Impressions after first short camping trip

vito

After owning the T@b for almost a month we finally got away to a very nice KOA campground to give the T@b its maiden voyage. Now that we're home I thought I'd share my impressions, especially for those on the forum who are not yet in possession of their T@b. 

In summary, the trip was great and the T@b performed exactly as expected. Towing the camper was a breeze, keeping up a pretty steady 60 to 65 mph. The auxiliary mirrors that I added to my regular mirrors on my Subaru Outback were a big help, letting me see traffic far behind my T@b. (Gas mileage was terrible. My Outback normally gets about 26 mpg on the highway, but for this trip we averaged just over 13 mpg!) Once at the campground it took no time at all to level the camper, set down the stabilizers and hook up the electric, water and sewer lines. I do think that I will pick up a "Y" connector so that I can run sewer lines from both the gray water and black water tanks. Since I did not have this, I hooked up the black water sewer line only. When we left after our very short stay, which included washing dishes, each of us taking a morning shower, handwashing, etc. the gray water tank was still not totally full, so everything went well. I did notice that the distance downward from the dump valves to the sewer connection in the ground was not very much, so that gravity did not work as well as I hoped it would. A few time I lifted the sewer line from the valve area and "walked" the liquid down until it drained into the sewer connection. 

The Alde worked prefectly for making hot water. In fact, the water was so hot I had to be really careful when adjusting the shower. It seemed to generate the hot water very quickly. The a/c unit was great, but quite noisy. The ceiling fan was excellent and relatively quiet, and earlier in the day before it got too hot it was an adequate way to keep the T@b comfortable with all the windows open. The refrigerator was fine, but it does seem to take a long time to get cold initially. I hooked the T@b up to a 110 line in my garage the night before we left, switching over to battery power once we were underway. It was cold by the morning, but I'm not sure it would have been fully cold had I hooked it up just prior to our departure. 

We cooked dinner on my portable Cuisanart grill (an excellent appliance that can sit on top of a picnic table and runs on the smaller containers of propane) and cooked vegetables on the stove top in the camper. Space is always at a premium and as long as I stayed out of the camper while my wife was cooking it worked well. It does help to remember to turn on the propane tank before expecting the stove to work!

Probably the biggest challenge was when we wanted to get ready to go to bed. Converting the table and bench area to a bed is easy, but there is nowhere in the T@b to just put stuff while you are doing it. I should have exited the camper, but I was inside, along with our small dog, as my wife set up the bed. Its not easy getting a sheet over the cushions and during the night the sheets slipped and bunched a bit. How to actually lie down was a challenge. It seemed to make sense to lie lengthwise in the camper, with our head toward the back of the camper. But when I tried that, twice I banged my head while trying to sit up. Lying in the opposite direction didn't work too well, as it makes getting out of bed a real task, and then you are not in position to watch the TV screen (more on that later). We ended up sleeping from side to side, i.e., from one wheel to the other wheel. It meant my wife had to climb over me to get out of bed while I was there buy it worked out okay because we are both somewhat short. 

Using the TV to play a DVD took a bit of effort. It probably would have helped to read the Jensen manual but I just tried on my own until I figured out which remote control to use for what action and which source brings in the DVD to the screen. With the speakers in the rear of the trailer it was hard to get it loud enough to hear over the sound of the a/c without feeling like it was blasting our brains out. Again, the loudness of the a/c unit made watching any TV a bit more trouble than it was worth and we shut it off after less than half the movie had played. 

Using the toilet in the middle of the night worked surprisingly well, with each of us able to do so without awakening the other. 

Space to fit what we needed was a real challenge, and the problem was solved by keeping most of everything in our TV. Had it been raining that would not have worked out so easily. Other than the small cabinets, all of which have very shallow depth, storage is limited to the under-seat areas and behind the sofa backrest. I had foolishly been storing my electrical line, with extension, fresh water hose, dolly jack and other items under the seat next to the door. I have since relocated most of this to large storage bins that I will keep in my TV so that all of the space within the T@b can be used for food, clothing and other items essential to have immediately available. And I need to find some small shelves or baskets to attach to the walls where there is open space since there is no place to just put small stuff down, like the contents of my pockets when I am preparing for bed, other than on the very limited counter space covering the stove and sink. So in the morning, when I wanted to set up my Keurig to make coffee, and my wife wanted to cook some scrambled eggs on the stove, we had to relocate all the little stuff we had put down on that counter the night before.  I guess it is just a matter of experience to figure this stuff out.

Finally, we had several people ask about the T@b or request a chance to see inside the camper, ranging from staff at the campground to neighbors and even folks just walking around the campground in the evening. This included one young child who asked me "why is your camper so small?". 

I am excited about going back on the road again, this time for a more extended stay. Seeing the huge travel trailers, 5th wheels and motorhomes semi-permanently sited at the campground, where a few owners admitted it was a real challenge to actually move these things from place to place, I was especially happy to have my little T@b. 

tpurr02

Nice, Vito!  Please share photos -- it's mandatory for Maiden Voyages

jkjenn

@vitothat 's great! You will figure out where to stow stuff as you go out a few more times. I am still finding better storage options.

RE: the sewer and angle - you might try these sewer hose risers. I use them and they work great.

Nomad

You'll find that dump station elevations are all over the board. And some slope backwards because the big rigs drain to the back. One thing you can do if you have Lego type block for leveling is just lay a stack down and raise the T@B up, when done drive off and stow.

Fletch

Our t@b is new this year but our kitchen is outside. To make bedding the bedding easy to set up, I took a regular bedspread and cut it down. I sewed a pocket on the flat sheet and bedspread to keep it tucked in the bottom of the bed. We also added a 4 inch memory foam mattress. We store the bedding in a container when we turn the bed into a table.  The bedding easily attaches to the bed and stays well. It takes a while to locate the baskets and containers that fit. I have found  that the command hooks work great to hang keys etc. they also make little containers for things like tooth brushes  and spices. I use the hooks to hang cups in the kitchen when you are set up. Every campground we have been to generates several people who want to look at the t@b.

Playc

vito - Congratulations and thanks for sharing your experience.  We are new to camping and will pick up our new TAB S Sofitel this afternoon from Prince Craft in Austin.  Nervous but very excited.

I read some posts stating to hook up the grey tank and just prior to leaving then connect the black one.  You reported the other way.  Like to learn which way makes sense.

Also Y-connector seems to be a good idea.  Please post when/where/price you can get it.

See you all at the campgrounds or Interstate.  Happy camping

vito

Just found a simple Y-connector on Amazon for just under $11 (Camco 39812 RhinoFLEX Wye). I also just ordered the suggested Camco Sidewinder Plastic Sewer Hose Support for $28. 

I hooked the sewer line up to the black water tank because the holding tank for that is only 6 gallons and I didn't want to risk having the tank fill up (I don't have much of a feeling yet as to how many times you can use the toilet to fill up the tank) and I felt that filling the larger 16 gallon gray water holding tank was less likely even though you use gray water much more often that the black water. It also meant that when I dumped the tanks it had the gray water "cleaning" out the sewer hose at the time we were unhooking and leaving the campground. My sewer hose is really two sections of 10 feet each (when expanded) so I will try, in the future, to park right next to the sewer connection in the ground and able to use each section of my hose as a separate hose and connect them both to the "y" connector I just ordered. At a full hook up campground it would be nice to be able to use as much water and flush the toilet as much as I care to without having to be concerned at all about filling up the holding tanks. I would allow myself a much more leisurely shower if that were the case. 

After I returned home I discovered that I had totally forgotten to use the surge protector on the electric line and was fortunate that nothing adverse occurred. Using the surge protector for electric, and the water pressure protector for the water input will eliminate concerns in those areas for me. 

I'd still like to hear from others about sleeping in the T@b. 

Playc

Vito -Thanks for the update.   I'll get the Y from Amazon also.  Did you buy the two 10' sewer hoses or came with the T@B.  Are sewer hose size standard  (except length ) so I can order 15' from Amazon also?  TIA

vito

The T@b came with no hoses at all, for sewer or water. It did come with a 25 ft electrical cord. I bought a 25 foot extension, a converter so that I could hook it up to a regular home (110 volt) outlet, a voltage regulator, a water pressure regulator (for cases where city water is over 50 lbs. water pressure) and a water filter that hooks right into the hose. I believe sewer hoses are standard in width and in the form of how they connect to the dump valves on the camper. 

Jimbo

Where is the best place to buy sewer hoses?

Nomad

Jimbo - Walmart carries Rhino and accessories. That's where I got mine while on the road. My dealer supplied hose was a piece of junk.

Playc

Hi PXL - Does it make sense to use the junk hose and throw away after use?

Just curious as we are new and will take first trip 8/3.

Nomad

I never actually used the cheap hose the dealer included, just looked too flimsy so thru it and stopped at Walmart on the way to a campgrounds where I knew I'd need it.

vito

When I picked up my T@b I bought a number of accessories that day at the dealer. One was the Rhino hose, which came as two 10 foot sections that can be joined to form one long sewer hose if needed, and with an attachment the turns 90 degrees to use on the end going into the ground sewer opening. With the sections compressed as tight as they can go, and with the new "Y" connector added, I can just barely fit them into the compartment that holds the propane tank and the battery. I also just bought the black expandable risers so I should be all set now. BTW, when I look at the gear I need to take with me its starting to add up to two large plastic bins full that I keep in my tow vehicle: 25 ft electric line with surge protector attachment, with additional 25 ft extension, 25 foot white water hose with filter and pressure regulator, chocks for the wheels, wooden blocks for putting under the stabilizers, an Anderson leveling device for side to side leveling, the sewer risers, and the sewer hoses. All but the sewer hoses go into the two large bins. Hopefully there is still room in my TV for clothing, food, and my little dog! I guess I could store all of this in the T@b itself but it seems it will be easier to place the weight of this in the TV than in what I am towing. 

Nomad

I've never needed more than 10' Rhino so - If you haven't used it yet - you might just store the extension in your TV - The other 10' should easily fit in the propane cover.
Stuff adds up and you may find once you're traveling you don't need it all - it's really hard to know until you're out-n-about. I got rid of a lot of stuff and only add on the road and never for a one-off situation. For instance, I've only wished I had risers once so I haven't bought those. One less thing to carry.

vito

But how would you know in advance what the ground surface of a campsite might be like? After a heavy rain some soil is extremely spongy and I could see the stabilizers sinking in. I compare this to having a small steel plate in my motorcycle saddle bags. Just in case it is a really hot day where the sidestand could sink into the hot asphalt under the weight of the bike. I'd rather carry the blocks of wood in my TV than finding I need them but don't have them. Maybe if I go camping enough times and never really need them I'll be confident enough to leave them in the garage at home. I bought the sewer hose risers after my first camping trip where the sewer hose was not draining on its own but "puddling" in the hose until I lifted it up section by section. 

Nomad

I have the lego blocks for leveling - there are ten in the set - most campgrounds have fairly level site and rarely does it take more than three to level so I use the extras under the levelers. The only time I've used all ten it's been out in the boonies when I'm not unhooked and need to either raise the TV or the entire T@B for front to back leveling.

vanderado

Congrats on the first time out! You will soon get your groove and trial and error helps a lot. We camp with 2 adults one small child. In our setup, a giant kitchen stuff/food bin stays by the outside kitchen under a camp table (Aldi $25). The inside table stays outside under the window/visor next to door with drink supplies (the bar) coffee, drink stuff and another food bin underneath. This is our 6th time out and we are 95% settled on technique. We sleep inside on slats, not the table. Raising/lowering the table daily kills knuckles so it stays outside. See threads. We really like our T@B and wish you the best!

vito

Where did you get the slats?

Machak88

We got ours from Amazon, 1x4" Select Western Red Cedar Lumber, 4' long at $11.90 apiece - we bought 8 of them, hubby cut them to size and lightly sanded / varnished one side (one side was factory-finished), and voila! Great scent, light, and easy to put down and pack away under the seat.

Machak88

@vanderado, your CS is so cute ! We are in GA too, maybe our paths will cross in one of our State Parks some time.

sbhtennis

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MT36XSI/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Try this for your stuff . I hang  it on the shower  and it is quite convent for that small stuff. I even put one inside shower door. 

gophergrad

@vito, I use one of these for night time storage of all the things I keep in my pockets:

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01IEXKQBW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The 3 liter size is a lot smaller than I thought it would be (I ordered it to use for something else) but it works great for pocket stuff.  I keep an empty glasses case in it, so I have that handy at bedtime.  I used a Command hook to make a place to hang it.  The SU has a similar bag, which is stored in the valance shelf above the passenger side window.