RVing is one of America’s more thriving industries, with innovative designers producing new gadgets and improvements on old ones with regularity. I’ve come across some interesting innovations that you might be interested in.
Wind Turbines – RV Style
With rising fuel costs it’s more important that ever to consider ways to cut down on the need for propane and electricity. Many of us have solar panels to keep our batteries charged and even provide some of our electric power. But now you can add a wind turbine to your RV and take advantage of natural resources during the night or on not-so-sunny days.
Southwest Windpower has been manufacturing wind turbines for marine use for some time. These four-foot tall turbines are as well suited for RV use, as you can see in this short video showing an Air Breeze personal wind turbine mounted on a class B RV.
See a Southwest Windpower dealer or maybe, just build your own. Just visit YouTube and run a search on “build a wind” and you find several videos on building wind turbines, wind generator and similar keywords.
Magellan Roadmate® Pro 9165T GPS
It seems everyone’s updating their GPS systems with features specific to RVers needs. In addition to the various RV Park directories and GPS systems I mentioned last month, Magellan has joined the rush by introducing the Roadmate® Pro 9165T GPS with capabilities any RVer would love.
How about planning your route based on the size, weight, height and width of your RV? The Roadmate® Pro can do it.
Programmed into this GPS is Good Sam Club’s Trailer Life Directory of U.S. and Canadian campgrounds and Good Sam discounts. Park information includes park amenities, pet policies and more.
Included are tips on points of interest, RV service and parking. It even directs you to the best lane for upcoming intersections and exits.
It also incorporates Bluetooth® so that you can use it as a speakerphone. This is only a partial list of its many useful features.
Foxworthy Outdoors-Livin’ LIte RV Lines
Livin’ Lite Recreational Vehicles, LLC is another of Inc. magazine’s 500 fastest growing entrepreneurial businesses, based in Wakarusa, Indiana. Livin’ Lite builds lightweight aluminum campers and trailers. Not only are they filling a useful niche with RVs that can be pulled by smaller autos and trucks, but their decision to accept a partnership may well put them way out front.
Foxworthy Outdoors, comedian Jeff Foxworthy's online website, promotes hunting and camping gear as well as other products for the outdoors. Foxworthy Outdoors has recently partnered with Livin’ LIte to produce a line of campers bearing the Jeff Foxworthy name and branding. The fact that Foxworthy, a dedicated outdoorsman would commit his name and credibility to a partnership with Livin’ Lite speaks volumes about the quality of both company’s products.
Watch for three Foxworthy branded models of Livin’ Lite aluminum campers:
- Quicksilver Foxworthy Edition tent camper. This is a soft-top camper that sleeps four to six people, and can be pulled by any passenger car.
- Camplite Foxworthy Edition. These are all-aluminum enclosed travel trailers ranging from 11 to 16 feet with a variety of floor plans. Bunkhouses and queen bed models are just two of the available plans.
- Foxworthy Edition Toy Haulers. These 10 to 30 foot all-aluminum trailers have rear ramp doors and space for a family of eight with an ATV, motorcycles, golf carts and other toys. Options include tip-out bunks, beds that fold down and folding seats.
Carefree Introduces New Products
Carefree, of Broomfield, Colorado, the only full-line RV awning company in existence, is launching a new line of awnings to be introduced in November’s National RV Trade Show. New products will include:
- Drop down shades for awnings that are mounted high.
- Freedom Wall Mount to cover the ramp door of sport-utility trailers and fifth wheels.
- A new lighting system for box awnings that use remote controlled, dimmable rope-type lights to provide campers with ambient light
QR Codes
Well, QR codes aren’t exactly a new product, and don't qualify as a gadget or gizmo, but they are used to identify products and more. Since so many people ask what these are, it seemed appropriate to include a short description of these.
Similar to product codes–those strings of varied-width black lines found on product stickers and packaging–QR codes (Quick Response codes) are square blocks of what looks more like blotches. QR codes store over 200 times the amount of information that 20 character barcodes do. You scan these codes with a Smartphone or QR Scanner. They are then translated into text, or a link, or a piece of information up to 4,296 characters (better than Twitter.)
While QR codes are used commonly to link consumers to products, there are increasingly more ways they are being used. Scan the code on an event poster and you’ll be able to purchase tickets to that event with your Smartphone. Realtors, food products, retailers, and more use QR codes to send information to you with details about the property you are interested in, the food’s nutritional information, product details and to send you to websites where you can learn more about that item, and make a purchase.
RVers may find this a convenient way to learn about or purchase items. We often find things we later look up on our computers. Well, now your Smartphone can save you that step, the delay, and possibly forgetting what it was you were interested in.
If you have a service or product you sell, you can create your own QR codes for free at sites like Qurify and Kerem Erkan
QR code reader apps are also available from Blackberry App World (QR Code Scanner Pro); iTunes App Store for iPhone, iPad and Android (Qrafter or Junaio); and ZXing for Androids.
Print a QR code with your business card information on the back of the card, convert your website URL, your promotions, or additional information about your business into a QR code or publish the code with articles or printed materials. QR codes are becoming a major marketing tool.