setting up after dark

I usually try to arrive early so I don't have to worry about it. Since I am generally up fairly late it doesn't bother me at all when someone arrives late. At times it can even provide a little entertainment.

The noisiest part is usually the arrival and getting the TT in just the right spot. In most cases leveling is not too tough. Unhooking can be done quickly and without much noise. Dropping stabilizers only takes a few minutes and can also be done quietly. Plugging an electrical cord in and hooking a water hose up are fairly simple and can easily be done without disturbing anyone.

Not everyone is able to get away early so as to arrive at the campground before sundown. I understand that and certainly don't fault them for it as long as they are courteous and respectful of others. Even for those who can get away and have the best of plans, things can happen such as a flat tire or mechanical problem that throw the entire schedule off. As far as I'm concerned if late arrivals bother someone that much then they probably should reconsider where they are camping. Campgrounds might not be the best place for them.

Great advice to not go through with the stereo, the high beams and KC lights on blasting into other sites. Depending on the place, I have used just the fog lights. In addition to the annoyance of idling diesels, add the back up beep beep alarms while people jockey back and forth. Mostly, our exeriences have been good. Hope neighbors say the same about us when we come in late.

BurbMan wrote:
The short answer is yes, but it depends on the site. Many sites will leave the truck blocking the road if you stay hooked up. I would disconnect, drop the stabilizers and put the slide out as quietly as possible, then leave the rest of the set up until morning. Pay attention to not letting doors slam, tools clang, etc.

Thats the way it should be done...
It doesn't take 5 minutes to un-hook a trailer, you can guesstimate how much to jack it up... Slide out, eat, then call it a day.
I finish in the morning.

I have seen a couple of real pro's arrive after bed time, un-hook and call it a night. Folks wake up the next morning with someone camped by them. No one ever heard them come in.

I have also had the opposite to occur. Trailer arrives late, lots of cursing as he screams at her, and she screams back. The whole camp is awake.

We arrive around 9-10 frequently. We use walkie talkies while backing in to keep it quiet. We turn our headlights off once the campsite is found. Once backed in, level and unhooked (these are first priority), the truck is parked and shut off. DH has a baseball cap with a light on it he uses while he plugs in electric and water. He sets up the rest of the site and sewer (if applicable) in the morning. I will start a late dinner or finish the inside set up while he does outside setup. The dog and child are hustled inside as soon as possible to decrease noise as well. Never had a complaint from any neighbors doing things this way.

I understand coming in late is less than ideal but when you are stuck working until 430-5 pm then you don't often get an option. We have to pay for camping somehow.

If you are not blocking the road with the pickup then all you can wait until morning. If you can do it easily it might be nice to level side to side that night. That way it's easer to unhook the next day. If that is going to take too long just wait and do that the next day too.

It was so important I said it twice. Not really, forum problems again. I think this site was designed for Windows 95.

If you are not blocking the road with the pickup then all you can wait until morning. If you can do it easily it might be nice to level side to side that night. That way it's easer to unhook the next day. If that is going to take too long just wait and do that the next day too.

I don't do campgrounds. But at the dog trials I go to, it is common for people to arrive wayyy late. Many get off work on Friday (hopefully early and drive as far as 500 miles to a trial.
Then upon arriving, they not only have the normal setup to do, but horses and dogs to stake out.
I have counted as many as 29 dogs and 4 horses in one camp..... There is NO way to do it quietly.
We are usually one of the first to arrive. We go to bed early and in the morning a small city has sprung up around us.... Nobody sweats the little stuff like a few dogs barking or horses neighing, bales of hay being dropped off a roof, stakes being driven into the ground with sledge hammers, and enough lights to do all this safely. We are all there for the same reason.
Some of the campground people should take a page from this book.... You are all there for the same reason. Don't sweat the little stuff.:B

wmoses wrote:
Don't you just hate it when the forum times out when sending the post and then only to realize after refreshing the page that there is a double post and no way to delete it? The only recourse is to wipe out the text. :M

One of the few forums I have been on that a post can't be deleted... And it's been acting up more and more lately.
I guess it gives the mods something to do.:B

We often leave the camper hooked up, particularly when we camp and go the next morning, though we usually ask for a pull through so there is room for the truck. If there is no truck room then we have to unhitch.

Depending on how late it is, we eat outside, then watch the news, sleep, make breakfast and then head out. It is no different than stopping at a rest stop to eat lunch in the TT.

If we arrive late where we are going to stay for a few days, dark or not, we setup. At least we unhitch, level front to back, (most camp sites are okay side to side for us), hook up the electric and enjoy what is left of the evening around the picnic table. We leave the water and sewer hook-up until morning in case it was not as level as it appeared the night before. ;)

Don't you just hate it when the forum times out when sending the post and then only to realize after refreshing the page that there is a double post and no way to delete it? The only recourse is to wipe out the text. :M