hello, newbie from Canada

[jamie]

Hi, soon to be owner of a 6x15 LL toy hauler (barring catastrophe the deposit goes down early next week) from Toronto, ON. Just joined another forum and was directed here, apparently this is the happening place, lol. Being a first time trailer-camper hopefully I can get some tips to avoid in the field boners and ease the transition from tenting to rv'ing. Mostly will be used for off grid crown land camping, atving and fishing with maybe 1-2 trips to serviced parks. By summer's end my goals are solar power, a power wash, the ability to pump lake water and some sort of bbq box on the tongue and a decent way to transport a kayak.

It's funny, just thinking about the steps it took to get to this place... from a 1 person tent on the back of a bike (Who needs poles, they're too big and that's what sticks are for. Pillows are for sissies, roll up your jacket and be a man) to a van, tarps, heaters, air mattresses and a laptop for movies, then now... a roof, AC, built in speakers and a plumbed toilet. A microwave... it will be the first one I've ever owned. I'm still facing flak for finally giving into the magic wizardry known as GPS, can't let them know about the witchcraft cooking box.

[DavidM]

Welcome aboard, Jamie.

I think that many of us go through the same progression as you move up the line: bedroll in the back of the van, light weight backpacking gear, pop up camper and finally a real trailer.

Solar is fairly easy to add, but remember it only works if you camp in the sun. Here is a thread that hits the highlights- http://aluminiumcamperforum.com/index.php/topic,164.0.html.

Power wash- well you don't mean permanently installed do you? And all that I am aware of take 110V AC power and you sound like a boondocks camper. Can be done, though it will take a decent inverter.

Pumping water from a lake- Hmm! You don't plan to pump water from a lake to your camper's water tank, do you. Not a good idea unless you camp next to a pristine mountain lake that no one else (including livestock) goes to. But it can be done using a simple 12v pump.

BBQ box- Fairly easy to add with some aluminum angle across the tongue and a heavy plastic box. I assume you don't mean a smoker or a grill.

Transporting a kayak- That will be a tough one, at least outside.

Good luck with your new toy hauler.

David

[rideandfly]

Hi, soon to be owner of a 6x15 LL toy hauler (barring catastrophe the deposit goes down early next week) from Toronto, ON.

Jamie,   Welcome!!!!!

Congrats on the Toy Hauler!!!!! Like David said, "many of us go through the same progression".  There's plenty of help here, if needed!

[jamie]

Thanks DavidM, rideandfly

As for the water, I'll never drink what goes through the pipes. I'm thinking particle filtered lake water for bathing. The area I go to you can drink the lake water with boiling and there is a public access spring. (just N of Temagami on the E side of 11 for any Ontario readers... you can turn around a medium sized trailer at the end of the road) I figure I could make a filter out of a bait bucket, and there are lots of 12v pumps available in the pond industry, would have to figure about a 15' lift. It would save hauling 320lbs of water until I get to the site. Since the trailer will be stored outside (and not near me) flushing with bleach and antifreeze will keep me using the old blue 5g plastic tanks for drinking.

I'll take a look at the solar link, anything has to be better than the Zamp brand... you need a mortgage for one of those! From what I see it looks like a panel on a frame could be hooked up to a controller inside the trailer. I'm getting 2 batteries installed inside the storage area, add the Ark battery box/inverter I have now and 2 weeks of power should be attainable with a small solar charger. Found a link on youtube that details how to bypass the Zamp polarity issue. It will mostly be me, 1 shower a day, recharge a phone, a little bit of lighting and a movie every other night or so. I get a week out of a type 27AGM in the Ark box now. I'm trying not to go the generator route. I was thinking about adding a good inverter to the van and running a power washer from there (while idling) but every 110v one I've seen needs household water pressure behind it, so maybe gas powered is the way to go. My friend has an industrial unit that just drops a hose in a tank but it's freakin' huge!

Yeah the bbq box... the place that made my present atv trailer could make up a nice aluminum diamond plate box, only bug enough to hold a portable type. Just a nice place to throw a greasy, dirty bbq that can be cleaned out easy.

The kayak is only 10', it will sit beside the atv... what I will want is a light trailer, with like a couple of bike wheels that I can hook up to the atv to access the interior lakes. Speaking of which, I know a few places in the Temagami region where you can legally camp for free... I mean huge 5th wheel toy haulers, near boat ramps to big water systems down to hike-in tent spots. I usually have the sites to myself during the week. This spring I had a whole lake to myself and not another camper for 15km in each direction. It's easy to go unprepared, there's so many spots that you will find one. If any one wants directions pm me... it's not something I feel comfortable broadcasting to the masses.