Rockwood HW296

[Corey Straker]

Well, I've even hovering around for a while, finally joined and here we are now.

I'm a few days from buying a HW296. I would like to know a few things

1. What are some 'must haves' you always want to have with you when camping?

2. Are their any horror stories or shortcuts rockwood has even been known to made with these campers?

3. What should I do to keep it in pristine condition, it will be kept in a insulated garage when not in use.

That's all for now! Thanks if anyone can answer.

[Wiscampsin]

Welcome to the forum.

1. There are sooooo many lists out there. Everybodys camping style is different and requires different things.

3. Keep it clean and waxed. If you have to close it up wet make sure you air/dry it out when you can to prevent mold/mildew from growing on the 'canvas'.

[Corey Straker]

Originally Posted by Wiscampsin

Welcome to the forum. 1. There are sooooo many lists out there. Everybodys camping style is different and requires different things. 3. Keep it clean and waxed. If you have to close it up wet make sure you air/dry it out when you can to prevent mold/mildew from growing on the 'canvas'.

Thanks for the quick reply! What would be some essentials?
I'm good about washing and waxing cars so the camper won't be a problem.

If I don't have a 30 amp hookup at my house what should I use instead? I've got 110 but don't want to spend the money on a dedicated 30amp line.

Also what generator would work for camping, running a/c, microwave, lights, fan, etc.

[bradnailer]

Essentials to me would be leveling blocks, ones of varying thicknesses to drive one tire on to get the trailer level side to side, then blocks to put under the stabilizers so you don't have to lower them so far. You can use wood or something similar to Lynx Levelers.

You'll need water hoses to hook up to city water and ways to manage the gray water from the sink and shower.

For me, other things I always camp with is my Weber Q, Coleman two burner stove, canopy for the picnic table, bag chairs and ice chest.

Enjoy!

[08flagvlite]

Corey, some will tell you otherwise, but I plug my camper in to my garage standard outlet- you can get and need to purchase an adapter that adapts your 30 amp RV male end to a standard three prong 110 household female outlet. From there, you can use a good heavy duty gauge extension cord to plug in to your house.(less heat and resistance) The shorter, the better. I recently took my outside shower off to access the plumbing for my inside shower to do a popular mod, check valves for the shower, and I could see where the 30 amp plug to the interior wiring went, and I was AMAZED that the primary inlet wiring hidden behind there was nothing more than extension cord style wire anyway!!! I guess it is okay, they apparently don't think you will see that, but I DID. That heavy 25 foot 30 amp cable that most all campers use to go from the plug in for power is WAY fatter than the wire behind that socket that you DON'T SEE. So I feel much better about a heavy duty ext. cord used on my home power. I can run my A/C and any lights, just try not to run the microwave and A/C at the same time, or toasters and electric skillets. (high amp stuff). As far as a generator goes, you really need a 3500 watt gen., mine has a dedicated RV plug in, as well as 2 110v plugs on it. I can run everything I need to on that. Happy camping, and I hope this info helps you!!! Randy

[Corey Straker]

Originally Posted by 08flagvlite

Corey, some will tell you otherwise, but I plug my camper in to my garage standard outlet- you can get and need to purchase an adapter that adapts your 30 amp RV male end to a standard three prong 110 household female outlet. From there, you can use a good heavy duty gauge extension cord to plug in to your house.(less heat and resistance) The shorter, the better. I recently took my outside shower off to access the plumbing for my inside shower to do a popular mod, check valves for the shower, and I could see where the 30 amp plug to the interior wiring went, and I was AMAZED that the primary inlet wiring hidden behind there was nothing more than extension cord style wire anyway!!! I guess it is okay, they apparently don't think you will see that, but I DID. That heavy 25 foot 30 amp cable that most all campers use to go from the plug in for power is WAY fatter than the wire behind that socket that you DON'T SEE. So I feel much better about a heavy duty ext. cord used on my home power. I can run my A/C and any lights, just try not to run the microwave and A/C at the same time, or toasters and electric skillets. (high amp stuff). As far as a generator goes, you really need a 3500 watt gen., mine has a dedicated RV plug in, as well as 2 110v plugs on it. I can run everything I need to on that. Happy camping, and I hope this info helps you!!! Randy

Randy,

Much thanks for the reply. What camper do you have? Also what are some popular mods for these campers, when it comes to cars I'm a modification nut, but it all has to look factory.

Thanks everyone for all the advice. I'm buying the camper on Monday 7-8 and I'm pretty excited.

I'll be sure to post many pictures, as I'm a picture nut.

[bradnailer]

Corey, You'll have fun modifying the trailer. Most trailers are pretty bare bones so people can fine tune them to suit their individual needs and wants.

Our pop up had a lot of storage that you had to stand on your head to access, like under the dinette seats. I put long extension drawers in several of the storage areas which made access a ton easier.

[Wiscampsin]

Adding to bradnailers list, first aid kit, wheel chocks, water pressure regulator, in-line water filter (Blue Torpedo style from WalMart would work fine), 30AMP extension cord, extra fuses, couple extra interior and exterior light bulbs, basic tool kit, digital volt meter, tongue hitch lock, flashlights, axe/hatchet, clothesline & clips for drying towels etc, waterproof matches, newspaper for starting campfires, comfortable camp chairs, Citronella candles to help with mosquitoes, cooking items, sense of humor, paper & pencil to write down what you forgot. If you want to keep it simpler use paper plates, bowls, plastic cups & utensils. Less water usage and time, but adds to landfills faster, it's your choice.

[w4drr]

A couple items that didn't get mentioned would be a 1 1/2" to 3/4" adapter for the grey tank drain to connect a garden hose. A Valterra T01-0091 or T01-0094 would be what you need. Also you will need the usual 3" sewer hose and fittings for the black tank, plus a few bottles of black tank chemical. Of course, the most important stuff would be the tacky awning lights and the cheap plastic flamingos to decorate your campsite.

Bob

[Corey Straker]

All,

Some great advice! I really appreciate it. My camper has a grey tank and black tank. For the black tank chemicals what do I need to put in there? And how do I do it, like through the toilet?

Also is there any way to flush black/grey tanks on a pop-up camper?

I'm so excited to get my camper.

[Corey Straker]

Another thing, with regards to a generator. Would I need an inverter generator or not? If I'm going inverter it's most likely a Honda or Yamaha. Would using a normal generator hurt the camper or any of the electronically components in it?

[bradnailer]

I use the blue stuff from Walmart in my black tank. Just make sure you allow plenty of water to flow through the black tank. You don't want solids sitting on the bottom of the tank. And only empty the tank when it's near full. Just hook up the drain line to a dump station and use plenty of water to wash it out. Same with the gray tank. Just wash them out well.

Unless you dry camp for an extended period of time and are keen on using your microwave and such or need your A/C, you don't necessarily need a generator. We've been dry camping for up to 10 days all my life and never needed a generator. The only power we use is the lights right before bedtime and power to run the water pump. We cook on propane and run the fridge on propane.

[w4drr]

For the black tank you have a choice of the blue formaldehyde based or the green "natural" type chemical. Both are available at any RV dealer or on-line. You just pour it in through the toilet. Usually you don't have to worry about the grey tank, since it is getting a continuous flush of soapy water. As for flushing the tank after dumping, I just use a wand sprayer down through the toilet. In the HW296, the tank is directly below the toilet, so it is easy. Unfortunately, in a pop-up, you can't use the spray wand at the dump station after dumping, because the camper will be closed up. Your only option there is to install a quickie flush type sprayer in the black tank, or just wait until you get home and set the camper back up to clean it out, if you have that option. (that's what I do). I looked into to a quickie flush install, but the holding tank is above the flooring, so that would make it a little tricky. Hope this helps.

Bob

[Corey Straker]

Originally Posted by w4drr

For the black tank you have a choice of the blue formaldehyde based or the green "natural" type chemical. Both are available at any RV dealer or on-line. You just pour it in through the toilet. Usually you don't have to worry about the grey tank, since it is getting a continuous flush of soapy water. As for flushing the tank after dumping, I just use a wand sprayer down through the toilet. In the HW296, the tank is directly below the toilet, so it is easy. Unfortunately, in a pop-up, you can't use the spray wand at the dump station after dumping, because the camper will be closed up. Your only option there is to install a quickie flush type sprayer in the black tank, or just wait until you get home and set the camper back up to clean it out, if you have that option. (that's what I do). I looked into to a quickie flush install, but the holding tank is above the flooring, so that would make it a little tricky. Hope this helps. Bob

All makes sense! I really appreciate all the advice that is being given! I cannot wait to go pickup my camper. Does anyone know if the HW296 has a electric water heater or not? I know it has propane but I'm really hoping I can use electric as propane makes me uncomfortable sometimes.

[w4drr]

Unless they changed it on 2014 models, your water heater will be propane only, and not electric/propane. That is kind of a bummer, because I would prefer to heat my water with the campground's electricity instead of my propane. I don't know why they got cheap on the water heater, because the High Wall pop-ups have most of the other amenities found in full-size travel trailers.

Bob

[Corey Straker]

Originally Posted by w4drr

Unless they changed it on 2014 models, your water heater will be propane only, and not electric/propane. That is kind of a bummer, because I would prefer to heat my water with the campground's electricity instead of my propane. I don't know why they got cheap on the water heater, because the High Wall pop-ups have most of the other amenities found in full-size travel trailers. Bob

Man! That's really a bummer, but not necessarily a deal breaker for me. Can you at least ignite it from inside? If not, I might look at having a unit installed that can do that.

[HONDAMAN174]

Originally Posted by Corey Straker

Man! That's really a bummer, but not necessarily a deal breaker for me. Can you at least ignite it from inside? If not, I might look at having a unit installed that can do that.

All automatic. Flip the switch and wait ten seconds. Don't think it burns that much propane. Hardest part is remembering that the switch is on when you pack up.

[Corey Straker]

Originally Posted by HONDAMAN174

All automatic. Flip the switch and wait ten seconds. Don't think it burns that much propane. Hardest part is remembering that the switch is on when you pack up.

Oh so the water heater acts like one in a house where it kicks on when it needs it.

[w4drr]

Yes, I should have mentioned the fact it is thermostatically controlled, only coming on when needed. It has an automatic electric ignitor also, so you don't need to light the pilot like some of the older RV water heaters. And like hondaman mentioned, don't forget to turn the switch off when you pack up. Our last trip I pulled that stunt....left it on. It ran a week, keeping that water in the tank nice and warm, before I discovered it. It happened to light when I was out in the yard near the camper and I recognized that unmistakable sound, and immediately realized what I had done. Fortunately, the water heater switch in a HW296 is easy to get to without raising the roof. (Sure wish the refrigerator was that easy to get to with the roof down).

Bob

[Corey Straker]

Originally Posted by w4drr

Yes, I should have mentioned the fact it is thermostatically controlled, only coming on when needed. It has an automatic electric ignitor also, so you don't need to light the pilot like some of the older RV water heaters. And like hondaman mentioned, don't forget to turn the switch off when you pack up. Our last trip I pulled that stunt....left it on. It ran a week, keeping that water in the tank nice and warm, before I discovered it. It happened to light when I was out in the yard near the camper and I recognized that unmistakable sound, and immediately realized what I had done. Fortunately, the water heater switch in a HW296 is easy to get to without raising the roof. (Sure wish the refrigerator was that easy to get to with the roof down). Bob

Sweet! This sounds awesome. Hopefully the water heater isn't too terribly loud. Is it good for taking like 20 minute showers? And how long does it take between usable cycles if it can't go the whole time. Sorry, I have like a million questions but each one gets me more excited. I am amazed of the automation. Like the water pump coming on when it needs too. I though you turn on the pump only when you need it. Very cool. I have many mods already planned like LED's, possibly a gas/electric suburban water heater (unlikely but possible), Xbox, blue ray, and 5.1 surround audio (for younger ones), 12V fans to assist the fridge, and maybe build a battery/generator panel to start/stop a generator from the camper. Then see power consumption and a bunch of other stats.