New owners: Any tips for a first trip

T

tjohn

Newbie
Hi,

We are excited new owners of a used Camp-inn 550 preparing for our first trip. Starting on the 20th we will be spending a couple of weeks in the Glacier National park area.

I was wonder if anyone would be willing to share a couple of items/tips you wished you had known prior to your own first trip in your Camp-Inn?

We are very experienced tent campers and have done this same trip at the same time of year in the past. However we are brand new to Camp-Inn and teardrop trailers in general.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
 
tjohn said:
Hi,

We are excited new owners of a used Camp-inn 550 preparing for our first trip. Starting on the 20th we will be spending a couple of weeks in the Glacier National park area.

I was wonder if anyone would be willing to share a couple of items/tips you wished you had known prior to your own first trip in your Camp-Inn?

We are very experienced tent campers and have done this same trip at the same time of year in the past. However we are brand new to Camp-Inn and teardrop trailers in general.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
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Be careful turning down unfamiliar roads that don’t have a U turn option to turn around.

Go easy as you learn to back in any parking spot. I have a bumper full of memories about what not to do. :-)

Practice some slowing and stopping so you can become familiar with how your brakes respond with all the added weight of the trailer.

Have fun and make sure to take lots of pictures. I’ve been wanting to go to Glacier but have never been.
 
tjohn said:
Hi,

We are excited new owners of a used Camp-inn 550 preparing for our first trip. Starting on the 20th we will be spending a couple of weeks in the Glacier National park area.

I was wonder if anyone would be willing to share a couple of items/tips you wished you had known prior to your own first trip in your Camp-Inn?

We are very experienced tent campers and have done this same trip at the same time of year in the past. However we are brand new to Camp-Inn and teardrop trailers in general.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
Click to expand...
Car gas: set a mental line on your gas meter where you will refill your tank and start looking for your next gas stop. The tow vehicle will use more gas for towing than regular driving.
 
If you can, take a smaller trip first -- just a little weekend trip to a state park or some place close to civilization. A small shake-down trip to make sure everything works, works right, and that you didn't forget something you may really find useful. This small trip will be a lot easier to find a department store to pick up forgotten items.

Don't try to take everything with you; focus on essentials. Its easy to go gear-crazy the first year...and the 15'th.

When you are loading things into the camper, put a small piece of tape (painters tape is great for this, as it doesn't leave residue), and when you take it out to use it, remove the tape --- after a year, if the tape is still there, take it out. You really don't need it as much as you thought you did
 
Remember despite our little 550’s being so small we still are too big to travel Going to the Sun Road past Avalanche on the west or Rising Sun on the east (though good spots on both sides to unhook if needed unless of course you are staying in the park then it’ll be happy at campground). Enjoy Glacier (and the Flathead Valley)!
 
Our departure was delayed a day due to trouble shooting trailer lights that were not working and replacing the trailer battery. We had not hooked it up to our tow vehicle since purchasing it used last winter. I should have tested everything out earlier but that is the way it goes sometimes.

We are now all set to leave first thing in the morning. Thanks for all the tips and I will report back on our experience after we return.
 
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