After seeing Buckbuster's new camper pictures I thought this would be an excellent thread idea. I wasn't sure where to put it but since many campers do a lot of their own modifications I thought this seemed to fit.
Background on myself: Wife and I tent camped several years. Had a child. Realized tents and cribs and babies was a tough row to hoe. Bought a 1980 Apache hard sided pop up camper. Used it 9 years. No A/C, fridge, or anything real fancy. Basically just a pull behind tent which kept us off the ground and a bit more dry. From here we jumped into a 28' bumper pull camper. A/C, fridge (which ended up not working) and such were very nice upgrades. Then we brought her nephew in to live with us and went to a 24' fifth wheel with a small slide out. It suited our sleeping arrangements but we missed the extra 4' of storage in the camper and really missed the 8' of storage in the truck bed. Sold it and bought a 28' fifth wheel this year which measures 29'6". Not sure where they came up with 28'? It has a super slide and truthfully doesn't feel like we are camping anymore but it sure is comfy.
That said, there are many upgrades and modifications people who camp come up with. I look at campers as resourceful people much like I do when I meet a person who traps. There is generally a wider knowledge of their hobbies than meets the eye. I will post a few to get the thread started.
Safety wise: If you have a bumper pull camper do yourself a favor and get the anti-sway/load distributing hitch. If a camper starts to sway back and forth on the road while hauling it picks up momentum many times. These hitches help reduce this and many times prevent it from occurring.
Safety #2: IF you are driving down the road and your camper starts to sway from the rear, often referred to as "the tail wagging the dog", there is a way to bring it under control. This goes for pretty much all trailers. Let off the accelerator, reach over to your brake controller and manually engage the trailer brakes. Most times this will help bring it under control. What does this mean? If you don't have a anti-sway hitch and brake controller, you are going to have to spend a little more money. It is worth it if your life depends upon it and both items will save needless wear and tear on your vehicle.
Non safety but common sense: Some of this truly is common sense but if you have never camped before you might not think about it until after you screw it up. When dumping your tanks, always empty the big valve first. Often it is labelled but not always. Your poop/sewage tank generally has a larger pipe than your grey water or black water valves. If they are not marked this is a good way to establish which is which. I know this is a simple "no brainer" thing to do but if you have never camped it is one you might not think about. By doing this you empty your TP and waste, and then the grey/black water rinses out your discharge hoses. Lightbulb just went off with a visual didn't it? lol
There are so many of these things we could write a manual. I will throw out a few here and there and we can get this thread rolling.
Awnings: They look simple. They are a pain at times though. Raise and lower a few times at home before you go camping. This helps figure them out. Raise both sides evenly to avoid any binding. Once raised to the level desired, keep one side a tad lower than the other to help water run away from you. If you are having trouble getting your awning to work, don't force it. Inevitably something will break.
Stabilizer jacks: The rear jacks are not intended to raise the back of the camper. They are only meant to keep the camper from bouncing around while using it. Don't try to lift up the camper with them to level it out. You will end up stripping them out and then scratching your head as to how you can fix it at the campground so you can get home. Another trick on stabilizer jacks is to bring a cordless drill to raise or lower them. Everyone we have had has been 3/4" socket. It isn't a necessity but it speeds up the process and saves you from cranking up and down if you have to go a long way to make them hit the ground.
As mentioned, this thread could turn into a novel but I will throw out some other ideas just to let you all know there is no direction with this thread. Simply ideas and things learned over the years.
We could start a list of "must have" items which could be a thread in itself. Some things are simple. Others you don't think about until later. Table cloths and pins to keep them attached to your picnic table for example. Never know if the campground is nice or not until you get there many times. This is a nice "must have" item. Long lighters for grills. Matches for a back up. Playing cards. Wheel chocks for your tires are nice at times. Foot long sections of 2x6 to place under stabilizer jacks can be very handy and take up little room.
Add whatever you would like to offer to the thread. Might be a new idea that I could use on our next camping trip!
Background on myself: Wife and I tent camped several years. Had a child. Realized tents and cribs and babies was a tough row to hoe. Bought a 1980 Apache hard sided pop up camper. Used it 9 years. No A/C, fridge, or anything real fancy. Basically just a pull behind tent which kept us off the ground and a bit more dry. From here we jumped into a 28' bumper pull camper. A/C, fridge (which ended up not working) and such were very nice upgrades. Then we brought her nephew in to live with us and went to a 24' fifth wheel with a small slide out. It suited our sleeping arrangements but we missed the extra 4' of storage in the camper and really missed the 8' of storage in the truck bed. Sold it and bought a 28' fifth wheel this year which measures 29'6". Not sure where they came up with 28'? It has a super slide and truthfully doesn't feel like we are camping anymore but it sure is comfy.
That said, there are many upgrades and modifications people who camp come up with. I look at campers as resourceful people much like I do when I meet a person who traps. There is generally a wider knowledge of their hobbies than meets the eye. I will post a few to get the thread started.
Safety wise: If you have a bumper pull camper do yourself a favor and get the anti-sway/load distributing hitch. If a camper starts to sway back and forth on the road while hauling it picks up momentum many times. These hitches help reduce this and many times prevent it from occurring.
Safety #2: IF you are driving down the road and your camper starts to sway from the rear, often referred to as "the tail wagging the dog", there is a way to bring it under control. This goes for pretty much all trailers. Let off the accelerator, reach over to your brake controller and manually engage the trailer brakes. Most times this will help bring it under control. What does this mean? If you don't have a anti-sway hitch and brake controller, you are going to have to spend a little more money. It is worth it if your life depends upon it and both items will save needless wear and tear on your vehicle.
Non safety but common sense: Some of this truly is common sense but if you have never camped before you might not think about it until after you screw it up. When dumping your tanks, always empty the big valve first. Often it is labelled but not always. Your poop/sewage tank generally has a larger pipe than your grey water or black water valves. If they are not marked this is a good way to establish which is which. I know this is a simple "no brainer" thing to do but if you have never camped it is one you might not think about. By doing this you empty your TP and waste, and then the grey/black water rinses out your discharge hoses. Lightbulb just went off with a visual didn't it? lol
There are so many of these things we could write a manual. I will throw out a few here and there and we can get this thread rolling.
Awnings: They look simple. They are a pain at times though. Raise and lower a few times at home before you go camping. This helps figure them out. Raise both sides evenly to avoid any binding. Once raised to the level desired, keep one side a tad lower than the other to help water run away from you. If you are having trouble getting your awning to work, don't force it. Inevitably something will break.
Stabilizer jacks: The rear jacks are not intended to raise the back of the camper. They are only meant to keep the camper from bouncing around while using it. Don't try to lift up the camper with them to level it out. You will end up stripping them out and then scratching your head as to how you can fix it at the campground so you can get home. Another trick on stabilizer jacks is to bring a cordless drill to raise or lower them. Everyone we have had has been 3/4" socket. It isn't a necessity but it speeds up the process and saves you from cranking up and down if you have to go a long way to make them hit the ground.
As mentioned, this thread could turn into a novel but I will throw out some other ideas just to let you all know there is no direction with this thread. Simply ideas and things learned over the years.
We could start a list of "must have" items which could be a thread in itself. Some things are simple. Others you don't think about until later. Table cloths and pins to keep them attached to your picnic table for example. Never know if the campground is nice or not until you get there many times. This is a nice "must have" item. Long lighters for grills. Matches for a back up. Playing cards. Wheel chocks for your tires are nice at times. Foot long sections of 2x6 to place under stabilizer jacks can be very handy and take up little room.
Add whatever you would like to offer to the thread. Might be a new idea that I could use on our next camping trip!
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