What options, extras, accessories for new TT?

Rent the TT you think you want for a week or so of travel, before you spend the big bucks.

You will figure it our pretty quickly.

I still have "must have" items that I have never used in three years and 30,000 mile of towing.

rvshrinker wrote:
Great start, thank you.

What about the upgraded AC? It comes with a "13.5 BTU AC" but a "15k AC with ducting" is optional.

Get all the A/C you can. It is much harder to upgrade later and have already suffered through the hot unit when the temperature rose higher that forecast.

In your neck of the woods, a larger AC may not be necessary, but ducted is nice no matter where you camp.

rvshrinker wrote:
Great start, thank you.

What about the upgraded AC? It comes with a "13.5 BTU AC" but a "15k AC with ducting" is optional.

What size solar panels? I assume the largest I can because we want to be able to boodock, although around here it's often cloudy or forested anyway so maybe it's not worth it.

Is it best to buy the ONAN generator straight from the manufacturer?

And finally we would do the upgraded thermal windows.

What about the hitch and sway bars? Wdh? These trailers look around 8000 lb wet and the truck is a full ton.

Will you be in weather over 90 degrees? If so, get the bigger air conditioner. I was in 90 degree weather yesterday and the 13,500 AC in my Lance, an upgraded size, took several hours to bring the inside temp from 90 to 78. It won't go below 78 either. That's fairly typical in my experience.

I am just warming to the idea of solar panels and plan to add on a 160 watt system at the minimum next year with the brackets for a second panel, for a total of 320 watts. Even on cloudy days, the solar panels will give a slight charge unless covered with snow. You also don't need to keep your trailer plugged in.

In my opinion, a boondocker in the desert Southwest, you can't have too much insulation and that includes windows. I use reflectix material over mine in the hot weather as they are only single pane and let in a whole lot of heat.

I use a Yamaha generator that is quiet and sips fuel. It also weighs 150 pounds and is a pain to load and unload. The factory onan will be expensive but worth it if you can afford it. I'm assuming it's a gasoline unit and not propane? Propane filling stations are out of the way in my area. I'd go with a gasoline generator, even if it is a standalone unit.

Definitely go with a weight distribution hitch. A basic one should be what you need but the fancier ones with anti-sway built in can bring a lot of peace of mind when the wind starts to blow.

As far as the little things, go camp first. Pick somewhere near a store so if you absolutely need something, you can buy it. Otherwise, use the first trip to make a list of what you think you need as well as test out systems.

Great start, thank you.

What about the upgraded AC? It comes with a "13.5 BTU AC" but a "15k AC with ducting" is optional.

What size solar panels? I assume the largest I can because we want to be able to boodock, although around here it's often cloudy or forested anyway so maybe it's not worth it.

Is it best to buy the ONAN generator straight from the manufacturer?

And finally we would do the upgraded thermal windows.

What about the hitch and sway bars? Wdh? These trailers look around 8000 lb wet and the truck is a full ton.

Get a power jack for the tongue. Also get a cordless drill and socket to run your stabilizer jacks up and down. Short pieces of 2x8 to put under the jack feet as needed on sandy ground. Longer pieces to use as levelers under the trailer tires, or a set of plastic Lynx levelers. Wheel chocks. A 12 inch level to check if your rig is properly level when setting up--RV fridges need to be close to level for proper operation.

I'm kind of a minimalist RV person. But what you want to bring depends totally on what you want to do.

If you are big on cooking/grilling, you will want all the gear for that. Otherwise, you need a big nonstick skillet, a big pot, a little pot, cooking utensils, a colander, and other basic kitchen stuff.

If you will be camping at places with electric hookups, you can use all the small appliances/electronics just like at home. Otherwise, leave them at home.

Basic bedding, towels, etc.

A rug for outside the door.

A broom and dustpan.

A good sewer hose--the Rhino brand is better than most.

A food-grade water hose.

Educate yourself about the electrical system at the 12V side of Life.

Just go to the Northwood web site and check out the models you like. Then you can go over all the options available.
I wouldn't put too much stock in the "Off-road ready" thing. Sure, they build a better frame but they put that rating on all their trailers, even the really big ones that I personally would never take off-roading.

Here's a couple of items: GPS and TPMS. Search for them on this website to find out why.