New 2017 A122BH ideas?

[NWA Arkansas]

Hello everyone, We are purchasing our first camper this Friday and was wondering what are some of the items we may need before taking our first camping trip. We have the basics like blankets, paper plates, toilet paper, coolers, and flash lights, etc. Any ideas will be appreciated. Pics are welcomed for cool innovations to the camper.

[Brimare57]

Congratulations on your new camper. You will need a set up to contain your gray water. The pic is what I use. I purchased an Aquatainer from Walmart and a brass elbow and washing machine hose from Home Depot. If you are camping in cooler climates, you may want to get a small ceramic heater. They work extremely well in an A-Frame. That way you do not have to burn your propane.
You may also need the following items:

Axe
Fire Starters
Leveling blocks
Extension cord for your electric (some electrical risers are too far away for the std cord)
Funnel to fill fresh water tank (if no water connection at your site)
Another container to haul fresh water
Door mat

[Bluepill]

If you are planning to camp in cooler weather and will be using battery power to run the propane heat, consider a second battery. It is best to use them in pairs that have date codes close together, so that they balance well when being charged. That means now is the time to get a second one to match the new one supplied with the camper.

Very easy to add a second box:

[pgandw]

We had come from pop-ups prior to our A-frame, so we knew some things.

The dealer should have given you a "starter" kit with the following:

- an adapter for the outside sink drain. I fitted some hose and elbow to drain the sink into a bucket.

- toilet paper and chemicals for the porta-potty. We don't use the porta-potty so that stuff stays at home

- a white hose to connect city water. You will want to add a pressure regulator in case city water is at higher pressure than your A-frame plumbing can handle. I chose a regulator that has a 90 degree bend so that hose hangs down instead of sticking out.

- an adapter to plug your shore power cord into a standard 15-20 amp outlet. I have the hockey puck version. Make sure everything is fully plugged in when using to avoid burnt plugs. The microwave and air conditioner will run fine off a 15 amp outlet, but not at the same time.

If you didn't get a starter kit, you will need/want all the above items (most are available at Walmart).

In addition, we purchased:

- wheel chocks (4) and the orange Leveler lego blocks to put under the low tire to level the camper

- a 2ft level to check our leveling

- 2" or 3" mattress topper. The standard mattresses are miserable. But add a topper and they sleep better than most all hotels.

- we added a 2nd battery to be able to run heater on cold Colorado nights (30s and 40s) for 4 nights. Eventually graduated to two 6V golf cart batteries in single box - $150 for both batteries at Costco, tax included. Also added a marine battery cutoff switch on battery box to keep batteries good while camper is not in use.

- a household wireless thermometer to check fridge temps ($10 at Walmart). Found out fridge was very inconsistent, especially in warm weather. Added Reflectix and more importantly, a computer fan, to exhaust hot air out the top fridge vent. Fridge works like a champ now.

- a water tank fill connection for regular garden hose. Mine is a short length of hose with a plastic valve on it - I think Camco makes it, and is stocked by many RV shops. Attach to hose at home, turn the valve off, stick the hose down the fill port, turn on the house valve and then the fill valve and fill away. No mess, no fuss.

- a reminder to turn off the water pump (switch is inside cabinet under sink so is easily forgotten) before draining the water tank. The pump does not like to be run dry.

I think that's all the critical stuff. The rest you will figure out as you camp, and find out what you use, don't use, and could use.

Fred W
2014 Rockwood A122 A-frame
2008 Hyundai Entourage minivan
camping Colorado and adjacent states one weekend at a time
last trip: Black Hills, Custer State Park
next trip: Utah 5 national parks

[NWA Arkansas]

Thank you for all the suggestions.

[Luv70sFords]

Lots of good stuff above. I will simply add that I love my Anderson leveler. I can have my trailer level and setup in less than 30 min with that thing.

[Pooneil]

Congratulations on the new camper. I hope you make many great memories in it.

Leveling is one of the things many dealers don't go over too well. Many campgrounds have camper pads that slope front to back are even left to right. If you get one of these then leveling won't be needed.

Otherwise, you will need to raise the low side tire. The cheapest way to do this is to cut a deck board so that you can stack multiple layers, if needed, and back the low side tire up on them and chock the tire.

Other ways frequently used on single axle campers are Lynx blocks and a Bal Leveler. Each has its advantages. I solo camp and for ease of setup, I prefer the Bal, which allows me to use a good battery powered drill to level the camper in seconds.

A few other things.

A lock or pin to insert in the hole in the latch on the hitch coupler to prevent accidental lifting.

Take the owner's manual with you.

A notepad and pen to keep track of everything you didn't anticipate.

Directions to the nearest Walmart for everything you didn't anticipate and need right away.

A sense of adventure and fun.

[Maramon]

I am in a similar situation. Purchased a 2017 A214HW late this year, but won't be picking it up until May 17. (Dealer is storing it for and the warranty won't start until we pick it up.) This forum has been a wealth of information. Here is a list of some of the things needed for our AFrame trailer

* Levelers, I am leaning towards bal levelers on Amazon
* Pads for your stabilizers
* power cord, 30 amp
* surge protector
* Water pressure regulator
* Drinking water hose
* RV Water Filter
* Battery drill and socket to raise and lower stabilize
* Volt meter
* Wheel Chocks
* Wheel covers
* Shelf and drawer organizers
* Laundry hamper
* Propane tank fuel gauge
* Drill powered water pump to transfer drinking water from 5 gallon water jug to fresh water tank when site water isn't available

Our dealer is providing a Campground Starter Kit:
* Sewer Hose
* Garden Hose
* Four Pack of Toilet Paper
* Toilet Chemical
* 30-15 Amp Adapter
* RV Wax
* Sponge
* All inside a 5 gallon pail.

[Bluepill]

Good list. I also rely quite a bit on a small digital temperature & humidity gauge to keep the humidity under control. Because the interior air volume is low, the humidity tends to get quite high, even from just normal respiration.

My trick to reduce it is to run the propane heater with the thermostat set to 85 degrees. When it kicks off, I set the A/C to 68 degrees and run it. The A/C dehumidifies hotter air better than cool, so one or two of these cycles usually brings me down to about 40 %.

[ProfChuck]

Great information from everybody, especially for making your checklist of stuff to get. One thing I would also do, after you have made the list and gotten the stuff you think you need, is to actually try it out by camping somewhere close to home. In Michigan, we are usually no more than a half hour away from a campground/state park (actually we are only 15 minutes - closer than our grocery store). Even having camped for over 50 years, when we get a new trailer we take it out on a test run close to home. Just a weekend or maybe even a couple of weekdays should do it. You can always run back to the house for something you missed or check the mail, etc., and keep an eye on the house. Use your lists as mentioned by everyone and see what you use and don't use for the way you camp and the RV/camper you have. Then you can leave on the longer trip and "real camping" with the confidence you have tried everything out and everything is working. I carry a full toolkit with me and find I am lending a tool or wrench, etc. almost every trip. Also, I have a small maul (about the size of a hatchet) that works great for splitting wood. We still add and subtract from our "kit" that goes with us every year which is always part of the camping adventure preparation fun. Hope you enjoy your camping as much as all of us do.

[Pooneil]

Originally Posted by Bluepill

Because the interior air volume is low, the humidity tends to get quite high, even from just normal respiration.

On particularly rainy trips, I have been known to run a ceramic heater and the Coolcat in AC mode at the same time. With the heater pointed at my wettest things, usually the shoes, things gets dried out very quickly.