It’s been a while since we contributed to this site. A recent email from the owner of Blowzer (a handheld air duster), offering to send us a couple to review, made us think that perhaps we should update everyone on what we have been doing since (checks notes) 2023. So this post will be a Henley’s Happy Trails update as well as a promised review of the Blowzer tool, which I quite like for RVing and camping.
Where Have We Been?
Since so much has happened and each of those events really deserves its own entry on this site, I’m going to rapid-fire the updates and hope to go into the details of each in its own post for anyone who actually reads this. (Hi, Mom!)
A Brand-New Motorhome
To kick off our “Where Have We Been” tour, I’ll start with the new motorhome. Starbuck, our Sunstar, needed a roof replacement, which would be costly. So we weighed our options. We had been talking about getting a new rig for a while and decided it was time to pull the trigger.
Long story short, meet Earl Grey, the Thor Hurricane:
You may also notice that we got a new car later, which was a whole other story. I’ll spare you for now. The Thor is 36 feet long, as opposed to the 26-foot one we spent the better part of 9-ish years in.
A New Family Member
We updated you on Leo, our Lab mix, a few posts ago; however, we also picked up a little hitchhiker. We came across a boxer in Southern California while at Thousand Trails RV Park. He looked lost and had gotten out of his fenced-in area, which was actually next to the RV park. He had a collar with a phone number, so we called and reached the owner.
During the conversation, one thing led to another. The owner was going through a difficult time, and the dog and Leo got along. Now we have two large dogs. Thank goodness we got the larger RV.
The biggest irony is that the name on the collar, which turned out to be the dog’s name, was Levi. Yep, same as mine. So now we have a human Levi and a K9 Levi in the family. No confusion possible there, lol. He has settled into our family and RV life quite well, and his “brother” Leo loves him.
Less Travel
We started this whole RV travel thing over a decade ago because we knew we wanted to leave Las Vegas, but we didn’t know where to move. We hadn’t seen much of anything beyond a select few states. One of our goals was to find a place we could settle down in for a while.
One day, while doing some writing, Natalie discovered the Mount Hood area of Oregon. It was beautiful, and we decided we had to go. So off we went. We absolutely loved it. We were close to the mountain for skiing and hiking, but not too far from a major metropolitan area (Portland). We decided we wanted to stay for a while, maybe longer.
A little snow left on Mount Hood, even in August. 
Fall colors in our corner of the Oregon woods. 
A riverside outing with Leo and Levi. 
Mount Hood makes a pretty good backdrop for a dog walk. 
Trading travel days for ski days. 
Winter at the mountain lodge. 
A sunny day on the slopes. 
A snowy walk with the four-legged Levi. 
A clear view above the clouds. 
One more reason we wanted to stick around Mount Hood.
So for the past year, that’s where we have been. We set up a long-term site at an RV park nearby, and honestly, we are enjoying every minute in the forest.
Still RVing… Technically
Even though we are stationary now, we still live in an RV. This means RV maintenance and RV issues are still part of the game, especially in the damp, colder weather Oregon offers. So, as we continue this new chapter of our RV adventures, we aim to update you on DIY fixes, issues of stationary RV living, and, of course, our adventures around the area.
Blowzer X6 Review from Our RV in the Oregon Woods
Without further ado, here’s the nifty product we just got to try.
Disclosure: Sabrent sent the Blowzer free of charge, with no obligation to write an article or review. The experiences and opinions below are our own. This article contains Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
Living in the woods in Oregon means a fair amount of the woods ends up inside our RV. The steps collect dirt, and the outside compartments collect whatever comes home on our gear.
The Blowzer X6 is Sabrent’s rechargeable handheld air duster, and we’ve been trying it on those little cleanup jobs. So far, I’ve been surprised by how much air comes out of something small enough to fit in a glovebox. The steps alone gave me a reason to keep it handy.
How We Ended Up Trying the Blowzer
Meni at Sabrent reached out after reading our blog. He and his family travel in an older Fleetwood Bounder, and he’d started finding RV uses for a tool they originally developed for computers and electronics.
He offered to send us a couple to try. He was also clear about what he expected from us:
“The only favor I’d ask is that you genuinely try them. If you end up liking the Blowzer and it naturally finds its way into something you write somewhere down the road, I’d obviously love that. If not, that’s completely fine too, there’s no obligation to cover it.”
That gave us room to put it to work and see what we thought. There’s usually something around here that needs cleaning.
First Impressions
The Blowzer felt solid when I picked it up. It has some weight to it, and my first impression of the build quality was good. Then I pulled the trigger. There was enough thrust to push my hand back a little, which I wasn’t expecting from something this size.
It came with several attachments and a couple of brushes. One attachment is intended for inflatables such as tubes and air mattresses. I like having that option, although I haven’t tested how it does with those yet.
The RV Steps Were an Easy Win
Our steps don’t lend themselves to being swept. Dirt settles into the grooves and edges, and getting a broom into all of them is a nuisance. Where we live, there’s no shortage of new dirt to replace whatever we just cleaned up.
The Blowzer easily moved the loose dirt out of those spots and toward the open door. I could work along the steps and blow the debris outside instead of chasing it around with a broom. For a small job we have to do repeatedly, that was handy, and we didn’t have to break out the vacuum.
Dirt in the Storage Compartments
Our lower outside compartments hold hiking gear, scuba gear, camp furniture, tools, leveling blocks, and more. A fair amount of dirt comes back in with all that, even when we’d prefer it to stay at the campsite.
The Blowzer made quick work of the loose debris in those compartments. You do have to pay attention to where you aim it, though. Give the dirt a route out of the compartment. Otherwise, you’re just rearranging it at impressive speed.
I also used it on the picnic table. It’s convenient for the quick cleanup jobs where loose dirt is the main problem.
The Dryer Vent and Its Surrounding Mess
Our washer-and-dryer combo vents out the side of the RV. Unfortunately, lint also comes out and lands on the stuff below it. I used the Blowzer and the included brushes to clear loose lint at the outside vent opening.
That worked well for the accessible buildup. Clearing that opening doesn’t tell me the entire duct is clean, though. The dryer still needs its regular vent inspection and cleaning according to its manual. I wouldn’t count this quick cleanup as a complete dryer-vent service.
Keyboards and the Places the Vacuum Cannot Reach
It came in handy for keyboards, which is closer to the job it was originally designed to do. But an RV has plenty of other small gaps that collect dust and hair while being just awkward enough to keep a vacuum attachment out.
For those areas, we’ve been turning the Blowzer down low, moving the debris into an accessible spot, and then vacuuming it up. The lower setting is useful here. Blowing dust all over the living room would just give us a larger cleaning project.
Filters and Appliance Cleanup
We have a dehumidifier and an air purifier inside the RV, and both need cleaning. The Blowzer helped make quick work of the loose dust during those cleanups. We also found it useful for clearing dust from our interior A/C filter.
Check the care instructions for your particular appliance and filter before copying that part. Some filters need gentle vacuuming, washing, or replacement. Getting the visible dust off doesn’t mean every type of filter is clean or ready to go back into service. Turn the appliance off and unplug it before cleaning, and take removable dusty parts outside when practical.
A Few Jobs Still on My List
The dashboard vents are next. A vacuum only reaches so far into them, so I want to see how useful the Blowzer is around the accessible louvers and edges. I’ll still need to collect whatever comes out.
I’m also interested in whether it can help with loose dust during spring A/C condenser maintenance. That’s an idea for a future test, as long as we’re careful not to damage the condenser fins.
A few other possibilities are dry dirt in window tracks, crumbs around the car’s seat rails, and dust in the folds of camp chairs before putting them away. We haven’t tested those jobs yet, but I have little doubt it would work.
What I Like and What I Still Need to Learn
The compact size is a big part of the appeal. Space is always a consideration in an RV, and this is small enough for a car glovebox. Getting that much power without finding room for another bulky tool is useful.
The main limitation I’ve found is where the dirt goes. Outside, I can usually direct it away from the area I’m cleaning. Inside, I still need the vacuum afterward. It works best when I’ve thought about where I want the debris to end up before pulling the trigger.
I haven’t been using it for months, so I can’t say much about its durability over the long term. But I have been quite impressed with the little gadget so far.
Would I Keep One in the RV?
Yes. The steps, compartments, and awkward little gaps have already given it enough work to justify the space. If your broom and vacuum handle everything easily, you may not have much reason to add another tool. For our setup, the Blowzer has been useful.
I could also see it being a birthday gift or stocking stuffer for someone who likes useful gadgets, depending on the current price and your gift budget.
You can check the current price of the Blowzer X6 on Amazon here.
For now, ours has more dirt to deal with. Oregon keeps supplying it.
We’re staying put for now, but there’s still plenty to explore and plenty to keep us busy in the RV. For more gear we’ve put to work along the way, take a look at our other product reviews.
