I recently "upgraded" from a T@b 320 to a Thor Vegas 24.1. I just finished my first 2 day, maiden camp in the Vegas. We dry camped. ( as I most often do) We stopped on the way home for my very first ever dump station and "stinky slinky" adventure! :)

The T@b 320 with a cartridge tank was really easy! Every morning after coffee and morning news empty the cartridge and the take out the trash. Just open the hatch, undo the catch on the cartridge tank, wheel it to where ever and empty it, slide it back in. Easy peasy!

Now for my big fancy new rig... Lets see, dump station, line up properly, deal with the slope, hook up the flush water hose, get out the slinky, then I had to get on the ground to reach up under and open the pipe on the rig and connect the slinky (I just ordered elbow and knee pads for the next trip)... go through the machinations, grey water for a second to make sure connection is good, kill grey, start black, let black run until clear water from flush hose is seen, kill black, restart grey and finish it, open black again for the flush water to whoosh out, close black for final time, let enough fresh water in to prevent the dreaded pyramids, get on the ground again to disconnect hose and recap rig, hose off hoses, cap and store slinkys, disconnect flush hose.

HOLY CRAP! (ar) What an ordeal. The good news is it does not need to be done everyday like the cartridge but what a multiplier in the level of effort required! 5 days of cartridge dumps is significantly less work and no laying on the ground.

So yeah, I am really missing the Thetford cartridge toilet right now!

The only irony was with the back flush process I did not get a single whiff of Oder with the slinky and the dump station but I would with the cartridge. So that is one plus for the slinky (with back flush port)

Hello all, my wife and I are considering getting our first RV in the next year and we’re hoping to get some help narrowing our options.

About us: we are new parents in our 30s who both grew up camping and with a lot of outdoor rec. We are planning to have one more kid and would like to introduce our child to camping as soon as possible and think an RV is a great option to start getting out there.

What we are looking for: something simple that is less than 25 feet. We’d like a bunkhouse with sleeping spots for four and a shower/toilet that ideally is good quality and will last at least 10 years if possible with maintenance.

What we want to do with our RV: we are looking to travel somewhere between 1-4 times a year. We don’t have a set camping spot and would like to drive across the country, perhaps putting a few hundred or 1-2000 miles on the RV per trip tops. Think driving 2-3 days to a campsite and then spending a week there. We know this is a bit outside of the normal use pattern and a lot of models can start to fall apart at 10k plus miles.

Models that we are looking at: Lance Evolve 1965 and Jayco Jay Flight 175BH.

The Lance: we’ve heard good things about the quality of the Lance. It is supposed to be much sturdier under the hood than your typical lite trailers. So this is currently our first pick. However, we’ve also heard some quality concerns people have had with more recent builds. We’ve also heard that even the Lance starts to breakdown at high usage (we saw a post on here from a lady who had a lot of issues after putting 25k miles on her Lance).

The Jayco: We have heard A LOT of complaints about the quality and lifespan of the Jayco. However, we like the Flight 175BH because it is so simple and no frills so it seems like it doesn’t have as many failure points. Our concern with this model is that it will fall to shreds in 2-4 years if we try to put a few thousand miles on it and we will have to completely replace it. However if there truly is no travel trailer that will last more than 5 years with the kind of use we’re planning on, perhaps the Jayco is the best bet as it would simply be cheaper to buy a 20k trailer twice than it would be to buy a 35k trailer twice.

So what do you all think? Are the trailers we’re looking at compatible with what we’re looking for? Are there other better options we should consider? Is there any trailer that’s going to offer what we want in the size we’d like and also standup to 25000 miles of use?

If I’ve kept you this long thank you for taking the time to read everything!

I’m looking to buy a camper to pull with my 2025 Tundra SR5. I don’t have any experience pulling one. From what I can tell my biggest limitation is the payload. The sticker shows 1380 lbs. One of the campers I’m looking at has a dry weight of 5600 lbs and the GVWR Is 7400. Is this too heavy? Recommendations?
TIA

Well under the tow limit even with tanks filled. She came with the Curt sway hitch.

2018 Casita Liberty and a 2026 AWD Hybrid Maverick with tow package.

We started in Las Vegas headed to Minnesota, 15N to 70E we stopped overnight in Green River Utah. Left Green River and now we are stopped North Platte, NE. 70E has got to be one of the worst highways for a bumper pull, the 5th wheel guys were passing me like I was not moving, my wif and daughter were following behind me and they called me several times to ask if everything was alright because the trailer movement was so violent. I was anywhere from 10-15 mph below the speed limit. No wind and my WDH is dailed in. Once we got through Denver and onto 76 I was able to run the speed limit. I am running a 2026 RAM crew cab 8' bed 6.4L gas and a 38' Heartland Eddie Bauer 34BHS, I scaled up before leaving Vegas and am 250lbs under cargo capacity and 1000lbs under max GVWR for the trailer and it was the most white knuckle violent experience of my life. I don't know how full timers cross the country without tearing their rigs apart.

I can’t find this anywhere- it’s 3 1/4” total width, presses into screw cover C channel, is one piece, the wiper and bulb come together.

Every spring we de-winterize rigs and find the same handful of freeze breaks. Almost none of them cost much to prevent. Most of them cost a lot more to fix, and a big part of that is where they hide and how much has to come apart to reach them.

No shop prices here, since those vary a lot by area and rig. The point is the gap between prevention and repair.

1. Low point drains
   - Where it hides: the lowest run of water line, usually under the rig near the water pump. If the drains never got opened, water just sits there.
   - Prevent it: open the hot and cold low point drains and let the lines empty before you put in antifreeze or air. Close them when you're done.
   - What drives the repair bill: the split is often in a line behind a cabinet or up in the underbelly. A lot of the cost is labor just getting to it.

2. Water heater
   - Where it hides: the tank itself. It holds more water than anything else in the rig.
   - Prevent it: turn it off and let it cool, open a hot faucet to take the pressure off, then pull the drain plug or anode and let it drain. Set the bypass so the tank doesn't fill with antifreeze.
   - What drives the repair bill: a tank that cracks from freezing usually means a new water heater, not a patch. This is the most expensive one on the list.

3. Water pump and filter housing
   - The pump head holds water and can crack. Run antifreeze through the pump (or blow the lines out) so it isn't sitting full of plain water.
   - If you have a water filter, pull the cartridge and empty the housing. A full housing can split.
   - What drives the repair bill: the pump is usually easy to reach, so it's mostly the part.

4. The ones people forget
   - Outdoor shower, both hot and cold
   - Outdoor kitchen sink
   - Toilet: hold the flush pedal until you see antifreeze in the bowl
   - Ice maker and washer lines, if you have them. Follow the manual for those.
   - City water inlet. The check valve can hold a little water.
   - P-traps. Pour a little antifreeze down every drain.
   - What drives the repair bill: each one is a small part. The trouble is a cracked valve can leak into the floor the first time you pressurize in spring, and water damage is where a small fix turns into a big one.

5. Check it in spring before you trust it
   When you de-winterize, pressurize the system and walk the rig. Look under every sink, behind the toilet, at the water heater, and in any basement compartment. With every faucet off, the pump shouldn't keep kicking on. If it does, something is usually leaking. Finding a drip in the first ten minutes costs a lot less than finding a soft floor in July.

Prevention vs. repair, plain terms
- Prevention: a few jugs of RV antifreeze (the pink kind for water lines, never automotive), a bypass if you don't have one, and an hour or two.
- Repair: the part, plus the labor to reach it (often the bigger piece), plus any water damage if it leaked before anyone noticed.

When to have a tech look at it
- Soft floor, stains, or a musty smell near any plumbing. That's water damage and it's worth a proper inspection.
- Water coming from the water heater tank body itself.
- Anything on the propane side of the water heater.

Do you wait till the temp is freezing, or is it ok to turn them on sooner? Nights are getting in the 30's Fahrenheit and days in the 60's. Any reason not to turn it on now and not forget or be surprised while camping?

Edited to add more information……
I am looking to purchase smaller motor home RV . Around 26 foot ? Newer, maybe 5 years old? I don’t know much about diesel, and am concerned about finding someone to work on the engine if I get stuck somewhere? I appreciate your input!

Took my new to me rig to a remote island for some fishing. What an upgrade and game changer from my rooftop tent.

We have a 2014 Thor Freedom Elite that we bought used last year. The previous owners painted the interior. It's cute but definitely needs to be redone. There are places where the white paint is more yellow than white. What kind of paint works best for the interior?

Anyone recommend this small 20 to 24 foot trailer? It’s a 2018 model. Thanks

Jayco 29BHB with a '26 sierra HD. Had our first trip and it towed so well! I was surprised the 34' backs up easier than our old 20' single axle trailer did. Excited for the adventures ahead!!

Brand new to this. Did a lot of research, and based on our situation we wound up getting a 2026 Ford Ranger XLT with Advanced Tow Package and a 2026 Forest River Surveyor 202RBLE. 3 hour trip back from RV dealer (Bill’s Happy Camper, excellent btw) no issues, except maybe backing up into my 9.5’ wide driveway 😳😅.
EDIT
Just some more info. I pulled the trailer just yesterday from PA to NY about 200 miles through PA hills and the conditions were a little gusty. I had no sway. I felt nothing when semi’s past me up. Occasionally there was a gust but it didn’t feel like , oh no or anything like that. It felt like I was pulling a trailer. Up hills down hills all was good. Would a bigger truck or a smaller trailer make a difference? Probably, but like I said even as a newbie it felt totally normal and nothing was scary in the slightest.

What more affordable or older toy hauler manufacturers should I look for or stay away from? Ive looked at a coachman, and it had some delamination going on, so I passed. All I care about it being reliable and not a constant headache/money pit. Itll get hauled 250ish miles 12-15 times a year. Im leaning towards an enclosed trailer style hauler. Just looking for what to avoid, id love a wood free hauler but theyre just not in my budget. Looking at 24-30ft bumper pull.

Cleaning my toilet with these disposable brush heads today and hit the flush to add some water and head came off and went into black tank. Can’t see it , tried flushing but it didn’t come out. Guess next step is pull the toilet and feel around what I can reach. I’ll order a cheap inspection camera. Glad I handled it with dignity. I blamed it all on my wife for buying it! Appreciate any recommendations.

Thought maybe the gate valve was leaking externally (it’s been leaking by for sure ) but when I went to replace and I removed the underlay, saw a ton of this goop around the outlet of the tank.

Now I fear the leak is somewhere in that mess.

Anyone know what that goop might be and how to remove it (other than careful plastic scraper work)? In my job they call it “monkey shit” but internet searches are not very kind to that phrase, lol

I REALLY don’t want to replace the tank: looks like an easy $500-600 for a replacement one from initial searches and the styles look different (it’s a 2010 KZ Spree).

Worst case, I’ll finish replacing the valve, fill it with a hose, and try to isolate the leak/plop more mesh/goop onto that spot.

I'm a new RV owner and when we picked up our RV we had a basic intro to how to use the RV. The guy giving us the intro mentioned something about RV parks usually requiring a few key pieces of equipment and I can't remember if he went into the details. Any suggestions? We do have a 30 amp surg protector for the power line, which I'm guessing might be one of them. Thanks!

Been out with it twice now, added a solar panel and upgraded batteries. Taken it out twice now and couldn't be happier with it. Still need to run it over a CAT scale.

Trailer:

GVWR - 5995 lbs

Dry - 4550 lbs

Tongue weight (dry) - 580 lbs

3x200W Solar panels on the roof

1x130W Solar on the side

2x200Ah LiFePO4 batteries

2,000W inverter - everything but the AC

Tow Vehicle:

2020 Infiniti QX80

8,500 lbs towing

850 max tongue weight

1,460 payload

Curt Trutrack WDH

Well, I have taken on a resto project of a 21 foot barth. It's on a p30 chassis, it needs some mechanical repairs but I'll have those covered ( I run a 77 step van for my plumbing business so it's a very similar chassis). It does have an active roof leak, and some of the rivets are missing on the roof. It looks to be that all the joints were covered over with some type of fiber tape and paint on coating, and its all currently peeling. I already set myself up with stainless steel wire wheels for my grinder to start removing the old roof coating. But what is my next step? Do i drill out revits and remove the panels and re-seal between them? Do i just glue on a tpo roof on top of the aluminum panels and seal it in 100%? Or do i just have it re-sealed with a paint on or roll on sealer?

Hello all. So i am looking for some advise and recommendation to an issue i have been having with my Sunchaser II awning mounting bracket. A couple months ago my mounting bracket broke and it turns out that Dometic discontinued that part a while ago. So i bought an amazon replacement. However all the replacement mounting brackets I can find are about 1.5 inches wide vs. The original that was 1 inch wide. I did dremel the replacement that will allow the original foot to sit in the bracket for transportation, but because the bracket base is wider than the foot, and the arm, i can no longer extend the awning with the arm attached to the camper. I included some photos. I have thought about taking more material off the new bracket, but I am worried of weakening it and it failing as I would need to take .5 inch off the sides, and then compress the top down to 1 inch.

Anyway i figured I would see if anyone else ran into this problem and found a solution. I dont mind buying some new parts, but it is an old camper that i dont want to put too much money into.

TLDR: Dometic Sunchaser II discontinued their awning mounting bracket and all the new one available online are wider than the original. So i got the foot to sit, but i cant extend out the awning because the foot hits the bottom of the bracket.

the title says it all! water is getting into my hot water heater when turned to the bypass position to winterize. how do I tell if the problem is with the ball valve or the check valve to keep water from back flowing into the water heater on the out side?

can I take apart the ball valve and see if a seal needs to be replaced?

Just bought a 2027 Northtrail 210MBS to replace our Jayflight 175 FQW which we towed with our ford explorer. Although the Explorer could tow the Northtrail, it was underpowered for the weight of the trailer by about 1000-1500 lbs. So I was able to buy a 2014 Dodge Ram 1500 and tow is beautiful. Bank account hurts but we will be much safer.