Maiden Campout Tomorrow-95 degrees and the dog is coming too. Advice?

[jsandrb]

thumbs up on taking the dog. Our Boxer is only about 60 lbs, but he loves the Bambi like it's his own private giant kennel. When he gets uncomfortable outside, cold, hot, "bugged", or he thinks it's getting near his bedtime, he lets me know pronto that he wants to go inside. Keep the air conditioning going in hot weather and enjoy going in yourself when it's too hot outside. We have found that our water tanks and waste tanks are quite adequate for a three day stay as long as we use the campgrounds bath house for showering. You'll have plenty of water and waste holding space for cooking, dish washing, handwashing, teeth brushing, and the potty. We take a large water jug cause it's easier to fill doggy bowls, coffee pots, etc than trying to fit them under the indoor sink spigots. I usually check my tank levels at the end of every day out to keep my usage under control. Keep the fridge turned full up, put it on a day or so before you leave home to let it cool down and turn it over to shore power as soon as you can plug in to electric. Take a big roll of aluminum foil, you can cook most anything on a grill or campfire if you have foil, plus easy cleanup.
take disposable rubber gloves for your dump station visit.
I have been trailering since I was a kid, my hubby is new at it. We check each other out twice over whenever we hook up the unit. after you do it a dozen or so times everything becomes habitual but never assume....you know what can
happen. Make yourselves a check list and run through it as though you were about to fly an airplane. I'm saying write it down, not a mental list, cause it's easy to forget when you're new at it.
Enjoy the Sport, we got ours last November, fell in love even after some funny, crazy learning experiences, believe me, everyone has them.

[dalemonroe]

The awning can help on a hot day. I hope the dealer gave you careful instructions on how to set it up. Our dealer did, but by the time I used the awning, I had forgotten his warning and ended up with bent support rods. It's hard to bring the trailer home with the awning out. After that, I marked the connection points with Green electrician's tape and the place where you don't connect with red tape.

[SeeMore]

If you take your dog, the most important advice is to beware of trash and bits of garbage at your site. You'd be amazed at how many campers throw their chicken and pork chop bones, plus other leftovers, in the surrounding vegetation. Be sure to inspect your spot upon arrival, preferably with your most sensitive muzzle along to point out those items hidden at the edge of cut grass areas.

Take along all your paperwork on shots and recent vet visits. Many places require proof of vaccinations yet will not ask unless there is an issue with your pet.

...."To those of you with big dogs when camping, any insights or advice?....

Another other key for me, when you're farther from home, is to be prepared with a canine first aid kit. You'll want a collection of bandages/stretch tape to deal with cut feet, spray cortisone for skin irritations/rash, Tramadol without aspirin for pain management, Fagyl for bacteria infections/giardia, and Triple Antibiotic cream for briar scratches.

Dogs can be sensitive to water changes or pickup things from the campground and suffer GI trac issues sooner than humans. Dealing with canine diarrhea can be done with Pepto Bismol, Kaopectate, or a white rice water treatment. Rice water only (boil the rice [ratio 1:5] for 15 minutes and serve the strained whitish water) for 24 hours will usually cure it promptly. Chicken Broth from cubes can be added to enhance flavor.

[Piggy Bank]

Great Success to Report

Well we did the 2 night stay and it was a great success. Thank you all for your points of advice and support.

We brought the folding kennel, but did not use it. It will stay home from now on.

At the site our dog Lenny was very mellow (which was great) and could be on his leash tethered to the site's lantern support and walk around pretty much anywhere we were. He could also get to the best shade.

The campsite had chat (small crushed rocks) by the picnic table and fire ring area. This was great as it is much cooler than pavement, but isn't prone to mud like grass would be. Our site also was pretty shaded all the time.

At night we put a little rug by the door and Lenny slept right there. We could still easily get to the bathroom if we needed to, and for safety our route to the door was not blocked except for the dog right there (who would of course just exit first during any unforeseen emergency.

Great tips on the air conditioning.
We plugged in and started cooling down as soon as we arrived. Was comfortable by the time we had unhitched and had the stabilizers down and all the bars and such stowed away.

We did have to fill the water holding tank as the campsite was electric only. I used the tip given and opened the roof vent and ran the fan once we were to the campsite and during the fill. This got the stuffy air out.

Brought a battery operated fan. Not enough gusto. Took it back and exchanged for an electric fan that we will use next week.

Have some questions on specific trailer issues to post in the proper forum areas, but just wanted to share how well this went, and how much we like the 22.

[Goin camping]

Two of us and two 95 lb dogs in a 25 FB. No problem.

One dog sleeps next to the bed and the other is under the dinette.

Dogs have a way of finding a cool spot. Even out here in the Mojave desert.

[papegardens]

We got our 22' a month ago and have used it for 3 weeks, mostly in humid, 95 degree or higher temps. We purchased two small $15 fans to supplement the trailer's fan and AC. Our evening routine is to check in at the RV park, open the ceiling vent & turn on the ceiling fan while my husband hooks up. Once he's setup outside I close the vent, turn off the ceiling fan and start the AC w/ all it's vents open, and I plug in the supplemental fans at each end of the trailer. Cool showers and cooking inside only w/ the microwave has helped. The small fans are quiet so once the temps drop 15-20 degrees we use the AC only as necessary. Traveling with the blinds and curtains closed also helps keep temps down (learned the hard way).

[AtomicNo13]

Check the AC in your driveway..... Make sure it cools, before you even load the beer!

Enjoy your time heat or not, you'll be inside fiddling most of the time anyway!

[Piggy Bank]

We can't store at home. We leave from a storage yard about 30 minutes from home with highway access. There is no power or water at the storage facility. But it has 24 hour access and we have a spot that is easy to get in and out of, with a grassy area for the dog to hang out while we load up or unload.

[kscherzi]

Glad all worked out well, and well for Lenny too! The most fun of a new trailer is figuring out what works best for you. Best of luck traveling forward!