Mike and Carol

The white walls are a nice background for however you want to decorate. Hanging things is easy, command tape is useful for a variety of things. Besides pictures, you can hang fabric things and an number of other items. We have a couple of hats, a wooden flute, a wooden cross and some other things on our walls. I would not even attempt to paint the interior. Mike

Since the furnace is separate wouldn’t the wall mounted thermostat still control it? The AC would be separate, controlled with whatever is on the unit. I hope someone knows, I’m thinking of getting the Houghton unit too. I agree with Sherry that a 15K unit is too much for an Elite II. Mike

Great news! Let us know how your pick up goes. Pics are always welcome…. Mike

Looks good… home away from home!!

Good question! Everyday if the weather is warm. Every other day in winter. Maybe that isn’t a lot? Are we getting into TMI territory? There’s been quite a discussion on poop! 😂

Rivernerd described my process exactly. Drawers out, lay on back, arms up for as long as possible, down for rest, arms back up, down, up, down….job complete! It was also a little tricky getting back up to a standing position! The pleasures of growing old…. Mike

We have no curtain. Water does not leak from the door. Yes, the toilet gets a little wet as does the area around. Squeegee and microfiber works well. We shower a lot. The bath is the cleanest part of the trailer! Mike

Last century when I was in the Army we used 55 gallon drums cut in half and incinerated the ….”stuff” in burning diesel. Seems like an incinerator toilet might need some kind of smokestack?

First I’ve heard of this. I would also be interested to know if anyone has done it and what their experience has been. Mike

I replaced my faucet a few years ago with a Delta adjustable spray faucet I got on Amazon. Removing the faucet in the trailer is the same as in your house. I did not remove the sink, you just have to reach up behind to find the big nut that holds the faucet in place. I did take out all of the drawers. We were getting some hard water deposits in our lines as well. We now use a softener, it’s a small unit that easily fits in the basement when we travel. It recharges with regular table salt. Mike

Driving through Houston is no fun. We’ve done it many times when our son and family lived there. San Antonio is easier but can be slow at rush hour. As far as Texas State Parks go, most are very good. Between Austin and NOLA we’ve stayed at Village Creek SP, Lake Livingston SP, Caddo Lake SP, and Stephen F Austin SP. We’ve heard that Bastrop SP is nice. Any of the COE parks should also be nice. Mike

6 gallon is pretty big, I’ve got one about that size that stays in the garage. Like Bill, I carry a small 12V compressor that is rarely used but I have it just in case. Mike

Do you have any route information? I assume I-10 through Houston on to San Antonio then north to Austin? Or will you take some back roads to avoid cities? We don’t do many commercial campgrounds, would you be interested in state parks? Texas has some good ones. Mike

Mine does. I got my Champion 2K at Tractor Supply on sale for $349. Mike

My Champion 2K generator is 37 lbs. It’s quiet, too. Mike

I will be interested in how well it works moving your trailer around. Please let us know! Mike

I believe the 3000W inverter is what allows the new models to run the AC off their lithium batteries. If that was your ultimate goal, I think you would need to upgrade. Mike

I just noticed on the Battle Born page that their standard 100aH case blemish battery is $675. It says the battery is 100% functional, but the case has a blemish. Mike

Doesn’t sound right to me. We did some clean up on my cabling and replaced the old non-lithium capable PD4045 adding two Battle Borns and I don’t think I spent more than $3K.

If you stand them up like your current AGM batteries you’ll only be able to get three in there. Some have turned them on their sides and got four in. Not sure of the specifics of that, but someone will answer. Here’s what two Battle Borns look like. If I remove the spacer in the front I would be able to get one more in standing up. So far two have been more than adequate. Mike

The shades are held on by a couple of clips on the bottom and the top hooks over a metal piece. Put your hand behind the bottom of the shade and you should be able to feel the two on the bottom. A light tug at that point and they should pop off. Then lift up, the top sits on a couple of brackets, it should come right down. Lay them out in the sun to see if that helps. Mike

We’re not air freshener people either. Bill’s method for removing the screens is how I do it. I’d get a bucket of soapy water (Dawn), lay the screens on the driveway and scrub them good. I don’t think they absorb odors and whatever is on the surface should get washed away by the Dawn. I usually wash the screens after each long trip when I do the windows. Mike

I agree with the advantages of lithium over AGMs, but our factory AGM/solar set up served us very well over 5+ years. Anyone who goes that route will be fine in whatever style camping they do. I’m glad I upgraded to lithium but don’t regret the AGM days (especially since it was the top end upgrade at the time!). Mike

More and larger windows would be great. Some of the places we’ve camped lend themselves to just sitting and taking in the scenery. I agree with Sherry that a front window would be cool once on site, but if you don’t protect it while traveling it will end up chipped or cracked. Some come with a cover that you use while traveling. The back window offers a view, but it isn’t a large window. I wish all the windows were larger but am happy with what we have. Also, maybe a small window in the kitchen, could be used as a pass through to the grill master outside! Here’s a shot out the back window when we were camped at Indian Cove Campground in Joshua Tree National Park in January a few years ago.

We found that our 4 AGM batteries and 320W of solar worked well when we were off grid for extended periods. I run the fridge on propane while traveling and we were always fully charged when we arrived at our next location. Mike