I came upon a similar problem with trailer wiring while on a trip with my tent trailer. We stopped for the night at a camp ground.In Virginia, i think. Raining cats and dogs! Sat in caar until it stopped, then set up the rig. Later on, a fellow camper came over and asked me if i could fix his trailer to car wire plug. seems he forgot to remove it from the receptacle, got the hitch off the ball, and pulled the car away, along with the plug! So, i sat down and fixed it for him. He told me the lights would blink when going along, so i fixed that problem, too. Made up a separate ground wire with a male/female detachable plug. Took 2 hours of work. Made him extremely happy when i refused payment for the work! Somebody once said:"When Rusty Jones goes camping--he takes his garage along, too!" I did! Had a floor jack, safety stands, tools of all kinds, everything i might need. I couldn't afford to go to a dealer or repair shop!

I bought our used tent trailer last June (2008) and we love it. We found it on craigslist, and for us it was a good experience. We wanted a camping trailer that would fit in our garage, so a big travel trailer was not an option. Here's what I learned: - A good used tent trailer is clean, free of mold, and the wood around the sink area is not swollen with water damage. No smoke/dog/food odors whatsoever. Very clean and in good working order. - Have a trailer repair/service shop check out your trailer before you buy - they'll be able to tell you if everything works as it should. Worth the money. They'll also be able to show you how everything works. - It takes a few camping trips before you really get the hang of it. I was nervous about the propane furnace, how the 3-way (gas-elec-battery) fridge worked, and the leveling of the unit. But now that I have it figured out, I'm good to go! - The guy we bought it from kept it in a large clean shop/garage, so it was dry all winter. No mice. I wouldn't buy one that's been kept outside. - No toilet/potty in ours. We only camp in parks with showers and restrooms. I did buy an outdoor shower, though, for use at the campsite for private quick cleanups. - Be careful about the weight - the trailers with the extra storage are typically bigger and weigh more, especially by the time you add the rest of your camping gear (chairs, bikes, rafts, food, etc.). - I wish our camper had a bike rack on top; it's a difficult trick carrying bikes on the racks that go between truck and trailer. - Bear Country: check with the park to see what they say about tents and tent trailers. Food lockers are common in those areas. We survived a severe lightning storm in our tent trailer last summer at Lost Lake in Oregon (and my teenage boys thought it was awesome). - We don't have a generator. Just a good battery. Extended camping trips of 3 days or more might benefit from having a generator, but you'll add weight with that. An extra battery might be easier. - Find a good rv forum like TrailerLife to get a lot of your questions answered. - We have two large propane tanks, and that is more than adequate. The water tank under the trailer holds something like 30 gallons, and you shouldn't fill it until you get to the campground (weight, see?). - There is a bluebook for RV's. Check before you buy. - Our brand is a 10-year-old Jayco, and it's very good. - I bought one of those cabela outdoor kitchens to use since I like space and convenience when I'm cooking. The indoor sink is just used for quick cleanups. - The gas hot water and furnace is awesome; I wouldn't go camping without it again (think cleaning pots/pans, warm water for showering, etc.). - My husband is not mechanically inclined, so it's up to me to make sure it's set up properly and running right, and I do just fine thankyouverymuch. - Getting it level at the sight is SOOO important. There's a lot to learn about using one, but once you figure it out, you're ready to go camping any time. My greatest helper was the trailerlife forum. Really found the experts there extremely knowledgeable and eager to help. Hope this helps. Good luck, and happy camping!! (I can send you pictures of the trailer and the setup if you'd like.)

Jennymama, I just wanted to say congratulations on your new quarters! I came to this thread late so have just been reading through the posts...I kind of started chuckling about halfway through at the different "camps" we are all in (those who say "go for it" and those who shudder at the thought of living in a travel trailer for several months, LOL.) I wanted to do that when we were building on our land, and two years later I still think our lives would have been easier in many ways had we done so (we also thought about going ahead and building the shop and putting a small bathroom in it, to live in during the build.) I think you have three really big considerations that will make you very glad you did this. One is that the drive to your dd's school would take up so much of the time that you will need for dealing with things as the house is being built, not to mention time that could be better spent with your younger one. Two hours a day, five days is a week is a LOT of time that you just gave yourself! The two other things will be important to your sanity and comfort over the next few months, and they are the facts that you can put your travel trailer a bit away from construction site for privacy from the comings and goings of the workers (and safety for the kids re: construction materials) and also that you have that big finished shop. If you can keep that for your own stuff and not have it become a repository for storing construction stuff, it will be a real asset as far as storing kids' toys and household goods. You can both have things with you that might take up too much room in the camper, and start to move more of your stuff when it gets closer to time for the move. Good luck with the build and enjoy the outdoors.

We have a 27" Trail Bay TT by R-vision. We usually just use a flat sheet on the dinette and couch instead of a fitted sheet. Even a twin sheet will work for that. We have a queen in the bedroom. We like the Oxy packets for the toilet. We get them in the rv section at Walmart. White can with an orange lid. Get a check list to use before you leave either home or the campground. Use the list to be sure you have done everything. Here's a list you can use: PRE-TRIP CHECK LIST stow t.v. medicine cabinet latched stow and lock awning close vents lower roof antenna(s) drain and stow water hose retract stabilizer jacks stow jack boards stow electrical cords shut off lp gas shut off water heater shut off furnace stow microwave turntable disconnect and stow electrical connection lock refrigerator and freezer dump holding tanks secure all loose items distribute weight evenly close and secure all doors and windows retract steps clean up grounds put out trash check engine oil secure hitch ball lock down secure anti-sway bars hook & check all lights secure safety chains hook break-away brakes cable all hitch cotter pins secured lock all outside compartment doors FASTEN SEATBELTS AND HAVE A SAFE TRIP Have fun. Linda