First 27 nights: Some questions and impressions

[tjohn]

We just returned from our second trip in our new to us Camp-Inn 550 trailer. We have spent a total of 27 nights in it and a few questions have come up that we are hoping more experienced owners might be able to help with. We also want to share our first impressions and what has worked well for us so far

Questions:

1. The door locks on the trailer doors are very difficult to open. The key does not go in easily at all. I have tried WD-40 but it was of no help. Do others have this issue or do we just need new locks?

2. Both the rear outlet (in the galley) and the lower outlet in the cabin are showing open neutral when I check them with a Receptacle Tester. The upper outlet in the cabin (the one the AC is connected to) shows correct wiring. I am not an electrician by any stretch of the imagination. My plan is to remove the receptacles and look for a broken connection or wire. However any additional trouble shooting suggestion are welcome.

3. The lights in the galley do not work when the battery is disconnected (turned off) but the trailer is connected to shore power. This may be related to item 2.

4. This last trip we had temperatures as low as 28 degrees and my wife had some difficulty staying warm. We have an electric heater but the cabin quickly becomes too hot if it is left on. We are thinking an electric blank for her side might be the solution and are looking for any recommendations.

Overall impressions:
We are really starting to love our Camp-Inn and have found it to be a huge improvement over our previous tent camping set up. We had heavy rain for a large portion of this last trip and it was so nice listen to the rain on the roof and not have to worry about it leaking down the sides of a tent. We have slept so much better in the Camp-inn then we ever did in a tent. We are learning with each trip and making improvements to our set up as we go.

Currently we are using the Kelty Highroads shelter for the side tent on my wife sides and have been very happy with it. We had high winds on our first trip and heavy rain on this last trip. The Highroads handled both of those conditions very well.

We are using a Walmart pop up canopy with blue tarps attached to the sides for a Galley cover. This approach works but set up is a bit cumbersome and we like the Highroads so much that we are probably going to order a second one to use as the Galley cover.

My wife really enjoys cooking and she loves the stove and the Galley set up on the Camp-Inn. We did add the BougeRv plug in refrigerator which made a big difference in keeping food fresh and cold. Also added a small electric hot plate as sometimes she needs three burners.

After doing dishes on this last trip in cold outside temperatures with cold water we are also seriously considering adding the BougeRV portable water heater for future winter trips. It would also allow us to shower in warmer temperatures which would be a big plus as well. Does anyone have experience that you would share with this product?

We are planning a long Alaska hwy trip for the summer of 2026 and want to work out any bugs and get our set up dialed in before heading out.

 

[JohnC]

Regarding the door locks, one of mine quite locking on a trip earlier this year. After discussing it with Cary, the fact was, the only solution was to replace the whole mechanism which are only sold in pairs. Since the inside locks work fine and since I don't lock the outside doors at camp anyway, decided to just leave it alone. As long as I can lock it while I'm in it, I'm good.

Can't say if you are working your way to my problem or not but I understand I'm not the only one who's had my problem.

 

[Carl U]

I am late for the suggestion but a trip to Camp Inn Camp Out CICO weekend and a visit to the mothership for a good shake down. When you said Alaska in 2026… I was thinking that is a couple years from now!! CICO is great to meet many like people and many different camp set ups that work for them. While there a good factory check up- tires bearings locks electrical and such.

For dishes we usually boil / heat water on the stove with the coffee pot and kettle.

Many have posted on here without heat use electric blankets.

We just competed our second year, 1st year we put on about 7000 miles WI to CA any this year WI to VA so it’s seen the Atlantic and the Pacfic. I have found easy set ups and quick take downs was best for over night stops. I used to take a Blackstone grill but on longer trips found it cumbersome to set up, stow away. clean and the wife’s concern of bears!!

We also in a few years will be planning a trip to Alaska I heard that the milepost is a must have. Would love to hear more info about Alaska and BC

 

[SethB]

…3. The lights in the galley do not work when the battery is disconnected (turned off) but the trailer is connected to shore power...

That’s how the disconnect switch is set up. When the battery switch is off there is no power available for anything that runs on 12v (except the emergency breakaway brake circuit).

I’ve had to replace locks as well. I don’t know why, but they are getting road grime flung at them at 70mph…

We were backpackers, then car campers with tents… getting the bed off the ground is amazing! Not to mention the many other comforts and conveniences. I too really like the kitchen setup. Our current galley protection is the regular sized Sportbrella for quick and easy sun and sprinkles, and the Kelty Backroads for rain.

 

[skissinger]

For warmth when below 32, When I have shore power, I use an electric blanket. I usually fold it up into a pillow case so I always have it along. For boondocking I have this, https://a.co/d/2GWTT2d , and 3 of these, Amazon.com. One battery usually lasts the night, depending on whether I have it set at low or high. Above 32, I am usually fine with my princess bed layers: froli, campinn mattress, wool topper, fitted sheet, wool blanket and/or feather duvet. I fell in love with feather down duvets years ago.

I’ve replaced the door locks once as well. I had the nest do so for me, but I live in Wisconsin, so a Nest visit is easy for me.

 

[sbrickma]

We just returned from our second trip in our new to us Camp-Inn 550 trailer. We have spent a total of 27 nights in it and a few questions have come up that we are hoping more experienced owners might be able to help with. We also want to share our first impressions and what has worked well for us so far

Questions:

1. The door locks on the trailer doors are very difficult to open. The key does not go in easily at all. I have tried WD-40 but it was of no help. Do others have this issue or do we just need new locks?

2. Both the rear outlet (in the galley) and the lower outlet in the cabin are showing open neutral when I check them with a Receptacle Tester. The upper outlet in the cabin (the one the AC is connected to) shows correct wiring. I am not an electrician by any stretch of the imagination. My plan is to remove the receptacles and look for a broken connection or wire. However any additional trouble shooting suggestion are welcome.

3. The lights in the galley do not work when the battery is disconnected (turned off) but the trailer is connected to shore power. This may be related to item 2.

4. This last trip we had temperatures as low as 28 degrees and my wife had some difficulty staying warm. We have an electric heater but the cabin quickly becomes too hot if it is left on. We are thinking an electric blank for her side might be the solution and are looking for any recommendations.

Overall impressions:
We are really starting to love our Camp-Inn and have found it to be a huge improvement over our previous tent camping set up. We had heavy rain for a large portion of this last trip and it was so nice listen to the rain on the roof and not have to worry about it leaking down the sides of a tent. We have slept so much better in the Camp-inn then we ever did in a tent. We are learning with each trip and making improvements to our set up as we go.

Currently we are using the Kelty Highroads shelter for the side tent on my wife sides and have been very happy with it. We had high winds on our first trip and heavy rain on this last trip. The Highroads handled both of those conditions very well.

We are using a Walmart pop up canopy with blue tarps attached to the sides for a Galley cover. This approach works but set up is a bit cumbersome and we like the Highroads so much that we are probably going to order a second one to use as the Galley cover.

My wife really enjoys cooking and she loves the stove and the Galley set up on the Camp-Inn. We did add the BougeRv plug in refrigerator which made a big difference in keeping food fresh and cold. Also added a small electric hot plate as sometimes she needs three burners.

After doing dishes on this last trip in cold outside temperatures with cold water we are also seriously considering adding the BougeRV portable water heater for future winter trips. It would also allow us to shower in warmer temperatures which would be a big plus as well. Does anyone have experience that you would share with this product?

We are planning a long Alaska hwy trip for the summer of 2026 and want to work out any bugs and get our set up dialed in before heading out.

For the locks, try jiggling the handle while you turn the key. That works for me. Usually it is just a hair misaligned.

One of my doors, even when locked. Will pop open while I'm driving if something shifts and leans against it, but that is a different problem .


Re:not grounded, being the vehicle is on rubber tires, I don't know how it could be grounded.

 

[Van_and_Terri]

We just returned from our second trip in our new to us Camp-Inn 550 trailer. We have spent a total of 27 nights in it and a few questions have come up that we are hoping more experienced owners might be able to help with. We also want to share our first impressions and what has worked well for us so far

Questions:

1. The door locks on the trailer doors are very difficult to open. The key does not go in easily at all. I have tried WD-40 but it was of no help. Do others have this issue or do we just need new locks?

2. Both the rear outlet (in the galley) and the lower outlet in the cabin are showing open neutral when I check them with a Receptacle Tester. The upper outlet in the cabin (the one the AC is connected to) shows correct wiring. I am not an electrician by any stretch of the imagination. My plan is to remove the receptacles and look for a broken connection or wire. However any additional trouble shooting suggestion are welcome.

3. The lights in the galley do not work when the battery is disconnected (turned off) but the trailer is connected to shore power. This may be related to item 2.

4. This last trip we had temperatures as low as 28 degrees and my wife had some difficulty staying warm. We have an electric heater but the cabin quickly becomes too hot if it is left on. We are thinking an electric blank for her side might be the solution and are looking for any recommendations.

Overall impressions:
We are really starting to love our Camp-Inn and have found it to be a huge improvement over our previous tent camping set up. We had heavy rain for a large portion of this last trip and it was so nice listen to the rain on the roof and not have to worry about it leaking down the sides of a tent. We have slept so much better in the Camp-inn then we ever did in a tent. We are learning with each trip and making improvements to our set up as we go.

Currently we are using the Kelty Highroads shelter for the side tent on my wife sides and have been very happy with it. We had high winds on our first trip and heavy rain on this last trip. The Highroads handled both of those conditions very well.

We are using a Walmart pop up canopy with blue tarps attached to the sides for a Galley cover. This approach works but set up is a bit cumbersome and we like the Highroads so much that we are probably going to order a second one to use as the Galley cover.

My wife really enjoys cooking and she loves the stove and the Galley set up on the Camp-Inn. We did add the BougeRv plug in refrigerator which made a big difference in keeping food fresh and cold. Also added a small electric hot plate as sometimes she needs three burners.

After doing dishes on this last trip in cold outside temperatures with cold water we are also seriously considering adding the BougeRV portable water heater for future winter trips. It would also allow us to shower in warmer temperatures which would be a big plus as well. Does anyone have experience that you would share with this product?

We are planning a long Alaska hwy trip for the summer of 2026 and want to work out any bugs and get our set up dialed in before heading out.

4. This last trip we had temperatures as low as 28 degrees and my wife had some difficulty staying warm. We have an electric heater but the cabin quickly becomes too hot if it is left on. We are thinking an electric blank for her side might be the solution and are looking for any recommendations.

We have found using a 100watt mini heater (electrical hookups required) is all we need to keep the cabin warm. At least into the upper 20s as we generally do not camp colder than that. Using a mini heater of higher wattage heated the cabin to quickly and required to much oversight.

 

[Kilometer 31]

Kinda liking that Kelty High Roads ...

 

[tjohn]

Thanks for all the input.

@SethB: Thank you for clarifying how the battery disconnect works. I looked hard at the Kelty Backroads as well. We ended up going with the High Roads mostly because it has Aluminum poles. I have had issues with Fiberglass ones breaking in the past but I am not overly carful with tent poles so that is probably a factor as well.

I plan on calling the factory next week to get their thoughts on the open neutral status. Hopefully it is just a miss understanding of how the system works on my part. Also we are going to order new door locks.

 

[SethB]

…We ended up going with the High Roads mostly because it has Aluminum poles. I have had issues with Fiberglass ones breaking in the past but I am not overly carful with tent poles so that is probably a factor as well.

I plan on calling the factory next week to get their thoughts on the open neutral status. Hopefully it is just a miss understanding of how the system works on my part. Also we are going to order new door locks.

That’s what I’ve been trying to figure out this morning; it looks like the Backroads and Highroads may be the same design? Except that the Highroads has slightly heavier fabric as well as the aluminum poles, which sounds great!

Calling CI on the electrical, yes!

 

[tjohn]

Yes I think you are correct that if not identical the design is very similar. Just the materials used are different. Attached is what it looks like with our Camp-inn.

The picture showing the blue trap set up over the gallery is what we are thinking of replacing with another Highroads.

The Overland(ish) is our living space when we need to get away from the elements or bugs. It was our last tent camping set up and although it did not work well for that purpose so far it has done a pretty good job providing additional shelter as part of our Camp-Inn set up.

 

[André]

For the locks, try jiggling the handle while you turn the key. That works for me. Usually it is just a hair misaligned.

One of my doors, even when locked. Will pop open while I'm driving if something shifts and leans against it, but that is a different problem .


Re:not grounded, being the vehicle is on rubber tires, I don't know how it could be grounded.

We had the problem of the door popping open while driving, even when locked. Ours was a used 2008 550. We installed marine grade stainless steel hasps on both doors and use a set of padlocks keyed alike on them. It keeps the door from swinging open if the latch comes open. This also adds a tiny layer of extra security when we are awash from the trailer. But we could also just slip a carabiner through the hasp instead of a lock.

 

[Sweeney]

Couple things:

1] WD-40 is not suitable for locks; you want to use either graphite (dont do this) or silicone dry lube. WD leaves a film behind that can hold onto dirt and dust actually making things worse over time. The good news is, the door handles are super easy to swap out if the dry lube doesn't help.

2] The disconnect switch completely disconnects the battery and charger. Unlike an 'elkhart special' with a converter, that just crank out volts and amps ... full steam ahead. 55 amps of power (or more) so they will run most things (including BIG slides) on RVs. The charges used by campinn are charger/maintainers -- and do a great job of maintaining a battery -- but not enough to run anything...so you need both.

3] The furnace does cook you out -- what I find I use mine for is mostly to raise the temperature quickly, or when I will be out from under the covers watching TV or some such thing. I also use it when it gets 'intollerable' at night...then turn it off, sometimes waking up a 3 am and letting it warm things up again.

Most of my heat I rely on a 400 watt personal heater, and a heated mattress pad with a wool blanket and a quilt. The mattress pad actauly warms the mattress itself, and turning it on high for an hour before I'm ready to bed down for the night, makes it really cozy on those sub freezing nights.

4] Door locks -- Talk to Cary -- I had the same problem.

 

[Cary Winch]

I have to disagree with Sweeney on this one (that does not happen often). We have found that graphite lubricants should never be used in the door locks on the camper. It ends up mixing with concrete dust from the road surface when driving in the rain and the graphite makes a super hard concrete out of it. The only lube that should be used on the locks is silicone spray (no WD-40 either). It should be flooded with silicone spray so not a dry lube either. The silicone spray works as a water repellent to keep water spray out of the locks when driving in the rain. Water that gets in the locks when driving in the rain brings in road surface material like concrete dust and such that really jams up locks. All locks on the camper should be resprayed with silicone spray lube after every time the camper is driven in the rain.

If the key is not going in the locks then that means they are jammed up with road debris. Two options. Flush out all the debris, that may take a whole can of spray and lots of patience to work out all the junk in the locks. The other option is to replace all the locks with new and start a proper lubrication ritual from new.

Cary

 

[Sweeney]

I have to disagree with Sweeney on this one (that does not happen often). We have found that graphite lubricants should never be used in the door locks on the camper. It ends up mixing with concrete dust from the road surface when driving in the rain and the graphite makes a super hard concrete out of it. The only lube that should be used on the locks is silicone spray (no WD-40 either). It should be flooded with silicone spray so not a dry lube either. The silicone spray works as a water repellent to keep water spray out of the locks when driving in the rain. Water that gets in the locks when driving in the rain brings in road surface material like concrete dust and such that really jams up locks. All locks on the camper should be resprayed with silicone spray lube after every time the camper is driven in the rain.

If the key is not going in the locks then that means they are jammed up with road debris. Two options. Flush out all the debris, that may take a whole can of spray and lots of patience to work out all the junk in the locks. The other option is to replace all the locks with new and start a proper lubrication ritual from new.

Cary

In hindsight - cary's right. Drylube is the best choice.

 

[Van_and_Terri]

In hindsight - cary's right. Drylube is the best choice.

I’ve been using this product with great results.

 

[JohnC]

This stuff will work too. Can be found at many local bicycle shops as well as Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Tri-Flow-TF0021060-Superior-Lubricant-Bottle/dp/B0002ITTK2/?th=1

 

[Steve & Ellen]

When outside temp is low 20s or lower, we use small electric heater. The camper heats and cools quickly. I open the roof vent, set thermostat, and crack the window on my side. After some adjustments of window, heater, and vent, I am able to reach a state of equilibrium.

 

[Sweeney]

When outside temp is low 20s or lower, we use small electric heater. The camper heats and cools quickly. I open the roof vent, set thermostat, and crack the window on my side. After some adjustments of window, heater, and vent, I am able to reach a state of equilibrium.

You're a little more stout than me Though 'small' is relative. 400 watt (3x5x3) little thing is good until about 35, then below that, I want the big boy --- 1200 watts. That one is 'thermostatically' controll though, it turns on and off. The 400 just keeps running.

Yup -- ceiling fan and window moderate both. I need the fresh air - otherwise it just gets 'stuffy' and then I can't sleep.

 

[Kilometer 31]

I have to disagree with Sweeney on this one (that does not happen often). We have found that graphite lubricants should never be used in the door locks on the camper. It ends up mixing with concrete dust from the road surface when driving in the rain and the graphite makes a super hard concrete out of it. The only lube that should be used on the locks is silicone spray (no WD-40 either). It should be flooded with silicone spray so not a dry lube either. The silicone spray works as a water repellent to keep water spray out of the locks when driving in the rain. Water that gets in the locks when driving in the rain brings in road surface material like concrete dust and such that really jams up locks. All locks on the camper should be resprayed with silicone spray lube after every time the camper is driven in the rain.

If the key is not going in the locks then that means they are jammed up with road debris. Two options. Flush out all the debris, that may take a whole can of spray and lots of patience to work out all the junk in the locks. The other option is to replace all the locks with new and start a proper lubrication ritual from new.

Cary

Particular brand? I see WD40 has a silicone spray lubricant. Yay or nay?