Ultra-Fab Phoenix 5500 Tongue Jack

Camper Upgrades,

New Ultra-Fab Phoenix 5500 installed on the trailer.A few days ago, as I was hitching the trailer to the truck to leave the campground, something fell out of the tongue jack lower tube. I didn’t see it fall, but Joyce did and pointed it out. She didn’t know what it was, but I did — it was the stop collar to prevent the jack from extending too far. I wrote about our Odyssey 4000 tongue jack in this post. It wouldn’t affect the tongue jack at the time, so I would deal with it once we got home. Continue reading Ultra-Fab Phoenix 5500 Tongue Jack →

2020 Ford F-250 7.3L “Godzilla” Gas Engine Towing MPG

Ford F-250 Super Duty

For the 2020 model year Super Duty trucks, Ford released a brand new gas engine (7.3L or approximately 445 cubic inches) and a new 10 speed automatic transmission. When I was researching the new engine and transmission there was almost zero feedback from owners on towing miles per gallon. Now that we’ve had ours for a while, here is some information on our 7.3L MPG. Continue reading 2020 Ford F-250 7.3L “Godzilla” Gas Engine Towing MPG →

McHale Backpacks — Long Term Review (Bump 32 and Little Big Pack 36)

Backpacking Gear, , ,
McHale Little Big Pack (left) and McHale Bump (right).

It has been almost 10 years since I received my McHale LBP 36 (Little Big Pack) and almost 9 years for my McHale Bump 32. Over the years I have used either the LBP or the Bump on over 90% of my backpacking trips. Enough time and use has passed to objectively review both for function and durability. Continue reading McHale Backpacks — Long Term Review (Bump 32 and Little Big Pack 36) →