RV Camping; Tips, tricks & repairs

[dirtsniffer]

whatever you end up with you should get a foam topper for the bed. Well worth it.

https://www.costco.ca/.product.100043198.html

[BerserkerCatSplat]

Man, on sale too. I'd order right now if I knew what bed size we'll end up with. Thanks for the tip!

[Tik-Tok]

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Man, on sale too. I'd order right now if I knew what bed size we'll end up with. Thanks for the tip!

Buy one of each, return the others after you get your trailer.

[hampstor]

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Any tips on buying a cheapish (~$6000) popup trailer? We're doing a three-week camping trip through the States in May and while we are normally tent folks, it would be nice to have something with a heater and a fridge and a bit of extra storage space so the Jeep won't be crammed full the whole time. We considered renting one, but it would end up being ~$1500 and I figure I can buy one, use it, and sell it afterwards without losing that much.

Obviously the usual thing like checking the canvas, tires, water damage etc, just wondering if there were any other things I should look out for.

Off the top of my head some things to think about having owned a tent trailer....

- If there's a 3-way fridge, make sure it works on all 3 settings.
- Check the rails on the pull out slides to see if they are smooth, or if they catch when you're trying to push them in / pull them out
- Make sure the door open and closes properly. The door frame on mine was slightly bent, and because of that the door would sometimes open when someone walked in the trailer
- Check the lift mechanism (manual crank or power) works well, and it doesn't skip when going up or down.
- Lastly, and probably most important, check the smoke and CO detectors are working


Edit: as far as owning one, a few things to remember
- You need a place to set them up to dry and air out after trips. I used to set them up for a full day to air and dry out.
- Setup and takedown is as long, if not longer than a large tent.
- If it has an awning, open the thing up and extend it before you crank the trailer up.
- Lubricate the lift cables (there's a tube underneath where the cables run through, you just pump some grease into it), and lubricate the pulley (i was using silicone lube on them)
- Not sleeping on the ground on an air mattress was the single best thing about having one. The second was having a heater.

[AndyL]

I was going to say teardrop.
http://www.mikenchell.com/weekender/

HF 4x8 or 5x10. You could crank one out in a couple weekends. Resell once done, trendy so easier to sell than most pop-ups.

If you dig through mikenchell's teardrop forum you'll see a range of solutions for the fridge. Bigger solar panel, some 6v RV batteries and a semi efficient piezo cooler is a common solution.

[Brent.ff]

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- You need a place to set them up to dry and air out after trips. I used to set them up for a full day to air and dry out. r.

I cheated for this. I have an extra large tarp that i string up over it so that the canvas doesnt get rained on.. makes putting away much nicer and not having to worry about canvas being wet when home.

[BerserkerCatSplat]

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Off the top of my head some things to think about having owned a tent trailer....

- If there's a 3-way fridge, make sure it works on all 3 settings.
- Check the rails on the pull out slides to see if they are smooth, or if they catch when you're trying to push them in / pull them out
- Make sure the door open and closes properly. The door frame on mine was slightly bent, and because of that the door would sometimes open when someone walked in the trailer
- Check the lift mechanism (manual crank or power) works well, and it doesn't skip when going up or down.
- Lastly, and probably most important, check the smoke and CO detectors are working


Edit: as far as owning one, a few things to remember
- You need a place to set them up to dry and air out after trips. I used to set them up for a full day to air and dry out.
- Setup and takedown is as long, if not longer than a large tent.
- If it has an awning, open the thing up and extend it before you crank the trailer up.
- Lubricate the lift cables (there's a tube underneath where the cables run through, you just pump some grease into it), and lubricate the pulley (i was using silicone lube on them)
- Not sleeping on the ground on an air mattress was the single best thing about having one. The second was having a heater.

Good tips, thanks! Not sure exactly how I would test all 3 fridge modes unless I'm buying from a dealer that a warranty of some kind. Watched a few setup/teardown vids, it really is a lengthy process. It's worse on the high-wall units with the full bath and stuff though. Compromises abound. I have RV parking in my yard so air-out isn't a major issue - have to do that with our tents periodically as well.

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I was going to say teardrop.
http://www.mikenchell.com/weekender/

HF 4x8 or 5x10. You could crank one out in a couple weekends. Resell once done, trendy so easier to sell than most pop-ups.

If you dig through mikenchell's teardrop forum you'll see a range of solutions for the fridge. Bigger solar panel, some 6v RV batteries and a semi efficient piezo cooler is a common solution.

I really like the teardrop idea, but used ones seem harder to come by and are on the expensive side if not a homebrew job. Market seems more limited than a popup so re-selling after the trip might be more difficult than you think.


I'm still on the fence about the whole tent vs trailer thing, trailer has nicer amenities and extra storage while tent has a lot more options for campsites.

[ExtraSlow]

Anyone who needs a project, trailer repair shit on sale at Princess Auto:

[The Cosworth]

i picked up a 4000# power front jack on Friday. Was hoping to also snag masks but didn't.

Oh well, no more manually jacking for this guy.....






wait

[Brent.ff]

Trailer insurance:

- Separate insurance?
- tag on home?
- covered by car?


help? getting a hybrid first week of may. my current trailer wasnt worth doing more then just tagging it on my home policy

[Tik-Tok]

Seperate for us. It's only $20 a month.

[ExtraSlow]

Different insurers handle it different ways. Mine is through my house insurance, but it's an additional cost, and that's been great for me.

[dirtsniffer]

Separate for me as well

[spike98]

We added it onto our house policy as the price skyrocketed when we bought our current rig. The benefits of doing it on your home policy are cheaper per year, lower deductible and more broad level of coverage. A big minus is that if you make a claim, then obviously your house policy premium goes up. Im ok with this though as i have had a house and a trailer for the better part of 10 years with not a single claim. Im fine with saving a few bucks now in the unlikely event that i will actually need to use it.

[ExtraSlow]

There is a relevant thread on this topic from 2017
https://forums.beyond.ca/threads/405...ompany-s-money

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

Where do you guys buy tire covers from?

[ExtraSlow]

Tire covers for storage from princess auto. For spare tire, I'd go to Amazon or Hobo, but I haven't needed a replacement.

[Brent.ff]

So TD is doing a tag on for contents/damage to home, then do its own for liability for 'if it comes off the truck'. Which i wouldnt do..except i remember a horror story on here where someone lost a trailer

[Brent.ff]

Any suggestions on where to dewinterize up north?

[ExtraSlow]

Anywhere you have water, let that shit run to storm drain.