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What Can You Have For 160 Pounds?


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I recently was talking to several of you about little RVs and mentioned I've been weighing everything. So I thought I would post an example to give newbies (and heck, probably a lot of old timers) a look at how things can add up when considering CCC or Cargo Carrying Capacity.

 

I was figuring out what I would be able to put under the bed of one of the toy haulers we were looking at:

 

UNDER BED #1

Lbs....... Item

34.0 ..... Cots, REI Comfort Two at 17.0 each

12.2 ..... Art Box (Table top easel, 4 canvas, 1 board)

12.0 ..... Metal Detector

14.2 ..... Tub w/2 Mummy Bags (8.6 w/o tub)

31.0 ..... Coleman 9 person Prairie Tent

15.0 ..... Bag: Clothes rack, fly fishing rods and cases, lantern pole, rake & shovel

4.0 ...... Clear bag w/solar shower, 4 gold mining pans, white & green water hoses

4.8 ...... Green Back Pack: Fishing box

6.0 ...... Folding BBQ

8.6 ...... 2 blue top plastic bins (1) toilet chemicals (2) Dishwashing Tub

15.8 ..... Mr. Heater Big Buddy

 

TOTAL: 159.4

 

- Christine / Colorado

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Wow! You are certainly going about this the correct way - weighing things 'before' putting them in a RV. Good for you!!

Full-timed for 16 Years
Traveled 8 yr in a 2004 Newmar Dutch Star 40' Motorhome
and 8 yr in a 33' Travel Supreme 5th Wheel

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You bring back a lot of memories. We did a lot of the same as you, but combined things more. We had a couple of large containers that we knew the weight of which we used to fill with kitchen things, clothing, and various other items over the months preceding our departure. I think the items that surprised us most in what the total weight was would be our clothing. Now I know why suitcases used to weigh so much.

 

You will save yourself a lot of grief by putting in the effort now. Great job!

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

            images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQqFswi_bvvojaMvanTWAI

 

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Thanks. I never paid attention before because I did not know all the parts there are to know. Following lists since the internet came out (A-frame Campers then later several kinds) I have picked up a lot. Not as much as I'd like but that will come down the road.

 

I was surprised when hubby and I were checking out trailers and I explained to a couple about hitch weights, how to read the numbers on the door to figure out CCC, dry weight, etc. As they left they thanked me and they said they learned more from me than from any trailer sales person yet. It felt great to pay it back.

 

I though "5,000 lbs. towing capacity" was a lot. It is not. That said I might have found the perfect trailer for us and almost 900 pounds CCC, still within range of the towing capacity as well. It does not have a slide. We have to sell our Class B first but I am not selling it until I get to finish it. I am extremely proud of the job I've done and I just want to see it through. This was to be our vehicle until we had to replace the work car. The B has been my everyday car plus our camper since 2007. We started out with a lot of mechanical things and finally last spring were able to start the appearance restoration and it is nearing completion. Last year it got a mult-speed bidirectional Fantastic Fan and Bluetop Optima house battery. I started painting it in spring 2015 and stopped for snow, took it back up this spring (always in between summer thumder storms and some pretty intense heat). I am staring at the stripped passenger seat chair now trying to get up the nerve to wrap the memory foam and new batting and figure out the pattern.

 

I am having fun because this is the part everyone wants to do when they first get an old van to restore. But the money has to go to mechanics first and you have to figure out what you want to do with the space. So I have to finish it. Last week I applied wax to the paint job!!!

 

CCC with the slide and the same model trailer but fiberglass instead of stick and tin is only 585 (vs. 900 w/o slide). That's a lot of fresh water and waste if you want to get away for 10 days.

 

Christine / Colorado

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The van project does sound like a job to be proud of!

I was surprised when hubby and I were checking out trailers and I explained to a couple about hitch weights, how to read the numbers on the door to figure out CCC, dry weight, etc. As they left they thanked me and they said they learned more from me than from any trailer sales person yet. It felt great to pay it back.!!!

That is part of what the RV community is all about. I doubt any of us here learned all we know on our own, but each of us benefit from the knowledge shared with us by others who went before. In the years we have owned RVs I have observed that the knowledge level of the typical RV buyer is improving, but unfortunately it is very difficult to educate potential buyers before they actually make their first purchase. Those who read the magazines and forums first can save themselves a great deal of headaches and money.

 

CCC with the slide and the same model trailer but fiberglass instead of stick and tin is only 585 (vs. 900 w/o slide). That's a lot of fresh water and waste if you want to get away for 10 days.

Are you thinking of going out fulltime with only 900# of cargo capacity? While not bad for one of the smaller trailers, it will be very limiting in practice. That is about what we have with our present travel trailer and we crowd the limit when we go out for several months of seasonal travel. I am towing with a 2500, diesel truck so that gives us capacity to load a lot into it, but we had to be very careful when we started out towing with an SUV rated to tow 5000#.

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

            images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQqFswi_bvvojaMvanTWAI

 

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I have never weighted anything put into my MH. But it came with 5,989 lb of CC when I got it 13 years ago.

I last weighted it last September and I can still put 1,370 lb on the front axle and 180 lb on rear before the GAWR is reached.

That said one side of the rear could be over some.

 

Only problem is all the compartments are full now. Almost every time I buy something new. Something old has to be trashed to use the room.

Maybe this winter I will take that old F1 Internet Satellite dish off the roof. I don't use it anymore. It weighs 105 lb.

Full Time since Oct. 1999
99 Discovery 34Q DP | ISB
Datastorm | VMSpc | Co-Pilot Live | Pressure Pro
2014 MKS Twin Turbo V6 365 HP Toad
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I have never weighted anything put into my MH. But it came with 5,989 lb of CC when I got it 13 years ago.

I last weighted it last September and I can still put 1,370 lb on the front axle and 180 lb on rear before the GAWR is reached.

That said one side of the rear could be over some.

 

Only problem is all the compartments are full now. Almost every time I buy something new. Something old has to be trashed to use the room.

Maybe this winter I will take that old F1 Internet Satellite dish off the roof. I don't use it anymore. It weighs 105 lb.

Sounds like this is a good topic to take advantage of the non-winter weather and make things nicer. The big MH have a lot more space and storage. The advantage of little MH is that later when you move up you feel like you purchased a mansion and that's kind of cool.

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The van project does sound like a job to be proud of!

That is part of what the RV community is all about. I doubt any of us here learned all we know on our own, but each of us benefit from the knowledge shared with us by others who went before. In the years we have owned RVs I have observed that the knowledge level of the typical RV buyer is improving, but unfortunately it is very difficult to educate potential buyers before they actually make their first purchase. Those who read the magazines and forums first can save themselves a great deal of headaches and money.

Are you thinking of going out fulltime with only 900# of cargo capacity? While not bad for one of the smaller trailers, it will be very limiting in practice. That is about what we have with our present travel trailer and we crowd the limit when we go out for several months of seasonal travel. I am towing with a 2500, diesel truck so that gives us capacity to load a lot into it, but we had to be very careful when we started out towing with an SUV rated to tow 5000#.

Yes, we are going little. It is going to be a challenge. I think I was an American Indian in a past life and moved about with a horse and T.P. We are thinking of this as an adventure. Our indoor entertainment is small size. We've heard from the small full time RV folks and they say it's do-able. We are going to be on the cautious side and get winter hookups the first year if we can secure them. We have each camped for at least 50 years so we know we have to watch for flash floods and sit in a tin can in a lightening storm. We will avoid windy if possible. I am more afraid that I will chicken out then I am that we will do it. It's still all talk until we do.

 

Christine

Colorado

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Our first full time coach had a CCC of 850 lbs. We removed the TV (watched movies on the laptop) and I traded jeans for light weight cotton slacks and Corelle for plastic dishes but we made it work. You just have to want it enough to do what needs doing.

 

Linda Sand

Blog: http://sandcastle.sandsys.org/

Former Rigs: Liesure Travel van, Winnebago View 24H, Winnebago Journey 34Y, Sportsmobile Sprinter conversion van

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When I got rid of the S&B nearly 2 years ago and went full time, I got a 5th wheel with 3,500 # of capacity. But I wanted to stay within an F-250 range, so I put a limit on personal possessions of 900 #. Of course that is for one person. I built a spreadsheet and made my list of things to move to the RV including weights. The trailer was used and came with tube type TVs, a 19" and 27". I replaced them with LED TVs, 32" and 42" and gained a few pounds of capacity.

 

The surprise to me was when my list of things I wanted to take was done, the total was 748 #. I spent two weeks parked in the yard while the house sale closed and moved a few things back into the house and took a few back out to the trailer. But after two weeks of practice, I was ready for full time. In the two years since, I have added a few things like another extension cord and an induction cook plate. I have used up way more out of the pantry and reduced on-hand inventory by more than I have added.

 

One thing that has helped the weight problem was the enormous, vast sense of relief at getting rid of all that 'stuff' that was in the house. Now when I see something that sparks any feeling of, gee I would like one of those, I just remember the feeling of being out from under that stuff. It's easy to smile and walk on by.

F-250 SCREW 4X4 Gas, 5th NuWa Premier 35FKTG, Full Time, Engineer Ret.

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You guys have helped so much. I just did my water chart. 12 gallons of water is equal to 100 pounds. I am allowing 200 pounds for carry with water. I found an insulated bag that holds 3 one gallon jugs. We are going to buy 3 more if we can get them. That will be our bottled drinking water. We will also carry another 5 gallon container on wheels that we keep bottled water in and it can be locked. Then a 5 gallon container for hose/campground water. Our "water system" currently is indoor/outdoor but a new trailer will be different but I figure at least 2 gallons of water in the pipes or whatever.

 

I would like to carry enough food for all of us for 30 days. I am not yet sure what that weighs as what I plan to take keeps changing. I'm already making my recipes from ingredients I'll take. I am a big, big take-with spice person. I will put these things up on a web some day down the road.

 

Most of my containers are Debbie Myer green boxes. They are light weight and keep food fresher longer, especially fruits and vegetables. I make a great spicy black bean soup and you can put all kinds of ingredients in it. 2 cups of black beans can make a lot of soup with leftovers and fresh veggies and some water. But you need to be one of those chili eaters who brag of the heat to eat it, otherwise certainly cut out the cayenne and cut down on the chili powder.

 

Indoor activities for us are a few learn to draw and learn to paint books along with a few supplies. A 25-pound Zen garden. Small 19" LCD and 9" DVD player that can hook into that or be used alone including headphones late at night. A little bit of crochet and some wood carving tools, some music - most digitalized, some movies -- looking to find the best storage option for those, 2 sling shots, some cards camera and binoculars. PCs for writing and of course a blog to pass the time. The metal detector and gold pans and fishing rods pretty much complete the entertainment allowance. So not every art book comes - only 2 or 3, that kind of stuff. Books on Kindle.

 

I'll see what the total is before I buy the trailer LOL. Just in case. But I think we can do this on a small scale, that's the goal.

 

Christine

Colorado

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We moved into our coach in October, 2014, and earlier this summer we moved about a dozen tubs of stuff from the coach to our son's house. Every bit of that was stuff that we thought we might need, only to find that we really didn't need it with us. It usually takes a while for full-timers to figure out exactly what is and is not needed, and that varies with the people. We got rid of the two CRT television sets that came with out coach and got one flatscreen. It weighs less than the smaller of the two we got rid of and is larger than the larger of the two. If I was the only one living here, even that would go, but Jo Ann wants it to stay, so it will.

David Lininger, kb0zke
1993 Foretravel U300 40' (sold)
2022 Grand Design Reflection 315RLTS

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When I got rid of the S&B nearly 2 years ago and went full time, I got a 5th wheel with 3,500 # of capacity. But I wanted to stay within an F-250 range, so I put a limit on personal possessions of 900 #. Of course that is for one person. I built a spreadsheet and made my list of things to move to the RV including weights. The trailer was used and came with tube type TVs, a 19" and 27". I replaced them with LED TVs, 32" and 42" and gained a few pounds of capacity.

 

The surprise to me was when my list of things I wanted to take was done, the total was 748 #. I spent two weeks parked in the yard while the house sale closed and moved a few things back into the house and took a few back out to the trailer. But after two weeks of practice, I was ready for full time. In the two years since, I have added a few things like another extension cord and an induction cook plate. I have used up way more out of the pantry and reduced on-hand inventory by more than I have added.

 

One thing that has helped the weight problem was the enormous, vast sense of relief at getting rid of all that 'stuff' that was in the house. Now when I see something that sparks any feeling of, gee I would like one of those, I just remember the feeling of being out from under that stuff. It's easy to smile and walk on by.

This is so true. 2 years ago the basement was packed and I often felt panic at wondering what I would do if Wayne wasn't here to help me deal with it. It has been a race for me to get the largest bulk out. We are ready for our next major garage sale and the one after that should be the last one next year. We are keeping storage, hopefully just a 10 x 10. My daughter is an artist and I have some of her things we do not wish to part with. A few other things that make our home "home". We are not planning on doing this for much longer than 2 years before getting a home base again. Then trips will be closer by.

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Won't your new trailer have holding tanks? Just wondering why you are planning to carry so many jugs of water? We full-timed 16 years and drank from our fresh water tank. We had a filter going into the tank and a filter at the kitchen sink.

Full-timed for 16 Years
Traveled 8 yr in a 2004 Newmar Dutch Star 40' Motorhome
and 8 yr in a 33' Travel Supreme 5th Wheel

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You're not supposed to be anywhere that freezes constantly in winter. :) That's the whole purpose of wheels beneath you. An overnight light freeze won't hurt anything and in the Southwest it'll warm up by 9am.

Full-timed for 16 Years
Traveled 8 yr in a 2004 Newmar Dutch Star 40' Motorhome
and 8 yr in a 33' Travel Supreme 5th Wheel

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I'll rethink the water then because we are planning on being away from the very cold. Also, we can take 150 pounds on the roof of the car so that helps as well. The two dogs and their houses will take up most of the back of the car. Probably the seasonal clothes will go on top of the car.

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If you stay out of the cold, you won't need many seasonal clothes. We're FL natives. We mostly wear the same clothes all year. There are a few items that we pull out for winter like jeans, sweatshirts/sweaters/jackets, but not a lot of them. We don't do the swap out of seasonal clothes that I hear about. That's really foreign to me.

Gene, Gayle, & Oliver-(the dog)
2006 Holiday Rambler Endeavor 40 PDQ
2012 Honda CRV toad
Blue Ox tow bar & base plate/Air Force One braking

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Again, helpful advice, thank you. I am starting to feel better and better about winter. I probably will still want to bring bottled water but maybe that will change as well. If I don't have to put antifreeze in the pipes I am more likely to consider it a drinkable water source with the right filter. I will bring winter clothes, there are parts of winter I would still like to occasionally experience and I hate being cold.

 

I wish a TinkerBell would come in and sew this car seat cover for the now stripped passenger seat sitting in my living room next to the new batting, memory foam and material. Maybe if I click my heels 3 times .... Come to think of it, my dad's uncle was an upholsterer in Green Bay as was his father, I need to channel them. Just kidding. Sigh.

 

The more I think about it, the more I am sure we want to stay small. The thing is, this would be a step up for us so if we can bring most of what we want and stay in weight (total car tow is only 5K) we will be happy. I would put the tent out in the winter unless I was in real windy area and I hope not to be in that. Or we could put it out occasionally. The 9 person Coleman Prairie tent that weighs 31 pounds is going to be replaced with a Coleman Instant Tent that probably weighs 1/3 that. But the tent can be taken up or down by one person in seconds.

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You might want bottled water for your dogs. Some don't adapt as well to changing water as other dogs or humans.

 

I don't have seasonal clothes other than a winter hat and gloves. I wear them to group campfires in the desert as it gets cold there at night. For the clothing itself I just add layers--a windbreaker over fleece works amazingly well.

 

Linda Sand

Blog: http://sandcastle.sandsys.org/

Former Rigs: Liesure Travel van, Winnebago View 24H, Winnebago Journey 34Y, Sportsmobile Sprinter conversion van

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Thanks Linda. Hope to join you at a campfire someday. LOL, first I wrote "in a" and had to change it, that sounded too hot.

 

Today I will finish the rug installation on my Class B. I continue to work on it as if I am keeping it. I double layered the carpet using a light weight easy to cut with scissors carpet to make the pattern for the top piece and then I kept that below it for extra padding and insulation. I have to glue the edges of the top piece for the cab so they don't frey and throw down some screws to the bottom of the car floor to prevent movement and then a very long process started the first of spring is done. I have no room for a new trailer until I get rid of the Class B and it is slowly getting there. The bottom piece is glued to the floor. The top part of the cab is a charcoal grey bath rug that is so comfortable on bare feet. The carpet in the rest of the camper is a thick living room area rug with its pattern piece also below it for extra insulation. It's always been so ugly it is nice to see the changes. I am going to stop soon but I did want to take it this far. I owned it when it was ugly. Gotta take it out soon. I did take photos of all the changes and how to's someday I will do something with. I do drive it as my everyday car and wonder what the neighbors think. I've driven it with blue painter's tape masking areas and various shades of paint splattered on the windows at times. I do not like going down to one car but down sizing is down sizing so if I offer it up soon I have until next spring as the have to get rid of point. It would be nice to drop the extra insurance and with all the digital scanning I plan to do this year before take off I guess only having the car some times isn't so bad an idea.

 

Christine

Colorado

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