How We Met the Challenges of Camping in the Aliner Scout We Towed With Our Chevy Bolt EV
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 ต.ค. 2024
- bit.ly/osetj-20
We’re excited to share our report of our first camping trip in our Aliner Scout popup trailer. As always, we towed it with our Chevy Bolt EV.
Managing Weight
Given our limited towing capacity-we’ve decided we’re safe to tow 1,600 pounds, and our trailer weighs a bit over 1,400-we have to pack light.
Hanna Park Campground
We traveled 24 miles to Hanna Park Campground, a Jacksonville City park on the Atlantic coast with spectacular beaches protected by beautiful dunes. To get there, we avoided freeways and had no problems. We averaged about 3.8 miles per kwh, only about 10 percent below our long-term mileage average of 4,1 mpk.
Challenges
We arrived and set up camp. We had a couple of challenges at this point. We connected the tiny RV to power without trouble. However, we didn’t have the right gear for connecting the gray water drain to the sewer hookup. We had a standard host for draining an RV’s black water tank, but our rig doesn’t have a bathroom, so there is no black water.
Our Aliner Scout has no tanks. No clean water. No gray water. No black water. That’s one of the reasons this trailer is right for us. We can’t add the weight that water would add.
Without connecting to the sewer, we couldn’t connect to water.
Thankfully, we parked near a restroom, so water and sewer issues were no problem.
We found the next challenge when we turned on the A/C to cool the trailer at the peak afternoon heat. Initially, the A/C unit made a few noises without blowing any air but quickly refused even that.
In the beautiful April weather, we opened the windows and survived without difficulty.
Working
Our long-term plan is to acquire a Rivian R1T electric pickup (or something similar) to tow a nice comfortable trailer. Because Devin isn’t retired, we need to have tools for working when we travel.
During this outing, we conducted an hour-long Zoom meeting and did a bunch of other work. We also watched some Netflix. We feel pretty good about developing the capacity to work effectively from the road.
Sleeping
Our little popup has two beds. Each is large enough to sleep two small people who don’t mind sharing, but we prefer to split up to have lots of room. Devin slept like a rock after returning to Florida on the redeye after a quick trip to Utah. Gail struggled a bit more. We’re hoping fixing the A/C will remedy her sleeplessness.
Peaceful
Hanna Park has a large campground that hosts hundreds of people every night. It is also within the city limits (albeit in the largest city measured geographically in the country), so we weren’t sure what to expect about noise. It was delightfully quiet. At dawn, a bird woke us and was then joined by lots of friends as the sun rose.
Recycling
We are big recyclers. We’re recycling about 80 percent of our waste, so we were thrilled to see recycling bins with the trash receptacles in the park.
Upcoming Reports
We’re making a second trip to Hanna Park to work out some of the kinks next week. We’ll have the report coming up. In addition, we’ll be reporting on the replacement of the A/C unit.
We’ve placed the order for our solar system. It will be challenging to install the panels, the battery, the inverter and the charge controller and all the miscellaneous stuff that connects it all.
In the coming weeks, we’ll report on our progress. We’ll share what we learn, including lessons from our mistakes, in hopes you can learn from ours and avoid your own.
Keep in Touch
We love to hear from you. Please comment on this post or reply to this email to tell us what you’re up to.
We have an Aliner Ranger. We are here in AZ. The trip we took was last month to a desert campground was wonderful this time of year in Sept., and we used our ac for the first time. It worked great and cooled the camper off in the afternoon. I’ll be watching for your adventures.
Thank you so much! 🙏 We're excited to keep camping in more places. We can't wait to get back out west!
Love that you were able to get out there!
It was a short little trip in a little RV but it was a big milestone!
What a lovely couple.
Thank you so much! You're very kind.
Great idea to do trips close by to get the set up right. Really enjoying the channel
Thank you so much! 🙏 We're starting to plan a 1,000-mile trip. We're trying to work out a few kinks first.
We enjoyed your first camping trip.
Thanks! You're such a pro, Riley, we could learn a lot from you!
Thanks for sharing your adventures. I'm curious, how much weight will solar add?
The panels will add about 22 pounds. The battery will replace a battery so I hope it won't add too much. The other stuff will add five or ten more pounds. All in, I think we'll add less than 50 pounds. As you can tell, that will further stress our weight budget so we're thoughtful about that.
Sounds like a fun trip!
Utah is also a nice place. Was it a work related trip or something?
We can't wait to get back to Utah! This was a fun trip but we will have to work while we play. Better than working at work!
Did you get the air conditioner working? Nice video. Thank you.
Nope. We bought a replacement but haven't installed it yet.
My wife and I love camping, fun safe and fairing inexpensive.
Please don’t take this the wrong way but my wife thinks your hubby looks like Tom Hanks :-)
Your wife isn't the only one. 😂
Very good. AC is cheap to install
You're right. We found a replacement for $159. The key now is to figure out how the heck to install it!
@@RickMartinTH-cam Thanks! It was a lot of work for us. We're starting at the level of learning how to use a screwdriver. We're glad we were able to get it done!
What kind d of wiring g harness did you use? Did you need circuit protectedharness?
Great question! We had the hitch installed by professionals, so we can't answer that. So sorry!
does the trailler have a sink or stove?
Nope, neither. It has lights, a fridge and an a/c unit. It is wired to plug stuff in. We mostly use the plugs for our mobile devices.
From South Africa.. safe towing... the GVM (gross vehicle mass) should be less than the TARRE (dry, empty weight) of the tow vehicle. Couple that to not exceed the manufacturers specified rear axle weight, the nose weight (straight down weight at the coupling) should be between 80 - 100kg, this creates towing stability, too light and you will have fishtailing with a weight distribution of ÷- 60 % in front of the trailer axle and 40 % behind, heavy items over the axle... Towing attitude should be level to slightly " nose-down" nose up is conducive to fishtail good.. The tug, or tow vehicle should also be level when viewed from the side....bearing in mind manufacturers .ass and weight specifications.... Remember its all roses when its good weather etc etc.... the paw-paw hits the fan when it suddenly goes wrong... always factor in a bit for safety, don't push to the limits... and ... keep speed to around 80 Km's...not necessary and very foolhardy to push it... Hope that keeps you safely towing .. RGDS Warren
Great guidance. Thank you for sharing!