The Results of our First Adventure :)

[flumpydog]

We had wonderful weather this past week here in SW Ontario, and could not have picked a better time to try out the new trailer and for our first time ever camping in a trailer.

We learned a fair bit over the past week, it helped us figure out where we should place things like hooks for towels, organizing all the cupboards and just getting used to everything. Our trailer has an outdoor kitchen as well as a bbq that is attached to the back bumper and swivels around, this received a lot of use. There were a couple things we discovered that will need some attention from the dealer, but nothing too big. I must say that the AC was a blessing this past week, as it was very very hot. It poured like mad one night, and I do not miss my tent in the least.

We were gone for 5 days, and between my wife and myself and our three wee lads, we managed to not need to empty our tanks, I was pleased with that. We did need to replenish our fresh water at the end of day 3, and the kids enjoyed helping with that job.

Do people find the monitors for the fresh, grey and black levels, actually work? Ours was telling us the grey was 2/3 full after the first day, the black never went above 1/3 (even though at the end of day five, we could see the tank was full) and our fresh water gauge would register 1/3 , even though it was empty.

I was really impressed with the shower, worked a lot better than I had expected. We have an outside shower as well, and this worked great for rinsing off after a day at the beach, or when the kids were done playing around the site.

Now for some things that gave us a good laugh. When we first pulled into the site, we parked roughly where we wanted to have the trailer, climbed inside and look at the level gauge for side to side and it was showing we were high on the driver's side a fair bit. Since I forgot to bring some boards, I backed the trailer up, dug out a couple inches and after some fine tuning, it appeared we were level and life was good. That night, my wife kept saying it felt like she was gonna roll out of bed, as for me, I was just rolling towards her haha. The trailer did not feel quite level either, so I remembered I had brought a 4 ft. level, took it out and I was a good 2 1/2 inches low on the driver's side. So much for the gauge mounted inside the trailer from the factory . So after all my hard digging, it ended up that I could have just parked it and been perfect LOL.

When we packed up to go home, I must say it was the least stressful packing up we have ever had, compared to the tent and a handful of kids and the day after an all night heavy downpour. Anyhoo, we pull up to the dumping station, something I was not looking forward to doing. I hook the hose up and then put the one end down into the hole (my big rookie mistake) lol . I do all the right things, my wife tells me what a good job I did and that I was worried about nothing, then I pull the hose out of the hole and YUCK!!!! A good 2 feet of it had stretched out and went down that hole and well you can just imagine. So I now know that I should just put a bit down the hole and use that lid or my foot to hold it in place to make the clean up after a lot easier .

Now to do some fine tuning and get ready for our next little trip in a couple weeks!

Best Wishes,
Chuck

[NWJeeper]

WE LOVE PICTURES.

Great job and glad to hear you had a great time. So funny on the leveling. I added small bubble levels to my dash and door on our rig while I was leveled up in the garage and wouldn't you know it, neither one stuck right and they are both off!

The tank gauges are just a rough "estimate" no they don't work worth a hill of beans. I have never had a rig with good tank monitors. I would really like to add the Seelevel II monitor system to our rig which reads in percentages to 100%

For your sewer hose take a look at the Rhino Flex system. We bought one of these a few months back to replace our old hose and I have to say it's worth the money. It collapses down and stays that way and it has a 90 degree elbow at the end for the dump hole. The elbow is clear so you can see that things are done flowing.

Good to hear ya had a good time though.

[flumpydog]

Thanks for the tip on the Rhino hose, I will definitely look into one of those.
On a Travel Trailer, where do people normally store these? I know the bumper has a spot, but I am not so sure that is where I want to keep it, and would prefer to put it in something (just not sure what would be good) and keep it in the storage compartment.
Best Wishes,
Chuck

[rockin'ray]

Congrats on your first trip out in the new trailer. My wife and I are first time new owners this year as well and although we don't have kids we know all about the joys of packing up with wet gear.

About the levels, I bought some of those stick on levels and they are not worth it, I ended up mounting a bigger level on the front that I can see in my rear view mirror to get it as level as possible while parking it. It also has a smaller level on it for front to back level. Works great but still takes a bit of work with knowing when and how much to put under the wheels to get it level.

I also bought a Rhinoflex hose and they work great, as for storage my trailer does not have the square hollow bumper so after I dump the tanks, I rinse out the hose really well, collapse it down and put the caps on which do seal really well and put it in the storage trunk and have never had any leaks or surprises.

Reading this forum has also provided a lot of good info and tips from the seasoned people on here and like my wife and I, over time you will learn little things that make it even better.

By the way, we are both originally from Sudbury, where in Ontario are you from?

[flumpydog]

I was wondering why those levels were so big that you mount on the front of the trailer, but I now see why and they sure could come in handy . I picked up a Rhinoflex system yesterday, so that should make the messy job a whole bunch cleaner.

We are just outside the big town of Wingham Ontario here, and I see you are in Nova Scotia. We plan on taking a 2 - 3 week trip out that way next spring, as my wife has never been to the East cost and wants to scout it out as a possible place to move to at some point.

Best Wishes,
Chuck

[flumpydog]

Just a few pics, but better than nothing.

[flumpydog]

just ignore the dirty laundry bag hahaha

This was at MacGregor Point Provincial Park.

[NWJeeper]

Originally Posted by flumpydog

On a Travel Trailer, where do people normally store these? I know the bumper has a spot, but I am not so sure that is where I want to keep it, and would prefer to put it in something (just not sure what would be good) and keep it in the storage compartment.
Best Wishes,
Chuck

As Ray pointed out the hose comes with caps for each end. Just put the caps on and store in a storage compartment. On the motorhomes there is a "water bay" which is where the valves and drain are located so there is a convienient spot to put the hose.

Looks like everyone had a great time. Thanks for the pics.

[jackhartjr]

Trust me dude, you WANT to store the hose in the rear bumper. I would invest in the end plugs that are rubber and when put in place you push in on the hole in the middle and it makes it tight. I have yet to have one come loose, however the ones from the factory constantly tried to pop out!
Locking Bumper Plug - Item - Camping World

If you always dump the black first, then gray the hose will be clean enough to store.

And wasps can get in the bumper, make sure they are not in there when you take the plug out, don't ask how I know this!LOL

[TheSasks]

Congrats on a successful first trip, you guys sure got some nice weather right after we headed back from Barrie on the 26th. As for sewer our dealer gave us a kit with 2 10 ft hoses and a 90 degree elbow that will screw into just abt any sewer. We keep the hoses in the bumper and only bring out what we need, the plugs in the bumper stay put quite well if you make sure you put them in right.