KEEP. THE ZOMBIES. OUT.
Posted on 05/01/2013 7:58:48 AM PDT by Vermont Lt
I just took the plunge and purchased a small travel tailer (25 ft.) My wife and I will use it for mostly stationery camping at a lot we own on a lake in Northern VT. We have all of the power and water hook-ups there, and it will be our vacation and weekend home for the summer.
The trailer is brand new and has all of the normal, mid range functions: Refrig, TV, stereo, Queen bed, one slider, shower, etc.
I am writing to ask other trailer owners what things they would get at the outset to make their lives easier. We do not expect a lot of road travel over the next year, although going cross country in 2014 is a probability.
Looking back on your experience, what things do think of and say, "Boy...it would have been nice to have....."
Any advice is welcome. The last time I had any kind of a camper was a pop-up deal in 1976, so consider me a complete newbie. The fact that this has a refrigerator and TV seems like cheating, but I am older now, so that is OK.
Thanks in advance for your responses...serious or otherwise!
“Tailer?”
A “tailer is found on the south end of a north bound Heeler, usually a blue heeler heading north for better Gibsmedats.
Oops, was that really a typo?
Trade it in for an RV trailer.
You need mountain pie makers. Several. The old fashioned kind made of cast iron by Rome Industries. Look them up along with recipes. Also the newer camp lanterns with mantles that run off the small propane bottles are great and simpler to operate than the white gas versions. And get an Estwing Fireside Friend for camp firewood and making kindling. Just be careful as they are really sharp.
A small generator (800kW);
A stiff brush on a broom handle, several gallons of bleach, a 5gln bucket and a garden hose (for cleaning the exterior);
A carpet remnant (8ft x 10ft is enough), to form the base for an outdoor patio;
Two solar fans, one forward one aft, mounted so that there is a constant ventilation even when the trailer is locked up;
A satellite dish (if you don’t already have one for the TV);
A case of MRE’s or other camping/survival foods, enough for a week or longer;
Three 5gln jugs/cans, dedicated to nothing but drinking water;
One large bottle of spiced rum;
Matches (you never have enough)...
Get good quality sewer connections and don’t leave the sewer connection open. You should use your holding tank and empty it as needed, otherwise you will get a lot of solid matter build-up which will harden.
KEEP. THE ZOMBIES. OUT.
As a woman, anything that takes a kitchen along on a “vacation” is not something that interests me.
I prefer 5 star dining experiences 3 X a day, without having to do the clean up afterwards...........
Seal the roof with cool-coat or one of the other RV roof sealants now before it starts to leak and repeat annually.
My dear ex wife answered "Call room service for dry fire wood."
/johnny
Here are a few ideas:
Memory foam pad for bed.
Small fan and space heater (the built in heater and A/C units are noisy and don’t keep a constant temp very well).
Fantastic Fans, if you don’t already have them installed.
RV mat - search Amazon for RV mat.
Extra towel bars - there never are enough. Mount on the bathroom door.
Electric blanket for chilly spring and fall evenings (as long as you’re hooked up to power, of course).
Surge protector. We had an electric post catch fire once and it spared our cord and the inside appliances.
Water filter to attach to the outside hose. Water at campgrounds is notoriously silty.
Bubble levels. One to set on bumper for side to side leveling and one mounted inside for front to back.
Cover, if you’re not storing it in a garage/shed. Sun destroys RV’s. Also, get the tire covers to protect tires from sun when parked in one place for a while.
Dustbuster and small canister vacuum. Rubber backed rugs for entry and bathroom. It’s amazing how much stuff gets tracked in.
DVD player.
Outdoor carpet covers for steps (Camping World).
Pest repellent (ants, wasps, etc.).
Talk to people in campgrounds and ask for their advice. Campers love to talk. If someone has something you haven’t seen before on or around their RV, ask about it.
Generator in case you’re boondocking or the power goes out.
Yes, covers for the tires also and a big sturdy awning that can cover the trailer a couple of feet above the roof, it will help with thge temp and elements. Make sure it drains away from living areas.
Forgot to mention...blue waste toter. You won’t need it with full hookups, but if you do xcountry travel, you’ll eventually end up in a place without full hookups (state, national parks, e.g.).
Enjoy it for the next few days. Like a boat the first few days of owning an RV are the best! The next Best days are after you sell it! ;-)
I would suggest you join the forum listed below. There is a wealth of information on just about every RV subject...and it is free.
Get yourself a good long run generator. About 3200 watts should do. Get yourself a good sized tank to haul water with and make it so you can dump your water into the tank without hassle. Get yourself a couple more deep cycle batteries and make them so you can hook them up quikly to the main battery..jumper cables or wire. Maybe you might want to get a cheap solar panel to keep your batteries up a little. I hope it has a hell of a high BTU furnace..and that gives me another thought. Get yourself a couple 40 pound LP tanks and enough hose to jump from the main line to those tanks.
BTW, I live out of state and live year round in my camper. I have a 18 foot with a 30 thousand BTU furnace. I skirt the bottom in the winter with 2 inch styrofoam insulation sheating in the winter and I stay nice and warm. The biggest probolem I have is battery life. So..the solar charger and generator. I cook with the micro wave as much as possible while running the generator. In the winter, I have to drain the water and live out of water I haul...four 5 gallon jugs. If I have electrical hookup, I heat the thing with a cheap electric heater I bought at Wal Mart for 15 bucks. I got TV, radio and all the rest as well as internet with my hot spot.
Keep it up and it will serve you for a long time. Read your manual for year round use.
1) If it doesn’t already have one, a spare tire and wheel.
2) A lug wrench that fits the nuts on the trailer, if they aren’t the same as the tow vehicle.
3) A jack, capable of safely lifting the trailer should you need to change a tire.
setting is the worse thing for trailers. If it’s gonna sit make sure it’s not on dirt. All sorts of things in the axles tend to rust up. And if it sinks.. well...
Also, when traveling, keep a spare hub or two in the trailer, a bearing failure always happens when the shops close on Saturday. Having the parts with you can make it a road side repair.
Be sure the trailer has standard sized tires. Carry more than one spare if you can. When I use to haul a twin axle trailer it seemed like it’d blow tires in pairs. Normally one takes out the other.
Ge this book from Valterrra, “Trailers made Easy”. Amazon used to carry, but not now (it appears). It’s worth the $5-10, believe me.
Keep thinking of things. If it wasn’t included, make sure you get a slideout cover - can’t think of the technical name from it, but it’s a roller shade that extends with your slideout.
With one of those, the debris falls off as the slideout comes in. Otherwise, you should sweep off the top of your slideout before pulling it in because branches, pine cones, etc., if not removed, could mess things up.
Yep, all that and the honey pot hauler for when your black and/or gray tanks get full and it’s not time to leave yet. Sucks to haul that stuff in buckets like we did the first time that happened!
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