Best Of

Re: Post up some shots of your [email protected] set-up at the camp site! #3

uCamp with our Hasika mounted via keder rope. Works very well and can clear the door.

5 ·

Re: Frankly its unbelievable that NuCamp builds a quality camper but just doesn't make it work better...

Sorry to hear your dealer experience was so negative. Ours was quite the contrary. Our local nüCamp dealer, who didn’t even originally sell the TaB, has taken excellent care of out TaB, and getting the required factory warranty service done. While we had to wait our turn, the service was excellent and well executed. Dealers run the gamut from great to mediocre, be it an RV or a car.

I looked at a lot of RVs before buying the TaB400, and the build quality of a lot of RVs I looked at were cheap, poorly executed and lacking in any details of craftsmanship. My standard to compare again was my 1959 Kenskill, which was the first RV I owned and lived in full time whilst in school, finishing my degree. It was well built, quality materials and well executed cabinet work.

The TaB and other nüCamp products stood out in the mass of poorly built units I had looked out. The only other manufacturer coming close was Airstream, which was more money yet. We went for a previously owned TaB400, which was in grand condition and at a good price at the time. Local dealer support has also been grand.

While there have been minor issues, they were quickly resolved by nüCamp and our local TaB dealer who provided excellent service. The TaB is well made, bit as all things mechanical, tunings can and do go wrong. It’s advanced systems, like the Alde have a bit of a learning curve, but knot that complicated or difficult to work out.

Another manufacturer of a more spartan line of RVs we considered was TAXA Outdoors, and their Cricket and Mantis, while these are well made units, they are a more spartan approach to camping, which would have worked if we were 20 years younger, but having a full head (shower and toilet) with easy access makes big difference at our age, as does the Alde system for hot water and heating. We do not do well with forced air heaters, and prefer convection heating due to our allergies.

Whilst Airstream has the Alde on their larger, most expensive trailers (we liked the BaseCamp, but it didn’t have the Alde unit either, and it was more expensive than our TaB400. So the TaB is a real quality built bargain in today’s RV market.

I think part of the issue is new RVers expect the tailer to be built like a residential home, which it is not. A better comparison would be a boat, which also run the gamut from cheap fiberglass junk to high end, well executed craft. You get what you pay for. But, I think the nüCamp TaB trailers are a bargain these days, getting a lot more RV for your money, than with most brands out there,

Cheers

Denny16

5 ·

Re: Post up some shots of your [email protected] set-up at the camp site! #3

Maiden voyage, Wind Gap PA for a 4-day bluegrass festival [Wind Gap Bluegrass Festival].

We first went for a spot in the "upper area" which due to heavy rains the night before became an unexpected grass covered mud pit. The mud was heavy clay and packed into the tread of the off road tires in the TV, no way out with this setup. We got pulled out with a tractor that pulled the TV with attached [email protected], we weren't the first and there were many more pull-outs on the last day. Ended up finding a nice rocky area between a few trees in the woods.

[email protected] worked great, we have a list to make it easier for next time, etc. Great music and a really nice venue BTW!

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5021717/uploads/editor/3p/uxgqlvr0917u.jpg

subkron

8 ·

Re: Do you "wash" your camper at campgrounds?

I would say it’s more like “generally NOT accepted”, and in many places I’ve seen, outright banned. If you think about it, your 320 is probably one of the smallest trailers there, and sure, *you* won’t use much water to clean off a little dirt, but that fifth wheel the next site over could take hundreds of gallons to fully wash. Easier for the campground to say no across the board.

If it bothers you that much, you’re best off hunting for a DIY car wash bay somewhere between those dirt roads and your campground. For smaller clean up needs, I usually carry a spray waterless cleaner (I use WashWaxAll, but there are several out there) and a few microfiber cloths, plus a plastic bag to toss them in for the ride home.

VictoriaP

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Re: Do you "wash" your camper at campgrounds?

A lot of campgrounds I've stayed out have rules specifically forbidding washing your rig at your campsite. A very few offered a dedicated wash area...

ChrisFix

6 ·

Re: Post up some shots of your [email protected] set-up at the camp site! #3

Here we are at Lost Valley Ski Area. It’s a Harvest Host in Maine. Second time here. There’s some nice hiking on the snowmobile trails. Food and entertainment in the lodge that includes a brewery.

AnOldUR

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Re: Post up some shots of your [email protected] set-up at the camp site! #3

dsfdogs said:

@Romana I'll be there in July! Let's hope the rain settles down by then, even though it's a rain forest! Did you like the park? Is the cover on your Tundra waterproof?

The park was ok, kinda small and the noise from US101 a little annoying at times. Still a good place for day trips to HOH and Rialto beach.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5021717/uploads/editor/6a/0c0avdshkjw8.jpg

Romana

5 ·

How to Navigate the [email protected] Forum (Essential for New Members)

The following linked instructions are designed to guide your entry into the Forum. They are not intended to describe every function or method nor teach you how to use your device. Be aware that your browser may impact your experience on the Forum. As technology changes, updates will be required. Please contact an Administrator or Moderator if you note any difficulties or require assistance navigating the Forum.

For full use of the [email protected] Forum features, please use the Vanilla website: https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com

Sharon_is_SAM

5 ·

2020 [email protected] Solo Li-Ion Upgrade

We got the li-ion upgrade completed on our 400 Solo.
Installed dual 100Ah batteries in parallel and a BMV-712 battery monitor.
It took a little while to get everything apart and run the wire for the battery monitor but not too bad.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5021717/uploads/editor/p6/kc17z9k1upxl.jpg

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5021717/uploads/editor/no/v59zoi4c1pob.jpg

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5021717/uploads/editor/8e/ghq5kxye9v3b.jpg

Roamy400

6 ·

Don't let this happen to you! Blocked fresh water tank overflow with Nautilus system.

(Title altered for search purposes.)

We winterized our brand new Tab 400 in the middle of May due to some late season freezing temps, so- in preparation for our long awaited first trip - we got to do our first de-winterizing routine in early June. It went off without a hitch! We opened the low point drains to clear whatever antifreeze was in the plumbing, flipped our Nautilus valves to "City Water" and flushed the line. Easy-peasy! We switched to "Power-Fill" and put a few gallons of fresh water in the tank- and flushed the lines, then switched over to "Dry Camping" mode (all while leaving the Bypass on of course), and flushed the pump and the lines again... No problem. This was getting easy.

With the hot water tank still on bypass- we got ready to sanitize using a bleach solution mixed in about a gallon of water (ratio of 1/4 cup bleach to 15 gallon of fresh). I put the Nautilus into "Sanitize" mode and added the solution to the fresh water tank -It worked wonderfully. The pump was already primed from the previous flush -so it "sucked real good"... I was stoked. Next on the list; fill the fresh-water tank, draw some bleach water through the lines, let it sit overnight, drain in the morning - we're ready to go camping...!

I put the Nautilus back in Power-Fill mode, hooked up the hose, and turned on the water. I could hear the water flowing, and everything looking good outside, I went inside the trailer to watch the Fresh tank meter so I would know when to get back outside to turn off the water. Empty.... Empty.... 1/3 full... I stood there at the door and waited. 1/3 full.... 1/3 full... 1/3 full.. waiting.. waiting... I heard a strange noise. "What was that?" Maybe the weight of the water tank filling was putting pressure on the floor or something - just a natural creaking sound....? 1/3 full... 1/3 full... Something must be wrong... What is taking so long? (probably about 5-7 minutes have passed so far). I just happened to look down at the area between the fridge and the wardrobe... the floor looked, odd, right? Or, ...wait- Was the floor rising?

IT WAS!!

I ran to the water line at the house and shut off the water- then immediately called for my wife who was inside the house organizing things- "HONEY COME HERE QUICK...!" You know what I mean- like some of us do when something is wrong and we need to validate what we're seeing with our own eyes with our spouses -to make sure it's really happening... She came and saw the same thing I was seeing- the floor in our trailer in the area above our fresh water tank was...not right.

Have you guessed yet?

Our fresh water tank (bladder) was expanding like a balloon. As water was being added - the air inside the tank had nowhere to go. The tank continued to read 1/3 full, because it was 1/3 full - with water. The floor in the area in front of the bed, and directly between the wardrobe and fridge was expanded (bloated really) perhaps as much as an inch or more - with a similar bloat showing on the bottom of the fresh-water tank. I imagined our tank puffed up like a big pillow.... I opened the fresh water drain, and yes; water (and don't forget concentrated bleach solution..) came rushing out.... No problem with these tanks holding pressure I can tell you! Anyway, we were pretty freaked out at this point. How could something so simple - and something being done for the first time- come this close to being a complete catastrophe?

Know what this is?

It's the fresh water tank overflow/breather tube, located on the underside of trailer to the left of the Nautilus and behind the tire... You guessed it: a mud wasp, (or something else that does this kind of thing)- had sealed the damn overflow tube, and I do mean SEALED! - No air or water- or anything except little wasps were going to emerge from this hole without immediate intervention.

It took us about 20 minutes to pick and poke all of the "larval stuff" out of the breather tube. We used a couple of long and then longer zip ties- to get as far as we could go. The corners were a bit tricky. We ultimately opened up the lower wardrobe area to get to the drain tube from the top...which really didn't seem to help -and I did not want to mess with the crimp on hose clamps used on all of the fittings (anyone know what those are called?)

Finally- we got the tube cleaned out as best we could- and tried again to fill tank. My wife monitored the drain tube while I turned the water on- She swore she felt a puff of air...! I ran to the trailer and watched the fresh water indicator. Empty... Empty... 1/3 full.... 1/3 full.... getting nervous..... 2/3 full.... feeling relieved, the floor was not rising... yeah! I continued to watch all the way to full- and then, gloriously- water came spurting out of the overflow tube - HALLELUJAH!! We put water in our fresh tank without blowing up the trailer!!!

I flushed out all of the lines to make sure we got all of the bleach solution out of the system- then emptied, and re-filled the fresh-tank again- twice... We checked all of the hoses/plumbing wherever we had access and saw no leaks- I do not think the pressure made it into the lines particularly after I relieved it at the drain. The drains themselves appear fine. The floor while initially a little raised, after stepping around and "jumping without leaving the floor" - returned to what appears to be normal....We bought some stainless mesh drain covering to protect the area around the breather tube. And if you're wondering- yes, I had already bought and installed a stainless mesh cover for the Alde heat vent to protect that system against mud wasps and the like...

For now, things appear okay,-and actually we just returned from that first trip yesterday and all systems appear to be fine but we will continue to monitor... Now that we're back we intend to let NuCamp know about this and see if they want to do anything (via the dealer or otherwise) to check things out... Curious what other owners thoughts are on that?

There is probably more than one moral to this story, but please do check your fresh water tank breather tube for blockage before every fill-obviously. If you have a trailer with the Nautilus system - air MUST BE ABLE TO ESCAPE during fill cycles - it does not come out through the old style hose fill tube. I hope NuCamp or any manufacturer using the Nautilus system reads this and decides to put some protection on the breather tube. This should not be something any brand new trailer owner should have to experience. This should also be noted (in bold print) in the manual for both the trailer and the Nautilus system.

Hope this helps you make sure this does not happen to you....!

awahl

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