Everybody’s Scalin’ – Be Nice To Your Hotel Room
It’s summer time and that means vacation. It also means that scaling season is in full swing, what with big events happening all over the country. Heck, Axialfest is just a month away.
It’s now common for hobbyists to travel with their scaler while on holiday. Being a landlocked midwesterner, I loved the chance to take my SCX10 to the Florida coast while on vacation a few years ago. I’ve also had the chance to road trip it with friends to a RECON G6. Regardless of where your destination may be, let me give you a few travel tips for hauling your favorite rig.
IF FLYING, YOU MUST CARRY ON YOUR LIPOS
For obvious reasons, LiPo batteries are a concern for traveling. LiPos aren’t allowed to be checked into baggage so you’ll have to carry them on in a LiPo sack. Even if you are following the rules be aware that you are at the mercy of the TSA. Your best bet is to call the airline you intend on flying with and see what their procedures are for batteries. You’ll then want to find a copy of said rules and print them out to back you up just in case.
IF FLYING, BRING A FEW BASIC TOOLS BUT DON’T GET CARRIED AWAY
Assuming you are heading on a trip where scaling isn’t the total purpose then it’s best to pack light. Bring your rig, a few wrenches, a set of pliers, your radio, and a couple towels to pack around the truck for safety when your bag is thrown around handled by the ground grew. Well, safety AND keeping your dirty r/c from mucking about with the rest of the stuff in your luggage. Speaking of that…
DO NOT WASH YOUR FILTHY SCALER IN THE BATHTUB OR SHOWER OF YOUR HOTEL
I don’t mean tire scrubbing or some such other simple maintenance – I’m talking about the kind of hosedown that leaves your room looking like a crime scene. I’m not kidding here. I personally know several people that have been kicked out and permanently banned from hotels for giving their trail trucks post-run washdowns in the tub and leaving caked mud all over the place.
Outside of potentially leaving you with no where to stay on a trip, costing you a room deposit and driving the poor staff nuts…it also gives hobbyists a bad name. Some hotels no longer allow radio control vehicles on the premises because of bad experiences in the past. I’m not just blaming people that are into scaling. Racers have long been known to bunk up together at a big event and leave the room a mess, but our genre lends itself to particularly nasty running conditions and dirty-@$$ trucks.
The best way to deal with cleaning up a nasty truck while you’re traveling is either find a self service car wash and give it a quick spritz / blow dry OR ask the front desk of the hotel if they have somewhere you can wash it. I have a friend that was in a predicament like this and was allowed to use the maintenance room slop sink at one such establishment, all because he just asked nicely.
With a little planning (and sometimes a little luck) traveling with your scaler can be great fun. Best of luck this summer!
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