Who's Made Great Choices?

[Nick B]

Been thinking back on 10 years of Travel Trailering. Some things I would never do again (Separate thread needed for THAT!) but some things have worked out well. Am happy to share these, and if anyone else has their own favorites, let's hear 'em!

FOR MY TRUCK:
Extendable mirrors, for towing. Far more useful than I imagined,
Roadmaster Active Suspension. Not every vehicle needs it, but mine did, and it does absolutely meet all the manufacturer claims for it. Easily my smartest choice!
Front hitch. Perhaps it says more about my rusty reversing skills than my judgement, but this little gem has saved my bacon on more than one occassion, and makes me feel much smarter than I really am. Yup, it hangs down a bit under the bumper, but not enough to really matter, and a small sacrifice.....

FOR MY TRAILER:
Solar panel. Just wish my DW would let me put more panels on.
Switching to two 6 volt batteries. Since most of our camping is rustic, how come it took 10 years for me to figure this out?
Decent generator. Just bought a small Yamaha. Worth it for my ears, and happier neighbours in the campground.

GENERAL:
Portable shelter. About 20 years ago, I had a buddy weld me up some 2X2 metal brackets, into which I inserted rough 2X2 wood poles (cheap). Two lengths of 6 foot sections (three such sections needed) to form a low peak roof, two lengths of 8 foot sections for ridge and the two sides, and six lengths of 6 foot for legs. A 12 X 16 tarp forms the roof, tensioned to the frame with straps. Fiddly, fussy, weighs a bit, but my word, how GREAT for camping! It's a big shaded, that keeps rain off stuff. A year after I made it and started to use, someone copied the design, using metal poles and you can buy them through places like Costco. My gift to the world!

Over to you guys now.....what are YOUR favorites?

Nick B

[Heymon]

For my truck/trailer:

Voyager wireless rear view cam. Installed it myself and it has worked flawlessly. Can watch bikes on the rack, and see behind me while backing up the trailer. Pricey, but worth it.

Andersen Hitch. Smooth and easy to hitch up compared to other systems. Good sway control. I've had a good experience with it so far.

Andersen Levelers. Super easy leveling. Bought these when I bought the trailer. I look around the campground and wonder why everyone doesn't have them.

FLUKE VOLTAGE DETECTOR: Use it to test for hot skin condition. I view this as a very important tool everyone should have. Google "hot skin" if you don't know what that is.

General:

The only thing that comes to mind is that I like to use one of those little portable butane stoves to cook outside. Heats fast and very inexpensive. Works better than it should for the price.

Andre

[09 harley]

Purchased a Garmin to help with travel. Much easier on my wife now. She hates using maps.
Drying rack for towels and grand kids clothes.
Tempur Pedic mattress - the best nights sleep, just like home!
Chill pills so I don't annoy the master.

[GaryWT]

One of the best was upgrading to a 350 and being sure it had fully electric tow mirrors so the extend and close with a touch of a button. We went a little "redneck" and have a brown tarp that I can connect to the awning and cover the outside kitchen so we don't miss a beat if it rains. Do need to upgrade the mattress, went into Sleepy's to ask about a short queen but they had never heard of one so we sleep on...sort of.

[Lac]

Going with a 1 ton diesel SRW TV with exhaust brake and tow haul...."never leave home without it"
My DW...what a navigator and nicest backup camera I will ever own.

Coops

[dagmandt]

Truck:
Went with the F350 1 ton Lariat quad cab. Extra space for hauling people around, Doesn't squat, diesel is the only way to go. Backup camera saves me arguments with my wife while hitching up, tow/haul mode offers great braking assist. The navigation is wonderful as a built in option and cooled seats is great for summer travel.

Trailer:
Rear wireless camera used as rear-view mirror while driving. Great for confident lane changes and backing up / parking the trailer. TPMS for confident travel. Always know the tire pressure and temp with alarms. Also great when hooking up before a trip. You don't need to check individual tires for pressure, just check the screen and add as needed. Installed a fishing rod rack in the trailer, dual 6v crown batteries, Trimetric, Iota 15v charger, limo LED under trailer programmable lighting for fun, all LED lighting inside and out in the trailer, 12v TV, lined the plywood under the bed with silver bubble insulation to eliminate slivers, improve insulation, and make it easier to lift the storage bay... tons more but that is what comes to mind.

[NFlcamper]

Trailer first;
The trailer itself, as I got it at such a steal from a roommate's step father. He was insulted when he went to trade it and sold it for the salesman's ridiculously low offer. He wanted to prove a point and took the salesman a copy of the bill of sale. I wasn't the first one it was offered to but I bought it even though I wasn't looking for a toy hauler.

The truck; I went from a paid for 1500 GMC Z-71 to making payments on a 2500 Dodge SLT 4x4 diesel. Do not like the payments, but what a world of difference in towing!

General; a folding picnic table and canopy. I have been to a few CGs that have rickety, nasty tables and some are cabled to trees like someone would steal them. I like a table where I am. Yea, I have an awning, but the extra canopy can be moved to block rain better than without one.