Here's just a short few events that happened to us all in a span of a few days. We seem to be fortunate enough to capture these events but not be part of them. We sometimes forget that we have the front and rear camera running and don't post most of the crazy and strange things we come across. Our timing just seems to be terrific and try to give a helping hand whenever we can. Hope you learn something from our videos. We are shocked how many times we see people turn the other way and not help. So glad that the motorcyclist recovered from his spill but so sad to know that everyone was leaving him to fend for himself. Please keep your eyes out! #roadcrashes #roadrash #autoaccidents #whosnumberone #blackvue #dashcam #dashcamvideo Follow us on social media Facebook- https://facebook.com/corndogcaravan Website- https://www.corndogcaravan.net Instagram- https://instagram.com/corndogcaravan/

Savor the flavor as we cook up pork tenderloins on our ICECO grill. If you saw our grill review last year, you'll know that we searched for the perfect grill for our van life style and we still love this grill. What's nice is the lid can be inverted and allows this to be used as an oven. In an effort to control our food cost we found these pork tenderloins for under $5 each. I marinated these in "Ray's Rub" for 24hrs but feel free to use your favorite spice or marinade. I picked up a bag of charcoal at Food City in Safford, AZ for $2/bag. We have really enjoyed the New Hidden Valley Flavored Instant Potatoes and split the 4oz bag into two meals. Each bag retails for around $1.50 to $2.00. Once the tenderloins were finished, I wrapped them in foil and kept them resting for about an hour in our microwave. During the cook I prepped the Great Value brand Pizza Crust mix. Each bag can make one 12-14" pizza. Cost was 78 cents. For the sauce, I used about a cup of Victoria's Marinara which was probably $1 worth of the jars content. Cheese was Great Value Mozzarella and was approximately $1 for the amount used. Pepperoni was from Winco Grocery and was $2 for the bag which would contain enough for three pizzas. This was the first baking attempt in the ICECO Grill and will use more charcoal next time around to improve the cook time. Thanks for watching and keep checking back for more Frugal Friday Meal ideas. #porktenderloin #grillingsecrects #grillingpizza #frugalmeals Follow us on social media Facebook- https://facebook.com/corndogcaravan Website- https://www.corndogcaravan.net Instagram- https://instagram.com/corndogcaravan/

This is a follow up to the video we released last Spring 2024 when we installed the LiTime 1000W inverter that began to smoke. I contacted LiTime about the issue and they quickly responded and sent me a replacement. After installing the replacement we didn't use the inverter much as our roof top solar was keeping up with our demands and was keeping our Lithium batteries charged. As we entered Fall 2024, solar power started to reduce and we then started using the LiTIme 1000W inverter again. While driving to our next destination I would turn on the inverter and watch our Victron Battery Monitor App during the trip. Once the SOC% (State of Charge) reached 99% we would turn off the inverter and let our solar finish off charging our system which stops at 28.8V dc. This procedure repeated itself over the next few months and the inverter worked perfectly. I wanted to continue my testing because after many discussions with electrical experts far smarter than me, I still didn't have 100% certainty. The nagging theory I had was that when the LiTime 1000W inverter when into "idle mode"- zero demand, it somehow was allowing power to rush back to it in reverse from my battery bank being charged. I also wanted to test the inverter to see how many watts it would produce before going into overload protection. I tested a waffle maker that placed a demand of 896W and it performed flawlessly. I also wanted to find a device that placed a small load between 10-50W and after trying an Oral-B toothbrush recharger base I quickly found that the draw was almost immeasurable. I then remembered that my Honda Motocompacto Charger used a small amount of power, max of 218W. This would be a perfect device to test my dummy load or what I used to keep the LiTIme 1000W inverter to constantly produce power and not go into "idle mode". I want to repeat this test a few times before I try reproducing the issue we had at the beginning of this whole story. Do you think I'm right or on to something? What other test could I do? #litime #litimeinverter #electricaltesting Follow us on social media Facebook- https://facebook.com/corndogcaravan Website- https://www.corndogcaravan.net Instagram- https://instagram.com/corndogcaravan/

Watch as I discuss the bargains we found at the Big Tent in Quartzite 2025. I love to find a deal and scored big time when I found 2 items I was specifically looking for. After 4+ years of full time van life it was getting time to replace our HepvO sink drain waterless waste valve. Many RV's use these as they take less valuable space underneath the sink area. They work great when the diaphragm inside closes tightly to seal the pungent odors out but after just a few months of use ours begins to build up some nasty slime and chunks. I've cleaned ours out using a small brush and some bleach and other cleaning chemicals a dozen times. After this last clean out I can see daylight through the diaphragm so I knew it was time to replace it. Prices online have ranged from $30-$60 with the best price being from HepvO directly. We aren't an affiliate and are not sponsored by HepvO. I was able to snag this section of the entire assembly for only $14.75!!! My other bargain find was the Camco Water Tank Filler. We'll use this to help fill our gravity water fill inlet going forward. We recently changed our water fill hose from a Camco that began to crack in a few spots after 4+ years and switched over to a collapsible hose. This new hose fitting on the end doesn't fit down inside our Perko water inlet so this cheap and simple tank filler will do great. I snagged this for only $5 and was cheaper than Wal-Mart or Amazon. #hepvo #camco #frugalfinds #frugalliving #frugal Follow us on social media Facebook- https://facebook.com/corndogcaravan Website- https://www.corndogcaravan.net Instagram- https://instagram.com/corndogcaravan/

Do you struggle with simple meal planning for vanlife? Want to prep enough for an entire week that only requires a 60 second warm up in the morning? Watch Ray make our favorite breakfast burritos. We had Boondocker Welcome Host friends make a similar breakfast treat for us and after a few modifications we've perfected our Roadside Southwestern Breakfast Burritos. We were able to build 19 burritos for a cost between $15-$20 total (Egg Prices Vary) Ingredients: 1lb Turkey Sausage -Chorizo Flavored 1- 4.2oz box of Idaho Spuds Hashbrown Potatoes 1/2 Yellow Onion Chopped 1/2 Jalapeño diced- Fresh or Canned 1/2 cup Hatch Green Chile Canola Oil or Olive Oil 1/2 tsp Hatch Chile Powder 1/2 tsp Black Pepper 1 Cup shredded Mexican cheese blend 10-12 large eggs 14-20 Flour Tortillas Foil Sheets for freezing Follow us on social media Facebook- https://facebook.com/corndogcaravan Website- https://www.corndogcaravan.net Instagram- https://instagram.com/corndogcaravan/

Watch as we help Dave from OneAdVantureAtATime replace his mirror insert on his Ram Promaster Side Mirror. This process only takes a minute and requires no tools. When we replaced our Drivers Side Mirror in 2024 after hitting a large raven I saved the large mirror insert. The lower mirror was impossible for me to remove as it shattered while trying to loosen from its mount. Dave contacted me and asked if I could save him the large mirror as his cracked. While in Quartzsite, AZ 2025 RTR we met up and made easy work of switching this out. Follow us on social media Facebook- https://facebook.com/corndogcaravan Website- https://www.corndogcaravan.net Instagram- https://instagram.com/corndogcaravan/

Recently we turned over 82,000 miles on our 2018 Ram Promaster 3500 van and thought it was time to replace the rear brake pads. We travel full time and don't always have the best spot to do repairs DIY. Normally when I've done disc brake maintenance/replacing pads, I remove the rotors and have them turned at a retailer like O'Reilly Auto Parts or a shop that will do this process but since I don't have the ability to remove both simultaneously and take them somewhere, I decided to buy replacement rotors and pads from Autozone. Our 3500 has the heavy duty suspension and vented brakes. To be prepared for this project I wanted to have everything. I could always return anything I didn't need or use. I purchased a set of rear brake pads- Duralast Gold- Autozone 15% off at the time when buying pads and rotors. Gold pads are lifetime replacements. $100/set Set of Duralast Gold Vented Rotors - 3 year warranty. $104 each Set of Brake Calipers- Some owners have had issues with the caliper slides snapping when removing so I wanted to have replacements handy just in case. $167-$55 core return A few packs of anti-seize thread compound and high temp brake grease to lube the slide pins and brake pad backing plates. $2-$3 Tools needed- I use the factory jack stands - with caution. 6mm hex socket with 3/8" ratchet for removing brake caliper pins. 74ft/lbs 23mm socket with 1/2" ratchet for removing caliper mounting bracket from hub. 124ft/lbs 12mm wrench or deep socket with 3/8" ratchet for removing 2 rotor pins that align the tire rim and also secure the rotor to the hub. 19mm socket with 1/2" ratchet for removing lug nuts. 100-146ft/lbs. You pick. I check the lugs approx every 5,000 miles. 2 cans of Brake cleaner, rags or shop towels, paper towels. Toilet paper if desperate enough. 2- 32oz DOT4 Brake Fluid - Your brand of choice. This is needed if the caliper has to be completely removed due to leaking caliper, damage, broken caliper pin(s). Also needed if you decide to bleed the brakes or replace/flush the fluid. Future video will show this process. $8/bottle If you really want to be a professional, purchase a brake pad thickness gauge set from your favorite autoparts center or HF. They give you a range from 2mm thickness to 12mm. If your pads are 2-3mm, it's time to replace or pray really hard. The brake light indicator may give you a warning when it's time to replace but I wouldn't trust them. Check the pads yourself!!!!!! Information included- Free! This is not a paid endorsement for any of the parts or tools mentioned above but if you feel like sending us some love offerings, I won't say no. Follow us on social media Facebook- https://facebook.com/corndogcaravan Website- https://www.corndogcaravan.net Instagram- https://instagram.com/corndogcaravan/

Since we we're kids our mama's made peas and cornbread for New Year. I've continued this tradition for us. Using the InstantPot makes it easy in our small van kitchen.