Tremors and Campers let's talk camping!!

[Briski]

Picked this up yesterday. New 2022 Keystone Springdale 202RD. The powerstroke hauls it great!! Cheers

 

[RedZilla]

After debating on a direction for running our RV fridge I pulled the trigger today... Main concern is we have it at a storage lot and can't really pre-cool it before taking a trip. What we did last year was load up a cooler and transfer everything when we got to our destination. Worked fine but required the acquisition of ice. Not a huge problem as I just got it when I was filling up the truck the night before.

Choices were:

1) Run on propane while driving, although there is debate about whether this is a good idea or not. I'm leaning towards the camp that would rather be safe then sorry.
2) Swap the 110/propane fridge in the RV for a 12 V model (~$2k)
3) Pure sine inverter, DCDC charger, wiring (truck and RV), plus misc fuses, switches, etc (~$1100)
4) Purchase an electric cooler ($300-1200)

Ok, lots of variables here... My assumption is that our solar and (2) battery setup would support option #2 while driving, based on the published draw of an equivalent sized 12V fridge. That may work for number #3 with a short trip, but for a longer trip would either require additional batteries or the DCDC charger.

The cooler option was intriguing because it gives us some redundancy if the RV fridge ever has an issue and avoids having to constantly get ice. It also allows us to use it with just the truck as another option. I had given some thought to the console fridge in the past.

Dometic is having a Spring sale so I went with the CFX3 55im which also has an ice maker. I also purchased two of the Dometic power ports and will install one in the bed and one in the RV. The house batteries and solar will support this without an issue. There are cheaper options out there but I don't want to find out the saving wasn't worth the hassle. It ended up being about $1000 with free shipping.

The reality is that I probably will install an inverter long term, anyway, but want to take some additional trips to figure out our needs and then size accordingly. Even with this the Dometic will serve as a backup, just in case...

Our new camper is going to have a 115v/12v dual service fridge on board. This is the first year Oliver has switched away from their former standard of a 3way Dometic fridge. It's a relatively small fridge with even smaller freezer space, so we quickly came to the conclusion that a portable cooler was a necessity for us. We will have enough solar and inverter to use the camper fridge in most any situation, but like you pointed out, an alternate with additional space is just a good option to have.

Last week I was able to catch the Truma 73 liter model on sale on Amazon for about $550 discount. Unfortunately that sale has ended now, but it may be worth your while to keep and eye out for other discounts that may pop up. Truma coolers rate very high in customer satisfaction and are very efficient in operation. They have bluetooth controls and are programmable from 50 deg. to -8 deg. F. They are also one of if not the only portable cooler brand that isn't made in China. Ours says it's made in Germany. They also have a couple state side distribution and service centers, Indiana and Florida. When I tested it the other day, it reached -7 deg according to the App in less than an hour running on 115v. It's extremely quiet, has a lid that's reversible in seconds and has very sturdy and big folding handles on each end. It's sturdy enough for an adult to sit on. I opted for the single compartment version because of the increased efficiency and because we are quite sure we would use it as a freezer most of the time.

I really like the idea of being able to carry frozen meats and vegetables in the cooler in the back of the truck and being able to transfer to the fridge to thaw once we are ready to use them. This would in your case give you time to get the camper fridge down to temp on the way or at the camp site. It just opens up a lot of options and of course increased capacity.

 

[greatoppressor]

Picked this up yesterday. New 2022 Keystone Springdale 202RD. The powerstroke hauls it great!! Cheers View attachment 116693

I hope Keystone built yours better than they built ours.
We brought home a brand new (albeit a "leftover" 2022 model) Keystone Carbon 338. What I have noticed is that, while the layout, design, and individual components are all fine, the assembly is absolutely abysmal.

• Unevenly adjusted Happy Jac couches (I fixed)
• Mis-adjusted aft patio awning (I fixed)
• Broken driver side patio door glide (parts on order)
• Interference between patio railing and back bay door opening (I fixed)
• Inteference between passenger side patio door and Happy Jac couch (I fixed)
• Damaged entry door between living area and garage room (parts on order)
• Trim tape peeling up on all kitchen cabinets (dealer fixed)
• Outlet hanging out of bedroom wall (dealer fixed)
• Missing patio steps (parts on order)
• Missing second hatch key (parts on order)
• Open neutral on all solar-inverter-powered outlets (scheduled for dealer to fix)
• No airflow from garage furnace vent (scheduled for dealer to fix)
• Broken sound system bezel (parts on order)

I probably forgot a few things, but you get the idea.

-SR-

 

[Briski]

I hope Keystone built yours better than they built ours.
We brought home a brand new (albeit a "leftover" 2022 model) Keystone Carbon 338. What I have noticed is that, while the layout, design, and individual components are all fine, the assembly is absolutely abysmal.

• Unevenly adjusted Happy Jac couches (I fixed)
• Mis-adjusted aft patio awning (I fixed)
• Broken driver side patio door glide (parts on order)
• Interference between patio railing and back bay door opening (I fixed)
• Inteference between passenger side patio door and Happy Jac couch (I fixed)
• Damaged entry door between living area and garage room (parts on order)
• Trim tape peeling up on all kitchen cabinets (dealer fixed)
• Outlet hanging out of bedroom wall (dealer fixed)
• Missing patio steps (parts on order)
• Missing second hatch key (parts on order)
• Open neutral on all solar-inverter-powered outlets (scheduled for dealer to fix)
• No airflow from garage furnace vent (scheduled for dealer to fix)
• Broken sound system bezel (parts on order)

I probably forgot a few things, but you get the idea.

-SR-

We will see. I haven’t used it yet so that will be the first test. I walked through it twice and tested everything. I had them fix the trim same as yours. I got a great deal so willing to put up with small stuff. Cheers

 

[Harrycomes]

Welcome to the wonderful world of rv ownership. They are all made cheap and light. The last couple 5th wheels we bought used. 1 or 2 years old. Saved about half off price, and usually all the issues are fixed already. My father in law's brand new $150k toyhauler spent 6 weeks of prime camping time in the shop waiting for parts and repairs

 

[Modman]

No airflow from garage furnace vent (scheduled for dealer to fix)

We had this issue with our bedroom vent (under the bed). Almost no airflow. I took off the vent cover and shined a light down the duct and saw something bluish in color that didn't seem like it should be there. I managed to get it out while we were on our second trip using some MacGyver'd kitchen tools - it was about 35deg out so we needed the heat! Turned out to be some form of packaging bag that was almost entirely blocking the duct...

I have been less then impressed with the "behind the scenes" execution in our TT. Sloppy sums it up. We even had a plug for the 110 side of the water heater that was only plugged in halfway. Of course, that is buried underneath the fridge and wasn't readily apparent...

I am going to start going through all the accessible areas and clean up the wire routings, etc which basically have no rhyme or reason. Then if the time comes to troubleshoot or upgrade I at least can tell what I'm working with.

 

[pickleknuckles]

I've dug into ours a couple times to do electrical work - tail light wiring, hard wired surge protector, tank sensors, etc. Never ceases to amaze me just how crappily they're built. Pinch splices and loose wire nuts everywhere, stripped wood screws, crooked cuts on studs. Hell, my propane lines were even run below the frame and left hanging and exposed under the holding tanks when I first got it.

 

[Briski]

I have a Hallmark Guenella truck camper too. I posted it earlier in this thread. It is great for hunting and off roading but it lacks space for longer trips especially with my GSD. She takes up too much floor space. That’s why I added the Keystone. I have some trips in the planning stage for south during next winter. Texas and Arizona maybe Alabama. This is my forth camper so I know how to fix most problems.

I’m thinking of adding a second battery and more solar( it has a 200W panel already). Any other upgraded suggestions? It has 50 gal fresh and 30/30 holding tanks. 2 (20 lb) propane tanks. I’m thinking of adding a satellite dish.

 

[Modman]

I've dug into ours a couple times to do electrical work - tail light wiring, hard wired surge protector, tank sensors, etc. Never ceases to amaze me just how crappily they're built. Pinch splices and loose wire nuts everywhere, stripped wood screws, crooked cuts on studs. Hell, my propane lines were even run below the frame and left hanging and exposed under the holding tanks when I first got it.

Clearly that industry is in need of some process rigor.

Check out the bird's nest behind our docking station:

 

[pickleknuckles]

Clearly that industry is in need of some process rigor.

Check out the bird's nest behind our docking station:

View attachment 117186

I'm really surprised more TTs don't burn down in electrical fires. lol.

When I added the Progressive Ind. EMS-HW30C to ours, I went thru the whole breaker box and electrical compartment and rerouted and bundled as much as I could given the length I had to work with. I'm not OCD but it made me uneasy af just looking at how they left it.

 

[pickleknuckles]

Pics from our trip to Nashville a couple weeks ago. Spent a week at the KOA down the street from the Opryland Hotel. Nice for a luxury layover between more epic stops but it was a way too suburban for us. It was really just a shakedown trip for testing some of our four-season and remote office add-ons. Mission accomplished.

 

[HTremor]

Clearly that industry is in need of some process rigor.

Check out the bird's nest behind our docking station:

View attachment 117186

Essentially had the same thing in our GD 23BHE. Since I no longer needed the original charger for our batteries (moved to all lithium and a Victron charger/inverter), I ended up replacing the entire AC/DC panel with a new, higher quality one and organized all the wires the way they should have been from the factory. You never see it, but in my heart I know it is done right now.

 

[Modman]

After debating on a direction for running our RV fridge I pulled the trigger today... Main concern is we have it at a storage lot and can't really pre-cool it before taking a trip. What we did last year was load up a cooler and transfer everything when we got to our destination. Worked fine but required the acquisition of ice. Not a huge problem as I just got it when I was filling up the truck the night before.

Choices were:

1) Run on propane while driving, although there is debate about whether this is a good idea or not. I'm leaning towards the camp that would rather be safe then sorry.
2) Swap the 110/propane fridge in the RV for a 12 V model (~$2k)
3) Pure sine inverter, DCDC charger, wiring (truck and RV), plus misc fuses, switches, etc (~$1100)
4) Purchase an electric cooler ($300-1200)

Ok, lots of variables here... My assumption is that our solar and (2) battery setup would support option #2 while driving, based on the published draw of an equivalent sized 12V fridge. That may work for number #3 with a short trip, but for a longer trip would either require additional batteries or the DCDC charger.

The cooler option was intriguing because it gives us some redundancy if the RV fridge ever has an issue and avoids having to constantly get ice. It also allows us to use it with just the truck as another option. I had given some thought to the console fridge in the past.

Dometic is having a Spring sale so I went with the CFX3 55im which also has an ice maker. I also purchased two of the Dometic power ports and will install one in the bed and one in the RV. The house batteries and solar will support this without an issue. There are cheaper options out there but I don't want to find out the saving wasn't worth the hassle. It ended up being about $1000 with free shipping.

The reality is that I probably will install an inverter long term, anyway, but want to take some additional trips to figure out our needs and then size accordingly. Even with this the Dometic will serve as a backup, just in case...

It arrived today... I have it plugged into AC currently for a temp test:

 

[Supercup]

Great trip to Sand Hollow State Park, UT last week!

 

[CVCA91911]

Here is our trip to the Malibu RV Park.

 

[Bill]

Here is our trip to the Malibu RV Park.

That’s a great spot. We were there for a month and spent Christmas and New Years there.

 

[mds2004]

At the Thousand Trails San Benito RV Park and headed to Pinnacles National Park tomorrow.

 

[modified]

We took another trip up to Lake Tyler this past weekend caravanning with family.

The Boulders at Lake Tyler - Camping Retreat in Texas

Discover the beauty of camping in Texas with The Boulders at Lake Tyler. Rent cabins, glamping tents and RV sites at our scenic retreat. Book now!

www.boulderslaketyler.com

This time we got an amazing spot right on the lake. It was a good opportunity to get the drone out and take some photos.

The fishing was great, we managed to reel in a few sizable large mouth bass and the kids had fun catching small sunfish.

The best fisherman out there standing on the dock waiting for people to toss him the fish too small to keep.

 

[Briski]

We took another trip up to Lake Tyler this past weekend caravanning with family.

The Boulders at Lake Tyler - Camping Retreat in Texas

Discover the beauty of camping in Texas with The Boulders at Lake Tyler. Rent cabins, glamping tents and RV sites at our scenic retreat. Book now!

www.boulderslaketyler.com

View attachment 117781

This time we got an amazing spot right on the lake. It was a good opportunity to get the drone out and take some photos.

View attachment 117782

View attachment 117784


The fishing was great, we managed to reel in a few sizable large mouth bass and the kids had fun catching small sunfish.
View attachment 117783


View attachment 117785

The best fisherman out there standing on the dock waiting for people to toss him the fish too small to keep.
View attachment 117786

Great pictures modified!!!

 

[Sludgemonkey44]

We took another trip up to Lake Tyler this past weekend caravanning with family.

The Boulders at Lake Tyler - Camping Retreat in Texas

Discover the beauty of camping in Texas with The Boulders at Lake Tyler. Rent cabins, glamping tents and RV sites at our scenic retreat. Book now!

www.boulderslaketyler.com

View attachment 117781

This time we got an amazing spot right on the lake. It was a good opportunity to get the drone out and take some photos.

View attachment 117782

View attachment 117784


The fishing was great, we managed to reel in a few sizable large mouth bass and the kids had fun catching small sunfish.
View attachment 117783


View attachment 117785

The best fisherman out there standing on the dock waiting for people to toss him the fish too small to keep.
View attachment 117786

Nice to see you repping the forum gear while lurking in the shadows! Great pics, looks like a great time at an amazing location.