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skymama

We bought a travel trailer!

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Normiss and I bought a 30' travel trailer yesterday. We really were just planning on looking. :$

For you experienced campers out there, what do you wish you would have known when you bought your first trailer/camper/RV to make learning the ropes a little easier? What is really worth spending money on or what's a waste of money?

Here's a link to the one we got. B|
She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

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Mark has a Lincoln Mark LT, bought with pulling a trailer in mind. Plus, I like the interior, it's less trucky. :ph34r:

She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

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1) Don't stock the fridge with expensive beer or alcohol. You'll never get any of it.

2) All trailers leak the day after the warranty expires.

3) Don't park under a tree or the squirrels will use your roof for a bowling ally since they don't have wing suits. I'm serious. It's annoying.

4) Spend the money you saved on hotels and gas for more skydiving, not the trailer.

5) resale value is about 1/2 of what you paid.

6) Craigslist buyers can barely read the ad.

7) Going to sleep and waking up at a dz, especially when it's raining, beats a tent, or driving all the way home any day.

Congratulations.B|



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If you're going to have it parked for any length of time, put steel wool in all outside hook up & vent compartments to keep critters out !

Also, if you're on the road quite a bit & don't want to continue to empty the 'facilities' at a pumping station...
spend > $20 on a porta potty w/ appropriate bag liners & toilet seat cover.

The bags have a chemical lining that traps odors fairly well & are very durable.

Available at camping / sporting stores or any Walmart, F& F, Menards, etc.

It's so much more convenient & less likely to have the toilet smell from the holding tank.

You just Go & Throw ;)

I'd also advise "rubbermaid" type bins to store as much as you can under beds, etc.

Keeps sky gear harm free & clothes more organized.
Regardless, the size & depending on how much you'll use it...they always seem to fill up with "gotta have " & comforts of home, necessities !

I've done a fairly long stint ( 10 months) living at a WI. DZ living in a 12'...I loved it til winter started setting in & water main was turned off .

We now have a 24' we'll be "living" in next spring til we get our cabin in the woods completed...2 adults & a large dog ...also while working as full time DZ Staff !

Good grief...what am I thinking ? :S

Happy Trails B|

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Normiss and I bought a 30' travel trailer yesterday. We really were just planning on looking. :$

For you experienced campers out there, what do you wish you would have known when you bought your first trailer/camper/RV to make learning the ropes a little easier? What is really worth spending money on or what's a waste of money?

Here's a link to the one we got. B|




Here is a quick primer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgRXi2svWPU

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Gotta hold your man-cave/man-card ground, brah.



If he wanted a man cave, he should have kept his school bus at Z-hills. This is no man cave. :P
She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

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Thanks for all the hints, these are awesome! B|

We're hoping to try it out in Sebastian this weekend. In the very least, we can use the queen mattress that's in our spare bedroom in the camper.

She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

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We were lucky in that the folks we bought ours from had pretty fully stocked the whole RV, so we didn't have to buy a whole lot. But assuming you do have to stock the kitchen, think plastic. Actually, right now might be a good time to go pick up cheap plastic plates and bowls with a Christmas theme. Ours all have a 4th of July theme - I suspect the old owners picked them up at a clearance sale!

Oh, and you definitely have to own some of these (even though they're not plastic, they really are an important part of RV life and you can store them in their boxes). (Edited to add an action shot with me and K-Dub).

We were going to buy one of those fancy folding steps from Camping World, till we looked at the price, so Monkey made one for us out of some scrap wood. Works perfectly. When it comes to emptying tanks, I was shocked at how much the prices can vary - from $20 at an RV park near the DZ in Davis to $2 at a service station near Lost Prairie.
"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

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The Mattress is a big one that we found in ours. Also keep an eye on all the plumbing and roofing to make sure leaks do not occur. A leak will rot away the flooring faster than you might imagine and we have a soft spot on our floor due to the previous owner not noticing a leak at the fresh water tank.
Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

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I gotta find a place to camp where you can use the outside shower.
>:(


:ph34r::ph34r::ph34r:




I am sure no one will object if Andrea wants to use the outdoor shower while you are at Sebastian.

I started working on a design for your graphics. It is still a little rough but it is just conceptual. :)
You can't be drunk all day if you don't start early!

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