Need some ideas on prepping TT

mtb4life · 09-22-2016, 10:48 AM

We've had our 25BHS for about a year now and looking to upgrade to a 5th wheeler. Currently, our TT fits and is stored in our side yard which makes fixing and prepping very convenient.

These changes everything once we upgrade as it will no longer fit in the side yard. We have to store it somewhere when not in use.

For those that had to store their TT when not in use, how do you prep your trailer for camping? I have to say that the curbside parking is not an option as we live in a cul de sac.

bansai · 09-22-2016, 11:02 AM

Ours is in storage when not in use, but I do have the ability to park in front of my house for a while to pre-pack. Not having that option, I would keep as much of your gear in your camper as you possibly can. Use the plastic totes / crates from home depot or wherever for the items that you need to load into the camper before you leave on a trip. If the crates are all the same size, you can stack them in your TV when done packing. When you get home (or back to the storage lot after a trip), just reverse the process. We take an extra crate for dirty dishes.. etc that we wash when we get home in the dishwasher, etc...but if you have the time / desire, your dishes really never have to leave the camper. next time we go to storage, we put the clean dishes back in the camper. Same thing with clothes. This trip to storage is 'in between trips', and usually we just drive the car there. This 'extra trip' can be avoided, but it also gives us the opportunity to inventory what is on board, put our clean clothes back in, etc.

We have a separate set of clothes that stay in the camper all the time, unless they are at home being washed.. Dishes, cups, games, movies, some dry goods, etc. The only thing we typically need to add when we arrive at storage is our perishable food, which we pack in crates at home and have ready to go. Our storage lot is 20 miles south of town, and even though I can park in front of my house, sometimes we are pressed for time and are heading south anyway, so it makes a lot more sense for us to not have to 'fetch the camper' bring it home, pack, and then drive out, passing the same storage lot I had just visited earlier.

Only thing I would add is it's critical.. well smart anyway.. to have a list of what you have on hand in your camper - at home -. It's pretty lame to show up at your campsite to discover you've forgotten the paper towels because you 'thought' you still had some on board. We try (but often forget) to make a shopping list of things the camper is running low on, so once that particular trip is over and we get home, we know what needs to be restocked.

bankr63 · 09-22-2016, 11:48 AM

We only do a major fit out of ours twice a year - Spring and Fall for (de)winterization; not something you likely do where you are. After that pretty much everything stays in the TT at the storage lot. I do pick up the TT and street park one day in advance of a trip so I can pre-cool the fridge, but my lot does have a temporary electric hook up so I could do it there (but that would be an extra trip, and it ain't close). On the way home we usually drop the TT at the lot and empty the fridge into a cooler for the 20 minutes home. Most of the stuff that comes home; laundry bags, bike panniers, kayak paddles, are in the back of the truck, not the trailer.
Mostly it takes just a little bit of planning. There is always a bag of clean laundry at home standing by for the next trip, and the few dishes that didn't get washed and came home for cleaning. Note that I can even take care getting our gear home as the Kayaks are usually on the roof of the TV and I can swap the bike rack from the TT to the TV once I've unhitched. Do it a few times, and it becomes second nature. Will be starting the cycle again tonight as we head out tomorrow for what will probably be the last trip for the year before we winterize.

mtb4life · 09-22-2016, 10:10 PM

Thanks for some great suggestions.

need-a-vacation · 09-23-2016, 04:06 AM

MTB,

Are you able to fit the possible 5er in the driveway at all by chance? We don't have the room to store our tt at our house, but do have room to get it in the drive. We will get the tt the day before a trip (maybe two days depending on weather and schedules) so we can pack the tt.

Unlike some, we do move clothes back and forth for a trip. The tt does have specific linens that stay, only the dirty ones get removed and washed after a trip. Everything else stays in the tt: dishes, grill, ez-up, camp chairs, etc. We use the outdoor fridge for water and pop, and I am even leaving the bottled water in the outdoor fridge now between trips. Just makes it easier to pack and unpack.

Good luck!

Screwby · 09-23-2016, 05:46 AM

We, like the others who mentioned it before, keep everything in the trailer aside from perishable food and clothes. I like the separate clothes in the trailer idea but just haven't implemented it yet. I keep it fully stocked at all times and ready to go. It's much less stressful when all you have to do is grab personal items and a cooler of food and go camping. My other thought was if anything ever happened to the house (insert disaster here) we have a mobile house fully stocked with the comforts of home waiting to roll.

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