Terence McCann Posted July 25, 2010 Author Report Posted July 25, 2010 I'm thinking about reaching out for the VX-8R as well, but I have an HVAC system to finish paying off by September and the inspection count has been down the past couple of months. Ergo ... ham radio toys will have to wait. You'll dig the VX-8R. I sold my 5R on Ebay to help pay for it. It's waterproof which was a big selling point for camping. For those of you following along; ham radio operators always prepare for the worst weather conditions and support communications in times of need. Cell phone can, and do, go off line. When Tornado's, Hurricanes etc come along it's ham radio operators that supply the vital communications link when the $hit hits the fan. Not to mention it gives you the chance to buy some really cool kit.
Terence McCann Posted July 25, 2010 Author Report Posted July 25, 2010 I think I wanna go camping with John. Tom I believe John would be a blast to hang out with. I dig folks that don't follow the leader. Question authority.
MMustola Posted July 25, 2010 Report Posted July 25, 2010 Here is my rig. Between camping and hunting I spend 30 to 40 nights a year in it. Click to Enlarge 53.17 KB
davidlord Posted July 26, 2010 Report Posted July 26, 2010 No tent camping for me. We generally stay within a 8-10 hour range from the house. North GA mountains to the keys. Typically go to Savannah or Sebastian Inlet for the weekend trips. Trailer is 33; with 2 slides. It's like a condo once its set up. Thats why I have the Excursion. Click to Enlarge 75.62 KB
Tom Raymond Posted July 26, 2010 Report Posted July 26, 2010 Mike, the Baja will tow either of those just fine and if it's just you and the missus you'll have plenty of room for gear. With an 8 year old, and usually a friend and the toys that go with that, I easily have a half ton of stuff besides the camper. Click to Enlarge 88.87 KB My Sidekick has a curb weight of 1800 lbs and tongue weight is 120 or so. Dinette/queen bed at the back, center galley with stove and fridge, bench/single bunk up front. No head, but nothing under a ton will have one. I average about 17 MPG towing it through some pretty good hills and valleys but I haven't had it near any mountains yet. The only real caution I would give you is sway controls and weight distribution hitches don't get along with the Subaru's all wheel drive set up. I have a weight distribution hitch on my rig, but I have to be careful not to put too much spring on it. If it's too tight, the rear axle of the car unloads enough on rough terrain to get the transfer case fluttering trying to keep up with the load shift. This happens with relatively low spring rates, if the car is level the rate is too high, so I need to leave a little load on it. Tom
Terence McCann Posted July 26, 2010 Author Report Posted July 26, 2010 No tent camping for me. We generally stay within a 8-10 hour range from the house. North GA mountains to the keys. Typically go to Savannah or Sebastian Inlet for the weekend trips. Trailer is 33; with 2 slides. It's like a condo once its set up. Thats why I have the Excursion. Click to Enlarge 75.62 KB Satellite TV too - sweet.
kurt Posted July 26, 2010 Report Posted July 26, 2010 This is just me, but......... Wouldn't it be easier, and waaaay cheaper, to find a nice hotel with a pool, complimentary breakfast, and an ice machine down the hall? Why do folks drag a multi-ton operation to far away places so they can hang out in a remote limited access parking lot with trees, and share the daily ritual over a community slit trench? Don't get me wrong; I love to camp, but those rigs confine one to State owned RV ghettos with all those annoying Honda generators bup-bup-bupping through the night, don't they?
mgbinspect Posted July 26, 2010 Report Posted July 26, 2010 Mike, the Baja will tow either of those just fine and if it's just you and the missus you'll have plenty of room for gear. With an 8 year old, and usually a friend and the toys that go with that, I easily have a half ton of stuff besides the camper. Click to Enlarge 88.87 KB My Sidekick has a curb weight of 1800 lbs and tongue weight is 120 or so. Dinette/queen bed at the back, center galley with stove and fridge, bench/single bunk up front. No head, but nothing under a ton will have one. I average about 17 MPG towing it through some pretty good hills and valleys but I haven't had it near any mountains yet. The only real caution I would give you is sway controls and weight distribution hitches don't get along with the Subaru's all wheel drive set up. I have a weight distribution hitch on my rig, but I have to be careful not to put too much spring on it. If it's too tight, the rear axle of the car unloads enough on rough terrain to get the transfer case fluttering trying to keep up with the load shift. This happens with relatively low spring rates, if the car is level the rate is too high, so I need to leave a little load on it. Tom I pull my twenty-nine foot Keystone Hornet with a 2004 Dodge Durango with a Hemi in it - plenty of muscle. Yup, the gas mileage is frightful - like maybe 8 or 9 MPG in the mountains. Click to Enlarge 70.7 KB But the setup had a tendency to begin to bounce in spite of some very stout weight distributing hitches. Finally, I took it back to the dealer and complained about the handling. It was discovered that the trailer was 1000 lbs over the rating for the Durango, which really pissed me off since they sold it to me based upon that vehicle and suggested and installed the hitch. Worse yet, the Hornet is hard to beat due to tons of glass (light) and a floor plan that affords a peninsula, bar stools, and two lazy-boy swivel chairs. Click to Enlarge 71.3 KB Click to Enlarge 52.42 KB Click to Enlarge 50.96 KB So, I had to think outside the box and came up with some innovative ways to reduce the tongue weight. I also went to my tire dealership and they sold me some awesome tires that run on 44 PSI, which made ALL the difference. It handles beautifully now. I really hadn't given much thought to the tires on the tow vehicle, but the difference was immediately night and day, so keep in mind you can get some stiffer tires if needed. The ones I got were Cooper Discover ATs and they're impressive. Click to Enlarge 89.39 KB For those new to towing lengthy trailers, the day you swerve to miss anything on the road is the day you get into a sway that can't be stopped and ends up with a flipped and totaled trailer, so don't even ever think about it. Whatever is ahead, slow down and brace for impact. It's your only hope. I don't let anyone else pull it, because I am reasonably convinced that most ladies will not be able to resist the overwhelming instinct to swerve. I could be wrong, but don't care to find out.
mgbinspect Posted July 26, 2010 Report Posted July 26, 2010 This is just me, but......... Wouldn't it be easier, and waaaay cheaper, to find a nice hotel with a pool, complimentary breakfast, and an ice machine down the hall? Why do folks drag a multi-ton operation to far away places so they can hang out in a remote limited access parking lot with trees, and share the daily ritual over a community slit trench? Don't get me wrong; I love to camp, but those rigs confine one to State owned RV ghettos with all those annoying Honda generators bup-bup-bupping through the night, don't they? Hey, Kurt. Most privately owned campgrounds these days also have decent to state of the art hookups for trailers. They also almost always have nice pools, playgrounds and game rooms, nature trails, along with some sports like volleyball and basketball. One really nice thing about campgrounds in general is that the people are usually iniquely friendly, genuinely interested in who you are and where you've been, and helpful - kinda like family. It's not the kind of atmosphere you'd expect. I've met retired folks that don't even have a home anymore and have been traveling the USA for years. It's pretty interesting. I've been doing the trailer thing on and off for about twelve years and have never once had a bad experience regarding another soul at a campground. Everyone seems to be very respectful of others and the managements do a great job of keeping things like stereos to an acceptable level. I'm also able to throw my kayak and mountain bike in the trailer. It's nice to have them along. I kayaked the three rivers of Pittsburgh and toured the city on mountain bike while at their Pro-ASHI Seminar a couple of years ago, which was great.
hausdok Posted July 26, 2010 Report Posted July 26, 2010 Mike, Tom, Thanks for the insights. David, whew, that's one impressive rig; a Tab would probably fit in the living room! ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike
Tom Raymond Posted July 26, 2010 Report Posted July 26, 2010 The wife tows ours, she can even hook it up herself. Then again, she has her CDL permit with all endorsements except haz mat and steel coils.
Tom Raymond Posted July 26, 2010 Report Posted July 26, 2010 Mike, Tom, Thanks for the insights. David, whew, that's one impressive rig; a Tab would probably fit in the living room! ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike If your thinking the TaB is too much and retro is your thing, check out these: http://bigwoodycampers.com/ Click to Enlarge 43.92 KB Tom
Jim Katen Posted July 26, 2010 Report Posted July 26, 2010 . . . If your thinking the TaB is too much and retro is your thing, check out these: http://bigwoodycampers.com/ Those things are cute as all get out, but how do they prevent the cabin door from leaking? - Jim Katen, Oregon
Terence McCann Posted July 26, 2010 Author Report Posted July 26, 2010 I'm also able to throw my kayak and mountain bike in the trailer. It's nice to have them along. I kayaked the three rivers of Pittsburgh and toured the city on mountain bike while at their Pro-ASHI Seminar a couple of years ago, which was great. You ever shoot the rapids on the Yakagany Mike? Also, are you going the the PRO-ASHI seminar this year? I'm going but they haven't sent me any info yet.
Terence McCann Posted July 26, 2010 Author Report Posted July 26, 2010 This is just me, but......... Wouldn't it be easier, and waaaay cheaper, to find a nice hotel with a pool, complimentary breakfast, and an ice machine down the hall? Why do folks drag a multi-ton operation to far away places so they can hang out in a remote limited access parking lot with trees, and share the daily ritual over a community slit trench? Don't get me wrong; I love to camp, but those rigs confine one to State owned RV ghettos with all those annoying Honda generators bup-bup-bupping through the night, don't they? Cheaper yes however I don't think anyone who has a Class A,C, 5th wheel or travel trailer looks at that. It's like saying why have a '66 GTO when a Honda Civic will get you there as well. It's a hobby as well as an adventure. Most better campgrounds have full hookups - fresh water, sewer, 30 or 50 amp electric, cable TV and some have wi-fi. You can go to the campground, use your own shower, head and have AC & heat. I don't recall ever having to listen to a generator running. I think the only thing we've ever run into is teenagers playing loud music/drinking. That's one reason I like to stay in state campgrounds as park rangers have a limited sense of humor about those things and will oust them in a heartbeat. As Mike pointed out too you meet some pretty nice folks. We've had some great conversations with total strangers around the camp fire - good stuff. It's also nice to see families with kids playing outdoor games or riding their bikes around. Don't get me wrong, you still run into the some undesirables but you get them in hotels too.
mgbinspect Posted July 26, 2010 Report Posted July 26, 2010 I'm also able to throw my kayak and mountain bike in the trailer. It's nice to have them along. I kayaked the three rivers of Pittsburgh and toured the city on mountain bike while at their Pro-ASHI Seminar a couple of years ago, which was great. You ever shoot the rapids on the Yakagany Mike? Also, are you going the the PRO-ASHI seminar this year? I'm going to be going but they haven't sent me any info yet. I've never done white water, Terance. I mostly use the kayak for a good workout and a great additional perspective on wildlife photography. The stealth has allowed me to cruise right up on creatures that had no idea I was around. I figure I was lucky to learn snowboarding at age 55 without any major injuries, although I did endure quite a few spills and yard sales (a yard sale is when you go down so hard and fast that you loose everything - helmet, glasses, etc. and usually get the wind knocked out of you - a big ouch.) So, I don't really entertain challenging white water for the first time at 57. No major aches or pains to date - not even a hint of arthritis and hoping to keep it that way. I went to my first Pro-ASHI Seminar about ten years ago and literally fell in love with Pittsburgh. What a beautiful and fun town. It's funny how on a Sunday all life stops and a migration to the Three Rivers Stadiums begins. Even the tour boats all suddenly become shuttles to the stadiums. I've returned to Pittsburgh numerous times for no reason at all and, have turned on a couple of my kids to the town as well. I've attended a few Pro-ASHI seminars as both an inspector and a vendor. I always mean to go and now that you've asked, I'll do my best to make it.
mgbinspect Posted July 26, 2010 Report Posted July 26, 2010 The wife tows ours, she can even hook it up herself. Then again, she has her CDL permit with all endorsements except haz mat and steel coils. In that case, she'd be welcome to tow mine and I'd trust her every bit as much, if not more, than I trust me. Pulling a trailer long distances can whiten the knuckles a little and relief would be nice. [:-thumbu]
Terence McCann Posted July 26, 2010 Author Report Posted July 26, 2010 Ya know one of the things I like the most about camping? Walking around the campground in the morning and smelling bacon cooking.
Marc Posted July 26, 2010 Report Posted July 26, 2010 In that case, she'd be welcome to tow mine and I'd trust her every bit as much, if not more, than I trust me. Pulling a trailer long distances can whiten the knuckles a little and relief would be nice. [:-thumbu] Been there, done that. 3 tons of crushed limestone in a trailer that weighed 1 ton empty. 22re four banger Toyota pickup. I got 4 round trips per clutch, 50 miles each trip. My mechanic even gave me a 'bulk' discount, $250 per clutch! All that is history now with my 3/4 ton Dodge diesel. I did what I had to do with what I had. I know, ya don't have to tell me....it's nuts.[:-dunce] Marc
davidlord Posted July 26, 2010 Report Posted July 26, 2010 I like the little tear drop rigs but they just won't work for my crew and the gear we take with us. The Excursion (along with a weight distribution and sway control hitch) makes towing my rig pretty sway free. The push and pull that a semi causes when it passes you made me pucker a bit at first but now I don't even notice it. We also travel and stay in nice hotels and all that but camping is just good family fun. Like I said though I don't want to head out cross country in it. Ditto the nice folks you meet at campgrounds. We stay at a campground in the keys (Bluewater Key RV Resort) about mile marker 14 or so that has a private boat dock and tiki hut at every site right on the water. Privately owned and full of Prevost coaches. We take our Kymco scooters with us and ride them all over Key West. Most of the other times we stay at State parks. Topsail Hill in Destin is probably one of Florida's nicest state parks.
mgbinspect Posted July 26, 2010 Report Posted July 26, 2010 Ya know one of the things I like the most about camping? Walking around the campground in the morning and smelling bacon cooking. Indeed and walking around at night with the stars, crickets, campfire smoke and small-talk.
Terence McCann Posted July 26, 2010 Author Report Posted July 26, 2010 Privately owned and full of Prevost coaches. The wife and I go to Marco Island, in Fla, when we can or as $$ allows. We pulled into a motor home resort close by and wanted to have a look around. We were asked if we had a Class A as it was the only RV allowed - sure, we have a Class A... We drove through the guarded compound to see lots that were meticulously manicured with 1M dollar Prevost coaches perfectly set around a lake or three. I don't run with those dogs.
davidlord Posted July 28, 2010 Report Posted July 28, 2010 While we are on the subject of toys. T-top, electronics, and trim tabs in progress. Click to Enlarge 43.47 KB Click to Enlarge 42.74 KB Click to Enlarge 43.96 KB
Erby Posted July 28, 2010 Report Posted July 28, 2010 Mike, If you were a true minimalist, you'd just throw a couple of towels in the Baja and go to nearby Lake Bronson! OK, maybe an air mattress for the bad back. -
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