Shake-down 'cruise'

October 21, 2019—We are at Little Talbot Island State Park, about 30 miles north of home. We arrived last night, and we slept well, our first night in our new truck camper.

Although we purchased the camper last month, this is the first opportunity we have had for a “shake-down” cruise. The reason? On the way home from picking up the camper, we had a small accident. The door to the microwave, set in a lower cabinet under the stove (not overhead as microwaves generally are placed) shattered. The drawer under banquette, opposite (but on the same level as) the microwave/convection oven was not latched. It swung out and broke the door. Poor design, and the manufacturer did not have a warning to latch all doors before driving.

This camper has a side door.

The accident was covered under the warranty, but we had to wait for the part. (I think they installed a new appliance.)

The new camper is slowly becoming our second home: Jim put up a magnetic knife holder over the sink. Very handy, especially since kitchen-cabinet drawer space is limited. He also built and installed a paper-towel holder. (Why don’t they come installed?)

The magnetic knife holder frees up drawer space, which is sparse.

Jim made this paper towel holder, which matches the cabinetry almost perfectly.

The camper came with a spice rack and magazine racks under the TV (who takes magazines camping?). It also has another magazine rack near the couch. Jim installed a power strip with high-speed USB ports on the side of the rack, which is the ideal size to hold my laptop when not in use. When we get home he will install another small spice rack (which was by the sink) on the back of the banquette near the power strip, to hold our phones and tablets while they are charging. (FYI: This camper comes with several USB outlets, but I suspect they are only 1 amp, not 2.4, which is needed to charge tablets and fast-charge phones.)

This magazine rack is the ideal size to hold my laptop. Jim installed the outlet strip, which has USB plugs.  

We also purchased an ice maker, a real godsend. We had one several years ago in our first RV, but it died over time. This one has a smaller footprint and works pretty fast. Sure beats filling ice trays several times a day, especially since we need ice when we go fishing.

Although the refrigerator (6 cubic feet) is the same size that we had in the old truck camper (and I think, also, in our very first RV, back in 2010), its design is much improved, with a capacity to hold more food.

The new camper also has a good-sized bathroom. Still a bit crowded, but it has a full counter top and more storage than in the other camper. The camper also has larger water and sewer (grey and black) tanks than the other camper. We don’t have sewer hookup here at Little Talbot Island, so we are taking showers at the wash house (very nice). If our tanks are not full Tuesday night (our last night here), we will try our own shower.

The nicest thing in this camper (and the reason why we bought it) is the couch. It is a jack-knife couch (turns into a sleeper), and as such is not the most comfortable to sit on. However…it has two built-in footrests. With a small pillow behind your back, you can sit back, stretch out, and relax. We had no place to do that in either our last truck camper or in our last “big” RV, Thor (27-footer). Thor had a couch, but we could not stretch out well, and the couch was uncomfortable. (It was also a jack-knife sleeper.) The footrest also allows me to use the laptop as a laptop!

We can stretch out on the couch and relax, reading or watching TV.

This camper doesn’t have quite as much storage for clothing as the other did, but I think it will be adequate. Outside, it has plenty of storage.

Last night, we met our camping neighbors, who have a small teardrop type of travel trailer. We invited them in to see the truck camper. They were in awe of all the space we have. We are too.

Until next time,

Your Reluctant RoVer,

Linda