We started our RV journey with the Coleman Road Trip LXE Portable 2 burner Propane Grill – 20,00 BTU but during a recent shopping trip we purchased the Weber Q 1200 LP Gas Grill. Since we have owned and cooked on both grills we wanted to share our pro’s and con’s list for each, along with making the above comparison video because one maybe better for you!

Coleman Road Trip LXE Grill

Pros-

• Stand and grill are attached – makes for easy set up and easy stow
• Integrated utensil hooks
• Larger grilling surface (285 sq. in. cooking surface area) – cook more food at one time ~ great for BBQ parties
• Two separate grill areas (2 burners) that can be lit separately – can cook meat on one side and veggies on the other at different heat settings
• Slide out trays
• Optional replacement griddle rack – on one or both sides
• Comes in a variety of colors (e.g. blue, red, black, etc.)

Cons-

• Heavy – we find it hard to pull the grill in and out of our bay, especially with only one person
• Lid is shallow – hard to use grill accessories
• No external thermometer
• Hard to access and non-disposable cleaning tray – small and difficult to clean
• Gas connector not in ideal location – the connector sticks out of back causing it to be easily damaged by hitting things while stored and during the stowing process. It also blocks the cleaning tray, you need to disconnect gas to get to the cleaning tray.
• Wheels on grill stand are weak – the interior of one of our wheels broke while I was stowing the grill for travel

Coleman Summary

The Coleman’s cooking ability is great, the flame/heat range can be adjusted ever so slightly, letting you get just the right cook for your favorite meal. We found it a little bulky and heavy to constantly take in and out of our coach. In all a good grill for large families and parties, giving you the ability to cook a lot of food quickly. It is also cheaper, with stand and grill attached, a good camping grill for the cost. It is currently around $140 on Amazon and in Walmart.

Weber Q 1200 LP Gas Grill

Pros-

• Strong build construction – feels like a mini weber not like a camping stove
• Extremely light and portable
• Larger grilling volume – ability to cook a roasted chicken due to the high top lid
• Traditional grill designed lid – better for grill accessories
• Exterior thermometer (not available on Weber Q1000)
• Easy clean tray – easy to access and throw away tin
• Gas connector is located under grill to the left – out of the way but still easy to access for connecting propane
• Optional replacement griddle rack – on one or both sides
• Comes in a variety of colors (e.g. blue, green, pink, red, black, etc.)

Cons-

• Stand and grill are bought separately and Weber stand for grill is not very study
• More expensive – needing to purchase grill and stand separately
• No area to hang grill utensils
• Single burner – can heat entire grill to only one setting
• Heat range is subtle – meaning the low to high heating is very similar and it is difficult to cook something on a low setting
• Finicky regulator – sometimes the regulator will go into protection mode and block the propane flow

Weber Summary

The Weber Q 1200 is light weight and extremely portable. While it was a little more expensive, currently pricing at $199, we really liked the size and style of this grill. As it is easy to pull out of your coach and start cooking. While the regulator can be ‘finicky’ and you don’t get as much versatility in cooking (due to the single burner) it still cooks a delicious meal, and you have an external thermometer to assist in cooking food at the right temperature. We found this grill to be better for smaller crowds or great for your grill aficionado. As you can purchase all kinds of grill accessories to tailor to your specific grill needs or desires.   

Want to get one too?

Below are the links to purchase one for yourself. We also included a few links on our favorite grill accessories.

• Coleman (Amazon link)
  • Extended Gas Connector (Amazon link)
  • Grill Cover (Amazon link)
  • Griddle Option (Amazon link)
• Weber (Amazon link)
  • Extended Gas Connector (Amazon link)
  • Griddle Option (Amazon link)
  • Disposable Drip Pans (Amazon link)
  • Weber Grill Stand (Amazon link)
  • Grill Cover (Amazon link)
• Our Suggested Grill Accessories
  • Grill Utensils with Case (Amazon link)
  • GCI Cook Station/ Grill Stand (Amazon link)
  • Grill Vegetable Basket (Amazon link)
  • Grill Matt (Amazon link)

Don’t like either? Here are a few other popular grill options that RV’ers and campers are also purchasing.

• Cuisinart CGG-180T Petit Gourmet Portable Tabletop Gas Grill (Amazon link)
• Coleman NXT Lite Tabletop Propane Grill (Amazon link)
• Char-Broil TRU-Infrared Portable Grill2Go Gas Grill (Amazon link)

Let us know your thoughts! What grill and grill accessories do you use?

Or better yet,  have any good grill recipes? We love trying to cook new things on our grill.

Happy chillin and grillin!

The post The Portable Grill Challenge appeared first on LivinLite.net.

We wanted to pick up around where we left off… The Southwest! So what better way to jump start us on our trip than a 2,150 mile drive from Connecticut to Albuquerque, New Mexico for the International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta!

Now I know what you are thinking, ‘That’s easy for a RV’er. Traveling from one side of the US to the other – isn’t that the point?’ And yes, that is exactly the point but here’s the kicker – we are going to complete this drive in 5-6 days! That may not seem like a lot of driving but at almost 400 miles a day that means we will average almost 8 hours of driving for the entire adventure. That’s doable in a car with two drivers but with Kala working she isn’t able to to drive  and lets just say a 65 foot rig isn’t like driving a Honda Civic. Impossible you say, well maybe – Check out our video to see how we did it, our mishaps along the way, and if we made it in time!

States Driven & Places Stayed:

• Connecticut – Home
• New York – Passing Through
• New Jersey – Passing Through
• Pennsylvania – Passing Through
• Maryland –  Walmart in Haggardstown
• Virginia – Passing Through
• Tennessee – Walmart in Knoxville
• Arkansas – Walmart in Morrilton
• Oklahoma – Elk City RV Park (for water and dump station)
• Texas – Passing Through
• New Mexico – Xscapers Rally – Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta!

Lifesaving Tools & Apps:

• Smart RV Route: Our Primary Phone Based GPS for Route Planning
  • Android or Iphone/Ipad
• All Stays – The Definitive Guide to Truck Stops, Walmarts, Campgrounds, Low Bridges and More!
  • Android or Iphone/Ipad

Credits:

A big thank you to Pictramap.com for providing the animated maps we used in this post.

The post Mad Dash! Driving from Connecticut to New Mexico in 6 days – Impossible? appeared first on LivinLite.net.

Campground(s) We Stayed

We stayed at the Stone Mountain Park Campground for one week during the month of February. The campground was beautiful and allowed us to relax and enjoy the massive lake that was right next to our RV site. It has a total of 431 campsites, 202 of them are RV full hook ups and 189 are partial hook-ups (water/electric). All campsites included fire rings & picnic tables and some sites have a small deck complete with gas grills overlooking the lake. A few other amenities include; heated comforts stations, laundry facility, a swimming pool, free wifi and cable, along with a discount for passes to other attractions within the park.

Things To Do

Confederate Memorial Carving – The Civil War can be a touchy subject but for history buffs the Confederate Memorial Carving is chock full of American History. The carving is the largest relief carving in the world measuring 3 acres in size and is larger than a football field. In the summer the carving is highlighted by a massive Lasershow Spectacular provided in “Mountainvision” which we think is a fancy way of saying “with really really big lights and projectors”.  We were not there to witness the laser show since we visited off season but the pictures on the website and the reviews we read all say it is quite the experience.

Adventure Pass – If you have a family and/or want to visit more than one attraction then pickup an “Adventure Pass.” This give you access to all the attractions (depending on the season). We visited in the winter, our attractions included; Stone Mountain Museum at Memorial Hall, 4-D movie experience, the SnowZone, Tube Runers, Avalanche Alley and more.

Summit Sky Ride – A high-speed Swiss cable car takes you to the top of Stone Mountain providing great views of the Confederate Memorial Carving locate on the side of Stone Mountain. Once you get to the top there are amazing views of the park and the Atlanta skyline. Watch the video above to check out our Sky Ride experience!

Recreation and Golf – Hiking trails are located all throughout the mountain and park, along with places to have picnics while enjoying nature. If you like golf there is also a 18 hole golf course along the base of the mountain.

And More… check out the Stone Mountain Park website to see all the fun things you can do at the park!

Places We Ate

1910 Public House – During our brief stay we took a drive into Lilburn, GA where we had a great dinner at 1910 Public House. We started off with the Diavolo Mussels and Roasted Beet and Spinach Salad. Followed by the Seared Sea Scallops and Pork Chops for mains. The food was great and hit the spot after a long day of work.

Overall Opinion

We were not able to stay at this location as long as we normally do but overall we had a great time at the park. Stone Mountain and Stone Mountain Park is a beautiful place to visit any time of the year, with tons of activities for people of all ages. It is definitely geared towards families but there is more than enough for everyone, especially if you include what is available in Atlanta.  The campground is very nice with amazing views and unique sites. We were there in the winter and not a lot of people were around but I’m sure this park is very popular in the summer due to the lake and laser light show.

Would We Recommend

Yes, we would recommend going to Stone Mountain Park in Stone Mountain, GA to enjoy nature and to stay at a beautiful campground.

The post Exploring Stone Mountain Georgia appeared first on LivinLite.net.

Please let us know of any other organizing ideas you have found helpful. We would love to know how you tackle small space challenges!

Happy Organizing!

The post RV Organization – Part 1 appeared first on LivinLite.net.

Name: Lone Pine Campsites – Vermont

Location: 52 Sunset View Rd. – Mallets Bay, Colchester, VT 05446

Type: RV Park

Website: http://lonepinecampsites.com/

Overview

The Campground is located right on the shoreline of Lake Champlain next to Mallets Bay. It’s a quick 20 minutes drive to downtown Burlington, VT and about 40 minutes from the Canadian border. Check out our area review of downtown Burlington here. 

The grounds are well groomed and the park has great security. We arrived after hours and their security crew was extremely nice and helped us find our site in the dark, ensuring we were all set for the evening. They have a total of 265 spots ranging from tent sites to 3-point/50 amp/pull through RV sites.

Their office with store is fully stocked with all kinds of items from soft serve ice cream to fire wood to clothes to RV needs. They are also known to be “Vermont’s Favorite Family Campground” and during our two-week stay I could definitely see why, with playgrounds, two swimming pools, pedal bike rentals and a weekly ride on their vintage fire truck, what a fun place to be a kid!

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Additional Features:

• Good Sam discounts
• Clean bathrooms
• Mini golf course
• Laundry facility
• Propane refills
• Additional dump stations
• Pet friendly

What we liked

• Friendly and Accommodating Staff
  • The staff was so friendly and helpful. We decided to extend our stay and while they didn’t have the same spot available they placed us in an overflow spot. On our move day an employee came over to ensure we had everything we needed included a picnic table and dropped of a portable fire pit.

• Exceptionally Clean
  • From the bathrooms to the grounds to the office and pool everything was clean and organized.

• Great Wifi
  • Having a good wifi connection is also a major plus for us.

• Big Rig Friendly
  • We loved that they had spacious sites along with pull-throughs. It always makes coming and going a little bit easier in our 45-footer.

What we didn’t like

• Close to the highway
  • While we didn’t really have anything we didn’t like about this campground our one ‘this could have been better moment’ was the close proximity to a major highway and the directions off the highway to the campground were a little confusing. A few more signs on the way in would have been helpful.

Overall Opinion

Overall this campground was great. With a packed calendar of events, well maintained grounds, good Wifi, and friendly staff it was a very pleasant experience all around.

Would we stay again?

Yes, we would stay again!

LivinLite.net Ratings (10 max)

Accessibility – 7

Connectivity – 9

Cleanliness – 10

Staff – 10

Surroundings (local attractions) – 8.5

The post Lone Pine Campsites – Colchester, VT appeared first on LivinLite.net.