mellow wrote:



If you are level and nothing is blocking the slide from opening then yes, you want to be level so the gears for the slide don't work harder than they already have to. I always make sure to set my emergency brake as well when parked, just my OCD self. You will figure out if you want all the jacks down or just the back jacks or no jacks your first night, depends on how stable you want the camper while in it, only takes a few minutes to deploy them to just touch enough to take a bit of weight.

Also make sure you lock your truck and have your keys with you and have a backup plan for if something happens while in the camper, know your exits. This world is a crazy place and you need to prepare for such things.

jimh406 wrote:

If I'm level, I put the slide out. You can unlock the tiedowns to help level.

We almost never unload the TC while traveling.

Buzzcut1 wrote:

as a fellow horseman and owner of a truck camper with a slide and having trailered my horses coast to coast doing the Horse Hotel route. I don't take the camper off the truck and I don't disconnect the trailer. I off load the horses get them bedded down watered and fed and muck the trailer and fill the water buckets before stuff can freeze over. Then I pull to where ever I am spending the night at the facility (usually where they have a electrical hook up for me) Level the truck, extend the rear jacks to just touching , extend the slides and call it good. Make sure you have your Coggins and Horse health Certificate or they will not allow you to off load your horse for the night. and make sure you enter all weigh and ag stations with signage that all vehicles hauling livestock must enter. have proof of horse ownership with you too.

JimK-NY wrote:

I never, ever take the camper off during a camping trip. First the fit is really tight, barely 1/4" clearance in the tailgate opening. Next I use the wheel well space. It is packed with paper goods, tools, extra boots, dirty clothes, etc.

Finally and most importantly, I really like having the camper with me at all times. I like having my own kitchen for hot meals, like using my own rest room facilities, and I have even been known to take a midday nap.

In years and many hundreds of nights of camping, I only put down the corner jacks once. That was during a hurricane with 50-60 mph winds. Think twice if you do put down the jacks. As a precaution, you might want to undo the tiedowns just in the rare case that you develop a flat tire.

notsobigjoe wrote:



Times two! You can also level with the orange leveling blocks, place them under your tires and drive on. they help a ton.

ognend wrote:

there is no reason to lug a 4,000 lbs brick around on my back while going for a day trip, is there?

jimh406 wrote:



There are lots of reasons to keep it on. Have a bathroom with you, charge the batteries, have a kitchen with you, have food with you, have your stuff with you, have your pets with you, take a nap, play cards, do crafts while your husband uses a spotting scope, etc.