Hello from Washington!

[sbergeron00]

Hi all! We are Stephanie and Mark from the Lovely Pacific Northwest.

We have been tear dropping for the past 2 years in a sweet little 900 lbs loaded trailer but we have decided that having some place inside that we can stand up or sit at a proper table when the weather gets iffy would be a nice thing too.

We are going tomorrow (April 18) to look at a 2014 Trillium Sidekick 1500. It is new but is being sold as a year end closeout for only $14,995. It has the front dinette and a permanent bed. Trailer breaks are standard and our Tug is a all set up with the break controller and the wiring to hitch up and go with the trailer if it decided to follow us home. The legend package with the Spare/and Mount, Solar, 2.2 cf 12v fridge and most of the options including the exterior shower, Fiamma Awning and the hot water heater are included.

We are hopeful but trying to not get too attached before we even look at it. (That is easier said than done though!)

Our weekends and a few weeks have already gotten filled for much of the Summer!

I keep watching for a spot to open up next weekend at NOG as it is only about 50 miles from home and would be an awesome first trip out for the new trailer (IF we get it)-- We can only camp on Saturday to Sunday though so... I'll go post on the Spring Nog Thread and see what happens.

I have been hanging out (lurking mostly) for the past few months--Sneaky little me... Learning lots, giggling frequently, and out right laughing from time to time and nodding my head in agreement over many of the comments.

I hope to become a knowledgeable participant in this fine group for a long time to come.

Cheers all!
Stephanie (And Mark who doesn't even know that I posted this message yet!)

[Borrego Dave]

Welcome to FGRV. Sounds like a nice trailer and a good step up for you and you're so close to the NOG too .

[sbergeron00]

Thanks for the Welcome-- for the time being we are going to be a two trailer household. That is all our little back yard will hold...

Actually looking at our calendar I have penciled in when we will be Teardrop camping (about 25 days and Trillium camping about 16 days penciled in so far! We hang out with a bunch of great folks from the TOW--Teardrops of Oregon and Washington and the Pacific NW Tearjearkers and have several gathering with them on our calender already.

We plan to use the new trailer for trips along with my parents and my sister and her family.
(IF we even get it...Well...I know I have already got it in my head that it will be coming home with us...Bad Me...I'm not supposed to be decorating it and figuring out where everything will be going in it until AFTER we have inspected it, asked questions in person and satisfied the pre-purchase check off sheet that I found on line!)

Photos will be following soon! (Grin...)

Stephanie

[OneOleMan]

Welcome to FGRV. It sounds like the Sidekick you're talking about is in Tualatin and is one of 2 Trillium's they've had on their website for several months, (maybe they'll discount their "Discounted Price" even more ). When you're there find out what the "ready to camp" and tongue weights are 'cause 1700 lbs sounds like dry weight before any accessories such as the Legend Package and awning were added.

[mary and bob]

Hi Stephanie, we are also teardroppers. We have a 1946 Modernistic that we restored several years ago.We started with a pop-up, our second one being a '73 Starcraft that we bought in '78 and still own. We added a '84 Uhaul fiberglass camper to our collection a few years ago for the same reasons as you, room to sit and stand. We took it south for the winter twice. Now added another camper to our fleet last fall, a 17' Casita that has a dinette and a bathroom, so that became our snowbird camper.

[Evergreengirl]

Welcome to the forum Stephanie! Good luck on your trailer shopping. Let us know how it turns out. On the thread for the Oregon Spring NOG there's some information about how to snare a campsite. I think all the spots that can be reserved online are taken but if you call the park you can get a spot in the horse camping area. At least that's my understanding.

[Bobbie Mayer]

I just posted that I'm cancelling for NOG. (Fri and Sat nights).

[sbergeron00]

Mary and Bob-- Our Teardrop is a 2013 Teardrops NW trailer. It is the Sashay model the tiniest one they make. When we started out we had a 2011 Kia Soul as the tug. It was fine for the little teardrop but not if we wanted to go a bit bigger with the stand up space. So we traded it in and got the 2014 Subaru Outback. We are very aware of the limitations and since we are coming from the world of tiny teardrops we are prepared to keep the weight down.

Pat, with a battery and full propane tank (the dealer has already installed) the tongue is weighing 200 lbs at the showroom (they have a scale to do that weight but not one to weigh the whole trailer). We are going to have to do some serious number crunching to figure out what they considered when the MSO weight was taken and what it weighs with the options. (The Salesman is trying to tell us that the MSO is the weight of the trailer as it comes to them and I KNOW that 1700 can't be the sitting on the floor of the showroom ready to roll out the door weight.

We shall see! Heading out to look now.
Stephanie

[kootenaigirl]

How exciting.
I never got to see that trailer when I was in Oregon but really wanted to. Let us know what happens. As I am sure you have read on the forum there have been a few quality control issues with the newer Trilliums but maybe they are all fixed now. You have the checklist so that will be helpful.
Please report back, hoping it is a successful trip.

[Byron Kinnaman]

I would suggest that you look at this page to get an idea what these little trailers weigh. http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f51/trailer-weights-in-the-real-world-43010.html

[sbergeron00]

Byron, Thanks yes I have looked at the Trailer Weights in the real World and feel fairly confident that we will stay well below the maximum weights for both tongue and total weight. --

K-Girl--It looked really good and will be coming home on Monday! We wanted to have the mechanic go over it with us to make certain everything is ready to roll! We spent 2 and a half hours going over the trailer with the pre purchase list in hand and it ended up with only a couple cosmetic things on the outside and a bit of a leak from the Gray drain on the outside of the trailer from under connection plate -most likely the little hose clamp needs to be tightened up. and the Door Seal was loose and they are replacing t and making certain it is fitting correctly. All will be fixed before we take it off the lot!

We got it for $14,995 and yup it is the one from Camper Outlet just outside Portland Oregon. Even with the couple things that need to be done before we pick it up we are so happy and are ready to start making it ours.

Will post photos soon!

[sbergeron00]

Here's some photos we took yesterday at the show room of our Trillium Sidekick 1500!! Yup we are excited and I will be making slip covers for the dinette and some pretty curtain panels for the windows. looking forward to customizing to our tastes.

I have LED light bulbs coming already to replace every light in the trailer! Including the florescent bulb being replaced by LED t5 tube light. Yup we are really excited!

[Bobbie Mayer]

I didn't know they had LED tube lights. I'm going to have to see if mine can be replaced. I hate the fluorescent tubes.

[OneOleMan]

Congratulations on your new Trillium Sidekick, Stephanie, it's a sharp looking trailer. Now's the time to start making those memories that'll last a lifetime. I'll keep an eye out for Monday, though I'll probably have turned off onto Hwy 101 by the time you get that far north. Gonzo th' Dawg and I are heading to the ocean for a few days.

[kootenaigirl]

Looks wonderful, fun times ahead!
Love the floor plan.

[sbergeron00]

It is home safely in the back yard and will be going on it's maiden voyage for an overnight at the Spring NOG! We were able to snag a spot for Saturday. I was haunting the Reservation web site for the past 3 days and one site appeared this morning after the call center opened up.

The T8 18" LED RV/Marine Fluorescent Bulb Replacement that I found was on Ebay $39.95 for 2 bulbs. Not bad for 60,000 hours. That's going to be years of cool, quiet lighting!

Cheers all!
Stephanie and Mark

[Bobbie Mayer]

That sounds like it might fit mine; I need to go see what size it is. Would be easier than replacing the fixture though that might be the better way to go in the long run.