JWeaverCMA
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Camping With Babies
Hey everyone, Let's share our experiences with bringing tiny ones out on camping trips! Share your funny stories, your horror stories or just your overall experiences with camping with babies, toddlers, or a sullen teenager. A bit about me- My name is Jared, I'm a father of 3 ages 10 months(girl), 23 months(boy) and 9 years(girl). My wife and I upgraded from a 6 man tent to a 25 foot travel trailer this spring and a week long trip down the Oregon Coast was our latest trip. Here were some good, bad and ugly experiences and lessons I learned. The good- all the kiddos LOVE the outdoors! What a relief. It was good to see our oldest go out and make friends with fellow campers her age. Our boy is learning to stick with the group after a few walks around some of the sights we stopped at, he's usually a carefree wanderer. Our youngest loves being outside period. She's perfectly content in her play pen as long as it's outside. The bad- they hate traveling to the campsite as much as they love actually being at the campsite. Driving turned into a bit of a nightmare as our boy would have a complete and utter meltdown halfway into each leg and lay seige to his sister, wearing her patience down with screaming kicking and hair pulling. Sleep is also a big problem, be won't stay in his bunk, or our bed for that matter. Does anybody else experience toddlers who won't sleep in the camper? The ugly- both babies became highly irregular despite their diet not really changing from home to camping which led to a few diaper blowouts. Is it the stress? New environment? Does it go away with time and experience? Overall it was a good experience. How about everyone else?2.6KViews0likes9CommentsRe: Suggestion for small 4 season TT please
I've got a Jayco Whitehawk 25BHS that's a "4 season" rig with additional insulation in what they call the Glaicer Package. The way they explained it to me at the dealership was that unless you're getting a bespoke, custom made TT specifically for extreme weather adventures, the 4 season rating should be taken with a grain of salt. A 4 season camper should have a sealed underside with winterized pipes and be able to keep the pipes from freezing in average winter temps. Insulation varies but mine is rated to efficiently heat down to 0 degrees and efficiently cool up to 100 degrees with the heat running though the floor to help keep the pipes from freezing. I doubt there exists such a thing as a mass produced TT or motorhome that can withstand say the coldest months of a North Dakota winter and the hottest campgrounds in Death Valley. I'm new to towing and I've learned so far that there's always a trade-off between weight, performance features and expense. You can only pick 2. So if you want a lightweight rig with awesome features, be prepared to pay and so forth. Anyways, I'd recommend Jayco. They have a super teardrop called the Hummingbird which is similar to an RPOD.541Views0likes0CommentsRe: Who drives? Him or her?
I drive the majority of the time. We have little ones so we try to keep the mileage between 200 and 300 miles per day so everyone can stretch their legs for extended periods at rest stops. I'm new to towing and so is my wife, but so far so good. I drive most of the time but have her do a bit too when the roads are smooth and empty. I hitch up but have her help so we can both double check stuff when it comes time to hit the road. I usually set up the outside (chairs, play pen, stabilizers, unhitching) and she gets the interior ready. We both try to play separate roles as it helps get camp set up faster when little ones don't want to wait.629Views0likes0CommentsRe: Why did you decide to buy new instead of used trailer?
My wife and I bought brand new from a reputable local dealer for a few reasons. 1. The used market in Boise is complete garbage. We looked at a range of "like new" and "used a few times" campers ranging from pop ups to large travel trailers only to discover what previous commenters have, most people set their price point too high for what they're selling. Most that we saw we didn't even bother to meet with the seller because of glaring problems exposed in the crappy cell phone pictures alone. We even made and offer on an aincent pop up that was in good condition and the owner wouldn't go below 4 grand. 4 grand for a 2004 Flagstaff pop up with no A/C heat or bathroom. Every TT we looked at was old as dirt as well with equally outrageous prices. 2. We have kids and were in need of a bunkhouse model which are impossible to come by used here in Boise. 3. Warranty. In fact, I'm already having some warranty repairs done on my new Whitehawk. I'd rather know the history of my rig and be able to have manufacturer defects fixed at no cost. 4. Modern features; we have young kids so making and breaking camp in a timely manner is crucial. New trailers have more push button features and better heat and A/C meaning that we can make our campsite comfortable in a matter of minutes after arrival. Tired and hungry babies don't like to wait. 5. I got want I wanted, not what I comprised on. We wanted a compact, easily towable bunkhouse with an open floorplan and a separate master suite. We found all of that in a Jayco Whitehawk 25BHS. It's almost a ton under my towing capacity dry, tows and backs easily and has the floorplan we were looking for. Couldn't find that on the local classifieds. Overall, I'm happy with our purchase and plan to hold on to it for the foreseeable future.441Views0likes0CommentsRe: Parking a travel trailer.
Made it to Newport without incident except for one hapless idiot who lunged from his parking spot and expected me to brake hard with 6400 pounds of trailer and gear behind me. So far each town is pretty friendly to the RV crowd. Lots of side streets near the downtown areas and attractions with RV friendly parking. I've never felt the need to drop my trailer on a street anywhere so far. If the going gets too tight we just drop it off at the camp site and double back. Choosing a shorter trailer has helped a ton too. Had to do it at Canon Beach due to traffic. So far so Good! Florence is next!466Views0likes0CommentsParking a travel trailer.
What's up everyone? In t-minis 7 days, my family and I will be taking off for the Oregon Coast with our brand new travel trailer. Some of the towns we'd like to stop at are between campsites and the streets are probably not trailer friendly. Is it acceptable to just drop the trailer in an empty public parking lot and go cruise around?5.4KViews0likes15CommentsRe: Brand New Buyer Looking for Sound Advice
rexlion wrote: If you liked tenting, why not look at popups or hybrids? A popup has plenty of bunk space but folds to a short, easy to tow package that will fit in small forest campsites and will use much less gas. I want something for 3 season camping with A/C and heating for the wife and kids. So my payload is 1473 lbs on the truck. That seems reasonable as long as I'm not loading additional cargo in the truck beyond family, car seats and snacks.423Views0likes0CommentsRe: Brand New Buyer Looking for Sound Advice
rexlion wrote: If you liked tenting, why not look at popups or hybrids? A popup has plenty of bunk space but folds to a short, easy to tow package that will fit in small forest campsites and will use much less gas. We're looking for something that will be good for 3 seasons in varied environments with extra space for the kiddos. Also the wife wants A/C.423Views0likes0CommentsRe: Brand New Buyer Looking for Sound Advice
I looked up my total payload and my truck's limit 7350 lbs. So we're probably going to have to compromise a little on space in order to keep the weight down. What kind of general challenges/problems can I expect if I'm towing close to my weight limit?121Views0likes0Comments
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