Care of outside of camp inn

N

Ninjamini

Novice
I have read that the outside of the camp inn gets stained and hat to be maintained. What is involved with taking care of it?
 
There are basically two camps: those that want/love/adore the mirror-like shine; in which case, yes, you walbernize and buff (look up walbernize in the search window above), or those (like me) who will let it get a natural patina / soap/water is all that is needed. That will mean that the outside will be 'dull', no longer factory shiny--but it depends upon your own personal tastes.

If the factory shiny is important to you, you'll walbernize. There's also a few suggestions about using a protectant, I want to say it's called shark skin? I haven't looked at those threads in a while, tho.
 
As Sherry said, there are those that wash/wax in an attempt to maintain the new look, and those that keep their trailers clean but are not too concerned about the trailer showing it's age.
I would suggest that when you 1st get your teardrop, you Walbernize it, followed by an application of some sort of protectant, whether it's Shark Skin or Woody Wax, another product that gives good results. This way, the oxidation process is much slowed, and by an annual or semi-annual re-application of the protectant of choice, you will be able to keep your trailer looking quite nice.
The CampInn trailer does not come with a mirror-like finish, and only achieves that look through much time and hard work. More work than I am willing to give, that's for sure - but there are those zealots... ;)
Good luck in your quest!
 
This past winter I spend a LOT of time polishing the teardrop to remove salt and hard water stains. Drastically improved the finished look. Keep in mind, I knew when starting the project would be a one time process, polish skin and let "age gracefully".

Jenn washes her teardrop with a gently soap and it looks very nice.

Best advice: wash on a regular basis, dry to eliminate water spots, and apply wax twice a year.

jean
 
Yah, various degrees of care.

I just use the Spray wash using all options, pre-soak, hi-pressure, foam, rinse and the final wax...
Comes out nice, IMNSHO, but it will have some drops on it. Unless you get 5' or closer, you can't really tell. I could wipe it down with a towel after the waxing to get rid of the drops, but hey, it's a "Tear Drop" or "Water Drop" heheh, so I can rationalize that way. 4+ yrs? Yikes, I think still looks good.

I don't like the "Mirror Shiney" look and have actually had a few comments/complaint from Truckers saying the back shines TOO much, reflection... Not to worry, I'm getting a Huge decal for the back in the next couple of weeks.. heheh, fun eh?

The key for me is to stop off on the way back from a trip if dirty and that way it's done. I won't specifically hook it up and drag it down just to wash it. Hitting on the way home, right near by, is a quick stop, $10 in coins and done... ready for the next trip.
 
We use to be walbernize,walbernize,walbernize for 5 years now we are let it patina,patina,patina it's much easier. :)
 
fpoole said:
Yah, various degrees of care.

I don't like the "Mirror Shiney" look and have actually had a few comments/complaint from Truckers saying the back shines TOO much, reflection... Not to worry, I'm getting a Huge decal for the back in the next couple of weeks.. heheh, fun eh?
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I like having it a little shiny back there! Keeps people from tailgating too much! :)

The second best deal I have ever made with Mick (just after agreeing to marry him) was that he has to polish the teardrop once a year since his race cars get the garage in the winter. We keep the trailer covered, but it isn't under any other roof. He does an amazing job. It doesn't look too shiny, but it looks well kept. He normally uses the buffer with some Walbernizer and Mothers Wax once a year, and then I wash it after trips with dish soap and water. This last trip we had a bunch of tree sap on it, so he got out the clay bar and gave her a little rub down, which took that sap right off. She looks so pretty again. Funny thing is, he is thinking maybe the race cars can stay outside this winter and .e can be inside....last year was extra work getting her to where we like her...or maybe it just felt that way!
 
Jenn said:
 And if you are a retired Vegetarian, does that mean you now ingest your protein through a source other than Veggies?
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maybe still a vegetarian, but retired?
 
AsheWolf said:
Some of you folks seem way too obsessed with cleanliness. What's next, taking showers while on camping trips? Stop the madness!!!
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I do a few days of dirt collection before I shower, but for longer trips, trying to get a shower to keep sheets a little cleaner is good...less laundry! Less cleaning! We are crazy over here though!
 
Showers can be useful because they help keep the cabin from getting dirty.
 
we quickly realized that it is easier to clean our car than it is to clean our TD, so the TD gets the garage and my car gets to park on the street. (this actually makes the garage more useful as the TD is not as big as the car that was in the garage, so we can work in the garage, around the TD, much more easily)

But we have near-perfect weather, and I don't really need to get in the car while it is in the garage. I realize we are spoiled that way.

we applied WoodyWax soon after we bought the TD. And we wash the TD after every trip. Likely we will apply the Woody every two year or so, depending on how many days on the road we spend.

-Al
 
OK, so I'm finally getting back to this. Give me a break, internet access is spotty in the middle of the Atlantic off the coast of Africa. It's just fortunate I have the SUV model. (Submersible Underwater Vehicle).

As far as the whole retired vegetarian thing... I went back and checked my meager profile and found indeed I HAD spelt veterinarian correctly. But I erased it and typed it back in real slow like this time so y'all can keep up. In fact the vegetarian label would have been somewhat detrimental to my 30 years as a PIG vet. My motto is: I've cured a lot of hams.

In fact teardrops are only the second best engineered thing on earth. The clear number one is the pig which can miraculously convert vegetables into bacon.

All foolishness aside... Does anyone have any recs for a good 12 volt vacuum cleaner for the teardrop? Pretty thoughtless of Camp-Inn not to include a central vacuum cleaning system as an option.
 
Hmmm...not sure on that one. We seldom vacuum the inside. We shower just enough to keep most of the dirt out. See? There is an advantage! :) I use a lint roller to pick things up that find their way into bed with me. I have a nearly-6 year old son, and he sure likes to decorate places with all sorts of nature. HGTV would be proud! On occasion I will haul the vacuum out and give it a quick hoovering (as Mick says...the Brits sure make house work sound more fun, don't they?).

I am still cracking up about your pig jokes. That is hilarious. And I agree the engineering is fantastic. We love bacon! :)

Good luck!
 
Jim has a suggestion for a green version of vacuum cleaners: just leave the windows open and the Fantastic Fan on high while you drive down the highway at 80 miles an hour in a high wind. That ought to suck everything out.

He's sooooooo helpful.

Camp On,

Sue and Jim
 
Thanks for all the helpful advice on vacuums. I don't know what had gotten into me with that newfound bourgeois concern with cleanliness. I'm just gonna take off my glasses before I enter the "Pig Pen." I won't be able to see a speck of dirt. Kinda like when you hear a weird noise coming from your car engine and you just turn up the radio to fix the problem.

Tell Jim that 80mph just gets the little stuff, plus it messes up the wife's do when she rides back there!
 
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