward 25 ✓ 268 - 44 Crawford Crescent., Campbellville, ON L0P 1B0 Publications Mail Agreement #43638025 Vol. 51 No.4 Destinations: 51-4.indd 151-4.indd 12022-10-05 3:13 PM2022-10-05 3:13 PM Destinations 30 DISCOVER THE MYSTERIOUS MARFA LIGHTS… Travel Editor James Stoness takes us on an RV adventure in Texas!. Special Features 36 OFF-ROAD 101 Colt Fetters guides us through the off-road RV experience. 38 NEW RVS FOR ’23! Here’s a montage of cool RV models, soon to arrive at RV dealerships across Canada! RV Tech 45 MANAGE YOUR RV’S POWER TO ACHIEVE OFF GRID FREEDOM A special feature from Yi Li, Founder and CEO of Renogy 50 NEW PRODUCTS FOR YOUR RV EXPERIENCE! Available now at RV dealerships and campground stores. 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 (https://bit.ly/3IqpIYI) SUBSCRIBERS: e-mail editor@rvlifemag.com for FREE access to the latest digital edition! RV51-4 CONTENTS.indd 3RV51-4 CONTENTS.indd 32022-10-05 3:15 PM2022-10-05 3:15 PM4 RV Lifestyle | Volume 51 Number 4 This issue of RV Lifestyle Magazine marks a very interesting point in our RV adventures – our road test feature, and Andy Thomson’s Hitch Hints column, focus on the electric vehicle (EV) towing experience. As you may be aware, Andy is an early innovator when it comes to EV towing, and he has been perfecting the nuances of hitching and towing with his Tesla Model 3, and Model S. We had the opportunity to tow an Airstream Basecamp with the Tesla Model 3 last year, and it was an excellent tow vehicle – so we hitched the General Coach Reward 25’ travel trailer to the Tesla Model S to see how it handled a 5,500-pound streamlined trailer… the results were simply outstanding from a handling and per- formance perspective, but we still had some “range anxiety”. With this in mind, Andy stepped up to the plate and towed an Airstream from London, Ontario, to Colorado. His Hitch Hints column describes the process, which involves a fascinating new approach to long-range travel. Not long ago, we met Colt Fetters, an off-road RV camping enthusiast. Intrigued by the techniques of towing on unpaved roads, beaches, and 4x4 off-road trails, we asked Colt to share some insights for those intrepid RV enthusiasts who might want to get off the beaten path to explore new territory. Colt’s feature – Off-Road 101, is our first foray into this type of camping – please take a look at the article and let me know if you are interested in learning more about the off-road RV experience. As we near the end of 2022, and, we hope, the end of the pandemic, families across North America are enjoying our 50 years of RV adventures through the web- site at www.rvlifemag.com – why not take a look, and spend a few hours reading our decades of archived features, and the latest articles from our team of RV experts. It’s going to be an interesting era, as we transition from gas and diesel guzzling vehicles to a new wave of hybrids, electric vehicles, and other alternative powered trucks and SUVs. Is the EV option “ready for prime time?” Perhaps not yet, but technology is pro- gressing – and we will be on the cutting edge, bringing you all of the information you need to enjoy the RV experience, with conventional, alternate fuel, and new technology RVs and tow vehicles. THE DAWN OF A NEW ERA… Publisher’s MESSAGE William E. Taylor, Publisher TMTM TM TM volume 51 number 4 Publisher: WILLIAM E. TAYLOR bill@rvlifemag.com Group Publisher: MELANIE TAYLOR-WALLIS melanie@rvlifemag.com Editorial Director: NORM ROSEN nrosen@rvlifemag.com Technical Editors: GARTH CANE gcane@taylorpublishinggroup.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 1 year (7 issues) $35+tax: 2 years (14 issues) $50+tax. U.S. subscriptions:1 year (7 issues) $50 US. Single copies are $9.95 for regular issues, and $14.95 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 © 2022 CAMPING CANADA MAGAZINE PRINTED IN CANADA RV51-4 CONTENTS.indd 4RV51-4 CONTENTS.indd 42022-10-05 3:15 PM2022-10-05 3:15 PM• MERCEDES-BENZ SPRINTER 2500 4X4 • 400-WATT SOLAR PANEL PACKAGE • 4 X 100AH ECO-ION LITHIUM (LIFEPO4) BATTERIES • DUAL 10-INCH TOUCHSCREEN CONTROL PANELS • XANTREX™ 2000-WATT PURE-SINE WAVE INVERTER • TRUMA VARIOHEAT 11,500 BTU FURNACE • TRUMA AQUAGO® COMFORT PLUS WATER HEATER • 2.1 CU. FT. TRUMA PORTABLE FRIDGE/FREEZER • 124 CU. FT. GARAGE STORAGE AREA • MURPHY BED SYSTEM 70” X 72” • 40 GAL. HEATED FRESH WATER TANK • FOUR SEASON COACH • PRIVATE WET BATH / GEAR LOCKER KEY FEATURES Tour the REKON 4x4 today at www.pleasureway.com/goliveRV Lifestyle | Volume 51 Number 4 www.rvlifemag.com HITCH HINTS by Andy Thomson W 6 One of the things I have been wanting to do since we got our first Tesla in December 2019, is get it on trip to Colorado to see how it handles climb- ing in summer heat, and just to see what a long road trip would be like. The perfect opportunity presented itself in July 2022. The Airstream deal- er council meeting was scheduled for Colorado Springs, starting the after- noon of Sunday, July 17. With flights such a mess, I was not planning to fly anyway - so this was the perfect opportunity to do an extended road trip that would put the Tesla through its paces. I used the 2021 Model S Long Range and towed the 27’ Airstream that we have even further streamlined for electric towing. My son-in-law Dan, who works with me, thought flying would be bet- ter. He planned to fly out of Toronto on Sunday morning and was scheduled to land in Denver at 10:10. The plan was, I would pick him up at the Airport, if I was late, I would have to pay for his Uber or Taxi to Colorado Springs. If he was late, he was paying. What would be more reliable - towing with a Tesla 1,400 miles across the plains in 2.5 days, or a flight? I left late Thursday afternoon at 3:45. A list of stops and the timeline is below. This trip was a revelation for me, in that I discovered I have done road trips wrong my whole life! Stopping every 90 minutes or so is actually a great way to travel. At the end of a 500–600-mile travel day, I was not tired, sore, or stressed - it is a very relaxing way to eat up miles. I suspected that, but I had no idea how much more relaxing it would be. The bottom line is that towing with 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 LONG DISTANCE TESLA TOWING Super Chargers on an island are a great way to facilitate charging. Hitch Hints 51-4_NEW.indd 6Hitch Hints 51-4_NEW.indd 62022-10-05 3:17 PM2022-10-05 3:17 PMProtect Your Home Away From Home At Wayfarer Insurance Group, we understand that your RV is your passion and it’s worth protecting. We offer customized coverage at a competitive price. Get a quote today! 1 (844) 929-4768 wayfarerinsurancegroup.com/rvlifemag @wayfarerinsurancegroup SCAN ME RVLifeMag_Wayfarer_FullPg_Ad_Bleed.indd 1RVLifeMag_Wayfarer_FullPg_Ad_Bleed.indd 12022-06-10 1:49:29 PM2022-06-10 1:49:29 PM Untitled-2 1Untitled-2 12022-06-15 1:30 PM2022-06-15 1:30 PMHITCH HINTS by Andy Thomson W 8 continued from page 6 RV Lifestyle | Volume 51 Number 4 www.rvlifemag.com a gas car you are doing well to travel 500-600 miles in a day, and you still can with a Tesla - you just use your time differently. It was funny to see the same vehicles pass you late in the afternoon, that had passed you in the morning. When I woke up in the morning, I would grab a drink and snacks for the car, and drive to the next super charger, usually 60-90 minutes away. While the car was charging, I would have breakfast. At the second charger, I would have a shower, by the third charging stop it was lunch time. I was using the charging time for things I would have had to do while I was stopped with the gas car anyway. When you stop for fuel, you have to get out your credit card, activate the machine, and then stand there while you pump your gas or diesel - and then you have to get out of the way right away, so if you want to have lunch, you find another place to park. With the Tesla, you just plug in the charger and walk away. It knows it’s your car, and it just bills you for the electricity. On occasion, you do have to disconnect the trailer - on this trip, I had to disconnect 8 times in 3,508 miles. I have the hitch configured so it is a pretty quick process to unhitch - 2 minutes to disconnect and less than 4 minutes to reconnect. Then again, I have often waited 5 minutes for the gas or diesel pump I needed to free up, so the refuelling process is not much different time wise – it’s just a little more work. To put it another way, I spent far more time in a traffic jam east of Indianapolis than I did connecting and disconnecting throughout the entire trip. The other factors that keep the drive relaxing is that it makes no sense to go over 60 MPH, as the additional charging time is longer than the time saving. You’re rolling along in the right lane, rarely having to pass any- one - just the odd truck. When you do need to get over a lane, the accelera- Scooping into a Super Charger that does not have a pull in. On this screen Trip “A’ is the stats for the total return trip, Trip “B” is just a quick check to check the usage as the last bit home I ran faster. Then the numbers since the last charge are always there. Hitch Hints 51-4_NEW.indd 8Hitch Hints 51-4_NEW.indd 82022-10-05 3:17 PM2022-10-05 3:17 PMNext >