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Maiden voyage of the Uteki
ronin718
Member Posts: 92
So, we took the Uteki out last week on it's first trip, going from VA to Boston with one-night stays on each end of the week in Jonestown/Hershey, PA. The observations/experiences...
1. Zombies... Made it through the first 24 hours before one arrived, this one at a gas station. Played nice, even opened the doors to show the interior and galley. One popped in as we were still setting up after our arrival at Boston. Still played nice since we were mostly set up at that point.
2. Awning... Very much a necessity. We set it up the first night in Jonestown KOA just for the experience, and were glad for it the next morning in the rain. Was very beneficial in Boston with the first full day a total rain-out, allowing us to have a dry experience outside the trailer. We laid a heavy tarp down from the door to the awning "entrance", and this gave us space to clear our feet of excess dirt/mud/sand prior to entry inside. Also provided a dry area to hang a wash line, though we received a nasty-gram from the campground folks for hanging a line from our trailer. :(
3. Towing... No issues, but impact on gas mileage was noted. Averaged about 14 mpg with my TV.
4. Sleeping... We had picked up a 3-inch Tempurpedic pad, and my wife said this was better for her than sleeping in a hotel bed, nice and firm. We tried two different arrangements, first going front-to-back with me using the space above the A/C for additional length. Worked well for me, if a little thin, but not for my wife who had to sleep diagonally. We then went the traditional side-to-side route, which worked well for my wife, but less comfortably for me. The pad is a queen, so there's a little excess foam at one side, and this reduces the flat space. That, combined with having the cabinet right above me, made for a less comfortable space for me. I'll just have to get used to it.
5. Fridge... got really cold, had to lower the setting from 3 to 2 because the tomatoes froze. This is really too small to be good for anything beyond storing drinks, but it's still nice to have for things you don't want floating in ice water in the cooler.
6. Jensen entertainment... Way better than trying to watch DVDs on a laptop. Made our evening wind-down period very pleasant once we (I) figured out how to operate the remote with both the TV and the Jensen system. Gotta get a coax cable for those sites that have the free cable. Didn't try any OTA viewing.
7. Window screens... Discovered that you CAN push the screen out of the frame, and put it back as well. Gotta be careful there!!
8. Alde coolant/fluid leak... This was the biggest problem we faced. We noticed an "oil" leakage on some of our items in the closet, but couldn't figure out what it was. Only happened during towing. Turns out it was the Alde system fluid coming from the overflow tank. Seems that the lid was not properly secured when it was prepped for delivery, leaving the lid loose enough for splash leakage in transport. I discovered this after stopping at the dealer and reporting a leak problem with the tank, having them tell us what the fluid was, and then getting home and playing with the lid. GRRRRRRR!!!
9. Vent/fan... SOOOOOOO looking forward to getting our MaxAir vent cover put on next month so we can leave it open and not worry about rain at night. The fan worked extremely well, though it is a little loud, even on low. Not a real problem for me, but it is for the wife. The fan does a great job of moving the heat out.
As noted in #8, we stopped at the dealer (Beckley's RV in Thurmont, MD) on the way home since we were driving right by. Turned into a mini T@B owners convention. We pulled in, I walked in to find a manager, and when we come out, there's my wife talking to another T@Bber who had pulled in behind us with their T@B in tow. And a couple others also came by to see ours and compare notes. This was all very helpful as many questions were answered and tips exchanged. Beckley's also had three new T@Bs on the lot including an Outback model, so I got a quick look at those. Turns out we were lucky we came by those few weeks ago. The three new ones all had the showers/toilets in them, and the wife doesn't want any of that. If Uteki hadn't been on the lot when we made our visit, we'd still be looking or we'd be in a T@G. Or maybe waiting on a custom-ordered T@B. Hmmm... that might not have been a bad option, 'cuz then we could've had color trim and no TV in the galley.
1. Zombies... Made it through the first 24 hours before one arrived, this one at a gas station. Played nice, even opened the doors to show the interior and galley. One popped in as we were still setting up after our arrival at Boston. Still played nice since we were mostly set up at that point.
2. Awning... Very much a necessity. We set it up the first night in Jonestown KOA just for the experience, and were glad for it the next morning in the rain. Was very beneficial in Boston with the first full day a total rain-out, allowing us to have a dry experience outside the trailer. We laid a heavy tarp down from the door to the awning "entrance", and this gave us space to clear our feet of excess dirt/mud/sand prior to entry inside. Also provided a dry area to hang a wash line, though we received a nasty-gram from the campground folks for hanging a line from our trailer. :(
3. Towing... No issues, but impact on gas mileage was noted. Averaged about 14 mpg with my TV.
4. Sleeping... We had picked up a 3-inch Tempurpedic pad, and my wife said this was better for her than sleeping in a hotel bed, nice and firm. We tried two different arrangements, first going front-to-back with me using the space above the A/C for additional length. Worked well for me, if a little thin, but not for my wife who had to sleep diagonally. We then went the traditional side-to-side route, which worked well for my wife, but less comfortably for me. The pad is a queen, so there's a little excess foam at one side, and this reduces the flat space. That, combined with having the cabinet right above me, made for a less comfortable space for me. I'll just have to get used to it.
5. Fridge... got really cold, had to lower the setting from 3 to 2 because the tomatoes froze. This is really too small to be good for anything beyond storing drinks, but it's still nice to have for things you don't want floating in ice water in the cooler.
6. Jensen entertainment... Way better than trying to watch DVDs on a laptop. Made our evening wind-down period very pleasant once we (I) figured out how to operate the remote with both the TV and the Jensen system. Gotta get a coax cable for those sites that have the free cable. Didn't try any OTA viewing.
7. Window screens... Discovered that you CAN push the screen out of the frame, and put it back as well. Gotta be careful there!!
8. Alde coolant/fluid leak... This was the biggest problem we faced. We noticed an "oil" leakage on some of our items in the closet, but couldn't figure out what it was. Only happened during towing. Turns out it was the Alde system fluid coming from the overflow tank. Seems that the lid was not properly secured when it was prepped for delivery, leaving the lid loose enough for splash leakage in transport. I discovered this after stopping at the dealer and reporting a leak problem with the tank, having them tell us what the fluid was, and then getting home and playing with the lid. GRRRRRRR!!!
9. Vent/fan... SOOOOOOO looking forward to getting our MaxAir vent cover put on next month so we can leave it open and not worry about rain at night. The fan worked extremely well, though it is a little loud, even on low. Not a real problem for me, but it is for the wife. The fan does a great job of moving the heat out.
As noted in #8, we stopped at the dealer (Beckley's RV in Thurmont, MD) on the way home since we were driving right by. Turned into a mini T@B owners convention. We pulled in, I walked in to find a manager, and when we come out, there's my wife talking to another T@Bber who had pulled in behind us with their T@B in tow. And a couple others also came by to see ours and compare notes. This was all very helpful as many questions were answered and tips exchanged. Beckley's also had three new T@Bs on the lot including an Outback model, so I got a quick look at those. Turns out we were lucky we came by those few weeks ago. The three new ones all had the showers/toilets in them, and the wife doesn't want any of that. If Uteki hadn't been on the lot when we made our visit, we'd still be looking or we'd be in a T@G. Or maybe waiting on a custom-ordered T@B. Hmmm... that might not have been a bad option, 'cuz then we could've had color trim and no TV in the galley.
John & Lori in Northern VA
Former owner of 2015 T@B CS Max "Uteki" aka "H@wk T@B"
2012 Toyota Tacoma Double Cab 4x4 Off-Road "Zame"
Comments
John & Lori in Northern VA
Former owner of 2015 T@B CS Max "Uteki" aka "H@wk T@B"
2012 Toyota Tacoma Double Cab 4x4 Off-Road "Zame"
10. Charging station... I was charging both my phone and external battery charger off the USB ports on night #3. This was the first time I'd used the ports. About 30 minutes into sleep time I notice an electrical burn smell (remember, I'm sleeping right by the cabinet and charging ports at this point). I look at the charger pack and notice no lights on it. That is not normal when charging, so I know something's up. I check my phone... also not charging. I unplug both, smell goes away, I go back to sleep. The next day I grab my 12 volt charger and plug it into the port, it works fine, so the problem is isolated to the USB ports. This also gets reported to the dealer for warranty resolution.
John & Lori in Northern VA
Former owner of 2015 T@B CS Max "Uteki" aka "H@wk T@B"
2012 Toyota Tacoma Double Cab 4x4 Off-Road "Zame"
John & Lori in Northern VA
Former owner of 2015 T@B CS Max "Uteki" aka "H@wk T@B"
2012 Toyota Tacoma Double Cab 4x4 Off-Road "Zame"