Even though our trailer is equipped with a San-T-Flush black tank flushing system I picked up one of these reverse flush valves because it seemed like it would be more flexible. Not only will it flush the black tank, but also the gray water tank and the sewer hose, plus I can control it all from next to the sewer connection. (The San-T-Flush fitting is located on the back of the trailer near the curb side, so I'd have to constantly walk over there to turn the water on/off)

The unit twist-locks onto the sewer outlet fitting and the clear body allows you to see the condition of the water (yuk!) as it passes through. On the sage advice of "experienced" trailer owners I've been leaving my dump valves closed lately & only draining the tanks when nearly full. Apparently the extra liquid helps the draining process as opposed to leaving the valves open and depending on a relatively small amount of water to "move things along". Makes sense, but I wonder about the older campgrounds with sewer systems that may not be able to take the higher volume of water when you dump all at once? I guess I'm supposed to move the trailer over to a dump station, which presumably can "swallow" large amounts of ...err...crap! What a PITA though!

Anyhoo, this thing works pretty slick. I was able to first drain the black tank, then repeatedly drain & stop the gray water flow with the valve on the Dual Flush unit to force the soapy water up into the black tank to help clean it out! I suppose I'm violating some RV'er rule by doing this (I can just imagine some grizzled veteran sauntering over from the next site over and drawling "Well, you're gonna grow all kinds of bugs in yer gray tank now kid!") but it sure seemed to work! Then a quick rinse into both tanks with the handy built-in spray nozzle & another down the drain hose and I felt squeaky-clean!

UPDATE 9/2009: The zinc-plated bolts holding the valve together began to corrode due to the constant exposure to bleach when I sanitizing, so I replaced all with SS hardware. Still continues to work well & I use every time the tanks are dumped (when possible)!

We used a small Weber "Smokey Joe" charcoal BBQ when camping for years, and upgraded to one of those rectangular Weber portable gas models when we bought our last trailer (since I was "moving up" I figured it was time to go gas like the big boys). That worked OK, but I always missed the kettle because A) you can fit a whole chicken or small turkey under the lid, and B) I think the dome design provides more even heat across the entire grill surface. Since the big W doesn’t make a portable gas kettle in the 16”-18” range & I don’t care for their heavy “Q” models, I started looking around for an alternative.

After I ran across an article entitled “Top 10 Portable Grills” on About.com & noted their top choice was the European Outdoor Chef City Grill, I zeroed in on that model. Apparently these are Swiss-designed & pretty well engineered to fit into a neat package – always a good thing when camping! It uses a slick little system of cones & baffles to direct the heat in a variety of directions, and the whole thing is coated with black porcelain like a Weber. Amazon sells them among others & offers free shipping so I stepped off on a 420 grill, carry case, tripod legs, and gourmet set which consists of a pizza pan & universal pan for paella, risotto, fish (poaching and sautéing), cakes, etc. Not cheap though – about $333 for those four items!

A week later the neighbor knocked on my door with a few boxes in tow - apparently the UPS driver flunked math since he had delivered them next door even though they were correctly marked! Anyway, I unpacked everything & immediately detected the increasingly-familiar packaging signature that shouts "Made in China" - so much for Swiss craftsmanship! (in fairness I did go back & reread the blurb on their website: "developed in Switzerland"). Despite that it seemed pretty well made & except for some busted up porcelain on the universal pan (which Amazon replaced immediately) survived the trip across the ocean.

The grill was designed to use those throwaway propane bottles most camping equipment uses, but one of the secret reasons why I bought this model was for the remote gas regulator that connects the bottle to the grill with a short piece of hose. My trailer was equipped with a low-pressure LP stub and I was pretty sure I could bypass this regulator & plumb the grill's control valve directly into my onboard LP system. Besides the cool factor this eliminates the need to stock those little tanks which always seem to run out at the wrong time! I picked up a quick-disconnect propane fitting kit at Camping World & the local propane shop made up a 20’ hose - I did have to order a swivel nut (double-ended flare connector) online to mate to the grill; but all in it’s a pretty clean installation. I tossed the stock regulator in the storage pocket on the carry bag in case I want to use the grill away from trailer.

But the proof is in the cooking & the first time I fired it up I got a nice hot flame that quickly brought the temp up to nearly 500° - more than enough for a good sear! Despite my inherent dislike of gas grilling (but sure like the convenience) managed to do a respectable job on some steaks!

UPDATE! Regarding the swivel nut mentioned above: if you have a hose made up like I did you could have them fit a female flare nut on one end to eliminate the need for this gizmo. I just wasn't that smart!

After the first shower in our new Tango we decided the stock shower head had to go! It worked OK I suppose but the pressure was pretty wimpy & used up all the hot water in about 5 min. We've had low-flow shower heads at home for years so I know it's possible to get a shower with a decent "blast" that saves water too; so we looked around & ran across these.

Pretty big claims by the manufacturer, so we picked up a hand-held model from CW to see for ourselves. They don't stock the brushed Nickel finish which would match the rest of the fixtures in the trailer, but did have the chrome model on sale so I got one to test & ordered the proper model from their online store. Installation was a snap - just unscrew the old white hose & screw on the new one - took about 1 min! I just left the white wall bracket in place & returned the chrome Oxygenics version I bought - it works fine with the new wand & blends in with the shower wall better.

After a few showers we both think the Oxygenics is superior both in perceived pressure & water use. I can get almost 10 minutes in the shower now before it cools off, which is quite adequate for me to get everything clean! And Kris takes even less time (amazingly)!

This is actually the second unit like this we've had - the first one still works fine, but has yellowed somewhat & I didn't want to place it next to the other pristine white components! (Ok, so I'm obsessive-complusive) I stuck it to the wall using self-adhesive Velcro tape above the other devices, and typically place the outdoor sensor in a slot on the wheel chock so I don't forget it when we leave. Works great to give you an idea of the temps in & out. I sometimes stick another sensor (I've got several) in the refrigerator on hot days to keep an eye on that too.

Here's the specs:

• Cable-free, radio-frequency thermometer; tracks temperatures at up to 3 remote sensors
• Base has LCD screen; can set temperature range limits, program alarms, recall recent highs and lows, and track temperature trends
• Sensor can be stationed up to 100 feet away; sends signals every 30 seconds
• Kit includes main unit and 1 remote sensor; optional Centigrade scales
• Main unit is 4.6 by 4.21 by 0.98 inches; remote sensor is 4.16 by 2.83 by 0.88 inches

I think the mfg has/is discontinuing this model in favor of a more "swoopy" version, but I kinda like this squared-off model. Seems more similar to the other gizmos.

Our dealer supplied us with an Eaz-Lift hitch as part of the deal; but after the first short trip I decided we needed some serious sway control! Anything more than the slightest crosswind sent the trailer bucking and the big rigs blowing by in the interstate were a white-knuckle experience! I'm not a big fan of the friction-type units so I decided to check out the Reese "Straight-Line" models. My Dad pulled our family trailer for years with a Reese so I figured "if it's good enough for him..."

Curtis Trailers wasn't the cheapest place to buy this setup; but they did give me a $150 credit for my barely-used Eaz-Lift and besides, they're local! I chose the 1000# round bars because I thought their lower stance (than the trunnion style) would work better with the Dual-Cam sway control.

Installation was pretty easy after measuring several times before drilling the holes for the DC brackets. The tubes that make up the A-frame on the Tango are open in the front (behind the coupler) so I was able to snake in some grade 8 through-bolts with a telescoping parts-pickup magnet. I feel much better about that connection method than using the self-tapping bolts driven in from the outside. After clamping the chain hook saddles in place I backed off the big sway control nuts and towed the trailer over to a nearby industrial park (was empty on Sun), where I found a nice flat concrete pad to make the final adjustments.

I disconnected the trailer & leveled it so I could determine the ball mount height, then hooked back up & determined my best chain setting that squats the truck down evenly on all four corners. A quick trip around the parking lot to seat everything & parking the rig as straight as possible allowed me to tighten up the sway nuts. So far after several trips it works as advertised - no appreciable sway even during strong cross-winds & when passed by semi trucks.

UPDATE 10/2009: I was cinching up the chains to the 5th link, but lately noticed a slight tendency towards swaying between 50-60 MPH - I think the bikes & rack on the rear have probably thrown off the balance a bit. The last trip I tried the 4th link & it towed much better so I'll stay with that, but at that setting the clearance between the anti-sway arms & the equalizer bars is getting pretty tight. I poked around on RV.net forum & found this thread that deals with the same problem - the recommendation was to install a high-rise hitch ball which would increase the separation. After searching a bit I found a nice Curt 2-5/16 Inch Hitch Ball with 1 inch Shank Rise at TrailerHitches.com & will install that before the next trip. I plan to also lower the ball mount on the hitch bar 1" so the trailer ride height remains the same, but the bars will sit an inch lower - hence the additional clearance.

I saw these in the CW flyer & thought "Wow...what a concept!". Well, maybe not that exact thought but it did seem like a neat idea to squeeze out some more storage space. I picked up a couple & they just fit on either side of the pedestal mount. Took about 15 min. to install & that was measuring twice!

I plan to move the silverware over these drawers to free up a larger drawer in the Kitchen for...what else...more cooking gadgets! You don't even hit your knees on them!

As I mentioned in my review titled A&E® Awning Tension Rafter & Center Support my A&E electric awning wasn't designed to tilt to allow rainwater to drain off. Obviously this can be a problem, particularly if you live in the Pacific NW where it's known to rain occasionally!

I ran across a posting on the RV.Net Open Roads Forum that announced Dometic had changed their mind and rather than insist awnings were for "sun shade only" had finally decided to address the issue. Apparently they are now offering a free retrofit kit to allow their 9100 series electric awnings to tilt so liquids (such as rain) can run off without bringing down the house...but only to authorized dealers! So I sent an email to my dealer asking how I could join this gravy train - after listening to the crickets for a few days I also contacted a few other more reliable sources of RV parts: PPL Motorhomes (Internet) & Curtis Trailers (Local). Both responded immediately but needed more information to ensure I got the correct kit for my awning; but since Curtis is within 15 min. of my house and stocks both sizes of kits I headed over there.

Rick Humphrey in the Curtis SE Portland parts dept. was most helpful & after a quick trip back home to retrieve the correct information from my awning hardware assembly (which is different from the awning itself) sent me on my way with the proper kit...free of charge as promised! I plan to install it as time permits...looks like a simple job.

UPDATE: recent ads for 9100 awnings indicate the arms are "adjustable to shed rainwater or control the amount of sunlight". Sounds like they added this kit to both sides on new models so I obtained a 2nd kit! Gotta keep up with the Joneses!

UPDATE 5/17/09: I ordered & received a 2nd retrofit kit for the other side so my awning will be totally adjustable like the new ones!

UPDATE 6/14/10: I finally got around to installing the first of two kits on a camping trip last week! Fairly simple & I didn't need any help holding up the awning with the center support deployed. I did have to rig up a ratchet strap to retract the pneumatic piston slightly & take pressure off the bottom pin. New adjustable arm works great!

During the initial outfitting of our new Tango I started out with the Valterra EZ Coupler Bayonet 10' Sewer Kit & soon added a 2nd 10' hose. This seemed well-made (and still is) and I liked the positive lock the bayonet system offered. But the overall diameter with the bayonet ears was too large to slip inside my 4" bumper, so I knew an alternative was in my future!

When I later installed the sewer hose storage tube and had trouble fitting the Valterra hose inside I decided it was time to look for alternatives, so I headed for the local Camping World. After looking over their selection I settled on the Prest-O-Fit line for a couple reasons:

1. The overall diameter of the hose & fittings was less than 4" so it would fit in either storage location.
2. Prest-O-Fit offers an extensive line of hoses & fittings.
3. I found lots of favorable reviews online

To get started I picked out a few key components:

• Blueline Hose Adapter to connect to my sewer output fitting.
• Blueline Universal Elbow to fit into the campground sewer drain.
• Blueline Hose Support & Protector with 25' Ultimate Hose. This is a slick setup that includes a telescoping tray that supports the hose - no more of those slinky things!
• Blueline 5' Ultimate Sewer Hose. I got this later after I barely made it with the 25 footer one trip.
• Blueline Hose Coupler to connect the two hoses.

UPDATE 5/17/09: We've used the hose for several trips now & so far it's worked very well. I initially was concerned the "slip-on" connectors might have a tendency to "slip-off" just as easily; but that hasn’t been the case. You really have to give them a good push & once connected seem to hold tightly. I suppose some rube could trip over it in the dark & pull off an end, but that could also happen to a bayonet-style connector too! Haven't had to connect the 25' to the 5' hose yet, but did use the short hose a couple times when the sewer port was right next to my dump valve!

We have a few dry-camping trips planned this summer and I'm somewhat concerned we could fill up our gray & black water tanks before we're ready to leave. I've been leaving the gray water dump valve closed during showers lately to get an idea of how fast the tank fills, and it seems like two back-to-back showers bring it up to 2/3 full. Obviously I realize you don't need to shower every day when camping, but sometimes it's nice to clean up after a day of hiking/biking and besides...that's one of the reasons we bought a TT for!

That said, I picked up one of these Barker 32-gal. totes to allow us to dump the onboard tanks & ferry the waste over to the dump station without moving the trailer. We had a similar 10-gal. tank for our previous rig, but it was crude by comparison with only a couple of small wheels on one end and even that small amount of fluid can get pretty heavy when you have to tilt it up to move or dump. This newer model has four wheels (hence the name) so it fills, moves, and dumps in a horizontal position - no tilting or weight-bearing required! It even has a handle you can slip over your hitch ball so it can be towed like a little trailer!

Another nice feature is the standard 3" slide valve on the side for dumping. You just wheel up to the dump station, connect a short hose, and yank the handle - no fuss, no muss! It also has a dedicated connection for gray water (3/4" male hose fitting) which can also be used to mount a float gauge to see how full the tank is. All in all it seems pretty slick! Actual usage report & pictures to come.

UPDATE 5/31/09: This tank worked great in conjunction with the Sani-Con macerator pump! I just staged it in the bed of my truck just inside the tailgate, and after filling with the pump we drove over to the dump station about 10 miles away. I hooked my 6' sewer hose I use for dumping to the slide valve mounted in the side of the tank & let 'er rip! Just like dumping the trailer except faster because of the added height.

UPDATE 8/25/09: I finally just removed the tow handle & front wheel assembly since this works so well leaving it the truck bed...I can't envision we'll ever tow it around like it was intended. I discovered a 1" rubber crutch tip fits perfectly onto the remaining pivot shaft which supports the front end of the tank & keeps it from rolling around in the bed. It also makes a great handle for moving the empty tank around like a hand truck.

Since I purchased the tote tank I've done some more research and noted mixed reviews about towing it over to the dump station as designed. Some say it "works fine on well-paved roads" for "short distances" if you "drive slow". Others have replaced the hard plastic wheels with larger, more durable pneumatic tires to get around those problems. Since any dry-camping I'll be doing usually has gravel roads with the dump stations some distance away I decided my plans might need some alterations!

Hmmmm. "What I really need is to put the tank in the truck bed & just drive to the dump station" I thought. "But I'll need some sort of pump to get the sewage into the tank since there's no way I'm going to be able to lift it holding almost 300 lbs. of crap!" My voila moment came when I remembered seeing the Sani-Con systems at my local Camping World; but at a minimum of $500 I choked at the price & figured I'd just see how towing the tote worked out. This weekend I was looking at the macerator pumps again online to see if I could build something similar and discovered CW was offering a $100 instant rebate thru May on all Sani-Con products in addition to the President's Club 10% discount; so I swallowed hard and picked up one of their Tank Buddy systems for $300. (The next closest price I found was $380 at Dyer's RV)

Just as an aside, while I was comparison shopping online I noted several different versions of the Tank Buddy system were shown. Some had different-colored toolboxes, others had the pump permanently mounted in the box vs. loose like mine, still others included a short 3" hose to connect to your sewer outlet as opposed to attaching the pump directly. Considering Thetford Corporation bought Sani-Con in Aug 2007 I chalk this up to the inevitable scrambling that happens right before & soon after an acquisition! Interesting to watch though!

I also ordered an additional 21' hose ($102.25 incl. shipping - ouch!) from RvStoreDirect.com since my trailer is 28' and the sewer outlet is right at the back. Combined with the fact my truck will probably be unhitched at the time & is usually parked about 5-6 ft. in front of the trailer 42' of hose seems about right. Besides, the Sani-Con hose is pretty springy and I want to easily reach the tank without fighting with it. I think I read somewhere this thing can handle up to 300' of hose uphill, so I'm not worried about my setup!

The first dry-camping trip is scheduled next month so I'll report back on how everything worked!

UPDATE 5/20/09: I picked up 35' each of #10 black & red stranded wire and spliced them into the pump wiring in place of the stock 6' of wire. To reduce strain on the connections I used a clamp screwed into an unused hole on the pump body & a short piece of rubber hose as a cushion. On the other end I just reused the alligator clips that came with it (although they're pretty cheesy...if I see any sign of them not standing up to the amperage draw I'll replace them with more robust clips). Now I can easily reach the battery on my tongue & don't have to worry about burning up my pump because of restricted current!

UPDATE 5/31/09: We used this for the first time over Memorial Day weekend. I'm very impressed with the performance as it pumped 30+ gal in no more than 5 min! Relatively quiet. I was worried about the 42' of hose at first because I really had to stretch it to reach the truck - in fact, I used a piece of twine I found to tie it off halfway to lessen the strain at the nozzle. But once I began to run the pump the hose magically "grew" & was more than long enough - in fact it was coiling around all over the place! I guess once you pressurize the hose it expands fully to the advertised 21'. So far, so good. I'm really glad I decided on the #10 wire - seemed to let the motor run to its fullest potential!

UPDATE 11/30/09: I finally ditched that cheap plastic toolbox in favor of a Homer Bucket. It easily holds all the parts & allows any water that drains out of the pump & hose to evaporate rather than stay trapped inside a closed box! Plus the more vertical orientation fits my storage compartment better too!

We were heading over to central Oregon last winter where the temperatures typically drop well below freezing at night. The last time I camped there the park supplied a heat cable for their plumbing up to my hose, but instructed me to disconnect & drain the hose each night as it will freeze. Since the heat cable obviously works I thought it might be more convenient if I just wrapped my hose with one also.

My local ACE had a 30' version with a thermostat & power indicator light (built into the plug) so I picked that one; figuring 20' of hose plus some extra on each end to wrap around the valves & pressure regulator. As luck would have it that trip was cancelled so I never got a chance to try it out, but I did plug it in laying on the garage floor. Man, this thing gets HOT! They say it won't harm plastic pipe when filled with water - hopefully that same hold true for plastic hose!

Pictures & comments to follow.

Our Tango came with an ABS cover that worked fine at protecting the tanks, however there were a few things we didn't like about it:

A) There was no ability to access the valves without removing the cover.
B) It fit quite tightly over the tanks & was a real effort to pull it up & off to open the valves or refill the tanks. I had to add a pair a white plastic cabinet door handles for something to hold onto when you jerked it upwards!
C) The material seemed quite stiff & inflexible...in fact one of the clamping edges cracked soon after we got the trailer. The tightness could be a contributing factor.

So after the crack I decided to replace it with a more substantial model I picked up from CW. This one had a hinged access door on the top to allow you to reach the valves, and slips down over the tanks much easier! It was also made of a more flexible type of ABS I hope will take the vibration without cracking. As I typically do I replaced the included hardware with SS to avoid rust problems, and cut out some relief holes for my Reese equalizing hitch chain mounts on the bottom of the rear halves. Much easier to deal with!

I picked up one of these almost on a whim when I was at CW, thinking it would help the missus close the door (she hates sliding that little door open to reach the handle). It was only after I installed it that I realized how useful this thing is! Using the push bar you can pull both the door & screen closed easily (the stress on the screen door latch seems minimal). And you can obviously use it to push the door set open (after releasing the latch of course). It also provides a handy place to hang a towel or park a wet hat to dry. For 10 bucks you can't beat this thing!

I noticed our fairly long 20' awning tube is pretty flexible; sagging from its own weight when folded and flexing inward when open giving the awning fabric quite a bit of slack. Normally I wouldn't worry about it much but when it rains water puddles up in the center & creates an ever-growing lake that threatens to rip the awning off the trailer! Unfortunately, the electric A&E 9100 awnings cannot be "tipped" like a manual model to allow this water to simply drain off so what can you do? (I know, the mfg. says you're only supposed to use these awnings as "sunshades" & close them when it rains...but what good is that?)

Since A&E says any awning over 18' should have a center support I decided to try one of their Optima™ Tension Rafter systems; which is a combination center rafter/tension bar + leg support setup. An added bonus is the cradle incorporated into the top mount that supports the center of the awning when folded, presumably eliminating any bouncing as you motor down the road! (I actually bought one of those dedicated A&E center supports a few months ago & never installed it...guess I have a spare now!)

Installation was not bad - a couple holes up near the top for the upper mount and two more at the bottom for the clip that holds the assembly against the trailer during travel. Of course I didn't hit any structural members when drilling the pilot holes (for once I wanted to!), but they're pretty big #14 screws so I took a chance they would hold driven into the luan under the Filon skin & through the inside paneling. After sleeping on it for a couple days I decided that wasn't going to cut it, particularly since it holds a fair amount of weight supporting the folded awning when traveling. To ease my conscience I went back & replaced the screws for the top mount with some 1/4" SS thru-bolts with the supplied backing plate & SS Nylock nuts on the inside. Fortunately, the center of my awning falls right where the refrigerator is located so I just had to remove the vent on the roof to gain access to the chimney area behind the fridge to get to the nuts. I left the screws in the bottom clip because it didn't seem like it was carrying much weight, but when I add an access door to the electrical compartment under the fridge to hook up my auxiliary battery array I'll probably replace the screws with bolts then.

I had a chance to try it out on the last trip. Just had to drill a 5/16” hole in the awning tube to accept a locating pin on the rafter (couldn’t before – no room to open the awning where I store the trailer). I gotta say it worked pretty damn well during the heavy rain we experienced - zero water puddles! The rafter is supposed to support the awning itself, but frankly it sits about 3" below the fabric so I don't see it giving much of a lift. The tension system is what really tightens up the fabric by physically pushing the awning tube horizontally away from the trailer; and then the ground support leg takes out the vertical sag which stabilizes the whole awning.

The design & assembly quality is very good and all hardware was SS. I’d give this a 10 out of 10!

UPDATE: the rivet holding the sliding catch for the tension handle began to rust & was making the catch difficult to move; so I drilled that out & replaced with a 1/4" SS bolt with Nylock nut. Also included a couple nylon washers to reduce friction - slides much easier now!

We usually leave our vents open except when traveling or rainy weather to keep the air fresh & let the water vapor escape. It would sure be nice to leave them open all the time without worry, so I picked up a couple of these MaxxAir II vent covers from CW the next time they were on sale.

Installation wasn't too bad - basically four brackets per cover that attach to your vent housing, although I replaced the hardware w/ stainless & used two bolts per bracket instead of the one provided. I was surprised to discover my vent housings were steel, but drilling 8 holes was easy enough. The biggest hassle was climbing up & moving around up top! The Tango roof & ladder were plenty solid; it's my 54 year-old knees that are the problem!

I did have to fab a spacer from white UHMW to fill a recess where the bolts came through on one side of the bath vent housing. This was necessary because our roof is curved to shed water and the off-center vent is mounted level; which effectively makes the downhill side of the exposed housing "higher" so the bolt holes were in a different location.

We bought this set at the "The Rally" held in Redmond, Oregon in 2007 looking for a way to save space in our little Chalet kitchen. It's really ideal because the handles are removable so all the pieces nest together in less than 1 cubic foot of space! We were using a set of early-marriage Farberware pans which worked great but took up a lot of room. Interestingly enough, the Rapid Chef set is very similar construction made from polished 18/10 stainless steel and aluminum-clad bottoms for even heating! For our $300 we got these 21 pieces:

● 1½ quart saucepan w/ strainer lid
● 2½ quart saucepan w/ strainer lid
● 4 quart dutch oven w/ strainer lid
● 8" frypan (non-stickl)
● 9" frypan
● 10" frypan
● 3 detachable handles
● 7 plastic sealer/storage lids

But wait...there's more! If you act now we'll throw in a 12" non-stick fry pan complete with a tempered glass & plastic sealer/storage lids! So we did, and I'm glad because the glass lid also perfectly fits the one new Teflon II Farberware saucepan we kept & didn't have a lid for! For those of you counting that make's a grand total of 24 pieces of gleaming cooking technology!

[Originally purchased for our previous trailer] After a couple of trips where the mosquito's had their fill of us we decided some kind of screened enclosure was necessary. Based on my positive experience with our Teepee Outhouse we bought the largest Paha Que Screenroom, which I think was the right move because this thing is absolutely luxurious! It fits easily over a table (no floor) & still has room for a couple recliners. I really like the ability to open up any or all four sides to capture the breeze or screen the view of your neighbor in his 1949 Shasta held together with duct tape & bungee cords!

Pro:
● Great headroom (6'-6" at the edges & over 8' in the center).
● Rain fly & floor kits available to turn this into a tent.
● Four awnings that provide privacy when down & shade when extended.

Con:
● Takes two to set up.
● Heavy - 44lbs. with rain fly!

I think it's better than an attached awning screen room because very few public campgrounds we've stayed in have enough room or flat area next to the trailer to set up something like this. With a standalone room we can place it anywhere we like, but it's usually behind the trailer or in the campsite off to the side several yards away. We bought the optional rain fly, but to date have not had to use it. Everything fits inside the included duffle bag.

We actually got this as a Christmas present last year to replace the ticky-tacky fireplace that required major assembly (unless you wanted to carry it around put together), which in turn replaced our aging Weber firepit that worked fine, but was much too large & heavy to carry in the trailer plus it was rusting out.

The best thing about this model is the way it collapses into a fairly small package & stores in its own nylon carry bag. Plus it's lightweight because the fire bowl is spun aluminum, although I wonder how well that will hold up under repeated heat cycles. So far it works well for small fires under the spark cover & larger conflagrations without the cover in areas where sparks are not a worry. We use it occasionally even if we have a site-supplied firepit because it sits higher & it's nice to have the fire elevated somewhat. Also radiates heat 360° which some fire pits don't.

UPDATE 8/22/09: We used this to smoke some ribs a few trips ago & it worked great! I covered the screen lid with aluminum foil & built a small fire on one side of the pan. When it was burning well I added some soaked Hickory chips & placed the ribs on the grill opposite the fire. Frankly, I was amazed how well I could control the smoke level just by moving the lid around & adding more chips was snap!

The people we were camping with on our last trip had one of these and I noticed their trailer didn't squeak & shake like ours when you walked around inside. He said it really helped lock things down, so first chance I headed for CW to pick up a set. Our friends only had one, but I figured "if one is good, then two must be better!"

I've used other BAL products (#23222 "C" Jacks, #28050 Light trailer tire leveler) and find them to be innovative & well-made; so I had no hesitation stepping off on these. We'll be using them on our next trip to the Oregon coast...stay tuned for more pictures & comments!

UPDATE 7/24/09: We've used these for a couple trips now & I think they work pretty well! You have to keep an eye on them & retighten each day as the chock blades seem to work loose over time (regular chocks do this also), but I noticed a definite decrease in trailer movement as you walk around. Be sure to use the included flat plates on uneven ground which helps them sit flat & slide easily when tightening. They will tend to slip under & "grab" the tire on one end or the other, but you can work them out fairly easily.

We used to store our glasses in a cardboard box with some homemade dividers to keep them separated. Worked OK, but you always had to fuss when putting the glasses away to make sure everything was oriented correctly. Plus the boxes were starting to get pretty beat up, so the last time I was at the Container Store I asked if they had something designed specifically to store glassware. The clerk bumbled around a bit & finally directed me to the packing materials section where I could've put together something similar to what I had; but later while cruising the aisles we ran across these nifty organizers:

• Exterior is covered in a poly-wool blend fabric
• Frame is constructed of heavy-duty fiberboard

Despite their intended purpose to keep your socks & "unmentionables" organized I think they're ideal for keeping fragile glassware separated! The fabric acts as a light padding & they seem sturdy enough to last a long time in the trailer. And the color matches our interior quite well to boot! Available in a variety of sizes & configurations so you can store all kinds of fragile stuff! We'll try them out on our next trip...stay tuned for more pictures & a performance report!

UPDATE 6/14/09: These worked out beautifully! All our glasses with the exception of some big highball's fit nicely into the cubbies, and even those fit in part way so they were contained as well. No rattles I think as none of the edges make contact. The missus likes the way they pull out of the overhead like little drawers & they stay put because the fabric "locks" into the carpeting I lined the compartment with. Now, if I could just get something for those toilet-bowl sized wine glasses...

Like many companies lately my employer has instituted a series of cost-reduction programs, one of which is to reduce or eliminate our use of Styrofoam coffee cups. To help us keep our ceramic cups clean they provided these slick OXO tools at every refreshment station and I immediately saw the potential to straighten up our limited counter space in the trailer! I’ve used & liked OXO products for years and in fact already had one of these soap dispensing brushes (which actually works pretty well). I picked up a set of two – one brush & one sponge for the trailer to fill up the rack and decided to replace the squeeze bottle of Dawn with the matching soap pump. I also got a similar setup for the house & am pleased to report the pump so far has not dripped any soap on the counter like every other pump we’ve tried!

Pretty lame-o for a camping tool, but it's the little things...

To help reduce the strange tasting water we seem to run into more times than not, I picked up one of these Culligan filters from CW. It seems to help quite a bit when I use a carbon "taste & odor" cartridge, although with really crappy water you can only do so much. A big problem with this unit is the nylon hose fittings - the inlet side in particular leaks pretty badly where it threads into the filter body (despite my efforts to tighten it) and the hose threads are too short on both adapters to get good connections. At least twice the inlet hose has popped off - usually in the higher-pressure campgrounds - and has made my setup routine very unpleasant!

Frankly, next time I'd pick up a GE filter like the one I installed inside between the FW tank & pump and get some decent brass hose-to-NPT adapters. Price would probably be similar & you'd have a much better setup!

UPDATE 10/2009: After getting yet another unwanted shower during hook-ups I threw in the towel (literally)! Next time I was at the Borg I picked up another GE SmartWater filter (same as installed for the onboard water system) & the appropriate solid brass fittings. I even added a 90° elbow to the inlet side so the short connecting hose could hand straight down & the filter stand upright. Total cost = $35.22. Save your money on the Culligan & just make one that's far better!

To avoid firing up the 1Kw inverter just to watch TV I picked up one of these "pocket" inverters. It will plug into a 12-v. receptacle mounted in the ceiling next to our bedroom combo TV/DVD & should supply just enough shore power to catch the news or watch a movie.

First test seems to work fine, so I may get another to keep the DirecTV receiver powered up 24x7. As many of you know if the rcvr is not kept constantly plugged in it will lose its authorization & need to be reset before use. Kind of a PITA...

UPDATE 8/21/09: We tried this out a few trips ago & it works very well to power the TV. Be aware the little fan does run constantly; which was not a problem as the TV volume drowns it out. Might be annoying if you used it to power something quiet though.

The mattress that came with our Tango wasn't bad - in fact it seems better than most according to our friends with trailers - but after we bought one of these sweet memory foam toppers for home we decided to stay consistent! No point risking a sore back by switching from one bed to another, especially when you're on vacation & need to relax!

As with the first we bought this topper from Costco, who apparently is the largest if not exclusive retailer for NovaForm. The foam is a fairly thick 3" and is very heavy & dense...when you push on it with your hand it rebounds slowly as the impression gradually fades away. Since we have a short Queen I trimmed off about 4" from the end with scissors, working in multiple passes about an inch deep. The slightly-ragged cut was easily concealed with the very nice elasticized cover that slips over the topper and your mattress like a fitted sheet, binding them solidly together. It seems to be coated with something to make it water repellent so we've skipped using a conventional mattress pad.

The proof is in the snoozin' and we weren't disappointed on the first trip out. Obviously the bed is now higher by a few inches (which isn't a bad thing as it helps launch these tired old bones out of the sack) and feels wonderful after a day of fun activities. Highly recommended!

At the risk of offending those who intentionally limit exposure to TV when camping; we find it an excellent source of entertainment & information when on the road! Most of this system was carried over from our previous trailer (we've had a DirecTV system in our home for several years) and we're quite pleased with the performance - far better than the reception we can get with the batwing!

• The Winegard™ dish is a simple 18" (46 cm) home-style model with dual LNB designed for a tubular mounting bracket (that we don't use in this application). I replaced the nuts that hold the dish to the frame with SS wing nuts so it can be quickly disassembled without tools & stored flat in a padded nylon carrying bag.

• The Winegard™ tripod mount is the taller 45" model - we like it because the legs are independently adjustable (for non-level ground) and it comes with a nice nylon carry bag, bubble level, & compass. Like the dish, I replaced the nuts for the elevation & azimuth adjustments with plastic knobs for easy adjustments.

• For cable, we picked up a Winegard™ 50' RG-6 cable set that matches the dish/tripod color. So far this has been long enough to reach any spot to get clear access to the birds.

• We're using one of our old Sony B-65 receivers (which I believe has been superceded by the D-11/12) from our home system that was replaced by a DVR. Disclaimer: DirecTV requires a completely new account (i.e. non-mirrored) for their Distant Network Service if you want nationwide access to the networks. If you were to try to use a receiver from home it would work fine until you travel outside of the spot-beam that carries your local channels. At that point those would no longer be available & even though all the national channels still work, I'm sure it violates your DirecTV agreement.

• Video connections to both TV's is handled by a Winegard™ VS5312A video distribution switch, which lets me to route the signals from any one of five different inputs to the 2 TVs (plus a potential VCR or 3rd TV). It also has a built-in 12 VDC power supply for the roof-mounted batwing antenna that eliminates the need for the wall plate power supply - handy if no satellite signal is available but I can pull in a VHF broadcast.

Overall, the Winegard quality seems good with well made components, plated hardware, and a nice painted finishes. Nothing better than holing up inside on a rainy day & watching the Food Network! The commercial-free music is nice during dinner too. So what if some people turn up their noses at sight of my dish - they're probably just jealous!

This is a slick little coiled cable for your breakaway system that retracts out of the way when it's not in use and stays up off the ground while you're towing! My previous straight cable was always dragging or getting tangled up in the safety chains and in fact had a pretty bad kink from all that abuse (which undoubtedly created a weak spot). I'd hate to see that last-line-of-defense snap just when you really need it!

It’s basically a steel cable coated with a thick layer of red vinyl that probably retains the “coil memory” as well as provide some protection. I ordered the 4' replacement version as my BA switch was fine & located fairly close to the hitch - about 12" back. It took only a few seconds to link to the switch pin with the split-ring & the large carabineer works great in my chain slots (even better than my old one which required some fiddling). The cable stretches easily (4’ max) to span the distance, but may be a little short if you want the brakes activated only if the safety chains fail – for that you should order the 6’ version to get a little more slack.

I personally subscribe to the theory that your emergency brakes should be applied immediately if your trailer becomes unhitched – ideally still connected by the safety chains – both to alert me of the situation and automatically bring the whole show to a stop! IMHO the primary purpose is not to simply prevent the trailer from shooting off only if the chains break!

After being pleasantly surprised by the quality & design of the their coiled breakaway cable I ordered a Fastway Flip jack foot to replace the plastic cone(s) I've been using for years. This nifty gadget adds six inches of height to your jack & drops into place automatically when you extend it, then tucks up out of the way when you retract it for towing!

Since I was replacing the manual jack with an electric I held off & did the installation of both at the same time. Pretty simple: use the guide holes built into the foot to drill two 3/16" pilot holes, then enlarge them to 1/2" for the through-bolt. The hardest part was aligning the foot parallel to the centerline of the trailer!

I did deviate from the installation instructions slightly by replacing the bolt with a 1/2" x 3" SS pin & clip: this will allow me to quickly remove the foot in the event the ground clearance is too low to allow it to flip down. With my low ground clearance this has happened a few times and I'd rather just use the jack post alone instead of following Fastway's advice of laying the foot horizontally in this situation.

(Fastway Flip jack foot, fastwaytrailer.com, Cat & Mfg #1, $49.99 plus $10.75 S&H)

I had an UltraFab jack on my previous trailer that really saved a lot of arm-twisting, but the constant water-infiltration problems soured me on them. (I actually had to completely disassemble it twice & replace all the soggy grease!) So after we bought the Tango I resisted & keep twirling the crank for almost two years before throwing in the towel! It would actually be more of a benefit on the new trailer because the tongue weight is much higher and we're using a weight-distributing hitch that requires some pretty high lifting.

After I did some research and quickly discovered the overwhelming consensus was for Barker I snooped around for the best price & settled on RV Truck Parts. I decided to go all in & ordered their top-of-line model complete with a night light, 18" stroke, built in level, and powder-coated 2-1/4 " outer tube. Most importantly to me was the ball screw design with upper & lower limit switches - I almost seized the Acme screw on my old UltraFab a couple of times when running it up!

Installation was a snap: drop the front stabilizers, run up the old jack & remove, drop in the new jack, tighten three bolts (which I replaced with SS) into the tongue, connect two wires to the battery - done! Of course, I did have to add my own "special touches" however by running a dedicated ground wire from a bolt in the head rather than rely on the supplied star washer to make contact under the mounting plate. The two wires were also wrapped in some plastic split-loom for protection & appearance.

All in all an excellent addition! The jack runs up & down relatively quietly and lifts the tongue & rear of my truck with ease. The night light works well to identify your rig when heading off for an evening walk & I'm sure would help when hitching in the dark if I hadn't rotated the head 90° to clear the tailgate. Quality is very good - flawless powder coating, smooth welds, good fit & finish on assembly. (Barker Super Hi-Power Trailer Tongue Jack 3500 lb., rvtruckparts.com, Cat & Mfg #27452, $318.93 plus $20.65 S&H)

After the water problems with my previous jack I also opted for the Barker weather cover. RVTruckParts didn't show one on their site so I found one at Pacific RV Parts. (There is an O-ring under the bubble level/emergency crank access hole but rainwater is notorious for finding a way in!) Nice fitted black vinyl cover with drawstring that covers the head. (Barker Tongue Jack Weather Cover, pacificrvparts.com, Cat #38959, Mfg #28569, $23.94 plus $11.66 S&H)

For a trip to the Olympic Peninsula in Washington state we thought it might be a good idea to have some good awning tie-downs, especially after our recent experience when our electric awning temporarily failed to retract and we spent a windy night battling it with ropes & stakes! Camco offers this reasonably-priced set which includes a pair of "screw-in" stakes, Nylon straps with spring-loaded clamps that wrap around the awning tube on each end, & a couple of springs to keep the straps taut but allow some movement.

We had the awning out all week during some fairly snappy ocean breezes and everything stayed put & under control. Obviously if strong winds were expected I would retract the awning, but this works great for breezes & occasional gusts. The added tension even helped smooth out most of the wrinkles in the awning fabric. Can't ask for more than that!

(Awning Anchor Kit, camco.net, Mfg #42593, campingworld.com, Cat #37795, $21.99)