Can I Do It Myself

Hello there,

My family used to camp.  I was on my first camping trip at six weeks old so I am not 100% new to camping.  I am however new to camping with out my parent.

My boyfriend and I just purchase a 2007 Palomino Pony and we are very excited for the five of us (to humans and three dogs) to go on our first camping trip.

I guess we will find out soon enough, but is this trailer hard to set up?  The salesman at the dealership said no, but he would have said anything just to make a sale.  I was hoping to maybe get away on my own a couple of weekends this summer but if this tent trailer is as hard as I remember tent trailers to set up I guess I will always have to bring the other half.

Also, we are hoping to get a second set of everything for the new trailer (we live in a brownstone and there are alot of stairs).  What would you suggest as a good "starters kit"?

The dealers staff should be willing to teach you how to set it all up and operate everything.  If they haven't -- ask them to.

We don't pick up the trailer until April.  They did promise to show us how stuff works, but I just wanted an idea as to how easy these new tent trailers are to set up and take down.

Well, the PUP's (Pop Ups) have always been a bit more work to set up, but I think they've made them easier nowadays also.  My Dad started in one of those, and by himself he could set it up in about 15 minutes.  Once you do it a time or two, you'll find the ways to make it easier.  Definitely make sure the dealer goes over it until you are comfortable with it.  Don't let him get away until you are.

My first suggestion is to have them go over everything at least twice,  And when they are done you do a set up and take down or two IN THEIR LOT, before you hook it up.

Frankly the hardest part of using that trailer is...... Hooking up for the trip back home

Now physically, it's no different than hooking up for the trip out, but trust me, It is much, much, harder

I am really looking forward to a nice all to myself weekend.  My house feels so small the longer I wait for summer to come.

Some half a dozen years back I bought a starcraft tent trailer and they showed me how to set if up and take it down and also provided me with a video showing the same thing.  They are not hard and do not take long to set up.  Just be sure to take your time taking down so you dont make mistakes that can be cause damage.

Yes, you most certainly can do it yourself.  It's not all that difficult to hook up, tow, back into a site and level side to side, disconnect and level front to back.

I have a Fleetwood Niagara pop up camper and I solo.

Some things I've found to be of benefit are:  Couple-Mate (V shaped attachment for your hitch that allows the tongue of the trailer to be guided over the ball of the hitch).  (I bought mine for under $50 at a utility trailer/hitch shop).

Take the camper and go on a Sunday to an empty school parkinglot and practice a few times backing into the bus lanes.  It might require you to get out and check then reverse a few feet, get out and check, but, you will feel great about accomplishing this. 

The dealership may be able to give you an owners manual for this unit, and you should take the time to read it (especially when they go over the how to set ups).  If you want an idea beforehand, check out the website PopupPortal as they have manuals for download/viewing.

Holler if you have any questions!

I am really looking forward to getting out with two of the three dogs and a good book.  Thanks for all the replies.

Yes, you can do it yourself.  Pop-ups are not that hard to set up and the newer ones are easier than ever.  There's nothing that requires "brute strength."

I would suggest, if your dealer doesn't provide a video of the process, that you take a video camera with you to the pre-delivery inspection (PDI).  Then, play around backing it up and so forth in a large parking lot (as was previously suggested) - don't forget to think logically - and then, set it up outside of your apartment and practice everything you've just learned.

You'll find most of what you need for your new camper at Wal-Mart.  Don't buy everything you want to buy at first, fill up your buggy and then leave half of it behind.  New camper owners tend to over buy.

Elizabeth said:

We don't pick up the trailer until April.  They did promise to show us how stuff works, but I just wanted an idea as to how easy these new tent trailers are to set up and take down.

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I do orientation for customers when they pick up their new RV. Usually I do all the work and have them watch. My suggestion is to ask the dealer to let you do the setup with the tech watching and giving instructions. That way you will know what it feels like to crank it up and down and might possibly remember more of the operation. Anytime a customer asks to do it themself, I hand them the crank and let them go. I know they feel more confident when they leave.

Now, if you and your boyfriend are going to share the setup/takedown responsibilities I would suggest you let him crank it up and you crank it down. Much easier!!! ;D ;D

Elizabeth said:

Hello there,

My family used to camp.  I was on my first camping trip at six weeks old so I am not 100% new to camping.  I am however new to camping with out my parent.

My boyfriend and I just purchase a 2007 Palomino Pony and we are very excited for the five of us (to humans and three dogs) to go on our first camping trip.

I guess we will find out soon enough, but is this trailer hard to set up?  The salesman at the dealership said no, but he would have said anything just to make a sale.  I was hoping to maybe get away on my own a couple of weekends this summer but if this tent trailer is as hard as I remember tent trailers to set up I guess I will always have to bring the other half.

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If the dealer says they will show you, make them do it.   That is you set up the trailer with them directing you in how to do it.  Nothing replaces the actual physical doing of the chore.

Also, we are hoping to get a second set of everything for the new trailer (we live in a brownstone and there are alot of stairs).  What would you suggest as a good "starters kit"?

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Utensils: In a tent trailer, go plastic or Corning Corell for the plates and cereal bowls.  Plastic for water and wine glasses.   Any cheap stainless steel dining utensils will do.   Use insulated plastic or stainless steel coffee mugs.   Dish washing rack.   Outdoors table cloth and table clips to hold it down in a breeze.   Plastic bowls and a Watering Hole (see HERE.)

Cooking gear:  A good heavy walled aluminum skillet (thin wall skillets are junk).  One or two sauce pans -- stainless is good enough.   A stainless mixing bowl or two.  Can opener.   A good quality 10" chefs knife, a 6" utility knife, and a paring knife.   A turner and two kitchen spoons for cooking -- one slotted.  A plastic cutting board.   At least two butane fire lighters -- keep two on hand at all times.

Misc:  One good 3 D-cell flashlight and a couple of Mini-Mag AA flashlights (for personal use in the wee hours).  Screw driver set like THIS.      Curve jaw 10-12 inch Channel Lock pliers (see HERE).  6" adjustable crescent wrench.  Swiss Army knife.  Battery lantern.  Tie out chains for dawgs.   Plastic bags for dawg clean up.  Roll of quarters for laundry machines. 

One thing that needs attention with a pop up is when you pack up to leave in the rain (it will happen) that you try to set up the trailer within 8 hours, to keep mildew from forming on the canvas parts. Pop ups are pretty easy to manage to set up, just work with the dealer and do it yourself. The recommendation to go to the parking lot is important since the pop ups are tougher to back up than a 30 foot TT.

Nelson

N Smock said:

One thing that needs attention with a pop up is when you pack up to leave in the rain (it will happen) that you try to set up the trailer within 8 hours, to keep mildew from forming on the canvas parts. Pop ups are pretty easy to manage to set up, just work with the dealer and do it yourself. The recommendation to go to the parking lot is important since the pop ups are tougher to back up than a 30 foot TT.

Nelson

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Nelson,

Very true but at least with a popup you can often unhook and push it where you want!!! ;D

Nice Job Carl, I was afraid that her question about outfitting the trailer would be overlooked.

Every RV regardless of type should have a small tool kit for those unexpected things.  Your suggestions were good ones.  I keep a household tool kit in our unit (hammer, pliers, screwdrivers, misc screws, bolts etc) all of the time and usually carry a regular tool box besides that.  I also suggest duct tape (very handy for some things), twine, and a bit of rope.  Also, it is a good idea to carry a few extra fuses for your fuse box and a spare bulb for marker and tail lights.

    Carl's list is fairly complete, but stay away from the plastic plates, we went with corelle, but always kept some paper cheap plates and wicker plate holders for messy meals.  After a lot of trial and error, we settled on an oversized queen sleeping bag, that seemed to give us the best comfort.  packed a small BBQ with a couple of 1 lb tanks, since we didn't want to build an open fire every night.  When we move from our pop up to the RV we just passed on our camping kit to our daughter, who uses it while tenting

I just had to check back to see how you were doing Elizabeth....

Read all the posts, all of which are great.  Personally, I could not disconnect my close to 4,000 lb. popup and push it around.

As to stocking your PUP, your essentials will be:

White water hose, pressure regulator, maybe a filter for your hose.
Sewer hose with connectors, and maybe a 'clear fitting' to go between the camper and sewer hose (let's you know when the job is done).

Cookware (many love cast iron, but there's weight there)  (I found a nice set of T-fal at a yard sale for $2.00, cleaned it up at home and it's been great)
Dishes/utinsels/flatware (for those conscious of weight, they may advocate paper plates, plastic flatware)  (I have Corelle, clear plastic juicers and tall 'glasses', which are holding up well in the popup)

Bedding (sleeping bags or sheets) (I have memory foam topper, heated mattress pad, sheets and lt. weight comforter and lots of pillows)
Bathing items/products (towels, etc., soap, shampoo, etc)
Cleaning products (dishes, floor, walls, windows).  The vinyl windows I wipe with water and a paper towel as they will discolor if windex is used.  There is a product 'Plexus' that is available for the vinyl windows and I think you can order it online for about $13.00 a can.

Mop/Broom/Vacuum (I got mine at the dollar store, and use the sponge mop more for helping push in the tenting when closing the camper than I do cleaning the floor!)

I've found Walmart to be one of the less expensive retailers.  

Our PUP is only 1300 lbs (dry weight) so I was kind of hoping I could just push it place, but we will see once it is loaded.

Weight is a concern so we might just get paper plates and plastic utensils. 

We found a small wet/dry vacuum today for $16.99 (wireless) so we picked that up.  And we are keeping out eyes out for devut.  There are great sales out there right now so we could get a couple for less then $75 at Home Outfitters, or Ikea.  I have an Ikea duvet here at home and totally love it, so I am going to start there for bedding.  Their bedding is nice soft stuff for a great price, and there is one with in a five minute walk.

There has been alot of things on the above list that I never thought of.  Thanks to everyone.  I will make sure I take alot of pictures on our first trip with all our loot.


I CAN NOT WAIT FOR THE SUMMER.  And it's -20c here tonight.  That's no sign that summer (or spring for that matter) is around the corner.

And it's -20c here tonight.

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Wait 'till it's  -40C. That's when it's also -40F! Yeah, I know, that's not very comforting. 

Elizabeth said:

Weight is a concern so we might just get paper plates and plastic utensils. 

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The only reason for doing that is a dislike of, or inability of doing dishes.   You won't save all that much in weight -- especially if you stock up on then for single use.