Forum Discussion

Vinny76's avatar
Vinny76
Explorer
Feb 10, 2014

New TT owner- video introduction

Hi folks, I'm Vinny from southern Illinois. I haven't been trailer camping since I was a kid and my folks had a small pop up trailer. Now I'm in possession of a 27 ft travel trailer that I'm sure my family and I will enjoy for years to come.

I made a quick video of it, which you can see below. I'd appreciate any suggestions from those with more experience than me on anything related to TT camping, setting up the inside of it, etc. I am planning on installing a solar panel system in it ASAP for possible boondocking and especially for general emergency preparedness.

Youtube video- Vinny's Travel Trailer
  • Welcome to the forum, the video is a nice touch and I don't think anyone else has ever don't that!
  • Welcome to the Forum..nice rig and set up.
    Remember to put all the loose stuff just sitting around before you tow or it will be spilled and dumped all over the floor..:E
  • MY suggestions:
    1. Get on the roof and very very carefully check all the caulking. Just a little pin hole, virtually invisible to the eye, can cause serious damage often costing more to repair than the trailer is worth. Use only Dicor self leveling caulk.
    2. Check the date code and country of origin on the tires. Any tire over 5 to 7 years old has out lived its life expectancy. Tires manufactured in China have had a very poor service record. You would be very wise to buy new, American made tires and if you can get 16" tires in the Light Truck (LT) rather than the Special Trailer (ST) designation, buy them.
    3. Repack the wheel bearings.
  • Good point. RVs often have what is called a 'short' Queen which is 75"or so long vs. 80"for a regular Queen.
  • Measure carefully when it comes time to replace that mattress. RV queen is not the same as a "regular" queen. It may cramp you up against the wall at the foot of the bed. There might not be enough room for a "regular" queen.
  • Welcome to the forum. Cool video intro, BTW.

    Don't know how you have your pots and pans setup but other than that all you need to do is add food and you may be good to go. It already has a 'homey' feeling to it. You did not mention who'd be going camping with you. That would have a bearing on suggestions for inside setup.

    For me the recliner looks like it takes up a little too much space and of you add a second one then rainy day would get cramped fast. But from what you said in the video you seem to like it and that is what matters.
  • If you haven't done it already, check the roof and the seams for cracking caulk etc. The inside is nice but you'll also need to concentrate on the outside maintenance!

    WoodGlue
  • Welcome to the Forum.

    Nice rig. It looks like you have it set up well, already.
    One thing I'd suggest you do is to remove the bear mace from the inside of your trailer and look into getting a metal, protective case for it. There have been occurrences of the aerosol cans overheating and exploding with all their contents ejecting. In some cases, you can't get it cleaned out. Maybe replace it with a fire extinguisher.

    Here's a list of Forum member's solar installations. You could look through there and get some ideas for solar charging and battery upgrades.