Feeling Good In Very Hard Times

Jim 2011

Jim 2011

Novice
Hello everyone, If we may introduce ourselves this is Jim & Mary Anne here after having finally come to a decision and taking that first big step. We completed the ordering process for our new 560 Ultra last week. Initial estimates are that we will make our way from California (north of San Diego) to the Mothership in early September to pick-up and bring home our beautiful new shuttle craft. With everything going on in the world right now, Japan in particular of course, it is difficult to balance the conflicting emotions of total joy and terrible sadness. I am sure we all feel much the same way.

Anyway, our path to a Teardrop (Raindrop will take some practice) was a very long process. We have backpacked and camped all our lives and, after we both retired a couple of years ago, began "truck camping" quite a bit (big tent, full kitchen, tables and chairs etc.). We all know the story, great once it is all set up but setup and takedown do NOT lend themselves to short stops and it is a heck of a lot of work. We had long considered a Class C motorhome as the ideal "next step" but they are very expensive, cannot go everywhere and unless you tow a small vehicle you have to move your camp to go someplace. We already had a reasonably new Ford F150 4X4 so a towable trailer became an obvious choice and a teardrop fell right into place. If well built we could take it anywhere the truck can go and it would be small enough to get it "back out" again. And we can store it in our garage to both work on and protect. Storage fees have gotten outrageous. I scoured the internet for information and reached the same conclusion all of you had already reached, that the Camp-Inn teardrops are clearly the "Best of Show". So here we are, waiting, waiting, waiting. Hello again and hope to meet many of you "out there".
Jim & Mary Anne
 
Hi, Jim and Maryanne! Our journey sounds so much like yours. Years of camping with Scouts and some just us. We did a long trip last fall and although we spent a fair number of nights in "real beds," the putting up and taking down the tent campsite just about drove Bob around the bend. On our way back home,we stopped in Nededah and I was convinced (Bob has been researching Camp-Inn and others for years). Sounds like our 550 is just ahead of yours on the list - we ordered ours in late January. It will be fun to share the excitement of our entry into the teardrop community.
 
Exactly, Jim and Mary Anne are in the build right after Bob and Kathy's and in the build right before Starlight's. I was hoping to have Starlight's in the same build with Jim and Mary Anne but it just didn't time out that way.

Cary
 
Welcome! The wait is going to seem very long but once you get it you won't have our long winters to wait through each year. We got our 550 last April and after a fun spring, summer and fall camping we have been induring the long winter wait.
 
definitely Welcome! be patient...plan a great trip around your pick up..should be a great time of year to travel!!
 
Welcome, Jim & Mary. There are just a few products in the world that live up to hype they promise and create undyingly loyal customers, and the Camp-Inn is one of these. Welcome to the family!
 
Jim and Mary Anne,
Funny how thorough investigation, and no desire to compromise got us all to the same spot.
I share your sentiment about how most of us see the world in turmoil, and our daily lives are mostly unaffected. I have worked hard for what we have, but so did most of the Japanese.
But welcome, you have something you will thoroughly enjoy.
Steve
 
Please excuse me for not getting back sooner but I have not been following this thread. I have been delving into all the previous threads trying to learn as much as I can as quickly as I can. The last I heard was that our 560 completion was scheduled for late August to early Sept. If it were on the early side of that I don't think we could hang around that long. We are looking at heading up into the Northwest, an area we know far little about but where I believe they occasionally have early winters.
 
We can have early winters, but it really depends on where you are going. The winters hit the mountains earlier, but you tend not to see a huge amount of snow until later November (this year it happened in early november, in fact this was the earliest the ski areas have opened in a few years...thanks la Nina!).

There are a few of us around to chat with about all things Northwest. In the Willamette Valley (i.e. Eugene, OR up to Portland), the rainy season starts the first weekend of October and runs through 5 July. September is the best time to visit our area.

We just got back from our maiden voyage as a family in our 560. I had spent the night in the trailer on the way back from picking her up, but my husband wasn't with me. We did a quick trip to the beach for a night (we went to Newport, OR). A little wet, sure, but we had lots of fun checking out lighthouses, beach combing, going to the aquarium, and having lunch at the Rogue Brewery (fpoole would be proud!)! We got lots of smiles, a couple of 'thumbs up', and a 'how on earth do 3 of you fit in there?' I told him I could fit 4, and asked if he wanted to see. He was shocked, and then climbed back into his 5th wheel, leaving me with a parting 'I don't envy you waking up to rain.' I don't envy his gas milage! He was a very nice fellow though.

We have another trip planned in a couple of weeks to Hood River to ride the Mt. Hood Railroad and spend a night out there. My 3 year old loves trains and we have never done it before.

Congrats to all of you on your builds!
 
Mick'nSarah,
We've had our 560 a week and have spent 1 night in it (me, Linda) and Bill 3. We live in a campground in a 5th wheel and put the 560 beside it to outfit it, etc. and tried it out. We plan on taking our maiden voyage this coming week sometime to see how everything works, cook, etc. Can't wait! Anything you want to share on the do's and don'ts?
 
One reason we decided to get a little camper was due to one of our favorite vacations we have ever had. Before our son was born we flew to New Zealand and rented a little camper van, and spent 2 weeks driving all over both islands (I feel very fortunate that i got to see Christchurch before the big earthquake last month). It was amazing and something we plan to do again...hopefully for my 40th birthday in a couple of years. We wanted to be able to do that here too. I grew up with grandparents who spent time traveling in their motorhome, and they would take us along, plus, we had a trailer out at the lake so we could stay out there and sail. I still spend a lot of time on my parents boat and am used to small gas cooktops, swaying, and tight spaces...even with a 3 year old. I feel like I have a pretty good base, even though this is a new adventure for us.

To get used to traveling with the 3 of us, we wanted to start with some small trips to get the kinks worked out. We also have opted to stay at some RV parks for these first few trips, so we have a few modern conveniences to make things a little easier up front. So with all of that being said, this is what I think we are going to have to work out.

1) PACKING: my husband is an over-packer, I am more of a minimalist. I know things will be different for longer trips, and I will likely agree with him for those trips, but I don't see why I need to put a pair of jeans, a pair of socks, underclothes, and a t-shirt in a bag. I carried them out and put them right in my cubby (there is one for each of us). I am happy having a laundry bag to put dirty towels, clothes, etc in, but my husband seems to think everything needs to go in bags. We will figure it out. Maybe I can put small boxes in the cubbies to make it easier to carry in and out.

2) STUFF: We are working out what we still need and how things work. I had one box for shoes, but we really need two (one for each side). How many blankets do we need? This will change for conditions, but we used our furnace a bit this weekend (we are a bit soft right now, but temps were in the low 40s and raining, and we just needed to take the edge off with the furnace). I eyeballed a few things while cooking as I didn't have measuring cups (easy enough, but that would be handy to have). We have plates/bowls that fold flat, but I would like to have a folding tub for dishes. I think we would benefit from a 'little buddy' or some sort of heater for our pop-up. We had our Northern Breeze with us, but we decided not to use it. Dinner time was dry, and we were there just over night...seemed like a lot of work for little benefit, especially since we weren't at the trailer that much. I think for these quick trips, the small shade Evan has might be more beneficial...I like the idea for later in the year especially...we are all red-heads!

3) BEDDING: We may be the odd ones out here, but I have lived in Europe and my husband is European and we sleep just with duvets (we have a fitted sheet on the bed, but we don't use a top sheet...the duvet is the top sheet). I find making the bed really easy with putting a fitted sheet on the bed, and then we throw the comforter with the duvet on it over the top, and we are cozy. We only have to tuck one thing in. We use the same thing here at the house. We just find that really easy, and I think it is easier for us than trying to sew sheets together. I have an extra blanket to throw over the top if needed, but we were nice and warm. We have our sons bed set up in the trailer this way too. FYI, we found a crib sheet fits the little bunks the best (a twin sheet has a lot of extra fabric).

4) CONDENSATION: We kept things buttoned up at night because of the rain, and ended up with a good deal of condensation. We figured it would get wet one way or the other. I figured this was going to happen, so I made sure to pack a stack of micro-fiber cloths (we have loads of them for Mick's race car). They are super absorbent and really soft, so I wasn't worried about them on the plexi-glass windows. In the morning, we turned on the furnace and I wiped everything down, opening the vent and having the air blow out. The trailer was dry in about a half hour. Since we don't park our trailer in a garage at home, I wanted to make sure we were able to get things as dry in there as possible...especially since it will be raining for another 3.5 month here, and hasn't warmed up that much.

These are things we have discovered so far. We are rookies, but as my husband says, we aren't letting the details get in the way of having fun...just go with what works, or at least works well enough. I found cooking and using the kitchen area really easy. We might need a thicker mattress topper, but I am trying to decide what to do. All in all, it was really easy and we had a good time. Our dog did just fine sleeping in the car, and our son was snug as a bug. I will post some pictures later today, once the lad is at school!
 
Sarah,

You may have already considered this, but it bears repeating.

In reference to your, "kept things buttoned up at night because of the rain", please remember to leave something open a little for fresh air, as these trailers are fairly airtight and you can deplete the oxygen and not know it while you are asleep.

Sounds like you guy's are having fun getting your camping checklist sorted out.

Enjoy,

Hutch
 
Thanks for that. My husband was in and out a bunch for some reason, but I will make sure to leave something 'cracked' in the future.
 
It is not often that one has the opportunity to go for the best of class. After a lot of research we settled on Campinn based on perceived quality of the product. When dealing primarily via the internet perception is very important. Every aspect of the Campinn organzation oozes quality, from the website to the customer care, to the opinions of the great people on this forum. We will never be able to purchase a Rolls or a Bentley but I can sure afford a Campinn, and just between us I would rather have a teardrop anyway. Our 550 Ultra is in the final stage of the building process and we are scheduled to pick it up the first week of May. We purchased through Poplar Hill RV in Maine because he had a unit scheduled to build that was equipped as we wanted it and that saved us about 3-4 months. We will be picking the unit up in Necadah and plan an interesting trip to pick it up. Our only problem was deciding between the 560 and the 550. That entire process will require a further post.
Leo
 
Hi LeoJan,
We are picking up our 550 U the second week of May so it sounds like our CanpInns are in the "Dorm" together. :/ We also did a lot of online dreaming and then Cary directed us to a local owner for our first look and touch. That prompted a visit to the "nest" and we were very impressed. It was a combination of the classic styling and the professional organization and professional people. We plan to camp our way back home over a four day trip. We are having a hard time waiting.
Dave
 
Dave,
The wait will be worth it but it has also been expensive. Since we put down our deposit we have been on a continuous buying spree insofar as supplies and suplementary equipment is concerned. Of course everything has to be new and top notch to fit the first class image of the teardrop. Living in New Mexico we plan on a 4-5 day camping trip back as well. We did not get any build pics this weekend which makes me believe that they may be waiting until our nest mates are finished up. The pics we got last weekend looked like they were about 80% done. You are right the wait has been difficult, but it makes for great cocktail conversation. Noticed on your profile you are a woodworker, ditto. Have been at it for about 35 years, although it is strictly an avocation.
Leo
 
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