New TT necessities

[Agewon]

Picking up my new Tracer 3150 next weekend and now I need to start buying the things she's going to need. There's a RV show this weekend, and I'm hoping to put a dent in the list with show pricing.
So now I need a list. Just the bare essentials for the new RV family. What kind of hoses and fittings will I need, and storage of such things? What will I need to stabilize the trailer at the site (already has manual corner stabilizers), and to protect the unit from irregular Cg sources?

ETA- I'm hoping to price out the things you guys recommend and see what the show discounts will be, if any.

[TURBS]

Volt/ohm meter.
Surge protector. "Progressive industries hardwired recommended"
Rhino sewage hose.
Basic hand tools.
Case of beer.
Lego leveling blocks.
X-chocks or the like.
Flashlights.
Ext. Cords
50/30 amp dog bone adapter.
Stabilizer pads.
Water regulator.
Extra water filter.
Bubble levels.
Rv Water hose.
Case of beer.
Spare fuses "15 amp".
Lighter.



That should get you started


TURBS

golf cart safety instructor

[RhoZeta]

*IMHO*
Start at Wally World! Get the rhino sewer hose setup, it has everything you need to dump the tanks proper and works great!! Camco water pressure reducer for your fresh water supply, camco water hose for fresh water and ONLY use it for fresh water. Get a cheap garden hose for black tank flushing and ONLY use it for that. Get a decent level, either stick-on or torpedo type just to get you in the level ballpark. You can use some good wood under the stabilizers or get some plastic ready made ones, I prefer wood as it does not flex and squish like the plastic stacking ones do. Wood is heavier tho. You can get a voltage regulator/spike arrestor, either plug in type or hardwired type, they are fairly expensive but not near as expensive as a new electrical system for the camper would cost if something did go crazy, X-Chocks as well, they work way better than regular old chocks, you will have to get those two at a camping world type place or order online.
Bring a nice toolkit with you just in case. Camco I think has inline disposable water filters as well. Buy all of this stuff cheap at first, find out what you like and then go from there, no need to buy a bunch of high dollar stuff that does the same thing IMHO.
Almost forgot, 30A cord to 15A plug adapter so you can plug her in in front of house! May have a problem trying to run the A/C if cord is too long but everything else will work.

[wrvond]

For bare essentials, all you really need is a fresh water hose and a sewer hose. Everything else is simply there to enhance your comfort.
With that in mind, you're going to need:
1. Chocks - do you want wood or plastic? Wood is more durable, you can even make your own. But plastic is lighter and easier to keep clean.

2. Leveling - again, wood or plastic? I prefer the Anderson levelers. They are easy to use, easy to keep clean, and function as chocks, as well.

3. Water filter - you can get by with the blue Camco units, or you can buy a canister filter from Lowe's, Home Depot, etc. and hook it up outside. Much more efficient.

4. Water pressure regulator - again, you can buy simple, inexpensive regulators that are a fixed value, or you can go to Lowe's or Home Depot, and buy a stick and brick class regulator. Integrate it with your water filter.

5. In their quest for a camper that doesn't rock or bounce when people move around inside, folks augment the corner stabilizer jacks with devices such as 'X' chocks between the wheels of dual axel campers, or JT's strong arm braces on the stabilizer jacks. You can even make your own of these, too. I have Bal braces on my stabilizers and think they are great.

6. Surge guard - whatever you buy, make sure you use it. A good one can save you much grief.

7. Bubble level - these are handy. Currently my bride walks alongside the camper with a 4 foot level as I pull the camper up on the Anderson levelers. Takes about 2 minutes to level up side to side from start to finish. I'm thinking about putting a large level on the front of the camper I can see from the driver's seat.

8. Patio mat/furniture - pretty self explanatory. One thing I include in this is a small tub of water next to the steps. Kick off your sandals/slippers, step into the tub of water, step out onto the mat, enter the camper with clean feet.

9. Tie down straps/anchors - if you have a manual awning, you'll need these. If you have an electric awning, you'll need to make/purchase poles to go with them for your awning. Otherwise, you're going to be retracting it with every stray gust of wind.

10. Screens - any kind of vent on the outside needs screens to keep the mud daubers and bugs out. Heater exhaust, refrigerator vent, etc. Camco sells them to fit all kinds of vents.

11. Grill/fire ring - your choice. Many to choose from.

Accessories for the interior will eat you alive if you let it. I say wait until a need presents itself before spending money on accessories. Pop-a-plate, pop-a-bag, pop-a-whatever, look like good ideas, but you may not need them. Use plastic table ware from home (including lexan martini glasses), unless paper/Styrofoam is more your style. Be aware, Styrofoam does not do well in the microwave.
Command hooks are pretty handy, though. You can buy a variety of sizes for fairly cheap and stick them all over the place. Very handy in bathrooms and closets.
A Shark hand held vacuum is pretty handy and doesn't take up much storage space.

There is a lot more out there to spend your money on, but you are going to have to determine, through experience, what your needs are versus your weight/skill limitations.

[Badlands]

These members have given you some great ideas and advise, and at first, all of this may seem pretty intimidating--not to mention expensive. The good news is that you won't need everything at once, and can comparison shop, just as you'll be doing at the show.

You may want to give Camping World your email address, and get in on their sales and specials. Amazon is another good source, as are many others. The product reviews are also very helpful, once you separate the wheat from the chaff.

This forum is loaded with ideas, and if it's 'out there', chances are good that members here have tired it.

[Weezer]

If there's a Harbor Freight near you, you can find many of the mechanical type items there....small tool set, levels, etc. And they carry *great* wheel chocks. They're rubber wedges with a molded-in handle and the bottoms have teeth molded in to them. Those chocks grip very well on gravel, dirt or pavement. I think we paid $8.00 each for them. Some people have reported that the cheap orange plastic ones have shot out from behind wheels or have even crushed down, resulting in the wheels rolling over them.

I also learned from this forum that the less you extend your stabilizer jacks, the more stable your TT is. We have 8X8 inch wooden blocks that we place under the stab jacks.

As I advised another new TT owner this morning; most dealers throw in a starter kit for free. If it's not offered, ask for it! It will include a sewer hose (aka stinky slinky), sample packets of black tank chemicals, a couple rolls of RV toilet tissue, a white (fresh) water hose, a sample packet of thin rubber gloves and a water regulator.

As you can imagine, none of these items are of "expensive" quality but they're great for getting started.

Whether 30 or 50 amp, that surge guard is essential! The cheapest I found for a 50 amp (not hardwired in) was on Amazon and the shipping was free. Amperage and voltage can vary greatly from one RV park to another. (another valuable bit of info learned here) Low can damage as much as high when it comes to amps and volts for an RV.

A water filter (whether using an inline on the fresh water hose/supply or installed in the RV) is also essential. We had issues early on with grit from an RV park water supply causing blockage on our toilet. The blue in-line type is inexpensive and can prevent expensive repairs.

Many here have talked about construction debris getting into the water lines; plastic shavings, sawdust, etc. Our beloved RVs are shoved down those assembly lines quickly and "stuff" ends up where it shouldn't be in that process.

I'm considering compiling an extensive list of needs and wants when setting up an RV for a first time owner. Hmmmm, might be a good use of some of my down time.

[Weezer]

Originally Posted by Badlands

These members have given you some great ideas and advise, and at first, all of this may seem pretty intimidating--not to mention expensive. The good news is that you won't need everything at once, and can comparison shop, just as you'll be doing at the show.

You may want to give Camping World your email address, and get in on their sales and specials. Amazon is another good source, as are many others. The product reviews are also very helpful, once you separate the wheat from the chaff.

This forum is loaded with ideas, and if it's 'out there', chances are good that members here have tired it.

X eleventy on Camping World. We wanted a couple of zero gravity chairs and while in Florida stopped in at one of their stores. Those chairs are quite expensive, (at Bass Pro they were something like $159.00 ea)but were on sale. While at check out we discovered that if we became members (IIRC $25.00/year) and got the additional discounts, we got those chairs for quite a bit less than half price. Again, IIRC, we paid about $40.00 each for them.

I *love* that Camping World stores are pet friendly....bring 'em on in! The employees love 'em and give 'em treats. Smart business move on their part. Oh, and Camping World also (according to one employee) requires that they put in a certain amount of hours as volunteers. Many choose to volunteer at animal shelters.

[Weezer]

Originally Posted by Agewon

Picking up my new Tracer 3150 next weekend and now I need to start buying the things she's going to need. There's a RV show this weekend, and I'm hoping to put a dent in the list with show pricing.
So now I need a list. Just the bare essentials for the new RV family. What kind of hoses and fittings will I need, and storage of such things? What will I need to stabilize the trailer at the site (already has manual corner stabilizers), and to protect the unit from irregular Cg sources?

ETA- I'm hoping to price out the things you guys recommend and see what the show discounts will be, if any.

Be aware that most dealers have a parts and accessory store where you can buy *many* of the items you'll need, but often the salesman makes a commission on what he gets you to buy. You usually get a discount, but, for example, at our dealer the discount is exactly what you'd pay in sales tax.

The Oxygenics shower head (you'll want one of those eventually) is overpriced at our dealer's parts department. Check Camping World's price first. It's a shower head that injects air into the water stream, using less water while giving you better pressure. Easy swap out.

[Weezer]

You'll find that the towel bar and the tissue holder in the bathroom is not installed. I was told that this is because many complained that their children ripped them out of the thin wall material.

DH and I went for a free standing tissue holder and an over-the-door towel hanger.

The paper towel holder that comes in the unit is very thin plastic and the roll will usually fall out when you tear off a square. Again, DH and I removed the plastic under-cabinet mounted model and went with a free standing model.

[Weezer]

[QUOTE=Agewon;526928]What kind of hoses and fittings will I need, and storage of such things? QUOTE]


Some RVers store their stinky slink inside the bumper, others advise against the because it can rub a hole in the hose, and can cause rust inside the bumper.

I caught the Christmas wreath (round) storage containers on sale at Wal Mart last week. Perfect fit! It's thick/tall enough that you can leave the 90 degree fittings on the hose.

Oh you'll also want to keep some diluted bleach or alcohol gel hand sanitizer on hand to clean up after the black tank emptying or flushing.

In case you're feeling overwhelmed, (grin) remember that many of the things mentioned are wants, not gotta haves.

[Ford Idaho]

LED headlamp, for those times when you need both hands free.

I got three of them at Costco for $9 with batteries.

[Agewon]

I love this forum!!!!
Thanks for all the great info, and for not replying "do a search, it's been covered".
I'm going to come up with a list of everything you guys recommended, prioritize it and then search for the best price on the net. That way when I go to the show I know if it's a good deal or not.
I haven't even picked up the unit yet and I'm already giddy about accessorizing it. Only fear is that the Dw will think she can go out and accessorize her feet to keep things equal.

[iluvlcy]

We have a portable ice maker that we could not live without! No more running out of ice.

[JCamper]

I have the 3150 BHD also and love it! Without repeating all of the great replies, I'll add that it's useful to have some of those disposable latex gloves for the sewer dump time. As for wheel chocks, keep in mind you have a 17" spread between the wheels if you go with a scissor style. I just use the plastic ones and they work fine.

Get yourself a couple of inline LP gas meters from Walmart ($12) and put them on the tanks under your cover. Helps to know where your at at a glance.

IMHO a must have was an electric jack. It only took me 2 trips to the dealership (for upgrades) and they begged me to put one on because the service tech hated cranking that 34' trailer up. After the 2nd visit they gave me a nice discount!

I added a Air Maxx 2 in the back bunk over the vent. You'll find that the AC unit struggles to push back that far. It pulls the air from the front out or visa versa.

If your DW wants to use the oven, get a baking stone, or learn to like burnt biscuits.

There are more nice-to-haves that I could list here, and to each his own on what they consider camping vs. hotel on wheels.
My ol lady is the hotel on wheels type so we have spent $$ on little enhancements that most would laugh at!

Enjoy! Nice to hear another 3150's out there!

[Weezer]

To add to the "want list";
The woven pvc patio rug/mats. This will cut way back on sand/dirt being tracked in to the RV. You can also get Astro Turf step covers which will do the same thing.

(we bought carpet style step covers with our last RV, this time we went Astro Turf...much better!)

[Agewon]

Most of the items on the list are pretty inexpensive, but help me choose the surge protector.
I'll probably go hard wired for security and ease of use, and it seems the major units to consider for 30A are progressive and TRC. Is the progressive unit, with the pendant display worth the extra money?

[Herk7769]

This thread may have some ideas you may not have thought of.

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...ist-16788.html

Herk

[iceblaze580]

Originally Posted by iluvlcy

We have a portable ice maker that we could not live without! No more running out of ice.

One of the best investments I made was buying one of these

[Hudlow]

Shovel and axe....not absolutely necessary, but hard to substitute when you really need one.

[ryand]

Originally Posted by Agewon

Most of the items on the list are pretty inexpensive, but help me choose the surge protector.
I'll probably go hard wired for security and ease of use, and it seems the major units to consider for 30A are progressive and TRC. Is the progressive unit, with the pendant display worth the extra money?

I initially went with the hardwired version by TRC then after looking at the details I had concerns about using a generator with it installed if the generator should trip out or become overloaded...Ultimately decided on the portable unit plus if/when we get a new trailer it goes with me. Also the hardwired unit will need access to view if there is an issue or a separate display to diagnose the issue. The portable unit's built in display solves this. I have been happy with it and i have not worried about theft....most folks with RV's are a solid bunch.