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Old 11-17-2022, 12:40 PM   #1
jball
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New to camping, an introduction

Hello from Iowa!

My wife and I are in the stage of life where we have been an empty nest for a long time and have 18 grandchildren. I am no longer working but my wife is because she is 7 years younger. Fall of '21 started our venture in camping for the first time as far as owning one. 2 of my wife's sisters had campers down in the area by an Iowa lake that we had visited multiple times and my wife decided we should take the plunge and get our own camper for the area although we were going to be in a different park just about a block away because theirs was full. So we found a 2015 Cougar travel trailer with 31 feet of living space and purchased it from a private party.

We used that for about 6 weeks before we started looking at used trailers at dealers because we were both frustrated with how congested it felt in the kitchen area because of the island and I was continually hitting my head in the slide outs. It was at the perfect height where I didn't see that I wasn't clearing it and obviously had difficulty remembering and would hit my head so often.

We ended up making a deal to trade ours off for a '19 Cougar 36RDS 5th wheel camper. A friend was able to tow it to our lot for us because the only thing I have to tow with is a Canyon and this camper was far beyond it's towing capability. We actually never wanted to be pulling a camper all over, not saying that it's a bad thing, one of our sons does that, but we just didn't want to do it. I pull the trailer for our watercraft all the time and don't find that to be a problem but a forty foot heavy camper is a whole different challenge for me.

So anyway, not new to boating, been doing that all my life, but totally new to camping this last summer so we are learning as we go. I appreciate all of you and the vast knowledge and experience on the subject that so many of you have. I look forward to learning more. Thanks!

John
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Old 11-17-2022, 12:43 PM   #2
sourdough
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Welcome to the forum! Lots of good folks with lots of knowledge here so jump on in. No big deal pulling that trailer around and seeing the country.....it's a lot of fun. You just need a BIGGER truck to pull it as you already know.
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Old 11-17-2022, 09:45 PM   #3
dutchmensport
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Congratulations on your new Cougar and welcome to the forums.

About banging your head on those slide outs. I'm assuming you are talking about the outside. I had the same problem with mine. I finally took the advise of years and years of previous forum posts that suggested taking swimming pool noodles. Cut them in half so they are a bit shorter, then slice them down on one side like hot-dog bun. Then simply slide them on the edges of your slide-outs. Now, when you bang your head, it doesn't hurt or scar up the top of your head.

I did this for a while and realized they filled up with water when it rained and would fall off. I ended up putting them on the edge of the slide up, vertical (up and down) and actually leaving them hang down a couple inches below the slide out. Rain now runs out of them, instead of pulling them off because of the weight, and because they can now hang lower, they get my attention easier. I can see them, reminding me there's a corner there.

You might try something similar.

Noodles horizontal. Works well, but problem: They fall off when it rains, and still have a tendency to brush my head against them. But they do prevent getting banged and leaving head injuries.



Here they are in the vertical direction. Works much better. They do not fall off when it rains and because they hang vertical, the "tail" can be lowered below the slide out, making them more visible, then preventing any brushing of the head or hitting them at all.



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Old 11-17-2022, 10:25 PM   #4
fjr vfr
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Welcome to the forum! Good luck with your new trailer and the 1 ton truck you'll buy to pull it with. One correction...I wouldn't really call it camping with a 40' 5th wheel...lol Anything bigger than a pop-up is an RV. Another thing that works for the slides is grey pipe insulation, just not as colorful. Have fun...18 wow you have us beat by 8!
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Old 11-18-2022, 07:08 AM   #5
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Welcome, John. My wife's family on her mom's side is from Polk City.
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Old 11-18-2022, 07:56 AM   #6
BigBobIa
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Welcome from Beaverdale.
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Old 11-19-2022, 04:05 PM   #7
Gary R.
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Hello John, and a big welcome to you and DW to the forum!

Congrats on the new to you Cougar, it's sure to serve you well.

I second what Dutchman says about using pool noodles to cover those sharp edges on the slides. It took more than once smacking my forehead to figure that out.....

Now for the decision on what rig to buy to tow the fiver. Just make sure it is a one ton, and maybe new enough to have the "puck" fifth wheel hitch setup. Makes it real easy to remove the hitch and have a clear bed to haul stuff. Some hitches are heavy, though.

Have fun and take care!
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Old 11-21-2022, 04:57 AM   #8
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Welcome from northern MN.
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Old 11-21-2022, 07:10 AM   #9
Camping family
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Welcome n enjoy
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Old 11-27-2022, 02:24 PM   #10
rlh1957
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Welcome to the forum and meeting new like minded friends while camping.

When stepping in to snd out of slide outs if you’re over 6’ tour head may be subject to getting bumped, often.
A few manf may have slides with more headroom, but you’ll have to try each one.
Our son always bangs his head going in the slide or even out the door.
Many places aren’t friends of the 6’4” members!

Outside pool noodles or pipe insulation foam works great.
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Old 11-27-2022, 02:58 PM   #11
christiaanvandenberg
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Talking

Welcome John.

You will find lots of help on the forum. Give attention to the posts about getting the correct truck for the trailer you want. Some of them may sound harsh. I can however tell you that it is well intended and it will contribute to your own safety as well as all the other people on the roads safety.

I just upgraded to a Chevy Silverado 2500HD Diesel after 7 years of towing my Bullet 248 RKS with a GMC Sierra 1500 with max tow, airbags, additional transmission cooler and all other things that could make it better. THERE IS NO COMPARISON. The 2500 is about 200% better.

Enjoy the trips.
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Old 11-27-2022, 03:16 PM   #12
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Welcome to the forum from the west coast of Canada. I'm sure your family members who have rigs will have lots of good advice for you on winterizing your rig.
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