I'm one of the cool kids now!!

[swillis]

Hello fellow Dis Campers

Well we are finally in the cool gang because we just bought a 30ft Puma travel trailer. This is our first camper, and we are very new to this. I used to camp in a 26ft trailer as a kid/teen, but of course I didn't pay attention to much of what my parents were doing at the time

So now I need some reassurance, since one of the primary reasons for getting such a big trailer was an annual pilgrimage to the Fort. I stayed at the Fort last year with my kids (in a cabin) and fell in love with it. So anybody out there tow their big trailer from the Northeast (I'm in MA) to the Fort? I'm a little worried that I bit off more than I can chew. I figure that with lots of practice I should be able to haul this thing down there. My goal is to be comfortable enough to do this on my own, so that we can possibly make more than one trip per year

Any and all advice and encouragement is welcome!

 

[wrongagain]

Several of us here are from mass.
If we can do it so can you.
As long as you can aim it thru a toll booth a quarter of an inch wider than your vehicle you are good to go.

 

[des1954]

As long as you can aim it thru a toll booth a quarter of an inch wider than your vehicle you are good to go.

That is very good advice!

Don't forget squeezing thru that toll plaza at WDW to get to FtW! That's a tight one, too!!

 

[poohbearwithme]

First off a Big Congrats on you TT...
Second start reading up as much as possible. http://www.rv.net is a good site as well as http://www.campinglife.com but this is just a few of many. I know that the super pros around here will give you many more references and sites to go to.
Personally, I would recommend many small weekend trips close to home before embarking a real long trip. Small trips will give you practice driving, backing-up, and let you get an idea of what you need to take, what you need to leave and what you need to buy. But most importantly have fun!

 

[AuburnJen92]

First off a Big Congrats on you TT...
Second start reading up as much as possible. http://www.rv.net is a good site as well as http://www.campinglife.com but this is just a few of many. I know that the super pros around here will give you many more references and sites to go to.
Personally, I would recommend many small weekend trips close to home before embarking a real long trip. Small trips will give you practice driving, backing-up, and let you get an idea of what you need to take, what you need to leave and what you need to buy. But most importantly have fun!

Yes! I agree wholeheartedly. When we bought our TT, we took several mini trips before anything big. We found out some very interesting things, like what we forgot, what we had no idea we needed, and how not to jack-knife the trailer and dent the truck. These are lessons that do not need to be learned the hard way!

 

[swillis]

Thanks all! That is exactly what I plan to do (several small trips) There is a great campground not too far from us that we have camped at before, and are pretty familiar with. Plus it's only about 25 minutes from home, so if we forget something big then someone can run home to get it. I will use the summer and fall to get used to it, and hopefully can be confident enough to make some longer trips next summer, and maybe FW by the fall of next year!!
Any more advice feel free to keep it coming, otherwise I will be lurking here and learning what I can!

 

[fortcampers]

We bit the bullet last summer and bought ourselves a used 29ft fifth wheel. We had been thinking about it for awhile, but never seemed to have any money for one. We went "looking" one early summer day for something to do and to make a long story short, came home with what we have now. Our problem is we have a 16 yr old 2 door F250 that only sits 3 passengers, so wherever we go, I have to follow the camper in our minivan. We spent our first trips at a local cg that is 30 miles from the house. We have two teenage boys ages 18 and 16 and they stay home so they can go to their jobs and take care of the dogs. We go back and forth to the house (what seems like daily) to check on them and the dogs and to do laundry. We camp there a lot now and will be doing a lot of camping there this summer due to gas prices. My husband has never towed a camper---he has driven the big u-haul trucks, though. His biggest challenge so far has been backing the camper up into the sites. It does take a lot of practice and usually ends up with he and I arguing over it, but in the end he gets where he wants to be. We learned that you never leave the black tank open while camping--you can leave the gray tank open but close it for a little while to gather water to rinse the black tank out when you flush it. We learned to disconnect the battery while the camper is in storage so when we go to hook it up the next time, the battery is not drained and we can get the landing legs up. Learned that lesson the hard way. Also we learned to turn the hot water heater and the fridge off before pulling out and taking it back to storage. We recently took our first big trip with it and pulled it from the mountains of North Carolina. That is always so fun driving it up and down the really steep mountains. I think we got passed by a turtle at one time. Keep things in the bed of your truck secured or put them in the camper---we had things fly out of the bed of the truck while on the way down. Practice by going to a local campground to get the kinks worked out. We are having so much fun with our camper and our youngest two (ages 12 and 8) really love to go camping. We wish we had done this long ago! There is a forum on www.woodalls.com that you can join and there are so many helpful people there. I have asked so many dumb questions but I get answers every time. I can always get advice on what campgrounds to go to and what campgrounds to avoid. It's a great discussion forum for that type of thing. Have fun camping!

 

[disney4dan]

Several of us here are from mass.
If we can do it so can you.
As long as you can aim it thru a toll booth a quarter of an inch wider than your vehicle you are good to go.

Lots of us here from Massachusetts - we're in north central MA and like the ability to get to several of the state park campgrounds in such a short drive. Not sure if you knew this, but all the MA state parks sites can be reserved on-line at ReserveAmerica.com. What I like about the site is the level of detail and accuracy on what size rig will fit in the site. For example, there is a park in Baldwinville, MA called Otter River State Forest where they recommend trailers be less than 25 feet long (roads are old and narrow, sharp corners).

There are two great state campgrounds right on the shore (Salisbury and Horseneck Beach) where you can get a site with water and electric for $20/night - dump stations are available. AND, our gov'na announced a plan to invest a few million to improve the parks which have been needing some updating. I hear that Nickerson State Park on the Cape is getting a lot of improvements.

 

[Mmketeer]

Congrats on your travel trailer !
Sorry I can't easy your fears about traveling with your new camper. DH and have only been to the fort which for us thankfully is exactly 1 hour and 30 minutes away. We did however finally venture down to the Bradenton area over the weekend with our 5th wheel and it was a about a 2 hour or so drive, but that's as far as we have gone and the only other place we have ever stayed at other than Disney. I really don't like long car rides or flights, so it's baby steps for me. LOL!

 

[swillis]

Mmketeer I just love your dogs! Boston have always been a favorite of mine! That will be another thing that we will work on slowly...getting the dogs used to camping. I would love to bring them on camping trips!