For A Great Camping Trip, Follow These 3 Tips

December 18th, 2009 Posted in Camping

You buy your first travel trailer and now you cannot wait to head to the great outdoors on your first camping trip. The excitement builds as they make campground reservations and plan to spend time enjoying nature or relaxing in a hammock by the fire. A good RVer is prepared for whatever problems that may arise as problems always do. This article will share 3 simple things that if not taken into consideration will totally ruin any trip you take.
When planning a trip in your camper trailer the obvious things are easy to prepare for. Where you are going to camp, what you are going to eat etc. 3 items however, are often overlooked when planning a trip because of the anticipation of the trip.
#1: Check The Wheels and Tires
The biggest issue overlooked are the wheels and tires until one goes flat. If you are stuck on the side of the road with a flat tire and without the proper tools or with a flat spare, it will ruin your day. Check your tires before your trip. An indication of dry rot in your tires are hairline cracks in the sidewalls. All tires are affected by this eventually. Replace worn tires and make sure the tire pressure is up to manufacturer’s specs. This is so simple yet it is the biggest issue faced on the road because it is overlooked by so many people.
#2 Check Your Axles
Then make sure your axles are lubricated. This is easy to do especially since so many newer models have easy lube axles that don’t even require loosening of a lug nut. Lubricate your axles before each trip using a grease gun. If you don’t know how, find a mechanic or and RV tech and have them do it for you. It is so much cheaper to have that done before your trip than to try to replace burned bearings by the side of the road.
#3: Test The Batteries and Charging System
This is another area so often overlooked until there is a problem. It is easily avoided by a simple battery check before you leave your house.  Your travel trailer comes with deep cycle marine batteries. That means that the battery can be totally drained of power and when recharged will come back to full strength. Automotive batteries when drained will never return to full strength. Check your batteries before you leave to make sure they will take the proper charge. Also, get the power converter in your travel trailer checked to make sure it is working properly. Travel Trailers are wired for direct current (DC). They are designed to be operated by battery power. Your power converter will convert the direct current to alternating current (AC), or regular household electricity, that campgrounds are wired with. When plugged in to the shore power at the campsite it recharges your batteries. If your power converter isn’t working properly, you batteries will be drained quickly, the air conditioner will not work and you are in for a bad experience.
I know these such simple issues that anyone should know and do on a regular basis. problems] people encounter on the road result from one of these things. These are so simple to check and fix before you leave. Do not let simple issues like these ruin a great time with your family.