The Dunlap's

We are a family of 5 (3 daughters) that enjoy hanging out at camp with the Frazier's. Our middle girl plays soccer for Coach Robee and is friends with Lily.  We pull a 2016 Grand Design Imagine 2800BH behind a 2016 Ford Expedition. While our interests line up well with the Frazier’s, we sometimes find ourselves chasing rabbits in different directions.  We will be spending a week this spring at Topsail Hill Preserve State Park near Destin! We can’t wait. And in 2020 we hope to head west for an epic trip to Devils Tower, Yellowstone, and a stay at American Prairie Reserve in Montana.  Between now and then, find bouncing around near our home and hopefully hitting half a dozen new areas each summer. We look forward to sharing our travels and hopefully giving you a flavor of the campsites and attractions we visit.

Some of Our Favorite Camper Equipment

Here are a few of our favorite items that we take camping with us:

Surge Protector (50 Amp):

Progressive Industries SSP-50XL Surge Protector with Cover (50 Amp)
Link: Link

Campgrounds are known to have issues with the power. The plug could be weak from over use, the plug could be wired up with reverse polarity, or even the campground could have surge issues. With all that electrical equipment in your camper, you need to protect it the best that you can. Every camper should have a surge protector. If not this one the something that works for your camper.

Water Pressure Regulator:

Renator M11-0660R Water Pressure Regulator Valve. Brass Lead-free Adjustable Water Pressure Reducer with Gauge for RV Camper, and Inlet Screened Filter
Link: Link

This little guy here or something similar should be at the end of every campers water hose. What this does is regulate the pressure so that you do not have to worry about too much pressure coming through your lines and blowing up your plumbing. The pressure at every campground is different (can be over 100 PSI) and most campers have a maximum rated PSI of 50 (I think. Look yours up to make sure)

Leveling blocks:

Tri-Lynx Levelers
by Tri-Lynx
Link: Link

We have 2 sets of these Leveling Blocks. We use these under our jacks to help keep them from bottoming out. They work really well and are lightweight. The bright color helps to mark the location of the jacks, helps keep us from tripping over them at night, and forgetting them. Each set comes in its own bag that helps with storage.

Dehumidifier:
Pro Breeze PB-03-US Electric Mini Dehumidifier, 2200 Cubic Feet, Compact and Portable for Damp Air, Mold, Moisture in Home, Kitchen, Bedroom, Basement, Caravan, Office, Garage
by Pro Breeze
Link: Link 

We purchased this for the condensation that would build up in our Riverside Travel trailer when it would get cold outside. Now that we have Big Girl, we use in there and you would be amazed how much water it pulls out of the air. For us, this is a must have. We are always worried about water damage, so every drop this machine gets is one less that can turn to mold.

Pantry Lighting:

AMIR 3 Pack Motion Sensing Closet Lights
by AMIR
Link: Link

Actually got the idea of these from a youtube video that I saw when we first got the Riverside. They are motion sensitive and have a magnetic plate that will allow you to take them down to change the batteries and such. This is what we used for pantry lighting. I installed one light at the top of each shelf. When the cabinet door is opened, poof you have lights. And when you close the door. No lights. I actually just ordered a new set of these to go in Big Girl because we let the others go with the Riverside.

Battery Kill Switch:

Cllena Battery Disconnect Isolator Master Switch for Marine Boat Car Vehicles
by Cllena
Link: Link

For anyone that stores their camper where there is not power to have a battery tender, this is your friend. Nothing worse than going to storage to hook up for a trip only to find out that your power jack will not work because your battery is dead. This is a simple yet effective way to insure that there is not a draw on your battery.

Step Rugs:

Camco RV Step Rug
by Camco
Link: Link

I would love to say that we purchased these for some human reason, but that would be a lie. We purchased these to go on our stairs for our dogs. For some reason the metal steps freak them out and they do not trust them. They do not want to climb the steps and try to skip steps to get in and out of the camper until we installed these. Now all is right in the world and our 4 legged family members are happy. By the way, these do work nice. They allow you somewhere to wipe your feet and can be swept or hosed off when necessary.

Sewer Hose:

Camco RhinoFLEX Sewer Hose
Link: Link

Now the down and dirty stuff. This hose is made really good. I like that it has a lot of different accessories and options. We put a clear 45 degree elbow with ours so that we can see what is going down sort of speaking and the bright colors of the ends help keep us from kicking the hose loose. It also has a good attachment and firm locking twist to the connections.

Sewer Slinky:

Camco RV Sidewinder Plastic Sewer Hose Support
by Camco
Link: Link

To be honest, when we got our camper, I didn't even know these existed. So this is used to angle your sewer line down from the camper to the drain and keep the hose off the ground. It is a neat little track that allows your hose to drain using gravity and helps relieve stress on your sewer joints.

Dog Bones:

Camco RV PowerGrip Dogbone Electrical Adapter with Handle 

by Camco 

Link: Link

Camco RV PowerGrip Dogbone Electrical Adapter with Handle 

by Camco 

Link: Link

Camco RV PowerGrip Dogbone Electrical Adapter with Handle
by Camco
Link: Link

The dog bones come in different configurations depending on what you need. They are adapters that give you much more freedom when hooking electricity to your camper. There is one that will allow you to connect to a standard house plug for when you are at home and need lights or even AC. One allows you to hook your 30 amp camper to 50 amp shore power and one that does just the opposite. Just look around, If you have an issue with the availability of hookups, one of these puppies is probably what you need.

Toothbrush Holder:

Native Spring Toothpaste Dispenser and Toothbrush Holder White
by Native Spring
Link: Link

This one is what it is. We have 5 family member, and finding a place to store your toothbrush can become taxing, so with this little guy on the wall, everyone has their own dedicated toothbrush spot. Plus it keeps them off the floor and out of the furbabies mouths.

Frazier Five Past & Present Camping Setup

Current Camper Open Range 3X375RDS

We have had our current camper from Aug 2018 to present. At the time of this entry, we have only been out in it once with the exception of spending the night on the dealer's lot the day we bought it. This one is a 5th wheel and we to date think we made the correct purchase for our family. It is 42ft and some change long and weighs in at around 13k dry. Some of the reasons for this purchase were, the awnings that span the length of the camper, the outdoor kitchen, the 4 season capabilities, the extra thick walls and insulation, the residential refrigerator, the convection microwave, and believe it or not the dining area (will have to explain later). I think I will do a separate blog on exactly what and why this camper.

Current Truck 2016 Ford F350 Super Crew Long Bed
In April of 2018 we purchased our truck. It is a 6.7L Diesel 4x4 King Ranch addition. This truck pulls both the Riverside and the Open Range with ease. I cannot express how impressed I am with the capabilities of this truck. To pull the travel trailer, We used the Anderson weight distribution hitch. This hitch worked great for us and for this truck. To pull the 5th wheel we use the B&W Companion 20k for the Ford puck system. This is the only 5th wheel hitch that I have ever owned, but I cannot think of how a different hitch could do anything better. I am sure there are some that can, but probably not at this price point. This truck rides on stock suspension with 35” Nitto tires.

2017 Riverside Loft30K
This was our first camper. We owned this camper from Aug 2017 to Aug 2018. This travel trailer has a 30ft Box and was around 34’-0” from tip to tail with a loaded weight of around 10k. The reason that we chose this camper was the height of the interior space along with the outdoor kitchen. We loved everything about this camper, but we outgrew it faster than we thought we would. Our son went on a growth spurt terror. He grew somewhere between 6” and 8” since the purchase and it was no longer comfortable for him to get in or sleep in the loft. This was one of the main reasons for upgrading campers along with the vehicle change. We pulled this camper with our Ford Excursion. But the ole “Bus” was getting on up in the years and reliability was becoming an issue. So we purchase a 2016 Ford F350 in April. Which is the other reason for the new camper.

2005 Ford Excursion
This old girl struggled to pull the Riverside at times due to the tires and lack of re-gear. I could not easily run cruise control on the highway without a lot of gear changes which worried me about the old tranny. Mind you she was set up. I had her studded, deleted, a stage 1.5 turbo, 4” turbo back exhaust, new injectors, new hpop, high output alternator, etc. The list goes on and on. She also had a 5.5” lift with 35” tires.

Welcome

Hello, my name is Robert Frazier, and together with my wife, 3 kids and some of our friends, we will give our thoughts and perspectives on each and every campground that we visit throughout our travels. We will also do some product reviews on items that we use in our travels and campsite setups. The main reason that we started this blog was that when we would look for a campground near a location we were interested in, we would only be able to find general reviews and information. Most of the info was on the campsites website or some of the search engine sites reviews. Although this information could be good info, it did not always have all the info we were looking for and we would need to search multiple sites and read multiple reviews to get a feel of what the location had to offer. So, we decided to start this blog with the hopes of giving multiple perspectives based on needs and wants from the different points of view from our family members. With the three kids, you will see our thoughts of each location based on what we think is good/bad in a campsite.

I will start the introductions. My part of this blog will be from the Husband, Father, and Driver’s point of view of this Frazier Five Family. I will be giving my thoughts and opinions on the trip from the drive to camp, set up, and overall condition of the campground.

Hi, my name is Amanda Frazier. I will provide a mother, wife, pseudo navigator, and general novice camper perspective. So I will be looking for how clean the campsite is, how easy it is to find, and navigating through the park. Being fairly new to this, ease of hook ups and set up is also important to me. I like to have a nice space for set-up outside the camper for family time. Amenities or “extras” will be of interest to me as well to keep my busy family active.

Hey y’all, my name is Raine. I am a college student. Due to my school schedule, I will not be writing about every campsite. I will write about the campsites that I meet up with my family on my breaks, and will provide the point of view from a young adult. I am big on certain amenities such as: bonfire site, pool, public bathroom, trails etc. I also have a spoiled furbaby named Willow. My family calls me the animal lover of the family, because I am the reason that we now have five dogs…. That being said, I will also give insight on how animal friendly the campsite is and how people pick up after their pets.

Hello, I am Boe Frazier. I am a high school student, and I will tell y'all about the technology side of things. I play sports for my high school but I’m big into gaming. In my free time away from school and sports, I am consumed with games of all kinds. I enjoy computer games, phone games, and Xbox. With this background, my family thinks that I would be best to tell the gamers and other electronically driven people what is offered at the different campsites.

Hi I am Lily, and I am a middle school student.  I will be telling y'all about the playgrounds and what there is to do for fun around the campsite and other stuff like that. I play soccer for my school and competitive soccer. Soccer is a really important factor in my life. Recently soccer and school has become a hard thing to balance. My family thinks I am best for telling ya'll about the entertainment for the kids because I am the youngest in my family and I spend a lot of time there. I will continue to talk about the playgrounds at different campsites.

With the help of our friends, we hope the different perspectives will help you make the best campsite choice for your family.