{"id":4274,"date":"2019-06-04T15:33:41","date_gmt":"2019-06-04T19:33:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/?p=4274"},"modified":"2019-07-22T09:59:12","modified_gmt":"2019-07-22T13:59:12","slug":"first-outing-with-the-coachmen-clipper-17fq","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/?p=4274","title":{"rendered":"First Outing with the Coachmen Clipper 17fq"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Our first camping trip of 2019 was with our Coachmen Clipper 14R&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/01-Car-Trailer-819x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4194\" srcset=\"https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/01-Car-Trailer-819x1024.jpg 819w, https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/01-Car-Trailer-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/01-Car-Trailer-768x960.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8230;.and in early June we took our new-to-us Coachmen Clipper 17fq to the same local campground:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"819\" src=\"https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/01-CoachmenClipper-17FQ-1024x819.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4275\" srcset=\"https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/01-CoachmenClipper-17FQ-1024x819.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/01-CoachmenClipper-17FQ-300x240.jpg 300w, https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/01-CoachmenClipper-17FQ-768x614.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"819\" src=\"https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/03-Kia-Clipper-1024x819.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4276\" srcset=\"https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/03-Kia-Clipper-1024x819.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/03-Kia-Clipper-300x240.jpg 300w, https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/03-Kia-Clipper-768x614.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since it&#8217;s the same brand of trailer, we didn&#8217;t have any trouble figuring out how to get things set up.  (It actually took longer to get the TV programmed than to get the electric, water, and cable connected.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"819\" src=\"https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/02-Clipper-Inside-1024x819.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4279\" srcset=\"https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/02-Clipper-Inside-1024x819.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/02-Clipper-Inside-300x240.jpg 300w, https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/02-Clipper-Inside-768x614.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even the awning went up without a problem. \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/04-Clipper-RearView-1-819x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4280\" srcset=\"https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/04-Clipper-RearView-1-819x1024.jpg 819w, https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/04-Clipper-RearView-1-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/04-Clipper-RearView-1-768x960.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since this was a one-night outing, we packed lightly and didn&#8217;t even bring our propane stove.  We weren&#8217;t sure what we&#8217;d do for dinner, but then we learned that the campground was hosting a dinner for all camping guests in their community building that evening!  Really?!  SO impressed!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"819\" src=\"https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/05-Dinner-campground-1024x819.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4281\" srcset=\"https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/05-Dinner-campground-1024x819.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/05-Dinner-campground-300x240.jpg 300w, https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/05-Dinner-campground-768x614.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/06-Dinner-Campground-819x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4282\" srcset=\"https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/06-Dinner-Campground-819x1024.jpg 819w, https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/06-Dinner-Campground-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/06-Dinner-Campground-768x960.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-2 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/07-Wayne-Dinner-819x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"4284\" data-link=\"https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/?attachment_id=4284\" class=\"wp-image-4284\" srcset=\"https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/07-Wayne-Dinner-819x1024.jpg 819w, https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/07-Wayne-Dinner-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/07-Wayne-Dinner-768x960.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/08-Sharon-Dinner-819x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"4285\" data-link=\"https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/?attachment_id=4285\" class=\"wp-image-4285\" srcset=\"https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/08-Sharon-Dinner-819x1024.jpg 819w, https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/08-Sharon-Dinner-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/08-Sharon-Dinner-768x960.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After this delicious and unexpected treat, we played a few games of pool while listening to live music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-2 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-2 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/10-Sharon-Pool-819x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"4287\" data-link=\"https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/?attachment_id=4287\" class=\"wp-image-4287\" srcset=\"https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/10-Sharon-Pool-819x1024.jpg 819w, https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/10-Sharon-Pool-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/10-Sharon-Pool-768x960.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/09-Wayne-Pool-cropped-819x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"4288\" data-link=\"https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/?attachment_id=4288\" class=\"wp-image-4288\" srcset=\"https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/09-Wayne-Pool-cropped-819x1024.jpg 819w, https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/09-Wayne-Pool-cropped-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/09-Wayne-Pool-cropped-768x960.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It&#8217;s been such a hot, humid, and stormy spring, but we were blessed with beautiful weather.  It was cool enough that evening to enjoy the warmth of a campfire.<br \/><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-2 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/11-Campfire-819x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"4290\" data-link=\"https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/?attachment_id=4290\" class=\"wp-image-4290\" srcset=\"https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/11-Campfire-819x1024.jpg 819w, https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/11-Campfire-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/11-Campfire-768x960.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/14-Temperature-576x1024.png\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"4291\" data-link=\"https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/?attachment_id=4291\" class=\"wp-image-4291\" srcset=\"https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/14-Temperature-576x1024.png 576w, https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/14-Temperature-169x300.png 169w, https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/14-Temperature-768x1365.png 768w, https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/14-Temperature.png 1242w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 576px) 100vw, 576px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"819\" src=\"https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/12-Feet-Campfire-1024x819.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4292\" srcset=\"https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/12-Feet-Campfire-1024x819.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/12-Feet-Campfire-300x240.jpg 300w, https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/12-Feet-Campfire-768x614.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Having the opportunity to get out in the trailer pretty well convinced us that it&#8217;s a good size for us, and the layout (with side dinette) gives us enough room to actually get out of each other&#8217;s way when we&#8217;re both in it.  It definitely has everything that we&#8217;d need for an extended road trip, but I had one major concern: could my Kia Sorento really handle towing it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The dry weight of the trailer is just over 2700 pounds&#8211;still well under the 5000-pound towing capacity of my SUV&#8211;so we decided to put it to the test the next morning by towing up Afton Mountain.  To add to the challenge, we were going to take Rt. 250 West&#8230;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On I-64, the approximately 1200-foot climb happens over a distance of about 5 miles.  By contrast, the distance from the foot of the mountain (starting at the Rockfish Gap Country Store) to the top on Rt. 250  is just a little over 3 miles but it&#8217;s much, <em>much<\/em> steeper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite having the car in &#8220;sport mode&#8221; (which is recommended for towing) AND using the manual shift option to lock it into gear, I ultimately had to downshift to 3rd to creep up the mountain at 35 mph.  Not good.  Seriously, not good; the car felt <em>significantly<\/em> under-powered for this.   (On the positive side, the Kia&#8217;s temperature gauge didn&#8217;t change at all; there were <em>no<\/em> signs of it overheating.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Just when I could have <em>possibly<\/em> gained some speed and shifted to 4th gear, a large RV pulled out from Rt. 6, heading up the mountain.  Since it was <em>also<\/em> going 35 mph, I just fell in behind it and chugged along the rest of the way to the top.  All in all, though, the Kia&#8217;s performance was very disappointing. \ud83d\ude41<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As soon as I get the anti-sway bar hardware mounted on the tongue of the trailer to feel safer about towing the trailer on the interstate, I want to try this climb again on I-64.  <em>If<\/em> I can maintain a speed of at least 45 mph, then <em>maybe<\/em> having the Kia as a tow vehicle for a trailer this size will be do-able.  Dunno.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While Wayne pointed out that there are a lot of places we could go (Westmoreland State Park, Smith Mountain Lake, etc.) that don&#8217;t involve steep grades like what we encountered towing up Afton Mountain on Rt. 250, when you dream of touring the country with a travel trailer, the thought of being limited by geography or elevation isn&#8217;t really a part of that dream, you know?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While I&#8217;m not quite ready to start car\/truck shopping, tentative vacation plans that involved towing our trailer out of state in a couple of weeks were cancelled.  Bummer.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For its size, the Kia offers good gas mileage and comfort for long road trips as well as for daily commutes.  And unless\/until we have the ability to do frequent extended road trips with the trailer, I&#8217;m not sure that it would make a lot of sense to upgrade to a larger, more powerful (and less economical) SUV&#8211;or a truck.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Anyhow, I guess we&#8217;ll do a few more outings with the Kia and Clipper this summer and see how it goes&#8230;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Until next time,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sharon &amp; Wayne  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Our first camping trip of 2019 was with our Coachmen Clipper 14R&#8230; &#8230;.and in early June we took our new-to-us Coachmen Clipper 17fq to the same local campground: Since it&#8217;s the same brand of trailer, we didn&#8217;t have any trouble &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/?p=4274\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":562,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[96,222,219,223],"tags":[217,149,121,184,215,218,216],"class_list":["post-4274","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-adventures","category-camping","category-coachmen-clipper","category-kia-sorento","tag-17fq","tag-afton-mountain","tag-camping","tag-coachmen-clipper","tag-kia-sorento","tag-towing","tag-travel-trailer"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/065-RavensRoost-RainSun-CanvasPrint.jpg","post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4274","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4274"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4274\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4308,"href":"https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4274\/revisions\/4308"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/562"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4274"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4274"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4274"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}