Mistakes - I’ll go first LOL

JeffroNCJeffroNC Member Posts: 366
edited September 2022 in Camping & Travel
I was inspired by Jenn’s @jkjenn video series on camping mistakes so I thought it would be fun to share our pain and laughter regarding mistakes we have made. Maybe someone can learn from them.

Most recent: Last night while setting up at a campsite I discovered that I left the shore power cable at home or the last campground. So far, local RV places are out of stock. Amazon can’t deliver one until the weekend. No AC and we are heading south.  :scream:

Previously I went to a state park with an empty fresh tank and ASSUMED they would have potable water at the dump station. Wrong! I learned that its not that easy to find a place to fill. Ended up getting a 5 gal bottle at Walmart and standing in the rain trying to pour it in to the fresh fill.
2019 T@B 400 BDL 2017 F150 3.5L Ecoboost
Jeff & Amy
Now in Manistee, MI

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Comments

  • HomebodyatheartHomebodyatheart Member Posts: 2,490
    I always say that my biggest mistakes are some of my best campfire stories! Ouch on loosing your power cord. As for me, I grew up tent and tent trailer camping, so Ladybug aka “Bug” is my first ever trailer. On my first trip I was camped locally with a group of gals. I had put up my cute new string lights, plugged them into the outside outlet on Bug and they didn’t light up. Was my outlet bad? Just then DH dropped in to check on me, and I told him my problem. He checked all the connections, and called me over to the power pole where he “introduced” me to the breaker switch, flipped it on and I had string lights! And full power! Who knew? Obviously not me! Great post, thanks and this should be a good one! 
    2017 T@B 320 Max S silver and cherry red, L@dybug ("Bug" aka my esc@pe pod), TV 2015 Toyota Highlander aka Big Red
  • Dutch061Dutch061 Member Posts: 765
    I watched a guy open the black valve at a dump station back in July without a "stinky slinky" connected...

    That got messy really quick, fortunately I was well enough away to avoid the splatter!

    Brad
    2020 400 BDL aka "Boonie"
    2022 Black Series HQ19 aka "Cricket"
    2021 F-250 Tremor with PSD aka "Big Blue"
    Concord, NC 
  • marchulemarchule Member Posts: 38
    (I'm so embarrassed to share this.)  I was showing a friend how you connect your sewer hose to the trailer and place the other end into the dump receptacle.   Once in place, I sez, you open the black valve.  Everything starts to flow as expected.  Oh-oh.  I was so busy explaining things I totally forgot to remove the end cap.  Ever try removing the cap when you have a "live" boa constrictor ready to lunge and surge??  My, oh my.  What a nightmare! 
    2018 320S / KIA Sorento 3.5 V6  - 2022 400 Boondock / KIA Telluride 3.8 V6  -  Utah
  • rcarlson1957rcarlson1957 Member Posts: 178
    Have a 2018 T@B 320S with the window A/C unit. Put those magnetic plastic air deflectors to help keep the A/C exhaust separate from the intake. Work great. But forgot to take them off after leaving the campsite. As I was going down the road a car honked his horn, rolled down the window and told me something fell off my camper. Pulled over and walked back along the road. Found 1 but not the other. Lucky it didn't fly off and hit a vehicle. I never forget to take them off and put them away when leaving anymore. Our 1st ever trip we took in our T@B a few years ago we forgot our chairs. 
    2018 TAB 320S Silver/Black w/Dandelions
    2020 Honda Ridgeline RTL (AWD) Lunar Silver Metallic
    Rick and Barbara - North Texas 
    More Smiles Per Mile! B)
    Enjoy doing and sharing mods
  • AnOldURAnOldUR Member Posts: 1,268
    Not taking our canopy down before the storm hit at uCamp22.
    Stockton, New Jersey
    2020 nuCamp T@B 320S * Jeep Wrangler

  • PNWtabberPNWtabber Member Posts: 491
    Mistakes?  Where do I start?????   B)

    Worst goes first.  For compact cookware, I bought GSI Outdoors' Pinnacle Base Camp set.  It includes:   "2 pots, a frypan, 2 nylon strainer lids, cutting board, a folding handle, and stuff/sink sack."  The thing they call a "cutting board" is basically a thin plastic disc and pretty useless as a cutting board--but it nests between the 2 pots and I figured it protected the non-stick surface of the larger pot (see photo). 

    So I am set up to camp one evening and put on a small pot of water to make pasta.  Suddenly flames are leaping off my stove (I have an inside kitchen) and the smell of burning plastic hits me.  I grab the pot off the stove and there is the "cutting board" burning and melting on my stove (apparently, the cutting board had stuck to the bottom of the pot when I pulled it out of the kit!).  Somehow I managed to grab that flaming disc and toss it out the open door of my trailer (fortunately I was on a paved parking pad).  A year later, despite all of the scraping and cleaning, I can still smell plastic residue when I use the burner that was involved in this near disaster.  I recently wrote to the manufacturer about this event and urged them to discontinue including the "cutting board" in this kit.  If this can happen once, it could happen again.



    It is a good cook set for one or two people, but, if you get one, I suggest removing that plastic "cutting board" from your set.

    2018 T@B 320 S Boondock  |  2015.5 Volvo XC60 T6 AWD  |  Seattle, WA, USA
    "Blessed are the curious, for they shall have adventures.”― Lovelle Drachman

  • pthomas745pthomas745 Moderator Posts: 3,596
    edited September 2022
    The drive toward Page, AZ towards the North Rim of the Grand Canyon climbs about 4000 feet to a town called Jabob's Lake.  An Inn, convenience store, big parking lot, lot of people sitting on the Inn's front porch enjoying the day.  From Page, it is about two hours of twisty roads to get there.
    Drove through the parking lot, passing the porch full of people, hoping to show off my way cool trailer.
    Get out, look around....and discovered the door had remained open for the entire two hour drive. 
    Casually reached over, looked inside, and closed the door like "I drive it like this all the time!"  Nothing in the trailer had been disturbed...luckily. 

    2017 Outback
    Towed by 2014 Touareg TDi
  • SlackersSlackers Member Posts: 404
    First winter, I drained but failed to blow out the outdoor shower.  Next season's camping trips resulted in a small amount of water under the galley sink and stove.  It took a few trips to figure out the outdoor shower mixing valve was cracked.  I had to replace the entire Fontana unit.
    2019 Tab 320 CSS, 2019 Ranger TV, OH
  • jbajorjbajor Member Posts: 133
    WayneW said:
    My wife and I recently went on an extended boondocking trip in the middle of nowhere Idaho. We like a gin and tonic at the end of the day - the perfect summertime drink. Our first evening there we discovered we’d packed everything for a nice g&t - ice cubes, tonic, fresh lime. The only thing we forgot was the gin. 
    LOL!  my wife would view that as the the ultimate mistake...  she'd probably divorce me!  WAY more important than a charged battery or propane!  I hope all ended well! :)
    Ultimate Toys Teardrop Camper
    Volvo XC-40
    SF Bay Area, California
  • Tabaz Tabaz Member Posts: 2,350
    (I'm so embarrassed to share this.)  I was showing a friend how you connect your sewer hose to the trailer and place the other end into the dump receptacle.   Once in place, I sez, you open the black valve.  Everything starts to flow as expected.  Oh-oh.  I was so busy explaining things I totally forgot to remove the end cap.  Ever try removing the cap when you have a "live" boa constrictor ready to lunge and surge??  My, oh my.  What a nightmare! 

    OMG!!  Not going to ask how you solved this one.

    2016 Outback 320 with a 2010 Ford Expedition.
  • AnOldURAnOldUR Member Posts: 1,268
    Tabaz said:
    OMG!!  Not going to ask how you solved this one.
    Having a hard time visualizing this one. The angle has to be on the end of our slinky before we “place the … end into the dump receptacle.” The tapered end of our angle piece doesn’t have a cap. Some do?
    Stockton, New Jersey
    2020 nuCamp T@B 320S * Jeep Wrangler

  • marchulemarchule Member Posts: 38
    Yes, it was a blow-out disaster.  The black cap/plug was partially recessed inside the black tube so it wasn't visually obvious - especially when you're semi-distracted trying to explain things.  So I placed the elbow adapter on the hose and then placed the elbow into the dump receptacle.  Opened the black valve.  Nothing.  Oh...
    2018 320S / KIA Sorento 3.5 V6  - 2022 400 Boondock / KIA Telluride 3.8 V6  -  Utah
  • JeffroNCJeffroNC Member Posts: 366
    edited September 2022
    Update: I picked this item up in case I ever leave my cable behind again. I keep my extension in a second location so this adapter would make it a power cable. It can also be used with a 15 amp adapter for mooch docking.

    2019 T@B 400 BDL 2017 F150 3.5L Ecoboost
    Jeff & Amy
    Now in Manistee, MI

  • ChiprchukChiprchuk Member Posts: 21
    About 40 years ago - We were prepping for our trip. A new fire extinguisher was temporally stored in the camper trash can. We departed and setup our campsite (out in the middle of now where.) Dinner completed my stepfather started up the campfire using the paper trash to start the fire... you guessed it the fire extinguisher was in the fire. Luckily I saw it before it exploded and we pulled it out. Scary but funny.    
    Tab 320-S Boondock Edge 2019
    T/V Ford Ranger 2023 4x4

  • dragonsdoflydragonsdofly Member Posts: 1,913
    @Chiprchuk haha, eegads, and welcome to the forum!
    2017 t@b sofitel(Dr@gonsFly)TV 2015 Silverado 2500hd(Behemoth). Wyandotte, Michigan.
    Draco dormiens numquam titilandus.
  • rcarlson1957rcarlson1957 Member Posts: 178
    PNWtabber, have same cookware. Happy with them. Don't take up much room in my small chuck box. That folding cutting board really is useless. I just carry a few of the think plastic cutting mats with me instead. I use felt pot protectors between the pots and pans. Also keeps the removable handle from scratching too. 
    2018 TAB 320S Silver/Black w/Dandelions
    2020 Honda Ridgeline RTL (AWD) Lunar Silver Metallic
    Rick and Barbara - North Texas 
    More Smiles Per Mile! B)
    Enjoy doing and sharing mods
  • rcarlson1957rcarlson1957 Member Posts: 178
    Somewhere between uCamp and a drive thru PA, DE, MD and VA before heading back to Texas I misplaced and lost my hearing aids. Wife said she was going to scream if I said "huh" one more time. She sounded like Samuel L. Jackson when she said it too!  B)
    2018 TAB 320S Silver/Black w/Dandelions
    2020 Honda Ridgeline RTL (AWD) Lunar Silver Metallic
    Rick and Barbara - North Texas 
    More Smiles Per Mile! B)
    Enjoy doing and sharing mods
  • techietabtechietab Member Posts: 159
    edited October 2022
    Before boondocking, I always prime my water lines/taps and the Alde tank in 'city connection' mode on the Nautilus, then do the tank fill. I will then proceed to be surprised when one of the taps loses pressure and the pump seems to be doing nothing. I forget to set the Nautilus to 'dry camping' mode every. single. time. Embarrassing but a quick fix.
    The first time I unhooked my 320S from my tow vehicle after bringing it home from the dealership, I forgot to put the wheel chocks down first. The slightest bit of force sent it rolling towards my garage, since my driveway is at a ~2.5% grade. Thankfully the camper is light enough that I was able to grab the tongue jack and hold it in place while my wife scrambled to throw chocks behind the wheels. Thankfully have never repeated that potentially costly mistake again.
    When drilling through the roof to install a Pepwave 42G antenna array for my LTE modem+router, my positioning was just a hair off from where I'd seen others on this forum successfully punch through with a circular saw. I severed the positive power line running to the rooftop fan. Thankfully this was a very easy fix with some spare wire and butt connectors.
    I bought my 320S lightly used. Previous owner had it for a bit under a year (2022 model delivered midyear in 2021), and clearly stored it outdoors. The stock rooftop solar panel had plastic peeling off of it, and the plastic was generally very yellowed and brittle. It looked and felt like the sort of plastic that's usually applied at factories post-production in order to protect from scratches, so I assumed it was intended to be removed. It yanked off cleanly but left adhesive all over the panel. I later learned from this forum that Sunflare applies that layer to protect the panel from UV, and that the panel will have a very short life without it. Whoops. Apparently a batch of panels circa 2021 made it out the door with this particular layer being defective, and mine was probably one of them. Rather than deal with the hassle of engaging Sunflare for a replacement, I removed all the adhesive with a nonabrasive rotary attachment made for removing residue from automotive decals and replaced the protective layer with a 3M automotive protectant film that's intended to block UV. So far it's holding up very well.
    Northern VA
    2022 T@b 320 S / 2021 Subaru Outback
  • RobynERobynE Member Posts: 31
    edited October 2022
    Hi techietab,

    I think your experiences are similar to many new camper owners and those just new to the Nautilus.  I've made the dry camp error every time also! I can totally see me making the solar panel peel mistake too, so now that you took one for the team, I won't be making that same mistake!

    Hey, I see you are in Northern Virigina.  I just started a Facebook group "DMV Teardrops" if you use Facebook.  I just started it so we can all post our upcoming trips in case others want to come too.  Earlier this year, we managed to have five T@Bs in a row at Pohick Bay in Lorton, VA plus a NuCamp truck camper was there beside us by pure coincidence! We got a lot of attention!

    Robyn
  • Hoogie69Hoogie69 Member Posts: 31
    marchule said:
    (I'm so embarrassed to share this.)  I was showing a friend how you connect your sewer hose to the trailer and place the other end into the dump receptacle.   Once in place, I sez, you open the black valve.  Everything starts to flow as expected.  Oh-oh.  I was so busy explaining things I totally forgot to remove the end cap.  Ever try removing the cap when you have a "live" boa constrictor ready to lunge and surge??  My, oh my.  What a nightmare! 
    Wow, I’ve done that.  Twice.  Not a catastrophe as there was just a small amount of black in the black tank.  Luckily the hidden plug was at the far end (away from the trailer) of the stinky slinky.  After closing the valve, I lifted the far end, removed the plug, and vewwy vewwy quickly shoved the end where it belonged.  I felt very accomplished after the second time I had to do it but those inset black insert plugs got replaced next with ones I had to remove before connecting anything.  

    2022 T@B 400 BD, with 2-way refrigerator and AllPro Awning
    TV is a 2021 Honda Passport Elite w/ transmission cooler and Redarc Liberty Trailer Brake Controller
  • Tabaz Tabaz Member Posts: 2,350
    After unhooking the trailer, I slowly inched my truck forward.  Heard a strange noise and felt a tug as if something was holding on to the back of my truck for a second, then it went away.  I had forgot to unhook the emergency brake release for the trailer.  While being pulled out, the hook on the plastic insert was completely destroyed.  Luckily I was able to put the insert back in its slot in order to unlock the brakes.  BTW, the unit says to put the insert back in within 20 minutes (?).  Ordered a new one and a couple of spares:

    https://www.amazon.com/CURT-52020-Replacement-Trailer-Breakaway/dp/B001GN6QS0/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=trailer+emergency+brake+cable&qid=1670948604&sprefix=trailer+emer,aps,200&sr=8-6
    2016 Outback 320 with a 2010 Ford Expedition.
  • AnOldURAnOldUR Member Posts: 1,268
    Tabaz said:
    BTW, the unit says to put the insert back in within 20 minutes (?).
    My guess would be that the electric brakes are a heavy draw on the battery. The 20 minutes is probably to save your battery.

    Stockton, New Jersey
    2020 nuCamp T@B 320S * Jeep Wrangler

  • BrianZBrianZ Member Posts: 1,763
    Last year we traveled to Maine and had a number of water-related mishaps along the way.  Here's my previously documented list of our mistakes..
    https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/13894/our-recent-camping-mishaps-had-a-water-theme

    -Brian in Chester, Virginia
    TV: 2005 Toyota Sienna LE (3.3L V6)
    RV: 2018 T@B 320S, >100 mods 
  • pakpak Member Posts: 113
    Just this spring while dewinterizing I connected the charge side of the water pump only. When the system would not come up, after turning on the pump, to pressure timley, I discovered my oversight(water all over my CS-S kitchen.) Towels, airhose, fans and quick action helped prevent any damage. This error will not be repeated by me. I certainly am eligible for some kind of dufus prize.
  • ColoradoDJColoradoDJ Member Posts: 8
    While coming back from AZ on our first trip ever, the last evening landed us in Frisco, CO. The plan was to just to stay at Walmart. It was early November, cold out and 8,100 feet. I took a look at my inline propane “idiot” gauge and saw it was low. We spent the next 45 minutes calling and driving around trying to get it filled. No such no luck. I could have traded in my “like new” tank but didn’t want to give it up. 

    That was mistake #1. There was actually plenty of propane. The high altitude made the “idiot” gauge, only look like it was low. 

    Mistake #2. Not installing the high altitude kit I had already purchased before we left. 

    Mistake #3. Not bringing enough blankets with us, we froze our butts off that night!! We even tried putting our towels on top of are blankets, ha! 


    2017 T@B 320S Max silver on silver “Tabin”. 2009 Toyota FWD White Tacoma Double Cab. 
    Leonard & Ronna, (Fort Collins, CO)

    ”Need More Cowbell”
  • Tabaz Tabaz Member Posts: 2,350
    Ingenious solution!!  And doesn't look half bad. Clever.
    2016 Outback 320 with a 2010 Ford Expedition.
  • db_cooperdb_cooper Member Posts: 726
    That is a nice patch job! Still a window!

    I'll add we always lock the door when moving, but one day after a quick "rest" stop, I must have forgot.  Drove from somewhere south of Jasper to Lake Louise with the door open, in the rain.  Everything was dry and still there, since the wind holds the door sorta shut, but I felt like an idiot. Especially since the wife noticed first! 😁
    2015 Max S Outback | 2010 Xterra



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