Major setups for short stays.

[mandring]

I'm a unique snowflake.

That being said. When I drop anchor. 30 minutes and I'll have a cigar lit and petting the dog while nursing a beer. Its not a race, but...I get the wheels chocked, disconnect the truck. Get the jacks down. Make sure the trailer isn't moving then hook up. Check everything again.

When we go out, 2 days. Thats my personal minimum.


On the last outting. We had a couple of neighbors pull up on a saturday afternoon. Fine by me.

The closest one looked to be a young man (mid-late 20s) and his mother. They had a TT around the same size as mine. Its getting later in the day. So everyone is getting ready for dinner. I see them pulling out a 8' folding table. They get all the food out and setup. Then another table....more stuff. Then the wife and baby come out of the trailer. More stuff follows...By the time they were done, you almost couldn't see the trailer. This blew my mind.

The other group. 3 tents. 2, 4 person tents and 1, 8 person. I believe there were 6 of them, so naturally they had a lot of stuff. Being in tents and all.

This is all fine and good with me. But the thing that got me was. The next morning they were all packing up and leaving. The small family had been up and breaking camp before I woke up. I was dust in the wind before they even had the TV hooked up. Same with the tent crew.

To me, that just seemed like a whole lot of effort for such a short stay. This little family had more stuff for that one night than I would for a whole week.

I'm not complaining or anything. Just seems like it wouldn't be worth it.

[MarkyB]

Maybe they were passing thru on a longer trip?
That being said, I agree, I wouldn't pull out a ton of stuff on an overnight stay.
I can set up or break down in about 45 minutes, but I still feel like I'm bumbling around and could be more efficient.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[JustB_Rad]

We've done a few 2 night trips this year, along with a week long trip and we'll have a 3 day weekend for Labor Day. We've adjusted our schedules to arrive at our destinations on 2 or 3 day weekends at 4-5:00 on Friday nights to allow us to set up and be ready to relax by dinner time. I've cut back SOME on my setup, but also have made my setup easier by adding mods to my process. My bare minimum for a 2 day trip would be:

X-chocks
Blocks under stabilizers
Water/Electric hookups (I've just been hooking sewer up before we're ready to leave....can can get through the 2 days on 1 grey tank)
Awning Mats
Sun Shade on Awing (I've come to realize that even if I don't need it for sun, it does a great job of keeping the rain out!)
Flag Pole (Drops right in the sleeve on the tongue)
2 bag chairs
3 folding tables
Portable Ice maker (sits on one folding table)
Garbage Can
Grill table modified to slip into a receiver mounted on the A-frame.
I made a full length downspout for the 1 corner that the AC Condensation drips from to route the water UNDER the camper, not drip in front of the doors, so that goes up if the AC is on.

I can get this accomplished in about an hour, and it takes me about an hour to get it organized an put away. Some of it gets done during my water dump, so it's multitasking. Obviously some stuff NEEDS to get done, some gets done because thats what makes it feel like "Home" to me.

If we are on longer weekends, or I know we will have fires every night because of good weather, I'll add:
Tiki Torches
Our sign, which hangs from a PVC Frame

If necessary, I have an EZ-UP and if even more necessary, I have the screen room for that. I've only used those once this year.

In the end, I set most of our stuff up simple cause its the way I'm wired! If it was a one night stop, I probably wouldn't do the ice maker, or grill table (even though it takes all of 2 minutes to set up)...and depending on weather and site conditions, I would probably leave the awning mats and sun shade tucked away too.

One reason a person might take a lot of time to set up would be, maybe they need to get the crap out of the camper....currently, we have 1 child, and he needs a lot of space! Next year, we will have to rethink our storage as we won't be able to use the lower bunk all the time to store crap.

[mandring]

Originally Posted by MarkyB

Maybe they were passing thru on a longer trip?
That being said, I agree, I wouldn't pull out a ton of stuff on an overnight stay.
I can set up or break down in about 45 minutes, but I still feel like I'm bumbling around and could be more efficient.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I thought the same thing. I didn't notice if they were local or not. So who knows.


I give myself an hour to hookup and disconnect. taking our 'stuff', I will rush though. But after I've gone through and hookup, I'll check again. And before we leave I walk around again and I make the wife walk with me and have her put eyes on. Shes spotted things I've missed.

[mandring]

Originally Posted by JustB_Rad

We've done a few 2 night trips this year, along with a week long trip and we'll have a 3 day weekend for Labor Day. We've adjusted our schedules to arrive at our destinations on 2 or 3 day weekends at 4-5:00 on Friday nights to allow us to set up and be ready to relax by dinner time. I've cut back SOME on my setup, but also have made my setup easier by adding mods to my process. My bare minimum for a 2 day trip would be:

X-chocks
Blocks under stabilizers
Water/Electric hookups (I've just been hooking sewer up before we're ready to leave....can can get through the 2 days on 1 grey tank)
Awning Mats
Sun Shade on Awing (I've come to realize that even if I don't need it for sun, it does a great job of keeping the rain out!)
Flag Pole (Drops right in the sleeve on the tongue)
2 bag chairs
3 folding tables
Portable Ice maker (sits on one folding table)
Garbage Can
Grill table modified to slip into a receiver mounted on the A-frame.
I made a full length downspout for the 1 corner that the AC Condensation drips from to route the water UNDER the camper, not drip in front of the doors, so that goes up if the AC is on.

I can get this accomplished in about an hour, and it takes me about an hour to get it organized an put away. Some of it gets done during my water dump, so it's multitasking. Obviously some stuff NEEDS to get done, some gets done because thats what makes it feel like "Home" to me.

If we are on longer weekends, or I know we will have fires every night because of good weather, I'll add:
Tiki Torches
Our sign, which hangs from a PVC Frame

If necessary, I have an EZ-UP and if even more necessary, I have the screen room for that. I've only used those once this year.

In the end, I set most of our stuff up simple cause its the way I'm wired! If it was a one night stop, I probably wouldn't do the ice maker, or grill table (even though it takes all of 2 minutes to set up)...and depending on weather and site conditions, I would probably leave the awning mats and sun shade tucked away too.

One reason a person might take a lot of time to set up would be, maybe they need to get the crap out of the camper....currently, we have 1 child, and he needs a lot of space! Next year, we will have to rethink our storage as we won't be able to use the lower bunk all the time to store crap.

[IMG]https://scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13934587_10157051644400538_6340139896486821476_n.j pg?oh=85a52efb99da54b1b2a57631e2c43581&oe=5814E2BE[/MG]
[IMG]https://scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13592321_10156886798525538_6238346194421506701_n.j pg?oh=69c25a5ce71f95a1e8b8812fc6da4efd&oe=583D4E85[/MG][IMG]https://scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/14102475_10157087317215538_6316024415017527793_n.j pg?oh=dfb640981cbb1a6ae277340f81c0a659&oe=5852BE44[/MG]

Thats almost as much as they had set up.




The grill is just out of frame to the left. And I hadn't put the chairs out yet haha.

[RollingDownTheHighway]

our last trip we had 2 5'ers pull in across from us and one only put out there bedroom sliders, (they had 5 all together), they hooked up their, water, elect, and sewer but that was it, the next morning they checked out. I see lot of one nighters hooking up the bare mininmal and never unpacking anything

[CaptnJohn]

Depending on arrival time. I may hook up nothing if late. Most often water only but maybe elec and cable too. Sewer only if 3 nights or more as at least 1 gray will need dumped.

[Iwritecode]

I've seen the opposite more often. People that stay for a long period of time and you never see them outside their RV.

We are on a permanent site but the one behind us is used mostly for long-term. People will pull in for weeks or sometimes months at a time. The last neighbors we had stayed for about a month. They had a motorhome and a small toad.

They had a couple of outside chairs that they would use once in a whle but for the most part, they stay inside 90% of the time. No tables, no decorations, no flags and they never once used the fire pit that comes with the site.

[Old Legend]

JustB_Rad, where did you get the flag pole and how is it mounted to your camper?
Also thank you for flying the American flag and the POW/MIA flag.

[CampingGator]

If we are over-nighting it we just leave the TT hooked to the TV, hook up water and electricity. If we are staying for at least two nights we hook up sewer, water, and electric. Set out our Mini Max Green Egg. Put a table cloth on the outside picnic table and set up two chairs. Inside I get out the paper towels and other things we like to have for easy access on the counter and put the table cloth on the inside table. Get the bikes out of the truck. Put up a hospitality garden size flag. That's pretty much it. We try to keep it as simple as possible. Now, when we had nine of us on vacation last summer, that was another story! Tents, kids bikes...

[JustB_Rad]

Originally Posted by Old Legend

JustB_Rad, where did you get the flag pole and how is it mounted to your camper?
Also thank you for flying the American flag and the POW/MIA flag.

I got the Pole from Harbor Freight....its 2-1/2" inches wide at the base, meaning I needed to find a 2-1/2" I.D. sleeve. Exhaust pipe was just barely too small so I ended up going with 2-1/2" PVC, which isn't carried at big boxes. I had to go to a specialty plumbing store to get it and it was $3.50 a foot! I then used large hose clamps and wood blocks as spacers to mount it to my tongue jack.

I'm not terribly impressed with the joints on the pole, but for only using it 20 days a year, it will serve the purpose. I just don't like all the poles that bend and wanted something rigid.
http://www.harborfreight.com/20-ft-t...ole-62285.html

You're Welcome....any way I can honor those that have made this country what it is! Much braver folks than I am!

[Life is great]

Give me a hr from pull in to set up what i think we are going to need and i'm a happy camper.

And then my chair with a chilled beer to watch all the other knuckle heads pull in and get in arguments with there DW's trying to back in.

Good times.

[mandring]

Originally Posted by Life is great

Give me a hr from pull in to set up what i think we are going to need and i'm a happy camper.

And then my chair with a chilled beer to watch all the other knuckle heads pull in and get in arguments with there DW's trying to back in.

Good times.

hahah good times for sure.

For a one nighter, sure. No sense in unpacking everything. But I don't even bring that much stuff. I could stay home and save myself the trip if that were the case haha.

[JCCarr]

Level it and crank down stabilizers onto plastic blocks. Plug it in, hook up the hose which always has the portable water filter and pressure regulator attached. Put out a welcome mat and we're in business for a weekend of inside camping. We do this when we go camping the way other people go to hotels. If we're using it to stay somewhere convenient to go to a tourist place or visit friends. We also do this if the weather turns ugly with storms or, like the last time we camped, ungodly heat and humidity.

If we are camping to relax in the campground we may open the awning, fold out the party deck on the toy hauler garage, pull out chairs and portable grill, set up party lights and the little red campfire or a wood campfire depending if we're going to sit on the party deck or on the side.

Time difference is 20 minutes for the minimum, maybe an hour for the full blown "look at us, we're RVing" setup. Tear down is a little longer but in the same ballpark.

Local camping we head out Thursday night to get a better spot (Thousand Trails first come first spot) and then go to work from the RV on Friday for me. The wife works from the camper with WiFi or MiFi. If we're going to far for working then its a vacation and it's usually 4 days to a week in duration.

We'll end up with thirty nights in the RV this year. Maybe 34. 12 days of 2 long duration stays, the rest three night local trips.

[SaskCampers]

Wow,

When we are just over nighting, it takes less than 30 minutes to setup and maybe 15 to break camp as I hook up the truck prior to going to bed so as not to make too much noise at 5am which is what time we usually hit the road. We don't hook up anything but power and water as we use the CG washrooms pretty much all the time when camping.

[kfd82]

Originally Posted by mandring

On the last outting. We had a couple of neighbors pull up on a saturday afternoon. Fine by me.

The closest one looked to be a young man (mid-late 20s) and his mother. They had a TT around the same size as mine. Its getting later in the day. So everyone is getting ready for dinner. I see them pulling out a 8' folding table. They get all the food out and setup. Then another table....more stuff. Then the wife and baby come out of the trailer. More stuff follows...By the time they were done, you almost couldn't see the trailer. This blew my mind.

The other group. 3 tents. 2, 4 person tents and 1, 8 person. I believe there were 6 of them, so naturally they had a lot of stuff. Being in tents and all.

This is all fine and good with me. But the thing that got me was. The next morning they were all packing up and leaving. The small family had been up and breaking camp before I woke up. I was dust in the wind before they even had the TV hooked up. Same with the tent crew.

To me, that just seemed like a whole lot of effort for such a short stay. This little family had more stuff for that one night than I would for a whole week.

I'm not complaining or anything. Just seems like it wouldn't be worth it.

My vote is that both groups were novice campers. When we started tent camping we brought everything we owned and bought stuff on the way! It didnt take many trips to get down to just a backpack, or a backpack and "war chest" for longer trips.

We have RV camped with friends for a while before buying our own trailer, so the learning curve was a little less. We basically look at it like tent camping in a really nice, hard shell, air conditioned tent. The learning curve for us has been operating the systems in the camper, not "how" to camp.

[Prof and Agate]

Does the portable ice maker work well for you? I've been tempted to buy one but we are trying to cut down on the amount we are carrying with us. Our previous trailer had a much bigger freezer so we are missing the amount of ice it could generate.

[JustB_Rad]

Originally Posted by Prof and Agate

Does the portable ice maker work well for you? I've been tempted to buy one but we are trying to cut down on the amount we are carrying with us. Our previous trailer had a much bigger freezer so we are missing the amount of ice it could generate.

I'm beyond impressed with it! Our first trip with it, the outside temp was 96 during the day and low 80's at night. All week I had to buy 1 bag of ice, and that was simply because all our ice melted on the trip down and the ice maker would not have made enough quick enough. After I added that bag, it kept up and we never ran out of ice again. It was filling a tray (2lbs or so) every couple hours. This last weekend, it was cold out...never above 70, and it was making ice like CRAZY....it was giving me a tray (2 lbs or so) every hour-hour and a half. I got it at Sams Club for $90, and paid $10 for a 3 year warranty (basically they'll give you a new one, or give you your money back). I figure it won't take long to pay for itself, plus now I don't have to trek out to get ice to keep the beer cold at $3+ a bag! Plus I'm using campground water and power, so its an even better deal!

http://www.samsclub.com/sams/ice-mak...rod15630035.ip

[Cigarman]

I am in the minimalist camp. Four chairs, a small table for the BBQ and our bikes. No matter the timeframe it's always the same. Sometimes a small tent if one of our boys bring a friend. Never felt the need for all the lights and decorations. All I need is a beer and a fine cigar and I am a happy camper!

[keeprr]

We carry the large 33ld per day Dometic ice maker. Haven't bought a bag of ice in the two years we've had it. On those 100 degree trips I set it in the shower and keep dumping the ice in the Dometic Avalanche cooler. Never run out of ice.