New Owners - First Flight

aliceandmark

Hi all. My wife and I picked up our new 2018 320S on Saturday December 2nd from Sun City Trailers in Colorado Springs. We immediately headed back up the road and spent our first night camping out at Chatfield State Park SW of Denver. Since Sun City had winterized it already, it was essentially dry camping, although we had electricity and heat. Loved every second of it and can't wait for more adventures.

I have two things on my must do list: the first is the spare tire and I went the route GlennBeck chose. I hope to get that installed this week. Second is finding something to replace the hideously, way-to-bright porch light. 24 leds? We do a lot of camping at dark sky sites for astronomy and this light isn't going to cut it. So looking for a smaller, dimmer alternative.

We're really enjoying the discussions on the forum. It gives us things to think about for the next trip!

Mark and Alice

dragonsdofly

Welcome to the forum, the t@b family and congratulations on your trailer. Happy t@bbing!

Verna

Welcome. Have you looked at solar motion sensing deck lights that aim the light downward?  I put my solar lights in the sun during the day, unless the door side happens to be on the sun side.

jgram2

Welcome! Did you bring your kitten along? Yep, that porch light won't work for night-sky camping. I'm sure those who've defeated it will chime in, in the mean time, if you haven't already, search on porch light-lots of matches and some are even relevant.

aliceandmark

Thanks twojgrams, I will. The cats haven't come along yet. We're trying to leash train them so they can be 'Adventure Cats' but they're not really interested. Yet.

jgram2

That's what I like about campers-we're all optimists! 

Marceline

Someone mentioned putting red taillight repair tape in the inside of the porch light lens. 

aliceandmark

The 2018 model I have doesn't have a lens as such. Instead it's a strip of white leds, 24 in total. I'll get a picture of it and post.

Sharon_is_SAM

You have the same light as they have placed for several models now.  Red tail light repair tape is the answer.

pthomas745

I have the same light over my door.  I carry some photo "106 red gel filter" sheets for flashlights when I'm out for stars.    On the door light,  the gel does knock down the brightness quite a bit, and is useful for that purpose.  I've never tested it for night vision.   I'm usually away from the trailer anyway, and I leave the light off.
Good luck with the "Adventure Cats!"

manny

I found on amazon  12v dream lighting amber  water/proof porch light...  $19.00  9.84 inches long ...  just looking .. now.   i think this will work...    i have a 2017 cs-s max   That porch light  they put on the 320,s is a bug/nat magnet

Ratkity

Welcome! Great day to get a T@B! Or maybe not. I aged up then hehe.

ontheroad

congrats and welcome to the nuCamp family....

pthomas745

One my second big trip a couple of years ago I went to Grandview Campground, at 8600 feet in the Inyo Mountains east of Bishop, CA.  It is a popular dark sky spot, and even though the moon was a bit of a bother, there were a couple of groups with scopes, etc.  There was a group from a local college, and they were quite enthused to see the Tab and try to imagine it hollowed out with a decent sized telescope out of the roof.  A perfect traveling observatory......