According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), “More than one-quarter of the U.S. population report occasionally not getting enough sleep, while nearly 10% experience chronic insomnia.”
What’s worse is that traveling makes sleep even more challenging! This is partly why sound machines are popular among travelers.
We’ve found that RVers can enjoy the same benefits sound machines provide to other travelers. They help mask neighborhood and household sounds alike — and also help compensate for lighter insulation, thinner walls, and even nighttime movement you experience inside an RV.
We’ve lived in our RV without a sound machine, and now that we own one we don’t know how we lived without one. We have a Marpac Marsona Sound Machine, which masks most sounds while providing soothing white noise while we sleep. It does a great job in keeping our sleep consistent wherever we travel and we highly recommend it for RVers, travelers, and homeowners.
How we decided to buy the Marpac Marsona Travel Sound Machine
We’ve lived in our RV for 3 years and travel to a variety of locations as we RV all around the U.S. At one point we spent a year in the center of a town in Orange County, and were close to a police station, ambulance sounds, traffic, and the usual neighborhood noises.
Fortunately, our motorhome has always been decent at keeping most outside sounds to a minimum. Our Fantastic Fan vents through the bedroom ceiling and helps provide some white noise for us as well. But when it rains or gets cold we’ve always closed the vent and relied on a small table fan for white noise. This isn’t the best setup but we’ve gotten used to it.
Another challenge we’ve had is hosting guests. This created a challenge inside the RV because in 225 square feet everyone can hear every sound! From people coughing, snoring, or talking – to taking a drink or a bathroom break – we’ve heard it all. Plus our family is from the East coast, so sometimes we’ll hear doors opening and closing in the very early morning as they get used to the time change.
We knew there had to be a better way to deal with these sounds. One day I was introduced to the Marpac Marsona Sound Machine.
Our Solution:
Several months ago I went on a Florida beach trip with family during the busy season. The building was a little on the noisy side, but fortunately I was offered a sound machine to try out. I slept right through the night even with beach partygoers and a full house.
After this trip I knew a sound machine was the answer I was looking for! I flew home, told Rich about it and we ordered one. The model we bought is made by Marpac, which is very similar to the Marpac Marsona shown here. I love how small it is, since it easily fits on my narrow night stand.
I can also choose from two settings: either a steady, consistent white noise sound similar to rain, or an ebb and flow white noise sound that’s similar to ocean waves. I like the simple and clean design, which includes a sliding volume button (it gets VERY loud).
The Marpac Sound Machine smooths out many potentially disruptive sounds from outside the RV, wherever we go. Plus it makes it so we can sleep better with visitors. This helps us to be at our best during the day while hosting our visitors, which is important considering the challenges of operating in 225 square feet with 3-4 people.
We absolutely love this sound machine, and have slept better since we’ve had a white noise machine than we ever did before. This makes it well worth the price – especially when compared to options like sleep medications, with their potentially harmful side effects.
Details:
Off white plastic sound machine. 5.5 x 4.1 x 2.2 inches ; 1 pounds.
The Marpac Marsona model utilizes solid state technology to create “white noise” emulating Rain, Waterfall and Surf to effectively mask unwanted sounds and noise.
Pros:
- Compact size fits in any RV or home
- Lightweight, small, and packs well for travel
- Has adapters for European travel
- Several options for white noise sounds and volume control
- Simple, streamlined design – easy to operate
- Masks outside and inside sounds for better sleep
- Consistent white noise without the “loop” of cheaper models
Cons:
- A few complaints by some customers on static noise (interference from outside radio frequency). However, the company stands behind their product if this happens
- More expensive than some units (but we feel worth every penny!)
- Does not include alarms, other sounds like birds, etc. This is strictly a simple, well-designed sound machine
Summary:
If you have sleeping issues due to noisy neighbors, snoring spouses, or even because it’s too quiet, we can’t recommend a white noise machine enough! The Marpac Marsona Travel Sound Machine makes your life better by improving the quality and consistency of your sleep.
Whether you own an RV, a traditional home, or simply want a sound machine for traveling this device could save you precious sleep time and even your sanity. 