On Saturday, after returning from our Thanksgiving trip, we picked the dogs from the kennel, went to our RV storage facility to get the truck and camper and then checked into the San Antonio KOA. Since the park was full, the KOA hosted a burgers and ice cream social. After a day of travel, having someone else cook dinner was appealing.
After ordering our burger, chips and drink from Fred’s Fixins, we sat down with a full timing Florida couple. We found out they drove a truck camper to Alaska and took the ferry back. They shared their experiences with us and gave us some perspective on driving to Alaska. Thank you Frankie and Tom. You are a fountain of information. Information that will make our Alaska trip even better.
My Thanksgiving post missed a most important and often under appreciated aspect of RVing. RVers, and particularly full timers, gladly and freely share their experiences with others. A blessing for us all. Something else to be thankful for.
Sunday was one of those days where we didn’t really have to do anything. Linda had an idea on how to better arrange our stuff in the truck camper that involved undoing the drawers we had put above the dinette in the Fold Down Bunk and Child Restraint.
The bunk had started to sag. Neither of us could easily access items placed in the deep drawers. We emptied out the drawers and removed them. With the drawers out of the way, damage could be seen.
The screws fastening the hinge needed to be tightened. The plywood at the bottom of the cabinet appears sprung. However, on clearer examination, the structure fastening the bunk/cabinet to the wall has become loose. The cabinet was resting on the back window valance.
When the bunk is folded up, it is secured with a clasp that has a sliding bolt. The bolt used to line up with the hole. Now, the Fold Down Bunk/Cabinet needs to be lifted up to line the bolt up with the hole.
This damage occurred over the past 8 months. The fold Down Bunk was advertised to support 300 pounds. It never contained more than 100 pounds. It isn’t clear if this is a design, build or materials problem.
The reconfigured fold down bunk is now a cabinet. In the cabinet configuration, the double LED light fixtures above the dinette now evenly light the dinette table. Visually, there is more open space within the camper. The camper seems less claustrophobic.
Regardless, clothing packed in Cubes are now the only items within the cabinet. The Cubes are discussed in the Packing Clothes blog post.
With all the reorganizing, the overall space is better utilized and it feels like there is more room. Not what I expected. Linda’s hunch turned out to be correct.
Hope to see you on the road ahead!