• LaFuma chair
• Kenwood Oil-Filled Radiator
• Winegard Satellite Dish
• Winegard Tripod Mount
• Yakima Kingpin 2 bike rack
• "Green Lanterns" party lights

• Optima #D34M Blue-top batteries and Trip-Lite #PV1000HF 1000-watt inverter
• Oregon Scientific Cable-free indoor/outdoor thermometer
• 4' folding utility table
• Easi-Tear™ paper towel dispenser
• Fridge Airator
• BAL Leveler
• Hidden Hitch Front Receiver
• Porta Clothesline
• Camp Caddy
• Rubbermaid 52 cu ft Storage Shed

• Barker 10-gal. Tote-Along gray water tank
• Barker Tote-Along tank bobber
• Plastic jack stand
• ADCO SFS AquaShed® RV cover
• Dry Wave air dryer
• Water Pressure Regulator
• TastePURE^TM Inline Disposable Water Filter

• Prest-O-Fit^® 6'x9' Patio Rug
• Prest-O-Fit^® Door Mat
• Prest-O-Fit^® Step Rug
• Clean Machine Step Mat
• Traveler mat with zippered cargo bag

Follow-up: Tank still works great, although it only lasts about two full days before it needs emptying so we're considering one of the larger models.  Also it gets quite heavy (80+ lbs) & can literally be a real drag to dump so I'm leaning towards one with 4 wheels & side dump valve that you can tow without lifting.

Follow-up: Rug is holding up well.  We leave it attached to the step all the time so it's constantly exposed to road grime & weather.

Update 9/05:  Replaced with Clean Machine Step Mat

This just wraps around the step & secured with some long zip ties on instead of the spring-and-metal-band method of the old mat.  Thus far it works as well as the bigger mat, although I have noticed a weird "shifting sand" feeling when stepping in or out of the trailer.  Not bad - no doubt due to your body weight compressing the fingers & your foot being shifted laterally as they bend - but it makes one wonder if you'd had enough to drink!

Optima #D34M Blue-top batteries (2)
$289.90² 7/03
tna-sports.com

Trip-Lite #PV1000HF 1000-watt inverter
$275.24 7/03
Grainger

Optima #D34M Blue-top batteries (2)
$309.67² 5/09
jegs.com

But that doesn't mean we should go without the comforts of home like satellite TV, toaster, coffee maker, etc. so I decided to explore the "alternative energy" world by setting up a battery bank with an inverter and from what I can tell the Optima batteries are highly regarded for their long life & high output.  First time out I got 3 days of use (coffee & toaster in the AM, TV at night) before the low voltage alarm went off on the morning of the 4th.  They say that battery life will increase as they "break in" - I hope so as almost $600 is pretty spendy for just a few days of intermittent use!  I plan on getting a better monitoring system and either a solar panel or small generator to see if can extend the life. Who knows...maybe with luck I can get up to four days of use for my $1,000 investment! :-)

Update: We really haven't used this setup all that much lately as most of our recent camping trips have been at full-service parks. Still expect 3 good days before the batts are depleted, however we've extended that by switching to heating water on the stove for coffee & skipping the toaster.  We have a dry trip planned this summer - be interesting to see how it supports the satellite gear.

Update 7/05: Batteries moved to the quad-rack on tongue & inverter mounted under LH dinette seat next to TrueCharge 20+.

Update 6/06: Original flooded-cell batteries replaced with two more Optima D35M's purchased from Jegs.

Update: The rug is starting to unravel around the edges, shedding long poly strings running the length of the rug.  A few holes worn through by sharp rocks.  No mildew, but we try to dry it thoroughly after returning home from a wet trip.  Seems like it should be thicker.  Considering a section of indoor-outdoor carpet for a pad?

Update: Other than replacing the battery in the remote unit this has worked flawlessly.  Range is amazingly good!  We use it at home when not camping.

Update 10/05: I bought another remote unit & permanently leave in the trailer (other is mounted outside on our deck).  It's neat to be able to switch to the trailer unit & see the temp inside when folded for the winter!

Follow-up: This has held up well & catches the excess junk the Travel Mat misses.  Strange behavior with the W2W carpeting though - this rug constantly moves around when laid over the carpet.  Almost like the rubber backing exerts sideways force when you step on it!  Tried snaps but they pulled right out.

Follow-up 12/04:  I finally got tired of this thing moving around all the time & replaced it with wall-to-wall carpeting.  Too bad as it's plenty tough, but after tripping over it several times it's now retired to my workshop as a padded mat for my table saw!

Follow-up: These are still wonderful to kick back in when camping or on your deck!  The oldest one is starting to show a little age - paint chips/scratches & one of the support cords broke near the end (just knotted it up a few inches).  Hardly any stains so the fabric must be treated?

Follow-up: We really couldn't function without this table as we use it to hold the dishwashing tubs & dryer rack.  Being plastic there's no chance of rust as it gets pretty wet from washing dishes & weather. Great investment!

Follow-up: This works OK, but frankly I don't think we needed it.  The wall basket it hangs from comes down when we travel so there's no concern about the roll unraveling.  Kind of a PITA when you need more than one towel too.

Follow-up: This has been a great product & shows no sign of wear!  Judging by the amount of crap that washes out when I hose it clean I'd say it works very well.

Follow-up: An essential part of our setup routine.  In most cases I don't even need blocks underneath & it still seems solid as a rock!

Follow-up: The jury is still out on this one.  I like the fold-down features & quality construction, but frankly the bike support bars are about 6" too short!  The other rack's bars were actually sized to hold four bikes if necessary and I guess I was spoiled by all the extra room. On the Kingpin I can barely squeeze two bikes and then only if you intertwine the handlebars & pedals and reverse one bike.  Then I have to use multiple straps to prevent them from beating up each other on the road!

Follow-up: I can only assume this is working since we've never used the trailer without it!  I do know the fridge works extremely well on LP & must be throttled back to avoid freezing stuff, so maybe this is due in part to this little fan.  Battery life is surprising - still on the first set of D cells after two years!

Follow-up: The lights failed to work only the second time we strung 'em up.  Not sure if it was rain that corroded the contacts or what, but I futzed with every bulb to no avail.  I picked up a set of pricey ($27) LED Christmas lights to replace the cheap set that the lanterns hang from, but it will require some modifications to make them fit.

Follow-up 11/06: When I started to install the new lights mentioned above I thought I'd try the original string one more time.  Amazingly they managed to repair themselves during their time in the box...either that or I inadvertently discovered the loose connection that was breaking the circuit.  Whatever!  I put everything back together & on our last trip they worked fine through wind & rain.  Go figure!

Follow-up: Working as advertised to keep the junk of our Chalet. I've seen water puddle-up on top so the waterproof claim "holds water" (Ha-ha! Sometimes I crack myself up!).  Starting to look a little dingy after two Winters but better it than the trailer! 

Update: I've been using this for several months now & it definitely works as advertised!  The convenience of quickly switching ball sizes is great & so far my trailer hasn't passed me on the freeway!  Starting to show a little rust now but not bad. The only downside is dealing with the greasy spare balls - I keep them in a Ziploc bag in my glove box & use that to pick up the ball using the "dog poop method".  But lately I've cleaned off the grease & started using wax paper as the lubricant - seems to work fine & eliminates a potential jeans-wrecker!

Follow-up: The ball & stem are rusting badly now so I switched to a pair of SS balls on SS ball mounts.  This really is a good idea, but I think it could have used thicker chrome or better yet be made from stainless steel.

Follow-up: This continues to be invaluable for stowing the trailer on the side of the house.  So far I've not had to use it to get into a campsite, but I have mounted the bike rack there a few times.

• Since we use biodegradable soap we were just letting the water run out on the ground, but understand some may prefer not to have their campsite flooded with our runoff (plus most state & federal campgrounds prohibit this) so I recently ordered the Paha Que' drain capture floor.  Basically a heavy waterproof liner with shallow sides that fits inside the teepee with a hose connection in the corner.  I plan to gravity run the waste water to a sewer drain when possible and rig up a 12-v. bilge pump to a gray water tank when necessary.
   
• I'd like to build some kind of slatted wood floor to fit inside so you have a solid surface to stand on & place the toilet.  Probably a design similar to those roll-up tables with slats bungee-corded together and a couple of supporting rails.  It would also help with the draining because it would elevate the floor slightly.

Basically a U-shaped jack that fits around your tire, it's nicely made from steel tubing & plate with a black painted finish.  It comes with ratcheting box wrench that turns the screw mechanism and slowly - emphasis on slow - lifts the entire side of the trailer until level.  It can be fairly hard to turn so I greased the screw pretty well, which makes it somewhat messy to store so I made a sleeve from PVC pipe that slips over the screw.  I need to find some kind of storage bag for it (heard someone is selling a "pizza bag" that fits pretty well) but for now I toss it in the back of the truck.

Update The cut-off switch does not turn off 110-v. power (only 12-v.)!

Follow-up: I have zero evidence of mold or mildew even after a fighting a few water leaks & the steady rain we get around here so I'm happy with this unit.  I left the remote thermometer inside last winter & the temperature seems to hover around 40-45° when the outside temp is in the mid-30's.

The Rust-resistant brackets are foot-long chunks of 1" sq. bar bent in the middle to about 45°, drilled in a couple places for some zinc-plated U-bolts, and spray-painted gloss black. Aluminum poles consist of two lengths of greasy 1" sq. alum. tubing about 4' long, with 4-5 holes crudely punched along one end.  You thread the 560 lb. test polypropylene line through the holes in a back & forth manner to create a series of lines to hang your stuff on. (Not sure why you need to hold up 560 lbs. of wet clothes - the tubes would surely kink & bend long before that!) The topper is a pair of square plastic plugs which you're supposed to jam into the exposed ends of the tubes.  This is supposed to dress it up I guess, but the tubes were smashed into an hourglass shape when the holes were punched so there's no way you could get the caps on!  And did I mention the cheesy assembly instructions that were produced on a 1950's Underwood typewriter and then photocopied about 500 times...with the original each time one of the copies from the previous batch!

But hey, they got my money.  And it does work...actually pretty good.  So who's laughing all the way to the bank?

Update I shortened the U-bolts & slipped some black rubber hose over them to prevent scratching the bumper & help blend in. I also cleaned up & painted the support tubes with some neat textured black paint that really finished them off.  Gave up on the plugs as it was too much trouble to try to square up the ends.

Update: My textured paint is getting pretty beat up by all the crap I pile on it in the storage bin and the rubber hose has cracked & split; but this really works well for hanging the towels.  I finally trimmed off the excess rope - not sure why they gave you double of what's needed.  I'll see if I can find some kind of nylon storage bag - maybe for a fishing pole?

Update 7/05: I sanded down the tubes & repainted them with the same paint, but this time I stored them in a hard wall fishing pole tube which keeps them protected during storage.

Follow-up: Since none of my plumbing lines have burst I can only assume this is useful.  I'd almost need a second gauge upstream to see it the city water pressure is much higher.

Update: Replaced with Internal water pressure regulator

Follow-up: This seemed to filter out the grit & gunk just fine, but now that I installed a permanent unit I guess this will become my primary filter.  Works good on the hose end when I fill the tank too.  No plans to buy a new one.

Update:  Replaced with Internal water filter

Update: We have gotten accustomed to having our salt & pepper handy and the lantern stand is great for playing games or cards at night - the higher the better.  You need to make sure the trash bag rests on the ground though as a lot of heavy garbage will start to bend the support arms.  Common sense.  Works well for hanging pots & pans to dry after washing. Even the paint has held up pretty well.

Update: This was a life-saver on a couple trips this winter.  Kept the rig at a steady 72° (or whatever you prefer) and not a sound!  I'd rather freeze than use that jet engine disguised as a furnace!

Winegard Satellite Dish
$49.49
Camping World

Winegard Tripod Mount
$79.99
Camping World

• The dish is a simple 46 cm (18") home-style model with dual LNB and a roof-mount bracket (that we won't use in this application). I replaced the nuts that hold the dish to it's mount with SS wing nuts for a tool-less setup.
• The tripod mount is the taller 45" model CW sells - we liked 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 wing nuts.  
• For cable, we picked up a 50' RG-6 cable set that matches the dish/tripod color.  Hopefully this will be long enough to reach any spot to get clear access to the birds.
• We'll use one of our Sony B-65 receivers from home that was replaced by our Tivo DVR.  FYI - DirecTV requires a completely new account (i.e. non-mirrored) for their Distant Network Service if you want nationwide access to the networks.

Overall, the Winegard quality seems good with well made components, plated hardware, and a nice painted finish.

Update: So far we've used this once & it worked great!  Nothing better that 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!

Update: I picked up one of these padded nylon carrying bags for the dish from CW.  I think it's really designed for their portable folding dish, but seems to work fine for mine to prevent scratches & dings.  They had one left at my local store that someone ordered & returned when they bought a different dish so I got it for $35.

Update: I continue to be impressed with this thing.  Made it through the winter with nary a drop of water inside and it's great to have all my camping stuff organized & ready to go!  Now only if was about a foot wider...

Update: During a recent  four-day rain marathon I discovered (on the last day) the gutter immediately above this shed was clogged and water was pouring down directly on the roof.  When the rain let up I cleaned out the gutter & expecting the worst; opened the shed to let everything dry out. To my pleasant surprise there was virtually no sign of water inside!  (And the few drops I did find were probably from opening the door!)  Hats off to the Rubbermaid engineers for an excellent design!

Update 10/06: I recently got a note from Paha Que' advising the special screenroom for A-frame trailers they've been developing for the past year is finally ready for sale.  Not sure how they got my address but maybe I signed up to notified?  Anyway, I posted these reasons why I'm not too excited about this news on the Yahoo chaletcamping forum:

5. At $250 + $70 for the rainfly it was much cheaper than the $600 they're asking for this customized version.
    
4. It's bigger & taller than the 10x10 model designed for the A-frames.
    
3. Mine has flaps on all four sides that can be zipped closed or opened like wings to provide additional shade/ rain protection.
    
2. From the link they sent me it looks like the A-frame model is based on a simple shade frame, not the more robust & taller screenroom frame.  And the #1 reason...
    
1. Very few 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.