this is all new to us

HI dukesbone. The advice about camping close to home for the first outing is pretty spot-on. Given that it is almost January, and you're leaving in March for the southland, I think you should plan a driveway campout as noted by others. Most campgrounds in the east are closed, but not all, so the driveway might be it.

What is important is backing into a site, leveling the RV, and hooking up and the reverse. You should be able to do this in your driveway. Learn where to hook up the sewage hose, and how to work the dump valve. By practicing a bit now, it will be easier when you do it for real. Learn how you will communicate with your partner when backing, e.g., what means back-end left, what means stop?

Do you know how to run the genset? Can you operate the hot water heater? (Don't put water in the RV yet, keep it winterized).

Lastly, on your trip south, try to keep to interstates for your first trip. You won't have to worry about low bridges, or narrow lanes (except construction zones). Look for gas stations before you really need it, so if the RV won't "fit" in a station, you can move on. That is one reason why we like to gas up at truck stops. Also, watch for rear-end swing when in tight places like gas pump areas. Good luck on your trip. We are leaving early Feb.

Thanks for the quick replys.As far as a short "Shake down trip"its almost january in the frozen north east and the weather usualy dosent break here untel early april and the RV is in winter storage until we get it out for packing.

Camp locally a few times - you will need to figure out what setup and tear down look like and you don't want to do this when you are exhausted from travel. We have our first class B and have been camping in it 5 times and are still refining our processes - and this is not our first camper!

I also agree that you should take a short trip before you head out on a long trek. Remember less is more and weight is a factor and everything you bring in adds weight. You can buy most anything you need on the road at Walmart or the Dollar Store (great place to buy storage and organization items). Start a list by category of what you'll need that you may forget like can opener or wine opener (a must!). Do a list for Food, Kitchen, bath, linens, then a list for outside. Get Corelle open stock dishes from Walmart (4 ea. plate, cup, bowl). Get a 4 pack of plastic drinkware. We use paper plates to limit dish washing. 2 skillets: sm and lg. 3 pots: sm, med, lg. Small appliances like toaster, coffee maker. We bought the simple Mr Coffee with no fancy clocks or timers. They seem to work better with our inverter. For clothing keep it simple. We never wear anything but jeans and shorts and tee shirts. A light rain jacket. For food, get a plastic bin and start putting stuff in it now so you can take it back out. Canned goods weigh more than dry goods so we limit how many canned goods we buy and haul around. You can buy more on the road. We can't get by without our 2 folding chairs and our gas BBQ grill. Also a small box fan for outside in Florida will help with bugs. A step stool or small step ladder and a small tool kit with the basics. When you dump the tanks, make sure the hose is correctly connected at the RV. When we were newbies, we learned this the hard way! For your first few trips, plan on traveling 3-4 hours and stop at a campground early. Make sure you know your route and stops and plan your fuel stops so you don't get stressed. Later you can "wing it". Once you leave, relax and enjoy and be patient with yourself. You will learn as you go. For the first year our night reading was manuals! LOL.

At the top of this forum is a 'sticky thread' Frequently asked questions about Class Cs

Don't forget to lower the TV antenna before driving from campsite. Change lanes carefully watching out right mirror for small cars and motorcycles. Learn to downshift climbing or descending steep grades. Don't let following traffic goad you into going too fast around curves, pull over when safe. If any of your tires are older than 5 yrs by date codes, have them replaced. Have brake fluid replaced as part of brake system checkout. Have cooling system checked including all belts and hoses. Make sure that everything works and learn how to operate RV generator, furnace, water heater, fridge, and fresh and waste water systems. Make a check list of things to take that can't easily be bought along the way. When in doubt, get out and check clearance overhead and objects behind you. Your house batteries will last about 3 days if fully charged and in good condition. They are slowly charged by you engine's alternator while driving and by the converter charger when you are parked and connected to "shore power".

As downtheroad just said, start with a short trip before you go halfway across the country.

The main advice I would offer would be to travel as light as possible. There are literally hundreds of "gadgets and gizmos" you could buy at the camping store, but most of this stuff you can live without. It is a real temptation to carry way more than you need. In our case, my wife and I started out with all kinds of dishes, cookware, folding chairs, portable tables, etc. Most of the time I just hauled it around and did not use it. We gradually unloaded the stuff we didn't need and got by just fine.

If you start with a short trip, make note of things you didn't use and well as things you SHOULD have taken and go from there. Obviously all campers are different but you will learn from your own experience what you will need.

Mainly, just relax and enjoy your new RV. You will meet some great folks along the way. Good luck.

Welcome to RVing and the Forum.
Making you very first trip from NY to Florida is not the best idea. Start by taking a shake down weekend trip to a campground much closer to home...even the driveway.

Don't try to figure it ALL out right away. Many of us who have done this for years and years are still making adjustments.

Start with a sense of humor and enjoy the adventure. Remember, you aren't camping on the moon. Most anything and everything is available at the next off ramp here in America.

Good luck and don't make it more complicated than it is.