Camping adventures in our travel trailer
"The fire is the main comfort of the camp, whether in summer or winter." – Henry David Thoreau
Glamping, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is:"A form of camping involving accommodation and facilities more luxurious than those associated with traditional camping."
If camping is, as one unknown author once said, "the art of getting closer to nature while getting farther away from the nearest cold beverage, hot shower, and flush toilet," then having a camper is awfully close to glamping! We have hot water, a flush toilet, a refrigerator, A/C, heat, a full kitchen, room to sleep 9, and room for everyone’s stuff.
"A crowded camper is better than an empty castle." – Author unknown
If you don't want to read through everything and just want to jump to specific sections of this page, I've included links to the main sections here:
| Our second camper | Our first camper | Where we keep the camper | Our trips | Road‑trip excitement | What we’ve learned |
Our second camper/travel trailer — 2022 Jayco Jay Flight 32BHDS
Below is our 2022 Jayco Jay Flight 32BHDS. It is 36 feet long with roughly 32 feet inside with 2 slide rooms that has the couch and a U-shaped dining table; a queen bed in the front; twin size bunk beds and a twin size be in the back bunk room; and access from inside AND outside to the bathroom. It also has an outside kitchen. We traded in the Avenger for this. The Avenger had a lot of issues and we were outgrowing the floorplan. We needed a bunk-house for the kids who were almost all grown up!
To pull our home-away-from-home and be able to fit 2 adults, 5 grown kids and 3 dogs, we still have our Nissan NV3500 Passenger Van as noted below!
"Hike more, worry less." -Author unknown
Our first camper/travel trailer — 2015 Avenger 28DBS
Below is our 2015 Prime Time Manufacturing Avenger 28DBS. It is 33 feet long with roughly 28 feet inside with 1 slide room that has the couch and a U-shaped dining table; a queen bed in the front; double bunk beds in the back; and access from inside AND outside to the bathroom.
To pull our home-away-from-home and be able to fit 2 adults, 5 kids and 3 dogs, we have our Nissan NV3500 Passenger Van which has an incredible towing capacity and can hold 12 adults comfortably! And more importantly, we can rearrange all of the seats to fit our needs and our stuff. We love it! Don't let the image fool you! The van is actually very large. The camper just makes it look small!
"Welcome To Our Place In The Woods. Take Nothing But Pictures. Leave Nothing But Footprints. Kill Nothing But Time." -Author unknown
The dogs love the front-facing window in the bump-out of both campers. If that wasn't there, the dogs would be really bored!
"Our Camping Rules: Sit by the fire, but don't play with it. Watch the sunset. Breathe the fresh air. Cook over the fire. Listen to the birds. Jump in the lake (or pool). Read. Unplug. Relax. Visit with friends."
Where we keep the camper year‑round
When we aren't on the road with the camper to our next adventure, we have it parked at a campground where we spend the season enjoying the camper and everything the campground has to offer. This photo shows the original camper. We still have this site at the campground, we just have our new camper parked there now!
Our site is heavily wooded so we are in shade nearly all day. It's great as it helps keep the camper cooler on those hot summer days. The problem is, our roof needs to be cleaned fairly often!
The deck was a family project one summer. Everyone helped build it. It is ideal for entertaining and hanging out with our camper neighbors and friends! We put dimmable LED light strings around the entire deck to give it ambiance!
"Take vacations. Go as many places as you can. You can always make money. You can't always make memories." -Author unknown
Our Trips
We originally bought the camper because it was getting way too expensive to take long family vacations. The cost to get multiple hotel rooms plus food for our big family and the cost to kennel the dogs . . . we couldn't travel.
The camper was the perfect solution. It was our home-away-from-home and we could even bring the dogs! We already had the van to tow it so it was just a matter of finding a floorplan in our price range that we liked. This was true the first and second time buying a camper.
Since bringing the camper home, we have taken one long trip each year. The trips have all averaged a little over 3,000 miles roundtrip. We have come to rely on the book, The Next Exit to find RV friendly gas stations and everything else at every exit on the major highways in the U.S., and our Good Sam's camping guide. We also really appreciate the outside entrance on the camper to the bathroom. At gas stops, we rotate everyone through the camper bathroom while the tank is filling. Having a clean, easily accessible bathroom at any time during a long road-trip is amazing! Plus, it's great for those emergency potty stops in the middle of nowhere!
"It always rains on tents. Rainstorms will travel thousands of miles, against prevailing winds for the opportunity to rain on a tent." - Dave Barry
We were fortunate enough to have a 4th grader twice so we got to take advantage of the Every Kid Outdoors program. Participating agencies are: National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. For the most part, the whole family can get into these places for free if they normally charge entrance fees for 1 year.
"Think outside, no box required." -Author unknown
Like most people that take road trips, we have a favorite road-trip game. For us, it's counting campers and other Nissan NV passenger vans. On our August 2017 trip (approximately 3,200 miles), we counted 1,239 campers/RVs. That number is correct, 1,239!!!! We also counted 11 Nissan NVs. And one of those Nissan NV's was pulling a travel trailer. That was very exciting for us!
"Live Laugh Camp" -Author unknown
Our first big trip
Our first trip with the camper, and the first time ever pulling a trailer of any type, came 2 months after buying it. We traveled out to New York City with stops at Niagara Falls, where our campsite was about 100 feet from the shore of Lake Ontario; Connecticut to visit friends; the Statue of Liberty, where we camped in a parking lot (best way to describe it!) where we could see the Statue; and Lancaster County, PA.
Probably the most 'exciting' part of this trip was getting to the campground in Jersey City, NJ. We were driving on narrow 2-lane city streets, and twice, had to detour off at the last minute before going through one of the tunnels into New York City. But we managed. And for the first time towing a camper, we really didn't have any issues navigating those streets!
Our first ever overnight in a Walmart parking lot. Very exciting!
"There is no Wi‑Fi in the forest, but you will find a better connection." -Author unknown
Spring Break in Florida
The following year we left the cold and snow during the kids' spring break to head to Florida where we stayed near Orlando. We swam in the Gulf of Mexico AND the Atlantic Ocean; visited the Kennedy Space Center and just enjoyed the warm weather!
We packed for the trip in this!
A day later and it looked like this! Much better!
"Some national parks have long waiting lists for camping reservations. When you have to wait a year to sleep next to a tree, something is wrong."> – George Carlin
Trips we’ve taken
- 2015 – Niagara Falls; Gillette Castle (CT); Statue of Liberty; Railroad Museum of PA; lots of lighthouses
- 2016 – Spring Break: Orlando, FL - Tampa Bay (Gulf of Mexio beach); Cocoa Beach (Atlantic Ocean beach); Kennedy Space Center; some lighthouses
- 2017 – Theodore Roosevelt National Park; Glacier National Park; Yellowstone National Park; Grand Teton National Park; Great Salt Lake; The total solar eclipse from the middle of Nebraska at a highway rest area.
- 2018 – No trips (roof repair)
- 2019 – Salem and Boston (historic sites and National Park sites); Hampton Beach, NH; L.L. Bean HQ in Freeport, ME; Acadia National Park; Eastern most point in the U.S.; White Mountains National Forest, NH; visited lots of lighthouses
- 2020 – No trips (COVID‑19)
- 2021 – Pisgah National Forest, NC; Blue Ridge Parkway; Great Smokey Mountain National Park; saw lots of waterfalls
- 2022 – Telluride, CO; Arches National Park; Bryce Canyon National Park; Yosemite National Park; Saguaro National Park; Padre Island National Seashore
- 2023 – No trips (bought new camper)
- 2024 – Total Solar Eclipse in Southern, IL in April; "Door County," WI for a few days in June; Mammoth Cave National Park; Cape Hatteras National Seashore; Wright Brother's National Memorial
- 2025 – Mesa Verde National Park; Maroon Bells (in the White River National Forest); Rocky Mountain National Park; Custer State Park; Mount Rushmore National Memorial; Crazy Horse Monument; Badlands National Park
"Campers: Nature’s way of feeding mosquitoes." -Author unknown
"A great many people, and more all the time, live their entire lives without ever once sleeping out under the stars." - Alan S. Kesselheim
Excitement while on the road
Fun with the original camper, the Avenger 28DBS
The first 2 years we didn't have any issues with traveling. However, year 3, when we went to Yellowstone, our luck turned. We always thought the worst thing that could happen on the road would be to get a flat tire on the trailer. We were prepared if we had to change a tire, but the thought of having to do it was not pleasant. After what happened to us, a flat tire would have been a piece of cake!
We were on Hwy 15 in Idaho heading towards Salt Lake City. The speed limit on that road is 75 or 80mph. We weren't going that fast of course! The first thing that happened was a rock hit the windshield and put a huge crack in it. It instantly spider-webbed out several inches in many directions so we knew the window would have to be replaced.
Not even an hour later, someone drove by us, slowed down and started waving and pointing frantically at the camper. We pulled over to see what was wrong and found that almost the entire underbelly had peeled off the bottom of the camper and was hanging on by only a few bolts as it was being dragged behind the camper.
Unfortunately, we couldn't just peel it off because all of the plumping, wiring and holding tanks were exposed. We didn't want to risk damage to any of that so we did what we could to reattach it. Lying on the side of the road, with traffic flying by at 80mph, holding the underbelly up to put tons of duct tape on was an experience we all wish we could forget.
Naturally the tape didn't hold long so we stopped at gas stations along the way to re-tape the bottom. After we had limped into Salt Lake City and got settled into our campsite, we got rope and tied the bottom in place and put on more tape. I had started the trip with a new roll of Duck brand duct tape and by the time we got home, it was almost completely gone!
We thought we had seen the worst of what the road could throw at us on this trip. But we were wrong! After stopping in Nebraska to see the total solar eclipse of 2017, we got into a huge traffic jam after a rain storm. It turned out the highway was completely closed due to a major accident. We had to get off the highway and find our way several miles to the next available highway entrance. This took us off-road on very wet gravel roads. The van and the camper made it through without any issues. Nothing was damaged or broken and surprisingly, nothing inside the camper shifted or opened or got damaged! But what a mess! When we got home, it looked like we drove through cement and wow, was it hard to clean off!
We had other issues with the camper that prevented us from travelling and then COVID hit so we didn't do any long trips until 2022. That's the year we had some BIG time excitement on the road!
We were having issues with one of the tires on the trailer on the passenger side so when we were in Yosemite, we put the spare on and kept the other tire for a spare. That as the first time changing a tire on the camper but we did it at the campground so it wasn't bad. On the way from Yosemite to Padre Island, 90 miles west of Phoenix on a major highway in 113 degree (F) heat in the early afternoon on the driver side of the camper, we had a blow-out and the tire shredded. That was exciting changing that tire on the side of the highway! We were lucky enough to get to a tire store in Phoenix to get a new tire put on.
A few days later, on the passenger side of the camper, the entire wheel came off and disappeard somewhere. We were at a gas station and our son got out and told us the tire was gone. I thought it was another flat, but no, the lug nuts were sheared off and the wheel was gone. This was a Saturday night. We found a campground not far away and stayed there. We got lucky that a truck parts store owner came in on a Sunday to get us new parts to replace everything. We got the spare tire on and made it home.
Six months later we traded this camper in for the Jayco!
"Camp, Hike, Cook, Drink, Eat, Repeat"-Author unknown
What we have learned, added and changed / upgraded ... so far
Key learnings from spending a lot of time in both campers and traveling the country with them:
- Unless you are "dry camping" use LOTS of water when you flush the toilet. There is nothing worse than towing a camper hundreds of miles when the potty is full. It happened to us on the way back from Florida even though we followed the key rule of camper toilets which is to NEVER leave the black tank valve open - let it fill up and dump it only when it's full.
- A backup camera on your tow vehicle makes hooking up to the camper pretty darn easy, especially with someone guiding you in.
- Out of the many different RV holding tank chemicals we have tried, only Happy Camper Organic RV Holding Tank Treatment has worked well for us. The first season that we used it was also the first season we didn't have odor issues or a clogged black tank drain.
- Mice can get in anywhere. Stuff any openings with steel wool or fill any large gaps with spray-in insulation / expanding foam.
- Speaking of mice ... We found that Fresh Cab Rodent Repellent from EarthKind works well. We use our camper all summer at a seasonal campground and we keep these in the storage areas and behind the kitchen cabinets all summer. Plus we use them when we store it for the winter of course.
- Camper refrigerators are pretty small when you have a family of 7 and when you travel with the camper, you can't use a standard refrigerator that only operates on 110 volts! So you have to pack it very strategically or shop more frequently or bring a cooler! - - Our newest/2nd camper has a small 110V refrigerator in the outdoor kitchen!
- Don't wait until you're low on gas to find a gas station ... there may not be one at the next stop or in the next town (ask us how we know!
- Speaking of gas ... AAA is very helpful when you're in a pinch, and a whole lot cheaper when you need gas than just having some delivered (again, ask us how we know!)
Upgrades added to both campers
- A Camco Roof Vent cover for the bathroom vent - you can keep the vent open all day, rain or shine...mostly
- 1 inch thick memory foam mattress toppers to all beds - it improves comfort and it's relatively easy to trim to the correct size.
- Shelving to pretty much all of the cabinets in both campers to get better and more storage
- Over the door towel hooks in the bathroom and both sliding doors to the front room
- Battery operated LED puck lights and/or strip lights in a lot of the cabinets so we could see our food in the pantry and our clothes in the cabinets!
Upgrades added specifically to the 2022 Jayco in addition to the above
- A queen-size Zinus 8-inch Green Tea Memory Foam mattress
- SoftStartRV to the 15,000 BTU air conditioner. We added this so we could run the A/C with the Bluetti AC200MAX portable power station. The original camper had a 13,500 BTU air conditioner and we could run it just fine as it was with the Bluetti AC200MAX (learn more on the Solar Power page, also linked above).
- An airflow optimizer to the air conditioner by RV Airflow Systems. It cut the noise down a lot and helped move the cold A/C air through the camper
- A LOT of spray foam insulation around the entire underbelly where it meets the frame. We had a big mouse issue before doing this!
Upgrades added specifically to the 2015 Avenger
- Custom fit mini-blinds to the bathroom door window - it's frosted glass, but you can still see shapes really well through the window, especially at night! We bought them through Blinds Chalet, but there are other places you can get them as well.
- Cabinet Door Supports (P.N. H271) from RV Designer to hold our two upward opening cabinet doors above the couch open
- An all new underbelly made with 4'x8' sheets of Coroplast plastic, self-tapping sheet-metal screws and really big washers. And Gorilla tape to tape the seams. Of course, if the underbelly hadn't peeled off during our 2017 road trip, we wouldn't have had to add a new underbelly!!!
- We changed the fabric on the window frames and the valances from a dark brown to a turquise/white/gold
- We reupholstered the dinette cushions to match the window frames/valances.
- New bedroom valances
- We put "Natural White Elite Series" LED light bulbs from M4 LED Products in most of the light fixtures. The difference in brightness and the quality of the light inside the camper was amazing! (our 2015 trailer came with incandescent bulbs)
- If you have the clear, reflector-type lenses like we have, you will notice what looks like yellow and white stripes of light on light colored items in your camper. This is not an issue with the LED. It is the light being refracted as it passes through the lens, kind of like when light passes through a prism and makes a rainbow. This is more obvious with brighter white LEDs (higher kelvin). The fix is to use a translucent lens, like the milky-white light covers you see used with most LED lights. Those diffuse the light to spread it instead of spreading it like a reflector.
- Or you can do what we did and make your own diffuser filter with a water jug.
- We highly recommend these lights! They are worth the price and are superior in quality of build and light output to the cheap ones you can get on Amazon and Ebay.
- The above changes REALLY helped brigthen the inside of the camper! See before and after photos below.
"The rite of passage of learning to build a fire that will burn all night with one match is not an insignificant one ..." - Sarah Wayne Callies"
This was the original color scheme that came in the 2015 Avenger camper.
This was in 2018. We covered the brown fabric on the window frames with the stripes and turquoise fabrics
We reupholstered the brown dinette cushions to match the window frames.
"There is nothing I love S'more than camping!" -Author unknown
Updated: November 2025
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Contact me at: sv_design@frontier.com