First TC Trip Report! - Western Virginia
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Nov-19-2014 09:34 AM
Went with the old style Brophy stake pocket tiedowns due to camper's light weight & the much lower cost.
Just took it down to Western Virginia (from Mass) for a week. Camped out half the time and also stayed in some hotels because of the whole polar vortex thing. (It went from 70s to 20s in one day!)
The camper worked flawlessly. No problems at all with the lift mechanism, small heater (Mr Heater Little Buddy) kept it nice & toasty, no leaks in a driving rainstorm, etc. After staring at it in various states of disrepair in our driveway it was awesome to finally put it to use!
The tie downs & turnbuckles worked like a charm (I was a little nervous about that because so many people talk down about the stake pocket set up) and it performed great on some seriously crazy back roads - esp Rt 40 in Southern VA. Had a few people approach us on the trip and ask about it because they had never seen a pop-up TC before.
We did just under 1800 miles and saw some real cool stuff: Shenandoah Caverns, Natural Bridge, Monticello, and Dinosaurland were highlights. Ate a lot of good food (fried chicken, country ham, shrimp & grits) and met tons of nice people.
Originally we were gonna stay up in the Nat Forest campgrounds but the weather was kinda dicey in the higher elevations so we stayed at a small family run place in Edinburg called Creekside Campground (30 sites with hookups on the water, we were the only people there), cooked outside & caught some fish, made friends with the owner, and paid $20/night for everything.
Also stayed at a KOA near the Natural Bridge which was great. Again, because of the mid-week/mid-November style we pretty much had the place to ourselves, surprisingly wooded & secluded site, spotlessly clean bathrooms, hot showers, and the best firewood I've ever bought. That was only $28 and 4 miles to the park.
We mostly avoided the big highways (81) except for the first & last day, tooling around the smaller old roads and exploring some real cool little towns. We had never spent any time in that part of the state and were really impressed at how pretty the land is. We drove the Blue Ridge Parkway for maybe 40 miles but hit some seriously sketchy ice patches & decided to play it safe. Lost the outside vent cover to the fridge (which we're not using anyways) somewhere along the way, but aside from that everything was perfect.
I'd like to post some pics but am on a super old computer & it didn't want to cooperate with any of the directions I read in the FAQ. I know there's a real easy way cuz I did it when I first got the camper but cant seem to remember now.
Just wanted to share & say thanks to everybody who has given advice over the last 6 months. I'm still a newbie in the TC world but this forum has been a HUGE help! We're hunkering down for the winter now but are already starting to plan our next trip for April, can't wait!
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Truck Campers
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Nov-20-2014 02:04 PM
The BMW is actually my initials
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Nov-20-2014 09:29 AM
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Nov-20-2014 08:21 AM
'04 Northstar Laredo SC
Bilsteins 5100
2014 1500 Silverado 5.3 Double Cab
1951 Chevy 3100
Formally OBXcamper
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Nov-20-2014 07:50 AM
Dak
Escapee member #224325-Since 1992
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Nov-19-2014 06:59 PM
You did know that it can turn into a habit?? Kind of like cigarette addiction, when your hooked, you can leave it alone but you'd really rather have it.
I notice you're using the jack mounts to tie it to the Brophy's.
You may have already thought about this, your rear turn buckles need to hold the camper back during braking or hold straight down on it. In an emergency stop your camper might tip forward and scratch up the paint on you roof. Also pushes on the truck box front wall.
It's center of gravity is quit low so isn't too big of a chance.
In the picture, the camper tie down eyes look to be at much better angles for your turnbuckles. They also usually have a backer plate or large washers to give it strength for pulling down. The jack mounts may not be installed as well for pulling down on them.
Also, in many campers, one of the tie down eyes, usually the left front, is the common chassis ground tie point.
It's a fairly light camper so I don't think it will be a major issue.
Enjoy the new toys.
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Nov-19-2014 05:37 PM
I like your floor insulation technique. Dual purpose.
'12 Wolf Creek 850 TC Coleman Polar Cub 9.2k A/C, 90 watt solar, dual propane & batteries, Maggie Rack
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Nov-19-2014 04:32 PM
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Nov-19-2014 04:07 PM
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Nov-19-2014 01:19 PM
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Nov-19-2014 09:51 AM
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Nov-19-2014 09:43 AM
2004 Chevy Silverado 2500HD 4x4 6.0L Ext/LB Tow Package 4L80E Michelin AT2s| Outfitter Caribou
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Nov-19-2014 09:42 AM
Posting pictures is easy from a hosting site such as Photobucket.
Grab the URL in the Photobucket Direct box and place it between (without the spaces)
[I M G]............[/ I M G]
To see what I did, click on the quote for this post.