skymama 35 #1 January 3, 2012 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. 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 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airdvr 197 #2 January 3, 2012 Very nice. What are you gonna pull it with?Please don't dent the planet. Destinations by Roxanne Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skymama 35 #3 January 3, 2012 Mark has a Lincoln Mark LT, bought with pulling a trailer in mind. Plus, I like the interior, it's less trucky. 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 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
popsjumper 2 #4 January 3, 2012 WooooHoooo! Now you can become official trailer trash! My reality and yours are quite different. I think we're all Bozos on this bus. Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airdvr 197 #5 January 3, 2012 Is this for the DZ or are you planning on going somewhere with it?Please don't dent the planet. Destinations by Roxanne Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cocheese 0 #6 January 3, 2012 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. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shropshire 0 #7 January 3, 2012 "I was born in the wagon of a travelling show".... Y'need to start selling pegs and Lucky Heather (.)Y(.) Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CSpenceFLY 1 #8 January 3, 2012 Don't buy a bunch of crap from camping world. Go ahead and buy $100 worth of eternabond seam sealer and do the roof seams while it's new. Buy a new mattress as soon as you can. RV mattresses suck. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
normiss 622 #9 January 3, 2012 Why does it feel like we just purchased the largest "to-do list" EVER?!?!?! Man the hitch set-up on this baby is AWESOME!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cocheese 0 #10 January 3, 2012 Dude, don't her fru fru it up too much. Gotta hold your man-cave/man-card ground, brah. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
normiss 622 #11 January 3, 2012 Dude your list is fucked up. My list so far: 1) beer 2) ice 3) blankets and pillows 4) grillin' shit 5) food oh - and two flat screen tv's. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skygypsie 2 #12 January 3, 2012 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 ? Happy Trails Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CSpenceFLY 1 #13 January 3, 2012 Quote Dude your list is fucked up. My list so far: 1) beer 2) ice 3) blankets and pillows 4) grillin' shit 5) food oh - and two flat screen tv's. This isn't your thread. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
normiss 622 #14 January 3, 2012 Oh the hidden truth in that statement.... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Amazon 7 #15 January 3, 2012 Quote 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. Here is a quick primer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgRXi2svWPU Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The_Don 0 #16 January 3, 2012 Yep. +1 on the mattress. At the very least get a pillow top mattress pad.I am NOT being loud. I'm being enthusiastic! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skymama 35 #17 January 3, 2012 Quote 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. 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 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skymama 35 #18 January 3, 2012 Thanks for all the hints, these are awesome! 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 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
normiss 622 #19 January 3, 2012 I was expecting fire starting advice from you. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The_Don 0 #20 January 3, 2012 I am NOT being loud. I'm being enthusiastic! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NWFlyer 2 #21 January 3, 2012 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 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
piisfish 135 #22 January 3, 2012 you need one of these : http://craziestgadgets.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/trailer-hitch-toilet-seat.jpgscissors beat paper, paper beat rock, rock beat wingsuit - KarlM Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
normiss 622 #23 January 3, 2012 I gotta find a place to camp where you can use the outside shower. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhreeZone 15 #24 January 3, 2012 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 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rick 67 #25 January 3, 2012 Quote I gotta find a place to camp where you can use the outside shower. 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! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites