What I learned my first trip out...

[Lisa M.]

1. Don't go somewhere you've never been before

2. Go with someone who knows trailers

3. Lots of campsites won't fit a trailer

4. Some campsites are poorly designed (driveway angle/cement posts) and make it near-improssible to back a trailer in, even if you're good at it.

5. Refrigerators don't work if the trailer isn't level

6. If you don't open the black valve under the front of the trailer, the shower won't drain

7. If you forget to hang a shower curtain, teenage boys have water EVERYWHERE and will soak the carpet outside the bathroom door

8. Two teenage boys can easily eat a prepared bottle of Bisquick pancake mix that is supposed to serve 5, leaving you with a peanut butter sandwich

9. Small messes in a trailer become big messes almost immediatly!

9. GRAY water can be emptied on the ground and it soaks in and nobody will know

10. When you go to the dump station, make sure their stinky slinky hose is firmly seated into the hole BEFORE you open the black valve--it's a HUGE mess to try and clean up if you don't catch it till AFTER you open it!

11. A 17' Casita pulls wonderfully in the mountains

12. It is much easier to pack up and move a trailer if you have to change sites than it is to move when you're tent camping.

13. Trailer camping is wonderful!!!!!!! Already planning my next trip!

[Doug Mager]

I can only reply with the hint of selecting a site that is a PULL THROUGH site to avoid having to back in, especially at night or dusk, LOL!!!

[John Perry]

outside the bathroom door

8. Two teenage boys can easily eat a prepared bottle of Bisquick pancake mix that is supposed to serve 5, leaving you with a peanut butter sandwich

13. Trailer camping is wonderful!!!!!!! Already planning my next trip!

When I take my 2 grandkids, 12 and 15, I double the amount for food for them especially the junk food.

Lake Isabella is not to far from Hanford and you can pull your trailer down to the edge of the lake with no problem. The lake is really down this year so the beach is really wide with plenty of room to turn a trailer around.
Glad you enjoyed your first trip.
John

[Pete Dumbleton]

Dumping gray water is really not a good thing -- How would you like to be tent camping in a site after it had been used for two weeks by a dumper? Besides, if they catch you, they might fine you.

Gray water used to be dumpable, and I wouldn't hesitate in a wilderness site away from water, but it's not a good thing any more in an established campground.

Sites that are on the driver's side of the road are generally a lot easier to back into!

[Lisa M.]

Dumping gray water is really not a good thing -- How would you like to be tent camping in a site after it had been used for two weeks by a dumper? Besides, if they catch you, they might fine you.

Gray water used to be dumpable, and I wouldn't hesitate in a wilderness site away from water, but it's not a good thing any more in an established campground.

You make a very valid point, Pete. I felt that where I dumped it, on a dirt and rock parking area beside the campsite where it soaked right down into the ground, was not endangering anyone. I did not realize there was a fine for it. I will bear that in mind in the future. Thanks!

[Pete Dumbleton]

There may or may not be a fine; depends on who controls the land the CG is on.

Florida State Parks are reportedly now requiring RVs to have gray water containment (more than just a bucket), but state parks in other states may not care. Zion NP not only doesn't allow gray dumping but doesn't allow solar showers for tent campers (taking a shower is gray water, after all). I'm sure that as time goes on there will be more and more places outlawing gray dump.

[Lainey]

Hi Lisa, glad you enjoyed your first outing, each one will get a little easier with experience. I like your tip #3

3. Lots of campsites won't fit a trailer

Isn't that the truth! I got assigned a spot at a little KOA (Galagher Lake) once that had trees on both sides and only 8' to put the Boler into, what a chore!

I will bear that in mind in the future. Thanks!

If you are ever camping in grizzly country, the tenter that uses the site after you might have the "Bear" it in mind also. This is a real problem for tenters and other campers using the sites after you. Anyway, I don't want harp, but I've seen grizzlys roaming campgrounds in Alberta, and this would be an attractant for them.

[Anne H]

12. It is much easier to pack up and move a trailer if you have to change sites than it is to move when you're tent camping.

Absolutely!! I remember my first night - it took me 15 minutes to get into the space and I was just unhooking when a guy came along who had reserved that spot. Luckily, he helped me back into the spot I was supposed to be in.

[Gerry]

Brings back momories and first thing that comes to mind is that I learned that....
You can not fit...
The end of a picknick table with 2 adults and one 10year old (first time in woods) under the 8ft by 5ft canopy that comes off the side of a 13ft Boler In a driveing rain storm and try to cook supper on cook stove.
Also the need of some sort of air movement is needed in trailer to avoid the "cold sauna" effect you get while camping in early May in wet weater.
Salution was a 12volt van mounted onto stove vent with opposite windows cracked open.
Gerry the canoebuilder

[Robert Brummett]

1. Don't go somewhere you've never been before

How do you manage this? This seems an almost existential question!


Glad you had fun.

[Lisa M.]

I rarely go the same place twice--I always like to try somewhere I've never been before. However, if you're taking a trailer out for the first time you are better off returning to someplace you know and like. The new place I went to was ugly and hot (the dog collapsed twice and we had to revive her by pouring pans of water over her), there were only a couple spots you could fit a trailer and none were level, the spots were all narrow and hard to manuever into, and we couldn't drink the water because they were chlorinating the system. We stayed a few hours, swam in the lake and cooled of the dog and said "forget this" and went 45 minutes back down the mountain to a place we stayed years ago and loved. And you know what? I'm going back there again!

How do you manage this? This seems an almost existential question!


Glad you had fun.

[Robert Brummett]

I knew what you meant, Lisa. It's just that when I read #1 it seemed almost Zen-like in the sense that if you never go to a place you've never been you can never go anywhere. And will of course never experience anything new. I know you didn't mean that.

Part of the fun of trailering is discovering places you like to go back to, even if newer places keep pulling you down the road and you never make it back. They make good memories, though.

BTW, you can buy doggie vests that are filled with a chilling medium. You wet them and put them on the dog and they help to keep the dog's temp down. They're good to keep on hand for summer travel. There are many sources, here is one...

http://www.military.com/NewContent/0...081105,00.html

Google "dog cooling vest" for many more.

[Gerry]

Camping is a bit like Trout Fishing.
Do you go to the same old ponds where you know there are fish or...
Do you try a new pond that you never been to before and wonder if there are any Trout at all.
We like to try new campgrounds but it is usually only after we have visited them on one of our day trips.
Campground owners are usually glad to let you ride around the campground and let you look them over and we find this easier with just our car and not the day we are hauling Lady-Bug with us.
Sone we have found to look real nice from the road but upon going in they were dumps and other we have gone into and liked right away so we travel around these and with pen a paper, write out the site # we would like to stay at...as we know some sites are better then others.
Gerry the canoebuilder

[Jan Adams]

Since our child is grown and married, we normally do our vacation September - meaning most campgrounds are near vacant during the week.

We talk to the Ranger and he can normally tell us the "best" site for our vehicle. Since we do "traveling" vacations, the site doesn't matter as much as the bathrooms. Hubby calls me the "AAA inspector". If the bathroom meets my approval, then any site will be good.

If we find a place that is outstanding, either for the sites or the convenience, then we will definitely go back there. We also note the ones that we will NEVER be back to again - those are even more important than the good ones.

[Herb P]

This past week, we went camping again... I backed the 1700 straight in with barely a twitch of the steering wheel and it was parked perfectly.. Felt good. A couple days later we watched a 3 story 5th wheel condominium with 2 hot tubs, 8 deep friers, and 12 pull outs leave a fairly sizable spot. An hour later a 20 foot stick trailer pulled with a shight and briny Nissan Titan pulled up as we were inside our dinette having smokeys. We watched from the window as the driver took not 2 or 3, but 4 tries at backing it in. He kept getting out and shaking his head at one tree or another and was heard saying to his father or father in-law "they should make these f*ing spots so you can actually get a trailer into them..."

I suggested to my wife she go over there and offer to back it in for him.