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Vol. 54 No. 2 268-44 Crawford Crescent, Campbellville, ON L0P 1B0 Publications Mail Agreement # 43638025 Campground Campground www.rvlifemag.com $14.95 Plus: RV FISHING: TIPS AND TRICKS TOWING TECH EXCITING DESTINATIONS OVER 160,000 CANADIAN CAMPSITES COAST TO COAST! CAMPING ACCESSORIES GUIDE SPECIAL ANNUAL EDITION DirectoryDirectory Guide for TENTERS RV’ERS HIKERS RV Cover 54-2 CG KOA 1.indd 1RV Cover 54-2 CG KOA 1.indd 12025-07-17 1:34 PM2025-07-17 1:34 PMWhether you’re chasing sunsets, planning cross-country road trips, or fi nding the perfect weekend getaway rig — your dream RV is just a few clicks away. RVC Navigator is your go-to RV search platform, connecting you with real-time listings from trusted dealers across the country. • Browse travel trailers, fi fth wheels, tent-trailers, motorhomes and more… • Filter by location, brand, type, or budget • Share your favourites with friends and family. YOUR NEXT ADVENTURE BEGINS HERE. rvc-navigator.com Power by Imagine by Find the RV that fi ts your lifestyle — and hit the road with confi dence.Find the RV that fi ts your lifestyle — and hit the road with confi dence.Find the RV that fi ts your lifestyle — and hit the road with confi dence. marketing marketing MARKETING Untitled-3 1Untitled-3 12025-07-17 1:28 PM2025-07-17 1:28 PM3 DEPARTMENTS 6 HITCH HINTS by Andy Thomson Understanding Ball Mount Angle. 12 CAMPING WITH THE COLES By Ben and Cheryl Coles Things we wish we knew when we started RVing. Contents 23 VOLUME 54 NUMBER 2 | RV LIFESTYLE RV Lifestyle Magazine archives are open for your viewing pleasure – check them out at www.rvlifemag.com Click on MAGAZINES, and use the password RVLFREE2017. Watch our road test videos at our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube. com/rvlifestylemagazine ON THE COVER Enjoying a roaring campfire on a cool summer evening. Photo courtesy KOA Vol. 54 No. 2 268-44 Crawford Crescent, Campbellville, ON L0P 1B0 Publications Mail Agreement # 43638025 Campground Campground www.rvlifemag.com$14.95 Plus: RV FISHING: TIPS AND TRICKS TOWING TECH EXCITING DESTINATIONS OVER 160,000 CANADIAN CAMPSITES COAST TO COAST! CAMPING ACCESSORIES GUIDE SPECIAL ANNUAL EDITION DirectoryDirectory Guide for TENTERS RV’ERS HIKERS RV Cover 54-2 CG KOA 1.indd 1RV Cover 54-2 CG KOA 1.indd 12025-07-17 1:34 PM2025-07-17 1:34 PM SUBSCRIBERS: e-mail editor@rvlifemag.com for FREE access to the latest digital edition! CANADIAN CAMPGROUND DIRECTORY USING YOUR DIRECTORY LISTINGS D1 ALBERTA D2 BRITISH COLUMBIA D15 MANITOBA D33 NEW BRUNSWICK D39 NEWFOUNDLAND D43 NORTHWEST TERRITORIES D46 NOVA SCOTIA D47 ONTARIO D51 PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND D73 QUEBEC D75 SASKATCHEWAN D92 YUKON TERRITORIES D102 CAMPGROUND UPDATE FORM D104 FEATURES 10 CAMPSITE TIPS Making the most of your camping adventures… 18 TRAVELLING WITH PETS Driving with dogs - a Special Feature from our friends at DiscoverCars.com 23 RV TOURING Discover Camping in Quesnel BC 26 RV PRODUCTS Six new products for your camping adventures. 12 RV54-2 CONTENTS.indd 3RV54-2 CONTENTS.indd 32025-07-30 10:08 AM2025-07-30 10:08 AM4 RV LIFESTYLE | VOLUME 54 NUMBER 2 There’s no doubt about it, 2025 has become the year of Canadian travel! Families from sea to sea to sea are turning their attention to discovering the land, focusing on visiting relatives, exploring events, scenic and historic sites, and enjoying leisure trips on the RV roads to adventure. At RV Lifestyle Magazine, we have been publishing Canada’s favourite RV magazine for more than 50 years, and North America’s favourite RV website – www.rvlifemag. com for more than 30 years. It is our privilege to share the camping experience with generations of Canadian out- door enthusiasts. This issue, our 54th annual Canadian Campground Directory, encompasses editorial features from our RV Lifestyle Magazine writers, along with a directory of campgrounds across Canada, from sea to sea to sea. Subscribers and newsstand readers can take advantage the opportunity to use our online DIGITAL edition to speed up the search for the perfect campsite… access the DIGITAL edition of this issue at https://www.rvlifemag.com/magazines/ - if you are prompted for a password, please use RVLFREE2017. All subscribers and newsstand readers enjoy FREE access to our digital edition archives – if you are enjoying your first issue of RV Lifestyle Magazine, and you have not yet received your password to read the online editions, please send Norm an email – editor@rvlifemag.com – and he will send you the secret code to unlock your digital magazine issues. You may download the various magazine issues in PDF format for your personal use – it’s a wonderful way to access vast amounts of RV expertise when you are in an area with little or no internet access. Our website at www.rvlifemag.com and our digital edition archives encompass more than 1,000 articles, covering a full array of camping and RV topics. On your first visit, you can sign up for our FREE RV Lifestyle Magazine Newsletter – on subsequent visits, you can access the newsletter sign-up form by searching for “newsletter.” Enjoy the magazine – it’s our way of celebrating the Canadian Camping experience! Keep well, see you on the RV roads to adventure! LET’S CAMP CANADA! PUBLISHER’S MESSAGE William E. Taylor, Publisher TMTM TM TM VOLUME 54 NUMBER 2 Publisher: WILLIAM E. TAYLOR bill@rvlifemag.com Group Publisher: MELANIE TAYLOR-WALLIS melanie@rvlifemag.com Editorial Director: NORM ROSEN nrosen@rvlifemag.com Art/Production Manager: GISELLE BANSAL Design: TAMARA TAYLOR Contributing Writers: PHYLLIS HINZ JAMES STONESS ANDY THOMSON BEN & CHERYL COLES 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 (6 issues) $35+tax: 2 years (12 issues) $50+tax. U.S. subscrip- tions:1 year (6 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 postage and will be handled with reasonable care. The publisher assumes no responsibility for return of safety of artwork, photographs, or manuscripts. Camping Canada Magazine reserves the right to refuse any and all advertising and disclaims all respon- sibilities for claims or statements of facts made by its advertisers or independent columnists. PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT #43638025 Undeliverables to: 268 - 44 Crawford Crescent, Campbellville, Ontario L0P 1B0 © 2025 CAMPING CANADA MAGAZINE PRINTED IN CANADA @ RVLifestyleMagazine @rvlifestylemagazine www.rvlifestylemagazine.com FOLLOW RV LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE: RV54-2 CONTENTS.indd 4RV54-2 CONTENTS.indd 42025-07-21 10:48 AM2025-07-21 10:48 AMEXPLORE THE 2025 MODELS Pleasure-Way Industries has been crafting high-quality Class B motorhomes since 1986. As a family-owned and operated business, we’ve always prioritized building strong relationships with our owners, dealers, and employees. Every Pleasure-Way motorhome is proudly manufactured in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. Our commitment to excellence and craftsmanship has been unwavering for 39 years. pleasureway.indd 1pleasureway.indd 12025-07-17 1:30 PM2025-07-17 1:30 PMRV LIFESTYLE | VOLUME 54 NUMBER 2 www.rvlifemag.com 6 After my column on Electronic Sway Controls (https://www. rvlifemag.com/setting-your- torsion-bars/ ) we received several emails from readers asking about the angle of the ball mount. While I reference the ball mount angle quite often, it has been a while since we examined the importance of the angle of the ball mount. Most of the trailers on the road have their ball mount angle set improperly, which is unfortunate since it’s a very easy fix on most hitches. IN THIS PICTURE the ball mount is bolted together on the correct angle. Depending on hitch weight and ball height, this much angle may not always be achievable but desirable if possible. To many people this looks wrong, they justifiably think everything should be square and 90 degrees. That may be true in carpentry, but not the case with suspension geometry and weigh distribution hitches. If you study this picture think about what would happen if the ball mount was rolled forward at the top to a perfectly vertical position. As the ball mount was rolled forward, the back of the torsion bars would raise several inches. If we left the torsion bars connected on the end link, the chains as they are in the picture the chains would be loose and since the torsion bars would no longer be working we would wind up with a tow vehicle sitting very low at the back end, rather than being level. To get the torsion bars working again and the tow vehicle level we would have to hook up on the fourth link and the torsion bars would almost touch the frame of the trailer. So, a great deal of the pressure on the torsion bars in this picture is due to the rearward angle. There are a couple of minor advantages to having reward angle, the chains wear less and there is more flexibility in the position of the snap ups. However, the main reason for having rearward angle on the ball mount is because the angle of the direction of weight transfer doesn’t change when you turn corners or change lanes. This gives you additional traction in sharp turns and much more stability at high speeds. When the ball mount is vertical, the axis that the torsion bars rotate on is also vertical. This means that no matter where the torsion bars are positioned in their rotation, the ends stay the same distance from the ground (the yellow line in the picture, to the right) and therefore they exert the same pressure. This means the torsion bars will transfer the same amount of weight in any direction they are pointing. The inside torsion bar is no longer aimed at the opposite front tire it is pointing at from the opposite rear wheel, so it’s trying to roll the vehicle over sideways and therefore, not transferring HITCH HINTS BY ANDY THOMSON UNDERSTANDING BALL MOUNT ANGLE TOW EFFORTLESSLY AND SMOOTH THIS SEASON! Hitch Hints 54-2.indd 6Hitch Hints 54-2.indd 62025-07-22 12:01 PM2025-07-22 12:01 PMMercuryMarine.com/Avator MERCURY AVATOR™ 7.5E ELECTRIC OUTBOARD What if every journey began with the push of a button? Where would you go? With the Mercury Avator 7.5e electric outboard, all you need is a destination. Its portable design and quick-connect battery will have you ready for the water, no matter where adventure takes you. Avator is intelligent, all-electric propulsion, designed to make exploring effortless. Let your journey begin with Mercury Avator. ADVENTURE AWAITS. FIND YOURS. Mercury HR.indd 1Mercury HR.indd 12023-05-30 4:45 PM2023-05-30 4:45 PMRV LIFESTYLE | VOLUME 54 NUMBER 2 www.rvlifemag.com 8 HITCH HINTS BY ANDY THOMSON weight forward. The bar on the outside of the turn is pointing towards the centre of the car at the front, but less weight is transferred forward because one bar is pointed at the front of the car not two. With the angled ball mount the tow vehicle stays balanced. The bar on the inside of the turn is still pointed at the outside rear tire but it has no pressure on it any more. The reason is because when the bar is sideways getting close to parallel to the back bumper, it no longer has an angled pivot point, we have a rearward angle and not a sideways angle. This causes the bar on the inside of the turn to unload and stop working. The bar on the outside of the turn is now pointing straight up the centre of the car, but now has more angle since the maximum rearward angle is when the torsion bar is straight behind the tow vehicle. If you refer to the picture on page 8, you can see the arch that the torsion bar ends make as they rotate and the bars are positioned for a 22 degree turn. The bar behind the tow vehicle is only four inches off the ground and the bar we don’t want to transfer weight in this turn is seven inches. The bottom line is that when we turn with the angled ball mount, we are still transferring weight to the front wheels and not trying to roll the tow vehicle over. If we measure the difference in how a vehicle sits when turned with a vertical ball mount and an angled ball mount we get ¾ – 1.5-inch of added body roll when turning. So, before the vehicle’s centre of gravity or any other factors come into play, the vertical ball mount is causing the tow vehicles to roll side to side. It is also causing the front suspension to lighten a few hundred pounds. Picture an emergency manoeuvre such as a sudden lane change. Just at the time when you want the most consistency from your tow vehicle its balance suddenly changes. If your rapid lane change needs to come back to straight equally rapidly you now have a vehicle that is suddenly rolling two to three inches side to side without factoring in what body roll (due to centre of gravity) adds to it and at the same time the front tires have less traction. For those that are NASCAR fans you are likely familiar with the term “wedging a car” where they modify the weight on the tires with sway bars and spring rates to optimize traction on the continuous left turns. By using angle on the ball mount we don’t “reverse wedge” the tow vehicle when turning. If we were to start an “RV cup series” you would When you connect your torsion bars they transfer weight to the opposing front wheel and remove weight from the rear wheel on the same side the bar is on, kind of an elongated “X” pattern. When the vehicle is turned the lines of force stay in the same direction as the torsion bars are pointed so bar on the inside of the turn will now transfer weight to the opposing rear wheel. The bar on the outside of the turn will point up the middle of the car. By angling the ball mount we can make the bar on the inside of the turn stop transferring weight to the outside rear tire and the bar pointing forward transfer more. When you connect your torsion bars they transfer weight to the opposing front wheel and remove weight from the rear wheel on the same side the bar is on, kind of an elongated “X” pattern. When the vehicle is turned the lines of force stay in the same direction as the torsion bars are pointed so bar on the inside of the turn will now transfer weight to the opposing rear wheel. The bar on the outside of the turn will point up the middle of the car. By angling the ball mount we can make the bar on the inside of the turn stop transferring weight to the outside rear tire and the bar pointing forward transfer more. Hitch Hints 54-2.indd 8Hitch Hints 54-2.indd 82025-07-22 12:01 PM2025-07-22 12:01 PMwww.rvlifemag.com VOLUME 54 NUMBER 2 | RV LIFESTYLE 9 likely design a hitch for left turns with an extreme geometry. Beyond making the tow vehicle much easier to control in an emergency manoeuvre, the ball mount angle also assists with directional stability going straight down the road at highway speeds. Even in small degrees of direction change, the torsion bar on the outside of the turn increases in pressure much faster than the bar on the inside decreases. This is because as a torsion bar bends it requires progressively more pressure to bend it the same distance. With angle on the ball mount, the trailer wants to naturally settle in a position straight behind the tow vehicle. More than half the trailers I see on the road actually have the ball mount pointed the opposite way of what it should be. This is because the ball mount was originally bolted together vertical and since the receiver has been twisted, it is now pointing towards the tow vehicle at the top. This will make the trailer want to hunt side to side as the natural resting place for the ball mount is to one side or the other, never straight ahead. Another way to think about it is to picture the forks of a bicycle or motorcycle and the way they always angle backwards at the top. This is why you can ride a bike with no hands. If the forks on a bike were completely vertical you would not be able to ride it “no hands” as it would be too unstable. The angle on the ball mount acts in some degree the same way the forks on the bicycle do. If you have a bolt together ball mount adding more rearward angle is fairly easy to do and well worth the time. In this case the Ball Mount and Shank were originally bolted together square instead of with a rearward angle. Now with the bending of the receiver the angle is now forward (Yellow Line) which is opposite the rearward tilt it should have (Red Line). Prince Edward Island’s network of Provincial Parks has 8 camping and 13 day use parks that offer spectacular beaches, beautiful scenery, nature trails and lots of outdoor recreation and special events. Bloomf ield Jacques Cartier Argyle Shore Bonshaw Hills Cedar Dunes* Green Park Union Corner Chelton Beach Red Point * Brookvale Strathgartney Cabot* Beach Belmont Linkletter Basin Head Northumberland * Wood Islands Brudenell River Panmure Island Sally’s Beach Kings Castle Overnight Day Use Only *Wheelchair-Accessible Washrooms wifi Wifi is now available at all of our campgrounds Show us your Island at one of our Parks #ExplorePEI Call Toll Free 1-877-445-4938 or visit PEIparks.com DG-864 Hitch Hints 54-2.indd 9Hitch Hints 54-2.indd 92025-07-22 12:01 PM2025-07-22 12:01 PMNext >