1st night camping in our yard, 2023.01.24

[SCADAMAN29325]

OK, time for a good laugh and hopefully some helpful hints.

We were thinking about going to a state park just down the road a piece for our shakedown cuise, but it felt better just to stay a few nights in the yard.

That is good and bad, it felt good not having to worry about forgetting something crucial, but bad because we put off the 'away from home' sentiment and we started too late in the day getting ready to go and wore ourselves out getting on the road. Thus the 1st item in the diary:
. Ham sandwiches for supper.

And here's the rest of the list so far (today is day 2):
. Lots of little needs...
. Outdoor rug to keep grass from getting into the camper.
(Found out why outdoor rugs are popular, it's been a pain keeping the floor clean. The dead wet grass on the bottom of my boots was making a big mess.)
. Need coat hooks on bedroom closet doors for our jackets.
. Forgot to turn on water.
(Yeah, went to wally world to get some stuff before the big adventure and cutoff the water and propane before we left. When we got back the gas was the first thing being turned on because of the deep chill we were expecting that night. Wife went to the smallest room, needed a little water in the bowl before taking care of business and no water going into throne!
. Need water meter on the hose.
(So I know when to dump.)
. Indoor/outdoor Thermometer.
. NEED Curtains!
(We tacked up some beach towels for now)
. Need OTC meds, Pepto... first aid kit.
(It was an ordeal getting ready and LuBaby was very sick to her stomach. AND we both were hurting from the big rush to get going.)
. Need to install HottRod to save propane.
. Forgot to hookup electric.
(When moving the camper the other day so water hose would reach. I disconnected the life line.)
. Plastic totes about 18x18x18 to run things back and forth from house to camper.
. Measuring cups/spoons.
. Hand soap
(Dawn will do for now.)
. Minimum 3-night stays.
(I've heard of the 'Rule of 3's)
No more than 300 miles in a day.
No more than 3 hours driving without a rest stop.
Get there before 3 to allow for setup while there is still light outside.
And minmum 3-night stays.
(We were planning on 2 nights: launch day, the next day was her bday, so that would be a 'fun day', then come back the next. Well, we realized that WE DID NOT want to start packing for our return on the 'fun day' also while still recovering from launch day. Glad we knew the park owners (us) and asked if we could stay another night. They are such nice folks!

I'm sure there will be more to add to this list before that long 50ft trip back to the house.

BTW, when our son was leaving for work, he let us know that he didn't have time to feed the cats. I guess that meant he wanted us to do it. I thought about telling him that we were in a galaxy far, far away. LuBaby took care of the cats. We were tempted to get the hand soap and spatula that we forgot, but we were determined to get by without anything we forgot.

And so goes the Chronicals of Flip and LuBaby...

TTYL

[Veebyes]

I am also at a loss for the need of a water meter. It does not take long to learn how many 'people nights' the holding tanks will last, gauges working or not.

Everyone has a slightly different way of doing things. We draw from our onboard tank 100% of the time. We dump very 3-4 days but we can go 7 days with 100% water needs coming from our tank. That is 14 person nights drawing a little under 10gal per person per day.

[dedmiston]

SCADAMAN29325 wrote:
As for the water meter, I'm just curious as to how much water we are using. I want see how much we're using, so I'll know for any boondocking. Like how many gallons for 3 days and 2 showers...

There's certainly no harm in this, and it would be good data to know just from a curiosity standpoint.

I use a meter on my fresh water hose when I fill our tanks because it eliminates the guesswork. I've been doing this long enough to be able to estimate that one trip should be a 50 gallon trip when it's just my wife and I for a few days vs. a 120 gallon trip when the kids are all with us for a longer stay.

I miss the dump valve on our old trailer. It was a big 3" valve and I could empty the fresh tanks in 15-20 minutes. It was nice to start at zero and add exactly how much water we'll need. On our current rig I have to think back to the past few trips: "Well, I added 60 gallons last month and 50 a few weeks ago, but then we came home early and we probably only need another 40 for this trip..."

[SCADAMAN29325]

Thanks to all, and for the input.

Didn't think about killing the grass, a very good point! Don't want to be THAT guy. We should have already gotten doormats. They are on the list now. Been web surfing for what I need to know and saw that a lot of them had large carpets, but didn't notice the environment they were in. I'll chalk that up to "that's the way they did it on the internet, so it MUST be something that I need". I've been tempering my OCD, but somethings just slip by me.

As for the water meter, I'm just curious as to how much water we are using. I want see how much we're using, so I'll know for any boondocking. Like how many gallons for 3 days and 2 showers...

Rule of three's, I've seen it referenced a few times with various factors, but yeah, even 3 nights seem too short, but it didn't occur to me till we were in the heat of the moment with just 2 nights scheduled that it wasn't going to work at all. We will know better next time.

I see y'all have been on this forum for a good while and I really do appreciate your seasoned viewpoints.

We're now freshly showered and enjoying the familiar surroundings from a different perspective now.

TTYL

[craig7h]

Forget the rug, at least the large ones. I think you will find a small maybe 3x4 will take care of the grass problem.

You might find that over the door hooks work the best, as the doors themselves are not the best built.


Water meter never heard of but then that may mean nothing. I would however trade the water meter in for a water pressure gauge.

Sounds like you have a handle on it. Sometimes to much planning takes the fun out of Rving.

[bukhrn]

Not sure where you got those "Rule of 3's, They sound more like personal preference that actual rules, many folks do travel short distances, actually read someone only does 250 miles a day, I personally drive till I start getting tired of driving, maybe 500,have gone 600, but again it's a personal thing. Rest stop after 3 hours sounds reasonable, I have done less.
Getting there before 3 seems a little extreme, especially in the summer when it still light at 9, setup doesn't really take that long.
As far as minimum 3 nights, that's fair, but again personally I prefer 4-5 minimum as 3 just seems too short as it feels like I no more than got there and I'm heading home already.
As for the rest, you learned just like most of us, luckily your trip was much shorter. I don't recall anyone who didn't forget something on the first trip.
Good luck and Happy Trails.

[Grit_dog]

Yup, water meter makes no sense unless only using hookups and it’s still of no use since you have 2 waste tanks.
“Saving propane” with your water heater is not a thing either. It uses very little propanes. Maybe a alright convenience if you’re always on shore power but not to save LP.

Good job at least you’re doing your level best to learn the rV systems based on your threads.

[StirCrazy]

I don't understand how a water meter on your fresh water hose is going to tell you when to dump. you have tank level sensors and that is exactly what they are made for. measuring your incoming water won't tell you anything as you don't know the ratio going to each tank or how much you use for cooking or drinking.

[Fizz]

We did much the same but at a campground 30 min away, worked out the minor kinks.

Next lesson for me was assessing if it was a dead end before goin any further. Could I get out of a tight gas station, restaurant etc.

After our first Snowbird winter we took out two large Rubbermaid tubs full of stuff we never touched.

[Veebyes]

What you do not need is the outdoor carpet. That carpet kills the grass under it. OK to kill the grass in your yard but in a CG the next person, & many more after, has to face a muddy mess because of that carpet.

Some CGs outright ban them. They put alot of effort into keeping sites nice. CGs with dirt or gravel sites where there is nothing to kill, carpets fine.

What you do need is one of those shoe cleaners that knock mud off bottoms & sides & you need a door mat at the bottom of the stairs. In addition to those we keep an expendable piece of offcut carpet at the door as a last scuffing place.

[K3WE]

This sounds familiar, and I'll laugh WITH you, but NOT AT you- no harm/no foul, it's the way it is and a smart move.

Hopefully you enjoyed it. We did!

To be nit picky, our's was a 5-day trip to a beach campground with stores nearby and a near-daily trip to get this or that...part of camping and part of the fun.

Also, relevant to the post below: I agree that folks shouldn't be killing grass with carpet, but, our first trip included purchasing some "astroturf carpet" which was a good move for the extremely sandy spot with zero vegetation...That same carpet was essential 12 years later for a similar trip. Please don't kill or injure grass, but it's not an absolute yes/no.

[Scottiemom]

I just got back from my shakedown cruise. Drove 90 miles away to the mothership (factory) and had some warranty stuff done. Got my 2 TV's set up. . . not that I will used them, but wanted to know how to access over the air channels. Did one the first night, the second the next night. Learned how to activate the A/C, heat pump and furnace from the Firefly. That doesn't sound like a big deal, but there is a learning curve.

Used my induction cooktop for the first time. Success. Used the micro/convection successfully.

Overall, think I'm going to love my new (to me) coach.

Dale

[dblr]

Sounds like a typical first trip, you have a great attitude and think you will adapt fine to the camping life style.