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Date Posted |
Forum
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RE: Battery questions for dry camping for 4 days.
Glad you had a good trip. I didn't read the thread in detail but gather you learned a lot about dry camping and power limitations. Those that come from a tent camping background understand life without electric. To run power consuming "toys" (like the furnace), one needs power. It reminds me of that great scene in Apollo 13 where they are trying to engineer the "power up" sequence for re-entry.
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JSGlow
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08/19/08 03:14pm |
Hybrid Travel Trailers
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RE: Help with choosing a HTT
Can't comment on the Ridgeline but I can tell you that I would not tow my rig without a TV as stout as I have. I'm rated for 7100#. My Starcraft 215sso is plenty heavy behind our V8 Explorer. And I'd never tow it without WD. My modest boat is a whole 'nother story.
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JSGlow
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08/14/08 01:48pm |
Hybrid Travel Trailers
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RE: How long does it take to 'break camp'
I would guess that we are in the two hour range. Much depends on how many days we are there and how much stuff we get out. I'll start taking things down the day before on a long stay if we need to get going in the morning.
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JSGlow
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08/14/08 08:25am |
Hybrid Travel Trailers
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RE: Towing mirrors
Isn't it nice whan a company actually makes a quality product at a fair price! In my 5th season with mine. Would never own anything else.
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JSGlow
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06/09/08 09:40am |
Hybrid Travel Trailers
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RE: Starcraft 2003 Leaking slideout
It is possible that you might not actually have a leak. I am assuming that your situation ONLY happens when the slide is extended. If this is not the case, ignore the rest of my post. Let me explain.
The 215sso is designed to actually funnel water off the top of the extended slide into what I'll call a "rain gutter" that sits on the interior floor of your camper located behind the sofa and dinette. That gutter is maybe a couple inches deep and is nothing more than an open channel where water off the top of the slide is directed and collects. There is an all important drain pipe for the gutter that goes through the floor of the trailer very near the forward edge of the slide. (Crawl underneath when the slide is closed and you'll see it right away.) If that drain pipe clogs, the "rain gutter" will overflow and fill your trailer with water rather than properly discharging to the ground below.
Kind of strange that one would actually design a system that purposefully brings rain water into the unit before discharging but that's the way it works. Caused us to cut short a trip when we first owned our camper. We were in a deluge and the water was pouring in on the floor from near the sofa faster than we could towel it up. In the dark and rain, I had no chance to understand the problem Now that I know about the importance of keeping that drain clear, no problems ever. We never really had a "leak".
Hope that solves your problem.
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JSGlow
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06/09/08 08:24am |
Hybrid Travel Trailers
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Cold water supply leak
Must have been a tough winter up here (ya think??). Got one of my leaks repaired (see other thread) but need a tad of help with the second.
The leak is at the Cold water supply going into the hot water heater. Must have cracked the 90 degree fitting that connects to the actual tank. On one end its a compression nut on the tank nipple. That's easy. On the other end, its a "banded" factory fitting into the blue cold water supply. I've purchased the replacement part that uses compression fittings both for the tank side and for the water supply pipe side. Apparently, that's how the repair is always done.
My question is about the best way to deal with that factory crimped metal band on the water pipe side. Can it be safely removed without damaging the pipe and if so how? Or is the proper technique to simply cut the tubing just behind the connection and start with "fresh blue pipe". I'd hate to lose too much length as not sure how much play I have there. If I lose too much, I'll have even more work to do replacing tubing all the way back to the "T". I'm sure I'll do a "test stretch" before I actually cut but your experience is appreciated.
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JSGlow
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06/02/08 09:35am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Blown City Water Inlet
Just replaced mine. Here's how.
Remove the three screws that attach the fitting to the side of the trailer.
Go inside the trailer and find where the connection comes into the trailer. In my case, its in a cabinet. Hopefully, your's is similarly located.
Disconnect the plastic compression fitting that connects the city water element from the actual cold water supply pipe.
Remove the old fitting.
Clear away the old putty tape from the exterior. Use new putty tape on the new city water fitting you have purchased at your local RV store.
Bolt the whole thing back together and remount using the three screws you first took out.
20 minute job once you figure it out.
Good luck.
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JSGlow
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06/02/08 09:20am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Battery Charging?
So plugged in at home would not charge the battery?
I have a 2007 22CT Coyote and it has fuses and breakers.
All i did was hook battery up after the winter to the trailer and after a day it was fully charged. This way from my home power.
You almost certainly have a coverter built into your electrical system. Plugging in at home charges the batt. through the converter in something less than a day. You also get a wee bit of charging when your Tow vehicle is hauling the camper down the road. But not too much.
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JSGlow
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05/20/08 02:23pm |
Hybrid Travel Trailers
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RE: Trailer Fishtailing & Sway Control
True story before the days of sway control demonstrating that tongue weight is the key.......
I remember as a little kid my dad explaining to my mom that he needed another case or two of beer for the front of the old Scotty 16ft TT so it would "tow right" behind our Buick. I would help personally load them in the dinette area. That's engineering geometry where I come from!
Man those were good times.
LOL... But how did you get it back home? I'm sure that "Hitch weight" had been consumed! :B
I would think the solution would be simple, buy two more cases for the trip home then consume quickly so you can have a fresh batch for the next outing. By the way, I don't drink, just seems to be a logical choice.
You know the funny thing guys is that I don't remember. I must have been about 7-8 years old at the time. The excitement of packing the trailer on Friday night and leaving well before dawn Saturday on vacation is burned in my memory. Packing up at the campsite and heading home is lost to the decades. Sure dad had it all worked out though.
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JSGlow
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05/15/08 02:21pm |
Hybrid Travel Trailers
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RE: Trailer Fishtailing & Sway Control
True story before the days of sway control demonstrating that tongue weight is the key.......
I remember as a little kid my dad explaining to my mom that he needed another case or two of beer for the front of the old Scotty 16ft TT so it would "tow right" behind our Buick. I would help personally load them in the dinette area. That's engineering geometry where I come from!
Man those were good times.
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JSGlow
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05/12/08 03:18pm |
Hybrid Travel Trailers
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RE: Dispersed Camping or Primitive Campground??
Respectfully, I've camped for nearly 50 years. Sometimes in a tent with nothing but a cooler and a Coleman stove. Sometimes in my hybrid. I fully respect and favor quiet hours. I reminded my kids when they were young to keep their voices down. That said, running my camper-friendly Honda genset an hour a day when it literally cannot be heard outside my site to recharge my batts and make a pot of coffee has never been considered rude or ignorant by any camper I have ever met. If that is too great an intrusion for you, I am sorry. But that burden is your's not mine.
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JSGlow
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05/11/08 07:35pm |
Public Lands, Boondocking and Dry Camping
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RE: Anyone cancelling trips due to gas prices?
We've adjusted by staying closer to home for short weekends and making trips of greater distance over more days to amortize the fuel costs.
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JSGlow
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05/11/08 03:52pm |
Campgrounds, Resorts and Attractions
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RE: How Many Days are Needed???
Unless I planned to hike in the GC, 5 days sounds like a lot. But you may have more free time then me.
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JSGlow
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05/11/08 03:44pm |
Campgrounds, Resorts and Attractions
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RE: Why a Hybrid?
I did not know that 1998 was the first year. We love the product for all of the reasons stated. In our minds, we're still camping, just with modern conveniences sandwiched in the middle. Hybrids fit our rustic camping style in state parks and national forests perfectly.
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JSGlow
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05/11/08 03:34pm |
Hybrid Travel Trailers
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RE: Generator security
Like many of you, we lock ours to a tree through the handle. I know it can be stolen, but it'll at least take a bit of effort. Nothing else at my campsite is locked. But the genset is worth the modest effort we put in. After that, its insurance I suppose.
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JSGlow
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05/09/08 02:23pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Going from St Paul to Upper P MI, then to Makinaw?
We're from Illinois but know the area well. Head north and listen to the locals. While I will not comment on a specific route (WI 70, US 2 and US 8 are all beautiful), you will be passing through what we all refer to as the "Northwoods". It may be the prime wilderness vacation area in the Midwest. When we escape Chicago, that's a top destination. Take your time, smell the pine forests, marvel at the glacial lakes, and enjoy the trip!
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JSGlow
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05/08/08 10:28am |
Roads and Routes
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RE: Generator Storage
I have a Honda EU2000i. Enough power to run everything except the air. Camper friendly because of the low noise. Maybe use it 2 hours a day.
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JSGlow
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05/01/08 12:28pm |
Hybrid Travel Trailers
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RE: another one going to the Dark Side
Safe travels in the new rig Karen. Sad to see one of the "long timers" exit the forum. I'm sure we'll se ya back from time to time. (Feels like Favre retiring all over again!!) :)
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JSGlow
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04/25/08 12:22pm |
Hybrid Travel Trailers
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RE: Dispersed Camping or Primitive Campground??
The campgrounds offer me a place to .... test out my new earplugs and see how they drown out other folks' generator noise
That's driving me to boondock more. I can't stand the fact that in the last few years, the number of people who think they need a generator running all day has drastically increased. 10 years ago, they were rare.
The worst are those with "quiet" generators. They think that because they are "quiet" that it's OK to run them all day. I like to call them less noisy generators.
I understand your point as I come from a background of very primitive camping via tent or small trailer to now owning a Honda genset for my hybrid. We are very sensitive to using it to preserve the peace and quiet but do like the fact that it enables me to make a pot of real coffee in the morning or provide the kids with an opportunity to watch a 60 minute DVD if the weather just stinks. Still, we try to keep it to an hour or two per day, max. We remain campers, not RVers.
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JSGlow
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04/25/08 11:34am |
Public Lands, Boondocking and Dry Camping
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RE: Minimum tow capacity for my trailer???
Not sure all have this luxury but we tried to limit the daily driving for our TV making the decision some time ago to become a 3 car family. The TV only daily drives in the winter when a car that handles poorly in the snow gets tucked away for 3-4 months until spring. In its day, the SUV was way more expensive than the used car that tries to absorb as many daily miles as possible.
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JSGlow
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04/25/08 09:43am |
Hybrid Travel Trailers
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