Start-up items needed?

As they say, spend a weekend in it in the driveway......... You may not hook up the sewer, but you'll do about everything else.

Bill

There is no standard list of things, other than the stuff needed to setup your trailer, which you mentioned a few already..

I take way more stuff than I ever need or use, but feel better having it than not..

I did the driveway thing to figure out what I needed inside the trailer and what I took out of the house to use, I set out to get the same things that just stay in the trailer.

That's the real trick.. Outfit the trailer so all the stuff in it just stays in it and you don't have to worry about it anymore.

Basically, the only thing that goes in/out of the trailer is food. It even has it's own set of clothes for both of us, so really the only thing we need to load in it for any long weekend trip is food.

I toss in my tools and other stuff into the bed of the truck and that's about it..

I do have a check list and my wife has her own check list that we go thru and check off to make sure we have everything and that's worked out pretty well.

Most of the stuff on it is personal stuff just to make sure it gets in the truck/trailer and that things are done to the house to secure it for our absence.

So, the real answer is, you just gotta figure it our for yourself! :)

Mitch

Depending on how much stuff you want to bring, along here is an old post that is 15 pages long. Covers way to much, but worth looking at.

http://www.rv.net/forum/Index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/14089228.cfm

I too bring much more than needed, but ya never know. I like to be prepared. Must have 500lbs of gear and tools, plus backup heaters. Lol, I even for some reason have a disposable BBQ grill, dunno why.

Steve 911 wrote:
Is there a site that would list items needed for your first time out with a new rv, like wheel chocks, leveling blocks, etc? I have an idea what I need, but it would be nice to have a check list or something so I don't forget an essential item first time out. I'm trying not to find out the hard way..lol
Thanks

1. bag of yellow levelers sufficent to raise your RV at least 2" if needed.
2. A CB radio and hand held CB or at least a set of good walkie talkies so you can communicate with the person helping you back in to your site. I like motorola WT.
3. A good set of wheel chocks that fit between the tires not on the ground type. You want to eliminate as much of the trailer rocking as you are walking around inside.
4. Extra batteries depending on the devices you have. A battery charger for your 19v batteries
5. buy an expensive air pressure gauge i.e. Milton
6. buy a small portable Battery charger ---just in case needed.
7. A tube of white lithium grease
8. a spray can of lithium
9. A dozen white hand clothes.
10. A battery operated hand drill with various drill bits.
11. A basic set of tools both american and metric
12. A Good Sam "Emergency Road Side Service" policy.
13. A "Good Sam Travel assist" policy in the event you are unable to drive your rig home and your wife is unable to drive the rig.
14. A pencil tube of wood stain that matches most of your interior wood.
15. A Camping world "sewer attachment slide" to prevent any leakage on the ground after you empty your tanks. Also a clear plastic tube attachment to your sewer tube. This enables you to visually see when your tanks are clear and empty, otherwise you are just guessing. The "light indicator" board on the inside of the trailer are useless at best and generally less than accurate.
16. Buy a Camping World sewer hose that is collapsible, much easier to handle/use and takes much less room to store.
17. Two 15' nylon ratchet straps, it you need to strap down your awing when the wind kicks up.

I'd suggest that rather than seeking a list of "stuff" you may or may not need you instead think of the setup process which in turn will then dictate what you need to make it happen. For example, after eyeballing your campsite to note any obstructions and decide where you're going to put your rig the first thing you're going to do is either back in or pull into the site and then level the trailer side-to-side. Obviously you then need "something" to make this happen - wood, or plastic blocks, or whatever - that's up to you to decide. Next you need to safely chock the trailer so it can't inadvertently shift when it's unhitched ... so it's up to you to decide what method (and therefore what equipment) you're going to use to achieve this. IOW, it's about the process which in turn will dictate the equipment you need to achieve your goals. Camp Driveway is a great place to figure this all out. ;)

Don't forget the Duct Tape and a flashlight.

I've found that a nice "tool kit" for our TT is one of those suitcase-type sets from Walmart or Home Depot. I got one of those kits on sale for very little money, has hammer, wrenches, pliers, screwdrivers, etc etc. Yes, they are cheap tools, but they do the job in a pinch. And I actually need to use them rarely. My good tools are in my garage (more of a shed), where I can reach them and use them almost everyday.

Steve 911 wrote:
. . . but it would be nice to have a check list or something so I don't forget an essential item first time out. I'm trying not to find out the hard way..lol
Thanks

You WILL forget an essential item the first time out. And the second and the third and the forth . . .

The most essential item you can take is CASH. :)

One thing it's easy to overlook, weird screws.. Our trailer was assembled with square drive screws.. I purchased a small screw/nut driver kit from walmart/home depot or the like that had square drive. Eventually found that all of the screws used the same size driver, and purchased a quality driver in that size as well.

As mentioned by others, think about the process..setting up/tearing down/dumping tanks (watch youtube videos if you're not familiar with these processes). Also think about things that can go wrong on the road, flat tire for example.. If you are capable of changing a flat, make sure you have the tools necessary. Tire plugs and portable 12v compressor if you're comfortable with that as well.

You may find (as we did) that your first few trips out you'll keep finding more things you 'need'. Then after a few years you'll start thinning things out, the third time you move and item you don't use to get to something you do use..probably time to remove it.