The first 7000 miles, 70 nights - reflections of a newbie: B). Useful kit

[Waterbeach]

We took delivery in late May of our Flying Cloud 23FB. A few shake down trips locally, then a 50 day, 6,000 mile trip from Toronto to Newfoundland and back. This is what I have learned (so far!) and some reflections that may encourage / inform others contemplating an Airstream

Surprisingly useful kit:
1. Collapsible bucket - cleaning car, trailer, windows, pouring down the basins to clean the grey, rinse clothes, etc.
2. Small broom and dustpan
3. Big blue cloth for washing windscreens and windows
4. Zero g hoses - for a small trailer like ours with limited storage.
5. Level mate pro+ (convenience for levelling)
6. Electric converters 50-30 amp and 15-30 amp.
7. Torque wrench and adapter for lug nuts
8. TST TPMS
8. Vi-air Air compressor and pressure gauge- really useful when our TV had a slow puncture
10. Co pilot + iPad + Dual GPS - useful to pre-plan a trip offline and then run as navigation support.
11. Walky Talkies - whenever backing up and hitching up.
12. Lego blocks - especially to support jack (we learned to use 6 as the norm).
13. Small yellow pads for stabilizers
14. Paper towel - lots and lots - dealing with greasy torsion bars and hitch covers. Also to wipe plates before washing up, saving on water and grey tank.
15. Red grease for hitch; 3 in 1 oil; White Lithium grease
16. Clear elbow end on sewer hose to see the results of flushing
17 Small 1 kilowatt electric heater - really saves on gas and heats up the small space in no time.
Not sure kit
1. Anderson levellers. I spent half the time cursing them and the other half liking them. I will invest in a cheap rubber mat to give them traction on slippery surface. I may consider wood boards 1” x 6” but am concerned about storage and weight.
2. Surge guard - but mine does not show any lights. Manufacturer assured me it is working.
3. X chocks - I use them for longer stays but am not sure how much difference they make vs weight and storage
4. Flexilla hose for flush - we will change this to a short dedicated zero g hose.
Not used kit
1. Sidewinder sewer hose support - I can see this is useful if hooked up semi-permanently but not for our style of short stay camping.
2. TV: Now removed. I think this should be an option rather than standard. I can see it would be good for longer stays when connected up, but not for us.
3. Woofer: Great big speaker that took up valuable storage space now removed. Our bluetooth Marshall gives much better sound from a smaller unit. A pity I cannot remove the DVD and stereo system that takes up an entire upper cupboard unit.
Really needed
Sound soother / white noise machine. We tend to be early to bed, early to rise, which does not necessarily coincide with loud voiced neighbours. My 30 year old clock with sound soother finally gave up on the trip and it was sorely missed. With it in place I no longer lie there seething about inconsiderate party noise but listen to waves on the shore…

[Brian R.]

Completely agree about the TV and stereo/sub. Both are sh!t and useless as far as I'm concerned. If we watch shows we do so on a laptop and like you use a high-performance Bluetooth speaker for audio.



We've got 54 nights in our new Caravel and about the same mileage as you.

[ITSNO60]

I have another brand of levelers that came with cheap rubber mats but after using them on unpaved ground the rubber mats are pretty torn up, I was thinking on cutting some more substantial ones. Note, I use on MH not trailer.
For sleeping I went to Simplynoise.com and downloaded several flavors and put them on the iPod. Put them on loop to play all night. I also have a small USB rechargeable Bluetooth speaker that has built in sounds but the Simplynoise sounds more like the ocean, especially the brown noise.

[SuperTrouper]

X2 on the SimplyNoise. I've used that for a few years. Really useful in hotels as well as campgrounds. - Brad

[nryn]

Originally Posted by Waterbeach

A pity I cannot remove the DVD and stereo system that takes up an entire upper cupboard unit.

Why not? I did. It was quite easy. See this post.

Originally Posted by Waterbeach

Sound soother / white noise machine.

All sorts of phone apps for this. I’ve been using one called White Noise Pro for many years.

[DewTheDew]

Thank you for sharing. Sounds like a great trip!

I have a clear elbow for the sewer hose, and a clear straight section that I hook at the trailer end. Then I don't have to go over to the dump hole to see how it's coming.

Another important piece of kit (if you can call it that, I guess) is a box of nitrile gloves. One thing I haven't done but have seen others do and seems useful is a coverall or "apron" to wear when hooking and unhooking. Protects your clothes as I seem to get a bit of grease or dirt on some part of my clothes almost every time.

[Waterbeach]

Thanks - I agree about the gloves. I also use Husky knee pads as I always end up kneeling as I fight to get the hose cover undone and am unfortunately not as flexible as I once was...

[eagletoo]

Waterbeach,
Stop the fight and use this instead - Valterra F02-3106BK Black Bulk EZ Coupler Valve Cap with Handle.

[aftermath]

+2 on the level mate pro. One of the best investments I have made. Less time to level and the results are near perfect.

[RMNummi]

+3 on Level Mate Pro…. Aside from the “how did I live without this” aspect of leveling, hit the hitch marker button on the App… holy smokes, single handed and w/o partner coaching, hit the exact spot for rehitch every time.

[Waterbeach]

Originally Posted by eagletoo

Waterbeach,
Stop the fight and use this instead - Valterra F02-3106BK Black Bulk EZ Coupler Valve Cap with Handle.

Thanks - I have just ordered it!