Vol. 50 No. 1 268-44 Crawford Crescent, Campbellville, ON L0P 1B0 Publications Mail Agreement # 43638025 Campground DirectoryDirectory 20212021 www.rvlifemag.com $9.95 Plus: Spotlight: 2021 RV models TOWING Tech EXCITING Destinations OVER 160,000 CANADIAN CAMPSITES COAST TO COAST! WSummer PRODUCTS SPECIAL ANNUAL EDITION Guide for Tenters RV’ers HikersBEST 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 PM3 How to use the directory D1 Alberta D2 British Columbia D17 Manitoba D37 New Brunswick D43 Newfoundland D48 Northwest Territories D51 Nova Scotia D52 Ontario D57 Prince Edward Island D83 Quebec D85 Saskatchewan D107 Yukon Territories D118 Campground Update Form D120 2021 Canadian Campground Directory Departments 6 HITCH HINTS ~ Andy Thomson Outfitting a fifth wheel tow vehicle. 10 RV TIPS ~ Garth Cane Distracted driving – the new DUI. 16 THE COOKING LADIES ~ Phyllis Hinz and Lamont Mackay Getting along with polar bears – PLUS white pepper chicken chili. 20 HEALTH AND SAFETY Are you ready to protect your family from sunburn? 24 RV FIXER Jamie Russell shares tips for your spring and summer RV tune-up. 26 CHOOSING A CAMPSITE Expert tips from the RV Lifestyle Magazine Road Test Teams. Destinations 30 RV DESTINATIONS James Stoness takes us to Elliott Lake – the “City in the Woods”. Features 36 COOL NEW RVS FOR 2021 Our Road Test Teams check out some of this year’s most interesting RV models. 42 RV FISHING Detecting strikes – expert tips from Patrick Campeau. 46 HOT NEW RV PRODUCTS! A selection of parts and accessories to enhance your RV lifestyle… CONTENTSCAMPGROUND DIRECTORY VOL. 50 NO. 1 Follow us on Facebook! @ RVLifestyleMagazine Follow us on Instagram! @rvlifestylemagazine4 RV Lifestyle | Volume 50 Number 1 This issue of the RV Lifestyle Magazine Canadian Campground Directory marks our 50th annual guide to Canada’s most family-friendly vacation alternative. Our editorial team of dedicated RV campers have “been there, done that” to bring you a comprehensive guide to camping across Canada, along with helpful tips on choosing a campground, setting up your RV, and accessorizing your campsite to enhance the experience of what we like to refer to as “the good life”. This issue includes more than 4,000 campgrounds, with the contact informa- tion you need to plan your trips. For your convenience, the issue is also available online as a digital edition at our website, www.rvlifemag.com … just click on the “MAGAZINES” tab at the left side of the black menu bar on the website, then select the cover of the issue you would like to read. All of our subscribers and newsstand readers enjoy FREE access to this archive of digital issues – just use the password RVLFREE2017 to open the issues. You may share the link and the password with your friends and family, just as you would share a printed copy of the magazine. While most of our readers prefer the print magazine format, there are several advantages to the digital edition. 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PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT #43638025 Undeliverables to: 268 - 44 Crawford Crescent, Campbellville, Ontario L0P 1B0 MONTREAL, QUEBEC © 2021 CAMPING CANADA MAGAZINE PRINTED IN CANADA3 YEAR WARRANTY hyundai.indd 1hyundai.indd 12020-11-19 2:16 PM2020-11-19 2:16 PMRV Lifestyle | Volume 50 Number 1 www.rvlifemag.com HITCH HINTS by Andy Thomson W 6 It seems that most of the diesel trucks that you see for sale on dealer lots are rather expensive when they are suit- ably equipped for towing large fifth wheels. This brings up a very interesting question - do you really need to spend that much to have a nice truck for towing? I often write in this column about the vehicles that we use to tow trailers - but it has been awhile since I wrote about our fifth wheel tow vehicles. Over the years, we have had a variety of gas and diesel trucks. Our current pickup is a Ram 2500 with the 5.7 Litre Hemi, 4.10:1 axle ratio and 5-speed automatic. People are often surprised that we do not have a diesel pickup in the dealership fleet, and they wonder if the Hemi could possibly have enough power to tow large fifth wheels. Over the years, the big three have been in a diesel horsepower and torque race. This effort, combined with tighten- ing emissions standards, has made die- sels more expensive and less efficient. There is no denying, however, that they deliver massive amounts of RV towing power. The two determining factors for most RV enthusiasts who are debating whether to go gas or diesel are as fol- lows: do they need the diesel power to pull a very large fifth wheel – or to nego- tiate mountainous terrain; and will they put on enough mileage to justify the ini- tial cost of the vehicle. Our pickup runs about 30,000 kilo- meters per year, with about 50% of that towing new trailers that are not carrying any loads – not even a tank of water, so for our purposes, not using a diesel is purely a financial decision. A diesel simply cannot save us enough in fuel to pay for the additional cost of pur- chasing the truck and maintaining it. I am generally very positive about diesel power and regularly recommend the 3.0 Litre diesels in vehicles that are used to tow travel trailers it is just the cur- rent large truck diesels are so overkill for most RV owners needs that the numbers don’t always add up. Using current tech- nology a 4.0 Litre diesel would be more than adequate for most of these trucks towing needs. In the early ‘90s we sold large num- bers of fifth wheels in the 12-16,000 pound weight range - similar to today’s fifth wheels. Our most common tow vehicles at the time were trucks with 454 cubic inch gas engines or 6.5 Litre Turbo Diesels. The 454 produced 230 horse- power and 385 ft. lbs. of torque. The die- sel had 215 HP and 440 ft. lbs. of torque. Both engines were mated to 4-speed automatics. Our customers towed with these trucks for years and went all over the continent. Although more power is always nice, these trucks certainly got the job done. If you compare these engines to the current gas engines that are offered by the big three, the torque numbers are equivalent but the new engines have far more horsepower. Just as important as the horsepower - the Ford and GM engines are mated to 6-speed transmis- sions the Dodge uses a 5-speed. The Hemi we have does 0-100 KPH in 34 seconds while towing a 36’ Mobile Suite fifth wheel that weighs 15,000 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 OUTFITTING A FIFTH WHEEL TOW VEHICLE DIESEL OR GAS – IT DEPENDS ON YOUR NEEDS. Dodge Hemi - 383 HP 400 Torque GM 6.0 Litre - 360 HP 380 Torque Ford 6.2 Litre - 385 HP 405 TorqueLearn more about Truma systems and the new Truma Cooler portable fridge/freezer at truma.net www.truma.net Our history keeps shaping the future Truma has been the leading European supplier of RV accessories for the last 70 years. Since our humble beginnings in 1949, Truma has set the highest standard for quality RV products and continues that tradition today as we supply the most innovative RV systems to North America. Our prime objective has always been to look toward the future, developing ideas into innovative technology to provide the best possible RVing experience. TRU_656_OUR HISTORY_RV Lifestyle_01.indd 1TRU_656_OUR HISTORY_RV Lifestyle_01.indd 112/20/19 11:32 AM12/20/19 11:32 AM8 RV Lifestyle | Volume 50 Number 1 www.rvlifemag.com W pounds. This is quite respectable for this size of coach, and the truck is only 6 seconds slower than the V-10 Dodge that we had in 1999. Fuel economy is 2-4 MPG less than the current diesel trucks. Yes, it is a little slower on big hills, and it feels like it is working harder, but the bottom line is that the job gets done with very little trouble. As a solo vehicle the gas truck is more responsive to drive around town. The engine is lighter so the truck is more evenly balanced – that means that handling is better and it has a little more payload capacity. The gas truck does not have an exhaust brake like a diesel, but a gas engine can deliver substantial engine braking without one, especially the modern trucks with additional gear ratios. As with any combination, if you find that you need to ride the brakes all the way down a hill you are in too tall a gear and you need to shift down for additional engine braking. The other way to save considerably on the purchase of a truck is to carefully analyze the model and options you select. Most of the trucks on the lots are either very plain work trucks or fully loaded ones with prestige level interiors - but there are some very nice models in-between. In a Ram, the SLT model with the décor package option does not have leather seats or a bunch of fancy gadgets, but it has power windows, locks, cruise, tilt wheel, tinted glass power seat, buckets, brake con- trol, 4:10 gears and limited slip axle; really quite a nice ride. This is a great truck for the money. Ford has the LT model which is available with similar equipment GMC has the SLE, and Chev has the same truck called the LT model, again really nice trucks for a pretty reasonable cost. All of these trucks are two-wheel drive, which for most people is all you need. If you are towing a fifth wheel the drive wheels have plenty of weight on them and traction is rarely a problem. Besides the original purchase cost, 4X4’s use more fuel and cost more to maintain. You could call a tow truck a couple of times a year and still be well ahead of the game financially, but you likely won’t need to. There are other advantages to a two-wheel drive as well. On a Ford or Dodge you sacrifice independent front suspension if you get 4x4, so the handling and ride both degrade substantially. Since the bulky straight axle has to clear the bottom of the engine, the truck has to sit taller which makes the centre of gravity higher and can cause clearance issues with the fifth wheel gooseneck. GM trucks keep their independent front suspension with four- wheel drive. Where there is a case for 4x4 is for solo winter driving. When these trucks are empty the on snow traction could be bet- ter, but even then I would consider the limited slip axle option and put on a good set of snow tires. A few sand bags help as well. If you do get a 4x4 most of these trucks have a heavy- duty front suspension option, this is not necessary or advisable since the fifth wheel adds no weight to the front suspension. Most of these trucks will have to be ordered from the fac- tory to get the towing package and the options you require, as few dealers stock them this way, but I can certainly wait a few weeks to save $10-20,000. If you would like to get an idea of how these trucks perform, you are welcome to stop in and try out our Dodge, just call ahead to make sure that it is not on the road somewhere, picking up and delivering fifth wheels. W Andy HITCH HINTS by Andy Thomson by TM continued from page 6For over 34 years, our family-owned and operated facility has remained committed to producing the high level of quality and customer satisfaction you have come to expect from Pleasure-Way Industries. Our vision of delivering a superior ownership experience is backed with an extensive list of standard features from top-rated suppli- ers. Experience the difference quality makes with a first-class RV that offers a 5-Year Freedom Warranty as well as a 90 day Personal Assistant. QUALITY, COMFORT & CONVENIENCE www.pleasureway.comProud recipient of nine consecutive RVDA Quality Circle Awards. STANDARD FEATURES • LAGUN TABLE MOUNT SYSTEM • CORIAN® SOLID SURFACES • ULTRALEATHER® FABRIC • MEMORY FOAM SOFA CUSHIONS • 7-INCH TOUCHSCREEN CONTROL PANELS • LG SMART TV & BOSE® SOUNDBAR • TRUMA AQUAGO® COMFORT PLUS WATER HEATER • 2X100AH ECO-ION LITHIUM BATTERIES • 2,000 WATT PURE-SINE WAVE INVERTER • PLEASURE-WAY PERSONAL ASSISTANT • 5-YEAR FREEDOM WARRANTY * Some items may not be available with every model. See website for further details. Next >