Forum Discussion
DutchmenSport
Mar 27, 2015Explorer
Congrats on your new purchase and I also enjoy the tone of your enthusiasm. Nothing like first starting out with an RV! You have great adventures awaiting you.
About your "must haves" and your "wants". Before you start, you really need to think of your camper with all it's different components, and start basic there. Here's what I mean.
First ... towing a trailer means proper hitching and all the equipment necessary for that.
Second ... Setting up the camper for camp and all that is needed there (water hoses, blocks, chocks, electric cords, etc).
Third ... your personal hygiene and all that is involved there from tooth brushes to toilet paper.
Fourth ... kitchen utensils, pots, pans, dishes, glasses, ect.
Fifth ... cleaning supplies (this breaks down into 2 categories ... everything outside the camper and everything inside the camper).
Sixth ... camper sanitary duty ... holding tanks, cleaning, dumping, keeping smells at baby, and the other tanks and maintenance, ect.
Seventh ... is where you now begin to get into your personal "wants" ... clothing.
Eighth ... food
Ninth ... entertainment. This can be anything as simple as a book or as big as a motorcycle, swimming, hiking, bicycles, sports. This is as individual as you are, and definitely falls in the "wants" category.
A word about stocking your camper. You do not need to get anything special or feel there is anything different in purchasing "camping" equipment. I think for almost all of us, we use the same items in our campers that we use in our homes. Blankets, sheets, pillows, dishes, entertainment, clothing. The only difference is, we have a second set dedicated for the camper, simply so we don't have to load and unload every time we go camping.
The only exception might be if you bring along a camping lantern or bug spray.
There are some very "basics" you need to set up your camper. You need chocks for your wheels (a must ... and use them always ... even on level flat ground). A block to put the tongue jack of the trailer on for stability. Block of some sort to level the trailer. These go under the wheels.
You will need a sewer hose to connect to your black and gray tanks to dump. How long you get is up to you, how expensive you want to go is up to you. You will need a source of power (electricity) and each campground is arranged different. It would be good if you could get at least a 25 foot extension cord for your trailer power cord. And you will need a garden hose for fresh water. Here again, you can get as elaborate as you want. Most people use the white hoses RV hoses that cost more, but also are suppose to transfer no rubber hose taste. Myself, I've been using plain old garden hoses (yes, right out of my garden) for 50 years. So I don't think a non-white hose will kill you. It will just cause the water to have a rubber taste until the hose get's broken in real good.
Really, this is the most basic stuff you need. After set up, everything else is REALLY personal taste and your own comfort. Even your cleaning supplies are your choice, how and when you use what and where. No secrets here. Think of your camper as an extension of your home, an extra room, and it begins to make sense how to handle it and how to stock it.
I know, I'm not very direct here, but really, there's nothing magical. Use and get what you can buy and afford at the time, and in time, you'll get better and nicer things. You pick up camper supplies from everywhere, every store, even yard sales. To start off, you can even grab the silverware from your house and use that. Nothing magical. Just common sense.
Good luck, enjoy, and hope you really have some great adventures!
About your "must haves" and your "wants". Before you start, you really need to think of your camper with all it's different components, and start basic there. Here's what I mean.
First ... towing a trailer means proper hitching and all the equipment necessary for that.
Second ... Setting up the camper for camp and all that is needed there (water hoses, blocks, chocks, electric cords, etc).
Third ... your personal hygiene and all that is involved there from tooth brushes to toilet paper.
Fourth ... kitchen utensils, pots, pans, dishes, glasses, ect.
Fifth ... cleaning supplies (this breaks down into 2 categories ... everything outside the camper and everything inside the camper).
Sixth ... camper sanitary duty ... holding tanks, cleaning, dumping, keeping smells at baby, and the other tanks and maintenance, ect.
Seventh ... is where you now begin to get into your personal "wants" ... clothing.
Eighth ... food
Ninth ... entertainment. This can be anything as simple as a book or as big as a motorcycle, swimming, hiking, bicycles, sports. This is as individual as you are, and definitely falls in the "wants" category.
A word about stocking your camper. You do not need to get anything special or feel there is anything different in purchasing "camping" equipment. I think for almost all of us, we use the same items in our campers that we use in our homes. Blankets, sheets, pillows, dishes, entertainment, clothing. The only difference is, we have a second set dedicated for the camper, simply so we don't have to load and unload every time we go camping.
The only exception might be if you bring along a camping lantern or bug spray.
There are some very "basics" you need to set up your camper. You need chocks for your wheels (a must ... and use them always ... even on level flat ground). A block to put the tongue jack of the trailer on for stability. Block of some sort to level the trailer. These go under the wheels.
You will need a sewer hose to connect to your black and gray tanks to dump. How long you get is up to you, how expensive you want to go is up to you. You will need a source of power (electricity) and each campground is arranged different. It would be good if you could get at least a 25 foot extension cord for your trailer power cord. And you will need a garden hose for fresh water. Here again, you can get as elaborate as you want. Most people use the white hoses RV hoses that cost more, but also are suppose to transfer no rubber hose taste. Myself, I've been using plain old garden hoses (yes, right out of my garden) for 50 years. So I don't think a non-white hose will kill you. It will just cause the water to have a rubber taste until the hose get's broken in real good.
Really, this is the most basic stuff you need. After set up, everything else is REALLY personal taste and your own comfort. Even your cleaning supplies are your choice, how and when you use what and where. No secrets here. Think of your camper as an extension of your home, an extra room, and it begins to make sense how to handle it and how to stock it.
I know, I'm not very direct here, but really, there's nothing magical. Use and get what you can buy and afford at the time, and in time, you'll get better and nicer things. You pick up camper supplies from everywhere, every store, even yard sales. To start off, you can even grab the silverware from your house and use that. Nothing magical. Just common sense.
Good luck, enjoy, and hope you really have some great adventures!
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