Lonerock

Good to know that they have at least have good batteries. I live in a rural area and the nearest Walmart is about 40 miles from me so my visits to the city (pop 35,000) are infrequent but I will be going there tomorrow to get some supplies for my motorhome, including a battery.

Thanks for the advice. Will do.

The coach battery that came with my 1990 Itasca Spirit is dead and I'm looking for a replacement. I read a post from several years ago here which recommended a Walmart Marine and RV deep cycle battery, either a 24, 27 or 29. Would this still be a good recommendation? I use my battery mostly for lighting and charging devices. Thanks.

I've been pretty lucky over the years as far as avoiding the need for roadside assistance. I've hiked and backpacked thousands of miles in fairly remote areas, mostly in the Sierras and Cascades,plus worked as a wildlife biologist under contract with the FS and BLM in remote areas and when I've returned to my car and turned the key it's always started , thus avoiding a walk of up to 20 miles to get help (before the days of cell phones). I've always carried a good spare tire and changed my flats. Now that I'm much older I give more though to those possible emergencies than I did before. I still go to some remote areas in my Jeep and Itasca but carry a cell phone and now give roadside assistance services more thought. Here's hoping that none of us has to put those services to the test.

The continuing saga of roadside assistance. I called the guy I know who owns the only towing service in 50 miles and he said he doesn't contract services with Good Sam so I called GS and gave them my location and they verified he was the only tow service available for areas I normally travel to in my jeep and camp in my Itasca. They said that even though he's not under contract they would cover cost to hire him since there was no one else in a reasonable distance. I called Progressive to check my roadside coverage details and after several minutes conversation with a low IQ AI trying to get a live agent I finally found one (the fourth person) who could give me credible information. He contacted Aegro that progressive contracts to do their towing services and they said they would provide towing services on forest service gravel or dirt roads but in the case winching is needed it would have to be a hard pack surface. So there !! I guess I'll go with my current roadside assistance coverage through Progressive for my Itasca unless I find something better in the future.

Jjrbus Was referred to another agent at Coach Net and they said the basic rate was $249 and renewal after that was $169 for roadside assistance.. She thought the $129 might have been some older renewal rate but they only have one membership level at $249 for the first year. Looks like I'm back to Good Sam. I called them and they will cover service on forest service or BLM roads if they're maintained dirt or gravel so long as it's simply not tracks. There's only one tow service within about a 50 mile radius of where I live and spend much of my time on forest service land and fortunately I know the owner and he's gone out to forest service roads so that helps.

Thanks jjrbus - That rate sounds fantastic, much better than $249. I called Carrie and left a voice mail for her to call me. At that rate I would definitely sign up if it looks okay. I have heard a lot of positive things about Coach Net , far better than GS. I'll let you know how it turns out.

My main issue is still finding someone who will answer calls on forest service or BLM roads since this is where I spend a lot of my time, either in my jeep on day trips or my Itasca on camping trips. I did originally sign up for AAA Plus RV until I found out they wouldn't go to FS or BLM roads. I realize that Good Sam has a lot of negative reviews but so far they're about the only ones I've found who will go to us roads. I also checked Better World Club which has decent reviews but again they don't cover fs or BLM roads. I might get Good Sam but keep my aaa basic for other situations with my jeep and Tundra. I think dealing with an insurance company add on (I have Progressive) wouldn't cover my needs.

So is emergency roadside service through insurance companies effective? Why carry both ers and coach net? You mentioned Good Sam. Did you have roadside service with them and why didn't you go with them? In checking Coach net their current rate is $249 which is beyond my means. Good Sam is currently $114. The biggest problem for me is finding someone who will cover forest service roads and it's hard at times to dig through all the bs that services claim and find what they'll actually do. Right now I'm leaning toward Good Sam but any feedback about them or other services much appreciated.

I was traveling along the Columbia river when my front tire exploded. Got to a very narrow shoulder, too dangerous to try and change a tire. I've survived a war and 3 marriages along with a lifetime of adventures by not being completely stupid so I called aaa.The tow truck was able to block traffic while driver changed tire. Yes, I do carry a spare,jumper cables, compressor and a jumper battery. In this situation my cell phone was my best friend.

My wife and I were coming back from a trip to Hells Canyon when our Itasca had a flat. My aaa said they wouldn't come out unless I upgraded to Plus RV which I did. I did further research and found my new policy wouldn't cover forest service or BLM roads, which is where we do most of our camping. Now I'm trying to find a better roadside assistance company. I have Progressive Ins and could add roadside to my policy or perhaps Good Sam (but seen a lot of complaints). I know there are some really expensive companies but I'm on SS so trying to keep the cost down. Any recommendations for roadside assistance coverage that would include forest service and BLM roads? Thanks, Robert

My 17 yr old hiking/backpacking buddy for the past 16 years.

After looking at some of the choices I found JR Products 10535 3 inch Metal/Metal C-Clip Style Door Holder which looks like it might be the easiest to use. I just bought the1990 Itasca Spirit a few days ago and for the most part it's in good condition. It has a v6 auto with 89,000 on it and the interior is in good shape. I used to have a 5th wheel and it had the identical overall measurements for the camper part, excluding the overhead section. I wanted something more compact with a shorter turning radius than my 18' Prowler lite towed by my crew cab 2004 Tundra. I rarely camp in campgrounds and prefer to find remote spots on forest service or blm land. I needed something i can maneuver in fairly tight spaces and my 20' Itasca I think will give me that along with enough power to handle steeper grades. I've taken out the table like i did in my 5th wheel since i never use it and instead made 2 -19"x60" plywood pieces that slide next to the seats should i need them for the bed. I'm trying to create as much open space as possible. Hopefully there will be enough floor space for my 17 yr old lab/chow/great dane to sleep. Looking forward to getting plenty of good advice on this forum to help me along the way. I'm very impressed with all of the help and suggestions from the people on this forum so far.It's really nice to have this resource.

What i was looking for was not a locking latch for the main door or the propane door. I'm looking for the door stop that holds the main door and screen open. The original stop was removed. There are two parts, both of which are missing. One is the stop/latch attached to the outside overhead part of the camper and the other part of the latch is connected to the door. I'm sure there are a number of things I can use to keep the door open (other than the bungee cord the previous owner used) but I thought I would try to find the original device. I downloaded the parts list for my Itasca but it doesn't show that part. Any suggestions ? Thanks again for the previous advice on the propane tank.

Hi Linda The prev owner kept a portable tank inside the shower. He had a hose that he attahed to an extension fron the built in tank.There's still some residual propane in the built in tank that I used to test the appliances so I know it works. I'll take it in to the local Chevron Fri and see if they will fill it. I live in a remote rural area so not many options for propane. I also need to find a latch of some kind for the door. The one that holds the door open that's attached to the door and front of camper has been removed and I don't know what was there before or what I can use. Right now I m using a bungi cord. Any suggestions about where to get some original parts? Thanks again to all who have replied.