We arrived at Lazydays on Thursday to pick up our new camper. We did a pre-delivery inspection and received a two hour explanation and demonstration on how to operate it’s systems. They installed a hitch and sway bar on our truck that was included with the purchase. We got a tour of the service department and camping store which I assume they think I need to know. We signed some papers, wrote a check, transferred the tag from the boat we recently sold, obtained insurance and then got a handshake and a pat on the back as we were led out the sales department door.
We stayed the night on site at Lazydays to test out the camper. That way, they said, we could get any issues fixed prior to leaving in the morning. We ran the air and the heat, cooked dinner on the stove, used the microwave, made sure the freezer got cold. We used the toilet and the shower, watched some television and listened to the radio. We got a decent nights sleep but concluded a new mattress should be one of the first upgrades. The only issue we could come up with was the sliding door to the bedroom was hard to operate and actually came off the track.
We made a pot of coffee and grammi made her cup of green tea as we started the morning. We drove down to the Front Porch Cafe at the Lazydays center for breakfast but that was disappointing. There was not many options for a person on a WFPB diet. We had an unripe cup of fruit before heading back to the camper for a banana and a grammi bar.
Let me just say Lazydays is a big operation with many employees who all seem to be very busy. The morning just seemed to drag out. We had a couple of issues we wanted taken care of but it became obvious it was going to take a while. Grammi was not happy with the cleanliness of the camper and we felt they should of done a better job cleaning it prior to delivery. We were waiting for the sliding bedroom door to be repaired, a stain on the slide carpet to be cleaned, leaves on the top of the slide to be cleared off and instructions on how to connect the sway hitch.
While we were hanging out waiting for things to get done, we started to meet and talk with some of the others that were parked in the lot last night too. It has been our experience over the years that campers are very friendly and talkative. We met a couple from Georgia that was buying a used Open Range travel trailer. There was an issue with the slide tearing the floor when it came in so they said they were going to stay put until it was fixed. We met a guy from Massachusetts that drove down to buy a used Lance travel trailer. He was preparing to tow it back home.
Finally with the camper hitched up and all the issues addressed, we pulled away from Lazydays at about 2:00 p.m. I took it slow and easy while I became accustomed to the feel of pulling the trailer. It didn’t feel different from pulling the boat except for the reduced visibility. But it wasn’t long before I was traveling 65 mph on I-75. I was passed by a couple of eighteen wheelers and didn’t experience any sway. So I can say I was very pleased with how it handled on the way home. Of course the camper is not loaded yet so we’ll still have to wait and see. I think with the truck I have there should be no problems with towing.
I backed in beside the house where the camper will live when not on the road. Now comes the task of loading and outfitting for our first trip which I don’t think is too far away.
