Old campers, new to the site
 

Hello all,

Thank you for this forum. This is my first post in here. I have been lurking for several months, and am enjoying it.

Laura and I have both camped our entire lives. (although seperate lives until 5 years ago). Tents, pop ups, travel trailers, and for the last 4 years, a 21 foot 1993 Funlite.

We have stayed within 100 miles of home until now. In two weeks we are leaving for a 2 week journey from home in southern Illinois, up through Wisconsin, Minnesota, and into western Ontario. it will be about a 2000 mile trip, and we cannot wait to get underway!

I believe the camper is ready. Tires, brakes, and bearings have all be serviced. New battery is on board. The electrical and plumbing systems have been checked. And the Grand Cherokee tow vehicle is set up with factory tow with brake controller, and I utilize a Curt sway bar and WDH.

I am open to suggestions on anything else I can do to prepare for this adventure.

Hello again, and thanks.

Dave

Welcome to the forum
 

Bring a credit card and have a good road service plan. Best of luck on your big trip. Take pictures and post when you get back.

Relax and have fun.
bring light tools. You sound prepared

Glad to have you with us!

How old are the tires on your trailer? You say you've had it for 4 years, are the tires that old (or older)? It is generally recommended that trailer tires be changed after 5 years, regardless of their appearance or tread condition. Heat is a serious enemy in trailer tires and they become seriously weakened after several years of use. You DO NOT want to have a tire blowout on your trip! A blowout tends to cause serious damage to the trailer wheel wells and to the inside of the trailer in those areas.

Have a glorious trip! I just got back from a trip to Carlsbad Caverns, that was just a bit over 1000 miles of towing. Hope your trip is as uneventful as mine was.

- Jack

I was just in Carlsbad last week too, Jack. 300 mile round trip!

Good grief! I was at the caverns on the 18-20th. Did the hike in (and out) of the Big Room on the 18th. Then, had a guided tour of Kings Palace on the 19th and the Left Hand Tunnel tour on the 20th.

I've been in many caves, but this was a "bucket list" trip. I've always wanted to go there, and it was not a disappointment.

- Jack

The tires were replaced mid season of 2014. When I did the bearings I checked the tires pretty well. Of course the tread is fine. But also the pressures were all equal at 45 psi and no visible signs of dry rot or cracking.

We leave in a week. I think we are ready to do this. We will be keeping travel down to under 200 miles each day. We really don't have any plans, only reservations for each night. Other than that, we take what the area and the road gives us to explore!

Dave

A lot of great state parks and national forest campgrounds in northern Wisconsin and Minnesota. I have an app for my phone called "All stays " which list campgrounds, dump stations, etc all over the country. I find it very handy for planning and just having when I am on the road. I hope you get up around Bayfield in northwest Wisconsin and get to see the great Lake Superior. Bring mosquito repellent as they are a bit nasty right now. There are some decent state CGs in southern Illinois and I have been known to stop at one or two on my way south . I see you are in Illinois so possibly I am preaching to the choir. Have a great trip!

Also- running up along the Mississippi can be a great way to go, also.
Rick

I will check out the All Stays app. Thank you. We plan to work our way through Wisconsin, to Lake Superior, then cross over into Minnesota and make our way up into the Boundry Waters area. We will day trip into Ontario one day and explore a bit, but the camper will stay in the states. I am not sure how the border crossing would be with the camper. But we do have fresh passports.

HI
 

We have crossed the border a number of times since 9/11 and have never had any problem. We have never been asked to raise the top going into Canada or coming back into the US. Do not try to take a handgun into Canada. A long gun needs a special permit to take it into Canada. We have had to have the pickup and HiLo towed once. Had the good sams towing coverage so no cost to us. Have a good trip.

The last time I went into Canada was ten years ago but I was driving a pick up with a slide in camper in the back. No issues. Just make sure your insurance and registration documents ( and passport) are up to date and handy in case you are asked. Otherwise, unless there is some new and sudden threat that emerges in the mean time, you shouldn't have any issues crossing over with a trailer. Ontario is a bit of throw back. I love it. Not real tourist oriented but they do a nice job with their provincial parks though they tend to pack them a bit tighter- just in case you decided to run up there and hang for a few days or so----the cool stuff on the Lake tends to be north of Thunder Bay.
Duluth is a town worth exploring but make sure your brakes are in working order. :) They have done a bunch of development down on the waterfront, also.

Grand Marais Minn is a neat little town and a jump off point for the Gunflint trail into the Boundary waters. You should grab a bite to eat there----"The Angry Trout" was an old favorite of mine as far as Restaurants go but its been awhile and I am sure there a bunch more. I'm envious. have fun!

Rick