I'm with you on the Camping World. If it was REALLY about being patriotic, they could do what every other business in the area is doing by following the zoning laws and put up a flag and flagpole to meet the area's zoning laws (either permanently or until they get an exception). I'm not questioning their patriotism, but a bigger flag doesn't mean you're MORE patriotic.
Jason, I understand your opinion, and tend to agree. I don’t have a problem with them displaying it, even if it’s for marketing purposes. But if it exceeds local codes, no one is beyond the laws, regulations, etc. We are a country of laws to benefit the majority. My opinion. Thank you
Ok, I’m not going to respond to any more comments on this, but let me be clear: I love when businesses fly the American flag. I don’t love how Camping World PURPOSEFULLY erects giant flags, daring officials to tell them to take them down so that they can go complain about it on cable news. This flag pole is not a run of the mill car dealership pole. It is THIRTEEN STORIES TALL. The flag itself is 40’ X 80’. I think the fact that they co-opt the flag and people’s fears that the flag is being shunned is demented and incredibly unpatriotic. You may disagree with me, and that’s ok. We can be adults about it. But nobody is saying Camping World shouldn’t fly a flag. I believe they shouldn’t fly a flag the size of 6 school buses higher than any other building in the area without getting the proper paperwork. But they know it. That’s why they do it.
I understand your concerns, and I appreciate your perspective. Marcus Lemonis' intention with the massive 13-story flagpoles was sparked by local governments attempting to make him take down a previous flag, which led him to go even bigger as a statement. While his goal is to display patriotism, I can see how it might come across as provocative, especially when it involves media attention and bypassing local regulations. The flag is indeed enormous, and I agree that flying it in such a way should involve following proper procedures. We can respect the flag while also respecting community guidelines, and I appreciate the conversation on what it means to show patriotism responsibly.
I watch you for channel for RV news and don’t think you should be presenting your opinion as fact. You don’t know the reason behind their choice to fly these flags, stop saying you do. I see flags this large on other businesses traveling the US and can send photos if you are interested.
If only Camping World would treat their customers with honor, integrity and honesty. Does not seem like they do. I have visited them and they have nice stores and the sales people were nice to us. I think when you get to the Finance and Service part of the equation, they fall flat compared to some smaller family owned RV businesses. I blame Corporate, not the people that work at Camping World. Thanks Jason! Your news and thoughts are appreciated.
I have never had anything but a positive experience in any CW store. I have probably been in 15 of them. I bought my camper from Gander Outdoors, also owned by Lemonis.
My dealer sold to Camping World. I had previously purchased three Winnebago Motorhomes from the original dealer but will never set foot on a Camping World RV sales lot.
Good description of the Camping World fiasco fling the flag. Thanks for sharing the news stories. Excellent summary, and sound advise on mountain downhill braking. Flag pole engineering is critical, as we had a friend’s wife crippled for life when a flag pole came down on their car. Glad the County engineers reviewed the design. Hopefully, every Camping World with the big flag displays it following 4 U.S. Code § 6. We have seen the BIG flag at a Camping World at night without proper illumination. We figured the lights had failed. Otherwise, such as display would be terrible. Agree with your assessment of Camping World’s real motive.
I have lived near Teton Pass all of my life. I would NEVER tow my trailer over that pass. It's beautiful and treacherous with many switch backs. There is another way going into Jackson, US Hwy 89 that's also scenic and safer. Please try to find alternate routes (if possible). It was a real tragedy
Thank you for saying that about Camping World and the flag. I agree with you 100%. I hope they are always making a donation to veteran's group when they make sales!
US Flag code prohibits using the American Flag for advertising purposes. 🙄 § 8. Respect for flag No disrespect should be shown to the flag of the United States of America; ..... ... (i) The flag should never be used for advertising purposes in any manner whatsoever.
Minor point, Jason, but it’s not FMCA Assist, it’s FMC Assist, spelled as a single word “FMCAssist.” I was a member of the FMCA education committee back when the decision was made (by the membership) to admit towables. I suggested then that the name be changed to Family Motor Camping Association, since both motorhomes and trailers require an engine to move around, but I was ignored. This would have allowed them to keep the FMCA acronym but lose the reference to motorcoach. But it was also clear that the change was coming too late and, begrudgingly, which wasn’t a good look. But I think FMCA had an image problem way before that. We bought my parents Itasca Sunrise Class A motorhome in 2005 when they were done using it. They were Good Sam members, back when Good Sam was an actual camping club, and they loved it. They were surprised/shocked when I told them we had joined FMCA. Why? They thought you had to own a motorcoach (bus) conversion to be a member! They were smart, well-informed, people so that told me everything I needed to know about the organization. Sometime later I shared this anecdote with the then president of FMCA (who was a member of a chapter we belonged to). It was simply dismissed.
We went to our first FMCA rally last March…we were so surprised by how elitist the board members behaved…couldn’t even get a hello despite trying many times, walking by their rigs. Fed this back after the gathering. No response. That was our first, and last, rally.
When we went over Vail Pass on I-70 eastbound in May we did not exceed 35 mph. Turned on the flashers and let the engine brake do the work. We made it down safely.
Went down Vale Pass in a skoolie with no issues. Just let it fall and used stab breaking to shed speed. Temps and breaks were all good. Was going 50-65mph the whole way. But I weight a little less than most of the big Motorhomes. Passed several going down too. Each vehicle is it’s own beast.
5000 Watts is impressive. I smashed 1600 Watts on my 18 foot trailer and it took three months and using a sawsall to remove the old roof and rebuild. I am short to run Refrigerator, climate control (mini-split heat pump) and induction cooking and with out supplementing power after three days. Very interested in what an extra 3400 Watts can do.
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Totally disagree with your analysis of Camping World’s use of the American flag. Yes, big and oversized, but I’ve also seen similar sized flags at American business all across this country too - many in California. Stand up for your country. RVing is about seeing the wonders of this great nation. I’m proud every time I see that flag flying regardless of size or business that supports it!
Has been on our area news a lot. They put up a giant flagpole without a permit or any plan review. There was a concern the pole might blow over and fall on the freeway. It’s not a patriotic issue, it’s a safety issue.
Jason, you totally nailed it when it comes to Camping World using the flag for branding. Pathetic, Thor and Camping World should get married because they are a match made in hell
I agree. My local camping world displays a ridiculously large flag, and it never even gets enough win to spread out well. I would like to see him more proportionately sized flag.
Sorry to hear about the accident. I want to thank you for the reminder about using gears to keep speed down on inclines. I recently returned from a trip to Colorado where I towed my trailer over 7 passes. My trailer is small, but I still worried about towing over those. Your previous advice on this topic helped me to control my speed and tow with less anxiety on those passes.
Everybody’s getting their undies in a bundle about flying the flag. It’s not the flag, it’s the zoning for safety. So, is it OK to fly Any size flag on any size pole as long as it’s an American flag? If the answer is no, does that make you unpatriotic? Is Jason against the American flag? 8:05 CW is so shady.
We love FMCA and the emergency insurance. I’ll pay the $100 a year. I’m 70 and the wife doesn’t drive the RV. They will drive my RV home if something happens to me. It’s something I need. I’m glad they didnt drop it. I was in Cincinnati when the board met and was very worried about them talking about the increase costs.
I have been speaking out about this type of accident (construction) for years. Brakes aside, Look at the accident site. The motorhome rolled and folded like a cardboard box because of crapy construction. 20 years ago motorhomes had tubular frame construction acting like a roll bar in an accident like this. Today builder slap up a wall about 1 1/4" thick on each side then they slap down 1 1/4" roof and screw the the three pieces together with aluminum extrusion and if weren't for the 1/8" thick fiberglass front and rear cap the walls and roof would fall on itself. This is crazy, yes they can build them faster and cheaper but at what cost to you, your life. Trailers are built the same way but they don't carry passengers inside while underway, this is criminal. For that very reason we are keeping our 22 year old motorhome built with a full aluminum cage that was built onto the chassis, it had these ribs every 16" for 34 feet. We would have most likely survived that accident because our aluminum rib cage would not have collapsed and have the heavy chassis crush us. Why is the motorhome RV industry in trouble? Why are people buying older RV's? Why did we spend $100,000 on our RV to completely modernize it instead of buying a new one and we could have easily done so? I know I am attacking an entire industry and HOPEFULLY YOU WILL NOT REMOVED MY POST so people can read the truth.
Wife and I were bored, at our campground before we departed for a shuttle. Thought we would walk through the neighboring Camping World, not that I would spend a penny at their stores, however for what is was worth we were interested in seeing some RVs. We are avid RV people. And wanted to see some Class C's. So when we walked around a few RV in the parking lot, we wanted to see more. Oh no, you cannot walk the rest of the lot without going into the store, and giving your personal information away. They gave some excuse it was for liability reasons. I quickly told the receptionist, absolutely not and walked out. I could feel the evil when I walked into the door. That place is such a joke. Why people keep buying RVs from them , I have no idea why.
In tow mode and cruise control my automatic transmission handles downhill well without breaks. The brakes turn off cruise control so you have to turn it on after tighter curves
0:41 That’s very unfortunate. Agree that everyone should stay safe, and that it’s important to know the ins-and outs of a route of travel. Don’t think it’s “false patriotism”, I think it’s more of the “no such thing as bad publicity” mentality. Either way, thanks for the content; it’s nice getting the news from a fellow “end-user”.
Thank you for the helping us understand the Camping World flag debacle. We completely agree with you. We love the flag but not a company that is using it for financial gain. They need to follow the rules like the rest of us do.
Brakes expanded due to failure to simply stop the rv and allow for brakes to cool down and contract back to normal as well. Pretty common problem in the class 8 Trucking business and a good safety warning to those going crazy with their RVs *"JUST STOP AND PULL OVER IF NEED BE"* when caught behind a slow moving vehicle in this instance a massive dump truck...which is moving slow because their brake drums are overheating and massively expanding too. Definitely a preventable tragedy 😢😢😢😢.😊
Sorry the who by Grand Teton area! Wow! What a change for FMCA. That’s big flag. Thank you Jason for this video and information. I would love to come to your meetup but I’ll be there in spirit. Tell Abby hello. I’ll be back tonight to watch your podcast. See you all soon!
This is not the first time Marcus has fought this. He does it for the free publicity. In North Carolina they wanted it to stay huge not wanting to reduce the size.
Wondering if that motorhome was a diesel pusher or gas. If diesel it should have had a compression brake he would have used to slow his speed. If gas you are right in that he needed to down shift to help slow his speed. People that spend over $200k on a trailer rarely if ever go dry camping so no need for all that solar on a trailer that will never see anything but full hook ups.
Very sad news about the accident. Hopefully, this brings attention to how to be prepared to drive in the mountains. Living Vehicles, um, WOW! I had never heard of them. Thanks as always for great information. - Michelle
It's unfortunate that the Camping World flag controversy overshadowed the real issue that deserves attention: the RV brakes overheating accident. Safety on the road, especially for RV owners, is a critical topic that affects lives. There could be more to the RV brake story that we don't know about yet, and it's disappointing that a story about a flag took precedence over a discussion that could potentially prevent future accidents. Let's refocus on what truly matters-keeping everyone safe on the road and ensuring that important safety issues get the attention they deserve.
We were just in Iowa, visiting the Iowa State Fair, where our family farm in Scott County received the Century Farm designation. I wish we could come to the meet up in Amana, as my family was part of the original Amana settlers. But, a trip like that from SC cannot happen durning the school year. Kids and school keep getting in the way of fun camping things, dang it.
Learned a lot today and reminded about downshifting. Also, thanks for being honest about the flag regarding CW’s use of it, I could’t agree more with you. However, there are going to be a lot of people putting their feelings in front of common sense.
As for that crash; in this country we rather insanely allow anybody with a normal drivers license to drive pretty much any recreational vehicle they want. No training necessary. No mention if the towed vehicles brakes were operating. And of course, there's no crash testing of motorhomes.
Not true, it depends on the state. 17 require air break endorsements or special licenses for large RVs or tow trailers. As for the crash testing, yes, most are built like crap and will fall apart if you look at them funny. Hence my skoolie.
Wow, I drive by that flag all the time, it’s in French Camp Ca. It’s up again, I didn’t even know about the issue with the county. I just LOVE that big flag. I don’t like Camping World too much, I have got parts, chairs from them. I would NOT get a RV from them.
Even if they ONLY lost 50% , they’re at a net zero! so when 60-70% of these people will drop their membership they’re gonna be upside down within one year😮😢😢😢
We’ve been many times! Their salads are also really good. I grew up in Milan, and my parents still live there. There’s an old car dealership (closed) right next to the bridge that we would love to turn into a big brewery one day.
@@RVMiles I’m for it. We stop near there every spring on the way to Forest City for Winnebago Service. We stay at the Geneseo Campground and drive into the Quad Cities. I would love a nice micro brewery to add to my stop.
Businesses have a right to fly our flag. Businesses do not have the right to attempt to attract customers by flying a huge flag, reportedly 40 by 80 feet and 13 stories tall, used as a sign.
Let the flag fly!! Not a fan of Camping World. I never thought of their big flag as advertising. I wonder how many people would be ‘upset’ if it wasn’t CW? There’s more to life people…
@6:30 Camping World rant starts. You really have no idea why they decided to fight this unconstitutional ruling by a regulatory agency. If you support regulations over laws, then you would support this. They are a private business, and as such, I would expect they would win this in the courts. Dictatorial concepts aren't acceptable in a free Republic.
Interesting view on the US flag. It is great marketing but at the same time does enable them to not follow local laws and regulations that are in place which the normal public smaller businesses have to abide too. Very sad about the accident and once again I believe all RV owners at time of purchase should undergo a 1/2 day training course. This would at least initiate these basic driving techniques and possibly reduce such accidents or near misses. Lastly your upcoming Idaho rv conference sounds interesting. It would be great if other major you tubers were invited to the event…I.e Liz amazing whom has been challenged extensively lately buy the big RV suppliers inclusive of cease and desist actions towards her making you tube videos. It is appaulling that theses big RV retailers honestly are getting away with not being touched . Is there anything being done at a Federal lobby level like we have with the major vehicle suppliers? If so can they be invited and asked to speak on their progress. Truly disappointing these days if you spend 50k or more than a million you will still have up to two years of bugs/issues that missed quality checks…as you stated even Brinkley has now recalls…need I say anymore….
Yeah, you're going to catch a lot of sh*t for the flag bit. As a veteran, I don't care who flies it or how big that US flag is, fly it if you've got it, respect it. Good video, I respect your opinion but mine (and LOTS of your other viewers opinions) are different from yours as demonstrated in these comments.
The death was partly due to brake overheating but also because most Class A are basically cardboard on a couple of rails. They don’t adhere to safety standards like most other vehicles. Granted, they’re large and heavy so in some cases physics works in their advantage but if there is any breach into the cabin, the protection to occupants is miserable.
I have never associated a large (or "Gigantic") US flag with Camping World. We always appreciate seeing our Flag, but don't associate it with CW, Freightliner, or a myriad of other companies that display the flag.
@RVMiles that may be, but we don't associate the flag with any particular company. We just appreciate the display. That said, we prefer to patronize local companies over a big chain. CW and Walmart are two we try to avoid when we can find local alternatives. We may pay a bit more, but the service is usually better and the staff happier.
🇺🇸Where is the Victim? 🇺🇸This was simply government overreach with no victim. As a veteran, I support 100% any business, individual, government, flying the American flag at any time, with any size, Government bureaucracy can go pound sand along with anyone that agrees with them.. And you calling it “false patriotism” without evidence just shows who you really are. You interjected political speech into a story. So thank you for showing me who you are. We shouldn’t need permission from government bureaucrats for every single thing we do to live our lives in peace . The first amendment overrides any opinions you may actually have in this matter. I think you should apologize for that comment and rethink on why you said it, and included it in this video after edit. It’s OK to admit you are wrong unless you really feel that way . Let The Flags Fly.
First off, there's nothing political about it. What makes anything about this story political? Second, I think flying the flag is great. The "victim" is the neighboring businesses who aren't allowed to erect thirteen-story structures. Or the potential future victims when the un-permitted THIRTEEN STORY pole falls on the interstate. This company has gone into market after market erecting these flags without putting them through the building and permits process purposefully. They get told to take them down and then go complain on national news networks. It's an incredibly disingenuous way to use the flag in my opinion. You have a different one. That's fine. But that doesn't mean I owe someone an apology for something or am in some way politically motivated. That's silly.
You said a lot of word salad not listening to any of what he said. CW is using the flag as advertising, not because they’re patriotic because they know people like you will throw a fit when they have to take it down. It’s against the flag code to use the flag for advertising. Doing that is unpatriotic. Not adhering to your cities safety zoning could end up hurting someone. 14 stories up with that big of a flag, that’s a lot of pressure on the metal and if the build isn’t cleared through the city and permitted it could break potentially hurting someone. Hurting someone because you can’t be bothered to get a building permit and make sure you’re to code isnt patriotic, it’s really selfish.
The hurricane flags ( the super large flags) you see the flag, you know it’s either Camping world, OR a Harley Davison dealership. It’s just a very large flag, and it is a distraction to drivers, on the highway.
With these fancy RVs people no longer know how to go camping and survive in the wilderness it's like they never leave home. All class A motorhome drivers should be required to have a CDL license no matter the size or weight, so that they get the proper training.
I don’t think you understand what I’m saying. I’m saying camping world is using the flag (by purposefully putting up a larger one than allowed) in order to get viral stories written about them. They are using the flag instead of honoring it. My issue isn’t with the flag but how camping world is co-opting it for business gains.
Yeah, he didn’t understand what you are saying. I saw some comments before I watched your video and was disappointed. But then I watched your video and read some of your comments and I agree with you. Also, if Camping World is so patriotic then they would stop screwing over so many Americans.
Your comment on the American 🇺🇸, as a native Californian that flag needs to be covering our State with a lot of prayers. I’m glad they choose MAGA Bigger the better .
This is a touchy subject for you to be discussing.Be proud to live in a country that provides freedom for you and others to travel freely and allow you to even have a channel that preaches about freedom of camping. Our flags are flown proudly around this country as a symbol of freedom. Grow a set and support their decision.
See, I think they are using it as a sign and that's the problem. They should fly a flag! That's great! These are purposefully chosen to be larger than legally allowed so Marcus can go on all the cable news networks when they're asked to take it down.
Based on your comment about the flag and Camping World maybe you would like to see the Jolly Roger. Bent rules in the business world is nothing new. Why raise this stink? My guess is if they wanted to sponsor you a different opinion may have been heard. Oh yeah, love the show!
We have turned down camping world sponsorship, so no. I don’t want to see a different flag or no flag. I want camping world to fly the flag respectfully and not use it to get PR.
On the flag matter, you did say it was your opinion the large flags are for marketing at CW. We all can respect your opinion even if we disagree. Could you contact Marcus Lemonis for a statement (or, maybe,come on your show) on the primary reason for the large flag?
Good for Marcus for putting the flag back up! Our flag stands for freedom in our country. I am happy to see a flag displayed anywhere with the shape our country is in right now (even if it's on a CW, which we no longer support). Thanks for the great info you and Abby continue to bring us. ❤🙏🇺🇸 Jane
I don’t care what their reason is or what ordinance you think they are trying to skirt- it’s the flag of this country and they should be able to display it and the bigger the better.
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What the giant flag tells me is..........Camping World ahead....DRIVE ON PAST!
Agreed. They are such a garbage company.
I'm with you on the Camping World. If it was REALLY about being patriotic, they could do what every other business in the area is doing by following the zoning laws and put up a flag and flagpole to meet the area's zoning laws (either permanently or until they get an exception). I'm not questioning their patriotism, but a bigger flag doesn't mean you're MORE patriotic.
Jason, I understand your opinion, and tend to agree. I don’t have a problem with them displaying it, even if it’s for marketing purposes. But if it exceeds local codes, no one is beyond the laws, regulations, etc.
We are a country of laws to benefit the majority. My opinion.
Thank you
Ok, I’m not going to respond to any more comments on this, but let me be clear: I love when businesses fly the American flag. I don’t love how Camping World PURPOSEFULLY erects giant flags, daring officials to tell them to take them down so that they can go complain about it on cable news. This flag pole is not a run of the mill car dealership pole. It is THIRTEEN STORIES TALL. The flag itself is 40’ X 80’. I think the fact that they co-opt the flag and people’s fears that the flag is being shunned is demented and incredibly unpatriotic. You may disagree with me, and that’s ok. We can be adults about it. But nobody is saying Camping World shouldn’t fly a flag. I believe they shouldn’t fly a flag the size of 6 school buses higher than any other building in the area without getting the proper paperwork. But they know it. That’s why they do it.
Shouldn’t need a permit to fly any size US FLAG!
@@TheFiremanJoe Maybe not, but you should certainly need a permit to erect a 13 story steel structure.
I understand your concerns, and I appreciate your perspective. Marcus Lemonis' intention with the massive 13-story flagpoles was sparked by local governments attempting to make him take down a previous flag, which led him to go even bigger as a statement. While his goal is to display patriotism, I can see how it might come across as provocative, especially when it involves media attention and bypassing local regulations. The flag is indeed enormous, and I agree that flying it in such a way should involve following proper procedures. We can respect the flag while also respecting community guidelines, and I appreciate the conversation on what it means to show patriotism responsibly.
@@dwderpEspecially next to an interstate!
I watch you for channel for RV news and don’t think you should be presenting your opinion as fact. You don’t know the reason behind their choice to fly these flags, stop saying you do. I see flags this large on other businesses traveling the US and can send photos if you are interested.
If only Camping World would treat their customers with honor, integrity and honesty. Does not seem like they do. I have visited them and they have nice stores and the sales people were nice to us. I think when you get to the Finance and Service part of the equation, they fall flat compared to some smaller family owned RV businesses. I blame Corporate, not the people that work at Camping World. Thanks Jason! Your news and thoughts are appreciated.
I have never had anything but a positive experience in any CW store. I have probably been in 15 of them. I bought my camper from Gander Outdoors, also owned by Lemonis.
Once CW, never again!!! Worst experience with my trailer ever! Zero customer SERVICE!
My dealer sold to Camping World. I had previously purchased three Winnebago Motorhomes from the original dealer but will never set foot on a Camping World RV sales lot.
Mine sold out too them also😢
Good description of the Camping World fiasco fling the flag. Thanks for sharing the news stories. Excellent summary, and sound advise on mountain downhill braking. Flag pole engineering is critical, as we had a friend’s wife crippled for life when a flag pole came down on their car. Glad the County engineers reviewed the design. Hopefully, every Camping World with the big flag displays it following 4 U.S. Code § 6. We have seen the BIG flag at a Camping World at night without proper illumination. We figured the lights had failed. Otherwise, such as display would be terrible. Agree with your assessment of Camping World’s real motive.
I have lived near Teton Pass all of my life. I would NEVER tow my trailer over that pass. It's beautiful and treacherous with many switch backs. There is another way going into Jackson, US Hwy 89 that's also scenic and safer. Please try to find alternate routes (if possible). It was a real tragedy
Thank you for saying that about Camping World and the flag. I agree with you 100%. I hope they are always making a donation to veteran's group when they make sales!
US Flag code prohibits using the American Flag for advertising purposes. 🙄
§ 8. Respect for flag
No disrespect should be shown to the flag of the United States of America; .....
... (i) The flag should never be used for advertising purposes in any manner whatsoever.
To paraphrase an old pilot saying: going up a hill is optional, coming down is mandatory.
Minor point, Jason, but it’s not FMCA Assist, it’s FMC Assist, spelled as a single word “FMCAssist.” I was a member of the FMCA education committee back when the decision was made (by the membership) to admit towables. I suggested then that the name be changed to Family Motor Camping Association, since both motorhomes and trailers require an engine to move around, but I was ignored. This would have allowed them to keep the FMCA acronym but lose the reference to motorcoach. But it was also clear that the change was coming too late and, begrudgingly, which wasn’t a good look. But I think FMCA had an image problem way before that. We bought my parents Itasca Sunrise Class A motorhome in 2005 when they were done using it. They were Good Sam members, back when Good Sam was an actual camping club, and they loved it. They were surprised/shocked when I told them we had joined FMCA. Why? They thought you had to own a motorcoach (bus) conversion to be a member! They were smart, well-informed, people so that told me everything I needed to know about the organization. Sometime later I shared this anecdote with the then president of FMCA (who was a member of a chapter we belonged to). It was simply dismissed.
We went to our first FMCA rally last March…we were so surprised by how elitist the board members behaved…couldn’t even get a hello despite trying many times, walking by their rigs. Fed this back after the gathering. No response. That was our first, and last, rally.
When we went over Vail Pass on I-70 eastbound in May we did not exceed 35 mph. Turned on the flashers and let the engine brake do the work. We made it down safely.
Went down Vale Pass in a skoolie with no issues. Just let it fall and used stab breaking to shed speed. Temps and breaks were all good. Was going 50-65mph the whole way. But I weight a little less than most of the big Motorhomes. Passed several going down too. Each vehicle is it’s own beast.
5000 Watts is impressive. I smashed 1600 Watts on my 18 foot trailer and it took three months and using a sawsall to remove the old roof and rebuild. I am short to run Refrigerator, climate control (mini-split heat pump) and induction cooking and with out supplementing power after three days. Very interested in what an extra 3400 Watts can do.
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Totally disagree with your analysis of Camping World’s use of the American flag. Yes, big and oversized, but I’ve also seen similar sized flags at American business all across this country too - many in California. Stand up for your country. RVing is about seeing the wonders of this great nation. I’m proud every time I see that flag flying regardless of size or business that supports it!
Has been on our area news a lot. They put up a giant flagpole without a permit or any plan review. There was a concern the pole might blow over and fall on the freeway. It’s not a patriotic issue, it’s a safety issue.
I agree with your assessment of the situation on camping world.
Jason, you totally nailed it when it comes to Camping World using the flag for branding. Pathetic, Thor and Camping World should get married because they are a match made in hell
I agree. My local camping world displays a ridiculously large flag, and it never even gets enough win to spread out well. I would like to see him more proportionately sized flag.
Sorry to hear about the accident. I want to thank you for the reminder about using gears to keep speed down on inclines. I recently returned from a trip to Colorado where I towed my trailer over 7 passes. My trailer is small, but I still worried about towing over those. Your previous advice on this topic helped me to control my speed and tow with less anxiety on those passes.
I would and will still pay for FMCA insurance, I always thought it was way underpriced.
Everybody’s getting their undies in a bundle about flying the flag. It’s not the flag, it’s the zoning for safety. So, is it OK to fly Any size flag on any size pole as long as it’s an American flag? If the answer is no, does that make you unpatriotic? Is Jason against the American flag? 8:05
CW is so shady.
We love FMCA and the emergency insurance. I’ll pay the $100 a year. I’m 70 and the wife doesn’t drive the RV.
They will drive my RV home if something happens to me. It’s something I need. I’m glad they didnt drop it.
I was in Cincinnati when the board met and was very worried about them talking about the increase costs.
I have been speaking out about this type of accident (construction) for years. Brakes aside, Look at the accident site. The motorhome rolled and folded like a cardboard box because of crapy construction. 20 years ago motorhomes had tubular frame construction acting like a roll bar in an accident like this. Today builder slap up a wall about 1 1/4" thick on each side then they slap down 1 1/4" roof and screw the the three pieces together with aluminum extrusion and if weren't for the 1/8" thick fiberglass front and rear cap the walls and roof would fall on itself. This is crazy, yes they can build them faster and cheaper but at what cost to you, your life. Trailers are built the same way but they don't carry passengers inside while underway, this is criminal. For that very reason we are keeping our 22 year old motorhome built with a full aluminum cage that was built onto the chassis, it had these ribs every 16" for 34 feet. We would have most likely survived that accident because our aluminum rib cage would not have collapsed and have the heavy chassis crush us. Why is the motorhome RV industry in trouble? Why are people buying older RV's? Why did we spend $100,000 on our RV to completely modernize it instead of buying a new one and we could have easily done so? I know I am attacking an entire industry and HOPEFULLY YOU WILL NOT REMOVED MY POST so people can read the truth.
Wife and I were bored, at our campground before we departed for a shuttle. Thought we would walk through the neighboring Camping World, not that I would spend a penny at their stores, however for what is was worth we were interested in seeing some RVs. We are avid RV people. And wanted to see some Class C's. So when we walked around a few RV in the parking lot, we wanted to see more. Oh no, you cannot walk the rest of the lot without going into the store, and giving your personal information away. They gave some excuse it was for liability reasons. I quickly told the receptionist, absolutely not and walked out. I could feel the evil when I walked into the door. That place is such a joke. Why people keep buying RVs from them , I have no idea why.
In tow mode and cruise control my automatic transmission handles downhill well without breaks. The brakes turn off cruise control so you have to turn it on after tighter curves
0:41 That’s very unfortunate. Agree that everyone should stay safe, and that it’s important to know the ins-and outs of a route of travel. Don’t think it’s “false patriotism”, I think it’s more of the “no such thing as bad publicity” mentality. Either way, thanks for the content; it’s nice getting the news from a fellow “end-user”.
Thank you for the helping us understand the Camping World flag debacle. We completely agree with you. We love the flag but not a company that is using it for financial gain. They need to follow the rules like the rest of us do.
Brakes expanded due to failure to simply stop the rv and allow for brakes to cool down and contract back to normal as well. Pretty common problem in the class 8 Trucking business and a good safety warning to those going crazy with their RVs *"JUST STOP AND PULL OVER IF NEED BE"* when caught behind a slow moving vehicle in this instance a massive dump truck...which is moving slow because their brake drums are overheating and massively expanding too. Definitely a preventable tragedy 😢😢😢😢.😊
Sorry the who by Grand Teton area! Wow! What a change for FMCA. That’s big flag. Thank you Jason for this video and information. I would love to come to your meetup but I’ll be there in spirit. Tell Abby hello. I’ll be back tonight to watch your podcast. See you all soon!
I served in the U.S. Navy for 29 years. I am a fan of Big U. S. Flags. 👍
This is not the first time Marcus has fought this. He does it for the free publicity. In North Carolina they wanted it to stay huge not wanting to reduce the size.
Many different businesses fly large American flags. I am happy to see the American flag flying!
This is much larger than most.
@RVMiles even better ! 🇺🇸
Well said about Camping World's American Flag issues! I agree with your thoughts on "their" most likely reasoning for use of a ginormous flag.
Agreed (about CW’s misuse of the natl flag).
totally agree with the flag comment. This is a new marketing model by many companies.
Wondering if that motorhome was a diesel pusher or gas. If diesel it should have had a compression brake he would have used to slow his speed. If gas you are right in that he needed to down shift to help slow his speed. People that spend over $200k on a trailer rarely if ever go dry camping so no need for all that solar on a trailer that will never see anything but full hook ups.
Very sad news about the accident. Hopefully, this brings attention to how to be prepared to drive in the mountains. Living Vehicles, um, WOW! I had never heard of them. Thanks as always for great information. - Michelle
I love businesses that fly the American Flag! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
@@jomarkelly3932 so do I.
Before Camping World bought Tom Raper RV in Richmond, IN, Raper had a huge American flag flying on site as well.
Much of your reporting on a tragic deadly accident can be summarized that the operator of the RV didn't know what he was doing.
It's unfortunate that the Camping World flag controversy overshadowed the real issue that deserves attention: the RV brakes overheating accident. Safety on the road, especially for RV owners, is a critical topic that affects lives. There could be more to the RV brake story that we don't know about yet, and it's disappointing that a story about a flag took precedence over a discussion that could potentially prevent future accidents. Let's refocus on what truly matters-keeping everyone safe on the road and ensuring that important safety issues get the attention they deserve.
We were just in Iowa, visiting the Iowa State Fair, where our family farm in Scott County received the Century Farm designation. I wish we could come to the meet up in Amana, as my family was part of the original Amana settlers. But, a trip like that from SC cannot happen durning the school year. Kids and school keep getting in the way of fun camping things, dang it.
Very cool that your family settled Amana! We'll have events around the country in the future, hopefully you can join us one day!
Camping World did this in Ashland, VA but the flag was according to the FAA too close to a municipal airport is my understanding.
Thanks Abby and Jason. Me, I would never buy anything from camping world or any of it's affiliates.
Thanks Jason!
Wow. Look at that full-size pickup. Wonder if they had braking for that...
I had no clue that a large American flag meant a camping world, but I am not an RVer
Learned a lot today and reminded about downshifting. Also, thanks for being honest about the flag regarding CW’s use of it, I could’t agree more with you. However, there are going to be a lot of people putting their feelings in front of common sense.
As for that crash; in this country we rather insanely allow anybody with a normal drivers license to drive pretty much any recreational vehicle they want. No training necessary. No mention if the towed vehicles brakes were operating. And of course, there's no crash testing of motorhomes.
Yup. Old Boomers behind the wheel
If there was crash testing clearly this one would have failed.
Not true, it depends on the state. 17 require air break endorsements or special licenses for large RVs or tow trailers. As for the crash testing, yes, most are built like crap and will fall apart if you look at them funny. Hence my skoolie.
Wow, I drive by that flag all the time, it’s in French Camp Ca. It’s up again, I didn’t even know about the issue with the county. I just LOVE that big flag. I don’t like Camping World too much, I have got parts, chairs from them. I would NOT get a RV from them.
Even if they ONLY lost 50% , they’re at a net zero!
so when 60-70% of these people will drop their membership they’re gonna be upside down within one year😮😢😢😢
Thank you.
SOME AUTOMOTIVE DEALERS ALSO HAVE BIG FLAGS, BUT CALIFORNIA.
This has happened in many states with camping world. They are purposefully doing it to get viral stories written about them. It is a campaign.
Pagalos Pizza in Milan, Illinois
You guys gotta go there. One of my favorite wood fired pizzas anywhere.
We’ve been many times! Their salads are also really good. I grew up in Milan, and my parents still live there. There’s an old car dealership (closed) right next to the bridge that we would love to turn into a big brewery one day.
@@RVMiles
I’m for it.
We stop near there every spring on the way to Forest City for Winnebago Service.
We stay at the Geneseo Campground and drive into the Quad Cities.
I would love a nice micro brewery to add to my stop.
Well said
8:19 when the American flag negatively triggers anyone then an American flag should be fought for by anyone for any reason
In the graphic for Homecoming, I didn't see any Class B's (C's or A's for that matter either). I feel discriminated against.
@@LilyWasHereMB you didn’t see any real RVs since it’s AI lol
Ignore the negativity! It was a valid point, not an anti-flag or anti-patriotism point. Nuance is lost on some.
Car dealers do the same thing with flags and probably for the same reason. I agree with you though.😊
Businesses have a right to fly our flag. Businesses do not have the right to attempt to attract customers by flying a huge flag, reportedly 40 by 80 feet and 13 stories tall, used as a sign.
As an F193xxx member, $100 is not worth it. Just sayin'. Also, all the in-fighting over the years is tiresome.
Great info
Let the flag fly!! Not a fan of Camping World. I never thought of their big flag as advertising. I wonder how many people would be ‘upset’ if it wasn’t CW? There’s more to life people…
Rules are made for a reason so I say just follow them and there’s no problems.
@6:30 Camping World rant starts. You really have no idea why they decided to fight this unconstitutional ruling by a regulatory agency. If you support regulations over laws, then you would support this. They are a private business, and as such, I would expect they would win this in the courts. Dictatorial concepts aren't acceptable in a free Republic.
fma, apply to ANY co or gov, they never want to trim fat but raise costs😮😢
Interesting view on the US flag. It is great marketing but at the same time does enable them to not follow local laws and regulations that are in place which the normal public smaller businesses have to abide too. Very sad about the accident and once again I believe all RV owners at time of purchase should undergo a 1/2 day training course. This would at least initiate these basic driving techniques and possibly reduce such accidents or near misses. Lastly your upcoming Idaho rv conference sounds interesting. It would be great if other major you tubers were invited to the event…I.e Liz amazing whom has been challenged extensively lately buy the big RV suppliers inclusive of cease and desist actions towards her making you tube videos. It is appaulling that theses big RV retailers honestly are getting away with not being touched . Is there anything being done at a Federal lobby level like we have with the major vehicle suppliers? If so can they be invited and asked to speak on their progress. Truly disappointing these days if you spend 50k or more than a million you will still have up to two years of bugs/issues that missed quality checks…as you stated even Brinkley has now recalls…need I say anymore….
Yeah, you're going to catch a lot of sh*t for the flag bit. As a veteran, I don't care who flies it or how big that US flag is, fly it if you've got it, respect it. Good video, I respect your opinion but mine (and LOTS of your other viewers opinions) are different from yours as demonstrated in these comments.
The death was partly due to brake overheating but also because most Class A are basically cardboard on a couple of rails. They don’t adhere to safety standards like most other vehicles. Granted, they’re large and heavy so in some cases physics works in their advantage but if there is any breach into the cabin, the protection to occupants is miserable.
I have never associated a large (or "Gigantic") US flag with Camping World. We always appreciate seeing our Flag, but don't associate it with CW, Freightliner, or a myriad of other companies that display the flag.
Camping worlds are much larger than places like freightliner. They are 40x80 feet and on 13-story poles.
@RVMiles that may be, but we don't associate the flag with any particular company. We just appreciate the display. That said, we prefer to patronize local companies over a big chain. CW and Walmart are two we try to avoid when we can find local alternatives. We may pay a bit more, but the service is usually better and the staff happier.
Why do you keep removing posts that you don't agree with?
I haven't removed a single comment.
tnx
🇺🇸Where is the Victim? 🇺🇸This was simply government overreach with no victim. As a veteran, I support 100% any business, individual, government, flying the American flag at any time, with any size, Government bureaucracy can go pound sand along with anyone that agrees with them.. And you calling it “false patriotism” without evidence just shows who you really are. You interjected political speech into a story. So thank you for showing me who you are. We shouldn’t need permission from government bureaucrats for every single thing we do to live our lives in peace . The first amendment overrides any opinions you may actually have in this matter. I think you should apologize for that comment and rethink on why you said it, and included it in this video after edit. It’s OK to admit you are wrong unless you really feel that way . Let The Flags Fly.
First off, there's nothing political about it. What makes anything about this story political? Second, I think flying the flag is great. The "victim" is the neighboring businesses who aren't allowed to erect thirteen-story structures. Or the potential future victims when the un-permitted THIRTEEN STORY pole falls on the interstate. This company has gone into market after market erecting these flags without putting them through the building and permits process purposefully. They get told to take them down and then go complain on national news networks. It's an incredibly disingenuous way to use the flag in my opinion. You have a different one. That's fine. But that doesn't mean I owe someone an apology for something or am in some way politically motivated. That's silly.
You said a lot of word salad not listening to any of what he said. CW is using the flag as advertising, not because they’re patriotic because they know people like you will throw a fit when they have to take it down. It’s against the flag code to use the flag for advertising. Doing that is unpatriotic. Not adhering to your cities safety zoning could end up hurting someone. 14 stories up with that big of a flag, that’s a lot of pressure on the metal and if the build isn’t cleared through the city and permitted it could break potentially hurting someone. Hurting someone because you can’t be bothered to get a building permit and make sure you’re to code isnt patriotic, it’s really selfish.
Perkins flies a giant flag along with others.
5000 watts of Solar??? Where is it?
On the roof and awnings
Sad 😢
Here comes all the arm chair patriots lol.
We need to fly our American Flagg whenever we can and wherever we can. Especially with the state of our nation as it is now!
That’s great, but as with everything else, they still need to adhere to zoning laws.
The hurricane flags ( the super large flags) you see the flag, you know it’s either Camping world, OR a Harley Davison dealership. It’s just a very large flag, and it is a distraction to drivers, on the highway.
😂
A distraction? Squirrel!!!!!
With these fancy RVs people no longer know how to go camping and survive in the wilderness it's like they never leave home. All class A motorhome drivers should be required to have a CDL license no matter the size or weight, so that they get the proper training.
I wish a CDL guaranteed a savy and safe driver, but, alas, it does not. Sorry.
@@terrysandiego Your skills should improve if trained correctly.
I cant stand cw practices, but you're wrong about why they fly the flag like they do. I can tell you have a problem with them too.
I’m really not, they have been doing this for years. It is a campaign to get press and they should be ashamed of it.
Used to be much better when the media just reported and made no comments. Remember? @@RVMiles
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Perez Anthony Lopez Brian Martin James
I fought for that flag ! The bigger the better. Sorry that you feel that way. You must not have served your country. You are off my watch lest.
I don’t think you understand what I’m saying. I’m saying camping world is using the flag (by purposefully putting up a larger one than allowed) in order to get viral stories written about them. They are using the flag instead of honoring it. My issue isn’t with the flag but how camping world is co-opting it for business gains.
Yeah, he didn’t understand what you are saying. I saw some comments before I watched your video and was disappointed. But then I watched your video and read some of your comments and I agree with you. Also, if Camping World is so patriotic then they would stop screwing over so many Americans.
@@RVMiles right on brutha.
Your comment on the American 🇺🇸, as a native Californian that flag needs to be covering our State with a lot of prayers. I’m glad they choose MAGA Bigger the better .
FMCA is dying and will be gone soon. The organization sucks in my opinion and their benefit aren’t really that great.
This is a touchy subject for you to be discussing.Be proud to live in a country that provides freedom for you and others to travel freely and allow you to even have a channel that preaches about freedom of camping.
Our flags are flown proudly around this country as a symbol of freedom.
Grow a set and support their decision.
Our flag is not a sign!!! Fly it proudly !!! You were as said previously said "out of line"!
See, I think they are using it as a sign and that's the problem. They should fly a flag! That's great! These are purposefully chosen to be larger than legally allowed so Marcus can go on all the cable news networks when they're asked to take it down.
Based on your comment about the flag and Camping World maybe you would like to see the Jolly Roger. Bent rules in the business world is nothing new. Why raise this stink? My guess is if they wanted to sponsor you a different opinion may have been heard. Oh yeah, love the show!
We have turned down camping world sponsorship, so no. I don’t want to see a different flag or no flag. I want camping world to fly the flag respectfully and not use it to get PR.
The American Flag IS NOT a sign! I personally love seeing the large American flags!
No it's genius marketing plain and simple
Well I don’t disagree with that either.
I love the Camping World Flags!!!
On the flag matter, you did say it was your opinion the large flags are for marketing at CW. We all can respect your opinion even if we disagree. Could you contact Marcus Lemonis for a statement (or, maybe,come on your show) on the primary reason for the large flag?
Good for Marcus for putting the flag back up! Our flag stands for freedom in our country. I am happy to see a flag displayed anywhere with the shape our country is in right now (even if it's on a CW, which we no longer support). Thanks for the great info you and Abby continue to bring us. ❤🙏🇺🇸 Jane
It’s California, don’t care
You do
I don’t care what their reason is or what ordinance you think they are trying to skirt- it’s the flag of this country and they should be able to display it and the bigger the better.