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View Full Version : AWAITING FIRST TRAVEL TRAILER


jtingley
02-26-2008, 11:53 AM
HELLO, WE ARE FIRST TIME OWNERS OF A TT. FORMER TENT CAMPERS. WE WILL PICK UP OUR BRAND NEW 08 AMERILITE 25BH, I CAN'T EXPLAIN THE EXCITEMENT WE ARE FEELING, OUR KIDS (12,10,and 4)ARE READY TO GO THIS WEEKEND(ME TOO) BUT IT IS SNOWING HERE, SO WE WILL WAIT. WE ARE TOWING WITH A 04 F150 SUPERCREW1/2 TON
ANY AND ALL ADVICE WILL BE APPRECIATED. ME, BEING THE MOM, NEED AS MUCH HELP ON PACKING. THANKS

earljan34
02-26-2008, 04:53 PM
First of all Welcome to the Forum :D :D :D

Second congrats on the new trailer may you have many happy and safe miles of FUN!!!!

Earl

rjf7g
02-26-2008, 08:22 PM
Congrats on your new trailer. What specifically are you concerned about packing? Things will move in the cabinets when you moved the trailer, no doubt, but there are a lot of things you can do to keep things from crashing!

For example, some people use their towels and wash clothes to cushion their dishes. Some people buy a new set of dishes and simply leave them in the box for travel. We use a combination of white wire storage racks and the foamy no-slip drawer liner material.

What else are you thinking about?

Kathy
02-27-2008, 06:12 AM
Welcome and congratulations on your new trailer. All I can add on the galley stuff is think plastic, Reduces weight and breakage. Remember this is your second home. Don't forget the pencil and paper on your first outing. A dry run in the driveway was a great place to start. that way you get a idea what your family will want and/or need. I use my crock pot a lot when we camp. It frees me up to play with the family and when my hungry bunch is back to camp the meal is ready and I am not stressed. Our second run of the year is close to a shopping center of some kind so I can make that last min. run on the things I forgot. Good luck and enjoy. Kathy

jtingley
02-27-2008, 10:14 PM
thanks for all the useful info. i know we will have more questions. but takin a look at this site i should find most of the answers. thanks again.

jtingley
03-01-2008, 12:10 PM
we have waited all week and finally we have our tt home and we have spent the afternoon messing around in it. all we need is alittle warmer weather and then we will be camping.

AmeriLite21
03-02-2008, 11:02 PM
Congrats on the new TT.
Just waiting on the warmer weather, too. It should be along soon. Thought we had some today- this morning it was 78 degrees, tonight it is 34 and raining hard :roll: . Supposed to change to snow early Monday morning :cry: .
But, that's Missouri weather.
Had our first outing of the year planned for the end of April. Have to cancel as I was selected as an Employee of the Month at work and got an all expense paid weekend at Branson :D . I guess it's worth the State Park cancellation fee. DW and I had been planning a camping trip to Branson but had put it off when gas got to $3/gal.
Again, Congratulations on the new TT and hope you many fun outings.

ethomps1
03-04-2008, 03:21 PM
Congrat's and welcome - I have an AmeriLit 21MB and I really enjoy it. It's nto the highest quality on the planet, but it has served us really well.

Packing? Well, for the pantry, the KISS* method works well for me. I know that I will use 4-5 spices more than others, so I only pack what I know that I will need, something like Emeril's Essence can be put on different meats for easy cooking. We don't take extra plates and cups, because then we end up with too many dishes to do at a time.

Take your pen and paper out to the camper and pretend that you are cooking - what do you really need? And if you pack it and haven't used it by the third trip - then you don't really need it. Same with the household, washroom, etc.

Have fun! I'd love to go camping but with 4-7 inches of snow predicted for tonight, I don't think it's going to happen anytime soon!





*Keep It Simple Silly

jtingley
03-04-2008, 04:55 PM
today we have been hit by a solid sheet of ice. hubby and kids slept in trailer in driveway first night we had it home. wonder what the neighbors are thinking. probably envious. ha ha, i have been searching local campgrounds. anyone been to mccormicks creek or lake monroe in indiana?

nandj1966
08-20-2008, 04:36 PM
I remember our excitement when we first got our trailer! I can hear that in your posts. :)

Have you taken a trip yet? Tell us about it.

As for packing, my advice is to pack as LIGHTLY as you can. And pack as much as you can in the part of the TT that is closest to the trailer hitch. (Like extra coolers of ice, tents, bicycles, whatever you just "throw" in at the last. Be careful how you load it. Put it forward towards the hitch.

I don't want to scare you -- camping is SUCH FUN, but it is sooooo easy to get your TT overloaded, weight-wise. We did that with our first TT - we both packed everything we thought of that we "might" need. That was a MISTAKE.

We had an accident on the highway; :cry: went over a "dip" in the road, back end started swaying, and before we knew it, the TT was pulling us backwards down the Interstate and finally rolled over onto the median! :shock: A very busy interstate on the 4th of July weekend! Thanks to the Good Lord, He was with us or it would have been much worse.

YES, we had a sway bar, and YES we had an extra brake thingey in our car that was supposed to stop it; we had everything that should have made us safe, but NOTHING WORKED. THAT WAS A VERY SCARY EXPERIENCE, and I don't want it happening to you or anyone else.

Just BE SMART as you pack. Take only as much as you need for the trip that you're on. Pack as lightly as you can and HAVE FUN. :wink: