Great advice for newbie

[Djtennyson]

Just bought a 2004 Holiday Rambler with the Triton engine. Any great tips for starting out and or what to do and not to do?

Doug

[echoindie]

Hello to all. I'm a newbie too. Talk about jumping in with both feet-we bought a 2002 Fleetwood Fiesta one week and the next we packed up 2 dogs-2 parrots a monkey, hubbie and myself for our first adventure. Ok it was a shake down trip. Drove 4 hours and parked on brother in laws land. Pretended we were really on our own. After we found the water pump under the bed-and turned it on--things were great!!! Can not wait to hit the road in the spring. For now I'm enjoying picking up so many tips from this site. Debi and her little traveling gang.

[NoVa_RT]

There are a lot of things to do every time you depart. In a rush, people sometimes forget things. Make a checklist and put it on your cellphone. It's been well documented that checklists reduce errors, which is why pilots (and now medical personnel) use them. You can use a separate one for supplies, too.

[spike99]

Park / camp in your driveway or side of house for a long weekend. If you must go inside the house for something (like pillow, can opener, etc.), then double buy it. 1 item for the house and duplicate item for the RV. Thus, allowing you to proactively buy / pack the things you need. And, less surprise buys when on the road.

Hope this helps.

[ksg5000]

Keep your sense of humor - carry a cell phone and credit card - and be prepared for "stuff" to happen. Half the fun of owning an RV is following your nose and responding to the unexpected - don't sweat the small stuff and don't spend too much time planning.

PS - as you might expect with my comment - don't practice camping in your driveway - go out and camp!

[Dick_B]

Slow down!

[rockhillmanor]

gbopp wrote:
...If possible, camp in your driveway or yard for a few nights. You'll learn the systems on your HR.
It's easier to learn while at home. Enjoy your travels.

X10!

And if you have a pet spending the night in the driveway WITH your dog several times BEFORE you head out is paramount and will make your first trip out much more pleasant for you, the dog, and your camping neighbors!

To you your new MH is the best thing you have bought for yourself! To the dog it's nothing more than a scarey big box! :W

Get him acclimated to it so he knows you are not just going to throw him in this long box and leave him. Even stepping out side the MH a few times and assuring him it's ok, will make for a better RV'ing experience for everyone!. :C

Congrats on the new MH. The HR is a very nice MH.

[gbopp]

Welcome to the forum and congrats on your HR.
Did you check the age of your tires? RV tires usually age out before they wear out.

Ask lots of questions on the forum, someone will have the answer.

If possible, camp in your driveway or yard for a few nights. You'll learn the systems on your HR.
It's easier to learn while at home.

Enjoy your travels.

[Fishinghat]

Holiday Rambler is a great brand. I've owned two HR products, and have had our present one for 13 years. We love it.

You may want to consider attending a HR Recreational Vehicle Club meeting and/or a rally where you'll meet other HR owners. Search HRRVC.

[Mortimer_Brewst]

My best advice would be to spend a lot of time reading this forum. I know I'm still learning. Enjoy the new toy!