First trip report - Memorial Day weekend 2012

[walknbluez]

Took all weekend prior to and all week leading up to Memorial Day to prepare, getting the popup ready, figuring out how things worked etc.   I told my wife "I want to get there right at check in on Friday at 2 pm.  I don't want to be that guy setting up at 6:00 pm while everyone else is lighting coals and drinking a beer".   

Murphy was alive and well. 

Friday: 

I had fridge plugged in all night to home electric.  Still, it didn't seem to want to get below 40 degrees.   I'm thinking maybe that's as good as it gets.   Hopefully it will get colder.   

Ok, let's go check tires and head out.   We're late.   Where's my tire guage?  Ah you disappeared out of thin air.  Ok we'll buy a new one at the gas station.   New one breaks and spring pops out from pressure on tires.  Wife goes in and manager reluctantly gives her a new one.  Ok hopefully this is not a precursor of things to come. 

Driving along on the freeway.   Why are people not letting me over when I put my turn signal on?  Either they are being rude, or....my lights aren't working.  Almost at the campsite I pull over at a gas station.   Doh!  Lights not working.  I was so pre-occupied with everything else I made a rookie move and forgot to check lights before pulling out.    Oh great, something to worry about all weekend while camping.   

Arrival at campsite at 5:30 pm.   Pull in and it's perfectly level.  Yay, I caught a break!  So I start the setup process.   Yeah, I'm the guy setting up while everyone is lighting their coals and drinking a beer. 

Now why are the tent ends too tight and not wanting to go down over the bed corners?   Poles up first and then canvass or canvass first and then poles up?  Maybe it's the other way around.  Heavy sigh.   Tried both but had to go in and out and in and out of the popup several times.....I mumble profanities....rackem schmakem.  Finally I got it.  Why was it so easy in the driveway? That's weird.   

Ok, should I put awning up?  Well it's getting later and we're in shade so I don't want to take the chance of not being able to figure it out for the first time so I pass on that.   Weather doesn't show rain.  It hasn't rained here in the past years we've gone camping, ever.  So it shouldn't be a problem.  Another mistake as you'll see. 

Saturday:  Setup but campsite still not completely organized.  A little bit later, completely organized.   Wait, what's this rolling up?  A thunderstorm?  Aaaahhh....better get the awning up and move everything outside under the tarp!  How hard could it be?  Awning doesn't go up with ease....more curses...rackem schmakem.   Breathe, grasshopper, I tell myself.  I end up propping up the awning with the poles and I'll figure it out after the lighting quits (which didn't happen that night).   I'm beat.  To bed early after dinner.

Sunday:   Took my boy fishing.   Now I know why it's called "fishing" and not "catching".  Get back in the late afternoon.   Ahhhh, I'm so glad to finally relax.  Wait, what?  Oh yeah, I have to go home tomorrow morning AND I still have to fix the trailer lights.  That's a whole other story.   On Sunday, take down took alot longer than I expected.   Just need to get used to some things and get a routine I guess.   

Some things I took away that I didn't realize.   The gray water storage tank for the shower doesn't hold much.   The 5 gallon bucket I used to capture gray water from sink fills up fast and had to be emptied OFTEN.   Hmmmm....how are we going to go dry camping with a 10 gallon freshwater tank?  Going to have to use less water and adjust the way we clean dishes and ourselves.   Fridge never got below 40 degrees.  I'm going to have to figure that out.   Cassette toilet came in very handy.   Thankfully there was a waste station because I can't imagine dumping all that into my toilet at home and then figuring out a way to rinse it out.   Hot water heater makes the water really hot, even at a medium high setting.  That makes for a longer time adjusting the hot and cold water handles on the shower to get it to the right temp, thus filling up the tank quicker.   I need to find the "sweet spot" where it gets warm but not too hot with just turning on the hot water and I wonder if this is possible.   All in all, I liked having the popup but realize we need to get used to some things and figure out why this fridge isn't getting really cold.  Also need to get used to the water limitations, it's not a big trailer with a big holding tank.

Had to get home that Monday afternoon because I had to work on Tuesday.  I was looking forward to going to work and getting some much needed rest.   

[coacbcps]

Took all weekend prior to and all week leading up to Memorial Day to prepare, getting the popup ready, figuring out how things worked etc.   I told my wife "I want to get there right at check in on Friday at 2 pm.  I don't want to be that guy setting up at 6:00 pm while everyone else is lighting coals and drinking a beer".   

Murphy was alive and well. 

Friday: 

I had fridge plugged in all night to home electric.  Still, it didn't seem to want to get below 40 degrees.   I'm thinking maybe that's as good as it gets.   Hopefully it will get colder.   


Arrival at campsite at 5:30 pm.   Pull in and it's perfectly level.  Yay, I caught a break!  So I start the setup process.   Yeah, I'm the guy setting up while everyone is lighting their coals and drinking a beer. 

Why was it so easy in the driveway? That's weird.   

Had to get home that Monday afternoon because I had to work on Tuesday.  I was looking forward to going to work and getting some much needed rest.   

  I'm loving it! Boy, that trip must have taken something out of you since it took a few weeks to recap the story! You sound a lot like me, "I want to get there early" ha, ha, ha. No matter what time I want to get there I always seem to arrive around 5 o'clock regardless of how close or how far the campground is from us.

Our fridge usually gets cold enough the day we're packing up to head home . . go figure. 

Everything is always easier in the driveway don't ask me why.

Despite everything, I'm glad you had a good time. This Thursday is our first trip out. Spent last week cleaning out and cleaning up the pup. I'm sure I'll be mumbling "rackem schmakem" before long. 

[walknbluez]

Yeah and I even had a few large ice packs in the fridge!  We are planning our next trip now in July and we aren't having much luck finding any good places with openings that have hookups.  We're contemplating dry camping but with a 4 years old and an 8 month old it's nice to have running water on demand.

[chiefd]

Well the good news is you survived and had some fum and made memories.  What was wrong with the lights?

[Oz and Us]

Murphy was alive and well.

Murphy loves newbies ... makes his job a lot easier.   If you'd tell us the make, model, year of camper you have, details about what options it has, and whether you purchased it new or used would all go a long way towards helping others help you with useful suggestions.  One that sticks out like a sore thumb for me though is your lighting issue ... sorry, but I can't imagine why you'd tow that trailer anywhere once you discovered your trailer lighting didn't work.  Park it and figure it out ... it's just too dangerous to do otherwise.   As for your fridge getting it to cool more efficiently may be nothing more than improving the baffling (9 pics), a common mod for many popup owners.

[Beer Belly]

Yup, sounds like a typical first trip out.....don't worry, it gets easier as you camp. If you're packing the fridge before leaving, it's best to pre-cool everything first. As Oz and Us mentioned, if you give some specs on your unit, some maybe be able to offer tips on a quicker set up....could just put it in your signature line. Your problem with the Sheppard Poles (Bunk End), may be that they need adjustment, and if one bed is bigger than the other, try not to mix them up.....you don't want them too tight, might seperate the canvas from it's upper mounting on the roof. Adjusting the fridge can be a pain in the arse.....took awhile for us to find the right setting, even then I may need to adjust it.....my buddy hooked a Computer Fan to his to help cool the coils...works well....he leaves his running full time on shore power (110v). I find that I can set up the Awning, on my own, in less than 5 minutes from the time I unzip the bag.

[walknbluez]

chiefd: It was a faulty, loose prong at the connection point on the trailer.  The maintenance guy at the campground was able to fix me up. 

Oz and Us:  I didn't discover that the trailer lights weren't working until nearly at the campsite.   I pulled into a gas station down the road from the campsite and that's when I discovered there was nothing on at all.   I tried to troubleshoot but was baffled.  At that point, I didn't have many options and the campground was not far away so I went slow and used hand signals.

I have a 2001 Jayco Eagle 12 UDST purchased used about four months ago.  It has a 3 way fridge, two propane tanks, marine deep cycle trolling battery, inside shower and cassette toilet and front storage. 

At the campsite, I saw someone with the same awning as mine on their popup and went over to see how it was set up and then realized how easy it was.   Once I knew, I was able to set mine up in just a few minutes, albeit on Sunday the day before we were leaving.

[chiefd]

Well yes you learned many things.  I still remember my first trip.  Bought our PUP in May and found a campground for Memorial day weekend.  Of course it was a small tight site so backing in was our problem.  Once in the site life was good.

Glad to see the lights were not hard to fix. 

[luv2campsum]

Murphy was alive and well.

Murphy loves newbies ... makes his job a lot easier.   If you'd tell us the make, model, year of camper you have, details about what options it has, and whether you purchased it new or used would all go a long way towards helping others help you with useful suggestions.  One that sticks out like a sore thumb for me though is your lighting issue ... sorry, but I can't imagine why you'd tow that trailer anywhere once you discovered your trailer lighting didn't work.  Park it and figure it out ... it's just too dangerous to do otherwise.   As for your fridge getting it to cool more efficiently may be nothing more than improving the baffling (9 pics), a common mod for many popup owners.

Any hard numbers to show installing baffling increases cooling efficiency?
Seems like it would, but temp numbers would help.

[Oz and Us]

Oz and Us:  I didn't discover that the trailer lights weren't working until nearly at the campsite.   I pulled into a gas station down the road from the campsite and that's when I discovered there was nothing on at all.   I tried to troubleshoot but was baffled.  At that point, I didn't have many options and the campground was not far away so I went slow and used hand signals.

Dangerous nonetheless as an accident doesn't care whether you're 5 miles or 500 miles from your destination.   That aside, chiefd asked what you found was wrong with your lights but since you haven't replied with an answer that suggests you may have not solved the issue while camping and as a result drove home with no lights ... if so, that's even worse.   The solution would have been to leave the trailer at the campground until you had more time to return to sort out the issue OR return with a portable set of lights that you'd use to get the camper home safely where you'd then have the time, tools, etc, to properly figure out what the issue may be. 

[Potstech]

Oz and Us:  I didn't discover that the trailer lights weren't working until nearly at the campsite.   I pulled into a gas station down the road from the campsite and that's when I discovered there was nothing on at all.   I tried to troubleshoot but was baffled.  At that point, I didn't have many options and the campground was not far away so I went slow and used hand signals.

Dangerous nonetheless as an accident doesn't care whether you're 5 miles or 500 miles from your destination.   That aside, chiefd asked what you found was wrong with your lights but since you haven't replied with an answer that suggests you may have not solved the issue while camping and as a result drove home with no lights ... if so, that's even worse.   The solution would have been to leave the trailer at the campground until you had more time to return to sort out the issue OR return with a portable set of lights that you'd use to get the camper home safely where you'd then have the time, tools, etc, to properly figure out what the issue may be. 

He posted "chiefd: It was a faulty, loose prong at the connection point on the trailer.  The maintenance guy at the campground was able to fix me up.  "  So I guess he got it fixed.  I guess you would have expected him eto stay right where he was until he found someone with the knowledge to fix it. I think he did the right thing be going the short distance to the CG and then found someone to help him fix it there  He found a solution that worked BEFORE he went home which is what you suggested.


[/quote]

[kcmookie]

The sky is falling.

[walknbluez]

Thanks for pointing that out Potstech.

[luv2campsum]

The sky is falling.

LOL!!

[Oz and Us]

The sky is falling.

If you're one of the 93 people killed each day in a motor vehicle accident in the United States then yes you would say the sky definitely fell.   Your trailer, your TV don't care whether you're towing 5 miles or 500 miles, disaster can strike anywhere, any time ... inviting Murphy to curtail your life just because you're careless and are willing to tow with inoperative trailer lights makes no sense whatsoever.

Of course if you're one of those "special" people to whom nothing ever untoward ever happens then hey, go for it ... but as a mere mortal I'd just as soon not be anywhere near you when you do.