Our First Trip - a week away!

[Mrs.Shockley]

I'm going to read more later, but before I head for my bed...

Battery disconnect ON means the battery is connected and battery disconnect OFF means the battery is disconnected?

In what language does that make grammatical sense?

[DouglasReid]

Originally Posted by Mrs.Shockley

I'm going to read more later, but before I head for my bed...

Battery disconnect ON means the battery is connected and battery disconnect OFF means the battery is disconnected?

In what language does that make grammatical sense?

The device has a name, it is a Battery Disconnect Switch.

It has two positions. In the ON position the battery is connected to the rest of the system, it is therefore ON.

In the OFF position the battery is disconnected from the rest of the system, therefore it is OFF.

Make more grammatical sense now?

[5picker]

I hope you are enjoying the weekend.
You DO NOT HAVE to dump before traveling.

Many folks do if they have no way to do so at their next destination, be it home or the storage facility and since you dont want the tanks sitting full(ish) until your next trip out where you can dump, it makes sense to dump before leaving.

With that said.... IF you have a place to dump at your storage facility as you mentioned, I prefer to travel home and let things slosh and break up on the trip home.

And before those who will chime in and say... "You have to dump because you don't want to be carrying around all that weight", I say BS. If you own a R/V where you can't carry the weight of full tanks, you've purchased the wrong setup. The entire premise of a R/V is to be able to use it. EVERY part of it.

You sound like (from your many prior posts before even getting your R/V) you've done a good job of thinking things out. Enjoy and have a great trip. It's all about the journey!

Oh... and for those saying only look for pull-through sites... you'll miss out on MANY of the best camping spots, in campgrounds all over the country, by not learning how to back and maneuver your R/V.

[larryo]

Make sure to let us know how it went.

[pkmkaz]

Originally Posted by 5picker

Oh... and for those saying only look for pull-through sites... you'll miss out on MANY of the best camping spots, in campgrounds all over the country, by not learning how to back and maneuver your R/V.

To your point, anyone who drives anything, whether car, truck RV etc.... if they can’t back up they shouldn’t be driving.

[mjones12]

Originally Posted by 5picker

I hope you are enjoying the weekend.
You DO NOT HAVE to dump before traveling.

Many folks do if they have no way to do so at their next destination, be it home or the storage facility and since you dont want the tanks sitting full(ish) until your next trip out where you can dump, it makes sense to dump before leaving.

With that said.... IF you have a place to dump at your storage facility as you mentioned, I prefer to travel home and let things slosh and break up on the trip home.

And before those who will chime in and say... "You have to dump because you don't want to be carrying around all that weight", I say BS. If you own a R/V where you can't carry the weight of full tanks, you've purchased the wrong setup. The entire premise of a R/V is to be able to use it. EVERY part of it.

You sound like (from your many prior posts before even getting your R/V) you've done a good job of thinking things out. Enjoy and have a great trip. It's all about the journey!

Oh... and for those saying only look for pull-through sites... you'll miss out on MANY of the best camping spots, in campgrounds all over the country, by not learning how to back and maneuver your R/V.

Yes, I have found that back-in sites tend to be much more private.

[Mrs.Shockley]

Originally Posted by DouglasReid

The device has a name, it is a Battery Disconnect Switch.

It has two positions. In the ON position the battery is connected to the rest of the system, it is therefore ON.

In the OFF position the battery is disconnected from the rest of the system, therefore it is OFF.

Make more grammatical sense now?

Actually, no. If you turn ON a DIS-connect it should disconnect it. LOL. They should just call it the battery switch. But I get it.

Originally Posted by 5picker

You sound like (from your many prior posts before even getting your R/V) you've done a good job of thinking things out. Enjoy and have a great trip. It's all about the journey!

Oh... and for those saying only look for pull-through sites... you'll miss out on MANY of the best camping spots, in campgrounds all over the country, by not learning how to back and maneuver your R/V.

Yeah....I tend to over-think. .

We did practice backing up. Well need more. Our truck has this cool back up assist feature, but we have to do all the input into the computer still.

Folks I can't thank you enough for all the tips. It is just a weekend, 50 miles from home. The site is a back in, but the lady said they are planning on making it drive thru so they let you drive thru if you want on the grass. We're not concerned about dumping. No, they DON'T have a central dump. We'll live! It's two nights. People who boondock have to drive before they dump after all.

Again...I can't thank this community enough for the pointers! You're the best!

[AdamKam]

We go down to the Texas coast for the months of October and November. They are the best months to camp in Texas. Rockport has a great selection of campgrounds.

[MisterShockley]

Originally Posted by Geobound

Bring a spare set of keys for both the TT and the TV, and keep them separated. Spare TV keys in the trailer, spare trailer keys in the TV.

Aside from that I think everything else has been nicely covered.

Have fun!

Both will be in the TV. One of the nice things about the used vehicle we got was it had almost ALL the bells and whistles for towing!! Except extended mirrors?? Still trying to figure that one out. Anyway, the TV actually has keyless entry so we just have to set a code we can remember.

[MisterShockley]

Originally Posted by Larry-NC

Note that this takes place by means of an internal ammonia "fountain." It is ESSENTIAL that you do not run the refrigerator if the trailer is parked at a steep angle. The ammonia will not go where it is supposed to go and will destroy the refrigerator. It's okay to drive up a steep hill for a few minutes with the refrigerator on, but don't park on one.[/I]

Thanks, we are aware of this. Part of the reason its kind of hard for us to set up because we cant really park the camper at the house for a day or two to start setting up, prepping the fridge, etc...

This our first trip and is only for a weekend so we wont need to bring much. We will also be only five or ten minutes from a convenience store and 20 minutes from a tow so will be easy to pick up supplies after the fact.

[MisterShockley]

Originally Posted by Larry-NC

When getting your space, ask if you can have a "pull-through." Like in a shopping center where you pull through one parking space to the second one so you don't have to back out, you can do the same thing at a campground if available.

If you stop for fast food, be sure to park at the edge of the lot so you can pull out.

Be wary of gas stations. Stop where they have spacious lots and use the end pump.

Technically, our spot isn't pull through but the park has told us they allow people to do so. Shouldn't be an issue.

We're only going an hour away so gas stations and fast food won't be an issue THIS trip. Have one coming up in early October that will be 9 days so will be a consideration then.

[MisterShockley]

Originally Posted by DouglasReid

The device has a name, it is a Battery Disconnect Switch.

It has two positions. In the ON position the battery is connected to the rest of the system, it is therefore ON.

In the OFF position the battery is disconnected from the rest of the system, therefore it is OFF.

Make more grammatical sense now?

LOL! I think what she means is if its called a "battery disconnect switch" then on should mean disconnected. We understand the difference, she's just trying to be funny!

[jamie1972]

Congrats on the new camper! Our storage facility also has a dump, BUT there isnt a regular water hose...only a tiny sprayer. This isnt anywhere near what one needs to dump properly. SO, I would recommend you double check your storage dump setup to make sure you will have access to water with good pressure for cleaning your tanks. The last thing you want to do is just pull the valves, let it drain, shut the valves, and park it. You will very quickly encounter the dreaded "poo pyramid" if you do not flush out your black tank. Good luck!

[Egghead4life]

Excellent support for your first week out... consider notes on an iPad/cell phone as you can save/send details to repair shop if needed down the road and snap pix to insert if needed. Also, if no common dump in campground, there is a free app you can get on phone or computer for RV DUMP STATIONS- which I use as a free guide when needed. ENJOY! And remember when you think “OH NO...” in new rigs, it can be operator unfamiliarity, so check books, ask others, do a Google search... sometimes it’s much easier than we feared!

[Jrod]

Chock your tires properly BEFORE unhooking from tow vehicle. Even if you think your spot is perfectly level. At some point you will see someone who forgets and it can get scary in a hurry. I’ve seen it happen 3 times myself. Also, your awning is nothing more than a kite in the wind. Roll it up when away from camper or even at night. One strong gust of wind can ruin your trip. Have patience, be safe, and have fun!!

[rthomaslyons]

It’s always a good idea to take your first trip or first trip of the year close to home just in case you need to run home for something. We are experienced campers and still manage to forget a few things on our first trip out each year. We also take different things with us depending on the type of camping we are doing like dry camping in a mosquito infested swamp as opposed to staying in an RV Resort. Have fun always.


Richard

Originally Posted by Mrs.Shockley

Boy are we ready to get the trailer and GO! We picked up our TT on July 27 and it's just been parked. We can't even park it by our house thanks to the tiny, steep lot we've got, so it's in a storage place nearby.

Today I reserved a spot in a campground about an hour and a half from home. It's got great reviews and our spot has a big "yard" area around it so we're not going to be stuck up against another RV. There's a little fishing (catch and release) lake and some trails and a pool etc., but mostly, this is just us learning what we can. The only downside is there is no dump at our site, water/electric only, but that's okay because the RV Storage lot has one and we can dump when we get back. It's just a weekend...won't be like we'll fill her up.

So...any pointers for rank amateurs?

[Lifestylers]

5 Years and only 27K miles towing....
2 Years on DP, 38K.....
You need to get busy....LOL

[Mrs.Shockley]

We have the little trip this weekend. We may go visit a friend who happens to have an RV hookup over Labor Day. Maybe not. Sept 6 we are definitely going to a small campground about 3 hours north for a couple nights. Then the first week of October we have a beautiful spot in Kentucky by a lake.

We have two other 3-day weekends; Columbus Day and Veterans Day. Maybe we'll find some little spots then too.

Guess that'll do for this year.

[Rebel1448]

You don't say what cg you are going to but you mention that not ALL sites have a waste hookup. That leads me to believe that some do. That usually would indicate that they would have a common dump site as you leave the cg. Also they should have a honeypot.

[gcisom]

When you set up, especially the first time, the word is focus. If someone comes by to visit, stop and visit. Then continue setting up after the visit. There will be plenty of time for conversations later. And those conversations will be much more fun after a successful set up.

Enjoy