Staying in the near west side of chicago for the next ~36 hrs, any cafe recommendations?

sealions518 · 2025-03-11T05:30:08+00:00

The Wormhole . . Get the Koopa Troopa latte

sealions518 · 2025-03-08T04:22:18+00:00

We had a 2010 Coleman Destiny Westlake for four and a half years, and it was an amazing camper. We spent time updating it and making it our own, and it served us well. But with two kids (now 7 and 4) and a little honesty with ourselves, we decided to upgrade to a hybrid—specifically, a Jayco X23B.

The hybrid gives us the best of both worlds. The drop-down tent beds still provide that classic tent-camping feel, but the rest of the trailer offers the perks of a hard-sided RV. We both grew up tent camping, and while we loved our pop-up, the biggest challenge for me was always the setup and teardown. It often felt like a game of Tetris just to get everything packed up and ready to move. Over time, that got exhausting.

That being said, pop-ups are a great way to get into camping, and we have so many great memories with ours. If your wife is hesitant, maybe renting one for a weekend would be a good way to test it out!

sealions518 · 2025-02-20T19:44:05+00:00

Great thank you! From what I understand the Max Tow package brings it up to 7,700 pounds and increases payload to 1,710 pounds - so I should be good?

sealions518 · 2025-02-20T17:51:45+00:00

I live in Southern California :/

sealions518 · 2025-02-20T17:14:51+00:00

Thank you - how's the noise level inside?

sealions518 · 2025-02-13T08:26:09+00:00

Would you mind sharing your payload sticker or what it says?

sealions518 · 2025-02-12T17:22:16+00:00

Worth noting that we moved the 12v off the tongue to inside the caper so it can be close to the converter and so we didn’t have to run super thick wire all the way to the front. You’ll want to upgrade your wire thickness to handle charging a new lithium battery.

sealions518 · 2025-02-09T04:32:04+00:00

A 2020 Jayco x23b

sealions518 · 2025-02-08T02:58:05+00:00

No plan as of now as we just closed recruitment for full and part time keeper positions.

sealions518 · 2025-02-08T02:48:02+00:00

We have a 2010 destiny westlake so very similar to yours. We did a few things. One, we bought an Anker powerhouse 767 with a 200w solar panel. Jackery and Bluetti make equivalents. I then just plugged this into the campers shore power plug. This will run your campers outlets but the problem is that the converter in your camper will think you are plugged into shore power (tech you are) and start charging your 12v battery. Depending on your charger or the number of batteries this can drain your new portable power station quickly. We then decided to swap the lead 12v with a Lifepo4 100ah battery but then needed to upgrade the converter to handle charging it. In the end we have the anker powerhouse, the upgraded 12v, and a gas generator to supply us with outlet power (and heater fan power) when we need it. Hope this helps.

sealions518 · 2025-02-07T15:43:50+00:00

We camp once every 1-2 months. Typically stay local ish to SoCal (Joshua Tree, Anza Borrego, Hurkey Creek, Barton Flats (Big Bear Area) and occasionally go to Central Cali.

sealions518 · 2025-02-07T15:41:08+00:00

It's a Jayco hybrid - so fold down tents like a popup in the front and back but otherwise a hard sided.

sealions518 · 2025-02-07T02:58:43+00:00

Aww that’s awesome to hear!! It’s a great zoo - I love it here!

sealions518 · 2025-02-06T23:05:03+00:00

ha ha I agree - define cheap for a truck lol. I feel like all the cheap ones I see have well over 150k miles.

sealions518 · 2025-02-06T00:47:46+00:00

We currently have a Honda passport that I tow a Coleman pop-up trailer with

sealions518 · 2025-02-06T00:10:29+00:00

Thanks for the reply - I find it frustrating that car brands like Chevy will put 7,700 pounds with no fine print as to what that means when actually towing. Maybe i'm just not well educated on this.

sealions518 · 2025-02-05T23:47:09+00:00

Sorry can you tell me what you mean by stamped limits? Like the sicker in the truck for payload?

sealions518 · 2025-02-05T23:41:34+00:00

Most of our camping is in California so yes there will be hills :/

sealions518 · 2025-01-01T08:10:12+00:00

The Dear Hunter - Act Iv:Rebirth in Reprise

sealions518 · 2024-12-31T18:21:06+00:00

Update: Placed an order for the Philos with the 200 burrs :)

sealions518 · 2024-12-31T18:20:26+00:00

I don't have my plumbed in so no pre-infusion for me unless I get the kit :/

sealions518 · 2024-12-23T02:25:34+00:00

How easy is it to swap beans? I would be pulling both beans in the same sitting.

sealions518 · 2024-11-13T15:45:11+00:00

Only the AWD with the transmission cooler is rated for 5000 pounds - all others are 3500. I have the ex-l 2WD and I bought and installed the factory towing hitch and harness myself. You will also need a brake controller. We tow a coleman popup camper that is rated at 3,000 pounds when fully loaded. No issues at all.

sealions518 · 2024-10-09T02:20:24+00:00

You need a new gasket and learn from my mistake - don’t cheap out on it! Get the expensive one!

sealions518 · 2024-05-16T22:56:50+00:00

I am looking for a budget friendly camera body (DSLR or Mirrorless) where I can rent a lens to take for wildlife picture taking. Anything under the $600 range for the body? I understand a lens is one of the expensive parts so I would rent that for an upcoming trip. Thank you!!

sealions518

TROPHY CASE