June 2025 - what did you do for your camper?

[kitphantom]

Here's your list of reminders for routine checks and upkeep:

• Charge the battery
• Check/inspect fire extinguisher(s)
• Battery fluid levels (wet-cell batteries)
• Tire pressure including the spare.
• Propane Levels.
• Check webbing strap on battery
• Check the disposable batteries we all use.

It's prime camping season for many of us in North America, getting too hot for some.

Too early for me to have done anything with the camper. Later today, I'll get my clothing totes and such packed in under the bed. I still need to figure out extra easy food for my 3-night trip this week. I don't want to tote all the food boxes, since I doubt I'll need them - guess I should give them a good look-through though.

 

[dbhost]

Working with a design idea for the stove integration since I have no onboard propane and State Farm insists on a stove, mind you this is a TEMPORARY solution until I rebuild the cabinets.

Once the stove arrives (delivery ETA Next Saturday, Thanks Flame King!) Measure and mark for mounting hole. Cut hole and mount stove.
Mount 3/8 gas rated flare swivel 90 to get the gas INTO the stove without sucking up 8" behind the stove space...
Mount a fire extinguisher mount, with a properly sized hose clamp to hold a 1lb propane bottle securely in the cabinet to keep it from moving around and jostling the gas connections...
Adapt the gas hose with regulator to the stove, and gas bottle. To do so I...

1. Obviously ordered and am waiting for delivery of the Flame King 2 burner RV stove. https://amzn.to/3HmSr4Q
2. Obtained Fire extinguisher wall mount. https://amzn.to/43psTga That buckle strap is about 1" too short, need to dremel the rivet that holds it on off of it...
3. Obtained thumb screw 4" hose clamp. https://amzn.to/4kIxHTt
4. Obtained Flame King official 3/8" flare to QCC braided stainless jacket fuel line. https://amzn.to/43GLMKa
5. Obtained, or in this case repurposed from what I already had, "Steak Saver" propane adapter, adapts 1lb disposable propane bottles to QCC connection hoses. https://amzn.to/4kHBhNB
6. Dremel off the rivet that holds the buckle strap from the fire extinguisher mount.
7. Bent the output strap bit of the hose clamp so it does not strike the thumb screw.

I am going to wait until I have the stove here, and mounted in the countertop to verify exactly where I should mount the gas bottle...

I figure this will allow me to remove the Coleman Classic 2 burner stove from my pack in, and since it has lower BTU output than the Coleman it should run longer on 1lb of propane...

 

[dbhost]

Working on / in the shop today getting it clean enough and ready to start working on the cabinets...

90 deg F, 80% RH I got 2 hours in this and made progress. The hitch haul is on the camper, and at least I can see most of the metal table top of the table saw... 2 full trash bags and 1 full recycling bin plus obscene amounts of sweat and I am done until after trash pickup tomorrow... Oh, that black thing on the floor in front of the table saw is a PowerMax PM3-45 and it is LifePo4 compatible, but the POT that allows you to fine tune the charging profile won't move. So I can't turn it up enough. They sent me another one preconfigured by them. If anyone thinks they can make this work for them drop me a line, I want it gone and would rather see someone get use out of it than chuck it to the recyclers...

 

[kitphantom]

Changed the calendar to June. We did get my clothing totes stashed under the bed, along with the warm blanket and quilt, which I probably won't need. it was 90° inside, so opened the emergency window until nightfall, didn't really want to try to do anything else in the heat. Tomorrow is supposed to be the cool day of the week, but i"ll try to get things done in the morning.

 

[neighbormike]

Been hiding in the woods since Wednesday morning… had to vacate the house for a week while a flooring project was being done. Maybe this should be “What did you do for your house - April”. Anyway, been pretty peaceful!

 

[campfire Joe]

Just put our camper back down. Set it up a couple days ago to do a pre trip inspection. Also de winterized the water system and sanitized it. put in a new 3" mattress topped old one had a bunch of pieces tore out of it. Everything looked good inside after a winter sleep. No rodents or insects got in. Outside maintenance, greased wheel bearings and lift system, put battery in, and checked trailer lights. Only thing left is to check out the air in the tires. Heading out 5 June for a camping and fishing trip in Massena NY.

 

[bheff]

This week i rebuild the pop-out bunk end. My wife started painting the inside. We have a out a week left on the remodel.

 

[JiffyPopJunkie]

Did a 3 day shakedown at a local campground few weeks ago with no issues. Warm and buggy one day, cold and wet the following. No leaks! Ordered new tires from Recstuff and received yesterday and will be on the to do list this week.

 

[Batou2501]

Perusing the knockoff Dynamat listing's on Scamazon, when I'm finished with the pump box it will have to live in the sheet metal flip up galley, there's not enough room where I wanted to put it, and the three Aquatainers, I don't put anything in the galley cabinet because the things I'd put in there would have to be taken out to flip it down, so it's getting sound deadening material to hopefully quiet it down, Dynamat I'd WAY too fracking expensive, so I'm looking for the cheaper alternative.

 

[johneliot]

Maybe try Second Skin? I used this for sound deadening in my VW.

 

[dbhost]

@Batou2501 Look at the Amazzon essentials version of dynamat. Check out vancity vanlife's sprinter van build videos, he did a comparison of those materials and the Amazon one is cheap and just as, or nearly so good as Dynamat / Kill A Mat...

 

[Batou2501]

@dbhost last night I ordered two of those and a closed cell foam to try in other places that I rather not have a butyl slab.

 

[Mytime]

Opened her up and everything was aces. No water or mouse damage. We haven’t had a chance to camp this season yet. Her mom passed and my dad did shortly after. Still working through that.

 

[firepit]

@neighbormike, Spilling beer can soften up your flooring

 

[kitphantom]

Yesterday, I just managed to get home, after lunch with a friend, in time to get a vent and window shut before it rained. The roof vents with MaxxAir covers were OK, but if I"d known it was likely to be that type of storm, I would have shut those too, at least the wind came from the protected direction. It was getting darker all the time I drove home, and we quickly got 1/2-1" at our house, more in some places. The arroyos went from dry to feet of water, and last I heard, one person died, which happens almost every storm of this type.
I have almost everything packed in the trailer. I've been simplifying what I'm taking, food, reading, and handwork. I'm not taking my main handwork, I think after an all day class painting a barn quilt block, my hands will be tired enough. I hope I didn't simplify my food too much, but town isn't all that far from the campground.
Courtenay will retrieve my chairs from the garage corner tonight. He's going to work from home tomorrow, so he'll help me with the last minute things and hooking up. I can do it, but it's easier with 2, and I'll be on my own at camp, so I need to save my back.

 

[PopUpSteve]

Received my Starlink Mini today and just tested it in the front yard. After the initial setup and firmware update, I was very impressed with the performance. Of course the big test will be this weekend while camping.

 

[clberryr]

Good Morning All! Long list for the past 4 weeks -
Our New to Us PUP (2004 Coachmen Clipper Classic) is getting some TLC... We have owned it for about 4 weeks. It was in need of minor repairs prior to her maiden voyage with us Memorial Weekend.

So, the week prior to our May trip we:
Repaired vinyl & screen leaks/tears
Repaired water leaks under sink
Replaced water line to faucet
Adjusted top door latch (wrong door for this camper, but works)
Flushed and sanitized the water system
Tested: Water Heater, a/c, heater, frige, lights, stove... all work (stove is a bit wonky)
Bought a battery (didn't come with one) and new box
Replaced burned out light bulbs
Repaired and sanitized cassette toilet
Added a shower curtain to shower area (separate from toilet area)
Cut Reflectix for all windows and bed/slide tops
Added reflectix under beds

Since our trip we have:
Came up with a water drain solution (with a bungee cord! it works)
Added a curtain to make toilet private
Repaired and reinforced a latch clip repair (they tried to repair it - smh)
Gave her a bath inside and out
Installed the new battery box
Replaced the guage wire
Replaced broken bed bow clips (they were duck taped for the May trip)
Created a connected drain hose for ease of catchment or to route it to sewer if available
Reorganized the "stuff" we take (tools, repair kits, supplies in trunk)

Still to come:
Seal trunk (cracks around lid)
Repair vinyl attachment to trailer
Repair another latch clip (starting to crack)
Investigate the lift system (front doesn't go all the way down as far as the back?)

Edited to change name to coachmen - duh!

 

[PopUpSteve]

@clberryr if you haven’t already, you may want to add the silver aluminum tape to the edges of the reflectix that you put in your windows. I did this years ago to one of my first campers and the tape, which you wrap a lonely edges, will help keep the netting from getting damaged.

 

[clberryr]

Great idea! I have cloth edging on the ones I bought pre-made (from Temu - they are large and fit over the bed ends outside the PUP). I was thinking about adding edging to the ones I cut for the windows... haven't done it yet...

I do have the aluminum tape, but DH suggested the cloth edging as a cost saver (I know how to sew, which makes it easy and faster).

 

[dbhost]

Dug up a CB Antenna mirror clamp mount, testing to see if I can clamp it to the spare tire carrier, the idea here is I need a way to mount a push pole for the Cellular booster antenna so it can be used en route... I am doing everything I can think of to avoid drilling holes and mounting that antenna to the fiberglass pop top.

So my plan here is use my Google Fi / Cellular service for communications en route and in camp (no watching videos for me en route since I am driving of course) and for in camp when even the booster won't cut it, bring out the Starlink Mini.