Newby questions

[countrygirl]

Once we are in the site or location for set up and have leveled the camper and chocked the wheels we raise the ends together and slide out the bed or sofa. Then I go inside and I do the inside set up and my husband does the outside. This weekend we drycamped so we did not even use the fridge just used a big ice chest which he unloaded...and he set up the awning, camping mat and tables and chairs grill and a coleman stove (to steam the shrimp outside). Mean while I set up the bathroom walls. lock the bed in place, lock the sofa in in place and hung two cabinets on the wall. I did not time it but I think it was about 8 or 10 minutes.

I do know that the only time we feel pressure on set up is after a really long day of driving. So we have decided to make our Fall trip to two nights on the road instead of just one night on the road.

[T and C]

IMHO, one of the major advantages of the TM is its hard sides. This is because of the huge increase in the number of predators in our mountains.

In my youth, we camped all over the mountains of California and never worried about bears. The reason for this was that hunting kept the population down. The bears were just not found in areas that people frequented.

Now that hunting is severely restricted in most areas, predators have become a problem again. Here in SoCal, we frequently see newscasts of bears that get into people's jacuzzi's in the foothill communities. Last year an elementary school up in La Canada had to keep the kids in the classrooms because of a bear wandering around the neighborhood. We also have a lot of Mountain Lions and Coyotes around. (The DW had a confrontation with a Coyote on our driveway a few years back! )

I had a Coleman PU for several years. Set up didn't seem like a big deal to me. What I hated was having to remove all our food every night. They have a tremendous sense of smell, and pretty much know what is in the trailer. I have seen bears standing on picnic tables and rummaging in dumpsters within 30 feet of my trailer. Posted signs in campgrounds tell you to place all your food in the trunk of the car. Bears learn what an ice chest looks like and will peel open your car if they can see one inside. They can pull the doors off if they wish to. The signs tell you to even remove toothpaste, since they can smell it and to them it smells tasty.

When I snuggle into my bed in my TM at night, I forget all about the hungry hairys. Although even a black bear could easily break into any RV, I have never heard of it happening.

Tom

[T and C]

Originally Posted by countrygirl

Once we are in the site or location for set up and have leveled the camper and chocked the wheels we raise the ends together and slide out the bed or sofa. Then I go inside and I do the inside set up and my husband does the outside. This weekend we drycamped so we did not even use the fridge just used a big ice chest which he unloaded...and he set up the awning, camping mat and tables and chairs grill and a coleman stove (to steam the shrimp outside). Mean while I set up the bathroom walls. lock the bed in place, lock the sofa in in place and hung two cabinets on the wall. I did not time it but I think it was about 8 or 10 minutes.

I do know that the only time we feel pressure on set up is after a really long day of driving. So we have decided to make our Fall trip to two nights on the road instead of just one night on the road.

We follow almost the same routine. When we pull in late at night I just set up the TM's ends without unhooking, and then finish up in the morning. That way, we are only 15 minutes from bed when we pull in. In addition, we don't disturb other folks who are already in bed.

Tom

[tgpmd1]

We absolutely love our 2006 2720SL. Even when the weather got down to 30 degrees, we were warm and toasty inside with our two 1500w ceramic heaters. We tent camped for over 35 years and this is by far much better than that. Look at some of my posts about how long it takes to set up. We beat tent trailers and even large RVs in setting up. Yeah, you have to take a few minutes and pull out the sides and on our model, pull out the slide, but it's so worth it. People are amazed that there is so much room in our little 'box' of a trailer. Not many older houses in the D.C. area have garages, so we keep our in our driveway. Once it's opened, we have people from all over the block asking to see our trailer. And towing it is such a breeze. My grandparents owned a fifth wheel and this is so much easier to level and set up. It took about two years of trolling this site and actually seeing one in person (had to go the PA to see a TM) at an RV show to decide that the TM was right for us. Maybe in another 10 or 15 years we'll consider another type of TT, but we are young enough (even with my arthritis) that we can live with such a lightweight, easy to tow TT to consider anything else.

Good luck in finding a trailer that works for you!

Theresa

[Mrfixit]

This Forum is amazing! We haven't bought the '03 2720SL yet (hopefully next week) and I've already saved lots of $$.

DW and I have also lived aboard sailboats for many years in coastal FL and the Keys and we tent camped from Fairbanks to Key West. We've owned a popup for 12 years and typically camp 10 to 12 long weekends a year. So the TM is the next logical step for us. We are "over" the setup or takedown in the rain, and the dryout once home.

I, too, can't wait to give the TM a once-over and jump into the mods you guys have very expertly described. I'll try to document and post as I go.

Thanks again,
Skip & Eleece, along with
Fosters (the Austrailian Cattle Dog)
Bailey (the Border Collie) and
Gandy (the Blue-Fronted Amazon Parrot)

[MariaG]

Welcome!!! This forum is indeed amazing - we bought our TM knowing nothing about them, and have done all sorts of stuff to it with the help and advice of the very nice people here. We may have stumbled onto our TM, but I'm very very happy we did!

[countrygirl]

Originally Posted by LiveTicker

I previously owned a Coleman and Starcraft popup. The popups are generally lighter and cheaper. but not always! I liked the huge window areas in the popups.
For keeping warm, noise reduction in campgrounds and most of the comforts of home - the TM wins. My first trip in the TM, as we were baking biscuts in the oven, we wondered "are we camping or did we just change the view outside the house?".


I do it faster than that by myself.

Check the videos of actually setting up a TrailManor posts of this thread:
http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...ad.php?t=10772
The first video of post#5 shows the complete setup in about 5 minutes by one lady. This video doesn't skip steps like some of the other videos.
(direct link:

)

What is NOT shown is backing into a site, leveling, crank down stabilizers, connect water/electric, move food and stuff between truck and camper ...those will need to be done with any type of camper.

.

One thing that I we do differently ....then what is shown in the second video is OPEN the top half of the door and locked in place on the side of the camper before lifting either end. Keeping the door open while setting up and putting down will prevent the half circle rub marks/scratches on the back half of the TM.

...our newest family member, an 80 pound golden retriever...

Our dogs love our TM. They love it so much they go nuts when they see me back up the truck and fold down the TM.

...We have never owned a pop up/fold down camper. We are debating the cost benefits of soft side/hard side campers...

Biggest advantage of popups/TMs is that they save fuel. In the $2.50-$3.00/gal range this may not be that big a deal. When it hits $4.50+ this summer and stays there awhile, that may be the difference in going to the nearest state park or taking an adventure!

The other advantage is towing. The TM is an easy tow and one you will appreciate in windy weather. When I was driving in mountain passes out west I always made sure to hold the wheel securely due to my inexperience. After a while I discovered the TM handled just fine and was hardly any more skittish than the Tacoma was.

The big issue with all popups, and people bicker over this, is that everything must be stowed before going. Nothing can be on the counters or protruding above the sink, etc. While it may not be a huge deal some people this can be a nuisance factor, especially if you are moving every day.

The other issue is no ceiling to floor storage. That means all appliances cannot be really tall. There are no ceiling to floor wardrobes or storage. The folding nature of these beasts means that on the smaller units (like the 2619 and 2720) internal and external lockers are small. So if you plan to have a genset keep your eyes open for Honda 2000s, which are really nice anyway.

One other thing that doesn't get mentioned are the sizes of the beds. I am not sure but the 3124 (and 3326-not in production anymore) is the only model with the king bed. That means when someone gets up at night they might have to crawl over someone to get to the bathroom. If you have a king bed you don't have to do that.

My only problem is that when I come to bed, I have to convince Lady that I get the pillow not her!

...We understand the setting up and folding up a soft side camper takes approximately 3 hours out of a travel day...

If you stay organized TMs are pretty reasonable. Not only that you can keep the fulltime beds assembled which saves a lot of time.

...Plus we really want a toilet!...

I did not want to have to take the dogs for a walk at midnight because the pardette wanted privacy. The TM bathroom I think is the best of any of these folding trailers. They don't use lots of water and once you learn just how much chemicals to add they work just fine.

...Do you think that they tend to hold their value better and longer?...

I think their value lives and dies by fuel prices. It seems like the 3023s and 3124s may have jumped in value. Anything post 2003 (the year all TM shells were metal) holds their value as well as any trailer and maybe better right now (since Hi-Lo failed).

Like all trailers they lose half their value in the first few years. Since TMs cost more they lose more, just not proportionally so.

...Do you think they are generally less hassle for a couple of active 60 year olds? We love the look of the TravelManor along with the amenities they seem to offer!...

If its well adjusted you are OK, but only you can make that call. Try folding the unit a few times before you buy.

...Our pocket books will also dictate just how much of a camper we can get. We are looking for a used one that might fit the budget (just like most others)...

You may have to look around a while to find one. Craiglist is where we found ours. Be prepared to either travel to get one or spend months or a year to locate one. It is very wise to get familar with TMs so go to RV shows and lots and look at the new ones so when you find a used one you will know if its a good deal or not.

[Bill]

Originally Posted by northernsailor

We understand the setting up and folding up a soft side camper takes approximately 3 hours out of a travel day. Jo & David

Jo & David -

I don't know much about soft-sides, but this number certainly does not apply to a TM. Our rule of thumb is that from the moment our toes touch the floor in the morning, to the moment we drive out through the campground gate, an hour and a half has elapsed. This includes taking showers, getting dressed, making the bed, feeding the dog and cat, making our breakfast, eating breakfast, washing the breakfast dishes, putting everything away, moving stuff to the car as needed, draining the holding tanks, disconnecting the utilities and putting all that away, and closing down the TM. And that is if we are feeling leisurely. We can do the same thing in an hour if we rush it.

Of course, if you count only the put-stuff-away-and-take-the-camper-down part of the process, it takes about 15 minutes.

Upon arrival in the evening, the whole setup sequence, from backing into the campsite to icy martini in hand, takes 15 minutes.

My wife and I have quite a bit of experience doing this - but you will accumulate experience as well.

Bill

[ShrimpBurrito]

Originally Posted by Bill

feeding the dog and cat

I'd like to hear some stories about how this happens. Do you have some secret TM model that is the size of a house?

Originally Posted by Bill

Our rule of thumb is that from the moment our toes touch the floor in the morning, to the moment we drive out through the campground gate, an hour and a half has elapsed

On a cross-country trip last summer, we stayed at a beautiful place right along a lake in Nebraska. They had some serious rains the week prior, and as a result, the surface of the ground was dry and hard, but underneath it was saturated with water due to the lake level rising temporarily.

I woke up one morning around 7am to the sound of a downpour, and glanced out the bedroom window where I saw standing water everywhere around us.

That day, from the moment our feet touched the floor to the time we pulled out of that site with mud flying everywhere was 10-15 minutes, tops. That was really movin' it. No breakfast obviously, and the dog was only allowed a very quick pee break. If we had stayed another hour, I don't think we would have been able to make it out of there there until it dried out after several days, and even then, we may have had to get a tow.

The next night, slightly further west, we had to hang out in a laundry room to wait out a tornado warning.

These are the experiences you miss out on in a hotel.

Dave