Just bought our first RV

[Lovethatcamping]

We just bought our first RV last-night! Can't wait to go camping with it! It's a 2014 Coachmen Clipper 108ST, now we have camped for many years in a tent so was just wondering if there's anything I might need to know that they won't tell me at the demo? Also do pop ups tow very easily? I'll be towing with a 2008 Dodge Ram. I've never towed anything at all and am a little nervous. Thanks for any responses!

[Lovethatcamping]

WOW! Thanks everyone for the great ideas! Can't wait for our first trip! The parking lot idea I'm definitely going to do with backing up. The totes idea I already keep our camping stuff that way. The furnace I'm not familiar with them at all so thanks for the info. Again thanks everyone for the info, I'm sure I'll have more questions as time goes on!

[rexlion]

We had a popup for one summer and I got a splinter or two from pushing and pulling the bed ends. If yours have plywood like mine did, take a pair of gloves with you.

[kknowlton]

Congratulations, and enjoy! We have many, many good memories of trips & campouts with our popup, which we had for 17 years (bought it new). We even had "come down" to it from a small motorhome, but loved the relative simplicity of the PUP. If you take it out enough this year, by the end of the season you'll find you have setup and takedown down to a science. What things you want to take that don't fit in the PUP, I suggest getting some plastic totes (of whatever size you need, but easy enough for 1 person to carry) to keep them packed & handy - bring them along in the truck bed, and then just tote them into the camper when it's set up in camp. Have fun! 🙂

[rfryer]

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on the new PU. I think you’ll have some great camping experiences ahead of you. I tent camped for about 18 years traveling all over the country in a tent. The downside of that was the constant packing and unpacking of gear when I was traveling so I finally got a Coleman PU. A great PU, all metal, small and light, and we took it all over the NW and east to the Smokies. I pulled it with a ’73 Bronco, a ’72 Torino and an ’86 Bronco and they were all an easy tow and the impact on gas mileage was negligible. I gave it to my oldest son years ago and got a small TT and the DW still comments she wishes we still had it for some trips; it gave more of a “camping” feel.

As a tent camper it should be familiar territory to you, just treat it the same as a tent. If it gets wet open it up and let it dry out, don’t just park it. Yours is a little bigger and heavier than mine but I seriously doubt you’ll need any sway control; I never had a hint of it with any TV. Just take it out and try it in bite size increments and see how it handles. I found that I could expect to lose a tire on a long trip, and sometimes a wheel bearing. I got quiet adept at changing out wheel bearings along the road and I carried an extra spare tire and bearings. But it had small tires that got a workout on the highway; I just don’t recall now what the size was.

Keep in mind that if you want to use the furnace it will eat your battery in a night, so you’ll need hookups, a generator, or another means of heating it. I used none of the above, I found that I could get up in the morning and light the stove for coffee and lay back down and in a few minutes the PU was warmed up. You don’t want to do that and doze off again, though.

As said, practice backing up in a parking lot somewhere until you get a good handle on it. I have a different perspective about the difficulty of backing up. A big rig isn’t sensitive to minor tweaks of the wheel so it’s considered easier. Read less maneuverable. I camp in remote national forest locations where it’s tight quarters and maneuverability is king. So sensitivity to input is important and big rigs are harder to me.

I’d pick a spot close to home for the first trip. Take a tape recorder or a pencil and tablet and record your thoughts about the trip. Things you took you don’t need, those you needed and didn’t take, and so on. Have fun.

[dyb]

Remember when backing place hand on botom of stearing wheel, which direction you move your hand is the direction the back of the pop will go.

[SooperDaddy]

Congratulations! Our 1st and 2nd Jaycos were pop-ups! Had all sorts of adventures and fun times in them, camping all over California then with the 2 kids when they came along.

I still remember my Grandma scolding us for taking "those babies out in the Forest in THAT contraption!" But our two children grew up campin' with Mom and Dad and have the many. many happy memories to prove it!

Best of luck!

This is your model of trailer a 2014 Coachmen Clipper 108ST...with the optional "Bear Proof Jacks"!

:B

[bradnailer]

I would suggest you get a sway bar in your towing set up. May not always be necessary but when it is, you'll be glad you have it.

You'll need to figure out what you are going to do with your sink water and you will need a water supply hose.

You will find you will need lots of little things so as was mentioned, take your first trip near civilization so you can get what you need.

Before you head out, practice hooking up, unhooking, putting the trailer up and putting it back down.

Most of all, ENJOY!

[lasttruck]

As said, first camping trip should be in the driveway, or close to home so that you can stock as needed without having to make duplicate purchases.

With a truck, you'll have the option to keep some of the bigger or dirtier items there.

Congrats and welcome to the world of off of the ground camping!

[Dog_Folks]

Congratulations! No more sleeping on the ground! It will tow just fine.

Remember that the shorter the trailer, the more sensitive it is to steering wheel corrections. As a result, the shorter the trailer, the harder it is to backup.

Don't be discouraged when you see large trailers backing in. They actually back up better!

Happy Camping.

[Wagonqueen_Truc]

My fist pop up was 20 years ago. I was only 22 years old. ahhh the memories. You will have them (awesome memories that is) so enjoy each and every moment.

[HawkTX]

Congrats and enjoy!

[donn0128]

For your first trip try to make it in your driveway or at least close to a walmart store. Tent trailers generally have pretty low caego carrying capacity, so pack carefully. Many people buy a bunch of medium size totes to pqck everything in. Makes for better organizing. You must learn to conserve battery power when not hooked up at a camp ground. Most of all, have fun! Thats what this time is all about.

[DutchmenSport]

Your truck will tow your new camper just fine. To help you get more familiar with towing, take your camper to an empty parking lot (like a school after school hours), and practice backing up and practice backing to park in one of the spaces (between the lines). You'll learn a lot and have a lot of fun and learn a lot this way without having "eyes" watching you and you feeling intimated.

And remember this, if you put the wheel on your tongue jack, you can push by hand, your camper around and turn it different directions, that you cannot do with a hard sided trailer because they are just too heavy.

When we had our pop-up, we often turned the trailer 90 degrees to the camp site pad and faced the camper to the back of campsite. It gave us more privacy, and it was just fun doing something unconventional.

As stated above, stock your camper just like you would your home with personal hygiene items, cleaning supplies, kitchen ware, and bedding.

Another tip: Get electric blankets for your bed. Even if you're using sleeping bags, electric blankets are WONDERFUL in pop-up, especially on those chilly mornings in the early spring and late fall. Nothing says you have to "rough it" when your "roughing it!"

Enjoy your new camper. These ARE the good days! These days are the events that will be the stories you'll be passing on to your great-grandchildren some day.

And oh ... keep a journal of every event that happens with your camper. a few years from now, when you've navigated to a new camper, you'll fondly love re-reading all the events. There is just so much that gets forgotten over time.

[mrquacker]

Set up the inside like you would your house. Coffee pot, pots/pans, plates/silver ware, etc. At the end of the year (or earlier) remove what you don't want/need.