10 Day trip

[Sinclue]

We recently returned from a ten day trip to the desert (S.California).  We had hookups the first and last nights (en route), but “dry” camped in between.  Our first setup was for two nights and our second was five nights (as Red Rock State Park).  Temps were upper 60s-70s in the daytime and upper 40s/lower 50s at night.  First couple of nights we had plenty of wind (gusts into the 30mph range) and the trailer was solid as a rock.  A few years back in the same location we literally had the canvas blown out of our Jayco popup by the gusting wind.  No problem this time.  

First thing I noticed was that I had to readjust my WD hitch.  I had been dropping two links, but after a couple of hours of driving there was noticeable bounce at the rear.  I readjusted to three links and everything leveled out and tightened up.  I’m not sure what the exact reason was, but I suspect that we were carrying more weight like extra water (since water is scarce and pretty bad tasting when you can get it) and our new dual 6v battery setup--two Trojan T-105s.  But I’ve been told that there can also be some “break-in” of the hitch over time.  

Second thing was the lost bolt on the hold-down latch (see “Check Your Nuts...” elsewhere in this section).  That occurred the first night where we also encountered some of that cold white stuff falling out of the sky that some of you are very familiar with.  A light dusting was plenty for us!  

Those were the only two sort of maintenance issues.  We augmented our battery setup with a 15w solar panel that produces about 1amp of charge per hour.  With conservative power use (15a or less per day) and some replenishment via the solar panel we had no problem dry camping five nights.  The gauge never hit the low range.  We have decided to purchase a larger solar panel (75w) that will produce about 4+ amps.  With the two we should be able to replenish at about 5+ amps per hour which should more than cover our normal usage.  We don’t carry things like TVs and microwaves so the furnace has been our biggest draw.  But we now have a Heater Buddy that effectively takes the furnace’s place.  I’m not sure whether I’ll bother to install the panel on the roof or just locate it as needed.  

What we do want to do for sure is replace the foam in the mattress.  Even with the “egg crate” topper we were touching bottom by the 6th night.  We’ve rotated and even flipped (by removing the cover and putting it back on...a real struggle) the mattress.  We sleep on a foam mattress at home, but its way firmer.  Estimate for a replacement: $150.  

For us the biggest issue is still the toilet...or more specifically the odor.  We’ve tried all the suggestions, but its still a weak point.  I’ve got to believe that a regular setup with holding tank would be more practical and really not add a significant amount of weight.  We did carry the cartridge section from a porta potti and wound up emptying the toilet every two days.  A lot easier way to carry/empty than our 10gal blue tote and takes up less space.  

We’re still hoping for a better screen door solution.  We like to keep the whole door open (the dogs like to sit in the doorway and keep an eye on things) whenever possible.  We’re using one of those hanging/velcro arrangements, but it requires lots of adjusting and breezes can open gaps unexpectedly.  

I tried to post a couple of pictures, but was unsuccessful.  Things act like they are going to work, but nothing gets uploaded.  Any suggestions?

jim

Jim,

Sounds like you enjoyed a fun trip in your TM. The best overall potty chem solution we've found so far (and we've tried many) is to use Campa Chem "Natural" along with 1 or 2 "Poddy Toddy" tablets as recommended on this group. We just aren't having any odor problem with this combination and it also keeps the seals lubricated. We supplement the 7 gal capacity of the potty with a 5 gal tote, which is easy to store in the rear outside compartment. To get an idea when to dump into the tote so as not to overfill, just fill it with 5 gal of water and dump that into an empty potty, then take note of where the guage ends up and that becomes your 5 gal dump point. Good advice on the bolts and probably not a bad idea to carry some extras just in case. Regarding solar, this will be my next major project. I'm shopping around for 2 75W panels to have 150W on the roof for ~10 Amps of charging capacity in full sun. I was planning to go with 2 6V batteries on the tongue but that would require having the bracket lowered about an inch, thereby reducing ground clearance as this would be the lowest point. Instead, I opted for 2 12V Trojan batteries, each with 105AH capacity for a total capacity comparable to a 6V arrangement. There's always something to tinker with, which provides a nice diversion from the daily grind. We just returned from an all night star party in the AZ desert, where we received lots of interesting stares and inquiries about our TM. My favorite comment was "Wow, that unit has everything" ;D. When asked what it weighed, I pulled a "funny" and said "Oh, a few hundred pounds or so with full tanks" :P. The guy didn't question me. We're planning a trip up the California & Oregon coast in Jul so maybe the solar will be in place by then  ???. Stay safe .

Wade

Quick note on the mattress situation, have you considered one of those nice inflatable ones (around $32.00 or so)? They're lightweight, easily inflated with the accompaning 12v air pump, and deflated easily for travel.........they are pretty comfortable to boot......(and they come in just about every bed size). Just a thought..........Anyone have any experience using the inflatable mattress's in their TM? I've used them tent camping, but not since getting the TM............

[glow=red,2,300]Happytrails.........[/glow]

Guys, on the toilet odor problem. We have followed the directions on the bottle, and we have not had any odor for the two and a half years that we have had the TM.  

I wonder why some have a problem and others not?  

Chris B,  

A good question.  Could have to do with what liquid versus solid waste is going into the unit.  Ourssometimes does begin to smell (like on an extended vacation).  On those ocassions, we sacrifice by charging the toilet  and running the liquid through the unit repeatedly, then dumping it without putting in any waste.  Its our ocassional maintenance that we might do after 2-4 times emptying the toilet.  It may cost a bit, but we don't want that smell any more than other folks do!

How do you empty the black water into a porta-potty cartridge?  Seems to me that there should be a simpler way than to use the sewer hose, as this needs to be rinsed.  Is there a shorter connection that anyone has devised.

[Sinclue]

I had an old hose that was split in the middle, so I just finished the cut and added the fittings (90º on one end, coupler on the other).  Gives me about 3' and fits perfectly into the porta potti opening.  We fill it to approx 2/3 with black and then finish with grey water.  May take two trips, but the hose gets clean enough.  

Jim

RE: odor problem

We just returned from a trip that included boondocking in 90+ temps. Odor was a problem but only on the dry spells. When in a rv park I dump daily and that does the trick. When in government parks we do the two in their pots and have no problems.