Tremors and Campers let's talk camping!!

[Vetdoc81]

Dang.... guess I got lucky!

 

[Bill]

Made it to Vegas and will be here for 2 months before heading into Utah. We used to vacation here almost every year, staying in a hotel on the strip and never really leaving the strip. Going to take this time to hit up things like the Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam and do some more "local" activities.

We do have a few different friends that will come out while we are here. Those will be our times to hit the strip and do that part of Vegas.

Vegas RV Park seems like a nice and quiet place. Spots are large, deep and wide, and everyone we've met so far seems cool. 18+, so no kids.

 

[Huck Norris]

Had the truck for five months, but today was the first time we hitched up the Airstream. Only moved a couple miles, but Saturday we start a 3.5 day 2,600 mile tow home. WDD is a little off (hitch ball needs to go up a hole), so I'll be fixing that once today/night's snow storm passes through here. But on the short drive changing sites to another park it felt good!

 

[Modman]

Had the truck for five months, but today was the first time we hitched up the Airstream. Only moved a couple miles, but Saturday we start a 3.5 day 2,600 mile tow home. WDD is a little off (hitch ball needs to go up a hole), so I'll be fixing that once today/night's snow storm passes through here. But on the short drive changing sites to another park it felt good!

View attachment 114065

Looks great! One hole up seems like it will be spot on. Truck attitude looks great with the Timbrens

 

[Huck Norris]

Looks great! One hole up seems like it will be spot on. Truck attitude looks great with the Timbrens

Our monthly spot was so out of level that I couldn't get a good measurement on the Airstream's coupler height and since we have the Dexter lift and 16" wheels we aren't standard height, so I did some math and missed by an inch. Easy enough to sort out when you travel with a cordless impact wrench!

I can definitely feel the Timbrens for sure and I like it. I suspect I would not have liked the way it felt without them. Even across a diagonal speed bump unhitched there is so much less perceived body roll. Super nice and well worth the $230. Appreciate you and other's earlier work on it!

 

[Mr. Nobody]

Placed the order for an AT Atlas yesterday. Pick up in early July. This truck is going to be nuts!!

 

[catastrofe]

I was sure I was going to buy a new Outdoor RV Travel Trailer or a 28'+ AirStream until I found out about Black Series Travel Trailers. I like what I see with the Black Series 21'.. Im asking you guys about these units. I like them ..

I don't know if things have changed, but they had a lot of quality issues early on (2020). Their design was also lacking...their smaller trailers had tiny refrigerators and to get a decent size fridge (4.0 cubic feet) we would have had to purchase a trailer that sleeps 6 or more.

We went with a Kimberley Kruiser S3. Best made trailer we've ever seen. My wife showing off our trailer at Overland Expo in 2021:

 

[stufarmer]

I don't know if things have changed, but they had a lot of quality issues early on (2020). Their design was also lacking...their smaller trailers had tiny refrigerators and to get a decent size fridge (4.0 cubic feet) we would have had to purchase a trailer that sleeps 6 or more.

We went with a Kimberley Kruiser S3. Best made trailer we've ever seen. My wife showing off our trailer at Overland Expo in 2021:

I have much to learn ...

 

[catastrofe]

I have much to learn ...

It can be daunting.

After a 6 week trip in our Casita in 2020, we developed a list of 5 must-haves for our next camper;
- No canvas (didn't want to deal with mold from wet canvas)
- Outdoor kitchen (we always cooked outside weather permitting, which entailed lugging everything out of the trailer, then putting it away after dinner)
- North-south bed (didn't want to climb over each other to use the bathroom in the middle of the night)
- Proven off-road capability
- Dry bath (didn't want the entire bathroom getting wet when showering)

The Kimberley was the only trailer available in the US with a long-term history that checked all the boxes.

 

[stufarmer]

It can be daunting.

After a 6 week trip in our Casita in 2020, we developed a list of 5 must-haves for our next camper;
- No canvas (didn't want to deal with mold from wet canvas)
- Outdoor kitchen (we always cooked outside weather permitting, which entailed lugging everything out of the trailer, then putting it away after dinner)
- North-south bed (didn't want to climb over each other to use the bathroom in the middle of the night)
- Proven off-road capability
- Dry bath (didn't want the entire bathroom getting wet when showering)

The Kimberley was the only trailer available in the US with a long-term history that checked all the boxes.

I bought my first new RV when I was 18. a new 1978, 8' Alaskan. I put on my 66' F250 Camper Special. Since then we've easily owned a dozen or more RVs. The trailers I'm looking at today need to have some off-road capability. It'll be towed by our 21'Super Duty Tremor. We've found we like boon docking and a little back road exploring over KOA's concrete and lawns.

 

[catastrofe]

I bought my first new RV when I was 18. a new 1978, 8' Alaskan. I put on my 66' F250 Camper Special. Since then we've easily owned a dozen or more RVs. The trailers I'm looking at today need to have some off-road capability. It'll be towed by our 21'Super Duty Tremor. We've found we like boon docking and a little back road exploring over KOA's concrete and lawns.

Agree on the boondocking. We spent quite a bit of time last year on BLM land in AZ, UT, and CO.

 

[Ramblinman007]

Just purchased a 2023 Reflection 34’ travel trailer by Grand Design. It weighs about 9000 lbs. loaded with our gear. The plan was to tow it with our F150. It had plenty of power to pull it, but the truck was just too light. Too much sway at high speeds or when passed by a semi. This led us to trade for our 2021 F250 Tremor. Best decision I ever made! We love to camp in the Appalachian mountains, usually in North Georgia or North Carolina. One of our favorite camp grounds is the Morganton Point Federal campground near Blue Ridge, GA. Beautiful wooded camp sites right on Lake Blue Ridge.

 

[Ramblinman007]

Grand Design makes some really good campers. Some of them was like walking through a Malibu mansion.

So....I would Love the Airstream...But Wifey wants slides...opposing slides, so we can get around our GSD inside it. Got our eyes on a Grand Design Reflection.....either a Half-ton towable 5er or a TT. Can't wait....Probably next summer.

We just purchased a 34 ft. Grand Design Reflection TT and we love it! It has opposing slides that give plenty of room in the living area. I think it is just the right size to offer the comfort you want with the tow ability you need for long trips.

 

[Modman]

Just purchased a 2023 Reflection 34’ travel trailer by Grand Design. It weighs about 9000 lbs. loaded with our gear. The plan was to tow it with our F150. It had plenty of power to pull it, but the truck was just too light. Too much sway at high speeds or when passed by a semi. This led us to trade for our 2021 F250 Tremor. Best decision I ever made! We love to camp in the Appalachian mountains, usually in North Georgia or North Carolina. One of our favorite camp grounds is the Morganton Point Federal campground near Blue Ridge, GA. Beautiful wooded camp sites right on Lake Blue Ridge.

Great looking setup!!

 

[greatoppressor]

We're one step closer to bringing home our new Keystone 338 Carbon toy hauler. Today, I installed a Pullrite Superglide. Up to this point, I only had math from the specs (and a few measurements I took on the camper when be bought it) to know how much bed rail clearance I will probably have, whether or not the OEM hard folding tonneau would close over the hitch, and if the tonneau could stay flat folded to the front section and have enough clearance to a hitched up pin box.

So far, everything appears to be going according to plan. My math indicates that I should have ~8"+ of bed rail clearance to the camper overhang. The hitch easily fits under the closed tonneau and the front-flat tonneau position (leaving the tonneau down at the front section) has a good bit of room to where the pin box will be. I also roughly measured the distance from the rear of the cab to the center of the hitch jaw in the full-rear/90° position and it looks to be ~52.5", wich should allow full 90° turning for this 100" wide camper.

We go to pick it up the camper next Saturday. The challenge then will be backing it through my 9.5' fence gate (I may widen that if it turns out to be too difficult).

Here's the hitch installed. It is surprisingly efficient on bed space usage.

 

[Supercup]

We're one step closer to bringing home our new Keystone 338 Carbon toy hauler. Today, I installed a Pullrite Superglide. Up to this point, I only had math from the specs (and a few measurements I took on the camper when be bought it) to know how much bed rail clearance I will probably have, whether or not the OEM hard folding tonneau would close over the hitch, and if the tonneau could stay flat folded to the front section and have enough clearance to a hitched up pin box.

So far, everything appears to be going according to plan. My math indicates that I should have ~8"+ of bed rail clearance to the camper overhang. The hitch easily fits under the closed tonneau and the front-flat tonneau position (leaving the tonneau down at the front section) has a good bit of room to where the pin box will be. I also roughly measured the distance from the rear of the cab to the center of the hitch jaw in the full-rear/90° position and it looks to be ~52.5", wich should allow full 90° turning for this 100" wide camper.

We go to pick it up the camper next Saturday. The challenge then will be backing it through my 9.5' fence gate (I may widen that if it turns out to be too difficult).

Here's the hitch installed. It is surprisingly efficient on bed space usage.
View attachment 114464View attachment 114465

Nice looking set up! Personally I would widen the gate now versus after you hit it a a few times! Your trailer will be 104" wide +/- and your gate at 9'6" is only 114" - so 5" on each side - that is do - able - but tight! If you have the room a 12' gate would make your in/out a breeze and save you time anytime you go in and out.

Enjoy the new trailer - should be super nice set up.

 

[Patriot]

Looking forward to a 2023 traveling and camping season!

 

[RedZilla]

Looking forward to a 2023 traveling and camping season!
View attachment 114490

That rig looks really good together, very balanced and fun to pull down the road.
BTW I got my response Friday from the folks in Evansville for the rock guards. While I was waiting I had priced out the materials to make my own and decided to go that route. The mud flaps arrived today. That was the last thing I was waiting on. I'll paint and install tomorrow and try to get some pics before dark. I'm glad I went this route and may not have if I hadn't seen the pics you shared of yours.

 

[greatoppressor]

We brought our Carbon 338 Toy Hauler home today. It pulled great! Very smooth. Plenty of power. Just the right amount of bed rail clearance. The Superglide hitch allows full 90° turning (I tested it at a nearby truck stop). The rear sag is just about right. Truck is level (enough), camper is level. They fit together according to plan. Picking it up from the dealer was a fiasco )they didn't fix anything we had on our list and had damaged the pigtail cable with the forklift.

 

[RedZilla]

We brought our Carbon 338 Toy Hauler home today. It pulled great! Very smooth. Plenty of power. Just the right amount of bed rail clearance. The Superglide hitch allows full 90° turning (I tested it at a nearby truck stop). The rear sag is just about right. Truck is level (enough), camper is level. They fit together according to plan. Picking it up from the dealer was a fiasco )they didn't fix anything we had on our list and had damaged the pigtail cable with the forklift.

View attachment 115075View attachment 115076View attachment 115077View attachment 115078

Which dealer did you buy from. We live near Walnut Ridge RV in New Castle. They are one of the few dealerships with great customer service and great integrity.