Weight

Today, Wednesday, was our first day off, so while R was cleaning and dusting the trailer, I emptied the storage area underneath and cleaned and rearranged the storage boxes. When you begin camping you start to accumulate items. A tool box, flashlight, rope, tarp, etc. Before long the underside storage area and maybe the toolbox of the truck is full of boxes crammed with every “do-dad” and “widget” that Camping World stocks in their catalogue. So, from time to time, it is necessary to purge the items. Before we left home I downsized a couple of boxes of items that had not been used in a long time. So when we left town there was empty space in the storage area. With that in mind, there still is too much stuff. I still want to get rid of unneeded gear, but I find it difficult because there is always that “I might need this some time” theory. So as we spend more time out traveling, I continue to try to eliminate extra items. Fewer items mean less weight and more space, both good things.

All in all we are quite satisfied with our living conditions. The truck is a great puller. I would, of course, not turn down a new vehicle, but I cannot justify an expenditure of $60k. There’s no way a new truck is worth that. The Ford could use some more power and a new chip would help that, but then the transmission would be in jeopardy so I hesitate. On the other end of the scale, if I could afford it an exhaust brake would be my next purchase. The only time you need it is when you are heading down a steep mountain road with a 12000 pound trailer hitched to your pickup. Then you learn to pray very quickly. The trouble is that the cost of getting one installed on my truck is about $2000. I’m not sure why it is so expensive, but it prevents me from installing one on the Ford.