Showing posts with label Brakes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brakes. Show all posts

Sunday, June 29, 2025

Gearing Up for Our Fourth Camping Trip (and a Sneak Peek at the Fifth!)

AI Generated Image Based off of My Post
AI Generated Image
We’re getting ready for our fourth camping trip of the year—and we already have our fifth one planned! I’m especially excited about that fifth trip… more on that later in this post.

We’ve been doing a lot of camping this year, which was one of our goals after last season ended. I’m really happy we’re making it happen. So far, Oliver has joined us on two out of the three trips, and we’re planning to have him with us on the next two as well.

Our fifth trip will be a special one—it’ll be our first time camping with a travel trailer! We had our Honda Pilot equipped with a hitch and wiring harness about a week ago. We’ve already reserved a site and an RV, and now we’re working on getting everything else ready for towing.

One thing we learned is that we need a brake controller installed. Apparently, brake controllers come standard on most trucks, but this was new to me. Back when I used to drive my dad’s truck with a boat attached, I never heard of a brake controller.

After doing some research and talking to a few colleagues, I found out that a brake controller allows the trailer’s brakes to activate when the vehicle’s brakes are applied. It’s a safety feature that wasn’t available—or at least not common—back when I was towing with my dad’s truck.

Right now, I’m trying to get the brake controller installation scheduled so we’ll be ready for our July trip with the RV trailer.

I had budgeted for the hitch and harness, knowing they’d be a big expense, but I hadn’t factored in the cost of the brake controller. One local company gave me an estimate, and it’s definitely another significant cost. Still, I think it’ll be worth it to ensure we’re fully equipped, no matter what kind of trailer we’re hauling.

On a positive note, we’ll be making our final payment on the Honda Pilot in July—no more car payments for a while, hopefully! We’re considering getting a used car to replace the Accord at some point, but there are no immediate plans for that.

We’re really excited to start our RV camping adventures and are hopeful we can get the Pilot ready in time—without breaking the bank.

Until next time, have a great rest of your Sunday and an awesome week ahead!