Basic tools. Hammer, screw drivers, plyers and a roll of PROPANE tape. Not the regular white tape used for gas appliances. It must be the light yellow colored tape. If you have anything requiring LP gas, carry a roll . Sooner or later you WILL need it. I found this out the hard way up in Copper Harbor Michigan.
4 pieces of 2x4, cut to the length of the lift arms. Takes stress off of the lift cables, and will hold up the top in the case of a cable failure, thus saving your weekend!
My dad insisted I take a bucket. Always comes in handy whether it's a sequel to Water World or too many 🍻. I am also considering a fire blanket. For use around the stove and for rowdy kids around the camp fire.
Some like the Bal leveler but I prefer a couple 2x6's. I also carry a few cut 4x4's in case there's a low spot that the leg supports can't reach. For tools, I carry a tacklebox with the basics, and use the organizer to hold spare parts, screws, tape, repair kits, etc.
@@tomerasmy5527 I just disagree as I already pointed out. The Bal is too bulky and takes up a lot of room. Also takes a LOT more time to set up than throwing down a 2x6 or two under the tire. I'd rather have the room for other stuff and time to drink a beer.
@@jonmccauley6490 The Bal leveler takes 2 minutes tops to set up. I keep mine right inside the pop up door, so when I lower the step, it's right there. Drive it as far as possible with a drill, finish it off with the ratchet wrench it comes with. Sets up faster than it took me to type this. everyone has their own thing though, so if boards work best for you, that's awesome.
This is a good list to start for a pop-up camper. Everyone should have their own LIST, first of all, and make sure they've got all that's on it. We find the telescoping Camco broom handy. Tool-wise, you need a good tire inflator (Viair 85 or 88), ALWAYS have some CRC Silicone Lubricant for the pull-outs and such. Since I boondock and rarely hook-up to shore power, I've always got ammeters to monitor and a 100 Watt solar suitcase to charge my batteries. I also keep Anderson Levelers in the bunk.
There used to be a company called pop up gizmos that made a tarp with solar reflective material on it to fit the tent piece of your pop up. This reflective material would really help the trailer stay cooler in the summer months & help save your AC from working over time. I highly recommend them.
It's Poppin' - Pop Up Camping I live in south Florida where it’s always hot. By reflecting away the suns rays we noticed our pop up stayed cooler for longer with the AC compressor cycling on & off less times. For us it was a worth while investment & I’m sure anyone who tries this product will notice the difference too
Yeah, we did this method with our first pop up for the zip up windows. Of course they were custom cut, so we sold them with the popup. It seemed to help with the heat and also kept the bunk ends a little darker in the morning.
Recent subscriber... My wife and I are the new owners of a near mint condition 98' Rockwood pop up. We've been watching your videos. Thanks for your time and effort in making these. You truly pass on great information. In addition to the tool bags/ boxes everyone is suggesting, I'd like to say add some WD-40, duct tape, and zip ties. A good utility knife also could score when needed.
Water filtration... it's called get a Berkey. Take it IN and filter ALL YOUR WATER. Id pre filter some gallons with a hand pump. No Hose or pressure reducer. Grey water...just put container under your grey water exit and attach a good size funnel ( tape maybe?)
I just bought a brand new pop up that gets delivered Tuesday. Came across your vids and they were very informative for a newbie like me. Keep em coming.
It's Poppin' - Pop Up Camping I ended up going with a Coachman Clipper V Trec V2. From the demo it seems like it will do the job but I guess I’ll know for sure once I get out there and have the kids stress test it. Ha ha
Just bought a 2005 Fleetwood Yuma and getting it all set up to head to the Eastern Sierras in Northern CA. Thanks for all this wonderful information! Loved your list of Must-Haves. Like some of the others mentioned, I would include some kind of basic toolkit. Thanks for all the work you’ve put into this!
I forgot to address a tool to level your pop up, left to right, which you definitely need. However, check out my FAVORITE pop up camper accessories here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-hpwaUMdynEE.html where I talk about my favorite leveling tool. Also, if your looking for ideas on what to bring camping, check out our must-bring pop up camping items video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-KDxRFUuHAaQ.html
Thanks for taking the time to make your videos, I just bought my first I guess deluxe pop up lol, with all the amenities of a fridge shower, cassette toilet, water heater, etc, and your videos have been very helpful with becoming familiar with the functions and care needed for these larger pop ups.
Living in Southern California is pretty sweet. Whenever anyone says "winterizing" I just have no idea what they mean. Beach camping in January is one of the best times of year 😁
thanks for all your video's we bought our first popup this spring and your video's have been so valuable for us being prepared for our outings, and the what we need to know and just wanted to know from first time set up to winterizing and storage!
We bring a pair of jack stands to help stabilize the front that only relies on the front wheel. We bring two thin wheel size boards in case the ground is uneven that we can set board under wheel that has low side.
Nice job , and yes a hitch lock for sure if you stop while traveling and your in a store or restaurant your camper is easy pickings , that battery charger can save your bacon if your inverter craps out also , we also carry a fold up rake and shovel ,I thought I was being overkill but you wouldn't believe how much i use them both like at the fire ring or for leaves , grass etc
You gotta have one roll of gorilla tape and or duck tape! Great video my wife and I used are pop up once this summer and love it! We have a 2003 Coleman sun ray. Slowly upgrading it. Thanks you for all the great videos.
We always carry a little tool pouch with just the basics, electrical tape, duct tape, a little case with assorted screws, pliers, crescent ranch, hammer, etc, I learned that if you have it you won’t need it. But if you don’t have it your gonna need it.
A must for us is a tool box/bag with any tool based on the size needed. We also bought a box of fuses that we leave. We also have an extension cord we leave in the camper .
I wish I would have loved to have seen your utube before I watched many many videos for items I may need. I actually had all but two items. Can you explain to me in a little more detail what the item does for the battery. We were told to just disconnect the battery when we are not using it. Thank you for all your videos they are helpful
Thanks for the video. Like and subscribed. We actually just purchased out first popup and we are beginning the renovation getting it ready for our first trip at the end of August. Thanks for sharing and we look forward to your content.
What type of pop up are you all in currently. My Beth and I just purchased our first!!!! It’s a 2006 StarCraft centennial. 3408. We love it so far. Watched countless of your videos. Very helpful. Thank you. Tony
You mentioned before in another video not to plug in your trailer and use the air conditioner. Though in this one you mentioned an air conditioner if you have a 30 to 15 adaptor. If I have the adapter then I can use the air conditioner??
Don't run your air conditioner while using a 15amp adapter! Most AC units require 20 amp service. Running on a 15 amp circuit could trip a breaker at best, and could cause a fire at worst.
We have a 1995 Jayco and there was no battery included. Have not had to use a battery. So this may be a dumb question but what do we need a battery for? We winch up our top and always plug in to electric.
add to the list solar panels /inverter storage solar battery the propane heater will run its use through out the night eat up battery voltage when the volt drops its a mini fan cooling when its suppose to heat during the day solar will charge storage battery and power up an 12v to 120vinverter to charge the battreys that are for the heater uses self sufficient camping no shore power no noise generators
I dont know what it is called, but I use a ball lock thing that has a U bolt that goes over the ball latch for tow trailers that are parked. And sometimes one of those locks like the police use, that connects to a wheel and has spikes that dig in to the ground if the trailer is moved without unlocking the system and loosening all the nuts with a triangular tool. Its pricey and aggravating, but having a trailer stolen is a worse situation.
I found the ball lock to not be effective. Discovered this when someone refused to help guide me backing up. I forgot to raise the trailer first. I hit the ball lock and sheared it right off. I highly recommend the lock that goes thorough the latch where the cotters pin would normally go.
Have you tried Solar panels on any of your pop ups? I'm really considering putting 2 panels on mine. Would be really cool to see you do it and see how well it works. Especially running on just battery power. Thanks! By the way got some strip led lights for mine. Thanks for that video! Really cool!
I gotta ask, because I've heard that when you plugged in to 120 (shore power) that your power converter will charge your connected battery in your pop up? I agree that charging the battery, especially when it's disconnected, is a great idea, I just want to make sure I know if it's being charged when I have the pop up plugged in.
I just bought a pop-up camper with 30 amp it Has the air conditioner And then what kind of generator would I need just to run the air conditioner and the plugs on the inside
Depends what you’re all trying to power at the same time. Do a load calculation based on the number of watts you’ll be drawing at the same time and size the generator appropriately. If you want a simple answer - a 3500 watt would most likely be sufficient for A/C and a handful of other items. Look for one with a 30 amp plug for simplicity.
Usually at the dump station, but I’m sure you could also go to the shower/bath house. Also, depending on where you’re at, it may be permissible to dump gray water on the ground. Just double check local rules. I liked this one for the StarCraft because it was inexpensive and appropriately sized for our needs. We now are using an oil catch pan because once again it’s inexpensive and it’s low to ground- perfect for our Jayco.
There's probably no right or wrong answer. It may depend on the quality of your converter in your pop up, but ultimately its up to you if you want to get a trickle charger.
I suggest spare fuses. We ran into a situation where the main breaker fuse would blow often. The fuses can be stored in a pill bottle inside the tool box or junk drawer.
Great idea. I’m not sure where I originally saw this idea, but we tape replacement fuses (3 15-Amp & 1 30-Amp) to the inside cover of our converter. That ensures they’re easily accessible. Our cassette toilet and our 12-volt battery also have fuses so it’s great to have replacements handy for those as well.
That's what I was thinking too. That would be an awful lot of trouble. They might not even know how to do it requiring taking too much time to figure it out. Criminals like to be as quick as they can. Anything that slows them down will be a deterrent.
Relax Karen. It's a quality video he took his time and effort to make for new popup owners. He wasnt thinking about all of the things everyone in the world should own. If you're so hot to trot about including everyone, make your own video. Go yell at a manager or something. You're poor husband...
You have made a basic logic error known as "denial of the antecedent" (www.logicallyfallacious.com/logicalfallacies/Denying-the-Antecedent). "If you have a popup camper then you need a lighter" is not logically equivalent to or implies "if you don't have a popup camper then you don't need a lighter".
