Archive - Aluminium Camper Forum

Work finally gave me a breather and got out to do some actual camping - instead of sitting on the side of the house. Headed about 90 minutes away to a great site right on a creek and spent the weekend.

Had some friends on an adjacent site with a tent that started set up at same time we did - but we had the QS10 up before they started driving stakes. Once the stakes hit the dirt - they were even more jealous of the QS10 as the hard, rocky soil managed to mangle several of their 10 inch nail stakes.

No real additional observations - the 3 nights sleeping out on the side of the house had helped us sort out any issues of comfort and we over packed to make sure we had all we needed.

Everyone involved is itching to go again soon - and my tent camping friends are considering a QS6

Funny you should post, as I have been busy with work and sitting on a the next entry in this thread...  

This past weekend we did another Yard camping outing, this time taking into account what I learned in the first run.

Weather was similar to last time so I had bought a 4ft x 10ft roll of reflectix and cut it in half - put one 4x5 piece under each bed to help with the chill. Also Bought a 2 inch thermarest egg carton kind of pad to put over the mattress. (only got 1 to see how it worked)

This time it was me, wife, son and 1 of the 5 dogs. Why only one? Well, we took the one we thought would do "best" with a lot of environment noise without barking their head off.

Observations:
- Mattress + thermarest pad worked well without being bulky. We debated about air mattresses, but I think the little bit of extra padding from the thermarest was pretty comfy.
- Reflectix made a difference - you could feel the temp difference through the mattress pad between where the relfectix was and wasn't
- Dog needs more time to acclimate. She didn't bark, but she was also pacing a good chunk of the night because of noises and new smells of the camper. Even though we thought she was mellow enough that she'd be fine, the new smells, sounds and environment all at once made her a little anxious.
- Wife and I started out in separate bunks and ended up in same bunk to see how comfortable it was. We normally share a king size bed with 3 of the dogs, so two of us and one dog on the queen felt spacious.
- Son slept like a rock. Being used to the noises around him from last time - he went out quick and slept well past sunrise, unlike last time.
- As expected, space is limited in the camper. We brought out a bunch of stuff we figured we'd take with us and determined that clothes were best left in the TV. Reserve the limited storage in the camper for stuff you might need in the rain or middle of the night.
- Clip on 12v fans work well to circulate the air in the camper - but are pretty loud. On a positive note, the white noise helped mask some of the external noises for the dog.
- LUBE THAT ZIPPER! Seriously, the door zipper was up and down more times than I can count in just the night we were out there that I was worried it was going to jam. Lube it up with some zipper lube or even chapstick...
- The lock on the door is pointless. My 7yr old took all of 10 seconds to figure out that he could reach over and unlock it.
- Buy a BAL Leveler...it's worth it.
- We're still trying to figure out the best way to take the camper down without pinching the tent between the bimini bars.
- The cover over the box - when it is closed up -  seems to rub pretty good on the attachment points for the bunk support poles. Thinking that I might put something around those brackets to reduce the rubbing on the cover.

Overall we are very happy with it so far in terms of space and ease of setup/takedown. If somehow I can get work to slow down some we're looking forward to camping *away* from home some time very soon

Day 2 - 3:
Camper got rained on pretty good the night we brought it home. Went out the next morning and only found a few leaks - one at each bunk end and 1 on each side - near door and over dinette. All of them looked to be seam leaks. And they were all in places where the water got pooled up from loose canvas. So...let her dry out and soaked her down again with the hose. Will dry again and seal seams next time we put her up.

Another thing I noticed as we were cleaning up water was that there are were a LOT of aluminum shavings all over the camper. Not a big deal - I cleaned them up as we went along, but seems like someone could've run through the thing with a shopvac or something for the price of admission.

Decided to give the 7yr old some practice sleeping outside with a lot of strange noises. So, 90 degree day, figured I'd get to work out the AC

We headed to the camper about 8pm and listened to fireworks from a neighboring town for a while. Mom didn't want to join us so, just me and him, we chatted for a bit about camping...noises he was hearing...things I did camping when I was his age... He was asleep soon after and I dozed off a bit after him. Woke up around 3am to the sub 60 degree night and grabbed the sweatshirt I had brought with me just in case. Checked on mini me to make sure he was tucked in his sleeping bag and crawled back into the bunk.

At that point I started realizing that the bunk was *cold* - the cold was coming up through the cushion from the aluminum. Definitely need to put something under the mattress or switch out for something with more insulation from the metal.

Crows started their complaining at sun up - which got my son up... As we packed everything up to take back in the house I told him he did good. He was excited for our next outing - even if it was just in the yard.

We picked up our Quicksilver 10 today (pic in introduction forum) - currently set up and awaiting the rains that just triggered a flash flood warning from NOAA for us. Hopefully no leaks... I was told by the dealer that the stitching may weep a little until it gets wet once and swells and there is one tiny spot that doesn't look like a hole, but looks "thinner" than the rest of the canopy. If that makes sense.

Towing was an absolute dream (granted my 5.7l pickup is overkill) and I managed to get it backed into my driveway and along side my house - through a 9ft curb cut and an 8ft space between house and retaining wall. Took me a few times pulling forward to straighten out in both cases, but only took me 5 or so minutes in total...more practice needed.

Set up was easy with the wife helping. Took a bit of time to level (go BAL Leveler!), unfold, snap, arrange straps and center bar, etc... but I think our time will improve with experience.

Incidentally, the 10ft trailer is light enough that I can easily lift it and move it around as needed. (note to self: leave enough room between house and trailer to get support poles out)

AC was running fine off 15A house current and it works well to cool trailer off. (not super hot today, but took the humidity out of the air real fast)

Looking forward to getting out for a weekend.

Yeah, I'm not real keen on a propane heater running in a tent camper whir I slept...or rather, tried to sleep  

Posted a pic of new camper in introduction forum and day 1 (tow home and set up) impressions in QS forum.

looking forward to getting out for a weekend now

Picked up our Quicksilver 10 this morning. Uneventful drive home (towing a 1000lb trailer with a 5.7l pickup it felt like there was nothing back there)
So this one was built as a Bearcat but they put the wrong suspension on it and sold it to the dealer a little cheaper, so I got it a little cheaper

All set up and ready to be rained on tonight. Hoping for no leaks!:

Totally a slippery slope
I am sure there will be days we complain about having to fold up/down and days we will praise the "screen room" like atmosphere...
I'm already planning on picking up a cartridge potty for any late night toilet needs...and maybe a propane hot water heater...and maybe a heater...

Yep. We figured most of our camping is going to be me, wife, 7yr old son and maybe one of my nephews. Primarily 2 or 3 night stays in places within a 4hr drive.
Decided that for now at least, we didn't need everything that the 21BHS had to offer. As much as we loved it, it was overkill.

That said, point 1 in your list, FastEddie, is going to be the sticking point I think.
- Wife wants to camp at places near attractions and go for day trips. I reminded her that there's no way to lock up a PUP and anything of value had to come with us.
- She's concerned about our son dropping food and attracting unwanted night time visitors (besides me that is  )
- My son has aleady expressed a concern about bears - which while mostly unfounded where we'd be camping - it doesn't mean he'll sleep any better (at least in the beginning)

But in the end she agreed that this was the best way to get back into camping. If we find we are going many weekends and want to take longer trips - then the 21BHS will be a lot easier to rationalize. The PUP is paid in full, so we can trade it in towards something if we go that route and offset the price some too. My only fear is that Thor will start to skimp on the alluminum in future coaches.

Well, after no reply from LivinLite on dealers I decided to play hooky from work today and drove out to the one dealer I know has Livinlite models. Wandered the lot for a good hour with the wife and looked at the 21BHS again, 16BHB, a 2012 Aerolite hybrid (that honestly looked like it was about to fall apart), a 26ft 5th wheel (forget brand) and several pop ups...

Had a "what kind of camping are we really going to do for the next few years" chat with my wife while sitting in the 21BHS...and left as the owner of a 2015 Quicksilver 10 PopUp that we will take possession of on Saturday.

The sales guy said "Boy...talk about 180 degrees... From mobile hotel room to tent on wheels. You didn't even go for the fully equipped pop ups!"

I'm happy, it's the kind of camping I remember from my childhood and figure I still have a few more years (maybe) before I'm going to grumble about walking to the bathroom in the middle of the night. The wife...well...we'll see. She pretty much said she'll try it for a year or two before she gives it a thumbs up or down. She's worried about security and not having a fridge more than the bathroom though. Who knows, I might be trading in the PUP then for a 2016 21BHS (or convince her that keeping both is a good idea)

Thanks again for all of the advice here, it's been truly helpful.

Heard back from Camping World...sort of. Dealer 2hrs from me: 1st call I was told "Are you coming in? I can check with someone and get back to you..." Never heard back. Second call: "Why don't you come in and we can talk about it? There are other trailers that I'm sure you'd like..." Email to Camping World Customer Service: "You'd really have to check with your local dealer - we don't deal with sales."

Currently waiting on a reply from LivinLite to see if I can work with any other dealer closer by that is not listed on their "authorized dealer" list.

Good stuff, thanks for the diagram.  I've reached out to Camping World to see if they can facilitate a factory order - Waiting for a call back and will report back when I hear from them

Diner is still there. Many renovations over the years, but still there and still populated by mostly high school kids after 8pm on a Friday or Sat night.

But you have the Bayonne Bridge! We've got...umm...the Ridge Diner.

After a lengthy chat with the wife last night, we decided that it makes more sense to order what we want. It didn't hurt that I was able to say "Well, a bunch of guys with more experience than me think this is the way to go as well...and that we could still probably negotiate the price"  

I'm going to start making some calls to see if I can find a closer dealer to work with. There is a Camping World RV rental place *really* close by - like 10 min away (that I found yesterday by accident). Kind of hopeful that I could somehow arrange delivery to them even if it was for a small fee. Not holding my breath on it, if that doesn't work, an occasional day trip isn't so bad...gives me an excuse to take a day off work

Hadn't thought about Gas station ramps or ferry loading...both good points and good examples of every day driving where that 3" would help.

The more I read the responses from you guys, the more convinced I am to Order exactly what I want. Even if it takes the extra time...our winters seem to start later and later lately - so I probably wouldn't have to worry about really cold nights until November and could do a few "driveway" campouts to make sure eveything other than black water system were in order. Can run 30A off my generator, fresh water and even grey water if I keep soap out of it can be drained into the ground I guess...

My whole purpose of looking at LivinLite TTs is because it will last many years... the rational decision is to get the options I want. Just for the heck of it, called the dealer today and asked what the price difference would be for a factory order and he said "about the same." Now I know I could negotiate him down on the lot trailer, but I'd be willing to bet I could get him down some on the built to order as well.

hrmmmm... glad I joined these forums before signing anything. Much to think about before the pen gets uncapped.