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MikeyT89148's avatar
MikeyT89148
Explorer
Jun 08, 2015

New TT

Good afternoon everyone! Been lurking for awhile and finally a member. We just purchased a new to us Heartland North Trail 33 bunkhouse and will be picking it up Tuesday. We already have a trip planned for Fathers day weekend down at the Echo Lodge resort on the Colorado River. Any advice for a new trailer owner would be appreciated as well as a list of essentials like length of potable water hose, sewer hose and other items to make our first trip as well as follow on trips a success. Thanks in advance.

13 Replies

  • Camping in your driveway will help you get things sorted out, even just spending time in it in the driveway will help. Depending on your available hook ups at your driveway you may need some electrical adapters to be able to plug into the house. These are good anyway. Test all of the appliances that you can (if you can't plug into at least 30A service you may have to wait to test the A/C's, hence why in Vegas you may not want to camp in your driveway, too hot). Try everything to make sure you know how it all turns on. Even I forgot lots of stuff to ask the owner about and he forgot to tell me, so hopefully you have or can get a manual. If you can spend time in it close to home when you forget the can opener you won't have to go far to find one.
  • Welcome!

    The obligatory question - what are you towing it with???? Hopefully you have a good hitch setup and the dealer shows you how to use it.

    You'll need some type of wheel chocks and leveling blocks. Some campers buy the "X"-chocks and plastic leveling blocks, others use pieces of 2X6 or 2X8 lumber. I use a 2' carpenters level when setting up.

    A 15A to 30A adapter for the power cord can come in handy. I use mine to charge the batteries between trips, run the A/C when packing, and starting the 'fridge to cool down a day or 2 ahead of a trip.

    Get a pressure regulator for your water hose. Most people end up with a Watts instead of the cheap in-line ones.

    +1 for a door mat. DW bought a very heavy bristle type and it really stops a lot of dirt from getting in the trailer.

    Folks like electric tongue jacks but I'd rather spend that money on campground fees.

    If you plan on "dry" camping off the grid, well, that's a whole 'nother subject....
  • Everyone recommends spending a couple days with it in your driveway as if you were camping. You'll figure out what you need pretty quickly. I keep a running list going on my cell phone's Memo app of anything I need to buy or fix, so the next trip is always better.

    Sewer hose length can be an issue in some parks. Most are close enough for a 5-10' section to reach. I've come across a few where it's been 30 feet away or to be able to position my RV to get the slides out, I can't go all the way into a spot, which puts the sewer hooks ups further away. On all these items you're asking about, I like to have as much length as possible, so I'm prepared for all situations. I have a 50' water hose, 30' of sewer hose sections and I'm buying a 50' extension cable for power. The electric cable extension is not really necessary in 99% of campgrounds, but if you are tailgating somewhere or at someone's house or something, it's nice to have that extra length to be able to plug in. Also, if you have a black tank flush feature, you'll want a separate hose solely for flushing the black tank. The last thing you want to do is use your drinking hose for that task. I'd also recommend a water filter of some sort. You never know what you're going to get at campgrounds sometimes. I stayed at one place that almost made me sick while showering because there was so much chlorine in the water. After that I was reminded why we had a filter for the old trailer and I promptly bought one. The $15 ones work fine for the occasional camper.

    I also keep 4x6 blocks of wood for use under the stabilizer jacks and tongue jack. I think it provides extra stability when most spots are on soft ground. They also work well if you have the unfortunate need to jack up our trailer to change a tire. I went to Home Depot and bought an 8' piece and had them cut it up into four 1' blocks and two 2' blocks. Speaking of blocks, leveling blocks are a good idea as well in case you come across an uneven spot. Many people use 2x6 wood for this or you can buy the plastic ones that interlock.

    I'd get a mat for outside the door. Between us and the dogs going in and out of the RV, the mat has saved a ton of dirt from coming inside. I haven't used it yet, but if you run into a muddy situation having clear Carpet Mask ($15 on Amazon) can be a life saver. It sticks to the carpet and protects it from stains and you can peel it off whenever you want. I have a roll at the ready for whenever I may need it.

    As I have in this post, you'll keep thinking of stuff, but just enjoy it and have fun. No matter what you'll be more prepared than ever just having a new trailer to play with.