New member

[Dsbrew1]

Hello all. I always enjoy forums because you know it is going to be people with the same interests as you for that particular forum. I am recently retired and we currently own a 2015 Forest River Sandpiper 377FLIK. We have had this unit for about a year and the person we bought it from had it sitting in their yard since 2016 when the owner passed away. They thought they’d use it but they are farmers and could never find the time. I fully expected to find some rodent issues but believe it or not, all was clean. The only thing I’ve had to do so far is replace the converter and I may have to replace the inverter. Not sure on that yet. It only runs the residential fridge during a power outage. I definitely have to make sure it works because we are now set up as seasonal after towing for the past 20 years. I also lost the ice maker motor when I winterized last season but we don’t drink the water there anyway.
Our children are slowly aging out. Our oldest stopped going when he was 16 and now we have a 16 year old who is hit and miss with his business. We have a 12 year old so we still have 4 years at least.
We are about an hour and 10 minutes from home to the campground. My mother in law goes with us as often as she can and I enjoy her company. It gets her out of her house and allows my wife to spend just about every weekend with her mother.
We used to tow with a 2006 Ford F-350 Crew Cab Dually. When I retired, my wife bought me a 2019 F150 lariat with the power stroke engine. So still diesel but we have the dually on standby for the event that we either want to move the camper or someone else needs it for the hitch. My son had given me an Explorer when he bought his last car so I gave him the dually with the understanding that if either one needs the others vehicle, it’s just a phone call away. Works out well.
I hope to get as much out of this forum as I have out of all the others I’ve been a member of. Happy camping!

[Wiscampsin]

Welcome from Wisconsin.

[Fun finders]

Welcome from Winnipeg Manitoba

[CurtPutnam]

Welcome from SoCal!

[aceinspp]

Welcome to the forum and congrats on your purchase of a used 2015 Forest River Sandpiper 377FLIK. Enjoy and Later RJD

[spicercars]

Welcome from northern MN.

[Dsbrew1]

Hello All! I’ve been lurking since we started looking to update our 5th two years ago. Ended up buying a 2014 Sandpiper with a front living room. The unit was purchased new but the gentleman had passed away after only using it for one season. Then it sat for about 4 years in his daughters front yard. They had plans to use it but they are farmers and just couldn’t find the time to get away so they decided to part with it while it still had value. It has a few minor quirks here and there but overall, we're very happy with it.
We went from a 36’ 2006 Montana Mountaineer edition with a bunk house to A 41’ Sandpiper. We don’t travel at the moment due to some failed back surgeries and whatnot so we’re seasonal for a few years. I’d like to look into a park model but then I feel like I’m giving up on traveling again so I’m holding on to the last pieces of my dreams by keeping an actual 5th wheel instead of a park model.
I enjoy reading the questions and answers but it’s unfortunate in today’s world that we have a few rabidly nasty members who have never been new to camping or have never damaged there unit themselves by accident. We all started somewhere and I’ve given away more things than I care to remember to new people who were just unprepared for their first trip. It’s no big deal and I’m no better than them. I am glad to help anyone out and I think you’re going to be hard pressed to find me calling someone out for damaging their rig no matter how it happened as long as it wasn’t like drunk driving or anything like that. I know I have had brand new tires blow out with less than 600 miles on them and caused about $2,800 in damage to one of my campers. Another one I had, I was coming home from a trip and we had to go through an area where they had a wind shear (if you’ve never heard of one, they are unreal. They just flatten everything in their paths like a tornado or hurricane but it’s just a very quick burst) and as we rounded a turn, a car coming the other way was in our lane and moving fast. I knew there were branches hanging out but I had one option and that was to pull toward the branches. What you couldn’t see was that the tree had been cut away and facing traffic. The end cut was covered by branches still. Ended up putting a vent in my nose cap. Same ride home, my buddy who was camping with me put a hole in his windshield of his Georgetown motor home on that same branch because I couldn’t call him in time and the same thing happened to him. Car in his lane. It happens to all of us!
Just a friendly reminder or two; it takes no more effort to be nice than it does to be mean and you have NO IDEA what someone is going through. Be nice! Thank you in advance for all the help I’ve already found here .

[aceinspp]

Welcome to the forum and congrats on your purchase. Little long winded for an intro. Might want to post all the other info under the sub forum for 5th wheel Sandpiper. enjoy . LaterRJD

[Tapex]

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on your Sandpiper! Have fun and enjoy the ride, from Central NC

[Chris Pastuzyn]

Welcome to the forum from New Jersey.

[Wiscampsin]

Welcome from Wisconsin.