First camping trip bloopers...

[runningwriter]

Okay.  I'll start. 

First off--first camper and never towed anything larger than a tree branch shredder.  Bought it from a private party out of state.  Got it home okay.  Couple days later we hook it up in our driveway to go get it inspected for permanent tags.  As we pull out of said drive, we hear a bang as the first camper tire drops the 2 inches from driveway to the pavement.  Then, a ka-boom as the second tire exits the driveway.  We pull over and park in front of the neighbors house.  Wifey asks, "Did you take the tv off the countertop?"  Me: "I think I just did."  First bang was the 22" lcd hitting the counter.  The boom was it hitting the aluminum floor.  Unbelievably, the tv still works.

One week later, we are on our shake-down cruise for a weekend at a local state park.  No problem backing into our very first camping site.  Then, we unhook from the truck and watch in amazement as the camper continues to back into our very first camping site.  Okay.  So, it's chock the wheels, then, unhook.  Got it.

First weekend was very enjoyable except that we ran out of fresh water in our first 24 hours.  Like most things, twenty gallons doesn't go as far as it used to.

Well, at the end of it all, we get it home and start unpacking.  Wife grabs a few things and heads into the house.  I grab stuff from inside the camper and as I step out, I turn just in time to watch it 'pop a wheelie'.  I mean all the way to the back bumper.
Okay.  So it's deploy the stabilizers, chock the wheels, THEN, unhook the truck.  Got it.

i know.  It all sounds oafish, but it is our first.  Jeez, where we this bad with our first kid?  


Your turn.

[leslie]

I have heard stories like this from friends who headed out for their first trip. You were actually very fortunate, because you didn't damage your camper. Some of them had to head straight to the dealer for repairs because they took off with their stabilizer jacks down. Ouch!

The solution they came up with is to have a checklist for setting up, and then again for when they are ready to leave. This way they won't forget to do anything on their checklist.

[subaruwx]

I think this will make all readers chuckle and think back on their first time.  For me, I didn't have trailer side mirrors, and the QS10 is a bit too tall and too wide for good views.  So on the drive home from the dealer, I almost took out another car.  Twice.

 A lot of folks do their shake down down trip as camp driveway - camp at the house for a few nights and start making their lists on the steps to deploy, where everything goes, and steps to return. Then comes the lists of other things to buy. And the 'to buy' list never seems to go away....  First on my list - buy some extended attachable side view trailer mirrors.

[chuck893]

Heh heh heh...

We picked up Rose, our 2010 8.1, from the factory in June, 2010, and took her straight to the local (South Bend) KOA. We thought we had paid very careful attention to the setup video---watched it like 6 times---so we backed 'er in to the site and went to work.

A good 90 turn-the-air-blue minutes later we (finally) had 'er up. We stepped back to admire our handiwork. A fellow camper stopped by.
"Is it new?" she inquired.
"Yep! Brand new!"
"I thought so!" she chortled.
Grrrrr.

In the morning we went to take 'er down. That took less time 'cuz we could not for the life of us figure out how to do it. We finally brought the beds over on the wadded-up tent and towed the thing back to the factory for a lesson from Mike at the factory.

We were deeeeeply embarrassed.

Now we can get 'er up in 12 minutes on a good day, and down in 10.

[pinstriper]

[quote source="/post/2677/thread" timestamp="1408219258" author="@dave"]
Well, at the end of it all, we get it home and start unpacking.  Wife grabs a few things and heads into the house.  I grab stuff from inside the camper and as I step out, I turn just in time to watch it 'pop a wheelie'.  I mean all the way to the back bumper.
Okay.  So it's deploy the stabilizers, chock the wheels, THEN, unhook the truck.  Got it.

[/quote][p]I think your order should be, chock the wheels, unhook, deploy stab jacks, THEN unlock the door.[/p][p]
[/p][p]The stab jacks should only be deployed once you are already level, and you can't do that while hooked up (except by coincidence). And you can't unhood without using the tongue jack to raise the coupler off the ball, then bring it back down. Can't...well, shouldn't...do that with the rear stab jacks deployed, as they become the fulcrum of the whole trailer's weight.
[/p]

[leslie]

I think the order should be:
Level from side to side using trailer axle
Chock axle wheels
Unhook tow vehicle
Level for back to front using tongue wheel
Chock tongue wheel
Deploy stabilizing jacks (support if need)
Pull out steps

I am working on my own checklist for how to set up.

[pinstriper]

[quote source="/post/2703/thread" timestamp="1408242575" author="@leslie"]I think the order should be:
Level from side to side using trailer axle
Chock axle wheels
Unhook tow vehicle
Level for back to front using tongue wheel
Chock tongue wheel
Deploy stabilizing jacks (support if need)
Pull out steps

I am working on my own checklist for how to set up.[/quote]You got it, yep. All that before any hookups or slide movements.

[runningwriter]

[quote source="/post/2703/thread" timestamp="1408242575" author="@leslie"]I think the order should be:
Level from side to side using trailer axle
Chock axle wheels
Unhook tow vehicle
Level for back to front using tongue wheel
Chock tongue wheel
Deploy stabilizing jacks (support if need)
Pull out steps

I am working on my own checklist for how to set up.[/quote]Ya.  That's the order of things now.  We've learned to slow down.  First camping trip I was a little geeked up.

[runningwriter]

Come on guys.  There's got to be more camping bloopers than this.

[leslie]

You will have to wait until I get my Camplite. I know myself. I am working on a list of checklists to cover all contingencies. If there is any way to screw up camping with an RV, I am guaranteed to do it. Stand by, be kind, withhold laughter...

[pinstriper]

Honestly, the worst it's been is forgetting something, and finding a dollar store in a nearby town. Oh, and we drove home with a roof vent open.

We had some excitement with a mechanical - the coupler was out of adjustment, and the trailer hopped off the ball. Kind of exciting, and got off very lucky, purely by where it happened. Could have been very bad. But that wasn't a blooper by us.

I eagerly await leslie's report from the dump station...Is there a time limit on how long we have to hold our laughter ?

[leslie]

My DH has informed me the dump station will be my responsibility. He lacks the patience to sit through the youtube demo on how to dump and flush the black tank.

For real hilarity, just imagine what it will be like when we take the maiden voyage the first night we have the Camplite. I should charge admission.

[charliem]

[font size="3"]Not a first time blooper, but I did drive off from a campsite with he kitchen window unsecured. Not too hard to fix with a new window cover, but expensive. I won't do that again!  
[/font]

[livinthegoodlife]

oh, oh, I have one!!

We took our unit to a private campground with full hookups the first time.  Didn't like it so decided to head over to a National Park CG. We thought that, hey this wouldn't be bad...we will already have fresh water in the tank.  On the way there we thought that pulling with a full water tank wasn't too bad! We got to the CG, set up and went to turn on the water pump.  Funny noise.  Turned off and then back on.  Still a funny noise.  Husband got under the trailer to check out the water tank.  NO WATER!! :-/  For first timers who would have thought that when hooked up to city water that it bypasses the tank?!  Husband took the collapsable 5 gallon water jug down to get water, brought it back up and tried to dump into the tank.  All over the ground..hmmm.  :-/ Need a funnel.  Go to grocery store.  Only funnel they had was a small one with a small tail.  Water all over the ground again....hmmm. :-/ Go to True Value Hardware and found a pretty big funnel. Go over to hose department.  Lo and behold someone had cut a clear vinyl hose and left a 16 inch piece there.  Husband attaches it to the funnel.  Looked like it would work.  Go to pay for the items.  Young man at the cash register asked us if we were having a drinking party..!!!  We look at each other with amazement and puzzled looks on our faces. O_o He said that all the young kids there use them as beer bongs!! No, we are trying to put water in our camper.  He goes, "oh". Go back to camp and with another five jugs of water we had a nice four days of camping!

[pinstriper]

Dump stations and boat ramps are great reality comedy opportunities.

A lot of my mistakes have been while stationary - locking doors and passthroughs before I was done with them, pulling in too close to a tree to open the awning all the way. Oh, and there was the time when I had to hear about the hot water heater being broken because I didn't turn the propane on. I've also had several struggles getting my wireless brake controller to pair. Note: that part in the instructions that say keep it away from your cell phone ? Obey that. And the outdoor hose hookup that wouldn't due to pressure, until you read the paper tag that tells you what to do. Mrs. Pin is big on pointing out RTFM issues.

And if you saw a 14DBS rolling up OR 18 with the dump cover dangling on its tether, that was me.