End of Season Report, new RV owners

[ron]

End of season report, re: 2014 Camplite 14dbs.

This is our first TT experience, and having read a ton about some CL issues, the lack of area dealers, and considing the high premium price, we were somewhat reluctant to buy this unit.

Now we are quite pleased.

Overall, we did five trips, for a total of 24 nights and over 2500 miles.

-- Dave, and especially John were always quite helpful at D&H RV to my calls during our trips.  Thanks guys!

-- all components worked very well.  The heater wall thermostat requires that one turn it on by moving the top lever 1/4" to the left then pushing it back till it makes contact.  I guess I can live with that.  The CD player is still just marginally useful, pitiful sound.  Water heater, plumbing, a/c unit, heater, awning, refrigerator, everything else worked fine.

-- layout, design and weight are outstanding

-- I have even warmed up to the rug and bedspread, of which I was critical of in the initial stages.

--tires look brand new, as they should with so little mileage

-- my ridgeline got a low of 10.4 pulling against a stong headwind all day on interstate, and a high of 14+ coming home from an area mountain state park loosing elevation, and low traffic open 4 lane roads.

-- unlike the cheaper stick built models, I think ours will hold together a very long time, and after washing and it's final winter exterior wax, I think it looks just it came off the dealer lot ....so hopefully many good years ahead of it.

--having been a backpacker, I was very experienced in camping---very physically challenging camping.  Now I have really come to embrace the quiet and calm that seems to come to me in this camper.  No house or yard maintenance issues, no mailbox items that give stress, no internet stress ( I refuse to check  or look at computers on a trip, our family has my phone number, if there is an emergency c a l l me). And we do not have a tv to bring that garbage into our lives.  I even think that the lack of the constantly changing light emitted from a TV screen helps my brain and contributes to this calm in the camper.  I even now spent some time inside the camper on warmer days reading or such.  VERY cool.

Cheers to all here who have helped me with advice, your time and experience has been appreciated.

Cheers to LL, they did a good job on this unit, for which we are thankful.
r



 

[pinstriper]

The 14DBS was also our first travel trailer, though we had rented several times in recent years as part of figuring out if we would really like it. Genius move, it made us more confident and helped refine our requirements and purchasing decision.

We did 11 trips, 25 nights, around 3000 miles. Tires have fewer miles because when the TT was in for other warranty work, the dealer saw something and had them replaced.

We never used the furnace. Not once. We heated with a small electric ceramic heater the few times it got chilly overnight. I guess we'll never use it unless we end up boondocking.

Water heater worked super good. It was the only propane we used all year, and didn't get through the first can. We cook outside on a camp stove on the picnic table to keep the inside of the trailer clear, and have more counter space. I think she made soup once on an early spring trip during a monsoon. So we know the stove works. I don't know how close we are to using up the first bottle. When we do, I'll flip the lever to the second, and have a data point about propane use. I'm thinking of getting a refill fitting so I can recharge the small bottles used by the campstove from the big bottles. As it is, we use 1 bottle per weekend, between the campstove and the portable grill.

I don't think we ever used the radio or CD player. Don't think we ever will, though I have a thumb drive full of music in the car that we could bring into the trailer if we felt the need.

Foam tile floor with the factory rug on top worked a treat, very pleased.

Longer sewer hose and storage tube were an absolute must.

Using the outside hose for doing dishes on an aluminum camp table with dish tubs from the dollar store is also genius, and saves us grey water space. It's also pretty much a necessity given the small sink and lack of counter space.

Plastic drawer stacks inside the cabinets are a great solution to the lack of organization in the open storage space.

We have a 3 Stooges Collection DVD kept in the trailer against the possibility of being weather-bound inside. The TV use has been minimal. We bring a netbook along in case we need to run into town and do something we can't on the smartphone (ie. maps, restaurant searches, updating reservations, etc.) but we are not sitting around watching TV or email or spacebook or whatever it is.

If I had a campground with useable wifi, I might watch a baseball game on mlb.tv, but that never happened. I'll probably play with my phone's personal hotspot feature next year and see if it is useable.

4Runner consistently got 13.5 roundtrip, this is with towing over 1000-2000' mountain passes in the coast range, up over and down in both directions. Really like that it has the autoshift mode for downshifting in the mountains.

We have yet to wash the trailer, as it visited the dealer service twice during the season and they wash it as a complimentary service.

I will confess to using the trailer as a cave once or twice when I needed some quiet. I told her I was working on it, but didn't tell her what. It's a great place for a quiet read when she wants to talk and her girlfriends aren't answering.

Very pleased with the experience and our adjustments along the way. I think we're still waaaay overpacked with silverware and dishes and kitchen staples. But we're still learning and making our adjustments a little at a time. Each trip leads to a refinement, and that's part of the fun.

[spot1]

[quote source="/post/5299/thread" timestamp="1417017789" author="@ron"]
Overall, we did five trips, for a total of 24 nights and over 2500 miles.

-- Dave, and especially John were always quite helpful at D&H RV to my calls during our trips.  Thanks guys!

-- unlike the cheaper stick built models, I think ours will hold together a very long time, and after washing and it's final winter exterior wax, I think it looks just it came off the dealer lot ....so hopefully many good years ahead of it.

Now I have really come to embrace the quiet and calm that seems to come to me in this camper.
  VERY cool.

Cheers to all here who have helped me with advice, your time and experience has been appreciated.

Cheers to LL, they did a good job on this unit, for which we are thankful.
r



 [/quote]Thanks for the report!!!!!!

We like the folks @ D&H and tough LL structure,  too!!!!!! When our Grandson visits overnight, he "always" wants to spend time in the CampLite and mentioned how quiet & peaceful it is, at 5 years old!

Happy Thanksgiving!

[djsamuel]

This is a great idea, a 2014 summary.

This year we made quite a few trips to Fort Wilderness in Disney World because we live nearby, and my wife works at Disney and we get 50% off.  Plus, it is an outstanding campground.  So far this year, we made 6 trips to Fort Wilderness and stayed a total of 20 nights.  We have two more trips there planned for 2014, one three night stay in early December for my birthday, and then after Christmas through New Years (6 nights).  In addition we stayed at Lake Louisa State Park in Clermont, FL for a couple of nights.  Finally, our highlight was our trip from Florida to the Grand Canyon; staying in Trailer Village, and then to Moab, UT for Arches and Canyonlands National Parks.  That was an AWESOME trip; one I could do again in a second.  

Prior to the Arizona trip, I fought some nagging issues with the camper; the most stubborn being the leaking roof.  Finally, shortly before we left for Arizona, I found the leak and fixed it.  Since then the trailer has been perfect.  It was outstanding over the lengthy trip to Arizona, which involved 4 nights at rest stops, 6 nights at Trailer Village in the Grand Canyon National Park, and 3 nights in Moab, UT.

We towed a total of 5146 miles this year.  The tires are wearing very well, and basically look new.  There is some wear of course, but it is even and nothing drastic.  All systems in the camper have worked well.  We used the hot water and shower in Arizona and it worked great.  Towing the camper with the Ram 1500 is outstanding; no controllability or power issues at all.

This picture sums up the 2014 camping season perfectly for me (taken at Trailer Village in the Grand Canyon):



[img style="" style="max-width:100%;" src="http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h197/djsamuel121859/IMG_4018_zps7929843a.jpg"]

[kycamper]

Glad you had good travels. We have the Grand Canyon, Zion and such in our sites for an upcoming excursion, soon. I was curious how you found the source of your roof leak. Were you able to see a void in the cauking? I was up on the roof last week, and the description of the roof being made of one sheet of aluminum, although true, doesn't quite describe the fact that LL uses LOTS of sealant to fill irregularities, mostly at the front seam on my rig. I will inspect all roof sealant again, in the spring, and hope there won't be any issues. I was spoiled by my last trailer. The Lil Snoozy was all fiberglass with just the fan penetration. I'm not complaining. Just like to do "preventive maintenance"!!  Happy Trails.

[ron]

Great reading and some good ideas. We need some pads under the rug, as my feet froze in the cold.  Carried around a long dump hose, and never used it, but I guess I will still carry it around.  Like the idea of using the outside shower for a sink ... Will give that a try, we wanted a small folding table anyways.

Loved hearing about everyone's trios, we may be brave and try the desert southwest next spring.

Blessings to all.

[spot1]

We traveled to Yellowstone & Grand Tetons during last September. We like traveling out west during September so much, plan to go again next September! No firm plans where, yet!

[djsamuel]

[quote source="/post/5324/thread" timestamp="1417102252" author="@gleamb"]Glad you had good travels. We have the Grand Canyon, Zion and such in our sites for an upcoming excursion, soon. I was curious how you found the source of your roof leak. Were you able to see a void in the cauking? I was up on the roof last week, and the description of the roof being made of one sheet of aluminum, although true, doesn't quite describe the fact that LL uses LOTS of sealant to fill irregularities, mostly at the front seam on my rig. I will inspect all roof sealant again, in the spring, and hope there won't be any issues. I was spoiled by my last trailer. The Lil Snoozy was all fiberglass with just the fan penetration. I'm not complaining. Just like to do "preventive maintenance"!!  Happy Trails.[/quote]Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce Canyon, Arches, Canyonlands and more are not to be missed.  You'll never regret it.

After several attempts to fix it, I finally found the leak.  I did see a void in the sealant, which at times was not evident, but I did finally see it.  Easy fix with the self leveling sealant from Dicor.  Here's a picture of the leak:

[djsamuel]

[quote source="/post/5335/thread" timestamp="1417229292" author="@exploringcarolina"]We traveled to Yellowstone & Grand Tetons during last September. We like traveling out west during September so much, plan to go again next September! No firm plans where, yet!


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[/quote]We love heading out west in September as well; or really any other National Park.  Tentatively, our plan for next September is back to the Smoky Mountains and Townsend, TN.  We love it there, but have never been there with our camper.  The following year will likely be another western trip, possibly Canyon de Chelly/Bryce/Zion, or Grand Tetons/Yellowstone.  I'd like to concentrate on the Grand Tetons more the next time we head there since I heard the hiking is better than Yellowstone, and it is quieter.  Can't beat the sights in Yellowstone though.  I also have a goal of getting to Glacier National Park, but a September trip is likely out for that, probably will lean towards mid to late August.

[spot1]

After several attempts to fix it, I finally found the leak.  I did see a void in the sealant, which at times was not evident, but I did finally see it.  Easy fix with the self leveling sealant from Dicor. 

Had same leak issue. Sealed it a couple years ago and no more roof issues!