I survived! ...Now What?

"ZHP Sparky, the 5th" (e30s2k) 10/12/2020 at 13:24 • Filed to: None

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Picked up our first/new camper - a 2012 Three Feathers Backpacker2. Drove it back up to Portland from Eugene yesterday, about a 100 mile trip.

Was very impressed with how the Outback handled it - I thought it would be a lot sketchier than it was. Not too much sway although it did get a bit windy in some spots...and was raining cats and dogs and dark out by the time I was getting in to Portland which wasn’t fun.

Current to-do list -

- ball receiver has a 2" rise which is a bit too much, swapping out for a 1" which should just about level it out perfectly

- Spare wheel is a joke, it’s about 10". Need to get a full sized spare. Was surprised to get an email back form Three Feathers within the hour saying it’s a very standard size, just go to Les Schwab and they’ll be able to get me one. Helpful I guess?

- adding a wheel to the jack stand so I can place it perfectly in our cramped garage

- Maybe: have a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! I ordered...not sure if I want to put it on or not. As mentioned was able to handle trailer better than I expected...although this might help in an emergency situation. Any experience with these things?

Oppo input? - anything you guys would recommend from experience towing a trailer or having a camper that have made your life easier/ safer/more fun ?

Hoping to do our first trip with it over the coming weekend to try it out.

HammerheadFistpunch > ZHP Sparky, the 5th 10/12/2020 at 13:47

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I have that Curt kit on my popup and it’ s a lifesaver. That being said our trailer really sucks with sway by nature of its design. It’s long with bad weight distribution over a single maxed out axle.

My advice is to load up your trailer and get to speeds you will likely see and find out before you order anything. Tongue weight with a load is going to be the big factor for determining sway as well as axle drop.

I don’t know what highway speeds you will see but make sure your tires are rated for it.  Also, If your trailer has brakes (doesn’t look like it would) makes sure to get a controller installed, its easy enough.

duurtlang > ZHP Sparky, the 5th 10/12/2020 at 13:49

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Meanwhile, in Europe. On a ‘ best towing car’ list on a big website. That Skoda Octavia wagon is slightly more compact than the Subaru, and with 150 hp probably less powerful too.

66P1800inpieces > ZHP Sparky, the 5th 10/12/2020 at 13:53

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Clean and re-grease the trailer wheel bearings. It is a simple but dirty thing to do in terms of preventative maintenance on an often overlooked item. 

Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom > duurtlang 10/12/2020 at 13:53

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Why is that trailer only single axle? 

jminer > ZHP Sparky, the 5th 10/12/2020 at 13:59

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Most lighter trailers like this use one of a few standard trailer tire/wheel sizes. You can probably even buy one for $5 0 at Walmart.

That is a nice looking little camper !  I’d love one that size, you’ll have to let us know how it camps.

duurtlang > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom 10/12/2020 at 14:01

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No idea. To reduce weight? I honestly don’t know.

VincentMalamute-Kim > ZHP Sparky, the 5th 10/12/2020 at 14:03

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Stay below the speed limit. Trailer tires probably aren’t rated anywhere near the speed limit anyway. Slower speeds help a lot with sway.

Read up on proper loading for weight balance to reduce sway. Sway can be disastrous.

In some of the windy states, if the wind gets bad (like yesterday was ) , just pull over and wait for it to die down.

412GTI > ZHP Sparky, the 5th 10/12/2020 at 14:44

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!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

F350. I mean that’s what most people get when they buy a trailer, right? 

onlytwowheels > ZHP Sparky, the 5th 10/12/2020 at 16:44

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I liked the sway control kit so much on my 29' tongue pull camper , I got another mount so I could  use on my 16' enclosed utility trailer when towing long distances .

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > duurtlang 10/12/2020 at 16:49

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Hahaha that’s an awesome side by side. It’s funny watching the RVs coming home after the weekend on the freeways here. So many of them are legitimately bigger than a regular sized apartment in many cities. 

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > HammerheadFistpunch 10/12/2020 at 16:51

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Thanks, yeah this weekend will be the big test with people and stuff loaded up so going to hold off until after that to do anything. Good to hear good things about the sway kit! 

And yeah it doesn’t have brakes. 

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > VincentMalamute-Kim 10/12/2020 at 16:53

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Thanks for the great input. We don’t plan on any super long trips and generally travel pretty slow (wife and kid who get car sick) so I’m sure we’ll be taking things even slower now (again good that we’re not going too far!). 

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > jminer 10/12/2020 at 16:55

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Yeah I see these wheels on every trailer out there so I’m sure it’s just a cheap standard unit, will look around!

We didn’t want to upgrade the car and wanted something that will fit in our garage...but also didn’t want a teardrop (especially on a rainy day that would be disastrous with a toddler with nowhere to just pass the time a bit). Will definitely post updates on how things go. 

HammerheadFistpunch > ZHP Sparky, the 5th 10/12/2020 at 17:00

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Just be aware of your local laws, I know Subaru says that loads over 1000 lbs have to have brakes on the outback and many local laws mimic that.  Not sure what practical effect that has other than knowing you are compliance with the law.  I will say that about 2000 lbs trailer and with a load you will definitely need to be judicious with the brakes.  If your Subi is a CVT I would also HIGHLY recommend having a trans cooler installed.  The CVT’s are notorious for high heat failures without any warning codes being thrown.  

VincentMalamute-Kim > ZHP Sparky, the 5th 10/12/2020 at 17:02

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oh, also thought of:  k eep the tongue weight in the range recommended by Subaru. You can use your bathroom scale and some lumber for a weight divider so you don’t exceed the scale weight.

shop-teacher > ZHP Sparky, the 5th 10/12/2020 at 19:44

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The sway control is probably a good idea . After pulling my big pop-up a couple hundred miles, I need to add it into that. The tail tried to wag the dog a few times, and my tow rig is a full size truck.

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > 412GTI 10/12/2020 at 19:56

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Haha I was on I-5 with the weekend camping crowds going back home yesterday. It’s amazing the stuff you see people towing out there. Massive trucks with monster wheels. My favorite was a diesel truck that had a ramp in its bed that had a massive side by side offroader in/on it (like I saw the front of the thing on top of the truck in my side mirror when it drove by and I was trying to figure out what was going on at first) ...and the truck was pulling a massive trailer behind it too. The entire setup was the size of a yacht - probably cost as much too.

Dr.Jeckyl > ZHP Sparky, the 5th 10/12/2020 at 20:36

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That’s a cool little trailer. I never heard of them so I looked up some info on their website. I'll be interested how the first trip goes.

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > Dr.Jeckyl 10/13/2020 at 11:58

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Yeah they’re very light and not much heavier than a teardrop but giving you a lot more functionality, being tall enough to actually sit/kind of stand up in etc.

Main concern is insulation on this trip...it’s starting to get cold out, so we’ll see how well it is able to keep us warm and dry at night!

Dr.Jeckyl > ZHP Sparky, the 5th 10/13/2020 at 15:42

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I bet an electric space heater coupled with a nice warm sleeping bag would do wonders. We’ve been leaning towards a pop up to extend our camping to three-ish seasons. We most likely wouldn’t go too early in the spring or too late in the fall cause it’s usually freezing temps during those times. We  probably would’ve pulled the trigger if the van had a hitch. That will likely be a winter project.

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > Dr.Jeckyl 10/13/2020 at 16:43

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Yeah we have some pretty decent blankets and a 12v electric blanket that we have plugged in to our portable power box a couple of times at night when camping in our tent - took us down to about 50F without much issue. So hopefully same setup with this thing will be OK going down to the low 40s this weekend.

Electric space heaters consume a ton of power...propane ones are a fire hazard and carbon monoxide risk. So we’re hoping just the above set up with good warm layers works well enough. It’s cozy in there so hopefully body heat retention helps too!

A coworker has a popup and they love it - obviously not the best insulated but depends on where you are and your limits. We ideally wanted to buy this thing about a month ago but had forest fires, then a COVID scare, so everything got pushed out. And now we don’t just want it sitting all winter without even trying it out! Worst case we’re miserable after one night and drive back home after having some fun the next day. Going only an hour away for this test trip. 

Dr.Jeckyl > ZHP Sparky, the 5th 10/13/2020 at 19:03

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I have one of those propane Big Buddy heaters and have read campers using them in trailers and tents. They have a low oxygen sensor built in. Personally, I’ve only used it in my garage or outdoors. I’d be too nervous using it while I slept.

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > Dr.Jeckyl 10/13/2020 at 19:44

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Yeah they make me really nervous too. Can’t think of many things worse than camping in the middle of nowhere and your tent catching on fire in the middle of the (cold) night! 

Dr.Jeckyl > ZHP Sparky, the 5th 10/13/2020 at 19:54

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Or not wake up due to carbon monoxide.