RE: Newbie admits loss of control at RV show...

[duanefamily]

 
Howdy,
 
 I think I must have gotten caught up in the mind frame of NNC (was skimming through their website) when I posted this subject, you can excuse me if you need to!  
 
 Seriously though, I visited these forums about a year ago and quizzed people about purchasing a Niagara with a 2002 Honda Oddessy.  I was given a lot of good advice and sorely wish I had saved it.  In any case, we went to an RV show this weekend... and low and behold, the red carpet led me to a new 2002 Niagara!  It whispered " buy me"  and I felt like Alice in Wonderland!  My resolve to be frugle disolved on the spot as dreams of weekend escapes beckoned me forward!  The salesperson assured me that my vehicle would handle it... and before I knew it, I was out the door with a piece of paper in my hand making me the proud owner of my very first popup!  
 
 Okay... dreamy, glittery backdrop... disolves... it s the next day... we re supposed to pick up this monstrosity on Thursday... and I m wondering if I m going to have the strength to really set this thing up by myself... as the hubman is going to be mighty busy working to pay for this toy and will most likely always show up after the site has been set up by me and my two wiggly little ones.  I was looking for some wisdom on the lifts you can buy.  Are they really worth it?  Do they really work?  
 
 I guess we re going to try to pick somewhere close by (silicon valley) to camp this weekend.  I m not sure if I ll feel comfortable enough to run out and meet some of the NNCers at the rally on the 16th... it may even be too late... but I figure we ll be meeting you sooner or later!
 
 That said... we re real nuclear with the dad, mom and two kids thing... girl(6) and boy(4) but we re a skip, hop and a jump from the usual fare.  Look forward to getting to know y all!
 
 duanefamily momma
 
 

[SactoCampers]

 duanefamily
duanefamily momma,
 
 We d love to have you come to a rally. Or better yet, become a member (actually, maybe it s the same thing!).
 
 But don t feel bad, I tried to make " last minute"  reservations this morning for the Negative Bouyancy rally, but the full hookup sites are all booked up []. I m sure you could get a dry camping spot, but Mrs. Sacto didn t want to, so we ll have to wait until the Olema Ranch rally. Let " Nick"  know if you re interested in that one so he can reserve a few more spots. Hope to see you there!

[greyhounds4me]

 duanefamily
[font=" Comic Sans MS" ]Congratulations Duanefamily!  I don t know anything about the Niagra but my 12 year old son does most of the set up of our popup.  It s just the two of us and we have no trouble doing everything that needs to be done.  Your biggest challenge will be keeping an eye on the youngsters while you set up.  I would suggest that you bring along a detailed list of all the set up steps in case you get distracted and forget what you ve done and haven t done.  My son and I have our routine pretty well down so it goes fairly quickly.  The only thing that s really difficult to do my yourself is the awning.  That definately takes the two of us.  Don t sweat it though.  You ll get it down in no time.  Have fun and let us know how the maiden voyage goes.[/font]
 

[6Quigs]

 duanefamily
DuaneFamily,
 Welcome, it?s nice to have another family from Silicon Valley with a Niagara.
 If you can make it Lake Chabot on the 16th, it would be really great.
 Not only would you meet some great people, they will also be only too happy to help you with your Niagara, and share all the modifications, (deshintzing) they have done to their Popups. Nothing like visiting someone when they are camping to see how they are set up, and where they store everything.
 Unfortunately, I?m out of the country that weekend, so we won?t be there, but I know my fellow NNC?s will make you feel very welcome.
 Definitely pick somewhere close for your first trip, especially if it?s your first time towing, and just take it easy, no going over 55mph. If you can arrive before dark, all the better for getting set up.
 Hoping to meet you at a future rally
 

[Red neff Barchetta]

 duanefamily
Welcome!  Your family will fit right in with the group!  6Quigs  DD will not be so out-numbered by the boys now.
 
 It would be great if you could stop by on Saturday, the 18th. to say hello, even if you can t camp that w/e.  We could bombard you with tips and SPUT s (stupid PU trick s) to hopefully help you out.
 
 Over time you will really be happy that you got a PU with a slide-out.  We are!
 
 Biggest tip I can give you for your maiden voyage is arrive early, be patient with each other, and even consider you and DH taking turns setting something up while the other keeps the kids busy and having fun.  Nothing worse than getting frustrated and snapping at the kids (who are just being kids) because they are running around the site while you re trying to get the door unhooked from the ceiling, ha.
 
 Hope to meet you soon!  How about the Olema rally?

[tlhdoc]

 duanefamily
Welcome to the PU camping world.  Yes you can do it by yourself with the help of your kids.  Have them help you (busy work) so they stay out of trouble.  I have been PU camping for over 7 years and do all of the work myself.  DH has only spent one night in the camper.  He isn t a camping person.  Take notes on the setup and get a sway bar installed.  Have a great time and don t rush.  We were all new at one point.  If you need help most camper I have met will help you.[]

[brainpause]

 duanefamily
Congratulations on the Niagara. That is our dream unit! Hope you have fun, and make your way to TN with it!
 
 Larry

[gsm x2]

 duanefamily
Duane Family Momma,
 
 Oh most definitely swing by Chabot if you get a chance.
 
 Those were some great suggestions for a maiden voyage.  Stay close to home and take your time.  And " No, it won t take you hours to set up EVERY TIME...but maybe the first time."
 
 And read the owner s manual.  Really helpful information.
 
 And go to www.nick-neff-cough.org to get information on the Olema Rally.  Always nice to have new people.  You get 4 free kazoos for joining us.  (somehow remarkably fitting) []
 
 gsm x2

[duanefamily]

 gsm x2
What a hearty welcome you ve given us!  Thank you one and all!!!
 
 I like the idea of keeping the kids occupied with busy work... that usually works well and I don t always remember to implement it because the kids are trying the same tactics on me in reverse!  
 
 I took your advice and contacted Nick about the Olema Ranch Rally.  I will wait to hear from him.  That s the weekend of my husband s birthday... in the old days (Pre Kids) we used to rent a cabin for a long weekend in the middle of nowhere and just eat, sleep and read.  I d pre cook everything in advance and it was a blast.  Hopefully, this will approximate those memories... or if nothing else... give us a blast of fresh air.
 
 Wow... what a great idea... for us to stop by on the 18th... just to say hello...  hopefully, we can... and the kazoo s... well that just about cinches it! []
 
 Your words of wisdom are mightily welcome and I look forward to getting to know y all better.
 
 duanefamily momma

[rednekrubbrduck]

 duanefamily
Congrads on your purchase.  My DS always wants to help...but alas he s still a little small for the initial set up.  He helps lug things from the truck, and put things away.  I got the MotherShip at at one of them shows, and glad I did.

[Surfcal]

 duanefamily
duannefamily:
 
 Cough, wheez, sneeze...
 
 Sorry for the weird noises, but those are the official greetings of members of the Nick-Neff-Coughs.  First off, congratulations on your new PopUp trailer.  It ll provide you with years of fun and quality time with your family.  And we hope it ll compel you to join us on some of our road trips.
 
 Well, you ve visited our NNC website and right now we already have four Rallies in the queue.  It s always fun to come to those, first for the friendships and the activity that we collectively do (or you don t have to participate either, that s cool).  But the other is to see how other people actually do things.  It ll give you a world of ideas.  From how they store clothes, dishes and food, to what kind of mats and tacky lights they ve acquired, and dozens of little deshnitzifications they ve done.
 
 Here s some idiosyncracies with NNC members.  GSM X2 hates dealing with ice, so he has a refrigerator.  You won t find Sammyslave with a campstove, he has a 3-burner behemoth that s got enough power to feed a MASH unit.  Red neff Barchetta brings enough auxiliary power for a film shoot.  Sactocampers has more toys and gadgets that he brings along.  G-whiz has Kazoos for everyone.  I m actually normal and have no idiocyncracies whatsoever.
 
 Whatever the case may be, we promise that you ll get the full use of your rig all year long.  In fact, none of us winterizes.  We tough it out during the cold harsh winters of California when the temperatures dip below 45 degrees and the grass is a little damp from the overnight rain.  It s like that line from the Mommas and the Papas, " California Dreamin,  on such a winter s day."
 
 We re looking forward to your membership.  You can find our forums, for the time being in Campground Reviews or the Campfire until they implement the Camping Clubs Forum.  Here are the links and don t be shy to chime in:
 
 http://www.popuptimes.com/members/tm.asp?m=1732&p=1&tmode=1
 or
 http://www.popuptimes.com/members/tm.asp?m=531&p=1&mpage=4&tmode=1
 
 Welcome aboard to PUT and the crazy world of NNC.
 
 Surfcal

[Jo Ann]

 duanefamily
[color=3669999]Congrats on your new camper....itsn t it just grand!!!!
 
 here is a suggestion which helped me when my kids where little.  Give them OR create for them small chores for them to do...divvy them out sparingly cuz of attention span problems with young kids and give out when you have difficult things to do...like cranking or something...and have them do it in your line of sight....
 
 for instances...unpaking stuff that stays outside...even if you have to go back later and put it all back....
 
 [/color]

[fivegonefishing]

 Jo Ann
Congrats on the new camper!  If your kids are anything like mine, they are going to have a blast!  Their jobs are to lower the stabilizer jacks then to gather all the twigs on the campsite and kind of clean up the site if need be.  It feels great when the kids talk about going home and they mean the camper!
 
 Tammy[]

[Hybrid Holly]

 duanefamily
Duanefamily mamma...
 Congrats!  I don t know about the PU, but I set up my Hybrid routinely by myself.
 Granted I don t have the wiggly ones...unless you count the K9s but I have faith that you can do it.  Looking forward to meeting you!
 
 

[SactoCampers]

 duanefamily
Duanefamily momma,
 
 A couple more tips if your dealer hasn t mentioned them:
 
 1.) Sway control
 2.) Weight distribution
 
 
 Regarding #1: The big colemans with front storage trunk are prone to sway, which can be a scary experience, especially for someone new to towing. You will want a sway control device to minimize this effect.
 
 Regarding #2: Since a fully loaded Niagara can have quite a bit of tongue weight when the front storage trunk is loaded, a weight-distribution hitch takes weight off the rear axle of your Odyssey and redistributes it to the front axle, which is where your drive wheels are located. It helps reduce rear axle sag and ensures that both your tow vehicle and trailer are a level combination. Kinda like this:  - -  rather than this:   /.
 
 Fortunately, both of these " issues"  can be handled by a Reese mini 350 sway control/weight distribution hitch. It s designed specifically for Coleman popups. Many PopUPTimers have used it with considerable success and is something you may want to seriously consider before your first outing. I will let those who use the Reese mini 350 comment from this point forward since my trailer is a different brand, much lighter, and does not have the same handling characteristics.
 
 Good luck, and don t hesitate to ask more questions if what I ve said has confused you. If you already have the mini 350, then this post is moot and you re good to go! [][] If you don t have it and won t have time to get it before your first trip, then definitely take 6Quigs  advice and tow at 55 mph or less, depending on extent of sway, if any.
 
 Here s a good look at it, from 6Quigs  website:
 
 http://the6quigleys.tripod.com/camping/id6.html
 
 [].