[RockyMtnRay]

Originally Posted by Bl95070

Hi, everyone, I am deciding on TM and Checked out the trailmanor user's manual.

After reading the manual, I am havinng second thoughts about owning a travel trailer. I do not think that I can enjoy my trip with all the check list.

Unless you're very wealthy and have an army of servants to take care of every travel detail, all travel involves some degree of checklist use, albeit the checklists may be mental. Even if you're going to stay in hotels/motels and eat in restaurants, you still have to remember to pack suitcases with everything you think you'll need. And once you arrive, you still have to go through the processes/checklists of toting the luggage to your room and unpacking the suitcases; then repacking the suitcases prior to departure and toting them to your car. And if you're traveling by air, then you also have all the processes/checklists that involve airports, luggage, security, etc...and all the processes of ground transportation at the destination end of the trip. Finally, hotel based travel also involves the processes of seeking out a good restaurant, finding a way to get there, being seated/ordering food, waiting for food to be served, etc.

If you decide to "just go camping" with a tent, you still have to remember to bring tent and accessories, sleeping bags and accessories, cooking gear and accessories, food and accessories (like coolers). And once you arrive there's a fair amount involved in "setting up camp" and "tearing down camp" on departure. Furthermore, even meal prep and post meal cleanup can become challenging because you don't have the normal conveniences (like a supply of running water and a convenient way of properly disposing of food/wash water after the meal). And if the weather is inclement, then cooking/eating outside can be even more challenging and even somewhat miserable.

The bottom line is no travel is really simple.

These checklists seem overwhelming largely because you're not used to the terms, not familiar with the processes therein, nor used to bringing so much stuff (especially food) with you on a trip. But keep in mind that most of the processes that have to be performed are individually super simple and become, as BrigCA61 notes above, quite routine and fast. And obtaining/loading most of the stuff the checklists tell you to bring/have/equip the trailer with is largely a one-time event or, at most, a once a year event. The best analogy I can think of is having a TM is much like having a resort-area cottage on wheels...it needs annual maintenance and a one-time (or maybe one-time-per-year) general stocking, but the rest of the year you just have to stock it with perishable consumables (like food and toiletries) and items like clothing, towels, and linens that need to be periodically laundered at home or at a laundromat. So, once you get the one-time stuff out of the way and learn the processes, here's how much time it takes me:

pre-trip check list.
trip check list.

Once I got the trailer fully equipped and get the annual maintenance out of the way, pre trip and trip checklists take very little time to perform. I only need about an hour in total to open the trailer for loading, check tire pressure, fill the water tank, charge the toilet, load clothing/gear/towels, replenish general consumables (e.g. paper towels), stock the refrigerator (which I start precooling the day before departure), close the trailer and hook it to my truck. If I'm staying at a full hookups campsite, I can skip the loading of water. Keep in mind that if you were staying in a hotel, you'd need several minutes to properly pack suitcases ...and would spend several hours a day over the course of breakfast/lunch/dinner simply locating places to eat, traveling there, waiting for food to be served, traveling back, etc. Remember, they don't call the people in these places "waiters" for no reason.

All the rest of the required pre-trip stuff is either stored in the trailer or is kept in plastic bins which I can load into my truck in about 5 minutes.

setup check list

From arrival at a campsite to having the trailer fully set up and ready for occupancy takes me about 20 to 25 minutes. And that includes hooking up the water/electric/sewer if the campsite has those amenities. The actual leveling of the trailer and opening (raising the shells, sliding out the bed/slide, etc.) is about 10 minutes.

About the same time it would take me to check in to a hotel, tote my luggage up from the parking lot, and unpack everything. Remember that once you load your clothing into the TMs wardrobe and drawers, it's already "unpacked" and ready for use. And the bathroom already has your toiletries just like at home. And the galley is ready for immediate meal preparation...no waiting or searching for a place to eat.

take down check list

20 to 25 minutes again from start until the trailer is folded and hooked up to my truck...and that includes toting stuff to the truck that I'll want access to enroute.

post trip check list.

25 minutes to unhook the trailer, open the trailer, unload/clean the fridge, unload the dirty clothing/towels/linens, close the trailer, and store it in my garage.

Each check list has about 20 things and 2 hours of work to do. This would not be a vacation, it is a check list trip.

In reality, many of the checklists have less than 20 items and most of the items (with practice) take well less than a minute to perform. The only time I spend more than 2 hours at a time working with my TM is during pre-season preparation...and that's a once a year thing.

also, some of the stuff takes practice and skill to do. I may be too suburban for a RV. Having a RV by a pristine lake sure sounded good. Maybe I am not cut out to be a TM cowboy.

I will look again before I leap.

Methinks you're not so much "too suburban" (suburban living requires lots of home and landscape maintenance, some of it semi-technical) but more likely "too hotel" oriented. The number of steps and total time involved in travel with a TM is, if anything, less than the number of steps and time involved in doing the same trip if you were staying in a hotel. Yes, there's a bit more pre-trip process/time for TM travel (in my experience mostly having to do with ensuring food is on board and the needed equipment for cooking the food is in the trailer)...but the time savings (and reduction in hassles) after arrival are huge.

During the summer months, I use my TM for all travel (even for business) because I've found I actually have more time available for activities and that it's overall much simpler than if I were to stay in hotels. In the winter, I occasionally have to stay in motels/hotels on my trips and detest the delays, multitude of steps, and lost time involved in the checkin/out, unpack/pack, and eatery searching/waiting processes.

And TM camping is so much easier and simpler (especially after arrival) than tent camping that there's really no comparison.