Sleeping with BuffaloLast night, with my pup Jake, I took my new CampLite 11FK travel trailer out for its first spin. We went to Antelope Island State Park, in the Great Salt Lake.
Having only had vintage Airstreams before, and being new to this trailer anyway, I wanted to begin to break it in and learn what I could.
Here's what I found:
- It doesn't pull like an Airstream. There was wind on the way up and my lord . . . my poor V8 Tundra acted like it was going to die. This is a 2,400 pound (dry weight, and it was dry) trailer, but the added profile vs. my Airstream was markedly noticeable. On the way back, without wind, it felt better. I needed to just ease up on speed with the wind, probably staying in the 55-60 mph range, rather than attempting to go 70, which was the speed limit. Of course, it's probably a good idea to stay at 65 max anyway. With my Airstream it was truly effortless to pull and I felt comfortable going 70, not that that was smart! For the record a smaller vehicle can definitely pull this CampLite . . . just adjust your driving if there's wind!
- It's small! I wanted a small trailer and I got one. It's big enough for how I will use it and overall I am happy with the size, but it will require a daytime configuration and a nighttime one. I knew that conceptually, but it was different to experience it.
- The USB ports didn't work. Apparently they aren't wired to run off of the 12 volt system as they were in my vintage Airstream (an improvement I made to it). That was a bummer as my iPhone is also my camera. I trickle charged it off the Tundra.
- The furnace worked well! It got down to about 30 degrees outside and felt cold out there, but toasty inside.
- Sunshine works! Once the sun came up the trailer was warm without the furnace. It was still in the thirties out there. That's another thing you sort of know from [real] camping, but the difference was night and day. : )
- The refrigerator worked well--first time.
- Ditto for the stovetop.
- Batteries held up fine, as you would expect for one night.
- My trailer is stumpy! Seeing it parked in the campground (which was at about 15% occupancy) it looked so small and stumplike.
- There's a serious dearth of places to sit things down like your phone or a drink. It only has the kitchen counter, which is at the front, and the main table, which I didn't have set up as a table. I recognized this already and brought a stool to set things on, but using it that point really stood out. I might have to have my friends at Camper Reparadise--in SLC--add some additional shelving and/or a mini counter top.
- I liked it!
Last night I reread my friend Rich Luhr's
Newbies Guide to Airstreaming. Rich created and publishes Airstream Life, a magazine. His newbies guide is great and applies to most any RV. Filled with wisdom, tips, and advice. I highly recommend this book to any RVer who feels anything less than expert.
It was a fun outing. Jake enjoyed it too. He's getting old. : (
See this post with photos here: http://www.utahredrock.com/2018/02/sleeping-with-buffalo.html
Great post, those 11FKs are cool little campers ;)
When I had my 10.0 tent trailer I removed the benches and table to open up the floor space. Maybe you could do that in your camper and put a loveseat or 2 chairs from IKEA in there.
In my 21BHS I plan on removing the dinette and putting in a couch, we mostly eat outside and if tables are needed inside a few T.V. tray tables can used.
I can see very early on this forum's going to be a wealth of information. I'm going to have to create some sort of notebook to keep track of everything and not loose sight of the fact I don't have an RV yet. Tray tables - interesting.
Dearth! Now there's a word that is needed in a plethora of descriptions. :D
Firstly, thank you for taking us with you (vicariously) and sharing the good, bad and "stumpy"of it all.
So, it lacks a little in the suave department. Our 14 foot one has a similar look. I was all rrrrev'd-up to get a teardrop, but all of the ones out there kept missing the mark on the list of wishes my spouse and I compiled. We found Doris by cosmic intervention, as the planets just seemed to align. But, I digress....
The lack of horizontal planes was a concern for us, too. Our solution by the bed was one of those fabric pocket things that wedges partially under the mattress, with spaces hanging on the side for a water bottle, cell phone, book, lip balm, Kleenex, etc... I had considered adding a folding shelf bracket, but hated the idea of drilling holes in Doris.
HERE'S A SPACE SAVING SUGGESTION, or 2
1. Need Kleenex? Poke a hole in the bottom of the box toward the center of one end (about the size of a pencil point). Use a Command Hook and mount it on any wall space ...VOILA! No counter space needed for that.
2. Hanging shoe pockets fit the width of the bathroom door (if so equipped) almost to a tee. I opted for the canvas type as plastic won't hold up as well. Shoes in the bottom rows are out of the way and top pockets can hold a variety of shhhtuff.