Must Have Accessories/Mods

nichutchy4

Hi All,
Trailer newbie here...taking my 2020 Tag 5w out for it's second trip this weekend. Thinking about a cross country summer road trip (teacher summers, hooray!). If you had to pick just a couple of favorite, must-have accessories or simple modifications what would you pick?
Thanks!

JamesDow

This to me is a game changer while traveling and at home. Use the adapter and an extension cord and you are good to go.
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JamesDow

My next two thoughts would be generator and solar. Especially for long cross country.
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JamesDow

Finally, given you have a 2020, I would think about a refrigerator. Norcold NRF30 is what I have.
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Fourman110

Im currently on a campout so this is easy. Not all accessories but....

1. Changed Fantastic Fan to Maxxfan Deluxe. Still one of my favorite things.

2. Griddle, pot with lid lock with ability to drain (can't remeberinfomercial but handy), square frying pan that covers both burners, small camping teapot.

3.Camco winterizing kit. Makes the job do much easier in winter and spring. 4. Duraflame log (and a blowtorch) for campfire. Only use 1 permfire but fire starts every time.

5. Air Chair and stand. Oddly comfortable seating.

6. 200w solar. By the time I can make a reservation most electric sites aren't available anymore

7. MyPod kcup coffee maker. I need a cup a day, no more. It's easy with this and the teapot.

8. Tools: harbor freight tool kit. They have one that has about everything. Also an electric drill with a bit that fits the stabilizers) (handy to have a couple of rubber pads for them to sit on).

There's more but these are my favorites....

JamesDow

Here are two must have mods in my opinion.

• Indoor/Outdoor carpet for floor. 5'x9' carpet (CostCo $19.95 <5.5lbs.) Soft on knees, keeps wood from being scratched. Resists spills from getting to wood. Does not overly hamper access to below floor. Easy to remove to dry off if desired. Does not move around. Rolls up for storage if needed. Especially good for solo camping with 1/2 bed. Items on top do not slide around as much.
• Wind Screen for stove. Made from a ban of galvanized Zink coated steel strapping (24"x1.5" Home Depot <$2.00) Lightweight. Does not rust. Easy to store. Can be made in minutes. Two will provide 360 degree coverage if desired. (Not necessary in my experience).

Frogger

I put some removable Command hooks up to hang hats assorted stuff etc, gonna add a couple more 5lb weight hooks & remove some of the lighter ones...

WilliamA

I have installed so many things on my trailer that, other than the iconic profile, it's pretty much unrecognizable to other T@G owners. If I had to pick just one or two favorites it would be difficult. Often times, I forget that the modification I'm using daily isn't something that came with my trailer. Also, many of the upgrades are weather-dependant. But if I had to pick....
First, although I had nothing to do with it (came stock with my trailer) I'd say the Norcold. It just works. If my trailer came without one, that's the first thing I'd do.
Second, I'd not want to go anywhere without my rear awning. I use it constantly. Rain, sun, snow, whatever. It's impervious to wind and weather (so far) and I can leave it up in any conditions. It takes less than one minute to deploy and stow. No ropes, tie downs, poles and weights. Wouldn't be without it for any money.
Third (as Fourman said) is the Maxxfan. Tiny power consumption, works like an automatic climate-control system and is so quiet as to be nearly invisible. Since I exorcised my A/C unit/boat anchor, it's more important to have a way to control interior temps and the Maxxfan has no competition in that category. Best all-around bang for the buck I've spent.
I live in Wisconsin. Monday my son and I went out for a day camp/fishing trip/general goofing off. It was 92 degrees. This morning when I got up it was 44 degrees. Even at the summer solstice, I'd not like to be out and about without my electric furnace. It's quiet, reliable as an anvil, weighs next to nothing and takes up no room. I'll be camping this weekend with the family and if it's cool, I'll roll over and bump the thermostat up to 65. Nice and comfy, dry and not humid, automatic, set it and forget it. Doesn't get better than that.
Fourth. Deleting the microwave. Never used it. Getting rid of it made massive changes for the better in dry kitchen storage. No more bins, bags, boxes and totes. Enough room between my dry storage drawer and the Norcold to be out for a few days with what's in the galley.

But if I had to pick only one.....It'd be the rear awning....

WilliamA

HikinMike

I really like my wing walls from https://www.teardropgalleywingwalls.com/

I also like my Yakima Skinny Warrior Rack. It has allowed me to move my tables and chairs out of my TV and onto the trailer.

willow4303

@Fourman110 are there different sizes of the MaxxFan? I would like to swap my factory installed Fantastic Fan on my 2019 T@G Boondock. Thanks!

willow4303

Nevermind @Fourman110 Standard fan opening size is 14 x 14. : )

WilliamA

https://teardrop-trailers.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/660/maxxfan-roofvent-replacement

WilliamA

GigHarborTom

Frogger... I have been looking for a long time for a few brown command strip hooks.

TomD

I put the 3m hooks on the wall of my S.S. above the doors. Hang coats or whatever and have great results. Loving it

Frogger

@GigHarborTom...Amazon has some metallic bronze, dang things are $$$ though...

Sharon_is_SAM

Will Krylon spray paint stick to those white command hooks?

Frogger

Not sure, but would be worth a shot to try on an old one laying around; I have some spray paint, Rustoleum I think that is designed to adhere to plastic, may do an experiment...

ElPhoenix

Our Rhino Batwing awning is by far the best mod we've made and it was the first. It was pricey and I had to have the brackets made shown below (I later painted them black with Rustoleum).

We use our awning every trip and have camped in all sorts of weather as we camp all yearround.

Here's my second write up:

https://teardrop-trailers.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/890/rhino-batwing-on-yakima-roof-racks-update

We also love the landing gear we made thanks to folks in the group. Camping in the Southeast means we can be limited or restricted and this beauty allows us to pull/push our T@G easily over any surface. This one was about $16.

We also did the sink mod thanks to a TON of help from @WilliamA which allows us to drain almost every drop from the tank and added almost 3 useable gallons of water from the 11 gallon tank.

Lastly, we finally purchased the JackIt bike rack. I was a bit disappointed at first because it didn't seem stable, but I inverted the main arm to lower the bikes almost 3 feet. It made the bike rack much more user friendly and put me at ease with the stability and center of balance lower.

HellFish

This small table is my favorite...we use it almost every time we camp. Had enough bracket to allow for install inside the clamshell area or on the side of the T@G. Except for the bracket, I made the whole thing out of scrap stuff I already had in the garage.![]

nichutchy4

https://teardrop-trailers.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/comment/8169#Comment_8169

I definitely want to make something like this! What did you make the leg out of? Is it height adjustable?

HellFish

The leg is just some closet rod stuck in a pvc "t" fitting. I remove the leg from the fitting for travel. You adjust the leg height by tilting it in or out...when it is vertical it is as high as it can go...when you tilt it, it get shorter in a sense and alows you to keep the table level. I'm embarrased to show the underside of the table, but as I said, I made it from spare "stuff"...wasn't sure it was going to work, so, after spending so much on all the accessories we "need", I decided not to spend any more money on this project (except for the about $10 bracket). It works so well, I just left it as it is. Wood glue, stain, marine varnish, scrap wood strips, a few screws and some plastic. If you put a bracket on the side of your trailer, be careful to think about which way is "up" on the bracket. Look at it and think about it...you'll see what I mean. One way limits how much you can tilt the table based on ground height and could cause the bracket screws to pull out. So many different ways to skin a cat---good luck.

HikinMike

Great idea

ontheroad

One of the first things I made for our T@g was a wooden cover, using a wooden pastry/cutting board and some wooden spools, for the stovetop. It allows us a nice countertop to make sandwiches while on the road...

Frogger

Kinda cheesy, but until I switch from fantastic to maxxair fan, this inexpensive cover & 4 Airhead suction cup has served us well during periods of wetness; just remember to remove before leaving the campsite...