Happy Trip

[yukongrant]

I am really pleased with our 2019 Compass 23TR. We just returned from a short (for us) 5,100 km or 3,000 mile trip. Finally, back on the road again!

We live in Whitehorse, Yukon. Left here. Went down Highway 37 (the Steward/Cassiar highway) to Calgary and then back home up the Alaska Highway. Most of the trip was through mountains.

The diesel engine on the Ford Transit has lots of power. We've been going up some fairly significant hills and it never slowed down. Yes, it did shift gears. But just kept on going - passing others who were struggling.

The gas (diesel) mileage was very good. For the whole trip, we got 14.44 liters per 100 km (16.3 mpg US gallons). I wasn't driving fast - you can't on these mountain roads - 55 to 65 mph. But it's still impressive.

I filled the DEF before leaving. It's still more than half full - the first warning indicator. The DEF tank holds 22 liters (5.8 gallons). So I used less than 3 gallons for the 3,000 miles. (Most highway miles.)

It was hot (for us). Several days, it was over 100 F. The air conditioner does struggle to keep up at those temps. I bought magneshade blinds for it. I really like them. They go on and off very easily. And they do stop some of the heat build up.

We were travelling with our pup. On the way home, the Alaska highway was closed for a wild fire. We sat on the side of the road in 38 C (100.4 F) heat for 7 hours. I put on the magneshades, turned on the generator and air conditioner. Never got it really cool. But high 70s and low 80s was a lot cooler than outside in the baking sun. Other days, the Automatic Generator Start system worked well. Our dog was very happy.

I booked our camping spots for the trip the day before we needed them. We only found one campground that was full. But it was mainly because of laborers staying for months at a time. The campground owner told me he doesn't rent any spot for less than 2 weeks at a time. Our experience has been more people living in RVs and working away from home. We have not experienced the "new" RV owners filling up campgrounds.

We went through heat, heavy rain, very thick fog and snow coming over a pass (it was melting as it hit the road). No leaks. Systems worked as expected.

Yes, I do maintenance. I fix what I can and take it to the shop for things I can't. We now have over 30,000 km (20,000 miles) over 3 summers. It's not perfect. There are times I have to do a bit of fixing. But in general terms, this motorhome is by far the best I've owned. (I've had 2 others in the past and have been RVing for 30 years - tents before that.)

Now that the restrictions are being loosened, we're looking forward to more trips. We've wanted to visit the Oregon coast for the past 2 summers. Hopefully next summer! Got to get some of that Tillamook ice cream.