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RE: Input from those with kids...
We are a family of 6. We do not like making up couch/dinette as beds, so we went with bunks.
Our oldest is 14 and the narrow bunks are fine and my friend (5-10 and 180 ) found it just fine.
We don't spend much time in the trailer and have never felt cramped when we play games when it is raining or when traveling. In fact, when traveling cross-country, we don't even put our queen slide out, so it sits over the dining and sofa so we don't have access to them. Everyone has their own 'private' bed and that is good enough.
With the way we camp, we'd be fine with 230 trailer assuming the tanks are equal size.
As for bringing friends, our 6 year old doesn't bring friends and our older kids have a tent they like to set up next to our trailer and that would fit a friend if they wanted.
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eddeeeee
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05/19/12 07:29pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Mt. Rushmore
I have heard that there is a flintstones themed campground fairly close.
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eddeeeee
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04/27/12 07:54am |
RV Parks, National Parks, State Campgrounds & More
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Sand Flats BLM recreation area near Moab.
Looking at places a bit farther out for the summer and was wondering about getting into the Sand Flats Recreation Area. What are the chances of getting a spot in one of the three campgrounds midweek in July, and how difficult will the road be for a Sequoia and a 28' trailer? It almost looks like the road is paved to the second campgroud using Google Earth, but even a jarring road with huge dips/rocks can look good on google earth. Thanks.
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eddeeeee
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04/11/12 12:00pm |
Public Lands, Boondocking and Dry Camping
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RE: Any other mpg geeks out there?
I've been tracking every penny spent on my vehicles since 1991 when I bought my first new vehicle. I track MPG, cost per mile overall, cost per mile per year, etc. Nothing has ever beat my 1991 toyota pickup. Paid 6999 for it and sold it 10 years later for 2000. All costs worked out to 10 cents per mile. It was one special truck as it got 33 mpg. My friend bought one at the same time. He never got above 26mpg. He still has his and it now has 256,000 miles.
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eddeeeee
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03/13/12 05:01pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Trade Tacoma For Tundra?
When we bought our 4500# dry &28' trailer, we towed it with a V6 2004 4runner. Pulled ok, but I wanted more. Currently have a Sequoia with the 5.7. I got 10-11mpg in the 4runner, but it slowed down a lot at the top of the passes. The sequoia will do 55 at the top of the passes with power to spare, but gets 8mpg. Empty, around town, my wife gets 19 in the 4runner, 22 on the highway. In the Sequoia, empty around town, I get 15, 18 on the highway. I once heard that with a gas engine, your towing mpg is about half your regular mpg. Sounds about right to me. If you do get the 5.7, say bye bye to the easy oil filter removal if you are a dyi guy.
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eddeeeee
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02/15/12 03:00pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Towing Question
How much 'stuff' you bring depends on how you camp. We have traveled cross country for a couple weeks at a time and we have never had anywhere close to 120 lbs per person of anything, unless you include water in the tank and food. Maybe nobody likes us because we have also never been given gifts while camping. If you are bringing motorcycles or scooters, you may need to have a set of tools for repairs, depending on their condition and how you use them. In 5 summers and 20k miles, we have never needed more than some sockets, pliers, and wrenches to fix anything that has gone wrong. Be realistic when you estimate your payload. If you will be bringing a cord of wood for fires, chairs, tables, multiple coolers with ice, flagpole, generator, patio carpet, etc, you may well get close to the gvwr. If you camp like us, you would only have 600#-1000# (there are 6 of us) plus the bikes and your truck will be fine. If you plan to bring the dirt bikes and ride them moto-cross style, you may need to bring a lot of fuel and many more tools ( welder? ) and then, you may need a larger truck. I have a Sequoia ( over 6k curb weight ) and the V8 tow package. My trailer loaded up for 2 weeks with water comes in under 5700#. and is 28' long. I pull up 6% grades up to 11,000' in Colorado at 55mph. with no problem. I wouldn't want to add too much more weight to the unit, but it would probably handle more.
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eddeeeee
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02/15/12 11:03am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Oregon Coast
Nehalem bay near Manzanita is beautiful, but windy. We were there for 4 days 2 summers ago. Windy the whole time. Went 10 miles north and south, no wind. The wind did keep the clouds to a minimum.
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eddeeeee
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02/08/12 01:07pm |
RV Parks, National Parks, State Campgrounds & More
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RE: Food Planning for a month
When we took a 3 week trip we did the same thing we do at home. We make large batches of chili, spaghetti, chicken durango, chop suey, beef and mushrooms, lasagne, and pulled pork. We put it in ziplock bags and freeze. On the trip, we took about 15 bags, we also took several pre-seasoned burgers, chicken thighs, steak, lamb and hotdogs in a marinade and froze them. Along the way, we bought pasta, bread, veggies, salads, fruits so supplement the sauce or meat dish. The biggest problem to cooking from scratch in the trailer is you don't carry nearly the amount of spices and utensils that are available at home. By pre-making the main course, you don't have to worry about that. We never had a problem putting that amount of frozen food in the freezer. Now, some people eat more than our family and some people have all the same spices and utensils as their home, so cooking from scratch daily with fresh food might be just as easy as at home. Pre-made like we do keeps the cooking time and mess to a minimum so we can eat and enjoy the sights. We also planned that we would eat out a couple of times because there is always a neat place you want to stop and now you 'have to' because you are a couple meals short.
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eddeeeee
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02/08/12 01:02pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Comparison of Tow Vehicles - your thoughts?
I love my Sequoia ( 2008 ). It has 4.3 rear end and 381hp/401ft/lbs torque. We pull 4500#dry/ 5500# loaded 28' trailer all over Colorado and coast to coast. Has 47K on it now and about half of that is towing. I did put airbags in the rear coil springs, but other than that it is a stock SR5. We get 8-9 mpg towing, 15 around town and 18 on the highway.
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eddeeeee
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01/22/12 03:49pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: A good chuckle.
We were there on Wednesday and nearly had the place to ourselves since it was pretty icy on the streets that day. Salespeople left us alone. Some nice units. Found a motorhome with the door shut. Pulled it open to find a couple kissing on the couch. It had a nice fake fireplace in the unit, but I think a real fire in the forest is more romantic than a fake one in the convention center.
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eddeeeee
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01/13/12 06:35pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Home built Shortbed Dually
Congrats!
I love the picture in the snow after the accident. Looks like a you mounted a black bullhorn on the front. Reminds me of old lincolns in the 70's.
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eddeeeee
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11/22/11 10:37am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Operating a TT furnace while traveling
Don't forget that your furnace will be using your battery to run the blower. On a short drive, that might not matter, but if you are driving 10-12 hours, it will be running quite a bit. Because the trailer is in motion and is not air tight, warm air will continually be sucked out due to the high speed of the trailer and your furnace will be running much more than if it were running while parked. If you are plugging in every night, no big deal and enjoy the heat when you stop, but if you are planning on boondocking or stopping in a Wal-mart for the night, your battery will be less than full.
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eddeeeee
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11/22/11 10:28am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Backup cameras
I got mine from RVcams. It has a camera I mounted at the top rear of my trailer so that my vision would not be blocked by a tailgater. It is a wired system and has infared for rear vision in the dark. It also has audio.
I have a 7" monitor that sits on a flat spot on my dash ( I made a base plate for it ). There is a wire coil in my console that I pull out to plug in the monitor when I am using it, but otherwise stays out of the way in the console. The rear of my truck has a receptical similar to the regular 7-pin trailer receptical, but is a 6-pin. The tongue of my trailer has a similar receptical. When in use, there is a coiled cable that plugs into them. I got all the parts from RV cams in Sept. 2008. It has been coast to coast and has been a great asset.
It took me about 3 hours to run all the cables behind plastic trim in the truck and through hidden channels in the trailer. I don't have pictures as the trailer is in storage at this time of year.
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eddeeeee
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11/06/11 11:40am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Anybody got a Flojet?
It goes 40' away and up 5' at our house just fine. We have a threaded connector to the sewer line so there is no drip. We also flush with a lot of fresh water so the hose and pump are clean.
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eddeeeee
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10/31/11 07:03pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Unhitching on unlevel groung
You can adjust the hitch head so that it points up or down quite a bit. You can also adjust it so that it leans right or left quite a bit. I have a hensley and after a few times, I find it quite easy to get it lined up, it just takes practice. I usually camp in forest service areas and rarely find a spot that is long and flat.
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eddeeeee
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10/20/11 10:43am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Do You Have a Hensley Cub?
Will the cub work on your new, bigger trailer? If not, why not just buy the regular hensley and then transfer it to the new trailer? You can use a full size hensley on a small trailer. I know there is a price difference, but if you have to buy and sell the cub, you will lose some money and unless you are going to go back to another hitch ( probably unlikely after using a hensley ) you will be back to buying a hensley or propride for full price anyway. There are used units around that you might be able to pick up for the same cost or cheaper than a cub.
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eddeeeee
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10/04/11 09:36pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: VERY Newbie needs help picking a tow vehicle!
I tow a 28' trailer 4550 pounds dry with my 2008 Sequoia. It has a 4.3 rear differential with the tow package. Loaded, according to the scale, the tongue weight is around 500-600 pounds ( weighed a few times, got various weights ). I use a hensley arrow hitch. I have had no problems towing the trailer from coast to coast, but primarily in the Colorado mountains. Never have an issue going the speed I want. Never feels 'scary' and I have had some people slam on their brakes in front of me. Can't really comment on how it compares to the other tow vehicles you mention.
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eddeeeee
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09/27/11 09:54pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Best Route to Las Vegas
Have taken that route many times. Have Fun!
There are 2 long 6-7% passes between Denver and Vail. There is another good climb a few miles west of Green River. That one is about as long, much more curvy, but runs from 4200-6700 feet, unlike the Colorado passes that top out at 11000. Watch the downhill run through the Virgin River Canyon in Arizona. It is beautiful and you might be tempted to look at the scenery and not the twisty road. You shouldn't have any problems, and there isn't a better way via interstate without adding hundreds of miles to your trip. Watch for fast cars once you get to I-15. There are areas where the speed limit is 80. It is amazing how fast people from Salt Lake want to get to Vegas. Fill up with gas in Green River. I think it is around 100 miles to the next gas stop.
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eddeeeee
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09/27/11 11:38am |
Roads and Routes
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RE: Wal Mart @ exit 183 I-5 Seattle
We were there last summer and they had quite the group back then. Probably will be a long time until people can get back on their feet in this economy. At least there are some business owners with compassion. As for the down and out leaving a mess, I've seen people spend lots of money at Wal-mart, load up their pricey motorhome and then leave their trash sitting in the shopping cart. Being rude and self-important knows no class boundaries.
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eddeeeee
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09/22/11 02:32pm |
Around the Campfire
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RE: E-470 I-470 Around Denver - warning
There are signs that say it is a toll road.
If you have bikes blocking the rear plates, the cameras may not see it, but the cops might and it is illegal to block the license plates, so you will be paying one way or the other.
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eddeeeee
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09/22/11 02:19pm |
Roads and Routes
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