Tips for New Campers

[roanmountaincampers]

Now that the wife and I have been campers for a year, I would like to post some tips and observations for the new campers joining us. I hope this will help to make their introduction into the camping life easier.

1. Buy your second camper first. When we purchased our 25KS, I thought this would be the ideal camper for two, and it is. But you will quickly learn that your family suddenly wants to spend more time with you once you buy a camper. After sleeping in a tent in the rain while my son, daughter-in-law and 4 week old grandson slept in our camper, we decided a larger camper would be needed. We pick it up next week.

2. The amount and severity of the rain is directly related to the number of people that have come to your site to eat with you. The rain will also start just as you finish setting the picnic table and sit down to eat. Last time I was the one standing in the corner while we ate. We pick up the larger camper next week.

3. Even though there is no one at the dump station when you start out, there will be six campers in line by the time you get your dump hose connected. They will be standing watching just to see if you make a mistake.

4. When dry camping, your wife, daughter-in-law, and granddaughters will quickly go through all the water in your tank as they fill up the waste tanks. In two nights we went through the 40 gallons in the tank and the 18 I carried and hand poured into the tank. Of course I also made two trips with the blue boy to the dump station.

5. Be prepared to buy wood at the campground as you can't haul enough wood in a 1/2 ton truck to keep a fire going the entire time you are camping. My wife and daughter-in-law seem to think a fire must be burning constantly.

6. If you have the "Create A Breeze" fan in your bathroom and you leave it on while flushing the commode it will do just as the name states, create a breeze through the black tank into the trailer. You'll probably only do this once.

7. If you have the corner shower with the glass doors, be sure to put on elbow pads before entering. The reason for this will become evident.

I hopes this helps newcomers quickly become experienced campers. If I can be of further help please let me know. Learn from the mistakes of others as you just don't have time to make them all yourself. You'll create many memories with you family as you camp. Did I mention we pick up the larger trailer next week?

[clancythecamper]

So which camper are you picking up next week? Inquiring minds want to know. Our record in our 28' 5er was dinner for 17 during an extended toad strangler. There were 4 of us and two other families with popups. It was def standing room only but good memories

In regard to women and fires & water, being a woman, I asked DH this morning how people dry camp. Cant quite figure it out......

[wmtire]

These are great......and a classic example of do as I say, not as I do.

[TURBS]

Thanks for a brief but funny look into your camping woes.

I can concure with most of your statements.


Have fun.

Turbs

[columbusfan325]

Very good tips and funny also. We bought three new campers in three years before finally getting the one we should have bought first.

[dmf564]

Roflmao!!!! For one reason alone....I shared most of those same experiences in our first year.

[rip]

About tip 6, I thought the hazard warning label came off my C-A-B fan, but now I'm guessing the factory doesn't put one on any of these.

[roanmountaincampers]

Originally Posted by clancythecamper

So which camper are you picking up next week? Inquiring minds want to know. Our record in our 28' 5er was dinner for 17 during an extended toad strangler. There were 4 of us and two other families with popups. It was def standing room only but good memories

In regard to women and fires & water, being a woman, I asked DH this morning how people dry camp. Cant quite figure it out......

Picking up a Flagstaff 27RLWS. Don't think I will miss that Murphy bed. Now the son and his family can stay in the living room area while we enjoy our private bedroom.

[asquared]

Some more tips for new campers-

8. Do not see if your hot water tank is filling by loosening the drain cap unless you want a projectile object flying through your campsite and a soaked campsite.

9. Pay attention to which wire is positive and negative (hint it is not the same as a car battery as black is pos on trailers). Reversing these will result in several blown fuses that the local camping store will be out of but an autozone might just have it.

10. Do not play amateur chemist with your black tank. Pick a method and stick to it. Otherwise make sure everything from your previous method is dissolved, drained and well flushed out. Do not ask how I learned this one.

11. Get a set of Walkie talkies to communicate with your ground guide when backing up. You will not need to see them and they can tell you things like tree 3 feet back drivers side or picnic table 5 ft back passenger side. Just remember which side is drivers side and passenger side unless you want to end up in the bushes wondering why your ground guide put you there and your ground guide wondering what in the Sam Hill you were thinking. Well at least days like these are entertaining for all the looky loos that love to watch people back in.

[bodzcampers]

Point 11 is particularly important. I backed up two bikes into a tree...crack...there goes about 2000 dollars.

Lynn and Mike

[h20ski]

Point 12

Put a colored clothes pin on your antenna crank handle when the antenna is down. When you raise antenna place this colored reminder on the tounge of tt. Hopefully if you foget to lower antenna you will see clothes pin when hooking up tv.

[DAISY BOYKIN]

Some first for some first time campers.

1.Never take company on your shake down camping trip!

2.Always open a small window (kitchen) when bath vent fan is on.
The campers are air tight, the vent fan has to draw air from
somewhere. (even when stove vent hood is on, open window)

3. I use a nylon red web belt about 18" long with buckle on end to attach
to antenna crank handle (it hangs down in the way, you can't miss it)

4. Never give up YOUR BED for a guest in a too small camper!!!!!

5. When water is limted, direct ALL to the campground showers and rest
rooms.
6. Never take more people than the camper can sleep inside.

7. If rain is forecast for camping trip, plan on eating fast food at
MacDonalds, Burger King.
8. When you have your own camper, never take a tent to sleep in!

If you do not follow the few above guide lines for your first time camping trip, the exsperience will be a very bad, will cause you to buy a larger camper shortly!

[clancythecamper]

Flagstaff Super Lite Travel Trailer by Forest River

And always! Look out for that tree! both height and width and if they are curving over the road!

Nice choice Love those slides. The counter extension will come in handy too! Congrats!

[Mike001]

I think I will pick up a set of the radios b4 our first trip this year. Probably save a few fights from happening w/ the wife. We could us them to keep track of our 15 year old too!

[Pipeman]

I keep telling people that our 5er is only comfortable for TWO PEOPLE. They don't listen. Make sure when you get radios to communicate with, that the ground guide remembers to push the talk button when trying to talk to you and also the ground guide should stay in your line of sight so you can actually see, when they are trying to tell you something and don't push the talk button, their eyes get real big and they start yelling and put their hands out to stop the trailer from hitting something. You stop automatically when you see that as you are laughing so much the tears block your vision. Oh one other thing comes to mind also. If you install a 30 Amp plug on the outside of the house to plug your trailer into, remember to unplug when leaving with the trailer because it can get dangerous when pulling the trailer and the house down the street at the same time. There are laws about pulling doubles.........Don't ask cause I won't tell you.

[cfsoistman]

First time campers: Add ons to the above mentioned lists.
1.Plan your first trip close to home if you can't camp in your driveway.
2.Take a pad and pen to write down everything you forgot to bring.
3.Always locate the closest WalMart, Home Depot for anything you may need to pick up.
4.Develop the list of items that can't be stored in the camper between trips so you remember to pack them.
5. Remember your sense of humor because we all forget something or do something that you hope no one else saw.
6. Most important, be safe and

[dkb74]

Originally Posted by kb4srn

1. Buy your second camper first. When we purchased our 25KS, I thought this would be the ideal camper for two, and it is. But you will quickly learn that your family suddenly wants to spend more time with you once you buy a camper. After sleeping in a tent in the rain while my son, daughter-in-law and 4 week old grandson slept in our camper, we decided a larger camper would be needed. We pick it up next week.

The hubs bought our first camper (pop up) off of Craigslist for cash. So glad we went the cheap route at first, to know what we REALLY wanted and/or needed.

[sideout1961]

[QUOTE=anaro;327858]Some more tips for new campers-


9. Pay attention to which wire is positive and negative (hint it is not the same as a car battery as black is pos on trailers). Reversing these will result in several blown fuses that the local camping store will be out of but an autozone might just have it

I'm glad I read this, I took my battery out in this winter and off course I didn't pay attention and I would have done exactly what you said not to.

[Oakman]

Originally Posted by anaro

Some more tips for new campers-


9. Pay attention to which wire is positive and negative (hint it is not the same as a car battery as black is pos on trailers). Reversing these will result in several blown fuses that the local camping store will be out of but an autozone might just have it.

[QUOTE=sideout1961;327990]

Originally Posted by anaro

Some more tips for new campers-


9. Pay attention to which wire is positive and negative (hint it is not the same as a car battery as black is pos on trailers). Reversing these will result in several blown fuses that the local camping store will be out of but an autozone might just have it

I'm glad I read this, I took my battery out in this winter and off course I didn't pay attention and I would have done exactly what you said not to.

This is actually news to me. I'm on my third fifth wheel and all have had the black to the negative terminal and red to the positive. Here's a photo I took of the battery in my previous 2008 Wildcat. Notice the negative symbol by the battery post with the black wire.

[sideout1961]

[QUOTE=Oakman;328029]

Originally Posted by sideout1961

This is actually news to me. I'm on my third fifth wheel and all have had the black to the negative terminal and red to the positive. Here's a photo I took of the battery in my previous 2008 Wildcat. Notice the negative symbol by the battery post with the black wire.

Well hopefully this can be cleared up before I put my battery back in. I will have to see if there is something in my Manuals. Yea I know I should have paid more attention while I was removing battery lesson learned.