Tips
Many of these tips may be obvious to experienced campers but I thought at least some of this might be useful to someone. Of course, I own stock in anything I suggest by brand name and I will make a fortune if you buy it. (Just kidding.) Many of these suggestions become more applicable the longer and further you are away from home.
Some of the Tips for Beginners may be useful if you have less than 10 camp grounds to your credit. Or even if you have more.
If it has been cold and rainy, you can hang towels inside your vehicle and they will dry faster as you travel than in the camper. Heat or AC will dry them even quicker. Backpacker towels work fine and dry quickly.
Finding the location of a camp ground on the road
Find the camp ground on Google Earth and write down the GPS coordinates for the entrance for the camp ground. You will find that at least 10% of camp grounds have vague addresses that the GPS can only get you close to. This works best to do when you have a decent Wi-Fi signal as it may be hard to find on the road. My car GPS can use GPS coordinates – I suspect that many can. I have found this to be a big help. (Note: This worked great on my Toyota Highlander but my Subaru Outback only lets this work if the GPS coordinates are close to some already named area.)
Cooking and Cleaning
In the morning, picnic tables can be covered with dew. I carry a knee pad for gardening to sit on. It is comfy and keeps you from sitting in the dew.
I recommend Aqua Paks for carrying water. There are filters that can be used for natural fresh water sources but I have never used the one I carry. I save it for emergencies.
Use Scrubs to save water – see above.
Buy a charger pack or two for tablets and cell phones. You really only need a generator for an air conditioner or a CPap machine. Nothing ruins camping for me more than the sound of a generator. Well, maybe blackflies.
Aliner Specific
Chain hooks at Tractor Supply are better than the ones that come with the Aliner. I have had the Aliner hooks pop off my car more than once so I replaced them.
Lower the fantastic fan and lock it with the lever before you hit the road.
When the air conditioner breaks, which it will, replace it with a portable one. Then you can replace it if it conks out on a long trip. Having gone through two and the last one only lasting two weeks, that is just my two cents.
Trailer specific but not Aliner specific
Uncle Norm’s Never Miss Hitch works well as a hitching aid. To install it, you unscrew the trailer ball from the bottom, add the vertical piece, and screw the bottom nut back on. I used a pipe wrench. You only need to do that once. When you use it for hitching, you slip the yellow flat pieces on to the vertical piece temporarily while you back up the car and they help guide the trailer coupler over the ball. It works great when you are by yourself and may keep you from banging the back of the car with the trailer coupler.
The Ultimate Trailer Jack works well to add height on sloping sites. It is easy to install. Prop the front of the trailer on blocks, remove 3 bolts, take out the old jack, put in the new jack, put the bolts on to hold the new jack, crank up the front of the trailer with the new jack, and remove the blocks.
As you stuff the electric cord back in the camper, run it through your hand to remove moisture, dirt, grass clippings, tardigrades, etc. This prevents a buildup of a miniature ecosystem that may allow fungi and small critters to flourish in your camper.