New Cougar Owner

[Nate K]

Hi all, just joined this forum after purchasing a 2018 Keystone Cougar 29BHS 20th Anniversary Edition. We are upgrading from our 2015 Rockwood HW 277 pop up.

We are going to use the new TT at a seasonal site at a camping resort about an hour from our house. The new TT will be stored at the seasonal site year round.

What recommendations does everyone have for a first time TT owner (did own the pop up before), first time Keystone/Cougar owner, first time permanent site user, anything specific to the 29BHS model and/or 20th Anniversary Edition, etc., any and all advice is much appreciated!!!

Thank you and have a wonderful day,
- Nate

[chuckster57]

If your on a permanent site, do you plan on leaving food in the trailer? Even with holding tanks, don’t leave them open just empty them as needed so the campground sewer gases don’t get into the trailer. A quality water pressure regulator is a necessity. I’m sure others will chime in and add.

[Roper46]

Welcome from south Georgia and congrats on your new to you Cougar.

[Nate K]

Hi Chuck, thanks for the reply. My wife and I are both off all summer, so we will basically be living in the trailer all summer long. Stop at home (an hour away from campsite) to check in and take care of something’s. So yes to the food during the season, no during the off season. Check and check on the tanks and regulator.

Originally Posted by chuckster57

If your on a permanent site, do you plan on leaving food in the trailer? Even with holding tanks, don’t leave them open just empty them as needed so the campground sewer gases don’t get into the trailer. A quality water pressure regulator is a necessity. I’m sure others will chime in and add.

[Nate K]

Thank you very much!!!

[dutchmensport]

Considering you are parking the camper stationary long-term, I think you will have minimum problems. Problems arise when RVers travel, when the camper gets bounced down the road, comparable to an earthquake, driving rains and winds pounding on the trailer when driving 60 (plus) mph. How many times does a stationary camper experience an earth quake or a 60 mph wind (unless you live in Florida and experience the annual hurricanes?) So by parking, some what permanent, you immediately eliminate a lot of stress on the camper.

But, things like drawers, cabinet doors, and any moving parts in the camper are still subject to eventual wear and failure. But, definately greatly reduced not bouncing down the wonderful pot-hole, torn-up, beat-up, bumped-up, construction-zone, disaster of interstate roads that others travel. Your's has a much better survival rate than some of us who travel all year round! You have very little to worry about.

The most important thing you can do to your camper is keep a vigilant watch on your roof. Regardless if you are transient or stationary. The elements (sun, wind, rain, acid rain, cold, heat, bugs, tree sap, sand blowing in the air, and just age) will eventually cause the caulking on your roof to dry out and crack. If you see any cracks in any of the caulking anywhere on your roof, immediately caulk over over the crack. Clean the spot and then simply apply new caulking on top of the old. Attempting to remove the old caulking may cause more damage to the rubber roof than it's worth. If it's crusty and flaking off, then simply remove what comes of without force, and caulk new over it (if it dries out that much.)

The other thing you'll want to do is clean the roof at least once year. Many folks say they never clean the roof. But cleaning the roof will prevent black streaks from forming on the sides of your camper, the down-spouts, under the windows, and off the running lights and such.

After cleaning the roof, treat it with RV roof conditioner. Many say this is not necessary, I say it is. It's an extra step, but easy to apply. Pour it on, and spread it with a squeegie and done. The RV roof conditioner will create a very smooth surface on the rubber again, filling in the micro pours and allow water to run off free and smooth again. It also helps protect the rubber roof.

If you take care of your roof, the rest of the trailer will be OK.

If you have slides, you want to pull them in and out ever now and then. This keep the rubber seals soft and forces you to clean off the slide roof before pulling them in.

About water? If you are hooked up to a water source and leave the water on all the time, you most definitely want a water pressure regulator. The down side is, if you ever spring a leak, you could run hundreds of gallons inside your camper before you even know you have a problem.

If you fill your fresh water tank, turn the spigot off, and then use your on-board water pump, you will not need a pressure regulator. If you ever spring a water leak, you'll hear the water pump run, and know something is wrong immediately. And if you do spring a leak, your trailer will be flooded with only the amount of water remaining in your fresh water tank. (I always use my on-board water pump and fresh water tank, even when on full hook-up sites for these reasons - 3 travel trailers and 1 fifth wheel, for the last 25 years). When I hear that water pump kick on, I know water is running somewhere. It get my attention every time!

The best thing you can do for longivity of your new camper, especially since it's parked stationary, is simply ... keep it clean! Don't let it get covered with green moss, dirty windows, and crud crawling all over it. Keep it clean, and by cleaning, you will automatically see and just know if something is wrong. If something IS wrong, fix it or get it fixed immediately. Don't wait for another day. As inconvenienced as you may be, fix it immediately. If you wait, you['ll put the fix off. The longer you wait, the more the problem will grow. The more it grows, the more time and money it takes to fix it. Fix problems immediately and you'll have great success with your new camper.

Congrats on your new camper! Enjoy!

[pawpaw]

Congrats on the new camper.

[Nate K]

Thank you so much for your thorough reply, I truly appreciate it and all of the knowledge and information you passed on to me. Do you have a specific roof treatment brand that you like to use? I will definitely maintain the trailer and not let things go. Proactive maintenance is better, easier, and cheaper than reactive repairs.

- Nate

Originally Posted by dutchmensport

Considering you are parking the camper stationary long-term, I think you will have minimum problems. Problems arise when RVers travel, when the camper gets bounced down the road, comparable to an earthquake, driving rains and winds pounding on the trailer when driving 60 (plus) mph. How many times does a stationary camper experience an earth quake or a 60 mph wind (unless you live in Florida and experience the annual hurricanes?) So by parking, some what permanent, you immediately eliminate a lot of stress on the camper.

But, things like drawers, cabinet doors, and any moving parts in the camper are still subject to eventual wear and failure. But, definately greatly reduced not bouncing down the wonderful pot-hole, torn-up, beat-up, bumped-up, construction-zone, disaster of interstate roads that others travel. Your's has a much better survival rate than some of us who travel all year round! You have very little to worry about.

The most important thing you can do to your camper is keep a vigilant watch on your roof. Regardless if you are transient or stationary. The elements (sun, wind, rain, acid rain, cold, heat, bugs, tree sap, sand blowing in the air, and just age) will eventually cause the caulking on your roof to dry out and crack. If you see any cracks in any of the caulking anywhere on your roof, immediately caulk over over the crack. Clean the spot and then simply apply new caulking on top of the old. Attempting to remove the old caulking may cause more damage to the rubber roof than it's worth. If it's crusty and flaking off, then simply remove what comes of without force, and caulk new over it (if it dries out that much.)

The other thing you'll want to do is clean the roof at least once year. Many folks say they never clean the roof. But cleaning the roof will prevent black streaks from forming on the sides of your camper, the down-spouts, under the windows, and off the running lights and such.

After cleaning the roof, treat it with RV roof conditioner. Many say this is not necessary, I say it is. It's an extra step, but easy to apply. Pour it on, and spread it with a squeegie and done. The RV roof conditioner will create a very smooth surface on the rubber again, filling in the micro pours and allow water to run off free and smooth again. It also helps protect the rubber roof.

If you take care of your roof, the rest of the trailer will be OK.

If you have slides, you want to pull them in and out ever now and then. This keep the rubber seals soft and forces you to clean off the slide roof before pulling them in.

About water? If you are hooked up to a water source and leave the water on all the time, you most definitely want a water pressure regulator. The down side is, if you ever spring a leak, you could run hundreds of gallons inside your camper before you even know you have a problem.

If you fill your fresh water tank, turn the spigot off, and then use your on-board water pump, you will not need a pressure regulator. If you ever spring a water leak, you'll hear the water pump run, and know something is wrong immediately. And if you do spring a leak, your trailer will be flooded with only the amount of water remaining in your fresh water tank. (I always use my on-board water pump and fresh water tank, even when on full hook-up sites for these reasons - 3 travel trailers and 1 fifth wheel, for the last 25 years). When I hear that water pump kick on, I know water is running somewhere. It get my attention every time!

The best thing you can do for longivity of your new camper, especially since it's parked stationary, is simply ... keep it clean! Don't let it get covered with green moss, dirty windows, and crud crawling all over it. Keep it clean, and by cleaning, you will automatically see and just know if something is wrong. If something IS wrong, fix it or get it fixed immediately. Don't wait for another day. As inconvenienced as you may be, fix it immediately. If you wait, you['ll put the fix off. The longer you wait, the more the problem will grow. The more it grows, the more time and money it takes to fix it. Fix problems immediately and you'll have great success with your new camper.

Congrats on your new camper! Enjoy!

[Socaldave]

Originally Posted by Nate K

Thank you so much for your thorough reply, I truly appreciate it and all of the knowledge and information you passed on to me. Do you have a specific roof treatment brand that you like to use? I will definitely maintain the trailer and not let things go. Proactive maintenance is better, easier, and cheaper than reactive repairs.

- Nate

This is what I use on my 5 year old roof.

https://www.amazon.com/Dicor-Corpora..._bap_d_rp_56_i