Do You Use Your Outdoor Entertainment Center

[Lisablue85]

Originally Posted by tcg

I've been known to take one of our tvs outside and put it on a picnic table. That's our outdoor entertainment system.

We were at Tannehill Ironworks State Park in AL the Saturday night after Thanksgiving on our way to Florida.

I have no idea what football game was on (I suspect some sort of AL college game) but the park was pretty full and almost everyone had the game on outside. It appeared as though lots of people came to the park just to watch the game on their friends' outdoor tvs because after the game the park thinned out.

The annoying thing was every time there was a touch down or some other critical play everyone hit the panic buttons on their pickemup trucks and set off horns all through the campground.

It was the oddest thing I've seen at a campground. But, everyone was having fun and well behaved and if I were into football and drinking it would have been fun.

We know people from Alabama, they are VERY VERY serious about their College football . All their trips are planned around the schedule, whether they are tailgating or watching the game on an outside TV. It's all about Crimson Tide!

[FatChance]

As a full-timer, I prefer the extra storage space instead.

[X-OEM]

I have never used mine. Have been on the road about 8 months in the year and a half since we bought ours. Having said that, could see a situation where I would. Maybe no neighbors, a nice evening towards sunset, a good football game and a nice glass of scotch.

It came with ours so no choice. I always thought I would use it a lot when we were looking for our coach (our first RV) - like the picture I painted above.

Have had it in the shop for regular service twice and I noticed the shop guys used it!!! Still not sure how I feel about that. Since I don't use it - so what.....but still.

[Mike and Cha]

We use ours all the time and several times other Campers have joined us to watch the World Series or Football games. We often take our grandkids with us and they love to sit outside and watch TV while we make breakfast/dinner ect. As far as the noise offending others, we have never had a complaint and I always make sure it is not so loud as to project to others campsites. Ours takes up very little room as it is a flat screen mounted permanently on the side of the MH, along with a stereo system. I would recommend it.

[MisterT]

as full timers, I LOVE ours - though originally I never thought it would be such a big hit, but having the option of sitting outside in great weather enjoying tv is very relaxing.
We've been around the country at hundreds of rv parks and campgrounds and have never had any issue using our outside 'entertainment' system.

most of the class A RVs we see have them, though very few trailers do, with a few fifth wheels with them...

They are not just for 'ball games' - that is a misnomer in my opinion - they are for enjoyment of any type of tv watching.
I do business on my laptop while outside in good weather, so why not watch tv there as well... with a good adjustable chair and remote control

of course, I don't turn up the volume so that anyone else around can hear it, and I don't sit around inviting folks to watch with us either - though people do seem to pause as they walk by - I don't see that it's very difficult to put a tv outside even if you don't have one 'built in' to the side of your coach, though.

ours is under our awning, and our awning also has a privacy screen, so we're not out to 'boast' that we have an outdoor tv, just really are enjoying our privacy, and the weather.

...this conversation reminds me of another 'do you really use your...' question:
an outside kitchen
I would have no desire for one, and would probably not see the need to use one since we aren't the 'camping/campfire' type, though many folks really like the idea of having every possible meal outside. Maybe it's partly a difference in lifestyle between those full timing, and those weekending/vacationing. I think we've made two campfires in 2 1/2 years of RV travel and living. To each his own. : )

[Plasticman]

Originally Posted by tcg

I've been known to take one of our tvs outside and put it on a picnic table. That's our outdoor entertainment system.

+1.

We tailgate using our RV during the college football season. We've used it for moving night when friends were over.

Rob

[LakeKerrGuy]

I eel the same about the outside entertainment center as I do about a bath and a half. What a waste!

[RadioRanger1]

Originally Posted by MisterT

...this conversation reminds me of another 'do you really use your...' question:
an outside kitchen
I would have no desire for one, and would probably not see the need to use one since we aren't the 'camping/campfire' type, though many folks really like the idea of having every possible meal outside. Maybe it's partly a difference in lifestyle between those full timing, and those weekending/vacationing. I think we've made two campfires in 2 1/2 years of RV travel and living. To each his own. : )

We bought a 2017 29.3 and deleted the outside kitchen. Doing that doubled the storage space available. The kitchen seemed pretty useless. It had a small sink and no stove. They included a grill to use as a stove. There was a AC powered refrigerator included. A little dorm sized unit. Probably good for keeping drinks cold. I could see cooking out there and running into the coach all of the time to get what is needed for cooking. What is the point? Give me the storage space.

One thing I did not realize was that in deleting the kitchen, also deleted the inverter. So need to add one yet. The inverter was there to power the outside refrigerator and a few outlets inside.

The outside TV was something we were going to delete. We could have done that on the 2016 model, but the model year flipped on us in the process of ordering and the 2017's no longer make that optional.

I have used the outside speakers for radio/streaming. They are tied via bluetooth to the bedroom radio and you can have full control of the radio while outside via an app. Pretty nice. We are more radio people than TV people I guess. We also keep in mind neighbors. So nothing too loud and if parked close I'd skip using it, etc. If I would not want to hear their entertainment noise, they would not want to hear mine.


John

[oatmeal]

Originally Posted by Mike and Cha

As far as the noise offending others, we have never had a complaint and I always make sure it is not so loud as to project to others campsites.

I'll just say that I have been annoyed by people's outside TVs in campgrounds but have never actually complained because I never know how someone will react.

So I just put up with it, but that doesn't mean I'm not annoyed.

[Mike and Cha]

Originally Posted by oatmeal

I'll just say that I have been annoyed by people's outside TVs in campgrounds but have never actually complained because I never know how someone will react.

So I just put up with it, but that doesn't mean I'm not annoyed.

Read the last half of the sentence, some of us do have courtesy for others and don't go camping to create things that will cause issues. I have seen hundreds of outside TV's/Entertainments systems being used by people who are not affecting the peace and quiet of others.

[RodneyLadd]

I enjoy watching tv outside when we're at a warm California RV park. Im always mindfull and courteous on my volume level. My wife likes to watch tv in an air conditioned coach so it works well for both of us. Our 2016 Tiffin Allegro Red 38 QRA has a nice 32" outdoor tv mounted at a good watching height

[BillJinOR]

We full time and I added a pull out 24" flat screen to the outside bay. While we don't use it every day we do like to take happy hour outside and watch the news etc at a "proper" level. And never late at night.( I have a inside home theater for that) Would I use a built in one ? You bet!
That said I'm not "camping" ,didn't bring the kiddies out to be in nature and ride their bikes ,yelling and having a good time , long past that! . We generally don't stay in state campgrounds etc much. I see my tv use like sitting on my side Porch. We live here ,it's our home. I had a outdoor entertainment center/ BBQ in my s&b back "home" I see it as no different
So ... I put up with the kids, dogs, Quads etc on the weekend/vacation having a good time , my limited tv use outside is minor compared !
There must be a draw for it besides me as they (manufacturers) wouldn't spend on it as a standard item of bling unless it appealed to a large group of new buyers.

[Scottybdivin]

Originally Posted by oatmeal

I'll just say that I have been annoyed by people's outside TVs in campgrounds but have never actually complained because I never know how someone will react.

So I just put up with it, but that doesn't mean I'm not annoyed.

I feel the same way about some people's children, but I never complain.

[SpaceNorman]

We've got a TV on the exterior wall of the living room slide. It gets some use - but not a lot. It rare that we sit outside to do any serious TV watching. When the outside TV is on - it's virtually always to keep an eye on a game (football, hockey, etc.) that we're interested in, while we're doing something else. When we do turn it on - we keep the sound extremely low (if it's on at all ...). It's a nice feature to have ... and certainly a pretty common feature in the DP world these days. NOT having one would certainly never be a deal breaker for us ... but by the same token, I don't mind there being one there for those occasions that the urge to watch it hits me.