Advice for the newbies

DITTO!!! x10

We've been at it about 3 yrs. and I spent hours on this forum, learning all I could before we even took the RV out for the first time and I'm still here soaking up as much info as possible.

Based on that information, we set our fridge on "Auto".... runs on 115V when plugged into shore power and switches to propane when on the road. Worked like a charm on our road trip.

Happy Camping!

Yep - a few people will raise concerns about the propane running while on he road. Most of us, however, run the fridge while on the road.

There is a lot of good advice on here, but the one I will echo is to ask for help! If you don't know, don't guess. There are plenty of us that have been there, and we're more than happy to help others. We started, 3 years ago, with absolutely no experience. I spend many hours on this forum and learn a ton from people here and elsewhere. It will be a LONG time before I'm a veteran RV'er, but I'm light-years ahead of where I was because of those willing to help!

Our fridge...2014 Winnebago Era...is a 3-way.
It runs on the coach battery while driving, propane while boondocking, electric when plugged in.
Even our 2005 Vista Cruiser had a 3 way fridge.

We travel with the Dometic fridge on propane.

I would guess that most people leave their refrigerator on while traveling. We do. However, if you turn it off, food will stay cold and frozen for at least 6 hours or so. Especially for a small freezer where everything is frozen, you wouldn't have to worry at all. It's not going to defrost on a driving day.

You can keep the fridge running while underway. There are certain bridges and/or tunnels when you might have to shut the propane off but for the short duration your food will be fine. A number of years ago one of the members actually did an experiment as to how long the fridge will stay cold and it's much longer than you will drive in a day providing you don't keep opening the doors. When we had our 5th wheel we often still kept a small cooler in the truck and would just stock that as necessary. As far as other advice...

1. Relax.
2. Go slow at the beginning.
3. Don't expect everything to be perfect. It's not going to be. Expect equipment failures, traffic, lousy campgrounds, getting lost, bad weather and the unexpected.
4. Just roll with #3.
5. Remember that despite some of the "rolled eye" responses you may get (and yes, I'm guilty of that too) ALL of us were newbies at one time or another. EVERYBODY has made mistakes.
6. Mistakes, like arguments, are not a problem. It's how you handle said mistakes (like arguments) that counts. Some just teach "heartier" lessons than others!
7. We're a family. The vast majority of us will drop everything to help another RVer. Thanks to a more experienced RVer and a truck driver, our first trip in our Endura was not a disaster.
8. Enjoy this country and all it has to offer. There is as much adventure 30 miles from your house as there is 300 or 3000 miles away. Or as much "ahhh". Hubby calls it "oohsah". It's the place you go in your mind when you need to chill.
9. You will NOT save money by RVing. It's a lifestyle, not a cost-saver.
10. You do NOT have to justify RVing in anyway by commenting on bedbugs, sleeping in someone else's bed, etc. You RV because you WANT to.
11. Some people just don't get the "lifestyle". That's OK. That means one more empty site at a campground.
12. Enjoy!

WOW, lots of good advice there. I will definitely keep this going. So here's my first specific question. How do you keep cold food cold while in transit? I can't imagine that you light the propane but I have a bet with my hubby about this. I want to buy a small freezer but then we started wondering how we would keep it cold while in motion.

Here are a couple things we learned (the hard way) on our first over-the-road trip, this year......

* Check the age of your tires, especially since you bought a used unit. If they are more than 5 years old, think about replacing them, no matter how good they look.

* Know the height of your unit, especially if you travel off interstate highways. Pay attention to bridge clearences.

Happy Camping!

Take your time, don't get road-bullied into going faster than you are comfortable with. If you've got someone on your tail that's trying to get you to move up, just pull over and let him pass.

Don't let your gas tank get below 1/4 tank--find a truck stop well before you think you need it.

And there are Walmarts everywhere. We learned this on a cross-country trip when we ran out of my son's seizure drugs and Depends(he's handicapped.) And gerbil food :S Yes, we had 9 gerbils riding in the bathtub...

If either one of you have never backed a trailer before then find a big parking lot and practice. It is easy but can be tricky for first timers. However, if you feel as if you have that experience, then forget this post.