Outline · [ Standard ] · Linear+ My first trip!

[Dorado]

I went on my first trip this past weekend. I had a blast. I've never been this comfortable while camping before! I slept like a rock. Normally I'm up every couple of hours tending to a fire. Not this time!
I started out with a five hour drive. It took me a while to get used to the camper and get everything set right. I stopped several times to adjust mirrors and pressure in my airbags. How I normally do my mirrors doesn't work that well with a camper. Once satisfied I had a pleasant drive. I arrived and got myself settled.
This was a four day boondocking trip so no hookups. I then learned that I need to get me some leveling blocks. I arranged my camper to have a slight lean to the rear and leveled with the jacks side to side. It didn't take much to level the camper, I chose a good site.
I had myself a good time. Each evening I would start up my generator and run the A/C to cool off for the night. While it had power I'd watch TV or a movie. Once cooled I'd shut everything down and go to bed. It was extremely comfortable.
It's very nice having a stove to cook on while camping. So easy. I also learned a few things. Here's what I learned.
1) Leveling blocks under the tires would be a big help.
2) Take less food. I had a lot of leftovers.
3) Use less water. I filled my gray tank and it overflowed into the shower slightly.
4) It's so much fun.

So about my shower. Since I was at an angle, my tanks were essentially smaller that what I thought they were. My sensor showed that I had room in my grey tank so I took a shower before I left. As I got things cleaned up and stowed away I had to wash a couple of things. When I went to clean up my shower the bottom was full of water. I had to slightly drain my grey tank and the standing water drained back into the tank. I checked for damage or wetness under the floor and saw nothing.
I have a membership with the Good Sam Club. I was able to use that at a nearby Flying J to get a dump station discount. I dumped the black tank, hosed it out, then dumped the grey. While there I topped off my truck's fuel tanks and then I was on my way home. It's so nice being able to stop at a rest stop and have good "homemade" food instead of that fast food crap I normally get.


This is so much fun. I wish I'd gotten into it much sooner. I'm not getting rid of my tents and tarps just yet, I'm just adding another method.
Oh, surprisingly I wasn't the only truck camper there and I saw about 5 or 6 others on the road.

Going out again this next weekend for an overnight. I'm looking forward to that one too.

[SidecarFlip]

If camping in the boonies, take an outside shower, don't worry, the animals won't laugh. Save the grey water tank for other stuff.

I've never used the inside shower myself.

[Dorado]

If camping in the boonies, take an outside shower, don't worry, the animals won't laugh.  Save the grey water tank for other stuff.

I've never used the inside shower myself.

I was boondocking but I wasn't alone out there. It was a fairly crowded impromptu campground for a function. Otherwise I'd have used the outdoor shower instead. Also I needed to as I was at a shooting competition and was covered in gunpowder.
In case you're wondering I got first in my category.

[Chief 2]

You will probably find that every time you go out you will learn something else about TCing. It sounds like your first trip was a good one and that for the most part things went well. You may want to look at an Oxygenics shower head. It uses less water and you get much better pressure from it. You may also want to purchased a sewer cap with a garden hose attachment where if needed you could drain some of your grey water to a nearby thirsty bush. Good idea also to use a sink pan for washing your dishes and then just dump it outside on a thirsty tree or bush. I keep a set of those stackable blocks that come in a bag and use them for leveling blocks. Good luck!

[Dorado]

You will probably find that every time you go out you will learn something else about TCing. It sounds like your first trip was a good one and that for the most part things went well. You may want to look at an Oxygenics shower head. It uses less water and you get much better pressure from it. You may also want to purchased a sewer cap with a garden hose attachment where if needed you could drain some of your grey water to a nearby thirsty bush. Good idea also to use a sink pan for washing your dishes and then just dump it outside on a thirsty tree or bush. I keep a set of those stackable blocks that come in a bag and use them for leveling blocks. Good luck!

Thanks for the tips! I can use all that I can get!
I do have the Oxygenics shower head. But I showered daily for four days in it while boondocking. I used as little water as possible, but I think I used too much washing dishes. I like your tip of washing dishes in a separate pan and dumping it nearby as well as the sewer cap with a hose attachment. I'll look into getting something like that before my next big trip. I plan on getting me some leveling blocks before I do anything else as that was something that annoyed me more than filling up my grey tank.
Oh! I also just installed an awning on my camper. A Dometic pull out awning. It barely fit but still fit great. The main roller tube came with a very big dent in the middle of it. I couldn't see it with it rolled up and didn't find it until I had everything installed. I'm talking with the people I bought it from and they're going to find me a replacement. Wish I had it for my last trip. Then again I'll have it for my next one in a couple of weeks so I'll be happy.