We bought an camper! Tell me everything!

[Bernadine]

Kind of out of the blue- my sister got one and we were like, yeah, that would be fun. So now we pick ours up on Wednesday, lol.

Tell me everything we need to know, what we need, what we don’t need but would be nice to have. And any campgrounds you recommend around MD/PA/VA.

[sookiestjames]

How exciting! We've been wanting one for awhile now too. Care to share what you got and what made you choose it?

[Captain Catnip]

Jul 10, 2020 13:24:07 GMT -5 Bernadine said:

Kind of out of the blue- my sister got one and we were like, yeah, that would be fun. So now we pick ours up on Wednesday, lol.

Tell me everything we need to know, what we need, what we don’t need but would be nice to have. And any campgrounds you recommend around MD/PA/VA.

My parents keep theirs at Double G Campground in Deep Creek/McHenry, MD

[knufflebunny]

Grew up with one. And want one!

Are you going to travel with it or will you be a seasonal camper where it stays on one site all season?

Cooking equipment
Sheets/bedding
Chem for the potty
Cleaner
Tv
Games
Screen room
Tools
Food/snacks
Flashlights/lanterns/patio string lights
Folding chairs for sitting outside
Firewood
Grilling equipment
Clothesline for hanging up wet clothes/towels after swimming

[Bernadine]

Jul 10, 2020 13:54:23 GMT -5 knufflebunny said:

Grew up with one. And want one!

Are you going to travel with it or will you be a seasonal camper where it stays on one site all season?

Cooking equipment
Sheets/bedding
Chem for the potty
Cleaner
Tv
Games
Screen room
Tools
Food/snacks
Flashlights/lanterns/patio string lights
Folding chairs for sitting outside
Firewood
Grilling equipment
Clothesline for hanging up wet clothes/towels after swimming

We’ll be traveling with it.

[CrazyLucky]

If you're willing to go a little farther we love the Adirondacks. And the Finger Lakes are great for camping too.

I'm anti-TV for camping. Otherwise I agree with everything knufflebunny, said. The most important thing for camping is a hammock though!
Having a poker is handy for the fire, or you can usually just find a big stick. Get marshmallow roasting sticks. If you want to cook over the fire, get a basket to hold whatever you're cooking. PIE COOKERS! That is a must have, cast iron if you can find it. Can you tell I like to eat?
Firestarter
Bungee cords
a fan
Is it a camper you drive or pull? If you drive it, get some kind of shade for the windshield.
hiking boots
If you're going to a beach, having a shade makes a big difference

Have fun!!!

[prettypitties]

Congrats! Sea Pines Campground in NJ is good.

[firedancer10288]

I live in Maryland (Baltimore suburbs). We love the state parks in DE and PA. Our favorites are Lums Pond, Trap Pond, and Cape Henlopen (DE) and Codorus and Pine Grove Furnace (PA). We don’t really enjoy the large campground resorts. We are going to Cape Charles, Va KOA in a few weeks after cancelling our Fingerlakes and Niagara Falls camping trip for this year.

[firedancer10288]

Also, after having a camper for 5 years we basically have 2 sets of everything. So sheets, pillows, blankets and towels that stay in the camper. We take them out to wash and they go in the laundry basket to go right back in for our next trip. I have a pair of sneakers and water shoes that always stay in there (because I always forget to pack one or the other). We got new pans for christmas last year, so the old set is now in the camper. Toothbrushes, toothpaste, toiletries, pantry basics- olive oil, pam spray, salt/pepper, seasoning packets.

I did buy a set of plastic dishes and cups and we never use them. It’s much easier to use paper plates as the sink is small and I don’t like hand washing everything after each meal.

We keep 2 of those damp-rid things in there when it is stored, as well as baking soda in the fridge and freezer.

[tiptoetulips]

2 sets of household goods are super helpful!
We love Douthat State Park in Va.

[brandy0331]

We have a Blackstone griddle that we love for camping. I small cheap stick vacuum is handy too. Collapsible laundry basket is good to have. Got mine from Dollar Tree.

We just recently went to the Jellystone in Quarryville, PA. Very clean & lots of fun. Fort Whaley & Frontier Town in OC, MD are both fun, although Frontier Town is usually too crowded for my liking.

[brandy0331]

And toilet paper specifically for camper plumbing. I get ours at Walmart.

[susquehanna]

My husband and I both grew up in Pennsylvania and we both grew up camping with our families. We here in Pennsylvania are actually in the middle of a heat wave right now. However, I have been on LOTS of camping trips where we were camping on the top of some mountain and the temperatures dropped overnight and we were really cold. (And this happened in the middle of summer.) So, watch the weather and bring warm clothing if necessary.


One time when my husband was a kid, they went camping at some campground that was only a few miles away from a house belonging to family friends. It got really cold overnight. The family friends drove out that night to bring my husband's family a bunch of blankets. (This happened in the middle of summer.)


My dad was a law enforcement officer each summer at a Pennsylvania State Park. We always went camping at a completely different State Park so that we could enjoy ourselves at a park where my dad didn't work. However, I am very aware that PA State Parks don't allow alcohol. This was a very big deal for my family when I was a kid.

Now that I'm an adult, I make sure that when I'm at a PA State Park, I don't drink alcohol in any containers that are clearly labeled as containing alcohol. I'm not saying that I ever brought alcohol into a Pennsylvania State Park. However, hypothetically if I ever did this, I would certainly pour it into my travel mug first or something before I sat down to drink it.   One time, I was at a Pennsylvania State Park and the picnic table next to mine got busted for alcohol because they were drinking stuff directly out of their original containers and the law enforcement officer drove past and saw them.   Also, if you are trying to drink and not get caught, keep in mind that a really good way to catch the attention of law enforcement is to make a lot of noise.  

Finally, I have been camping A LOT of places where the cell phone service was crap. So keep that in mind.

Once time, I was on a weekend cabin camping trip and one of my sisters went into labor during my trip. (I have several sisters and my mom was still alive, so I wasn't expected to go out to be with her when she went into labor. In fact, it was appreciated that we didn't all descend on being with my sister at once.)  So anyway, my sister was in labor and I was staying in a cabin that didn't have any cell phone service. I had to keep driving five miles down the road to a parking lot on the top of a hill so that I could check my phone messages and texts to see how my sister was doing.

Edited to add: When my family went camping, we consistently forgot to bring a can opener and a table cloth. 

[flygirl]

Things we have that are worth it-Anderson levelers, an outdoor rug, a Blackstone griddle and a cheap stick vac. We also bought reusable water bottles (gallon size).

[susquehanna]

My husband bought me an AeroPress so that I can make my favorite coffee in the morning when we are on trips such as this. It's really easy to use. It's also pretty easy to clean.  It is compact and really easy to pack. I order coffee with an espresso grind from my favorite coffee supplier for use in my Aeropress. 

[mrshandy]

Assateague in MD is beautiful and so much fun staying on the beach. We go every year. Baystate Campground on the Eastern Shore in MD is great as well.

[CloudBee]

I loooove when people paint their cabinets and interior white! I have followed a few bloggers who travel with their families, and the white really makes their space look larger.

Same with nixing floral fabrics and going with solids.

[mags]

We really like Mount Pocono Campground in PA

[casarosada]

Ditto an aeropress if you drink coffee. We used to use a French press but the aeropress is way easier to clean.

We have a sink but mostly wash dishes outside. We have two dish bins (one for hot soapy water, one for rinse water) and a dish drying rack. We wash outside and set the drying rack on the counter over night. We have a set of the kids dishes from target and they work well. Better than wasting paper plates/plastic silverware. Definitely get dishes. Don't get the metal ones, they get HOT with recently grilled food.

Ditto alcohol. My state also doesn't allow alcohol but as long as you're discrete and pour it into another container, you should be fine.

We have a bin for shoes that sits outside of the camper so we don't have shoes getting wet in rain or blocking the doorway.

We each have a headlamp for late night bathroom visits (we don't have a toilet in our camper). It's nice not to hold anything and just have a light on your head. :-)

I'll try to think of more. We LOVE our camper and tell everyone it's the best purchase we've ever made.


@@
We have a bin packed with kid activities that always stays in the camper to keep our kid occupied while we make dinner/etc.

[Bernadine]

Jul 10, 2020 13:39:47 GMT -5 sookiestjames said:

How exciting! We've been wanting one for awhile now too. Care to share what you got and what made you choose it?

www.rvvaluemart.com/product/new-2021-forest-river-rv-cherokee-grey-wolf-26dbh-1250799-29

Here’s ours. I wanted the full size bunks for the kids, especially as they get older. I also wanted an oven. H wanted an outside kitchen area. And we were looking to stay around $20-25,000.

[firedancer10288]

My in-laws have the same camper. Ours is a similar layout, but with the bunks and bathroom switched for the outdoor kitchen. We also bought from the same dealer

[Bernadine]

Jul 10, 2020 17:17:25 GMT -5 brandy0331 said:

We have a Blackstone griddle that we love for camping. I small cheap stick vacuum is handy too. Collapsible laundry basket is good to have. Got mine from Dollar Tree.

We just recently went to the Jellystone in Quarryville, PA. Very clean & lots of fun. Fort Whaley & Frontier Town in OC, MD are both fun, although Frontier Town is usually too crowded for my liking.

I think we’re going to do Jellystone for Labor Day.

[campermom]

I heard the bat signal. I am here.

ETA: just kidding I’m really tired. I’ll come back tomorrow though!

[isabel]

We just went camper camping this past week and holy hell, it is so much better than tent camping! Congrats!

I don't have any real experience aside from this week, but now that we've done it, I would prioritize organization so that you can store everything you need to just up and go. When we get one I want to be able to just plan food for the week, throw it in a cooler, and go.

I'd make sure you have clean bedding, pots/pans, dishes and cutlery, knives, various kitchen tools like spatulas and what not. You probably have more experience with camping than I do since you bought a camper, but I'd make a list of everything you need and find a way to get all of that stuff into the camper so that you can just go on a whim. I had also thought that depending on how you'll store things, I'd try to sort out some sort of organization so it's easy to keep everyone's clean clothes organized and have a pop up hamper available for dirty stuff.

So, there's my rambling post. I'm excited for you. lol

[brandy0331]

Walkie-talkies are also nice to have for kids that are too young for phones but old enough to ride their bikes around without you.

[isabel]

Jul 11, 2020 5:46:47 GMT -5 brandy0331 said:

Walkie-talkies are also nice to have for kids that are too young for phones but old enough to ride their bikes around without you.

Or if there’s no cell reception. We didn’t have any this week and I thought that it would be so nice when my kids are old enough to be able to just give them walkie talkies and let them run free.

[demofea01]

That Gray Wolf is beautiful! Congratulations! We’ve had our trailer for four summers and haven’t regretted the purchase for even a moment. We’re getting ready to head out on our 5th trip of the summer in a couple weeks. I’d recommend a quick Google search for travel trailer basic supply lists, just to make sure you’ve got everything, but here’s what I’d consider most important and also some little things that get overlooked until you’re out there and have an “ah shit” moment.. You should get dedicated items that just stay in your trailer where you can. We have doubles of a lot of stuff so I don’t have to pack it back and forth for every trip we take:

A good hitch - I’d commend an equalizer hitch if your trailer GVWR is close to the tow capacity for your vehicle, or even if it’s not. It’ll make the trailer easier and safer to tow. We don’t have one but we have a truck with an 11500 lb. tow rating and a 4500 lb GVWR trailer. Lol.
Dedicated fresh water hose - drinking grade. Don’t use a garden hose to fill your fresh water tanks.
Non potable water hose for flushing your gray and black tanks - different color than your potable water hose
Sewer hose - get a high quality one. Don’t skimp here. The last thing you want is a leaky or exploding sewer hose while emptying your tanks
Leveling blocks - we love our Anderson level and Lynx blocks
Chocks
Generator - if you plan on dispersed camping or primitive camping and still want the option for electricity. We mostly run ours for coffee in the morning and to keep my worry wart husband happy with how charged our battery is.
Water pressure regulator - if you camp with hookups
Surge protector - if you camp with hookups
Extension cord for your 30/50 amp hookup - camping with hookups
Dog bone that converts 50 amp down to 30 amp - camping with hookups
Black tank treatment
RV safe toilet paper
Shovel
Small hatchet
Bungee cords
Folding table - we eat outside the trailer pretty frequently, also great for playing card games, etc. outside the trailer. Comes in handy when we are dispersed camping or the table at a campground is...less than stellar.
Camp Stove - we also cook outside the trailer frequently. It gets hot in there and, because trailers are built very tightly to keep out moisture, smells tend to linger. I prefer not to smell our dinners for days on end.
A couple lighters
Extra batteries
Flashlights
A good camping lantern or two
First aid basics - we include ibuprofen and allergy meds in ours.
Bug spray
SunscreeN
Aloe Vera
Soap
Microfiber washcloths
All purpose cleaner
Kitchen basics that are dedicated for your trailer and stay there.
We have shoes that stay in the trailer and camp clothes that get washed and go back in the trailer. So it’s very hook up and to go.
Extra blankets that stay in the trailer
We keep a couple sleeping bags in the trailer just in case

There are some really excellent blogs out there regarding maintaining and upkeep on a trailer or fifth wheel. We’ve found we can do a lot ourselves with a little YouTube and basic tools. Much better than paying a bunch of money for the local dealer to do it for us. If you take good care of the trailer from day one, you’ll have less to worry about down the road.

[aliciabella]

Jul 10, 2020 13:24:07 GMT -5 Bernadine said:

Kind of out of the blue- my sister got one and we were like, yeah, that would be fun. So now we pick ours up on Wednesday, lol.

Tell me everything we need to know, what we need, what we don’t need but would be nice to have. And any campgrounds you recommend around MD/PA/VA.

I grew up in a campground at the Jersey shore. The first place was in Rio Grande, right outside Wildwood and it was awesome. We then moved to Big Timber Lake outside of Avalon. We had two lakes, pools, daily activities and only about 20 minutes from the beach. It was awesome when I was growing up.

But, we didn’t move ours. We were yearly and added decks and etc, but I really those two places growing up. There was always something going on.

[aliciabella]

I have been looking at the Poconos too. It is a lot freaking cheaper and has lakes, pools, restaurants, etc all within a closed area. It may be worth looking into the Poconos too.

[campermom]

You’ve gotten great advice.
Don’t buy dishes, go with paper products.
Have all your toiletries for the camper so you don’t have to pack each time. Same with towels and bedding.
Have a crockpot and liners. Make every meal and cleanup as easy as you can, foil packets etc.

Buy a spray stick for the toilet. We also have the clear plastic elbow thing for the sewage hose outside so when you empty the tank you can run that spray stick and see when the poop stops coming out. If you don’t, it will begin to stink. Poop comes our forever with the spray stick, so if you don’t get one I promise you’ll have problems. Also buy those enzyme packets and use them every time.

Pack clothes out in laundry baskets or bins, and then use them as hampers. Find systems that help you load and unload efficiently.

For me, it’s combining all kids clothes in a basket together for When we return, and having them tease through them at home, then another basket only for me and DH.

Don’t put things in a thousand storage places, put them in the most used. We are forever having to go back and get the dog food/medicine bc we forgot it was stashed away in a little used drawer.

Getting all remaining clean clothes together before losing up and leaving a campground, bc otherwise I’d have to get home, hook up electric just to get the slides out to get to them.

Remembering to get any library DVDs out first before you leave, otherwise we need to hook up electric when we get home to turn on the DVD player and get it out.

Clean the bathroom before you leave the campground, otherwise you have to do it at home when it’s hot as balls and you have no AC. Same with vacuuming. Don’t turn on your AC at home, it will blow if you don’t have proper amperage.

Have a list of things you need to do before you leave your house and the campground and pull it out every.single.time no matter how many years you do this: Put antennae down, close and lock all doors, snap rails flush, empty hot water tank, secure chairs/remote controls, hook up electric, break wire, and chain, secure rails, turn off propane (if short trip and you don’t need it for the fridge) lock all doors, check breaks etc.

I dk if you have kids but assign each one specific tasks for set up and unload ( setting out the folding chairs, putting all the food away when we get home).

Buy every damn first aid and medication you can think of-burn spray/cream especially. Pain relievers, aloe. All these things.

Have a camping list of all the things you need to bring every time: medications, device/watch chargers (we have a phone charger that stays in the camper), Bluetooth speakers, old bay, limes, garlic, oil, stuff for smores. All the things you will need every time but might forget.

We come up with meal plans and make a grocery list and then a list of things we need to bring from our house (ketchup, mustard) we have to go through each meal like “ok name all the things you need for pancakes. Oh yeah forgot the butter! Add that.”

Bethpage, Castaways although it’s pricey, Masseys Landing, Endless Caverns, Harpers Ferry, Gettysburg (so many to choose from!!) Anvil Campground is one of our favorites. We stay away from yogi bear/jellystone bc they are so expensive.