Hey RVers! Storing a Travel Trailer?

[pbwalker]

Well, after having a Pop-Up Camper for close to two years, we're upgrading to a 26' Travel Trailer. We're super excited about it and plan to hit the parks soon!

Alas, I can't store the TT in my garage like I did the PUP. Indoor storage facilities are a bit expensive, so I'm looking at an outdoor storage facility. What I don't know is the best way to store it. I've read that full trailer covers are nothing more than critter homes. I don't want to go to take it out of storage for a trip and end up disturbing a large wasp nest. I figure tire covers at the minimum, along with a thick coat of Armor-All.

Should I go out and move it every now and then to change the pressure points on the tires? Should I look at some other storage means?

Thanks for any suggestions!

[chasfm11]

We have a motor home so it is a bit different than your trailer but I'll offer some information anyway.

1. Most RV tires rot from lack of use more than anything else. First, you would do well to get individual weights on your tires to make sure that they aren't overloaded for their load range. Some makers do that right from the factory. Second, when we parked our RV outside, I kept the tires covered all the time and never had anything under the covers themselves in 5 years. Protecting the tires from UV is important, at least to me. Lastly, it is important to keep the tires inflated, according to the tire maker's website, for the load that they are carrying. There are lots of stories about trailers and under inflated tires.
2. There is covered parking (kind of like an RV carport). If I had it to do over again. I'd have gotten the RV under cover sooner. We built a barn large enough to store it last year. One hail storm ripped the whole top apart. The plastic in the vents and A/C covers really deteriorate fast after a couple of summers in the sun.
3. If you haven't had a fresh water tank before, remember to sanitize it. I do that a few times each season. Use a sediment filter, not the inline filters they sell at the RV places.
4. You probably already understand from your PUP days but COE parks are a problem with taking your gun. When we are traveling across country, I don't get excited if we have to stop in a COE park overnight. I just follow the Federal transport method and hope that works. I won't do that if I were going for a weekend specifically to a COE park. Its a shame as we love one of the parks at Georgetown. We don't go there since I got my CHL.

RV.NET and IRV2.COM are two good RV related sites. Like this one, there are people with good information. Unlike this one, RV.NET is sometimes poorly moderated. IRV2 has gotten a lot better in that regard.

PM with any other questions that you have.

Chas

[E.Marquez]

Flat stable parking are is a must, pour a pad if you need to it's cheap. If you can build over head cover do it, other wise protect the tires.... if it's going to be only a seasonal use deal,, consider jack stands under each tire at the axle.. and drop tire pressure.
Like your pop up,, care for your battery's or risk replacement each season.
My 32ft toy hauler lives outside on a hard pad, wish it was covered, but not yet in the budget. Been doing that for 6 years now, no real issue other then replacing the vent covers last year.

[jimlongley]

Draining the water system, particularly the water heater is imperative for even Texas' mild winters. When we lived in IL I blew up the water heater, heard it go in the family room inside the house, when I didn't drain it properly and it froze, sounded like a gunshot. Had something similar happen to the fresh water tank down here in TX, but it was while the RV was in remote storage and as religious as I was about draining EVERYTHING after the hot water tank incident, I still can't figure out how it happened we just found the tank split when we went to fill it.

I always jacked mine up when it was stored for more than a week, and was very distressed when I found out that the long term storage place had taken it off the jacks, moved it, and left it parked in the mud for more than a month. I was traveling all the time for work and just didn't have time to go camping, or even drive over to check on it. We just assumed, bad mistake, that they were taking care of it properly. Had a heck of a time getting it out of the mud because it sank crooked and the mud set, and the RV place wanted us to pay them to get it out with the tractor.

I also had kept it covered, but the one time we had hail damage, the storage place, a different one BTW, called us to let us know there had been hail and we had suffered some damage, and when I got there, the cover was torn and tattered and we had damage on the roof and three sides. I won't go into all the problems we had with the insurance and the re-skin, but it was less than a pleasant experience.

Our RV had bunk beds in the back, and under the bottom bunk was an ideal space to store guns, just the right length and completely inaccessible.

[papajohn1964]

Well, after having a Pop-Up Camper for close to two years, we're upgrading to a 26' Travel Trailer. We're super excited about it and plan to hit the parks soon!

Alas, I can't store the TT in my garage like I did the PUP. Indoor storage facilities are a bit expensive, so I'm looking at an outdoor storage facility. What I don't know is the best way to store it. I've read that full trailer covers are nothing more than critter homes. I don't want to go to take it out of storage for a trip and end up disturbing a large wasp nest. I figure tire covers at the minimum, along with a thick coat of Armor-All.

Should I go out and move it every now and then to change the pressure points on the tires? Should I look at some other storage means?

Thanks for any suggestions!

Congrats on the new RV!!!
We've had our Jayco 22FB for 4.5 years now and it's always been stored outside. And is still in excellant condition.
We give it a good wash about twice a year. Some people reccommend waxing them but...
Make sure it's fairly level, I leave mine just a little low in the back so the water will drain.
We added a vent cover in the bathroom and that stays open all of the time for ventilation.
We did have to replace the tires this year because of the sun so tire covers are a must. It was a little over $500 for 4 tires, I was expecting about $200!
Make sure the storage is accessible 24/7, some aren't.
Think about joing a club. We belong to Camp Club USA and you get 1/2 off at participating CG's for about $50 per year. We started out doing the State Parks but you have to make reservations about 3 months in advance. Who the heck plans that far ahead?
Our favorite place to camp is Riverbend RV in Luling. Awesome owners, access to the river, pool, fishing pond....
What part of SA are you in? We had ours stored off of Judson when we first got it but we moved up to Cibolo and it's in a storage up here now, $25 per month.

[Oldgringo]

Our 34' Alpenlite 5th wheel spent four full winters in Lake City, CO without any cover and received no damage from -25° temperatures or 3' of snow. Of course, it was disconnected from all services, all fluids were drained completely and anti-freeze was poured in all traps. The tires were covered.

We're presently in Montana in our 25' Puma TT for the entire summer. When we get back to east Texas in October, it will be cleaned out and pretty much sit in the driveway all winter. We do drain the water lines and leave all valves open. If it's supposed to get real cold, we'll let the furnace run on its lowest setting or turn on a small catalytic heater for the night.

Go Enjoy and Good Luck!

PS:

Guns, long and short, fit under the otherwise worthless fold out couch.

[E.Marquez]

PS, on the gun storage.

there are all kinds of storage spots in your trailer, that no one will look in.. because they are not designed for storage.
Look at the walls, bulk heads, under/over cabinets, nest to beds. You will find a spot that is paneled, but the space behind is not used, or only has wires/pipes and such.
With some DIY work, you can section that panel, install a piano hinge and magnetic lock (manual push or electric) . Once done and the new panel door shut. No one will know it's there (not talking DEA drug smuggling no one knows, DEA, local drug dog, will find that crap, so not talking illegal stuff, here, though same principals and ideas involved... )

every trailer and vehicle I own has had a spot to build one or more of these spots, and every trailer I've looked at had places that could have one built.

[anygunanywhere]

We have had our 5th wheel under covered storage consistently for the last 8 years. I highly recommend covered storage. The sun can be brutal to the exterioe finish. Finding one with power is a good idea too to keep the batteries charged. Get a battery conditioner. Even though it is in storage does not mean you can forget it. It still needs attention.

We are living in ours full time now and can tell it is getting old. I have had to repair multiple items in the last 4 weeks but so far all is good.

Mrs. Anygun and I are getting used to the small quarters.

Good luck with your new RV.

Anygunanywhere

[fickman]

Unlike this one, RV.NET is sometimes poorly moderated.

Well, that's the understatement of the year.

I hung around there a lot longer than I should have because there was some great advice in the tow vehicle / travel trailer / technical forums, but the overt agenda of the mods finally ran me out of there.

Even if you have a legitimate, sincere question relating to RVs about one of the following topics, you MUST resist the urge to mention them at any time:
- Firearms
- Ammunition
- Hunting
- Self defense
- Homeschooling
- Large families (only Post-Al Gore-Era large families are controversial. Your great-grandparents on the farm are welcome topics.)
- Christianity / The Bible
- Kalifornia politics
- George W. Bush
- Common sense

Since then, I started loitering over here more often.

[pbwalker]

Thanks so much for all the input! It really helps!

As for the batteries, I had a question. We never boondock camp, so is the battery really that big of a concern if we are always hooked up to utilities? I apologize if this is a dumb question...I honestly have no idea. Should I pull the battery and put it on a conditioner at the house? Anything I can do to prolong the life? We're looking at going out maybe 6 times a year, give or take.

I think, at this point, covered parking is out of the question. In my research, I found it to be insanely expensive for essentially a 3 walled pole barn. $140+. I will likely put together some kind of shield for the vents and put a whole RV cover over that. Not ideal, but it'll work. Tire covers too!

CampClubUSA looks great! I think my wife and I will join that as they've got a few locations we'd love to go to. Thanks for that...never knew it existed! We were having some trouble finding locations to take it (in the State Parks). We much prefer winter @ Garner anyways, so this works out!

As for the gun storage, I was thinking of putting up a vertical mount inside one of the bedside wardrobes for a shotgun. Good idea? Bad idea?

Thanks again folks! I feel like there is so much more to learn...I'll have to check out IRV2!

[fickman]

A few quick hits:
- I loved a quote from one RVer about covered parking, "We'll start storing it inside when we start camping inside." They are made to be outside. . . make sure you have insurance in case of wind or hail damage, and make sure to keep the tires fully covered from UV rays. Make sure to grease the wheels once a year (you probably can use a grease gun and most modern trailers don't require you to unpack the bearings). I was paying about $60/month for a paved, uncovered spot at a reputable big storage facility in Keller / Fort Worth with a 22' travel trailer, but I didn't have power there.

- For the battery, there could be a few systems that require it (if you have an automatic tongue lift, automatic stabilizers, slide, etc.). If it's just your lights and bathroom fan, then it's up to you. I think it's worth getting a good one, removing it while not in use storage, and putting it on a maintainer. This will give you the longest life possible. If you have power at the storage site, this is probably the second best option, but the in-house converter on your RV probably won't cycle it the way a maintainer will. If you have no AC power at the storage site, leaving the battery on the RV will basically run it down and kill it. . . all sorts of sensors in the RV will slowly drain the battery power.

- We always liked the battery so that we could stop off for lunch on the road and have essential power. . . water pump (for the bathroom or dishes if needed - assuming you carry a few gallons of fresh water), lights, fan, etc. With little kids, this let them stretch their legs in a safer environment, too. We always stayed at sites with full power, so most of the time it wasn't important.

- If you get a 30 amp plug installed at your house (for unloading / loading times), remember that it's 110/120 VAC! I learned this the hard, expesnive way. :)

- Make sure the 12-volt part of your 7-pin connector on your tow vehicle actually has power to it. Also, test to see if the tow vehicle CUTS the 12v power to the RV when you turn the engine off. Some do. Some don't. I had one truck (2003 Chevy Silverado 1500 with aftermarket tow package) that had its battery drained because I left the camper plugged in overnight. My next truck (2005 Chevy Silverado K2500 HD with factory tow package) didn't have that problem because the 12v power line ran through the starter, but our new van (2010 Chevy Express G3500 with aftermarket tow package) does have to be unplugged when stopping to avoid draining the battery.

- For winterizing in Texas, I typically blow the lines with pressurized air (not more than 90-110 PSI) and put RV antifreeze in the traps. Haven't needed to mess with the hassle of putting the pink stuff through all of the lines or getting a hot water bypass.

- If you don't have an integrated brake controller in your tow vehicle, I'd highly recommend a Tekonsha P3 or Prodigy or similar inertia-based controller.

- We also got inexpensive roadside assistance plan from Good Sam. A lot of roadside services will panic if you have a TT hooked up when they show up, even if it's technically covered. I'd recommend one that knows about RVs. Ours covered the TT and ANY vehicle that it happened to be hooked to. It included tire changing and assistance for the vehicle and trailer, and included two tows depending on circumstances: they can get your tow vehicle to the closest garage and your trailer to the closest campground so that you have a place to stay.

- Lots of great places in this and neighboring states to enjoy! Get out and camp!

[anygunanywhere]

- We also got inexpensive roadside assistance plan from Good Sam. A lot of roadside services will panic if you have a TT hooked up when they show up, even if it's technically covered. I'd recommend one that knows about RVs. Ours covered the TT and ANY vehicle that it happened to be hooked to. It included tire changing and assistance for the vehicle and trailer, and included two tows depending on circumstances: they can get your tow vehicle to the closest garage and your trailer to the closest campground so that you have a place to stay.

I forgot to mention the roadside service.

We were on a trip and our 5th wheel broke a leaf spring and wrapped it up around the axle when I had to brake hard to avoid a jerk on 290 in Hempstead. The wheel was rubbing on the top of the wheel well so we could not drive it to a shop. We have the Good Sam road service too. I would have hated to pay for the rig that wound up taking us to the shop. He brought a drive on lowboy trailer about 50 feet long and I just drove my truck and rv right up on the trailer.

The roadside assistance is a sweet deal.

Anygunanywhere

[chasfm11]

A few more thoughts:

1. On the RV forums, the responses on Good Sam roadside assistance are mixed. Some have good luck with it. Others report problems getting response and in how GS handles situations where they were unable to provide response. CoachNet is an alternative that we use but even it hasn't had a great response from those who use it. AAA has an RV plan but that generally gets terrible feedback. By the way, Good Sam is part of the Affinity Group which also owns Camping World and maintains RV.NET

2. For whatever reason, batteries in Texas seem to last no more than 5 years. That life can be shortened in an RV deepcycle battery. Most RVs have a converter which takes A/C power and distributes it the RV appliances, charging the battery at the same time. Mostly RV makers put in 2 stage converters which can boil the battery dry. I bought my own 3 stage converter after killing a set of "house" batteries (motor homes also have a pair of chassis batteries). Our RV is plugged in most of the time and the new converter is doing a much better job of preserving the batteries. One easy way to preserve your battery in storage is simply to remove the positive lead when you park it. I have a disconnect switch which kills all of the load. You can install a manual disconnect switch if it is more convenient.

3. To me, the most critical part of an RV is the wheels. I can live through just about any other kind of problem and still be able to camp but if the wheels fail, I am left sitting along the road. Keeping your wheel bearings properly lubricated is important. It is also possible with grease gun to over-lubricate, blow out the seals and end up with a bearing failure. I have a sailboat on a trailer and strongly recommend periodically pulling the wheels and visually inspecting the bearings. They should not have a burned smell. I pull my inner bearings and put new seals on while I'm doing the inspection. I view it as cheap insurance. Be sure that you understand how tight your bearings need to be installed. Too tight isn't good either. Keeping good tires properly inflated keeps you rolling down the road.

3. If you stick to the RV related subjects, RV.NET is tolerable. There are some guys there with a lot of good trailer experience. SkipnChar (handle) comes to mind as one of those for trailers.

4. We love the Texas State Parks. We by the State Park pass ($60 per year) and it gives you coupons for 1/2 price camping that almost pay for the pass if you use them. Some of the parks are better than others. We've traveled outside of Texas a lot and think that Passport America is the best discount camping deal. I'll admit that you have to do quite a bit of camping to get past the initiation fee and the yearly dues. You also have to carefully select the PA listed campgrounds as some are really dumps. That said, we've gotten our money's worth out of every year that we've had it. It is way better than Good Sam Club or the KOA camping card. We try to avoid KOAs because most are overpriced and many are in disrepair.

I prefer the portable gun safe and simply move the one that we have for the cars to the RV. Since we may have to use the Federal transport guidelines to get through gun-unfriendly States, I also have a separate locked box for the ammo. We typically have our shotgun along, too but I'm not as worried about that as I am the handguns. We've only done one long trip outside of Texas since I've had my CHL and it is a real pain to try to keep current on each State's laws on handguns. I had the printouts with me and studied them each night before we entered into a new State. If I retire and we start traveling more, I'm going to apply for the Utah license, too, since it would fix several of the States that we might travel through (WVA, Ohio). We have relatives that we visit in PA.

[i8godzilla]

Thanks so much for all the input! It really helps!

As for the batteries, I had a question. We never boondock camp, so is the battery really that big of a concern if we are always hooked up to utilities? I apologize if this is a dumb question...I honestly have no idea. Should I pull the battery and put it on a conditioner at the house? Anything I can do to prolong the life? We're looking at going out maybe 6 times a year, give or take.

I think, at this point, covered parking is out of the question. In my research, I found it to be insanely expensive for essentially a 3 walled pole barn. $140+. I will likely put together some kind of shield for the vents and put a whole RV cover over that. Not ideal, but it'll work. Tire covers too!

CampClubUSA looks great! I think my wife and I will join that as they've got a few locations we'd love to go to. Thanks for that...never knew it existed! We were having some trouble finding locations to take it (in the State Parks). We much prefer winter @ Garner anyways, so this works out!

As for the gun storage, I was thinking of putting up a vertical mount inside one of the bedside wardrobes for a shotgun. Good idea? Bad idea?

Thanks again folks! I feel like there is so much more to learn...I'll have to check out IRV2!

Yes and no. It depends on how the system is wired. On our first RV without the battery the circuit was not complete and we had no 12VDC power. Most of the lights were 12V so we they did not work. Also, when not connected to AC your refrigerator normally works on LP, 12V is required to ignite the burner. Same may also be true for the water heater (some water heaters work on AC or LP some only LP). Additionally, and this is the most important factor, if you have break-way brakes they will not engage without 12VDC. Also, the water pump works off of 12VDC. Should you want to use the bathroom while traveling you will need DC power. Again depending on how your system is wired 12VDC power may be available from you tow vehicle via the 6/7 wire connection. If your trailer battery is dead you will be drawing power from the tow vehicle when attached. I met someone at a rest stop once that had parked for a couple of hours and drained the tow vehicle's battery. Needed a jump start. We keep a Duracell charger/inverterfully changed in the rig. These will also allow you use low wattage AC devices while stopped during travel.

A few other random things that you may consider:

Wasp and other types of insects like to get into the vents of the water heater, heater, and refrigerator. You can purchase inexpensive screens to put over these vents. You can pay $20 for screens or $75 an hour to have them cleaned and repaired.

Someone mentioned raising the trailer by the axles and keeping the tires off the ground. Check with your dealer on the way to jack up your trailer. On our trailer you CANNOT put a jack under the axle but must use the frame. It will damage the axle if you put a jack under it. If you trailer did not come with a spare, get one. You can use a drive-on jack to change a tire. (Most trailers do not come with a jack.)

Towing mirrors are a must. If your tow vehicle is not equipped with them, you can get strap-on mirrors for almost every vehicle.

To properly store you rig you will need to insure the gray and black tanks are clean. You may consider having a 'sewage clean-out' added to your home sewage system so you can do it conveniently. Same with a 30/50 amp electric outlet.

If possible, run all the 'systems' once a month for a while. This includes the fridge, water heater, heater, and most important the AC.

We spent almost four years on the road and racked up over 100K miles and these were the some of the things we found important. Naturally, how you use your rig will dictate what works for you. Happy Travels!!!!

[fickman]

Great taste in trucks!