Advice/Tips for new owner?

prof_fate · 01-20-2011, 03:54 PM

We've tent camped and own an ancient popup. Essentially we take everything every trip and unpack everything after every trip (clothing, food, bedding).

With the purchase of a TT we have more options and possibilites of leaving things on board, at least during the season.

If your TT is going to be used say, one weekend a month, and parked (no hookups, no airing out) the other 3 weekends of the month what can be left there and what should not be left there? (cereal and noodles? Bedding? Some clothing? Towels?)

With a tent or pop up and any dew or rain means drying things out after camping. What about a slideout? Any precautions about putting it away wet?

What about gray or black water? Our home campground allows us parking space but we have to spot our TT for each visit. They have no sewage hookups so folks use (i don't know the name for them) these flat little carts and drag them behind the TV's to empty. We don't yet have one. Based on our gray water usage with our popup we should be able to camp a couple of weekends without having to empty our tanks..but if they sit with fluids for weeks, what issues are there? (we don't plan to use the toilet much, but you know how that goes at 2 am and it's raining..)

Any break in suggestions for anything? Trailer, appliances, etc?

LadyWindrider · 01-20-2011, 04:10 PM

I would be careful leaving food, as it draws ants, mice, etc. We do have sealed plastic containers of stuff in ours, but never a cereal box or potato chip bag.

As for the tanks, if people are using the blue carts, there is a dump station somewhere. Since you have to pull the trailer and store it, take it by the dump station and dump it. A blueboy sewer cart wouldn't be needed. I wold dump it every time, as if you left anything in the tanks, as the water evaporates during storage, the solids are going to be tough to remove. This even goes for the gray tank. As far as your water usage, comparing your pop up to a travel trailer is like comparing a bass boat to the queen Mary. You will use a lot more water. Why? Because you have it and you can. You already mentioned 2:00 A.M. and raining. In a pop up you had no choice, in a trailer you have a choice, and you will choose the easy route. Hope you enjoy your new camper, and hope you can tow it safely.

prof_fate · 01-21-2011, 03:35 PM

What about bringing in the slideout in the rain - does it need dried out like a tent/popup does?

**Herk7769** · 01-21-2011, 04:45 PM

The best advice I can give is to dedicate a couple of hours a night, and read the manuals that came with your camper. Then spend a couple of weeks reading threads here in the Tech section to become aware of problems, but more importantly SOLUTIONS to problems you, or other campers, might have.

Before you know it, you will be the "Go To" guy at your campground.

MtnGuy · 01-21-2011, 04:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by prof_fate

What about bringing in the slideout in the rain - does it need dried out like a tent/popup does?

It never rains when you camp, does it.

Seems like the weather always turns beautiful the day we have to leave.

When I have to bring the slide in during rain, I will take a towel and wipe it down the best that I can after I retract the slide. For the most part, the rubber seals will "squeegee" most of the water off.

prof_fate · 01-21-2011, 05:33 PM

I was hoping for something like that. My wife and I did not grow up camping so we have had to figure this out as we go along.
When we were dating we went camping with a borrowed tent. It rained - a LOT, and we got wet, everything got wet actually. Not knowing any better, the tent being nylon and all, we packet it up and returned it. A few months later when they opened up their tent (it was a spare) they had issues...with us. OK, we learned our lesson and now are paranoid.

Part of the motivation for a full hardside TT is dealing with rain. With our tiny real canvas popup rain is our nemesis and it rains 75% of the time we camp at some point - regardless of what the forecast may be. If they're forecasting rain we usually don't bother to try and camp at all. You spend a rainy day/evening in a 5x6 foot camper with 2 small kids and a great dane. I've had more fun times at the dentist.

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