Hello... probably should introduce myself

DigitalSorceress

Hiya, my name is Tananda. 

I'll be taking delivery on a 2019 T@B 320 S Boondock this coming Saturday (May 11, 2019).

I had been looking for the smallest travel trailer I could reasonably feel comfortable in. I'm 6'2" so I had mostly considered slightly bigger units like the T@B 400, Little Guy MaX, and the smallest was an Ascape from Aliner.. tiny thing but designed so I could stand up fully in the kitchen area.

However, I did a bunch of research on it last year and kind of put the idea on the back burner until recently. In my reevaluation I gave serious thought to whether standing up entirely was really that important.. the AScape ST (and new Grand Ascape ST) technically met all my needs (weight, size) except for the fact that they don't really have the same sturdiness/build quality the teardrops had.. and the real clincher for me was a lack of any kind of equivalent to the Little Guy Rough Rider or the T@B Boondock packages... I want something that can get off the paved roads some.

At the end of the day, it was being able to walk between the different models I wanted all at one dealership (they had the Little Guy line, the T@B 400 and 320 (CS and S for comparisons) and the newest Grand AScape ST which had been my front runner.

After exhausting my poor salesman (thanks Ed) I decided that the build quality and the features of the T@B 320 S Boondock Edge were perfect for what I wanted and that the fact I can't fully stand up is OK (I think of it like how some folks find a more traditional size Teardrop like the T@G models fine.. I can happily work with that as all the other criteria (Bathroom, very light weight, sturdy, off-road capable (within reason), small (5k BTU) AirCon, and a really comfortable place to work from)  were met very well.

I'm a photographer (strictly hobby mode these days.. former news photog / wedding photographer) and I just really want to get out and travel a bit. I am lucky enough to have a job that I telecommute full time. So as long as I have access to solid Internet connection, a phone and enough power to run my work laptop (and maybe a spare monitor) I can work M-F 7am to 4pm EDT from anywhere and manage to be in really awesome places for sunrise and sunset and spend time enjoying and exploring, and visiting friends.. and so that's what I want to do.

I don't think I'd end up truly full-timing, but I plan to ensure I get out and about a great deal. I have a friend in Utah who I've done some photo trips with..  I want to go and revisit a bunch of National parks out that way.. and spend some time / be there for the good light.

I've been happy hermiting at home but the wanderlust has kind of seeped into my bones.

~Tananda (The Digital Sorceress)

ChanW

Welcome Tananda, and congratulations!

You're gonna love your Tab!

VictoriaP

Welcome, and enjoy your new rig!

N7SHG_Ham

Welcome. I am in similar work situation and after a few days on the road, I can tell you, Internet is going to be a challenge. I am already looking to spend at least a few hundred bucks on a cell booster and may get a wireless router too. Another issue is "unlimited" cell data really isn't and currently it looks while phone speeds are decent, the tethering is pathetic to where I can't work, this is a traffic priority issue at the provider side it appears.

DigitalSorceress

N7SHG_Ham said:

Welcome. I am in similar work situation and after a few days on the road, I can tell you, Internet is going to be a challenge. I am already looking to spend at least a few hundred bucks on a cell booster and may get a wireless router too. Another issue is "unlimited" cell data really isn't and currently it looks while phone speeds are decent, the tethering is pathetic to where I can't work, this is a traffic priority issue at the provider side it appears.

Yeah I may look into a booster for cell .. I may actually get a second cell phone.. from a different carrier so when those "unlimited" plans throttle me...

I'm lucky in that my work can be very low bandwidth, but I have to be available for IMs and take phone calls and access the portal where we read and respond to customer tickets, but most of that is pretty minor traffic-wise. Though sometimes I need to upload/download some bigger files from customers...  I'm going to do an experiment where I see about working fully tethered from my cell for a day and see how that goes. I probably would need to grab a second cell phone account for taking phone calls - tethering while taking on phone I believe is not possible with my carrier/phone setup. Having that second cell phone /carrier would give me a place to go if I get throttled.

My plan in that regard is to try to always make sure travel/work days are between points where I can get wiFi at either a campground or free wifi at Panera/starbucks etc.. I've got no issue with buying a LOT of coffe and also lunch to pay for my wifi moocing..

Cellular data would be my emergency backup plan..  and I'm not really thinking I'll full time.. just kind of extend my range a whole bunch by taking my time on the long-haul part of my treks...

Verna

Welcome, Tananda.

I do live full-time in my T@B 400 Boondock Lite with my Shih Tzu, Sunny Day. 

I do carry two cell phones. One is now on the Verizon network (unlimited voice, talk and text), but formerly on the AT&T network. Verizon certainly has a lot more coverage area than AT&T.  This phone dan he used as a hot spot. I do have the unlimited plan, which Verizon says can be “slowed” (throttled) in heavily congested areas. The Jet Pack for my laptop or iPad has a limit of 15 gig, at which time it will be slowed to an extremely slow speed (dial up mode slow). 

I also have a Straight Talk Wireless phone from Walmart with unlimited voice, text and data, but it cannot be used as a hotspot. But, in print, this Straight Talk Wireless phone does give me up to 60 gig (yes, you read that correctly) of data per month for $55+tax. I have used 34 gig in one month in the past with no problem. 

So, I watch my data usage on the Verizon phone, and I use the Straight Talk phone for streaming, or for data usage. 

I did give up my retired employee AT&T discount to change to Verizon, but I have absolutely no regrets. The monthly rates are similar for these two carriers. 

I also have a cell phone booster and it works very well. Be sure to search for cell phone booster and read my write up. I believe @jkjenn also has a write up on her cell phone booster. 

Good of luck and have fun. 

Homebodyatheart

@tananda Welcome to the Tab family and the Forum! Waiting for your new Tab is an exciting time. 

lino

Welcome 
I got to Beckley’s often just to look at the upgrades and different trailers  

DigitalSorceress

Homebodyatheart said:

@tananda Welcome to the Tab family and the Forum! Waiting for your new Tab is an exciting time. 

I always try and value the journey and not just the destination.. so yes

While I wait I've been researching certain must haves and ordering stuff

Ordered an RVLock keyless entry and a generator and am researching/scouting out a few other things that I know are going to be critical for me.. It's always good to have a project

DigitalSorceress

Verna said:

...

I do carry two cell phones.

...
I also have a cell phone booster and it works very well. Be sure to search for cell phone booster and read my write up. I believe @jkjenn also has a write up on her cell phone booster. 

...

@Verna Thanks!

Yeah I think I'll have to do a second phone for serious remote work so I can take a call on one while using data on another. I had an iPhone years ago and it could do both at once, but I don't think Androids do.

My current phone is a Google FI... the big benefit is that they switch carriers as needed.. between Us Cellular (same tech as Verizon), T Mobile (same tech as AT&T) and um I think sprint  based on whichever has best signal at the moment..  in theory it's unlimited (in terms of what I pay) but if I get too high in usage, I might get throttled... but I can tether with it.

I think I might try and get an iPhone from Verizon or TMobile .. need to research extra charges for tethering / data plans etc..   though maybe a cheap talk only or something like the walmart plan you suggested would be enough ..

as for boosters ..  yeah everything I hear/read says that the weboost product is great.

I will totally check out the writeup you suggested

I am also looking into a WIFIRanger to boost/repeat weaker WiFi .. I know that many RV parks have wifi, but it can be super spotty .. and boosting that might help let me get more reliable connection on that side when available but weak

All this stuff .. I'd love to just be able to camp and disconnect as that's a big part of what I like about getting out there.. but being able to have reliable connectivity I can use to work remotely means I can greatly extend my ability to get TO and FROM great places while not having to take vacation time to do so.

I am already planning a trip out West (I'm in VA) where I will work the day, travel some, work the day, travel some.. during weekdays, and then use a couple weeks vacation once I'm there to go out and do some photography even if it took a couple weeks to get there and to get back as long as I can find connectivity during work hours I'm set.

jkjenn

I used my Android for both phone and data sharing.

DigitalSorceress

jkjenn said:

I used my Android for both phone and data sharing.

OK I thought it didn't.. going to test that out .. thanks

DigitalSorceress

UUUGH  . did a quick speed test with tethering ..Phone showed LTE earlier but got this result and looked and it was 2 bars no LTE symbol

I really need to consider my choices here.. maybe go for a proper hotspot if I want to be able to work remotely reliably without relying on Starbucks...  

Mouseketab

When I was doing remote work and a lot of traveling, I found the combination of a T-Mobile phone and a Verizon JetPack. The Verizon JetPack gave me TONS of coverage in many places. The T-Mobile phone worked in places where the Verizon wouldn't (rare). T-Mobile has WiFi calling, so when the T-Mobile phone didn't have coverage, I could Wifi the phone to the JetPack. Still make work calls and telecons, and be online.

DigitalSorceress

Mouseketab said:

When I was doing remote work and a lot of traveling, I found the combination of a T-Mobile phone and a Verizon JetPack. ...

Yeah it seems like a lot of folks agree that Verizon's coverage is the widest.  I am going to maybe go to my local Verizon store and talk to them about plans.. The JetPack doesn't work with their "unlimited" plans right? I think you get a fixed plan for those?

N7SHG_Ham

I am going to dig into it a bit as far as tethering being restricted. I was working remote this week in NV. I have multiple T-Mobile lines and was using my phone for a Hotspot. Noticed the phone worked pretty good even though signal was a bit marginal, tethering worked good at 1st, but then dropped to an unacceptable crawl, basically I couldn't work. I do sometimes need to move large files and I think for this billing cycle I am now around 16gb, it seems on tethering I have been cut back to 2g or slower, but on phone it still works ok. I tested about 20 miles away on different tower, same result. I don't think a booster is going to help in this case since it looks like I was throttled. I am back home in Oregon now so will investigate.

Travelin3D

Verizon had been offering a JetPack with unlimited data for $65 on a prepaid plan. I understand the offer looked like it had been withdrawn but was actually buried in the prepaid section of their website. I haven't checked into this but it is a popular plan and Verizon has a history of suddenly dropping things. 

DigitalSorceress

N7SHG_Ham said:

... Noticed the phone worked pretty good even though signal was a bit marginal, tethering worked good at 1st, but then dropped to an unacceptable crawl, basically I couldn't work....

Yeah that sure sounds like they were throttling the tethering.. though signal being marginal... I really need to go set up somewhere with full bars and see what it does...

I did decide that no matter what plan I go with I want a booster as I've had lots of issues with less that adequate number of bars.. I think the weBoost will do nicely for me.. I got a bundle that is the 4G-X RV setup plus a magnetic car antenna and inside car antenna so I can easily bring the unit between TV and camper

DigitalSorceress

@Travelin3D Thanks, I think I'm gong to head over to the local Verizon store today and see what they have to say.

I had a Sprint MiFi several years ago but it was not at all reliable.. it just always had issues keeping a connection.. it was partly related to Sprint signal on the spot I was camping (this was tent camping at an event where the cell towers weren't TOO far away but there were like 10k people in a 4 square mile campground...  so it might have been congestion PLUS marginal bars in the spot where I camped..

Travelin3D

I looked at the Verizon site and the best prepaid plan for the JetPack was $45 for 8GB plus a bonus of 7GB (so 15 total). So maybe the unlimited plan is gone. The store personnel are not always up to date on current offers. 

Search YouTube for JetPack. There's a channel called Mobile Internet Resource Center that seems to have pretty reliable info. 

DigitalSorceress

@Travelin3D Yes, I found that site .. I think from a link on Mandy Lee Photo.. 

Good point about the store folks ,.. I'll do my research before walking in.. just in case.

DigitalSorceress

@Travelin3D So, it seems that the JetPack 10G plan is now $80 and 20 is $90 and 30 is $120 so I'm going to get the 20 and see how that meets my needs.

I have an upcoming event where I've arranged several backup plans for Internet should it not be enough.. Going to  get the JetPack and day 1 going to work hard.. full day as if I were home and check usage at end of day.. then second day I will try and conserve bandwidth.. and then compare so I can calculate how much I really need.

Asked the important questions: I can cancel the plan at any time but reactivating will need another $40 fee.. so If I know I'm not going anywhere for the winter, it would save me money to cancel and fire it back up in spring when I hit the road again.. but I can also upgrade to the next tier any time..

for me I think this will be best.. I won't really know how much I use for a typical day at work till I've had a chance to test it a bit.. shakedown event next week will give me that chance.

Travelin3D

Sounds like your test will give you the info you really need. Are those prices on the prepaid plan? Prepaid usually knocks $5 off the monthly rate. 

DigitalSorceress

@Travelin3D The fixed data plan isn't prepaid (at least mine isn't) They will bill me at the end of the month for service + overage

Yeah so I bought the jetPack ($199) and signed up for $90 / month.

Good grief, I'm getting spendy

But .. if this truly enables me to do extended road travel without worry that I won't be able to work remotely...  well, it changes my lifestyle a LOT

I have a Verzon land line I use for work calls, I could kill that and save $40/month and in theory if I travel a lot during the summer (planning on it) I may save a lot on the A/C bill for the house... Though paying someone to mow my lawn so it doesn't look like nobody's home for a spell.. well...  ahh the finances to work out...

Michigan_Mike

Welcome aboard Tananda!  Are you traveling in the east or west?  Verizon is your best choice as although AT&T claims they have us on unlimited data, they handcuff you in areas where they rent cell tower and data from Verizon, etc.  We experienced it in SW AZ and once the two year contract is up I will go to Verizon too.  

Post up some one shots of your new trailer and hope you enjoy your new adventures!

Happy Trails!   

DigitalSorceress

@Michigan_Mike Thanks!   I live in the East (VA) but do plan on heading West a bit.. I've got a dear friend who lives out in Salt Lake City, and last year I took a train out there (fun adventure) and spend a week driving through the 5 national parks in Utah.. a real whirlwind.. and stayed in hotels.

I plan on going back and repeating that general trip but spending a few days at each park..

And I want to go see Yellowstone and visit the Grand Canyon and.. DO ALL THE THINGS

The mobile Internet should let me do a work the day then drive a ways, repeat all week to make my trip to/from the location not cost me days off.. I figure so long as I am careful to avoid dead spots and/or am prepared to take advantage of free wifi and/or the occasional hotel in an emergency (and for a really long shower... ) I may be able to spend a good deal of time seeing the sites I want to see while working.. Not quite full timing .. but .. extended trips where I'm able to take advantage of the remote/mobile nature of my work to see the sites and get out of these same 4 walls.

I know that out West there are some big gaps in coverage.. I'll save trips to those areas for days off/weekends and just always make sure I'm somewhere with coverage during work days.

Pictures sure to come..

DigitalSorceress

Oh today is exciting - my RvLock, WeBoost, and DuroMax dual fuel generator showed up.. and I picked up the JetPack yesterday. Tomorrow I pick up the RV then I GET TO SPEND ALL WEEKEND INSTALLING THINGS!!!

I am such a nerd... this makes me so happy.

VictoriaP

I love getting new tech in the mail! Interested to see your trip reports on the WeBoost.

DigitalSorceress

@VictoriaP So far, so good .. I set it up in my TV tonight.. I got the kit that has both RV antenna setup AND has the magnetic car antenna, a second 12v adapter, and an in car antenna so I can just move the base unit between TV and camper

I tested out here at my house.. I saw about 6-10db signal boost with it on which is pretty good.

The jet pack is ready to roll I was getting 30 MiB/sec down when I tested it locally... that's more than enough so it comes down to how much bandwidth I need to do the job. I figure I won't possibly use 20 GiB in 2 days working so I'll be fine for this trip and can figure out what works from there

This trip I don't need the generator as I should have shore power though I will bring it and may still load test a bit.

This weekend I figure I'm going to be raiding my house and heading to the local store for odds and ends to get all kitted out..  I'm excited.. till I get the CC bills I'm sure

Photomom

Welcome! Our T@B works for my 6’5” husband, but de doesn’t stand up in it!

DigitalSorceress

@Photomom I very carefully thought about whether standing up was critical.. I decided that I"m fine without.. otherwise I'd have gotten the 400

The fact that the bed is a bit short doesn't bother me too much.. I've slept on a mattress pad, curled up in the 5'2" bed of my pickup before...  at 6'5" he's probably got the same conundrum: curl up or dangle feet.