pool noodle door chip saver

A split pool noodle placed on the camper trailer mudguard makes a great car door paint chip saver when getting in & out of your vehicle when parked in the garage.

recycling used tea bags

We have been recycling used tea bags as fire starters. After they are dry just drop them into a container of mentholated spirits.

I stack the kindling leaving a centre chimney & place the bags at the bottom. When lit the flame funnels up the middle to easily start the fire.

organise packing

There is a place for every thing & everything in its place. When you are finished with something put it back, don't wait until you are packing up at the end of the trip. This also reduces the time taken to get on the road.

We use storage organisers on the back of the front seats & across the width on the front of the back seat that hang off the headrests in our vehicle providing easy access to everyday items. 

golf umbrella for winter warm

We use golf umbrellas around the campfire to keep warm. They stop the cold wind at your back & also reflect the heat making a micro climate without blocking completely the breeze at ground level which causes the campfire smoke to come back into your eyes. The larger size also allows us to sit at the campfire in the rain.

dc power meter

A DC power meter would have to be one of the most handiest things around camp. It is connected inline & gives an instant readout to the power usage of different 12volt appliances & accessories as well as over time. 

It is especially useful to measure the power consumption of a 12volt compressor fridge say over a 24 hour period, as the fridge cycles on & off to maintain a set temperature. A power meter can also be used to monitor the output of your solar panel over the course of a day.

I built mine into a jiffy box with an Anderson connector, cigarette socket plug & plug to give quick use with any 12volt item we have in camp. https://www.campertrailers.org/watts_up_meter.htm

boat trailer skids as draw slides

I added teflon boat trailer skids to the floor of the box trailer which allows the two plywood storage draws to move easier as if they were on wheels, it makes that much difference. https://www.campertrailers.org/trailer_draw_skids.htm

rechargeable AA & AAA batteries

We use rechargeable AA & AAA batteries in our accessories charged with a 12volt/240volt charger to suit both battery sizes. We also carry a spare set of each battery size as quick replacements. 

broken zip

If the zip slider does not close the teeth, hopefully the problem may only be the rear section of the slider. If it is higher at the rear you can gently squeeze it with a pair of pliers which will allow the teeth to mesh once again. If the slider is damaged there are replace zip slider kits available such as https://fixnzip.com.au/ 

On the otherhand the problem may be a damaged or missing zipper tooth which will require the whole zip to be replaced. A local canvas repairer may be able to replace the zip without taking the camper trailer tent off the trailer depending on the zip location. 

We find a little silicone spray often allows the zip to slide smoothly without attracting dust.

checking trailer ball weight

It is important that a camper trailers loaded weight is suited to the maximum capacities of the tow vehicle set by the vehicle manufacturer making for a safe combination in all situations. The trailers ball weight is also part of the vehicles payload.

A rule of thumb for the camper trailers ball weight is around 10% to 15% of the camper trailers loaded weight which gives a safety net with variable shifting weights as the water tank is emptied, food consumed & firewood unloaded.

It is a good idea to have your vehicle & camper trailer checked at a public weighbridge at least once so you know all is legal on the road.

There are commercial towball scales https://www.campertrailers.org/towsafe.htm If you do not have a ball weight scale you can rig one up at home using the bathroom scales & what is available. 

rodent deterrent

We have found peppermint oil is a great deterrent for rodents after having our camper trailer & vehicle engine bay attacked by a bush rat during the night.

Recommended mix is two teaspoons of peppermint oil, three or four drops of detergent to a cup of water & add this to a spray bottle. Spray around the camper trailer in out of sight areas & your vehicles engine bay.  

We have also had success using mothballs in the plastic cage which has a handy hook hung in the engine bay. Leaving the bonnet open overnight helps too.

water tank filler

You can create a hard bend to stop your water tank filler hose from kinking using the spout of an old water hand pump.

I heated the food grade drinking water hose in hot water to make it pliable & pushed the hose onto the spout as far as it would go. There was no need for hose clamps.

A hose connector with a control valve could be added to control the water flow at the filler.

Of course you can buy these commercially made, but if you are a DIYer you will understand.

never loose that cap

The inlet hose of a handpump on the front of our camper trailer is connected via a removable hose to a jerry for hand washing, washing up or other non filtered water jobs so we do not use our filtered drinking water. I used 13mm garden hose connectors & food grade drinking water hose. To stop dust getting into the handpump & hoses we cover the connectors with a rubber chair foot of a size to suit.

The rubber cap can be easily lost. I punched a hole in the centre & pushed a length of small gauge plastic coated 12volt wire through, tied a knot & placed the other end around the hose. The cap just dangles until it comes time to push it back over the connector when packing up.

reducing rain pooling on the canvas roof

To give the canvas roof a steeper angle allowing rain to run off & not pool that causes leaks, just drop both corners of the awning & the back corner of the main tent. 

cooling our tent

We have found by opening all the canvas window canvas coverings & lifting the awning walls up on tent poles to make shade creates maximum air flow through the tent on a hot day. Our roof also opens to expel heat & vents on the vinyl side drop draws cooler air from under the trailer.

There is a breeze way created under the awing in front of the doorway. 

4lb tyre pressure rule

4lb rule I read about the 4lb tyre pressure rule in Overlander 4wd magazine during the early 80's & have been using it since. It works well for both the vehicle & the camper trailers LT tyres, but does not work for low profile tyres.

You need to run at highway speed for at least an hour to give your tyres a chance to build up enough heat. What you are aiming for is an increase of 4lb from your cold pressure reading.

If you are over the 4lb you have not put enough air in the tyres from cold. An under inflated tyre drags on the road generating heat.

If you are under the 4lb you have put too much air in when the tyre was cold. Over inflation when cold will not generate enough heat.

You can build up a chart for cold tyre pressures of varying loads for the vehicle & trailer.

More on the tech tips page  https://www.campertrailers.org/tyre_pressures.htm

single axle load rating	single axle maximum tyre PSI pressure

setting up awning poles

The RAWWcon camper trailer awning connection system makes setting up the awning poles & spreaders a lot eaiser. Being a DIYer I made my own with everything I had laying around.

pole spreader hinge	poles & spreaders attached	packed with bungee

The awning ridge spreader from the tent to the Rob connector is first set up, spigot through the awning eyelet, rope on top, raised to ridge height & a peg hammered into the ground. We find a bungee around the pole & over the spigot keeps everything in position while the ropes are loose.

The two spreaders from the Rob connector are then placed over the awning corner poles along with the end spreaders from the camper trailer, through the eyelet, rope & pegged.

The two internal tent poles used to erect the main tent are kept on the bed at the correct height. The camper trailer tent including the awing is set up in 7 1/2 minutes. From there the canvas window & door covers are pegged out or rolled up depending on the weather. An awning sidewall may be added to give us shade or to stop the wind.

awning poles & spreaders attached