First time camping not on the ground...

[StuckOnTheDock]

This is a continuation of my intro post, an after action report of the first use of our new (to us) 2020 ESP232. First though, the pictures or nobody will read this post haha.


It was a completely different experience from tent camping. Really the destination was the only aspect of the experience that stayed the same. Being I live in the Phoenix Metro area, we decided that we'd pack for tent camping, except for the tent and mattress. The idea being we'd stay in a campground we know that is close to shopping so we could outfit the trailer completely for the next trip. Concurrent to that was learning how to use the trailer's subsystems, then testing all of them.


We were hoping for rain, got a couple of downpours. No water came in, and it was amazing being able to just step inside.



Everything worked. It's a great little machine, a veritable palace on wheels. We were honestly surprised, in a campground with RV's ranging from full on Class 3's to teardrops, we got complements on having one of the nicest rigs in the place. It warmed my shallow little heart to hear that.


Oh, the pic that insists on displaying landscape, I tried to fix it, sorry, it looks dumb as posted, but not much I can do. Apologies...

[Nick Danger]

Sounds like you had a good experience. Sure beats a blow up mattress & sleeping bag. Love the truck also!

[StuckOnTheDock]

Originally Posted by Nick Danger

Sounds like you had a good experience. Sure beats a blow up mattress & sleeping bag. Love the truck also!

It was in that I'm just too beat up to be able to function the next day anymore. My wife, bless her, never complained about setting up the camp with little help, and taking it down with less. This is a lot easier for me to deal with, it's not all at once like setting up a tent camp. Pop it up and you have all day to get finished. Just my pace.


The truck is absolutely an amazing machine, we are super lucky to have her. Just before the pandemic, one came available at a little local car lot, under blue book, just as I was starting to look for a truck. I was planning on building a nice 4X4, Arizona is awash with 4X4 shops, but the Raptor does everything I want to do with factory reliability. It made sense economically. I plan on making my kids bury me in it hahaha....

[Reverse_snowbird]

Originally Posted by StuckOnTheDock

It was in that I'm just too beat up to be able to function the next day anymore.

Been there, done that. That's a beautiful looking rig and it sounds like you made the right choice.

[mnoland30]

Love the color of your Raptor. I just bought a Bronco Sport in the same color.

Do you run premium in it?

We have a hybrid, which is much easier set up than your rig. Only hard part is closing the bunk ends.

[Chuck_S]

Amazing amount of room in a popup! I still miss the convenience of putting mine in the back yard and sleeping in it in good summer weather on weekdays.

And you're right about needing photos.

-- Chuck

[StuckOnTheDock]

Originally Posted by mnoland30

Love the color of your Raptor. I just bought a Bronco Sport in the same color.

Do you run premium in it?

We have a hybrid, which is much easier set up than your rig. Only hard part is closing the bunk ends.

Thanks, I really like it.



I don't run premium, that's one reason I bought the '13, it has the 6.2L so it can run whatever you put in it. The math just doesn't work out and I can live with just 400 HP. Not enough difference for anything I'll do with it.


Everything not a pure popup is easier to set up than my rig lol. It's easier for me to spend a little more time on setup than to deal with the box on the road. I towed trailers in the Army for years and know what stresses me out about them. This trailer eliminates all but the "did I hook it up right" nagging feeling you get just as you leave the neighborhood, for me anyway.