New toRVing

[oxcamper]

Greetings everyone, To make a long story short, after 40 years of serious backpacking and tenting, these tired 60+ year old bones just cant sleep on the ground any more, or deal with the heat (yeah, it really doesn't matter if it's a dry heat, it's still HOT!) . Anyway, a trip to the Ohio RV show in Cleveland this past January to look for a small tag along ended up with a 2014 Salem Hemisphere 282RK, delivery sometime in mid to late March. I work part time in Middletown, OH but live in the opposite caddy-corner of the state in NE Ohio. We thought a travel trailer would be a good option over purchasing another homestead or throwing good money after bad on a rental. So we took the plunge. We're looking for a semi-permanent site in the Caesar Creek / Waynesville, OH area but also will use the TT for vacation trips. We are really excited about this new adventure. We'll be hauling our home on wheels with a 2010 F250 Super Duty. We have a farm and am very familiar with towing heavy loads both with tag alongs and 5th wheel stock trailers.

I know in our past camping and backpacking experiences, we have always had good fun and run into some of the best people. I have high hopes we will experience the same in the RV world.

Be prepared for lots of "dumb" and "novice" questions. And thank you all in advance for your help, patience, and friendship.

Mark & Vicki

[kerrlakelover]

Welcome Mark and Vicki!!! You'll love the folks who hang out on this forum. No question is dumb if you don't know it. But, I can almost guarantee if you'll search the forum, you'll find your answer in a previous post. Lot's of smart campers here.

[GlacierGus]

Welcome Mark & Vicki!! My background is a lot like yours. I loved backpacking, often solo, but carrying a 50 pound pack through the Boundry Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and sleeping on the ground just wasn't working too well any more. So 2 years ago I also jumped into the RV world and have really enjoyed it. There are a lot of state parks, federal lands, BLM sites etc with campgrounds out there. It is fun to try different parks and wander wherever you feel like driving. So welcome to the forum. There is a lot to learn here.

[jimmac28]

Its always good to bring a backpacker to the dark side, enjoy your trailer and this is a good forum for info. Good luck

[rattleNsmoke]

Welcome to the madness! No question is dumb, just some of the answers you might get. We're all here to help out so feel free to fire away.

[Ford Idaho]

Welcome to the forums from SW Idaho.

Near time to get saddled up, lots of trailers running around here this week.

[Wiscampsin]

Welcome form Wisconsin and congrats on your 2014 Salem Hemisphere 282RK. There are no "dumb" and "novice" questions, just alot of friendly, knowledgeable and helpful people here willing to help you with the learning curve .

[SKnight]

We were all dumb novices at some point, don't let anyone kid you.

Welcome and hopefully a long rving career to you!

[speedcat]

Welcome Ox! I too am a backpacker and still hit the trail as a Boy Scout Leader. We started with a pop up and now, three RV's later, have a fiver. It sure is nice to have a warm dry place to live and sleep when the weather is inclement. Went with my hard core backpacking buddies on a trip to the Smokies not long after purchasing the pop up. I drug it along to use as a base camp and caught all kinds of $%#@. It turned into that weather all backpackers hate...cold 38 degree heavy rain...everyone of those dudes ended up in the pop up to cook and sleep warm and dry...never heard another word from them about owning an RV. Since then some of our best family experiences have been RVing. We travel often with another family and I haul the bikes, kayaks and day packs and get in plenty of hiking, biking and paddling with the comforts of home at the end of the day. I hope you enjoy your new camping adventures as much as we have

[GalsofEscape]

Welcome from Maryland. I also did the boy scout thing both backpack and plop & drop for many years. Most of the backpacking was portions of the Appalchian trail. My son is now married and in the army, so I have since transitioned to a pup. Yeah, DS says that is not "camping" but wait til he gets my age. Congrats on your new camper and many happy memories to come.

There are no dumb questions. I wish I had discovered this forum when I first bought our camper. Would have saved some repair costs. :-( .

[TeresaInCAL]

Welcome Mark & Vicki! Don't worry about the questions, you'll soon find out there is quite the learning curve associated with a TT. There is a LOT to remember! I find making lists help. Hook up lists, inventory lists, shopping lists, set up lists, etc.
I've also started a "camping book", with information about all the info when we go somewhere new. What site #is good, water & dump info. And also the trailer & maintenance info.

[Cover Dog]

oxcamper....sent you a PM