Reedhoppa

Leaving Minnesota in two days ... my brother will be tagging along and pulling his own trailer. We have both recently sold our houses. I will tell him that he needs to officially join the class of 2019! Cold weather coming down from Canada is what I’m hearing so we are planning to head down to Albuquerque and then work our way over to southern Utah (to avoid Denver and the higher mountain passes). I think I’m getting out of here just in time. After southern Utah, it will be Arizona, probably Quartzite and all of southern Arizona and New Mexico. Christmas without snow will be a little strange but I think I might just learn to like it. 😊

Pulled the trailer fully loaded today for the first time. The Tundra handled the load with ease. My best guess is that the trailer weighs about 6,500 pounds loaded. I don’t use a checklist but probably would be a good idea to use one during preparation for towing. I didn’t travel very far but I’m feeling great about the way everything handled. Pulled into a friend’s lot and easily backed into my spot with no assistance. Probably the years I spent backing boats into lake access ramps helps me there. I’m happy to report that the magnetic spice containers didn’t move an inch .... in fact not much of anything shifted in the trailer ... with the exception of a few cans of beer that tumbled out of the fridge when I opened it. Have to remember to open the fridge s-l-o-w-l-y after traveling. Honda generator arrived today so will get that started and tested tomorrow. It’s the 2200 watt unit that weighs about 46 pounds. Super easy to move around. House closing is tomorrow. I’m beginning to settle into the rhythm of trailer life. Several short distance trips are planned over the coming weeks. That’s fine with me. Still lots to learn about the camper (which is still nameless, by the way). True story ... I was sitting outside the camper last week soaking up some early morning sun and sipping a cup of coffee. I was surfing the net looking for suggestions for naming a camper. It needs a name, right? So I’m sitting there with my nose buried in my i-phone when a wild black bear wanders out of the woods in my back yard and walks within 30’ of me. It was a yearling searching for something to eat I suppose. I watched him for about five minutes b4 he gave up and wandered back into the woods. Anyway, I think the bear was a clue for what I need to name the camper. So what ... Yogi? Smoky? Or maybe just Bear? Still working on that one. Suggestions are welcome. I’m getting eager to get out on the road and meet others to see how they outfit their rigs ... and what they call them!

Here’s a weird question for you. Wondering if my magnetic spice containers will stay put when I’m on the road (see pic). Guess I will find out tomorrow when I hook up and pull to my first destination.😉

Okay ... maybe it’s working now. I’m about 96 hours away from the closing on my house sale. The house is empty and I’ve managed to cram it’s contents into a 10’x30’ storage unit. I have a jumble of boxes and containers left that are full of what I think I’m going to need for full-timing ... but haven’t had time to organize so of course I can’t find anything. This is such a big change ... amazingly all the pieces seem to be falling into place. I’m finally able to relax outside the Cougar and contemplate my future travel plans. I live in a split-level and must have made a thousand trips with furniture and boxes up and down flights of stairs. My knees took the hit but are slowly coming around. Soon I will begin laying out a travel itinerary including a rally or two ... still counting on boondocking about half the time. That’s about it. Stay positive ... make lists incessantly ... and eventually you will get there. 😊

Having a hard time posting to this thread ... what am I doing wrong?

Very sorry to hear about your property sale dilemma ... I can imagine how frustrating that must be. Good luck and continue to persevere ... you will get there. Maybe a dumb question but would there be an option to remove the concrete and replace the leach field in its current location? Good luck and keep us posted.

I think I’m going to give myself a timeout ... after doing a little research, I see that I have a number of questions to answer about how to size the system. Once I figure that out, I will delve into the technical aspects of the hook-up. I guess I’m wondering though whether a small 250 watt inverter can run off of the trailer’s 12 volt wiring or if I have to run a wire to the battery up in front?

Here’s where the power comes in to the dvd/radio which runs on 12 volt. It’s right next to the tv so I just need to figure out which lines are coming from the battery so I can tap in.

That’s a good suggestion ... so I would either need to run wires all the way to the battery or see if there’s a place near the TV where I can access a 12 volt source for the inverter? I went with the dinette ... i gotta have a big table. I’m tweaking the dinette seating to make it a little more comfortable

So my Renogy 100W suitcase-style solar panel arrived today ... tested and works fine. I want to be able to charge my batteries when dry camping. I’ll use a generator when I need to run the A/C but it would be nice to be able to turn on the TV without the generator running. The TV that came with the trailer runs on 120v wall outlet currently. So would it be easier to install an inverter in the trailer or exchange the TV for a 12V and wire it to run off the battery? Not sure if I asked that right but maybe you get the idea?

I really wanted a topper but opted for this Extang tonneau instead. Not as much cargo space but I like having the visibility. Also the topper folds open either from the front or the rear and it’s keyed to the vehicle key which is kinda neat.

Here’ what she looks like.

Thanks! Spent the first night camping in the yard last night and all systems appear to be working properly ... I feel out of place inside the house now and prefer to be in the trailer. Maybe a sign that I’m making the mental transition from the house to the trailer. Busy packing up the house today and realized I’d better pack and outfit the trailer first so I don’t have to hunt for things once they are in storage. Duhhhh! I’ve prepped for many trips in the past and am known for my obsession with lists ... this will be a little more involved ... just on a grander scale.

Well, I travelled 700 miles round trip in a little over 24 hours (not something I’d recommend) to pick-up and bring home my prize. Will try to figure out how to take a pic tomorrow that has a smaller file size in order to post it. The walkthrough and inspection went great ... towing went surprisingly well considering I passed through the heart of St. Paul on the way home. Off to bed now and then back out to figure out all the gizmos tomorrow! I have 26 days before I have to be out of my house and will need every one of them to finish moving stuff to storage and outfitting the trailer.

I’m going to officially join the class of 2019 if I may. I’ve been hanging out in the new members forum but I’m less than a month away from Full-timer status. House sale will close on June 2Oth, I pick up my new 26’ Cougar the day after tomorrow and then it’s off to the races. I plan to full-time for a year. If it agrees with me, I will just keep going. I’m retired from a 30 year career in environmental management. My hobby is restoring and selling vintage film cameras. Have been selling on eBay for the past 10 years. I will have to shutter that operation now and will be storing approx. 100 vintage cameras that I never got around to listing. I’m a solo traveler ... empty nester ... a couple friends and my older brother will be joining the caravan with their own rigs, at least for a while, when I head for warmer weather in November or December. Will probably split my time between BLM and national forest boondock locations and park lands. I finally have a little time to work on domicile and other details. Right now I’m just gearing up for the big day on Saturday with checklists in hand. Pics will be forthcoming!