Argonaut20
Senior Member
- Joined
- May 24, 2009
- Messages
- 432
Food for thought: My .02 worth.
Where you go to camp affects your choices. Comfort level camping affects your choices. Family size affects your choices. Oh, yeah, bank account affects your choices. So...
We do not spend much time in the camper at campsites where water is easily available. I don't like fooling around with water containers and would rather the camper have on board water as a result. You can probably figure out a way to get water on board in a shell in a easy to handle manner, but I definitely like filling up the tank and having access to water inside and outside without lugging a container around to do it.
The Fantastic Fan is a no brainer. A good argument can be made for two vents in a Panther as well. No need for two fans, but the extra vent might give a better comfort level overall.
Furnaces can be avoided with portable heaters, but furnaces are convenient. Turn them on and let the thermostat do the job. The propane tank that comes with the furnace install means one less thing to mess with while camping when compared with the small propane bottles for portable heaters.It also means you have a propane supply for other uses, as pointed out above.
I like 3 way reefers because you can run on propane and save battery power, important if you are going to be stationary for a while. Lots of folks like their Engles and they sound like very efficient refrigerators. They do draw power, however. If you don't have to worry about battery life for extended stays, you can certainly take care of the cooling of food and drink with an Engle or similar. You could also address the problem with a photovoltaic install. More dollars, but it's only money.
I like the on board battery in the camper. It supplies plenty of power for most stays if you are wise in using power. Plus, if you screw up and let the battery get too low, the truck will still have power to start with.
We use plastic containers to organize what we take (currently a work in progress) as they allow you to latch on to what you need easily. Well, that is our hope when we get everything figured out and labeled....
4 corner mechanical jacks are the best bet. Loading a camper in a wind using 2 cable jacks teaches you that supporting four corners is a good thing. Take them off and you are good to go. Takes about 1/2 hour. Ask Marty. He knows.
Wrapping it up, we made choices because we don't want to use the camper to visit camps with amenities, including water availability. Off road and primitive sites, possible 2 - 3 day stays, possible cold (not cool) evenings, ability to cook in or out, and attempting to cut the necessary stuff to set up and camp with were our priorities.
Most important, go out and enjoy whatever you decide on.
Where you go to camp affects your choices. Comfort level camping affects your choices. Family size affects your choices. Oh, yeah, bank account affects your choices. So...
We do not spend much time in the camper at campsites where water is easily available. I don't like fooling around with water containers and would rather the camper have on board water as a result. You can probably figure out a way to get water on board in a shell in a easy to handle manner, but I definitely like filling up the tank and having access to water inside and outside without lugging a container around to do it.
The Fantastic Fan is a no brainer. A good argument can be made for two vents in a Panther as well. No need for two fans, but the extra vent might give a better comfort level overall.
Furnaces can be avoided with portable heaters, but furnaces are convenient. Turn them on and let the thermostat do the job. The propane tank that comes with the furnace install means one less thing to mess with while camping when compared with the small propane bottles for portable heaters.It also means you have a propane supply for other uses, as pointed out above.
I like 3 way reefers because you can run on propane and save battery power, important if you are going to be stationary for a while. Lots of folks like their Engles and they sound like very efficient refrigerators. They do draw power, however. If you don't have to worry about battery life for extended stays, you can certainly take care of the cooling of food and drink with an Engle or similar. You could also address the problem with a photovoltaic install. More dollars, but it's only money.
I like the on board battery in the camper. It supplies plenty of power for most stays if you are wise in using power. Plus, if you screw up and let the battery get too low, the truck will still have power to start with.
We use plastic containers to organize what we take (currently a work in progress) as they allow you to latch on to what you need easily. Well, that is our hope when we get everything figured out and labeled....
4 corner mechanical jacks are the best bet. Loading a camper in a wind using 2 cable jacks teaches you that supporting four corners is a good thing. Take them off and you are good to go. Takes about 1/2 hour. Ask Marty. He knows.
Wrapping it up, we made choices because we don't want to use the camper to visit camps with amenities, including water availability. Off road and primitive sites, possible 2 - 3 day stays, possible cold (not cool) evenings, ability to cook in or out, and attempting to cut the necessary stuff to set up and camp with were our priorities.
Most important, go out and enjoy whatever you decide on.
