Are you familiar with the FMCA, the Family Motor Coach Association? Did you know they have a number of new programs to make a membership more affordable and more accessible? They also have new ways for RVers to connect with the each other and to the internet.

This organization has been around a long time but there are a lot of new things that make being part of the FMCA a great idea for RVers of all experience levels - including dreamers.

Plus we’ve got a new cooking gadget and even an overlanding RV that might help you wander to new and exciting places.

Other places to hear the podcast

Mentioned on this episode

Our discounted FMCA membership - https://www.stresslesscamping.com/fmca

Attending music festival with Road Trip Mojo - https://www.stresslesscamping.com/podcast/0194

Cindy’s biscuits and gravy recipe - https://www.stresslesscamping.com/blog/2024/2/19-cindy-biscuit-gravy-breakfast-cast-iron

Omnia oven review - https://www.stresslesscamping.com/blog/omnia-oven

Mammoth Overland Tall Boy - https://www.rvtravel.com/rv-review-mammoth-overland-tall-boy-trailer-set-debut-overland-expo/

If you’re confused about solar, battery power or just want to upgrade your RV we have found the solutions from ABC Upfitters are both reliable and exceptional.

We have a podcast episode and video where you can learn more here.

Our trusted partners - RV Discounts and Deals

Automated transcript of StressLess Camping RV podcast episode 255

Mark Ferrell

Welcome to the weekly podcast all about turning the great American RV adventure into stress less camping. Each week we explore tips, tricks, ideas, and destinations, and talk to the happiest campers in the RV world. Pull up a seat at the campfire as we enjoy some stress less camping.

Peggy Barthel

Welcome to the camper.

Tony Barthel

Yeah. We're in it, and I'm Tony.

Peggy Barthel

I'm Peggy.

Tony Barthel

And we're 2 RV industry veterans who travel part time

Peggy Barthel

In this small trailer.

Tony Barthel

Looking to share big adventures and help you with great tips

Peggy Barthel

Tricks.

Tony Barthel

And discounts.

Peggy Barthel

So we're sitting in the camper because we can't wait to leave tomorrow.

Tony Barthel

Yeah. We're as we record this, it is Monday, but we are leaving tomorrow, Tuesday.

Peggy Barthel

Tuesday.

Tony Barthel

And, of course, this comes out Thursday.

Peggy Barthel

Yeah. So we figured we might as well you might as well get used to seeing us in the camper. This will be the way it is for the next few weeks. Yeah. And but we're at home because we haven't left yet, but we will be first thing in the morning.

Tony Barthel

We will be lefting in the morning

Peggy Barthel

Yeah.

Tony Barthel

So to speak. We're very excited.

Peggy Barthel

So, of course, while we're getting ready, you know, the refrigerator's on. And because Tony is a nut, because he always admits it anyway, well, it just turns out that our Starlink actually works better than our home Internet, which is kind of silly. But it also works better in here because this is where we keep the router. So why not? We're in here and we're keeping all that powered with our

Tony Barthel

Master Bolt power system designed by ABC Upfitters. And we are, you know, using the power of the sun Right. To power well, we will be using it to power our adventure. I guess our adventure has started now.

Peggy Barthel

Our adventure has begun.

Tony Barthel

Something I've noticed from ABCF Fitters is that they're starting to do more and more instructional videos about the their systems that they install. Mhmm. And there are some common components that they typically install from Mastervolt like a control panel and certain inverters and battery systems and things like that. And so they've really been stepping up the video game to make it just easier to use these systems, and that's something that I really appreciate about them. You can give them a call, and they will actually answer questions.

Tony Barthel

They've started Facebook groups for those of us who have these systems, and they they really make it not just here's your system. Goodbye.

Peggy Barthel

Yeah. Here's our system. Make it fit.

Tony Barthel

Right. Yeah. That's the other thing. Do you have a van? Do you have a giant 5th wheel?

Tony Barthel

Right.

Peggy Barthel

Do you

Tony Barthel

have a travel trailer as we do?

Peggy Barthel

Right.

Tony Barthel

They are very good at listening to what you want to accomplish.

Peggy Barthel

Yep.

Tony Barthel

And putting in a system that's thoroughly engineered that just works. Yes. Knowing that our Starlink worked well, what I basically did is I just turned on the inverter here in the trailer, fired up the Starlink, and it's been, I don't know, a couple weeks now Yeah. That we've just been using the Starlink from inside the trailer in our house.

Peggy Barthel

Right. Luckily, his office is right on the other side of that wall. Yeah. So he has the best feed, which is fine. He does the most work.

Peggy Barthel

Yeah.

Tony Barthel

But it's just, you know, it's something I didn't think, oh, am I gonna get, you know, have issues or blah blah blah. No. Turn on the inverter, you know, plugged in the Starlink. Bing, bang, boom. We were we were off and running.

Tony Barthel

Refrigerator, we didn't bother turning it off again.

Peggy Barthel

We didn't even bother emptying it. I found things in there like, oh, we should have been eating this while we were home.

Tony Barthel

Yeah. So it's just a really good system. And if you would like a really good system that fits your needs, whatever size they are, our friends at ABC Outfitters are really good people to speak with. And you can do that by giving them a call at 574 333-3225.

Peggy Barthel

That's 574-333-3225.

Tony Barthel

Yeah. Really good people. Of course, there'll be a link below in the show notes. We might have you might not

Chris Smith

have noticed that we're both wearing

Peggy Barthel

shirts from various conventions at FMCA. And the reason is that we're both wearing shirts from various conventions at FMCA. And the reason is because we are actually speaking with Chris Smith from FMCA today, and he is giving us a great update on what's going on over at FMCA.

Tony Barthel

Yeah. And so without any further ado

Peggy Barthel

Let's hear from Chris. Indeed. Today, we're honored to be joined by Chris Smith, the CEO of FMCA. Chris, thank you for joining us. We have talked to FMCA and about FMCA quite a bit, but there's some new stuff going on.

Peggy Barthel

And so we wanted to give everybody a update of what's happening around there.

Chris Smith

Yes. You guys saw, uh, the announcement we sent out last week. We are, as we like to say, we're expanding the family. Mhmm. So we are now allowing a new, uh, level of membership called Pathfinder.

Chris Smith

The name kinda speaks for itself. It's someone who is, uh, uh, trying to decide what path to take towards RV ownership. And we feel like we're a pretty good resource to help those people.

Tony Barthel

One of the things that I don't believe a lot of people know is that the FMCA has a tremendous vetted resource library of really good information about becoming an RVer or making your RV experience better.

Peggy Barthel

Right.

Chris Smith

Yeah. So we, uh, just kinda stepping back. I mean, we've FMCAs been around for a while. We've been around for over 60 years now. And, you know, education's kinda one of those cornerstones, uh, of kind of why we exist and and what we feel like we do well.

Chris Smith

And what you're referring to is, uh, FMCA University.

Tony Barthel

Yeah.

Chris Smith

So we have hundreds of articles, uh, that anyone that's a member has full access to. There's no additional fee. There's no it's just part of your dues. And, uh, what we do is we have a nice education committee formed of volunteers, and what they've done is they've taken a lot of the articles and information we have, uh, put it into kind of a lesson format, and then they also have at the end, quizzes you can take, uh, to kind of test your knowledge, make sure you understand the content, and you can kind of, you know, brag to your friends. You get different levels of attainment, and you can eventually get cool stuff.

Chris Smith

I mean, if you I think it's if you get every quiz done and take the test, you get a free year of membership. So Wow. We travel with more people for for going on there and educating themselves. Yeah. That's that's included with dues.

Chris Smith

I know a lot of I know some other clubs have that resource, but they do charge additional. We we do not. That's just part of your dues.

Tony Barthel

I knew about the resource library. I had no idea about the quizzes and all of that. So that's pretty cool.

Chris Smith

Yeah. If you're into badges and achievements, yeah, go on there and take all the quizzes and we will reward you. Yeah.

Peggy Barthel

Is that available to the Pathfinder members as because Pathfinder is sort of a a membership light a little bit. Right?

Chris Smith

Yeah. So just the Pathfinder, the only the only difference between a Pathfinder and a family member, obviously, is owning versus not. With a Pathfinder, you do get digital only magazine, and, uh, you can hold office within FMCA. But you get access to all the other benefits.

Peggy Barthel

Okay.

Chris Smith

You know, so while some of the university content is, you know, kind of geared towards, uh, owners, a lot of it's content that someone that's interested can find useful, you know, to kind of educate themselves. So Pathfinders have full access to the library just like regular members do.

Peggy Barthel

Okay.

Tony Barthel

And you just had a national convention in Arizona last month, I think, that we missed, unfortunately.

Peggy Barthel

It's been a couple months.

Tony Barthel

Hasn't been. Yeah. And there were some programs specifically for the Pathfinder members there too, if I'm not mistaken.

Chris Smith

Yeah. So that it was back in March in Pima County Fairgrounds in Tucson, Arizona. And we kind of soft launched the Pathfinder there. What we did is we had intro to RVing seminars on-site. And we did a lot of promotion with within the Tucson area to non owners.

Chris Smith

Because we we found out a lot of people that come to the event through Public Aid, I would say it's probably about half and half. Half of them actually own an RV and half of them don't. So we kinda use that as our our kickoff to, you know, to have the seminar, get some Pathfinder prospects, to make sure that before we fully launched it, that everything, uh, in our association management software was set up correctly, and it would all flow properly. So, yeah, we we had 3 days in a row of doing an intro to RV ing seminar.

Tony Barthel

Okay. So somebody who's kinda thinking about joining us in this crazy lifestyle, That's a great way to get sort of acquainted and avoid some of the pitfalls that people have. But something I like about your resource library is that it's vetted by people who know what they're talking about as opposed to asking a question on social media. And, man, the answers are all over the board.

Chris Smith

Yeah. Yeah. Like I said, a lot of the content layout and the questions were all done by, again, our education committee who are volunteers and most of them have been RVing for a very long time. So they're the perfect people to kinda make sure the content we're putting out there is true accurate. And and again, with the the quizzes and some of the other stuff, uh, that we include, it, um, makes it fun too, I think, to kind of go through and and and participate.

Tony Barthel

Yeah. And and kinda helps people, you know, learn more and absorb the information, which is good.

Peggy Barthel

Right.

Tony Barthel

But I'm I'm gonna step back because I know there are some people who listen to our podcast or watch the videos don't really know much about the FMCA. So let's start even further back. What is the FMCA and who is it for?

Chris Smith

Yes. Like I said before, FMCA has been around since 1963. We've been in the RV industry for a long time. For about 56 or so of those years, we were motor home only. And we kinda saw, you know, 5, 6 years ago, the landscape has been changing for a while, but it's really started changing to where the towable 5th wheel market is, I mean, that's that's the dominant market in the RV industry.

Chris Smith

Right. And kind of the the slogan we had when we expanded to allow those units was, it's about the person, not not the RV. Right? I mean, yes, there are topics and and content that are little old specific, but a lot of the stuff that we were already doing pertain to to anyone that owned an RV, any type. We did expand, uh, and allowed that group in in about, about 6 years ago.

Chris Smith

And we went from 100% motor home, to now we have 15% of our membership are towables.

Peggy Barthel

Interesting.

Chris Smith

So, you know, then we we kind of looked at and and what sparked the the Pathfinder is I received a study from RVIA. And what really struck me is while there's 12,000,000 or so RV owning households now, there were about 21,000,000 households that intended to own an RV, and half of those intended to do so in the next 5 years. So I kind of stepped back and I said, you know, again, one of our cornerstones, one of our pillars of existence is education. We have a magazine. We have a load of content that we gear toward, you know, the education side.

Chris Smith

And you kind of look around, like you said before, you can Google anything. You can get an answer on anything. Now whether it's reliable or not, that's, you know, you have to figure that out for yourself, maybe sometimes the hard way. But we kind of said, look, we already have the content. We really see a segment of the RV population that is being really underserved, and we want to be that trusted resource who has 60 years of experience that can help them.

Chris Smith

Because, you know, I mean, buying an RV, it's not like buying a car. I mean, it's a whole Right. A whole different process to to figure out what you want and come to that conclusion, and we wanna be that trusted resource for them. So that's kinda how we got to where we're at as far as allowing them. And, you know, the quick pitch is, you know, again, education's a big part of FMCA.

Chris Smith

The benefits are obviously a big part. You know, a lot of people want something in return for their money. Yeah. Uh, and we try to provide a wide array of benefits, and it's hard to to list all of them because there's so many. Sure.

Tony Barthel

There's some that really stand out to me. The safe return home, tire discount, going to the conventions and rallies, chapters for specific interests or specific brands of RV.

Peggy Barthel

Or specific locations.

Tony Barthel

Yeah. Our locations.

Chris Smith

Mhmm. Yeah. So I yeah. Definitely, the social aspect is another another big part. I know you guys have been to a few events.

Chris Smith

We have 2 international international conventions per year. A lot of chapter rallies, uh, sprinkled in there. Area rallies as well. Mhmm. 250 chapters, like you said, if they if you have an interest or an RV type, or if you live in a certain part of the country, uh, you'll find a group out there that you can join, if that's what you choose to do.

Chris Smith

Yeah. I I think one of the big things that people tie to us is the tire program, because I we were the first ones really to have that as part of a, you know, membership benefit. So a lot of people tie that to us and ASSIST, like you said, that that's a that's a big one. Really, it's a $200 benefit included with your dues. Right?

Chris Smith

Once you enroll as a member, you're automatically a part of that benefit and and you're covered right away from day 1.

Tony Barthel

That's incredible. So it's basically if you have a medical issue out on the road and you need to get you and your rig or not you, but whoever is not having the medical issue

Peggy Barthel

Right. Right.

Tony Barthel

And the RV back home, that's something the FMCA can arrange for, and that's part of your membership.

Chris Smith

Yeah. A big part of that benefit is what you just said. If if you do have a medical emergency and you have to go to the hospital or if you can't drive and you have your spouse with you, travel partner, kids, grandchildren, pets, they'll take care of not only getting your RV home, but also getting those people traveling with you home as well. Right. Um, and if you do go to a medical facility that cannot treat you, the benefit does also pay to get you to the closest facility that can.

Chris Smith

Right. Yeah. It really is. I mean, it's peace of mind when you're on the road.

Peggy Barthel

The Right.

Chris Smith

You know, because the getting your RV, you know, if you're on one side of the country and you have to get it home to the other side, that's that's not only expensive, but a lot of planning on your part. So we we we kinda take the financial burden off and also the the planning burden as well.

Peggy Barthel

That makes it more stressless. Oh. Knowing knowing that it's okay to be out there because you've got backup if something goes badly.

Tony Barthel

Absolutely. Yeah. That that's a good point.

Chris Smith

I like that.

Tony Barthel

So in addition to the Pathfinder program, you now can do monthly payments for a family membership as well.

Chris Smith

This idea really came about kind of COVID when when things got a little weird in the world and finances became a little tighter for a lot of people, we wanted to find ways to to not make the price a barrier. Right? Because I I think no matter if you're paying yearly dues up front or you're paying monthly, we give you value, and we don't want to have anything be a barrier to finding that out. So we've seen the the kind of the monthly option work for a lot of different companies, and and we thought it would be good for us as well to just to give our members another another way, not only to join, but, you know, you can also, if you're a current member, switch over to that monthly fee as well. And we've seen really great results so far from launching that.

Chris Smith

So, yeah, just another another way to to join the family. Great.

Tony Barthel

Yeah. So that that's good too. And then another question that I see all the time on the various social media places. How do I get on the Internet while I'm on the road?

Peggy Barthel

Right.

Tony Barthel

And you've expanded TechConnect

Peggy Barthel

TechConnect system. Yeah. Significantly. Yeah.

Chris Smith

Yeah. So we we already had Verizon and AT and T. The only major carrier we were missing was T Mobile, and we did bring them on back in about mid January. So it's nice that we have all 3 major carriers because you guys travel all over. You know, one may work the best in one place, and then

Peggy Barthel

Right.

Chris Smith

You travel for a day or 2, and then it's, uh, number 3 out of the top 3.

Peggy Barthel

Right.

Chris Smith

So, you know, we wanted to give people, uh, all 3 major carriers. And not only that, but with T Mobile, we were also able to work out providing, uh, cell phone plans as well. So for the first time, we do have phone plans as part of the TechConnect package.

Tony Barthel

And it's a very affordable phone plan too.

Chris Smith

Yeah. Yeah. We think we're very, very competitive on the phone side.

Tony Barthel

Yeah.

Chris Smith

Um, you know, it is bring your own device, so we don't we don't have the option like we do with the hot spot plans, where you can rent equipment from us, so you do have to have your own phone. But, if you already have a phone and you want to save a lot of money on your monthly bill Yeah. The switch over is easy. You port your number in and you're up and running. Pop a SIM card in.

Chris Smith

That's all it is.

Tony Barthel

I believe it's $20 a month or 19.99 a month for that?

Chris Smith

That's right. 19.99 a month, unlimited text, talk, and data. Yep. Yeah.

Tony Barthel

Which is really affordable. Yeah. And then with the TechConnect, I believe you're also able to get higher prioritization of the data service for FMCA members.

Chris Smith

That's correct. Yeah. We we were able to work out with them. Our members on the T Mobile towers, wherever they're at, they have top priority, like you said, to the network. So let's say you're somewhere where there's a something weather wise has happened where it it's really messed up the congestion on the towers, you have top access to to the tower.

Chris Smith

Essentially, the same access that a first responder would have. Uh, so it really is a nice benefit to know that no matter where you're at, you're gonna have connectivity.

Peggy Barthel

Yeah.

Tony Barthel

Yeah. And then another nice thing is the people who provide the answers are FMCA people.

Peggy Barthel

Right.

Tony Barthel

So rather Yeah. Than talking to someone in some strange place, you're talking to an FMCA team member.

Peggy Barthel

Who really understands the service. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Chris Smith

Yeah. That's a big selling point for us is the customer service, right? You don't have to call an 800 number where you might have to wait 30 minutes, an hour. Uh, we have 3 full time employees in our TechConnect department who are fully trained on all the plans, all the devices, and we really refer to it as white glove service. Right?

Chris Smith

I mean, you can call or email and you're gonna get someone not only that's knowledgeable, but also, like you said, is an employee that's from CA and understands that this person's a member, and we're gonna give them, you know, top notch service when when they need us. Yeah.

Tony Barthel

For data consumption, is it unlimited data, or is it unlimited to a certain point, or how does that play out?

Chris Smith

It is unlimited data. You know, it it's like a lot of plans where you may be network managed at a network managed at a 100 gigs, but we have not really seen that come into play. So it truly is unlimited. There's no hard throttle and we haven't had anyone report that, you know, call in and say, hey, I'm at a 101 gigs, and and I can't. Yeah.

Chris Smith

So it it truly is unlimited on the T Mobile.

Peggy Barthel

Okay. Great.

Tony Barthel

Man, that's one of the best ways of getting connected besides if you have a Starlink dish. This is a great way to go. And and to be clear, this is not included in your membership Right. But is available to you if you are a member.

Peggy Barthel

Right.

Tony Barthel

And another service like that is the roadside assistance Yes. Yeah.

Peggy Barthel

Program Yeah.

Tony Barthel

Which we looked at. And I think FMCA has the best roadside assistance program out there.

Chris Smith

Yeah. You know, a lot of people look at some of the other roadside providers and and a lot of them, what they'll do is they'll, you know, I'm sure you guys know, they'll heavily discount that 1st year, and it seems like a really good deal. Then you get the renewal notice, and it's, you know, 2 or 3 times what you paid to sign up. Well, you know, there's no there's no bait and switch with us. There's no, we'll give you an amazing price the 1st year, and then we'll pull the rug from under you.

Chris Smith

You know, it's solid pricing. We haven't had a price change in, it's been a while, 5 years, 6 years. Uh, so the provider we have, SafeRide, I mean, they're probably the biggest player in the game as far as roadside assistance, and they've been a great partner this whole time. And, yeah, our pricing, I think, is very fair and very competitive. And with roadside, you're always gonna get complaints and issues, but

Peggy Barthel

Of course.

Chris Smith

I think I mean, you know, I my my car I had an issue about 2 weeks ago. My car overheated and, you know, I was ready to, you know, just start walking home after about 45 minutes. So Right. You know, people people don't wanna be straying on side of the road, but the true issues we have with the plan are few and far between. Again, these guys are there's a reason they're the the biggest provider in the company.

Tony Barthel

Well, and and for those who don't know, all roadside assistance programs are use, uh, contracted towing services.

Peggy Barthel

Yeah. Yeah. It's not like Chris is gonna drive a tow truck out there and help you.

Tony Barthel

Right. Or triple any

Peggy Barthel

Or any or what I'm saying is any, like, f m c it's not an FMCA employee that's gonna do it. Right. FMCA contracts with a local tow truck or service. And some places, it's just hard to find those services no matter how great you are.

Tony Barthel

Yeah. Or they're just busy because there's a lot of calls.

Peggy Barthel

Or that. Yeah.

Chris Smith

Yeah. I think it's not just that, but I think I think, like, in a lot of industries, the tow industry is seeing a a labor shortage. You know, that's kinda when I've talked to SafeRide. That's a big issue they've had is they're just they're having a hard time finding an overabundance of of, you know, providers for towing. But, again, they're taking care of our members, and, again, the major problems are few and far between.

Chris Smith

Right. And if we have had an issue that, you know, gets to the office or gets to me, a simple conversation with SafeRide, then there's usually a good resolution to where, you know, it may not have been a perfect scenario, but we have such a good relationship with them and they understand the value of our relationship that they're willing to make it as right as they can. So, yeah, if you if you ever if you do sign up and have a problem, give us a call at the office and we'll we'll help you get some resolution on

Peggy Barthel

Excellent.

Tony Barthel

Yeah. And and something that I think is also good for the towable people is they will not only haul your tow vehicle, but your trailer too. And that not all roadside assistance will do that. So we know somebody who they broke down. The tow service came.

Tony Barthel

It wasn't FMCA. They towed away the truck. Truck. It left the trailer, and this trailer got stolen.

Peggy Barthel

Yeah.

Tony Barthel

And it was a vintage trailer. So it was not a good situation.

Peggy Barthel

Right. So we talked a second about Pathfinders have, like, all that access. The one thing that they only get the magazine digitally, but tell us about the magazine too for the for the people who aren't who aren't I don't wanna say just Pathfinders. That makes it sound bad for the people who have RVs.

Chris Smith

Yeah. So we've been producing the magazine for over 50 years now. So, again, it's one of those big educational tools we can provide to members and pathfinders alike. I think there's a lot of information they'll find useful in there. One change we did make recently that you guys may or may not have seen is starting with the June issue, it will be bimonthly from that point forward.

Chris Smith

So I'm sorry. It starts in July. So June is the last monthly issue, then July will be July, August. So we'll go from 12 issues a month down to 6, but the content's still gonna be the same as ever. And and not only in print form, but like like we said, it's in digital form as well.

Chris Smith

So, yeah, it's a it's one of our whenever we survey members, it's always a top top 2 or 3 benefit because it's it's that one thing that everyone gets. And we we always refer to it kind of as our house accordion. Right? We have email, but not everyone checks their email or, you know, they might just quick delete. The magazine's the one thing that we provide to every member that kinda keeps them informed about what's going on with the association.

Tony Barthel

Very good. And I'm gonna say, if you are considering joining the FMCA, first of all, do. And secondly, go to local events or or especially the national conventions. I mean Oh, yeah. There are golf cart parades and tremendous seminars, and there are all kinds of things to spend your hardly earned money on.

Peggy Barthel

For sure.

Tony Barthel

I mean, on and on. And and it's just it's funny because the people we meet at the FMCA conventions that we've been to, a lot of them have become friends that we run into on the road. And I mean, the value of that can't be understated.

Peggy Barthel

Yeah.

Tony Barthel

It's pretty darn cool.

Chris Smith

Just real quick, on the on the events, yeah, you're you've described it perfectly. I you know, FMCA formed by a group of about 10 RVers getting together to watch a solar eclipse. And it's kinda grown from that one gathering to what it is today where we have 66,000 members, and Mhmm.

Tony Barthel

We

Chris Smith

put on 2 conventions and 10 area rallies and hundreds of chapter rallies. So Yeah. The social aspect's a huge part of of what we do. And we realize, you know, going to especially the national conventions, it's a big commitment. Uh, not only time wise, but money wise.

Chris Smith

So we try to make it to where if you want to be busy, and you want to be entertained, and you want to fill your days, we're gonna find a way to do it. Whether it's seminars, education, hundreds of vendors at the exhibit hall, uh, evening entertainment, daytime entertainment, just anything you can

Peggy Barthel

Doughnuts.

Chris Smith

If you say you're bored there, then

Tony Barthel

then No. You've been doing something wrong.

Peggy Barthel

No. You're doing it wrong,

Chris Smith

I appreciate it.

Tony Barthel

As Peggy said, donuts and ice cream. I mean, my gosh. Can't forget that. And also, if you are a Pathfinder or just a regular family member, there's almost always RVs for sale. Yeah.

Tony Barthel

So you can upgrade, downgrade, sidegrade

Peggy Barthel

Yeah.

Tony Barthel

Whatever and you could come in with a RV from the early days of the FMCA and leave with something bright and new and shiny.

Chris Smith

Yeah. And that's a big part of why on the public gate side, we we we get it always a strong showing wherever we go is because we do have display coaches, display RVs, where people come in, whether they own 1 or not, that can they can walk through, they can ask questions of all the different dealers that are there. And the display RVs are definitely a big big draw as well.

Peggy Barthel

Yeah.

Tony Barthel

Well, and in fact, and when was the last time I saw Steve Harvey at a convention shopping

Peggy Barthel

RVs? Yeah.

Chris Smith

Yeah. And the last time we were in Perry, Georgia. Yeah. Someone snapped the picture, and I didn't I didn't get to see him, but, yeah, they they snapped a picture and posted him on on Facebook, I believe. But, you know, we we've had some, you know, we've had some big names before.

Chris Smith

I, you know, someone told me before my time, like, Michael Jackson was an editor once. He came on and bought an RV brand new.

Peggy Barthel

Wow.

Chris Smith

Go on years back. We had George Bush as, like, a while he was president at at the event. So we had Solly a few years ago Wow. As a guest speaker at the event. So, yeah, we've we've we've had some big names show up.

Tony Barthel

Yeah. It's a good group. And to me, the best way I've found of making friends is make don't miss the morning donuts because you'll find people and and you start, you know, we all have one thing in common. We're all RVers Yeah. Or wanna be RVers.

Tony Barthel

Yeah. And there you are starting talking about, oh, I, you know, I modified this or this broke, and next thing you know, you got a friend.

Peggy Barthel

That's right.

Chris Smith

Well, I always tell this story. I so I'll I'll just go along that line. My my brother, a few years back, he bought a Winnebago, a class c, and he didn't really know what he was doing. It just sounded like a good idea to travel with his family. Like a lot of people, you know, he didn't really probably do as much homework as as he needed to.

Chris Smith

And and he called me one day and he said, what do I do? Like, how do I learn? How do you use this thing? And, you know, he's here in Cincinnati. That's where our headquarters is, and we do have a FMCA owned campground here in town where members get really nice discounted pricing you know, when they stay here.

Chris Smith

So if you're coming through Cincinnati on the way to or from somewhere, make sure you stop in and and stay.

Peggy Barthel

Yeah. For sure.

Chris Smith

But I told him, I said, I said, here's the best thing you can do. I said, go down to Newtown. That's a little suburb here in Cincinnati. I said, go to Newtown, where our campground is. Stay there for a night or 2, and here's what you do.

Chris Smith

I said, walk out your door, stand out, you know, where everyone can see you, and just start kind of scratching answered all his questions, showed him how to do everything. And so kind of answered all these questions, showed them how to do everything. And so it kinda goes along with what you said. I mean, our I think Pathfinder is perfect for us because that our members love love being social and love helping each other, and I think it's a perfect fit. Yeah.

Tony Barthel

I agree.

Peggy Barthel

You know, Chris, something that I don't I don't really hear a lot of talk about and I don't think I knew about it until they approached me, but the FMC Adventure, it's hard to pronounce because there's not 2 a's in the middle, but FMCA Adventure is it kind of combines the, like, magazine sort of aspect and the social aspect because it's all family members that write the articles in that. Is that right?

Chris Smith

That is correct. Yeah. And I think it's it's another tool that we're gonna push big for the Pathfinders. I I think it it gives them good insight. It kind of expands more in my mind to, like, the lifestyle side of it too because, like you said, the members write a lot.

Chris Smith

So it's not all the technical, you know, here's what need to know about all the components of your RV. It gives more insight into the lifestyle. Uh, you know, I think I think the issue that we've had kind of really pushing traffic there is we kind of made it its own URL, and I think we're going to bring it back under fmc dotcom. Okay. We've had a little trouble trying to drive traffic because of that.

Chris Smith

So I think once we went to get that complete, you'll see us push that a lot more, because it is a great resource, I think, for for the Pathfinders. It's

Peggy Barthel

very good good reading. Yeah. And it I like it a lot.

Tony Barthel

You're right. It was a little challenging to find, so bringing it under the Yeah. The website would be a would be a good idea. Well, is there anything that we've missed that we should share with everybody about joining the FMCA other than do it now?

Chris Smith

I think the one thing with Pathfinder that I'll say is, um, we have created Facebook group, and and we're not really if someone joins and they're it's called RV Curious. So if you're looking for a Facebook group to to get information, if you're looking to RV and just started, I would suggest joining that. We did start that page, but you will not see FMCA promoted within that group. I mean, the intent really is to allow, you know obviously, we've we've encouraged our members to go in so they can be a resource. If someone asks a question, you know, we'll have some engagement.

Chris Smith

We'll have some back and forth. You'll have a resource that can answer your your questions, and it's not you know, we're not selling FMCA. We just wanna, you know, create a place where people can can go and ask our members. Like I said, our members are more than happy to to help anyone with questions they have. We'll also have a a newsletter.

Chris Smith

It's not up there yet, but we'll have a newsletter people can sign up for, uh, where once a month they'll kind of get a kind of a high level topic that they're probably interested in and get a lot of detail within that topic. You know, again, just a good a good group to join, a good newsletter that we'll be putting out to just to help those trying to enter lifestyle.

Peggy Barthel

Excellent.

Tony Barthel

Sounds good. Well, I I happy to see new and improved things happening at the FMCA, but there's also long time things that have been Yeah. Just Yeah. Cornerstone reasons that we've been members for years. So

Peggy Barthel

Oh, like the 1st year that that Towables were allowed in.

Tony Barthel

Yeah. We we were right there.

Peggy Barthel

We were part of the 1%.

Tony Barthel

Take our money.

Peggy Barthel

The 1% of Towables that belong to FMC.

Tony Barthel

I've never been part of the 1%

Peggy Barthel

before. I know. Well, Chris, thank you so much for spending some time with us today and giving us some updates and information about FMCA. We sure do appreciate your time.

Chris Smith

Yep. Yeah. Thanks for having me on, guys.

Tony Barthel

Oh, it was a pleasure. Well, uh, we're gonna miss you in Redmond, which is the next

Peggy Barthel

state convention. Sad.

Tony Barthel

But we'll we'll catch up with you soon.

Chris Smith

Uh-huh.

Peggy Barthel

Yeah.

Chris Smith

Yeah. You better. That's 2 in a row. You know, will they strike 3? I know.

Tony Barthel

This is the first time in a very long time that we've missed 2 national conventions

Chris Smith

in a row.

Tony Barthel

And we love to go to Redmond, and we love going to Arizona. So

Peggy Barthel

We'll get back in the swing of things.

Tony Barthel

We will.

Chris Smith

I'll take your word for it.

Tony Barthel

Thanks again, my friend, and we will hopefully see you soon.

Chris Smith

I'll look out for it.

Tony Barthel

Alright. Thanks a lot. So hopefully you learned a little something. They really FMC really is expanding what they do. And what they have always done, they've done well.

Tony Barthel

And it's a very welcoming organization. So if you are not a member, I would look into it. I I just think it's been worthwhile for us the whole time we've been RVing.

Peggy Barthel

And one of the great benefits as we talked about, are the like all the gatherings, there's the international conventions and then there are the regional. And because we've lived in 2 different regions, we got to be part of both regional gatherings, and those are usually, like, annual. And then there's so many chapters.

Tony Barthel

Well, there's ones for trains.

Peggy Barthel

Yeah.

Tony Barthel

There's ones for specific brands of RVs.

Peggy Barthel

Right.

Tony Barthel

There's one called the frustrated maestros

Peggy Barthel

That's right.

Tony Barthel

Where they get together and play music at the conventions. I love the frustrated maestros. I am a frustrated maestro.

Peggy Barthel

That's right. You are. And I am frustrated that he tries to be a maestro. But, you know, there's other places also to look for festivals and gatherings. So if there aren't enough gatherings for you through through FMCA, We talked to Road Chip Mojo a while back, and we'll put a link to podcast number 194, and that's what they do.

Peggy Barthel

They they do a lot of traveling for music festivals.

Tony Barthel

Yeah. That's where we're sort of going. This trip, we're going to the Camp Carpe Diem, which is sort of a deer focused

Peggy Barthel

Yeah.

Tony Barthel

Gathering.

Peggy Barthel

Yeah.

Tony Barthel

Ultimately, we're ending up in Arkansas. Yep. Hot Springs. Yeah. Hot Springs, Arkansas.

Tony Barthel

It's sort of a beer focused get together, but there's a Hammock University or Hammock Hammock. Gathering.

Peggy Barthel

Gathering space. Yeah. Yeah. They do a lot of, uh, mountain biking. So we won't participate in that, but we are taking our electric bikes.

Chris Smith

Yep. We

Tony Barthel

are bringing the electric e bikes.

Peggy Barthel

While they're out doing some 40 miles straight up the mountain thing, we'll, like, take some little 3 mile trail and we'll do our own version of

Tony Barthel

Sitting in the hammocks, maybe.

Peggy Barthel

Yeah, maybe.

Tony Barthel

So, by the way, another throwback, we put the flated truck camper or air topper back on the the truck yesterday and

Peggy Barthel

You did?

Tony Barthel

Yeah. It took like 15 minutes Yeah. Or so. That thing, I really like that thing. So if we're gonna cross paths on this adventure, you will get to see it if you want to.

Peggy Barthel

That's right.

Tony Barthel

And maybe if you don't want to, you might see it.

Peggy Barthel

You might have to see it if

Chris Smith

you want.

Peggy Barthel

You never know.

Tony Barthel

You never know. So what's cooking?

Peggy Barthel

I'm gonna do a little bit of a tease. What I'm gonna do is revisit the biscuits and gravy breakfast that Cindy made for us while we were in Quartzsite.

Tony Barthel

Which was really good.

Peggy Barthel

We're gonna put a link to that breakfast, which it could also be done in a cast iron, but she did it in her Omnia oven. And we just got an Omnia oven. Yeah. This is just kind of a tease for both of those things. I have a new recipe and I've decided to hold off until I can make it in the omnia oven so that I can, next week, report on the recipe and the omnia oven both at the same time.

Tony Barthel

Well, I mean, everybody out there, raise your hands if you do not like your RV oven. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Me?

Chris Smith

Well, a

Tony Barthel

lot of you, it seems, don't like the oven in your RV. So what this Omnia thing is, and we'll put a link. We did do a story about it, and we have Cindy's recipe. But it's essentially, it looks like a bundt pan. And it sits on your stovetop, and it works like an oven, and it's from like Sweden or

Peggy Barthel

Right. Yeah.

Tony Barthel

Somewhere like that. We'll put a link and you can see it and it it's kind of a cool thing.

Peggy Barthel

Yeah. But this week, we're gonna report on a gadget that is gonna come in very, very handy because the weather is getting warmer and warmer, and we're gonna be on the road a lot. And so we are, um, as we speak, I've got the ice maker running, making a bunch of ice to put in our Dometic Go hydration jug with power faucet.

Tony Barthel

Oh. So what that thing is is it's essentially half a jerry can, then it's made out of plastic. And so we put it in our back seat, and as Peggy said, we fill it with water and ice. You could put margaritas. Probably not a good idea.

Tony Barthel

Not while

Peggy Barthel

you're driving now.

Tony Barthel

While you're driving. But then in addition to this plastic jerry can type of thing, and 2 of these Dometic Go jugs will fit in a holder for a single jerry can. Oh. But, yeah. It was designed specifically for that format.

Tony Barthel

Okay. It also has an option of a power faucet Yeah. That goes on it. And so we put this thing in the back of the you know, in the back seat of the truck. The faucet goes into the jug and, like, draws the water out, and we put a magnet on top of a little ice chest in the in the that's also in the back seat of the truck.

Tony Barthel

And so there's water when we need it.

Peggy Barthel

We have ice water on the go.

Tony Barthel

Absolutely. So it's kind of a cool thing and it was it's part of our you know, we've talked about our overlanding camper rig. This is was a part of that idea, but we're gonna use the heck out of it on this trip. And so and we have a review of it, of course.

Peggy Barthel

Of course.

Tony Barthel

Which we will put a link to in El Nodos De Showo.

Peggy Barthel

Speaking of overlanding, isn't that have something to do with your RV this week?

Tony Barthel

It does. I got to look at the Mammoth Overland Tallboy. I got a sneak peek of it. And Mammoth Overland is an aircraft company much like Spartan Aircraft Company was in the fifties. So they make small planes, and they also make RVs.

Tony Barthel

And they made this sort of a small trailer that's sort of like the end of the world edition. But now, this tallboy is really interesting because it's not that big, but it has a bathroom in it. It's got a king-size bed. It's got bunks so it could sleep 4.

Peggy Barthel

Is it 2 stories?

Tony Barthel

No. But it's just, you know, compared to their normal, like, teardroppy sort of Yeah. Configuration, this is tall. But it's still relatively light. It's built kinda like an aircraft.

Tony Barthel

The kitchen is outside because they said, we are overlanders. We like to cook outside.

Peggy Barthel

That's right.

Tony Barthel

It's kind of a neat rig. And the interesting thing is if you happen to be at one of the Overland Expos this weekend, you can see it in person. Oh. And Peggy has been hard at work putting RV events in our calendar at Yeah. Stressless camping.com.

Tony Barthel

Right. Including the

Peggy Barthel

there's Including the there's 4 different Overland Expos. That's crazy.

Chris Smith

They're like in 4 different parts of the country.

Tony Barthel

And I don't know if I can

Peggy Barthel

remember them all. The one in Oregon, one in Colorado, one in somewhere and somewhere else.

Tony Barthel

I think the somewhere and somewhere else is where

Peggy Barthel

the Arizona and then somewhere pretty far east.

Tony Barthel

Yeah. I think the Arizona one is where this mammoth overland tallboy is gonna be.

Peggy Barthel

Whichever one is coming up this weekend.

Tony Barthel

Yeah. It so check it out. We have information at stressless camping.com.

Peggy Barthel

Last week's question of the week and you guys must not be very creative because we didn't get a lot of answers. We asked

Chris Smith

Oh, I

Peggy Barthel

know. What creative places have you found for boondocking? Now we have talked before about, you know, moochdocking and sisters and ants' driveways and things like that. Yep. And, uh, Bill and Brian both had a nice conversation about moochdocking in Tony and Peggy's driveway or backyard.

Peggy Barthel

So, apparently, we are the creative place for boondocking. Uh, we also

Tony Barthel

creative it is, but it's always good to have folks here.

Peggy Barthel

We, of course, have been to Quartzsite on many occasions.

Tony Barthel

Oh, yeah.

Peggy Barthel

Someone mentioned that they've

Chris Smith

goosed

Peggy Barthel

they goosed their boondocking. Someone mentioned that they have

Tony Barthel

By the way, if you come here, don't goose us.

Peggy Barthel

Someone mentioned that they have boondocked at Gooseneck State Park.

Tony Barthel

Oh, that's the goose.

Peggy Barthel

And we have been to a lot of places. In California is Triaco Summit, and it's a little bit east of the Palm Springs area. And there's a military museum there, and there's also like a travel stop in that. But behind the military museum, they allow people to boondock out there in the desert.

Tony Barthel

Yeah. They have all kinds of military machines including, you know, half tracks and tanks. So, really, if you go there, make sure to say tanks for letting us stay.

Peggy Barthel

There's also, you know, a lot of restaurants and, you know, kind of daytime travel stops bravo Farm. Sorry. I almost couldn't remember because we didn't have it written down, but it just came to me. We were gonna talk about Peasoup Anderson's, not the one, unfortunately, that closed in Beaulton, but the one in Centinela

Tony Barthel

Or salmonella.

Peggy Barthel

Or salmonella is a pea soup Anderson's, and they will allow you to sleep overnight in the parking lot. And there might be a restaurant, but I'll have to wait until next week because

Tony Barthel

I wanna get you from

Peggy Barthel

places before we try it. So next week, I'll tell you if this was a good idea or not. We've also read and heard that churches, casinos, and hotels, a lot of times will let you sleep in their parking lot.

Tony Barthel

I don't get the hotels even though I know more than one person has said it, But why would you want someone sleeping in your parking lot

Peggy Barthel

And not buying your room.

Tony Barthel

Buying, you know, you're you're you're selling rooms.

Chris Smith

Right. So

Peggy Barthel

it's kind of strange to us. But, you know, also because we're from California, in the whole West Coast, BLM, Bureau of Land Management, has so much open space. And in the East, more US Forest Service has a lot of open space and that's the kind of thing we were hoping to find out. So hopefully, maybe more people will answer. Yeah.

Peggy Barthel

So this week, our question of the week is, what pets do you travel with?

Tony Barthel

I have seen more and more cats.

Peggy Barthel

And we have seen a lot of cats. We had a very creative boondockers day with us last week.

Tony Barthel

Yeah. We did.

Peggy Barthel

And they had built a catio out of 1 of the windows in their RV. We have had friends who travel with birds.

Tony Barthel

Birds.

Peggy Barthel

And, of course, dogs.

Tony Barthel

Yeah. Dogs. Of course.

Peggy Barthel

But I know there's more answers than that. So let us know what creatures other than your spouse, uh-uh, you travel with in your RV.

Tony Barthel

Yeah. And you can answer that at our fun and friendly Stressless Campers Facebook group.

Peggy Barthel

And do you know, you should know because we tell you this all the time, but we have a newsletter and we send it out once a week and it's absolutely free.

Tony Barthel

And it's got links to the stories, videos, and podcasts that we think will help you get the most out of your RV experience.

Peggy Barthel

So just visit the website and on the bottom of every page, you can sign up. And please know that we do not, will not, shall not share your information. We just use that list to send you one email each week, period.

Tony Barthel

Yep. The website's also where you'll find the show notes for this episode, episode 255, on the podcast page at stressless camping.com.

Peggy Barthel

Also on stress camping.com, don't forget about the deals and discounts page. That's a great page and it has deals on things you're gonna need for your stressless camping adventure. And if it's not there already and you know it exists, please reach out and let us know and maybe we can get more deals on that page.

Tony Barthel

Yep. And, you know, we are in all those social places, but you can start at stresslesscamping.com. And then from there, we have links to all of the social places that we like to hang out, which is probably the social places where You like to hang out.

Chris Smith

Hang out.

Tony Barthel

And of course, if you don't wanna miss a future episode of The Stressless Camping Podcast

Peggy Barthel

It's free.

Tony Barthel

It is to subscribe on any podcast app. We are always saving you a seat around our virtual campfire. And by the way, again, last week, Brian had asked about Google is sunsetting their podcasting platform. Mhmm. And so I think Spotify is a good choice if you're not on, you know, an iPhone or Apple product.

Tony Barthel

Yeah. If you're on Apple products, then Apple makes a yeah. They make a good thing. So anyway, that's the story. Morning glory.

Peggy Barthel

And as always, it's a good reminder that a review will help others find the podcast and then more people will listen. And the more people that listen, the more great guests want to be part of it and talk to all of you. So if you haven't left a review, there's information, there's instructions in the newsletter on how you can do that. Wow. And there's also instructions on how you can share.

Peggy Barthel

So maybe you've already written a review and you're tired of us asking. But still, if you hear something that you like or see something on the website or see something on social media that you like, please share it. We really appreciate that too. I, again, will thank my cousin John and my aunt Cathy who share everything we write. Yeah.

Peggy Barthel

I really appreciate it. Appreciate that.

Tony Barthel

And all of you, of course.

Peggy Barthel

Of course.

Tony Barthel

Well, with that, it's a pleasure to be here with you this week from inside our Rockwood mini light. This is about to hit the road because we're about to take it with us. So maybe we'll see out there on this adventure. Maybe. And that would make this, uh, even more awesome.

Tony Barthel

In fact, it would make it

Peggy Barthel

stressless camping.

Mark Ferrell

We hope you learned a lot and had some fun and got some tips for your next stressless camping adventure. We're honored by your reviews on Apple Podcasts, which helps others find us too. Don't forget to subscribe so you won't miss out on the adventure, and we look forward to your joining us next week. Until then, happy camping.

Tony Barthel

Of course, there'll be a link below. Below? There'll be a link below in the show notes. Yeah. Below and show is Benno.

Tony Barthel

Didn't you know that? Didn't you Benno that? Oh, my gosh. Yeah. Silliness.

Peggy Barthel

The snow. The snow? What

Tony Barthel

was it? Onodos de Showo.

Peggy Barthel

No. Earlier, you said Oh. The bono the the bonotes. The boats. The balotes.

Tony Barthel

Hey. We could be drinking boat drinks.

Peggy Barthel

Oh, my goodness.

Tony Barthel

Oh, man. Oh, boy. We're inventing our own language over here, everybody.