Howdy folks, we just picked up a very lightly used 2007 Avalon

[Extreme4x4]

Wow, thanks for all that info.

I'm just starting to get together my stuff. We have some stuff ordered. The roof is so huge, that there really is a great opportunity to put some stuff up there. Especially since our fishing poles really won't fit anywhere else in the camper (need trout poles, and bass poles, depending on where we are going).

We are lucky, because weight, and tongue weight means very little to us, due to our TV. Also, we have alot of storage in the bed of the truck, but do want to make the PUP easy to hit the road with. Plus, we need to get our Rott to ride in the bed (we have a bedrug). He is alot of dog, to have in the back seat. LOL

I am currently making a list of items for the camper. I want to do this smart. My parents used to do this, when I was a kid. We had a Sundowner camper, for most of my childhood (icebox and no bathroom). I do plan on getting the LED bulbs. Those lights you mentioned seem like a good idea also. We will eventually get the golf cart batteries. 1 generator will be fine, as we would rarely be in a situation where we will need the A/C.

For the winter, we will probably be limited to weekend trips, because Rick is just too busy with work. Longer trips can start in the spring. So, we have time to plan our modifications. We strongly believe in doing it right the first time, as we just do not like to waste time, or money.

[Dusty Dog]

A suggestion that has worked well for us was to make a "Where is it" list as you pack the trailer. We keep it in the pup at all times and update it as things are added or removed (so far only added, and added, and added  ). Given the number of places to store stuff in the Avalon it is now easy to find things as we just consult the "Where is it" list rather than digging thru cabinets to find something that we don't remember where we put it.

Fishing rods? A PVC pipe with screw on end caps strapped under the rear bumper with large hose clamps will take care of that! Good luck with the trailer.

[ghacker]

...We are lucky, because weight, and tongue weight means very little to us, due to our TV. Also, we have alot of storage in the bed of the truck, but do want to make the PUP easy to hit the road with. Plus, we need to get our Rott to ride in the bed (we have a bedrug). He is alot of dog, to have in the back seat. LOL...

You do have to keep in mind the CCC of your PU regardless of what TV you have. Yours is similar to mine at 890 lbs. That sounds like a lot but it adds up quick and you need to keep in mind that your CCC does not include options and water/fuel. Water is 8.3 lbs/gal, propane about 4.2 so with 26 gallons of water and 2 20 lbs propane cylinders you've just used up @43% of your allowance. Even if you fill your water tank at your destination, you've lost 19% for the propane alone. A/C is another 100 lbs. I believe and you can figure another 50-60 lbs for a big battery. In my case that adds up to roughly 544 lbs which is 63% of my CCC (865 lbs.).

Fortunately, you have a big pickup so you, like me, can plan to shift some of that weight to the back of the truck, but you do have to think about just how much you can pack in the PUP.

[Extreme4x4]

Dusty, fabulous idea for the fishing poles !!!! Bravo !!!!

Ghacker, I understand that. With my husband being a truck driver............... well, lets just say that he is rather anal about safety. :)

We have 2 40lb propane tanks, on our PUP (original owner mod, which we plan on improving with a new valve system that automatically switches from one tank to the other)............ so a little more weight there also. Since the hubby hauls propane, I know EXACTLY what that weighs. LOL

It may snow tomorrow (very unseasonal storm), so I will get some pics, post them on webshots, and get them on here. Where we keep the camper, it is behind a tree, so a good frontal shot is not available at this time. I have new sleeping bags coming, got my toilet stuff, including 2-ply TP, got cleaning stuff in, got tire covers coming (sun can be brutal at 5400ft), so, hopefully next week, I can get the "stay in" stuff, in. Fun, fun, fun. :)

[Dusty Dog]

Just a thought about that auto-change over valve on the propane. A friend of mine did that until he found himself out of propane and furnace without a warning (in the cold here in Colorado)! He removed his after that so that he now has to switch bottles himself. He says that way he can monitor how fast he's burning propane and when he switches bottles he has an idea of how much longer he can go on one tank or whether to go get another. I started to put a auto-change over regulator on ours, then after I thought about it I tend to agree with him. Nothing worse than getting caught some place in cold temps (like there around Flagstaff area) in the middle of the night after the propane had switched over a day or two ago and you didn't know. BRRRRRRR  . Just a thought.

[Extreme4x4]

The valve that Rick wants to get, not only auto switches over, but also has a guage on it, so you will know how much propane you still have left.

These are 2 40lb tanks, so I would not expect to run out of propane very quickly.

Flagstaff is summer weather, LOL. Where we like to camp, is Hawley Lake................ at 8500ft. When you live in Payson, at 5400ft (we are on the outskirts), Flagstaff is too much like home.

I still have to take pics. I got sick. Sorry I'm so slow, but the brain isn't working well, and I have to have them hosted before I can post them. That requires a brain. LOL

[wlhyatt]

By my math 2 20 pound bottles of propane are not 19% of your CCC. Usually the tare weight on a 20 pound bottle is 17 or 18 pounds. So 2 FULL 20 pound bottles weigh in around 76 pounds (18 bottle plus 20 propane, times 2) which comes out to around 9% of your CCC. I made that mistake once and was proven wrong by the scales. Since propane is sold usually by the pound, then you don't have to do the weight conversion in your head. That should free up some of your CCC that you are missing.
Doing the rest of the math and counting the heavier battery weights, that brings your total to 451.8 pounds. Which gives you a loaded percentage of roughly 52.25%

Just saw the numbers and thought the math did not look right, and wanted to make sure I was doing my own math properly.

You do have to keep in mind the CCC of your PU regardless of what TV you have. Yours is similar to mine at 890 lbs. That sounds like a lot but it adds up quick and you need to keep in mind that your CCC does not include options and water/fuel. Water is 8.3 lbs/gal, propane about 4.2 so with 26 gallons of water and 2 20 lbs propane cylinders you've just used up @43% of your allowance. Even if you fill your water tank at your destination, you've lost 19% for the propane alone. A/C is another 100 lbs. I believe and you can figure another 50-60 lbs for a big battery. In my case that adds up to roughly 544 lbs which is 63% of my CCC (865 lbs.).

[ghacker]

By my math 2 20 pound bottles of propane are not 19% of your CCC. Usually the tare weight on a 20 pound bottle is 17 or 18 pounds. So 2 FULL 20 pound bottles weigh in around 76 pounds (18 bottle plus 20 propane, times 2) which comes out to around 9% of your CCC. I made that mistake once and was proven wrong by the scales. Since propane is sold usually by the pound, then you don't have to do the weight conversion in your head. That should free up some of your CCC that you are missing.
Doing the rest of the math and counting the heavier battery weights, that brings your total to 451.8 pounds. Which gives you a loaded percentage of roughly 52.25%

Just saw the numbers and thought the math did not look right, and wanted to make sure I was doing my own math properly.

Duh, I was obviously thinking in gallons, not lbs. for the propane tank capacity . Thank you for pointing out my error. It's greatly appreciated. Now if somehow you can now find a similar error in my water calcs, I can put on that second story for the Bayside.LOL

[wlhyatt]

It'd be nice to add an upstairs breakfast nook, wouldn't it?