May 2022 - what did you do for your camper?

[Fern Dweller]

I also needed a way to store aluminum foil and parchment paper in the rig without it just flopping about in the cabinet, so I made this cubby for the under-sink cabinet.

love that cubby, might have to start one of those when I get home from work! Thanks for the idea! I just finished something similar but for the car/camper kleenex box. Nothing bugs me more than a fresh box of kleenex or parchment getting smashed!

 

[theseus]

I need to visit it after our camping trip last month and tell her we haven't forgotten her. Next camping trip is in June and I have big plans for doing stuff to the camper before that trip.

 

[Patrick w]

I gotta cut the size of my chuck box. Too much in it I think.

 

[Dugk44]

I gotta cut the size of my chuck box. Too much in it I think.

What is a chuck box? Never heard that before.

 

[vagov]

Topped off the Psi In the tires to 80 pounds cold

 

[Patrick w]

What is a chuck box? Never heard that before.

A chuck box is basically any box filled with things you need to cook with.
I believe it comes from the concept of a "chuck wagon". Or at least the yesteryears of a a chuck wagon.

Chuck Boxes: 17 Camp Kitchen Box Ideas and Plans - Mom Goes Camping

Here's what you need to know to make the perfect camp kitchen box including DIY chuck box plans, how to make a chuck box from a tool box, and improvised chuck box ideas.

momgoescamping.com

Mine is basically an air tight plano box filled with plates, cups, spices, cooking oil, aluminum foil, etc and some cooking pans and utensils. But I like it very much I feel like its overpacked with things I don't use often. So I have to clean it out and organize it.

 

[kitphantom]

We are finally out camping, last trip was in early Oct.
Our habit of arriving with a full water tank was reinforced. The water system here is not yet available. No dates on the camp info, although we do realize it is off in the winter, no mention of that on the 2 reminder emails we received.we discovered that as we walked the loop, after setting up, with a note on the spigot. If we had known, we probably would have packed an extra 10 gallons of water, instead of 5.
Windy, windy, more so than we’ve encountered same time of year, same locations. Happy to hide inside with wind gusts to 40-50 mph. At least it’s usually in the direction that we can keep the door open.
I do keep wiping the grit from table, etc.
We
Heated water on the stove to do dishes night before last, last night the HWT did stay lit so we could use that. With the winds we’re having, or they are blowing it that vent, it doesn’t work well. Good reason to leave it off except when we’re heating water at mealtimes.

 

[davido]

• Added 100w suitcase solar.
• Converted my external Camp Chef Yukon stove to Quick Connect propane so it can run off the trailer's propane supply.
• Repacked the wheel bearings (replaced one that was showing wear).
• Installed a new USB charger. The new one shows system voltage, and provides super fast charging via USB-C, and fast charging for USB-A. (Replaced an old dual USB-A charger that provided outdated charge currents).
• De-winterized, replaced the water filter, replaced the water heater anode.

Most importantly:

• Went camping.

The USB charger is interesting to me. The old one provided 1.1A and 2.0A charge rates, both over USB-A. The new one provides 3A over USB-A, and "super fast charging" over USB-C for my phone. It also shows system voltage so that I can monitor the overall 12v system's charge state. It cost about $16 on Amazon, and mounts similar to how a 12v port would mount. In my trailer I have a 12v port and a USB charging port mounted adjacent to each other, fused, and behind a toggle switch to shut them off.

The solar I added is a 100w suitcase style with a PWM charge controller. I reviewed it elsewhere in the Portal.

Repacking wheel bearings turned out to be a really good idea, since one of them showed scoring and certainly would have failed at some point during this summer.

The Quick Connect adapter allows me to use my large outdoor stove with the RV's QC propane port. I also got an adapter that lets me run the QC-adapted stove off of a regular 20 pound free-standing tank. So I have the flexibility of using the RV's propane, or a bring-along tank. I brought a tank on this past weekend's camping trip because the cooking area wasn't close to the trailer. But on most trips I'll leave the tank home and use the trailer's propane.

 

[Austin694]

Looking for a place where to buy a new shower curtain. Changing the water element and anode rod . Upgrading the furnace thermostat controller to a Honeywell digital. Continuing to run and break in my new predator 3500 generator.

2007 Fleetwood Highlander Niagara
1996 - 2500 Dodge V10 Ram
Eaz lift stabilizer

I just bought this one. Its pretty nice and a good price. Havent used it yet so dont know how water proof it is. Shower Curtain

 

[Strawhouse]

Internal springs in my Aliner that help to open the roof are no longer effective, so I installed gas springs—40lbs front/30lbs rear. Opens easier than when I bought it!

 

[Austin694]

Had an old fan sitting around and found an extra speed control from a previous project. So thought I'd stick it in the fridge. Spliced it into the 12v supply zip tied the fan to the grate and hot glued the switch to the control panel. Moves a lot of air and it lights up so I know its on. Just getting ready for our trip coming up in a couple weeks.

 

[kitphantom]

Moving day for us. We only have to travel about an hour and a half and check-in isn’t until 3. (The campground changed ownership about 6 weeks ago.) I’m use to scurrying around, stashing things, as I eat breakfast in moving day, so it’s strange.
We just eked out a 6 night stay on our own water supply. We figure that we managed on about 4 gallons per day, for drinking, cooking, washing up, & flushing. Good thing we start with all water bottles and the trailer tank full. From now on, I’m inclined to take 4-5 water jugs, instead of the 2 we take when we expect local water.

 

[Druidia]

First time pop-up owner over here so LOTS of work done on a 1997 Starcraft Venture 2106:

May 2022 - Replaced electrical cord hatch cover, electrical outlet cover, roof vent, removed and resealed all roof seams with marine-grade adhesive/sealant and put a few coats of FlexSeal Liquid Rubber on the roof, fixed crooked queen bed, replaced interior lights with LED, cleaned the inside of all exterior light lenses and in the painstaking process of removing decals and striping to get "Reba" prepped for exterior paint.

April 2022 - repainted cabinets, replaced hardware, put down new vinyl plank flooring, recovered countertops, replaced gas connection hatch cover, exterior 'porch' light, broken side marker, city water hatch, door latch/lock and exterior sink drain cap.

We have 28 days until our first camping trip and still have to paint the exterior and add personalized/custom decals, reupholster cushions, put up new fabric curtains (possibly valance too), replace tires, refill propane tank, replace foot jack, spare tire cover, open and check out the awning situation and clean the inside/outside of canvas.

Reba is already 25 years old, but I'm pretty sure she's going to last for a while. I told my 11- and 12-year olds that they can fight over borrowing her when they are older...lol.

 

[Agent27]

First time pop-up owner over here so LOTS of work done on a 1997 Starcraft Venture 2106:

May 2022 - Replaced electrical cord hatch cover, electrical outlet cover, roof vent, removed and resealed all roof seams with marine-grade adhesive/sealant and put a few coats of FlexSeal Liquid Rubber on the roof, fixed crooked queen bed, replaced interior lights with LED, cleaned the inside of all exterior light lenses and in the painstaking process of removing decals and striping to get "Reba" prepped for exterior paint.

April 2022 - repainted cabinets, replaced hardware, put down new vinyl plank flooring, recovered countertops, replaced gas connection hatch cover, exterior 'porch' light, broken side marker, city water hatch, door latch/lock and exterior sink drain cap.

We have 28 days until our first camping trip and still have to paint the exterior and add personalized/custom decals, reupholster cushions, put up new fabric curtains (possibly valance too), replace tires, refill propane tank, replace foot jack, spare tire cover, open and check out the awning situation and clean the inside/outside of canvas.

Reba is already 25 years old, but I'm pretty sure she's going to last for a while. I told my 11- and 12-year olds that they can fight over borrowing her when they are older...lol.

Looks great! What did you use for the counter tops?

 

[DiamondGirl]

@Austin694… looks great. Don’t forget to add protective wire screens to the fridge vent door to prevent insects like wasps from making a home/nest. They can cause headaches later by blocking your pipes. They are attracted to the smell of LP.

We have protective screens on our fridge vent door, furnance vent and water heater door. Keeps the bugs out.

Happy Camping…

 

[kitphantom]

Overnight in Flagstaff, went to destabilize and found one loose, then two tight. Yup, flat tire. We were going to get new tires after this trip. Second time buying them in Flagstaff on a trip. They have the tires we want and one piece rims in stock, so we’ll be good.
One of the two locks on the camper door broke as we finished up. Hoping the rest of the trip is simple and calm.

 

[PopUpSteve]

Did a few things this weekend, all successfully.

1. Put legs on the step.
2. Replaced a hook on one of the bunkend bungees.
3. Removed the old awning and stripped it for parts.

The forceps were used to keep the bungee from slipping back into the hem and to retrieve the bungee through the grommet.

 

[Indiobravo]

I call this a "pulling that thread" weekend. The things I "did for my camper" were not intentional, not planned, and not even primarily in support of my popup!

I have a N2M TT at the beach (a 2010 keystone outback) that I just got last month. It's a permanentish thing there - chained down so that it doesn't wash away... anyway, I have always wanted to paint the cabinets - anything but that damn brown. After a lot of research I came across something called Beyond Paint. it looks really promising In fact I've always wanted to paint my 1998 Viking's cabinets too, but at the time I didn't know about beyond paint. You are supposed to be able to paint right over the slick veneer – no sanding, no prep. I ordered a sample for the TT that I could test on the popup.

I thought, if I’m going to try this on the popup, I might as well try pressure washing it while i'm at it. See, I got the wife a pressure washer two years ago because she saw a neighbor using one on her walk and she just had to have one. she never even opened to box. it sat brand new in the box for two years. hell, I know folks generally say not to pressure wash your pop up, but mine's a mess and it was cheap and every day I have with her is a bonus, so what the heck…

I pulled the pressure washer out of the box and set it all up - looks great, can't wait.
Then I unlatched the Viking and started to crank her up - ants. everywhere ants. I hate ants. I hate their ant babies too. I got the heebeegeebees big time. what a bummer. *Especially* since I have a bag of diatomaceous earth IN my friggin camper precisely so I can avoid this type of mess at campgrounds. Why on earth wouldn't I put some down around my camper at home??? Now I have to empty and clean up the entire interior of my popup.

I am so wigged out by the ants that I buy a little handheld vac just for the job.
Empty popup, vacuum popup - feeling a little better. Pull out all the curtains - ew. Will have to wash all that ant poo off of them. Snapped a couple of the clips (one more thing I’ll have to do).

Man, I really want to pressure wash the popup on the outside, but the inside is a mess too - some mold spots, cobwebs, ant poo, etc... wouldn't it be great if I could power wash the *inside* of the popup?




All I have to do is think of a way to do that without totally soaking everything inside. Hmmm, what if I could leave the tops of the bunks where they are supposed to be, and retract or remove the bed bases/boards? I figured out I can’t take out the wood boards, the screws on the side of the aluminum frame would prevent their removal. I’m an old Perl programmer – my motto was (and still is) work hard so you don’t have to. I spend an hour or so brainstorming and finally figured out a plan.

If I can find some posts/pipes that the bunk end frames can sit in – something about 4 feet long – then I can prop up the bunk ends without the base. I could stow those back again and then I could pressure wash the interiors of the bunks! Once I had a plan, I went off to Lowes to get all the stuff to build these holders. 5-foot-long pipe with just over a 1.5 inch hole – perfect size to insert the ends of the bunk end support bars. Before you know it, I’m ready to start pressure washing the interior bunk bed areas.



So far pressure washing my pop up has been an absolute pleasure – the outside looks like a different camper. The inside is still ugly but clean. So I pulled out my bottle of Miracle Mist and hit all the bad spots inside, making sure to go back over with fresh water and a sponge to rinse it off.

Between the pressure washing and the chlorine spray I now have a completely new-looking, fresh-smelling, awesome old 24-year-old popup :-D

What a Sunday. All I have left to do is:

Reattach the beds to the bunk end tops (got new screws and bolts to replace the nasty old ones), fix the upper clamp tie-downs that are pulling out of the sides of the roof (will use a metal back plate to reinforce what’s there now), wash and put back up my curtains, add some touch up paint to a few areas…

And THEN – and only then - I will finally be able to paint the cabinets/woody looking surfaces for my beyond paint test

for my TT.

While I am at it, I would also like to try out some vinyl floor planks – again, as a test for my TT. All this work on my pop up has me excited to take her back out again, tho! Have a trip to the mountains (Marshall, NC) planned for Memorial Day weekend, and one at Davidson River Campground in Pisgah National Forest in September for some mountain biking!



And that’s what I did/am doing for/to my pop up this month

 

[Agent27]

A chuck box is basically any box filled with things you need to cook with.
I believe it comes from the concept of a "chuck wagon". Or at least the yesteryears of a a chuck wagon.

Chuck Boxes: 17 Camp Kitchen Box Ideas and Plans - Mom Goes Camping

Here's what you need to know to make the perfect camp kitchen box including DIY chuck box plans, how to make a chuck box from a tool box, and improvised chuck box ideas.

momgoescamping.com

Mine is basically an air tight plano box filled with plates, cups, spices, cooking oil, aluminum foil, etc and some cooking pans and utensils. But I like it very much I feel like its overpacked with things I don't use often. So I have to clean it out and organize it.

Do you have any pictures of your chuck box setup?

 

[kitphantom]

Discount Tire had us on the road with new tires and rims in good time. We didn’t care what color the rims were, but they are a shade of gray that almost matched the pewter is the trailer.
Courtenay took apart the door latch, and has it tightened up and working. We think we’ll buy a new one for a spare.
As we cleaned up after supper, we found the sink drain is beginning to leak. We have to put new putty in it every now and again , and think we’re just going to do that on a regular schedule. After the bad roads of yesterday and being semi-dropped as jacks were released today, we figure it was just too much for it.
We’re set up at Grand Canyon, in warm/hot weather so we’re planning to enjoy the week, leaky sink drain or. It.