Moving from P'up to TT ?'s

[Hoosier_Daddy]

So after the season was over here I made the leap to the TT after camping in a Pop-up. I have the basics that go along with camping life but now I am looking at a grey water tank (instead of a 5g bucket outside), a black water tank, water heater, water pump, furnace and an a/c unit that I have never had to deal with before.
I have been searching here and have started a "wish list" to aquire over the winter. A Rhino-flex sewer kit, a foam hose doughnut seal, and this nifty sewer hose / tank flush adapter are on my list.



So far that is all I can think of. I have a decent collection of C.I. cookware to go along with my fire ring tripod but now I not only have a Stove, but an Oven and even a Microwave(!)

I have a new deep cycle marine battery, twin propane tanks and new break-away switch for the brakes... those are easily tranferable from the P-up to the TT.

I have a Curt proportional brake controller on my TV and a Weight Distribution hitch sized for my weights already on the way.
Is there any esentials that I may be over looking? Because I have been "roughing it" I have a grasp on what camping is all about but a list of new items I may need for my new upgraded camping life style would help.

[BulldawgFan]

Hoosier Daddy wrote:
I have seen the andersen leveler metioned around here but when I look at them online it seems odd to have it on only one tire of a tandem axle TT. Leaves the other tire hanging in the breze... Is this right?

No, I have a set of two. You would not want to ise just one. Maybe someone trying to save some money? Talk about unstable!

[Rustycamperpant]

Poppy & Nana wrote:
A good surge protector!

This times two!

[Hoosier_Daddy]

I have seen the andersen leveler metioned around here but when I look at them online it seems odd to have it on only one tire of a tandem axle TT. Leaves the other tire hanging in the breze... Is this right?

[BulldawgFan]

+1 on Oxygenics!

Surprised no one has mentioned Anderson Levelers. A little spendy, but oh so worth it! Has cut our set up time in half. No dealing with cumbersome boards. Makes leveling super simple and fast!

[lushy]

Congrats on the new TT. We started with a pop-up and moved up to a HTT and then a TT. We enjoyed every camper we had, but as we moved up things seemed to get a little easier. Here are a few of my suggestions and favorites. Good luck.

Bumper mount clothes rack
Oxygenics shower head
X-chocks
Lynx Levelers
Rhino sewer hose
Maxxair vent covers
Weber-Q
Electric tongue jack (makes life easy)
Propane tank cover
Small electric ceramic heater

[Hoosier_Daddy]

Nice oven mod BulldawgFan, Thanks for the tip.

[BulldawgFan]

You have a lot covered and many other good ideas and suggestions. I will tell you another not so common suggestion that has been one of the cheapest things we added but made an aspect of the camper go from somewhat unusable to perfection.

So you mentioned having the oven, which leads me to believe you may use it. Nothing like warm biscuits or cinnamon rolls, especially on a cool morning to help warm the camper and the soul.

When we first used our rv oven, awful. It is a single burner down the middle, cooked uneven and scorched. Here is the trick. Unglazed ceramic floor tiles. Unglazed is key. Couldn't find them at home depot or lowes, had to go to a specialty floor shop. He happened to have some 4"x4" left from a job, charged me $0.25 a piece. I bought 8. 4 for use, 4 for backup. I put down a layer of tin foil just to keep them from scratching the metal plate between burner and rack. Put the tiles down, and bingo. I swear the rv oven cooks better than our oven at home. Acts like a pizza stone basically. Also, pick up a cheap oven thermometer at Walmart. Like $2. So for around $3 I made the rv oven go from awful to awesome!

[bhh]

Winterizer kit to get the RV potable line antifreeze through the pump and feed lines to sinks and shower.

Assuming your new TT is 30A shore power:
Electrical adapters such as 15A to 30A, maybe 50A to 30A.
30A extension cord.

[MitchF150]

Don't fret too much about getting "everything" for your first trip out.. 😉

Not even you really know what you need until you need it!

My first night in our trailer back in 2002 was in the driveway! Yes, spent the weekend camping at home and that really helped identify what things I needed.

Starting off with the basics that has already been mentioned will probably be more than enough 'stuff'.. 😉

The rest is just going to be your own wants and needs.

Good luck and have FUN!

Mitch

[PAThwacker]

At some amusement parks it was mearly an electric site, bathhouse, and bus. Hardly a resort.

[Hoosier_Daddy]

PAThwacker wrote:
We state park dry or limited, FHU, boondock, resort, and amusement park camp.

I have camped state park dry, Boondocked, and Full Hook Up. But how is "Resort" and "Amusement Park" different? We did stay at Lake Rudolph at Santa Claus Indiana that had an amusement park but other than the tiny concrete pad it was the same hook ups.

Jerrybo66:That is great reverse thinking, but around here I don't think the CG's would be fond of digging up their sod. But a militay surplus folding shovel is now added to the list!

fla-gypsy: As far as the electric screw gun, I do have a "vintage" craftsman speed handle and a 3/4" socket that will be pressed into serive for the stabs. After my military experiance as a Crew Chief on F-4's I bet I can run a speed handle faster than any electric drill out there.:B Also, I have a 6x8 outdoor carpet roll-up but one of those folding mats would be nice, I was eye-balling it at wallmart this week!


rbpru: That right there is such a good list. I was an Automotive Technichiam for the first 17 years of my working life so I can deffinately relate. My TV has a full size spare. TT has a spare that has never seen the road. I carry a 2T bottle jack for the camper and have a old school 4-way lug wrench. I can tell darn close to 100 ft/lbs by feel and have a Snap-on torque wrench to back me up.

Now the portable air compressor I hadn't thought of but I do check the air pressure of the TV and TT spares... just like the tires on the ground. Amazing how many people don't.

Did I forget anybody?

[rbpru]

You will pretty much acquire most of the things mentioned over time. They add to the convenience of RVing.

It is not a race; you do not have to have all of these things before you leave. Coming from a PUP background you probably are used to certain amount of adaptation.

High on my list, are the things that can leave you stranded; so before the creature comforts, I load the following.
• TV spare capable of towing TT. (No donut spare).
• Knowledge of how to change TV tire and tools to do it. (Sounds simple, can be complicated.)
• Spare TT tire and the tools to change them. (I carry a lug wrench, spin wrench, jack, and wooden blocks for jack, torque wrench.)
• Again the knowledge of where to place the jacks on the TT and how to torque the tires etc. (Jacking up a TT can be a bit daunting.)
• Small 120 volt air compressor.
• 5 gallon gas can that seals well. (Yes, in spite of your best planning you can run out of gas at 10 mpg.)

I do have emergency road service but having the knowledge and the materials at hand is the difference between pulling over and spending a half hour changing out a flat, or being stranded and waiting for some road side assistant to find you.

[PAThwacker]

One time we were camping at friends property in NY. We emptied gray into 25 gallon portable. Positioned the tote 25 feet lower than the existing outhouse. Rigged up portable 12v power pack to poop cannon. Attached poop cannon to tote and pumped the gray 25 feet up into the pit.

[PAThwacker]

I have flo jet macerator pump for home use or pit toilet/outhouse if close enough. I can even pump gray into the back of truck and not have to tow the 25 gallon tank long distances. Whatever works and is often required based on your typical usage.

We state park dry or limited, FHU, boondock, resort, and amusement park camp.

Most expensive camping toy: Yamaha 2000w inverter generator.