How do you tie things down inside the camper

[lpk49]

OMG jared!!! i love it!!!you are my kind of guy. bring things to do. i love being in my camper...but love to go play too.

thx for the other ideas too...coat hooks for eggs...tables in the bath...i was trying to keep the front bath "light" after all my TW issues...but i dont seem to have them now with the taco

[stevebaz]

I always found the smaller the trailer the bigger the tug you need. inside the trailer the more delicate or important the item you carry the more important that it be kept as close to the hitch as possible. anything aft of the axle is in for a roller coaster ride. The further back the worse it is.

[Francesca Knowles]

Originally Posted by stevebaz

I always found the smaller the trailer the bigger the tug you need.

I double-dog-dare-you to start a whole new thread with that title!

Francesca

[Byron Kinnaman]

There's something to be said about Steve's comment, "the smaller the trailer the bigger the tug you need."
There's lots of stuff in the back of the truck, I try to keep it all below window level, mostly succeed.

[Francesca Knowles]

That just seems so wrong to me...I bought a small trailer to match my daily driver/Grandchildren hauler so I wouldn't have to drive a truck.

Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

Francesca

[rabbit]

My upright Coleman cooler and aux. grey water tank ride in the John. I have restraint for the cooler. Generally, if you don't have tie down rings like a toy hauler, you have to jam it, tighten it up, block it, pad it.

[Mimi Lee]

Wowzers! 2Kayaks and a bike, all inside!! I never could have imagined fitting so much gear inside, and second never would have thought even one of those items would even slide through the door. That's so great!

Originally Posted by Jared J

Yep.

[steve dunham]

Have you thought about getting a lockable tonneau cover for the bed of your truck
You could store items that need to stay dry in plastic tubs with lids in the bed of the truck, along with your outdoor equipment

[stevebaz]

Originally Posted by Francesca Knowles

I double-dog-dare-you to start a whole new thread with that title!

Francesca

No way as of late I would be lynched. Too many meanies around here waiting for a fight lately. At least we would get over the tow rating issues.
I love my 13 foot Scamp but when camping its all I can do to still fit the dog, my Gal and myself in my Nissan Pathfinder while towing the Scamp.

[Byron Kinnaman]

Originally Posted by Francesca Knowles

That just seems so wrong to me...I bought a small trailer to match my daily driver/Grandchildren hauler so I wouldn't have to drive a truck.

Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

Francesca

What's a daily driver?
I don't drive anything daily. I would almost be willing to say I burn less gas than most people. When I'm towing, the trailer get's towed and doesn't have anything to say about where we go. Hardly any mileage penalty for towing. Plus I have room from my toys in the back. Works good for me. I'm out with the trailer about 150 days a year. I sit higher and see more. When I need to move fast to get out of somebodies way, it moves.

Now when I was working I had a "commuter" car that I drove most of the time. Now I don't need but one vehicle.

Different circumstances and different desires and different lives.

[Jared J]

Originally Posted by Francesca Knowles

That just seems so wrong to me...I bought a small trailer to match my daily driver/Grandchildren hauler so I wouldn't have to drive a truck.

Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

Francesca

Each to their own. After pulling the scamp fifth wheel for 11 hours with a 350hp half ton through hills, etc., I can't imagine how people do it in a four cylinder. Even mine went down to third gear once.

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by Byron Kinnaman

What's a daily driver?
I don't drive anything daily. I would almost be willing to say I burn less gas than most people. When I'm towing, the trailer get's towed and doesn't have anything to say about where we go. Hardly any mileage penalty for towing. Plus I have room from my toys in the back. Works good for me. I'm out with the trailer about 150 days a year. I sit higher and see more. When I need to move fast to get out of somebodies way, it moves.

Now when I was working I had a "commuter" car that I drove most of the time. Now I don't need but one vehicle.

Different circumstances and different desires and different lives.

I have to agree with Byron , I had a company vehicle for 90% of my working life , mostly 3/4 ton or 1 ton GMC or Ford pickups . I like the feeling of being higher up ,the ability to carry lots of stuff ,the extra interior room , the extra horsepower and being wrapped in lots of metal. When I drive my wife's Pontiac G6 , I feel cramped (I'm 6'1") and get claustrophobic . (I have bad hips and knees and the Pontiac is almost impossible for me to get in and out of the vehicle) I don't enjoy driving her little car and she even prefers riding in the truck. Even with 390 hp in my truck I was in 3rd gear in the hills of northern Georgia (Mountains in Wisconsin) . I don't think I would be comfortable towing with a small vehicle especially if it had a 4 cylinder engine but that's me . My daily commuter has always been a truck so now that I am retired my fun vehicle is a truck . The only difference is now I pay for gas not my employer. That said with gas at $4.39 in Wisconsin a smaller adequate tow vehicle looks alot better

[Francesca Knowles]

Originally Posted by Jared J

Each to their own. After pulling the scamp fifth wheel for 11 hours with a 350hp half ton through hills, etc., I can't imagine how people do it in a four cylinder. Even mine went down to third gear once.

Guess your fiver isn't as aerodynamic as mine...

Francesca

[Byron Kinnaman]

Different times in life, different needs, different desires.

For us the truck makes perfect sense. The bed is carpeted and there's a cap to make it water tight. This then makes the perfect place to store our "camping" stuff and few other things. Camping stove(s) that would be used outside, shade or screen house, chairs, solar panel, ham radio antennas, ham radio battery, antenna supports, roll up table, dutch ovens, day packs, fishing gear, caving tools, etc. Much of that stuff is stored year around in the truck. I don't have to worry about packing and trying find it at last minute.
It also severs to carry extra clothes when on long trips. The weather changes from mildly cool to hot during our winter trips so changes of wardrobe are needed.
Do to the way we travel we want to keep the trailer clear for that lunch stop, or a few hours sleep. I don't want to spend a lot of time unloading and reloading the trailer at each stop. We give ourselves no more that 15 minutes to set up camp and another 15 minutes to be on the road.
Week-end camping was different and I towed with a 1998 Blazer. We picked and chose what to take on each trip, packed the back of the Blazer a day or two before leaving. Then spent another day unpacking when we got back. We still kept the trailer clear and the 15 minute rule still applied.

[Marsha D]

We have the vinyl flooring, travel on national forest roads (gravel, washboard) and we store our screen house in a stuff sack, two chairs and a table and none of it has left its place under the bed in the back.

Of course I just waxed the floor, so maybe I spoke too soon.

[Gilda]

In our 13' Scamp, towed by a Subaru Legacy we travel with the bed in the down position. On the bed we keep two folding camp chairs and miscellaneous items are held in the "well" formed by the folded legs. Between the chairs are some decorative pillows and 2 stuffed animals (yes, you read right). The sides of the cabinets keep these from sliding off AND I put the "banana cushion" to fill the gap between the cabinets. Under the bed I put my duffel bag of clothing and my small, 7' canopy.

I use industrial suction hooks to hang flyswatter, butterfly net, towels, hanging pockets, jackets, etc. These suction hooks are great. Do not mistake them for the wimpy suction hooks you get from a stationery store. I get mine from Orchard Supply Hardware when they are on sale. You have to pull the hook down in order to create the suction. Best of all, they are not permanent.

Bungee cords are a girl's best friend! Get a bucket or jar of assorted sizes from OSH when they are on sale. You will find a TON of uses for them. Basically, though, bungee cabinet knobs together when on the road. Bungee the ice box or refrigerator handle to the side cabinet handles (I also put the bungee through a loop in my pop-top garbage can and a plastic water cube). The cabinet over the wheel-well is attached to the screen door (closed) knob. When all is secure you can get on the road knowing that nothing will fall out. All it takes is a few bad experiences and you WILL be sure to secure everything!

A tip: Run a bungee cord through a paper towel roll and run the cord around your supports by the sink. Voila! A handy paper towel holder! You can also run the cord around the paper towel roll without hanging it. You can easily get the towels without having them spill all over.

We carry food and stove in the car along with our shoes, jackets and walking sticks. We have learned that less is truly more! Fewer things to deal with equals more fun!

Happy Camping!
Gilda

[lpk49]

good ideas! i wanna see a pic of the "banana cushion"

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by lpk49

good ideas! i wanna see a pic of the "banana cushion"

You wouldn't have a banana cushion if have a 17' Casita. Just thought you'd like to know.

Since you bought used, I didn't want you to think you're missing something.

The banana cushion is a filler piece used on the bottom bunk when the front-of-the trailer Scamp gaucho is put into bunkbed mode.

[lpk49]

oh...see i had this pic of a yellow banana looking pillo...i mean...she has stuffed animals....see how much i learn on this site?

[Donna D.]

You're doing fine. It may seem overwhelming at times. But once you get everything dialed-in, you'll wonder why you stressed!