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Old 06-12-2016, 06:21 PM   #1
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Camping in the woods, but my woods

First, I gotta say I'm having a hoot of a time so far. (about 48 hours of being an RV'er)

Although I've still got work to do for setting up the "permanent" homespot for this little Tiny-house on wheels, I couldn't resist leveling it all up and hooking into shore power and utilities just to put it through its paces.

First thing I did was go fetch one of those 3 point hitch trailer dollies for the tractor. Man does that make it quick and easy. I shoulda had one of these years ago for repositioning my trailers.

Maneuvering the Aerolite around tree branches and various other potential snags to get it where I could temporarily play with it was far less risky.

Anyways, plugged everything in and the first real test was seeing if that AC could actually do its job in coastal Texas summer heat. Unlike at the RV dealership where it was demo'd under a roof, this time that thin-skinned little dwelling was in direct sunlight, 90's F, and 100% humidity.

It took it a few minutes, but set at 72, it hit it, cycled, and had a nice steady drip going from the gutter spout. Very pleased! And by dusk, it was coasting at keeping it nice and chilly inside. And I love the option of dumping cold air or using the ducting instead.


So with TEST #1 accomplished, I moved in.


Slept great. Read all my manuals. Peaked in and under everything. Pushed every button. Short of hot water or showering, I "used" every feature. All has worked as expected.


I really am enjoying it and feeling like some silly kid.


My son stopped by and found me in the RV instead of the house and just shook his head. "Dad, what are you doing?"


I didn't even look up and said "what ya think I'm doing son at 9PM? What your dad is always doing at 9PM. Reading my book, listening to a little music, fixing to climb in bed"


He stared at me for a second, I hid my grin, and he backed back down the stairs and said "Alright. Well night dad. Guess I'll see ya at church in the morning".


Night son.


I watched his taillights on his Cummins head on down the drive.


Life is good. Even a bit better now since I can take that boy fishing and not have to live out of the truck all night.
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Old 06-12-2016, 07:01 PM   #2
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Oh, and Dawniewest, fyi, I was taking some measurements for freeing up that potential "dance floor" and much to my surprise the width between the 2 closets is 74 1/2". The depth from the head of the King Size mattress to the edge of the platform is 54 1/2".

Do you know what 75 x 54 is?

Yep, that's the size of a regular Full mattress!

No need for a custom mattress or removing one of the little closets.

Now if I take out that added under-mattress storage box I have that dance floor. No skillset required beyond a Bosch cordless drill with a screwtip chucked up. Lol

If you look at the Aerolite floorplans side by side, I have several options to use that space as features available in the longer models. Not sure what I'd do, but it sure is fun dreaming up a real good use for it. For sure some dresser drawers on that wall next to the door. Got 31" to work with. Shoe closet at floor level for my wet boots. A few drawers for socks and such. Small countertop for emptying my pockets at night. And a hat hook for my cowboy hat.

Did I say I'm loving this little 213 yet?
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Old 06-12-2016, 08:46 PM   #3
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1st Night

Oh the joys of spending the first night in the RV. Especially sweet when everything works. Enjoy, and congratulations again.
Rusty
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Old 06-12-2016, 09:46 PM   #4
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Very Nice Post

That is the type of post that really makes me appreciate this type of forum. Big smile as I was reading, and of course extra interest having the same trailer. Looking for the boot to fall at some point in the story and it just got better. Very Nice Post.
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Old 06-12-2016, 09:58 PM   #5
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Originally Posted by snakebitten View Post
Oh, and Dawniewest, fyi, I was taking some measurements for freeing up that potential "dance floor" and much to my surprise the width between the 2 closets is 74 1/2". The depth from the head of the King Size mattress to the edge of the platform is 54 1/2".

Do you know what 75 x 54 is?

Yep, that's the size of a regular Full mattress!
That's good news, we want some pics when you get it done.
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Old 06-14-2016, 02:31 AM   #6
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Ripped it out!

Absolutely thrilled with my new dance floor.
This little 21 footer just keeps getting bigger!

Not in a hurry to decide how to reallocate the space. But I'm loving the easy access to the overhead cabinets now. Add a dresser to that wall by the door. I have PLENTY of room now for clothing.

Might move my big overstuffed reading chair from my house into the tiny-house.
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Old 06-14-2016, 02:12 PM   #7
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Ripped it out!
Absolutely thrilled with my new dance floor.
This little 21 footer just keeps getting bigger!
That added a massive amount of space, and looks like you did a better than factory install. Good stuff.
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Old 06-14-2016, 02:28 PM   #8
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Turning Bed

That came out perfect. The accessibility to the closets and the above storage is priceless. Very nice.
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Old 06-17-2016, 07:34 PM   #9
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I was sitting on the end of the King size mattress while my guests were lounging in the dining booth. We were close enough to each other for it to be an appropriate gathering. In fact, the kitchen countertop was where I set my glass of Iced Tea. I barely had to reach for it.

Now?

I'm on the new mattress and the kitchen is Waaaaaayyyyy over thereeeeeeeeee. lol

I need a chair. I want the most comfortable 1-person, overstuffed, sit and read and visit and snooze and.............chair that I can fit through the door. Not looking for BIG, but rather looking for quality\comfort. Do I go to a furniture store with a tape measure to see if it will go through the door? Or should I stick with the RV-furniture designers that already take that into consideration?

I see stuff on the RV furniture sites that look good on paper. But I wanna sit in the chair and confirm that magic "ah, THIS is my chair" moment, before buying if possible.

I've already stayed enough nights in the new Aerolite that it feels like home when I settle in at night. I'm having a hoot of a time even though my kids think dad has lost his mind camping out in the yard.
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Old 06-18-2016, 12:08 AM   #10
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With a lot of recliners you can remove the back to make them small enough to fit through the door. RV furniture seems to be hit or miss. IMHO it has a tendency to run on the small side for me (I am 6'-2" 225#) There may be some out there that is full sized, but I haven't run across much. Also it seems to be more expensive for what you get, possibly due to limited numbers being made compared to house furniture.

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Old 06-18-2016, 02:49 AM   #11
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Thanks Aaron.

I really appreciate your dedication to help around here. There's no substitute for seat time and a newbie like me can skip way ahead on lots of the learning curve (mistakes and regrets) with access to the ole pro's.

I'm now determined to find a chair I can touch first. "My chair" in the big house is the standard I'm gonna hold to. The RV equivalent is out there somewhere.
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Old 06-18-2016, 04:03 PM   #12
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Take a trip to your local Lazyboy store, you won't find anything in an RV store that comes close to the comfort of a Lazyboy.
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Old 06-18-2016, 08:26 PM   #13
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Lazyboy will come apart and fit?

That's good news. Gotta be a Lazyboy that fits me. (if ya know what I mean )
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Old 06-18-2016, 10:43 PM   #14
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Lazyboy will come apart and fit?

That's good news. Gotta be a Lazyboy that fits me. (if ya know what I mean )
We have a LazyFamily aka Lazyboy sofa and the backs come off. It works great, me on one end, wife on the other end and the dog in the middle.

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Old 06-19-2016, 04:21 AM   #15
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Got home from an adventurous day of kayak fishing, (storm blew in and the kids couldn't get back to shore) and a couple of boxes were on the porch.

Took a flashlight to deploy them but I installed two of those small screw jacks made for the first step of your 3-step entrance. Oh yea, THAT was what I was looking for. Zero give. Solid as a rock.

Then I installed a couple of those steal Eaz-Lift screw jacks under the frame right at the suspension area. Again, immediate improvement. As short as this Aerolite is, now there is ample stabilization with front & back stabilizers and the screw jacks about centered. If it were longer, it might have needed another pair.

Starting to be like home sweet home.
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Old 06-25-2016, 02:25 AM   #16
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LazyBoyBliss

You guys were dead on!!
I researched. I measured, I read reviews. I visited the LazyBoy store.
The lady asked "Can I help you?" and I stated to her the exact model I was there to see. She said "follow me" and then she navigated through a stuffed-with-inventory floor right to the spot where it sat......waiting for me to verify.

Ahhhhhhh. It was everything I read it was.

I'm so pleased with the minor modifications I have done to this little Aerolite. It is so LIVABLE now. And I now have the perfect reading spot with plenty of dance floor left.

Recliner is amazingly narrow (27")and is the wall model, so as it reclines it moves\slides away from the wall. Just brilliant. Reclines to 90% horizontal.

Thanks fella for excellent advice. I am very grateful!
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Old 06-26-2016, 03:16 AM   #17
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I've spoken well of my dealer when I posted bout them. And nothing has changed my opinion at this point.
However, I'm kind of surprised to discover a couple of things that are different than what I was told.

My VIN number is listed as a 2017 model by my insurance company and is listed as such on my proof of insurance. I told them I was pretty sure it is a 2016 in all my purchase documents, but they stated they have to insure it as a 2017 because the VIN number dictates it.

Then last night I was just poking around and looking things up. You know, crawling around and taking pictures of stuff to get serial numbers and read about pumps and inverters and appliances............

Anyways, I looked up what rooftop AC I have and it turns out it is a Dometic Brisk II 15,000 BTU. Again, my sales documents and literature all are listed as the 13,500 BTU unit. (The 15K is an upgrade option)

Again, I'm not complaining. lol
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