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Old 04-19-2018, 12:20 PM   #1
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Name: Vivienne
Trailer: Sun Trek 1998 "Wannabe"
Michigan
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Bought My Camper

Well, it is not a Fiberglass, and is 3 years old, but I am sitting here in my Forest River Micro-Lite 19 ft camper. We picked it up on Monday in Indiana drove 12 hours to Va hauling this baby. It was a smooth ride as we got electric brakes for Hubby's work van, the anti sway bar and a heavy duty hitch. Hubby went bigger, said if we don't like this one and trade to a larger rig he'll be ready for it.
WELL PICK ME UP OFF THE FLOOR ! Whoda thunk it?

Mr. Drummond Island, I'm only camping 2 weeks out of the year!!!!. Wake me up I must be dreaming. I've spent 2 nights out here with the two pups, furnace is great. It's still winterized cause it was so stinkin cold in Indiana we did not ready it for camping. Hence the long ride that should have been 8 hours to Virginia. That's okay, sitting here in Son's driveway plugged in listening to the Cardinals sing. Gotta love being outta that Michigan Spring/Winter. Home just got 15 more inches of snow on Sunday. Heck we got across the Big Mac around 7:15 a.m. Sunday and they were just closing the Northbound traffic lane. The bridge stayed closed more than 24 hours.

Now if I can convince Hubby to stay in Az next winter for 4 months I will be in heaven. We are down here in Blacksburg Va, helping son with tasks readying the house for the market. Then they are on to San Antonio, Tx. That'll be a new place to drag my "Betsy-91" that's her name. Gotta love it!
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Old 04-19-2018, 12:37 PM   #2
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You've gone to the dark side
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Old 04-19-2018, 12:57 PM   #3
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Always makes me laugh- they call it a 19' Micro-Lite, but by standards here, it's huge! It won't perhaps have the longevity of an all-molded trailer, but if you take care of it and keep up with the extra seam maintenance, it can give years of good service.

So glad your husband is on board!
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Old 04-19-2018, 02:33 PM   #4
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Congrats Vivienne! Now your out there camping and thats what matters!
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Old 04-19-2018, 03:40 PM   #5
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yep they have!! but the dark side may be from a popup to a hard top trailer!!




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Old 04-19-2018, 03:41 PM   #6
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ohhhhh

sorry welcome


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Old 04-19-2018, 04:49 PM   #7
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Trailer: Sun Trek 1998 "Wannabe"
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Dark Side?

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You've gone to the dark side
It's not my fault, I really wanted a Casita, just did not have the $$$
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Old 04-19-2018, 04:51 PM   #8
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watch your weight with those... if thats the FR "Flagstaff" Microlite 19FD, thats 3340 lbs dry, 4400 lbs gross, and with a 43 gallon water tank full, and 2 full propane tanks, you're already down 380 lbs of your 1080 lb cargo capacity, so all food, beverages, clothes, bedding, etc had best be under 700 lbs. ANY options added to the base model count against this, too.
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Old 04-19-2018, 05:06 PM   #9
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Name: Vivienne
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Originally Posted by Jon in AZ View Post
Always makes me laugh- they call it a 19' Micro-Lite, but by standards here, it's huge! It won't perhaps have the longevity of an all-molded trailer, but if you take care of it and keep up with the extra seam maintenance, it can give years of good service.

So glad your husband is on board!

Yes, Jon I am more than a little skeptical on the longevity of this RV, and the workmanship leaves a lot to be desired, still it's my little home and needs to last me as long as I want to do this RVing.

I still can't believe hubby is on board, neither can my son. He said he was shocked to hear his Dad say he wanted to go to Monument Valley.

Guess Hubby knows that I am growing a spine and going to tackle this RV stuff, maintenance, trailering it myself, turning on the LP, lighting the range to cook, the dreaded tanks, replacing fuses etc. I bought Mark Polk's DVD's on everything and watching them just to learn. I lay in here at night and think to myself "can I do this next winter by myself when he has enough and wants to fly home" I have to admit it give me knots in my stomach.

I wish he wanted to travel as much as he wants to stay on D.I. He was a much better traveling companion this winter than in years past. Must be he is smartening up! ok......nuff said

Course the kids will be talking him into NOT leaving me to fend for myself.
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Old 04-19-2018, 05:10 PM   #10
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Packing the Van

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Originally Posted by John in Santa Cruz View Post
watch your weight with those... if thats the FR "Flagstaff" Microlite 19FD, thats 3340 lbs dry, 4400 lbs gross, and with a 43 gallon water tank full, and 2 full propane tanks, you're already down 380 lbs of your 1080 lb cargo capacity, so all food, beverages, clothes, bedding, etc had best be under 700 lbs. ANY options added to the base model count against this, too.

Does that mean that we should pack the food etc in the GMC van?
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Old 04-19-2018, 05:34 PM   #11
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Just run the trailer onto a scale and discover your actual weight. Then act accordingly. And you do not have to travel with full water tanks... water is 8.3 lbs per gallon.
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Old 04-19-2018, 06:42 PM   #12
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Just run the trailer onto a scale and discover your actual weight. Then act accordingly. And you do not have to travel with full water tanks... water is 8.3 lbs per gallon.
Thanks Mike, I was thinking that emptying the tanks at a station and traveling with no water till I reach my destination would be a better idea.

There is so much to read and learn about.

.............back to the DVD's
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Old 04-19-2018, 07:37 PM   #13
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Originally Posted by Ladyofthelakes View Post
Thanks Mike, I was thinking that emptying the tanks at a station and traveling with no water till I reach my destination would be a better idea.

There is so much to read and learn about.

.............back to the DVD's
it really depends on where you're going. last weekend, I was dry camping at a star party at a regional park who's water supply is apparently a bit sketchy, so I opted to fill my water tank (15 gallons) at home... that was way plenty enough water for me solo for 3 nights. I also brought a separate 5g jug of home tap water for drinking and coffee making as I don't 100% trust my trailer tanks to be clean, so I just use that for washing, flushing. As the Casita SD16 has a ridiculously small grey tank, I take sponge baths rather than full showers, and only use the shower head for a couple seconds to rinse off.

of course, if you're mostly going to be camping with hookups, you don't need your tanks at all (although I've heard it suggested to NOT leave your black or grey open, but rather, empty them every couple of days, black first, then grey...).
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Old 04-19-2018, 07:51 PM   #14
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True, John, about keeping the valves closed most of the time. An open black tank lets out all the liquids but hardly any solids, leading to the dreaded "poop pyramid".
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Old 04-19-2018, 07:59 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ladyofthelakes View Post
...I lay in here at night and think to myself "can I do this next winter by myself when he has enough and wants to fly home" I have to admit it give me knots in my stomach...
When I was young my family used to take 6-week trips to spend time with grandparents because we lived on opposite coasts. We traveled with a largish tent trailer pulled by the family station wagon. Dad could generally only join us for 3-4 weeks, so the rest of the time Mom was on her own... with 4 young kids. Towing, setting up and taking down the tent trailer, navigating (with paper maps), finding campgrounds,...

Your husband actually sounds a little like my father. He wasn't much of a camper, either, but he wasn't going to be left out.

You can do this!!
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Old 04-19-2018, 09:37 PM   #16
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we too had a tent trailer, a starcraft, 10-20 years ago...


2008
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Old 04-19-2018, 09:50 PM   #17
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Not to worry a lot of people buy RVs or other forms of camping equipment including motel rooms and then leave the spouse at home while they go traveling on their own. All that really matters is that neither partner has an issue with the situation.
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Old 04-20-2018, 06:08 AM   #18
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As my father-in-law used to say poor people have poor ways yes a casita expensive and sometimes we have to wait. important thing you are going to get out there maybe a deal will come.


may I suggest you looking at scamps cheaper and about the same quality just doesn't have the casita name on it!




good luck


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Old 04-20-2018, 08:46 AM   #19
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Originally Posted by John in Santa Cruz View Post
we too had a tent trailer, a starcraft, 10-20 years ago...
When my own family returned to camping about 6 years ago and it was clear sleeping on the ground did not appeal to my wife, I started out looking for a small tent trailer. It seemed the best option given the limitations of budget and tow vehicle at the time.

Several in Phoenix and Tucson were sold before I could get there when the Scamp turned up locally. I pounced on the Scamp- it was a great deal and not advertised online anywhere. It has worked out well for us.

But the point is if the Scamp hadn't turned up, we might be camping in a tent trailer today, and that's okay. It's never good to get too hung up on the means. Go with what you can find and afford, and go camping!
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Old 04-20-2018, 09:50 AM   #20
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Ladyofthelakes....

Waiting around for perfection is a sure way to miss many of the great opportunities in life.

Disclosure: Sharon and I RVd for 41 years before we bought our 1st Casita. So Jon in Arizona has the right idea, too!

Comment: Mike Magee also has a right idea. So long as there's a water hookup waiting (always for me), I never keep water in the tank. But I do keep a Sunny D jug filled with water in the bathroom in case there's an emergency.

Enjoy yourself. Hope to meet you somewhere down the road!

Frank
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