Bet it takes me less time to use my Flojet to pump my tanks contents to my tote than it took you to write that post
Breaking down my rig and dragging it to the dump station to empty the tanks then coming back and putting it back in place?! Yea, Don't think DW would be good on that one!
Come up here to Ontario and see how far it is in some parks to get to the dump station and you'll be singing another tune.
I agree that Mitch made a largely thoughtless post that displays that he has very limited understanding of how diverse RV camping is.
But, he has one valid point- there's a lot of traffic on this forum that asks, "Do I need this?", "Do most people have this?", "Should I get one?".
The answer: Lots of people have tote tanks because they camp in situations where they are useful. Conversely, lots of people do not have tote tanks because they camp in situations where they are not needed.
Every camper should not run out and buy one "to have ready for when you need it". Fortunately, folks should be able to figure out if they truly need one, and, if that's the case, they are widely available.
I don't have one and have never needed one, but I can certainly see situations where they would be very worthwhile.
First of all, like it has been said "to each, their own".
We didn't spend thousands of dollars on a TT with a perfectly good shower and toilet to have to do a sponge bath or to go cheap on water usage. We have a 35 gallon tote. Goes nicely in the back of the truck. When we set up, it slides right up under the camper. Used it just this past weekend. We can get just about 3 quick showers done and the gray tank is about filled up. Thats a trip a day to the dump. There is no way in heck that it's easier to unhook and go to the dump and come back and set back up.
Put the awning in
Raise all 4 stabilizers and move the blocks out of the wayake sure anything inside that might fall or break is secured again
Put both slides back in
Unhook water
Unhook electricity
Back truck up, raise trailer, align, drop trailer on ball (I won't even add the WDH as you mentioned
Go to dump and empty
Come back and try to park trailer back in same place (without yelling at wife again)
Get it level again
Unhook
Put stabilizers back out
Hook up water and electric again
Open slides
get back out stuff inside that I had to put away
Pull out awning
Put back chairs, table, awning lights, cooler, etc...
Whereas with the tote:
Roll tote under sewage drop
Hook up tote to TT
Pull lever
Push in lever
Close up tote and pull to truck (which with 35 gallons is heavy, but if you are not pulling over roots and holes is fairly simple)
Drive to dump
Dump
Put in back of truck
Return to camp and place tote back under camper
I even included pulling the levers at the TT. There's no way you can say it's easier to move the entire camper over using a tote. We don't use it for the black tank. We can go much longer on the black tank than the gray or galley water. Actually this past weekend, I dumped both gray and gally at once using the tote. Took all of 15 minutes to do it. From beginning to end. i couldn't even get the camper hooked up to the truck in that amount of time.
Brian RVing Illustrated
2010 Keystone Sprinter Select 31BH
2001 Coleman Santa Fe
I only use mine mabe 3 or 4 times a year. That said It takes me usually an hour to get the fifth wheel ready to move, get to the dump and theres half a dozen ahead of me. Dumping and getting set back up can sometimes be a 2 hour or longer expereance. The tote can set there full until late afternoon until the dump is empty. It can also set there if the weather turns bad, don't want to move the trailer if it's raining or at night. Again different strokes for different folks. Most don't have a tote, their choice. Mine has saved me a lot of time. I don't carry it with me all the time, no dump no need to.
camp-n-family wrote: I have a tote and never use it, came with the trailer, but still glad I have it. Went camping earlier this summer with friends who had just bought a new bunk house and wanted to try it out. By the morning of the 3rd day the black tank was full and just about overflowed (they would have if we had to drag it to the dump station) That's when I was glad to have had a honey wagon. I should mention...they have 9 kids!!
To each his own.
Why would it overflow if they hauled it to the dump station? Unless someone is holding the toilet valve open while they drive there I don't see how it would.
Appreciate the rant. It's been kinda boring in the forum lately. We don't use our tote too often unless we're at a spot for more than 5 or 7 days, depending on the situation, and it's only for gray. With 45 black, we can go a long time.
First, as others have stated, we are RVers, not traditional "campers" and people do this for various reasons. The campground isn't the end-game (mostly), it's the place to park for us. I learned really quickly that having the comforts of home on the road required larger than the standard 45-gallon gray tank so I installed a larger gray system here in my blog. It's an additional 65-gallon gray and it's plumbed to overflow into the standard 45-gallon tank. If you look at the pic, you'll see a faucet on the bottom of the tank and a Flow Jet macerator already hooked up. I've also added a quick disconnect 12v electrical connection for the macerator. Now, when the 65-gallon tank is full or near full, I simply put the blue tote in the BED of the truck, hook up the flexible hose, and turn on the macerator. Takes about 5 minutes to fill the blue tote. Then drive to dump. Some have said that the extra tank takes up too much space in the bay. Well, it hasn't for us yet, and when I constructed it, I anticipated the possible need for the space so it's super-easy to remove.
It is without-a-doubt, much simpler than getting the fiver unhooked and drug to the pit.
Quote: which is easily an hour chore or more to disconnect, slide in, hook up, drag up, dump, drag back, etc.
.
I can be hitched up and pulling my trailer out in less than 10 minutes.. What's it take? Zip up the jacks with the drill (2 minutes). Unplug the Elec if so equipped at the site (1 minute). Roll up the awning (1 minute.. Okay, 2 if you have the flapper things on it..). Hitch up (3 minutes), drag it out. I'd be back and level again, sucking on a beer in less than 30 minutes easy.
Mitch
Q: "What's it take?" you asked.
A: It takes us literally an hour at a decent pace. 1.5 leisurely to get hooked up to go. This is without dumping. I've got a checklist of about 20 things to cover. If you want to know more specifically, ask and I'll go into as much detail as you need. Most importantly, in my way, DW isn't impacted at all on that lazy Sunday morning while she's sitting and having coffee.
Oh, I'm cool with the questioning and opposing views. I love it. I'm not mad or upset.
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ake sure anything inside that might fall or break is secured again
