Prudent RVer = LEDs

My name is Sam Penny; I have adopted the handle of "Prudent RVer." If that sounds like I have an attitude, you are hearing right -- I do.

I identify myself with the full-time RVing community.  My wife, Alice, and I live in one of two RVs we own: either a 34-ft triple-slide fifth-wheel trailer we park at our base camp at the Jojoba Hills SKP Resort in southern California, or a 25-ft single-slide fifth-wheel that we pull around the country when it is time to travel.

At the same time, we work at living a very prudent life-style, one that does not depend upon too many of the amenities of society It is practice for the time when society may not be able to provide those amenities -- like food and fuel and energy and water.

Our official domicile is Livingston, Texas, and we are affiliated with the Escapees RV Club. We own no real estate. Governments have a hard time understanding and dealing with people such as we, but from our point of view , this is the kind of life we want to lead.

In practice, living as we do, we have a smaller carbon footprint than any of my children and most of our friends. Our living space is either 200 or 320 square feet, not counting our front yard which may be 50 square miles of some national forest. We have solar panels on both of our rigs, typically use less than 40 gallons of water in week when sitting on the desert near Quartzsite. We cook with a solar oven when it is convenient.

I operate a business over the Internet (www.prudentrver.com) and use both Internet and TV satellite communication (solar powered). I sell LED lights that replace the 12-volt incandescent and fluorescent bulbs/tubes in RVs.

We travel to various RV rallies around the country to spread the word about LEDs and to give seminars. It is our way of contributing to the future success of the human race and seeing all the sights we want to see. We expect to use less than 900 gallons of diesel traveling about 12,000 miles in the next 12 months -- sounds like a lot, but low when compared with the fuel consumption of some of the commuters and soccer moms we know.

So that is who I am. That is my attitude.

Sam Penny
the Prudent RVer