Umtduckhead said:
Congrats Durango1.. We are beyond excited...
Thanks for the input.... Heres what we ordered..
-Basic shell
-Front dinette
-Silver spur
-2 way fridge
-Rear and side awnings
-LED lights
-180 watt solar panels
-Jacks
-Extra roof vent
-Outside shower and water heater
-Exterior gas struts
-2nd battery
-Thermal Pack
-Furnace
-Flush mount sink
-Rear ladder ....ETC
Did we miss anything?
I was reading on another camper website that people recommend an inline water filter just to be safe from dirt coming out of the spigot and into the tank.
The airbags were to just give my truck a level ride and not be squatty on the trails etc.
-Do you all keep extension cords or extra plugs for shore power?
List sounds pretty much identical to my Hawk I picked up in April. Albeit, I ordered the thermal pack after placing the Hawk order and installed the lining myself.
Do not skimp on the electrical cord for shore power. Purchase the heaviest gauge "contractor" type extension cord you can find at Lowe's or Home Depot.
I picked up a 25' 10GA 30 amp at Lowes; ~$80! They are not cheap, but, you don't want amp leakage or water intrusion if you are plugged into 30 amp shore power! While 30 amps of current will not kill you, it can give you a jolt. When you consider you investment in the camper, why compromise and buy a inexpensive extension cord that may not provide all the safety margins when using shore power?
Plug in to shore power after every outing. This will help camper battery longevitiy. AGM batteries prefer a stable, constant, charge through absorption into float.
I didn't use air bags on my F-250. I opted to install F-350 Old Man Emu springs. Your truck has coils while mine has leaf, but, the ride improvement over factory springs will be an eye popper! The entire kit is fairly expensive. While you get 3" of lift, yet, ride comfort is markedly improved and you can easily load down the vehicle/camper without any sag.
Be mindful of your F-250s GVWR and GCVW. GCVW gives you an idea of you F-250's brake system capability, amongst other variable.
Showering outside...
No others humans around, mother nature will not be offended by nakedness. Other around, I wear my surfing baggies to shower.
Both of those are non-starters for my wife.
I purchased the Clean-Waste privacy tent. Perfect for showering or setting up the Porta Potti outside. At OX-West last month, we discovered the tent material absorbs heat when in direct sunlight. Air temp was about 50F, but inside the tent felt like 80F. Made for a cozy showering experience, even with the water off while soaping up.
I also purchased the Porta Potti. But, we found it too big, too heavy and didn't like trying to find a dump station when the PP was full. We've replaced the PP with the
Clean Waste portable toilet system. Yes, this system is more expensive due to purchasing WAG bags. But, the WAG bags can be disposed in any trash barrel and are landfill safe. So no need to hunt a dump station.
Someone mentioned shovel. I always try to purchase tools that have multiple uses. Saves weight and the amount of stuff I need to tote.
For years, I used a Crovel Extreme. First introduced to them down range, every vehicle had one along with other recovery tools. The Crovel is a shovel, ax, heavy duty pry bar, cable cutter (if you hack at it long enough), heavy duty punch and general skull crusher when needed. Plus, a generous length of 550 cord.
Lot of great ideas from others here. Pretty good list to pick and choose from to suit your individual needs.