Frequently  
Asked  
Questions  

If your vehicle came equipped with a 7-prong connector, it may or may not be wired for charging. Check with your mechanic to determine if it is properly wired.

Aftermarket battery isolators and 7-prong connectors can be installed on almost any vehicle. Check with your mechanic or RV service center to have this done. If you feel you can do the work yourself, contact Camp-Inn if you need help finding battery isolators or connectors.

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Do I need a battery isolator?

To avoid another question, I will first explain what a battery isolator is:
A battery isolator is basicly an electrical switch that connects the trailer's battery to the tow vehicle's alternator when the alternator is charging, (engine running) and disconnects it when the alternator isn't charging (engine off). A battery isolator prevents you from draining the tow vehicle's battery when you are using the trailer DC. (So you can start your engine in the morning)

You can achieve the same result by unplugging the trailer connector every time you shut off your engine, and connecting it after you start the engine. But, if you forget to disconnect it, you may have a dead battery and if you forget to reconnect it, you won't have tail lights or trailer brakes.

The battery isolator can be installed in the trailer or in the tow vehicle. Camp-Inn offers a trailer mounted battery isolator. Consider the following Pluses and minuses when deciding whether to have the battery isolator mounted in the tow vehicle or teardrop trailer.

TOW VEHICLE:

TRAILER:

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How do I wire the 7 pin connector?

RECOMMENDED WIRE GAUGE
#	COLOR	GAGE	CIRCUIT
1	WHITE	10	GROUND
2	BLUE	12	ELECTRIC BRAKE
3	GREEN	14	RUNNING LIGHTS
4	BLACK	10	BATTERY CHARGE
5	RED	14	LEFT TURN
6	BROWN	14	RIGHT TURN
7	YELLOW	14	BACKUP LIGHTS

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Will I be able to see around the 5 foot wide trailers with my car?

All states require you to have two mirrors capable of seeing behind you. If you have two side mirrors, here is an easy test: Roll down the windows and measure between the inside edges of the mirrors. If it is greater than 5 feet, you will be able to see past a 5 foot trailer without extension mirrors.

If it is less than 5 feet or if you don't have two side mirrors, you will need trailering mirrors or mirror extensions. These are available at most auto parts stores.

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What construction methods Does Camp-Inn use?

Unlike standard RV's and Pop-Ups, Camp-Inn uses All Plywood Construction.
All wood parts are thoroughly coated with Marine grade varnish before final assembly. Even if you can't see it.
Corners are gussetted, glued and screwed together for strong joints.
Camp-Inn Teardrops are built with long life, low-maintainence and durability in mind.

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Why don't you use painted steel fenders?

The fenders on any trailer recieve alot of punishment. Stones and road debris are thrown up from the tow vehicles tires and hit the fenders, even if you only drive on paved roads. It doesn't matter how good your paint is, or how slow you drive, painted fenders will chip and rust.
Our original prototype used painted steel fenders, similar to most of our competitors. After driving down about 20 miles of gravel road, the front of the fenders were sand-blasted. The fronts of the fenders were chipped and pitted from stones thrown up by the car's rear tires. The fenders looked bad and after one rainstorm, rust started forming in the pits. We realized that in order to remain looking good, the fenders would have to be repainted. We decided to change to two low maintainance options. Lower cost high impact plastic fenders and more expensive stainless steel fenders.
The plastic fenders are a virtually indestructable fender that will take bumps, scrapes, stones and debris without breaking or chipping.
For the coustomer that is more concerned with styling, we have our custom designed stainless steel fender. This fender is not painted so it won't chip or peel and it will not rust. It is easily cleaned and looks great for years to come.


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Why don't you use gas struts on the hatch?

Short Answer: Because they don't work well for this application.
Long Answer: The way that gas struts work is they use a compressed gas pushing on a piston to open and hold open the hatch. The problem with gas struts is that they need to be cycled (opened and closed) on a regular basis (at least a couple times a month). Every time you cycle a gas strut, the seals are automatically lubricated with a small amount of oil. This oil helps the seals work properly, keeping the compressed gas inside the strut.
If the gas strut is not cycled regularly, the seal dries out and the compressed gas slowly leaks out. When the compressed gas leaks out, the strength of the gas strut is reduced. In the case of a rear hatch on a teardrop, the hatch may remain closed for several months at a time, during winter storage, giving the seals plenty of time to dry out and allow the compressed gas to leak out. After a storage season or two, enough compressed gas leaks out that the gas strut does not have enough strength to hold the hatch open (especially in cooler weather).

At Camp-Inn, we invented an automatic mechanisim to hold the hatch open. The hatch prop mechanisim automatically engages when you open the hatch. Just open the hatch and the prop rod slides into place. Release the hatch to lock the prop rod into place. To LOWER the hatch, simply lift the hatch to unlock the prop rod and using your other hand, gently slide the prop rod inward as the hatch is lowered. Click Here for an animated picture of our automatic hatch prop mechanisim.

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How much does one cost?

That depends on what features and options you would like on your's. Check out our Models,Features, and Options pages to determine what you would like.

Then go to our Pricing page to estimate the price of a Camp-Inn with the features you want.

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Why are your trailers more expensive than your competitors?

We get asked this quite often. Most of our competitors "top of the line" units are similar in features and options to our more basic packages. We offer packages and options that go far beyond what our competitors offer. Comparing our "top of the line" to their "top of the line" is not an even comparison, so we created a few quick comparison charts to match feature-to-feature. Click Here to view the comparison charts.

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What if I'm really tall?

Answer: It may be hard to believe, but the Camp-Inn 500's and 550's have a Queen size bed. That's 6 1/2 feet long and 5 feet wide! If that isn't enough, the 560 model has a couch at the front that can be dropped down so the cushion is flush with the mattress. If you put your pillow on the couch, it effectively makes the bed about 8 feet long.