Category: Travel

Review – TorkLift GlowStep Revolution

April 20, 2024 averageguy Lifestyle, Travel No Comments

Traveling in an RV brings the comforts of home to the open road. However, one aspect that can often be overlooked is the ease of entering and exiting your mobile abode. That’s where the Torklift GlowStep Revolution steps in – quite literally – to transform your RV experience. Especially handy for those of us that are getting a little bit older and maybe (just maybe!) don’t see that well at night, or have knees that remind us we’re not teenagers. 🙂 The original steps that came with our 2022 Winnebago Micro Minnie FLX weren’t bad but they were a bit high for us. This was especially obvious on uneven surfaces for us.

RV steps

A Step Above the Rest

We started looking for steps with more flexibility, and we found them. The GlowStep Revolution is not just any RV step system. It’s a game-changer for RV owners who demand durability, safety, and versatility. Made of aircraft-grade aluminum and stainless steel, these steps are built to last and to provide a stable, secure entry into your RV. They’re also easy to clean, which I’ll touch on more later.

Notice the squares that look like they glow in the dark? They do, in fact, glow in the dark, which has been wonderful for us at night.

Infinite Adjustability

What sets the GlowStep Revolution apart is its infinite adjustability. The All Terrain Landing Gear allows you to deploy your steps on any type of terrain, ensuring a level step every time. Whether you’re parked on a rocky trail or a smooth driveway, your steps will always be perfectly aligned for safe entry and exit. Each foot can adjust individually to give you further control.

Easy Installation

Installation is a breeze with the GlowStep Revolution. Designed to mount in your existing step well, these steps maximize ground clearance without the need for drilling into your RV step mount. For those without an RV step well, the GlowStep Revolution Uprising mounts seamlessly in the doorway, providing the same level of adjustability without obstructing your screen door or entryway12.

For our Micro Minnie FLX, the install was surprisingly easy. I was able to remove the old steps and simply use the existing bolts & bolt holes to install the GlowStep unit. I did end up using the spacers that were included in the package but that was it. I did it myself in less than 1 hour. (It was a nice day and I wasn’t in a hurry.) They weigh less than the original steps, which was a pleasant surprise.

The Uprising Advantage

The GlowStep Revolution Uprising takes it a step further with a built-in booster step, allowing you to activate or stow away the bottom step without removing it. This feature, along with the adjustable bottom step and step support, makes the Uprising variant a standout choice for those seeking the ultimate in convenience and flexibility2.

One of the first trips we had with the steps was to Burning Man. This year was especially interesting because of the flooding that happened at the event. There was mud. So much mud.


Fortunately, cleaning the steps off was not a problem. The aluminum finish was actually really easy to clean and we managed to keep the mud off of the steps and out of the trailer. The boot brush attachment that came with our unit was also helpful, although towards the end of the week it was a bit clogged with mud and we ended up taking off shoes outside.

Conclusion

The Torklift GlowStep Revolution is more than just a set of steps; it’s an upgrade to your RV lifestyle. With its robust construction, ease of use, and adaptability to any terrain, it’s clear why so many RV enthusiasts are making the switch. So, step up to the GlowStep Revolution and step into comfort and convenience on all your travels. And of course, keep your trailer a bit cleaner. 🙂 We have been 100% satisfied with these steps.

Some formatting assisted by Microsoft Copilot. Torklift was kind enough to provide us with a demo unit for review.

What are we towing with?

July 28, 2022 averageguy Travel Leave a comment

To start off, we were using the 6cyl, 4×4 double cab 2021 Toyota Tacoma. Has a 6400lb towing capacity, and it can definitely tow the Micro Minnie FLX, but on some of the coastal mountain range hills we felt like the Tacoma was struggling. I worry about long term issues. Thanks to trade-in values, we opted to go for a Toyota Tundra as a tow vehicle instead. The Tacoma is already off to its new forever home. Better fuel economy as well, which was surprising. We also needed to make sure that we had enough cargo capacity.

First trip with the Micro Minnie FLX

July 28, 2022 averageguy Travel Leave a comment

We were able to get the Micro Minnie FLX out for a weekend trip and so far, we love it. Only a couple things that we noted…

  • AC & Microwave on at same time (while on battery) tripped main breaker which I did not expect.
  • Inverter showed E01 (low battery) and kept cycling.
  • Starlink router is reset to factory settings by rapid power cycling. The inverter cycling tripped the Starlink router into its reset mode. Oops! At least it was an easy fix.
  • Xantrex app does not show battery level accurately at all, but now that I’m aware of that, I know to check the Lithionics app. Xantrex makes LiFoP4 batteries too so I am not sure why Winnebago did not go with their batteries for better integration. I actually wonder if they DO integrate. Who knows.
  • Winnebago panel shows fresh/grey/black levels correctly, but not battery. This is to be expected, but I guess I wish the FLX got its own control panel that didn’t have a battery button on it. Had I not known this before, I might have been confused and thinking my battery was dead.
  • GoPower app works ok. Seen charge Current of 13.71A, Solar Power 205 W at 1300. This was with the solar panels on the roof, which are 2 x 190watt panels. My Renogy 200w suitcase panel did not arrive in time. More on that later.
  • Lithionics app works ok. Shows a lot of data, and makes it easy to monitor levels.
  • Switched to battery only around 10am, down to 70% with AC on and some microwave usage. At that rate, battery has about 4 hours of usage.
  • AC set to about 77 was quite comfortable. AC (obviously) does better when door is closed.
  • Plugged back in around 2pm when battery was around 48%

Good Things:

  • Starlink worked out quite well
  • Fridge did well but was affected by ambient temperature, which is kind of expected.
  • Shower did great. Showermiser was awesome.
  • Still have 3/4+ tank of fresh water even after almost 4 days. We took washcloth showers, which helped.
  • Nectar mattress is VERY comfortable. Might need to reinforce foot end of bed.

Starlink for RVs

June 2, 2022 averageguy Tech, Travel Leave a comment

Recently saw that Starlink has launched for RVs and we decided to go ahead and get it. One new feature (at least I think that it’s new) is that you can pause your account. You still end up paying the $135 for the full month of service but otherwise, no contracts or anything. Of course you still buy the hardware up front.

Ours took about a week to get here and mostly that was due to FedEx being a dumpster fire these days. I took it out in the backyard and set it up in about 10 minutes. We are not in a normal service area (being in the middle of a metro area) so we expect it to be a lower priority, which is fine. Everything plugged right in and it was so easy I won’t even bore you with photos.

What I did get a photo of later is exciting to me. I have a small Jackery power unit and wanted to see how the Starlink hardware would do. The solar panel is drawing in 51W, and the Starlink stuff using 45W. If I wanted to, I could sit outside all day and still have Starlink internet. Is this a likely scenario? No. Do I need to do this? Also no. Can I do it if I felt like it? Oh yes. iPhone next to a starlink router and plugged into a 200w Jackery power unit.

Speeds were about what others have posted – I got about 100mbps down and about 20mbps up. You really don’t need a ton of bandwidth for most of the internet, and things are even lighter when you block ads & garbage with ublock origin and/or pi-hole. It’s amazing how much faster things load. Yet another reason I try to keep AGT (average guy tries) as lightweight as possible. But I digress..
Starlink is a bit pricy but when we’re working at a special event and *really* need internet access, it’ll most certainly be better than the current nothing that we have. We’re often way out of effective cellular service range too, so this will be great.

2022 Winnebago Micro Minnie FLX

May 18, 2022 averageguy Travel Leave a comment

We bought a trailer! A 2022 Micro Minnie FLX 2108FBS.

21' winnebago micro Minnie flx

It’s brand new and not a lot of real world information is out there yet, but if all goes well we should be able to camp totally off the grid for up to 5 days. We know that mileage may vary depending on usage, but we’re happy about it so far. Some users on YouTube have added good information. SpeedBumpMedia and Joe’s Travels both have them and have been updating their videos as well.

The Winnebago website has more information. Basics? 2 x 190 watt solar panels, Truma heat/AC unit, 3 burner gas stove, ShowerMiser system and tankless hot water heater, 3000 Xantrex inverter, Lithionics 320 amp hour battery, Dometic 12v fridge.

We just got it recently and haven’t been able to get it out camping yet. So far the solar panels have been doing a really good job of keeping the LiFePO4 battery nice and charged. Other owners have noted that they weren’t getting the battery life they expected but I also noticed that they’re in the south/southeastern United States and I wonder if the Trim air conditioner doesn’t do as well in more humid environments. We’re in Northern California and it’s been a lot more dry & arid here. Hopefully in a couple weeks we’ll be able to at least go on a short weekend trip to some BLM land and boondock it for a couple days. We’re going to bring a backup generator just in case. I’m not too worried about water storage or usage just yet. We already camp very resource light as it is.