Looking for travel trailer camping tips

[BLACKJACK]

We bought a 24 foot travel trailer last fall and are getting ready to take it on its maiden voyage to Lake Carlos State Park. We're gearing up, I've got the mirror extentions, bought some leveling jacks, my wife is getting it equiped inside but I'm looking for some tips from you experienced campers.

One that I received last week was that after you dump your [PoorWordUsage] tank, run some water into the tank, add some dishsoap, and the sloshing as you're going down the road will clean it out.

Any other tips for a rookie camper?

[Fishing Junky]

Make sure you empty the black water tank before the grey water. The grey water will clean out the hose. You probably allready know tha one. Another way to clean out your black water tank is to fill half way with fresh water and add a bag or two of ice while trailering down the road. This helps remove solids stuck to the sides. Good luck and have fun camping this summer. Junky.....

[Ryan_V]

Dealing with the black tank is always a subject of discussion. What I do is dump at the campground and empty everything out. My guage is almost always misreading at 1/3 or 2/3 even when empty. I bought one of those tank cleaning hoses that go down through the toilet. When I get home, I hook up the hose to that and run that into the tank for about 15 gallons. I empty it into a 5 gallon bucket and dump it. I repeat this until the water coming out of the tank is clean. I live in the country, so I have the option of dumping the water in the woods or where ever. This keeps my black tank fresh and the guage reading properly.

the most important thing is to take the advice of fellow campers when they offer it, and to ask for advice when you need it. Other campers will be more than happy to share advice if you are having trouble with anything because if they are coming to help you, chances are that they have been in the same boat in the past!! we are all very friendly and watch out for each other. just enjoy the camper and don't worry about the little things.

one more thing, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER leave you awning out in the rain!!! that was an expensive lesson!!

[Big Roy]

Buy some Calgon water softener and mix it in a pail and dump that into your black water tank and gray water tank, it will help with loosing up the sludge, do not ever rely on the gauges, also, do not put any other chemicals in your holding tank such as the ones for septic tanks etc. only use the R.V. holding tank chemicals and the R.V. tp. I would also recommend that you go to the r.v. net web site and click on open road forums, you will get all the info you need.

[FoolNFish]

I've gotta agree with Ryan...don't leave the awning out in the rain. Put's a real nice bow in it and it's a real pain in da butt to straighten those darn things!

[Sifty]

One thing we have learned about the awning's is to have one side higher then the other this will allow the rain water to run off the awning. The biggest problem we have had is when the wind really kicks up.

Sifty

[IFallsRon]

Better yet, "sit in the campground, stand in the camper."

Make sure you have something to level your trailer like 2 x 6s or 2 x 10s. And if you don't have small bubble levels stuck to the front and side, get them. I bring a garden rake. Sometimes just scuffing up the ground is enough to get level.

[wdgold]

Ryan, What is the point of having an awning if you don't use it when it is raining out. I have been camping for years and never heard that one. As far as black tanks go, if your dump tube runs straight out from the tank you can use an adapter called a Hydro-flush it hooks onto your dump tube where your hose would hookup then you hook your hose to that. It flushes evrything out and it works pretty well in my opinion. If your dump tube does not come straight out then you want to get a flush kit which you need to attach to your tank then you can use a hose to flush it out after you dump. Hope this helps.

[Ryan_V]

wd...guess I should have explained a little further. I just meant not to leave it out unattended in the rain. I have a 24' awning on my tt and we went with family to the local picnic shelter for a get together. was nice when we left, but out of nowhere a huge storm slammed us and my awning wasn't tilted enough and it collected too much water and buckled. lesson learned, guess that is what insurance is for!!! I certainly didn't mean that it shouldn't be out to protect you from the rain... but I just got to complacent and left mine out unattended...for the last time!!!

[BLACKJACK]

Thanks for the tips all!! Keep em coming! Gearing up for the maiden voyage on May 13!!!!

[catfish1]

Blackjack; One thing to do and we do it, Is to make a list of things to take and make sure you have them, And make sure your hole rig (camper and pick-up) is up to snuff, Nothing more troubling than to have trouble with the water, tanks, elec, tires, motor etc. Check them all and enjoy your maiden voyage.

Catfish1

[wdgold]

I understand Ryan, I can see how not tilting it to one side or the other could cause that problem. I guess I just have not run into that problem.

[Ryan_V]

believe me wd....if it is at all raining, tilt your awning seriously hard to one side!! mine was trimmed and still collected water and broke. the new awning was almost $1000. Part of my problem was that I have such a big awning that I have the center support and that impeded all water from running off. once it started collecting, it was all over for the awning!! I had to cut what was left off with a hacksaw just to be able to pull it home!!! not fun. I didn't feel so bad when I brought it to the dealer to be replaced and saw a pile of ruined awnings behind his building where others had done the same!!! now every night and if it is raining and we are inside, my awning is rolled up tight!! the only silver lining was that the new awning was alot nicer than the old, I'd still rather have my deductible back and the old awning though

[The_Duckslayer]

Quote:

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Blackjack; One thing to do and we do it, Is to make a list of things to take and make sure you have them Catfish1

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ESPECIALLY on the first few trips. Inevitably you will get there and be missing something and wonder how the heck could I have forgotten that? The more you can leave in the camper, the less you will have to pack each trip. Oh... and borrowing stuff from the camper for the house... well next time you need it guess where it will be.... ayup back at the house! Have a good one and N Joy the Hunt././Jimbo

[federline]

Hey BLACKJACK

My experience is with motorhomes. This is my own personal "lernt that one for life" history:

o-- develop a "get gone" packing list, as others here have suggested, and dedicate as much to the rig as possible, like dishes, cookware, bedding, etc., so you aren't trucking that stuff from house to rig and back all the time. That's how you forget stuff. The goal is to be able to "git gone" without days of planning up front, but rather in hours. You'll use it more and it becomes spur-of-the-moment to "git gone".

o-- write down a departure inspection routine and post it in the drivers cockpit area: TV antenna down, lifelines stowed, vents closed, fridge on LP, water heater off, A/C or heater off, water pump on (like I said, I'm used to motorhomes), etc.

o-- Important! Measure how high and wide your rig is unladen. The worst thing in the world is to be cruising down a road and see "MAX HEIGHT 11'" or "MAX WIDTH 8'" on a sign and not know if you will fit or not. Write it down and tape it to your dash. Older train bridges are the worst for this.

o-- put large boards under the leveling jacks, prepare for rain. What supports the rig level in dry weather may sink when it rains. I use 2x12's.

o-- Black water management! Keep lots of RV toilet chems on hand, things can get meloderous. When flushing, run a good amount of extra water in as well to keep things sloshing around and underwater (less smell). Dump black water first, then gray water, as noted already. Before going down the road towards home, fill the black water tank with water and chems, and the sloshing during the trip cleans things up, and it won't rot and stink during storage until the next trip.

o-- gray water management: keep oils and solids out of the drain! They will stink to high Heaven and can clog things up. Dish and cookpan waste goes into the garbage. We use paper towels to wipe up, then we wash dishes that are almost visibly clean.

o-- fresh city water inlet: a water pressure regulator is a must, campground water pressure tends to be skyhigh. And an inline water filter is a must, try drinking water from hydrant flushing in springtime, same effect, ick. Otherwise, we stick to bottled water. 90 degree and 45 degree elbows relieve stress on your hose.

o-- To get an RV fridge to work the best, it needs to be level, so levelling the rig is not just for comfort. It should ideally be on the north side of the RV in the shade, too. There's also a little drip hose for condensate for LP fridges, make sure it hangs OUT the fridge vent outside, so you don't pool water inside the fridge utility area, which can lead to fridge failures.

o-- Water heaters can be a pain in the butt, since they are exposed to the elements for the most part. They rust out within a few years, it seems, and start misbehaving. If your won't light, get it serviced ASAP. I singed eyebrows inpecting mine when it wouldn't light, got a face full of flame when the thermostat kicked in.

o-- LP tanks: make sure the person filling your LP tanks, if you have them, doesn't overfill them, and only fills them to 2/3 full. Also, major tunnels and bridges sometimes require that onboard LP tanks be turned off at the tank for passage.

o-- Awnings: Yes, tilt them in the rain, retract them in wind. They are weak POS'es. I'll add: When running the roof air conditioner, pay attention to where to consensation drips are going - I've seen awnings collapse in summertime because the condensation from the A/C coils filled up the awning! We tilt our just like for rain when we run the A/C.

o-- Electric: Get all the adapters you could possibly need. We have 30A grid in ours, and I carry adapters for 20A (110V) and 50A. I also carry 110V extension cord to plug into the power post for electric frypan on the picnic table, so I don't blow the campers fuse for the exterior 100V outlet. Don't try to run the A/C and the microwave at the same time if your rig is not 50A and hooked to 50A service. Carry all the spare fuses you will need.

o-- Keep your A/C coils/finns clean. Even a small coating of dust on them can ruin cooling efficiency. Road grime....

o-- Anytime you scrape the top of the rig on low hanging branches (common going in and out of campgrounds), get out and check immediately for any damage, things tilted, or lost. Examples: Cap that goes on vent for septic pops off, damage to tv antennea, roof vents or A/C, tears in rubber roof, etc.

[BLACKJACK]

Some good tips federline! Thanks!

[Maryjl]

If by chance you do end up with your awning full of water don't try an lower it to get the water to run off. Either push it off from under the awning or get a ladder and a bucket to get the water removed before lowering the awning. I've seen awnings buckel when this has happened and also very dangerous to the person lowering it.