Oh, Lord. What have I done....

[kevinrross]

Hey, everyone. After months of talking about it, my wife and I finally put down a deposit on a 2018 HW 277. We go to pick it up on the 22nd. I grew up with a pop-up, so I have some idea of the work involved, but since I was "just a kid," I probably have no real clue what I have gotten myself into.

Anyway, I would love to hear from all of you more experienced folks what equipment/gadgets/tips and tricks you think I need to have/know before our first trip. For our first trip, we are going to stick close to home (1:30 max).

As for our set-up, we are driving a 2017 Infiniti QX60. We are having the deal install a WDH, and we are adding in a brake controller, as well. Any need for a transmission cooler?

Also, I know the folks over in the Roo forum are big on "seasoning" the canvas bed ends on those units. I am assuming the same guidance applies here?

[MillMitch]

I'll let the popup folks answer your questions and I'll just say Welcome to the Forum

[vinmaker]

Congrats on your pop up. You will not be disappointed in your HW. Much better than what you grew up with.

Seasoning canvas is always a good idea on any tenting. Just open up at home and give it a gentle squirt.

I also used some of that Dry Camp silicone type spray to add more water repellent to the zip up flaps on the bunk ends. You will notice they are a different material. More breathable but less water resistant than the main material. I experienced some leaks during hard rain. Silicone spray took care of it.

I also like the reflective covers (PUX) to go over the bunk ends. reduces heat, makes it darker to sleet later and also keeps the pine sap off the ends.

Depending on how you camp, I picked up a small 10 gallon Blue tote for my black water. I think you have a black tank also in your unit. Not sure.

Also carry 3 - 6 gallon water jugs from Walmart to catch grey water.

I like wooded sites and the best ones seem to be water and electric. I make sure I am all set for that.

Enjoy. You will make lots of great memories.

Vin.

[Platokidd]

Looks like a real sweeeet unit! The slide out in pups are awsum!
Get the trans cooler.
Thats a whole lot of camper for your Infiniti QX60. Your going to be right at your max tow weight dry and probably way over the payload.


Be safe and enjoy!

[Cathcartww]

Based on your previous experience camping. Take what you know you will need for the weekend. Enclose a pad and pencil and make sure you write down anything you forgot or wish you had. Throw a small toolbox together too ......

[ben31]

Popup Gizmos for over the bed areas. They are the reflective material, which makes the inside cooler during the summer and warmer during the cold weather.


Also, be ready for the RV upward spiral. I started out with a used PuP and 3 RVs later, we are in a fiver.

I miss my PuP.

Good luck!

[yakmeat123]

Buy 1 of everything and whatever you figure you didn't need, tie it on loosely on the way back and you'll never miss them.

[Flybob]

X2 on trans cooler. There will be a time when you will wish you had it.

[jwh4984]

I have the 2014 model I pulled ours Last year with a Chevy traverse, it pulled it but barely I got a truck this year, the grey water tank fills up fast, you don't realize how big it is until you hook it up to the car

[UT_Grandpa]

Over the years we have had a camper, two popups, and three hard side trailers plus three boats mixed into the mess.

[spurticus]

Another great place for info is the site for Roberts Sales out of Colorado. They sell pups almost exclusively and have a lot of great tutorial / reference info. They also have a great parts / accessories department.

http://www.robertssales.com

[rfifer]

We have a 2015 HW277 and love it! Storage is an issue inside the camper, so we went to Target and bought two sets of plastic drawers - one four drawer set that is rather large that we set on the counter between the sink and the pull-out bed. In it we put our toiletries in the bottom drawer and food in the upper drawers. We have a second, small set of drawers that goes next to the first for additional food.

Get a power strip with either six or eight feet of cord to plug it in below the rear bed and run the cable around the drawers for your coffee maker and toaster. It is also good for charging.

There is a wardrobe available for the 277 (and similar models) that you can hang on the ceiling. We hang it over the counter next to the front bed. All of our underwear, t-shirts, shorts, and "stuff" fits nicely into the shelves on the wardrobe.

We also have "gizmos" to put over the canvas of the beds and dinette. We had some rain during our last outing, but nothing at all leaked. I really recommend them. Also, we had to turn on the furnace in the mornings and the AC in the afternoon. The insulation of the gizmos really helped to make each one more efficient.

Enjoy!

[BullHalsey]

Originally Posted by kevinrross

Hey, everyone. After months of talking about it, my wife and I finally put down a deposit on a 2018 HW 277. We go to pick it up on the 22nd. I grew up with a pop-up, so I have some idea of the work involved, but since I was "just a kid," I probably have no real clue what I have gotten myself into.

Anyway, I would love to hear from all of you more experienced folks what equipment/gadgets/tips and tricks you think I need to have/know before our first trip. For our first trip, we are going to stick close to home (1:30 max).

As for our set-up, we are driving a 2017 Infiniti QX60. We are having the deal install a WDH, and we are adding in a brake controller, as well. Any need for a transmission cooler?

Also, I know the folks over in the Roo forum are big on "seasoning" the canvas bed ends on those units. I am assuming the same guidance applies here?

Our first trip in a pop up was three years ago. We went about ten miles away for a weekend. the next trip a few weeks later was from Toledo Ohio to Alaska and home. About 12,000 miles. Believe it or not we were pretty prepared. Other than hand tools, one thing I found I needed often were those plastic zip ties. We had wires come loose under the camper, a few things come loose in side, and so on. Those ties really helped. I also wished I had taken some plastic sheeting with me. When we ran into a rain storm some got inside the camper and made the mattress wet. Good luck.

[Amartin453]

Here’s a small list of things we found very useful:


Firestone RV airbags - level the vehicle out and reduce the tongue weight.
Gizmos
Hanging wardrobe
Hanging pantry
Water pressure regulator
Fresh water hose
Outdoor matt
Extra fuses
Oxygenics shower sprayer
3” mattress toppers
Small tool kit
Power Drill
Jack and lug wrench in case you get a blow out.

[jimmoore13]

I have a 2014 HW-277.

I've written a "book" on various things that might be helpful.
Before I post it here, I'll see if there's a way to send it as a direct message.

[Myron625]

A couple of other things to think about:
1. Jack pads and leveling blocks. You can use blocks of wood like 2x8s but I found the plastic pads to be more compact for travel and storage. Buy the extra large size jack pads.

2. Water pressure regulator. Some campsites have very high water pressure and a regulator can keep it from damaging your system.

3. A multi-block charger for your phones. There are limited numbers of outlets so a charging block with multiple USB ports saves a few.

4. A single-serve Keurig or similar coffee maker is the easiest way to brew coffee, tea, etc. for the family if you have AC power. A stove-top perculator is easiest when off the grid.

5. If you camp off the grid, you will want to install 12 volt outlets and consider solar panels. I bought a 100 watt Windy Nation solar kit and wired a 12 volt outlet to the load side of the charge controller. Since my camper doesn’t have Air conditioning I have found that the single panel easily keeps up, plus I keep the solar panel connected when my camper is sitting at home to keep my batteries charged.

6. 50-amp to 30-amp adapter. You may never need it, but it is possible you will get a campsite with only a 50-amp outlet. When we used to tent camp we once had to go without power for a day because the site we were assigned didn’t have any 20 amp outlets.

[kittlecat]

I've had many pop ups over the years from childhood into adulthood. I believe that one of the most important things the pop up needs is to have the canvas sealed to help reduce leaks or seepage. I sealed my canvas each spring on my pop up. I also made sure to clean the canvas if I saw any signs o mold or mildew.

Additionally, it always seemed to rain either the night before we would be departing a campground or the morning of departure, which inevitably meant wet canvas. It was critical that we set the pop up up as soon as we got home, even if it was still raining, so the canvas could air and dry when the rain stopped. Mold can be a death sentence to canvas.

My son and I spent years camping in a pop up where we camped between May and the end of October in Michigan. It can be quite cool so I always kept an electric space heater in the camper, as well as fans for when it was hot (our pop ups never had a/c).

Other than that, go with the great memories you carry from childhood and make new memories with your family as an adult!

[spurticus]

I always used Reflectix cut into panels for the bunk ends. They were easy to pop in and easy to store under the mattresses. I bought, but never even used the gizmos. I found that to be even more work when setting up. The Reflectix panels did the trick for us as far as keeping the bunk ends cool and dark.

As far as mattress toppers, get the minimal thickness that will work for you. We got three inch memory foam and they were bulky and heavy and yet something else to deal with during set up and break down. You may be able to find something comfortable enough to sleep on, yet leave in place when the pup is closed up.

I used blocks once or twice to level, but then went to the BAL leveler. It was great and easy to level. I would highly recommend it.

There’s a big long thread somewhere on here about making the 1 1/2” to 3” adapter for the grey tank waste. This would allow you to switch the sewer hose back and forth between the grey and black as needed when camping with full hook ups. I’m note sure if FR still does this or of the grey line is now 3”.

[woodpile]

Congrats on your pup and welcome to the forum. I always had several heavy duty
drop cords. I would run one from the power pedestal in at the dinette slide and Velcro down real good. You can plug the coffee pot ,ceramic heater etc. using the two outside outlets and keep the strain off the pup system. I normally used the other outside outlet to run the party lights etc.

[Milk_Man]

there's quite a long list of items you will need to buy, and there are multiple threads about it on this forum.

Personally, I like to clean-up and pack up at the campground at the end of each trip, because it's too much work to set it up again at home. So, bring a set of (travel sized) cleaning supplies, a portable vacuum, a screwdriver with multiple bits and a few 1/2" coarse thread screws.