Just Starting

[Gmasmitty50]

Please give us some pointers as to what hoses, etc we need to take. We are starting out in a couple weeks from Indiana to AZ. When should we de-winterize? how do we do it? ha
WE have a 03 winnebago adventurer. Thanks!

[jplante4]

Yeah, instead of a cheapo CW surge guard, I'm going with one of these.

autoformer

It solves the surge and dirty CG power problem.

[2112]

Jbrowland wrote:
20. THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT. Bring a who gives a******what happens, happy ass, adventurous attitude and nothing will ever go "wrong." Leave that grump farter at home. It's time to have some darn fun!!!

^^^ I 100% Agree With That ^^^

Things happen. Pick yourself back up. dust yourself off and say 'Well, I just learned something'. It will happen!

Make sure you use the white potable fresh water hose. Do not use any 'o garden hose from the garden department. I thought there wouldn't be any difference until... Doh! I just learned something!

[rockhillmanor]

jplante4 wrote:

Gmasmitty50 wrote:
thanks all for your advice! Working on our list! On one list I saw it said to take an "EMS PT 50C" what is it? what for?

Thanks! Still cold and snowy!

If you have to ask, you probably don't need it 😄

It's a surge protector for shore power.

They are expensive.

I imagine the people who have one had a power blast in their coach that fried a bunch of more expensive stuff. I have to admit it hasn't happened to me yet. A pre-emptive strike? You decide.

There are other types of surge protectors that are very affordable.
http://www.campingworld.com/category/surge-protectors/98

The cost of repairing the average coach that takes a serious hit is around $3,000.

For around 100 bucks for a surge protector is a small chunk of change for insurance to prevent what can be a real expensive repair.

[jplante4]

Gmasmitty50 wrote:
thanks all for your advice! Working on our list! On one list I saw it said to take an "EMS PT 50C" what is it? what for?

Thanks! Still cold and snowy!

If you have to ask, you probably don't need it 😄

It's a surge protector for shore power. They are expensive. I imagine the people who have one had a power blast in their coach that fried a bunch of more expensive stuff. I have to admit it hasn't happened to me yet. A pre-emptive strike? You decide.

[Gmasmitty50]

thanks all for your advice! Working on our list! On one list I saw it said to take an "EMS PT 50C" what is it? what for?

Thanks! Still cold and snowy!

[rockhillmanor]

K3WE wrote:
The two best pieces of advice for this question is:

1) Camp one night in your driveway (that doesn't really address your hose question)....

X10
Especially if you are going to travel with a pet. Camp in the driveway a few nights to acclimate the dog to this new home away from home so he knows it is not something to be fearful of.

Nothing worse to a dogs senses than pulling him out of his home and throwing him in a strange box and 'expecting' him to like it and not be afraid. He does not have that same understanding and sense of excitement you have about being able to RV! :W

[SlowBro]

There is an excellent thread that is stickied in this forum which answers "what do I need" very well. Have a look:
Frequently Asked Questions on the Open Roads Forum

[K3WE]

The two best pieces of advice for this question is:

1) Camp one night in your driveway (that doesn't really address your hose question).

2) Make your first camp sites close to a "Wal Mart" or whatever as you will need to get lots little things to get set up.

I tend to disagree with folks who list lots of things you MUST buy- you may not need everything they list- even though their lists are valid as what a lot of folks wind up getting. I have two water hoses, but rarely use both. I also have a 20-ft sewer hose, and do need it a lot- because my sewer hook up is at the very very back of the camper...if that hook up was more centered, I might still have only a 10-ft one. I got the genuine 30A extension cord recently...have yet to use it 😞

[rockhillmanor]

I changed out the toilet to an adult size one!

RV toilets are so low that the first time you use it you fall down to it because it so much lower than the house toilet you are used to! :C

[hyattjlbb]

We don't buy the "RV" toilet paper though, we use Scotts single ply. Works just as good. If you want to test your paper, tear a square off, put it in a jar of water, wait about 30 minutes or so and shake. If the paper breaks up, you are fine.

[Jbrowland]

For the record I copy and pasted the below response from another thread but it mostly fits your question as well. Here ya go....

Congrats on your new purchase. I just bought my first RV a few months back and I am still buying things, lol. I just replaced all the lights with LED's from CabinBright.com and I also just installed a new bike hitch rack today. I am well over $1000 in "stuff" for my new to me RV and to be honest I have been frugal with my must have decisions. It all adds up quickly.

Staying over night close by is a must do. Bring a pad and paper and start writing down. But be careful. You will be tempted to buy things that you will never use. Stick to the basic must haves first then move on to your own personal wants.

I did a search for phrases like, "must have RV accessories" and came up with a boat load of things that I consider must haves. That search also brought me here to rv.net where I continue to find more and more valuable info and helpful people.

Here a a few of mine:

1. A rhino sewer hose with an angled back flow extension to clean out my tanks as I don't have a flush valve built in.
2. Decent fresh water hose with a pressure reg where the hose connects to the source. Maybe a filter too.
3. Some kind of storage containers for all of the sewer and water parts and hoses you use. I keep my fresh water lines and black water lines as well as the other things in separate containers.
4. A cheap set of basic tools that stay in the RV if you don't have it parked close to you.
5. A level, Leveling blocks or 2x4's etc... Assuming you don't have hydraulics.
6. Metal tire valve extensions if you don't have them and a high pressure tire gauge and tire covers
7. A folder where you keep all of your records you need to have on the road like insurance, manuals, roadside assistance info and the like.
8. A front door mat. Something hard like astro turf plastic etc...
9. If you have kids or family with you then you must have a stash of games like Uno and more
10. RV toilet paper and RV specific chemicals
11. Toiletries, Bedding, pillows, pots and and, etc...so I don't have to keep bringing from home. Think plastic and cheap for the cups and old pillows and sheets will do.
12. A very small radio. Old school like the Sony ones are great. They run on 2 double AA's.
13. Flashlights, extra batteries, extra power cords for iPad etc...
14. Surge protection
15. A dust buster, broom, mop and basic household cleaning supplies
16. A cast iron pan
17. A small portable heater if you camp in the cold or want to conserve propane.
18. A portable auto battery charger with a high pressure tire inflator built in. I have already used it twice on someone else. Pay it forward.
19. A step ladder. This is a big help for the kids and my wife in our class C
20. THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT. Bring a who gives a******what happens, happy ass, adventurous attitude and nothing will ever go "wrong." Leave that grump farter at home. It's time to have some darn fun!!!

I purchased everything on Amazon.com and found them to have the best selection, on hand reviews, and the best price. I don't have a Wal Fart or a Camping World or the like close to me.

Here are a few things you might want to replace/install if you don't already have them:

1. LED lights for dry camping
2. Roof vent covers. Cheap and easy.

GOOD LUCK AND HAVE FUN!!!

[rockhillmanor]

NMDriver wrote:
...

Do not leave your water hose out and hooked up in freezing weather.

Use you fresh water tank water and refill it as needed in the daytime...

X10!
When I traveled from the North during the winter to the South as a newbie, I 'thought' I had it all figured out. Easy peasy, de-winterize when I hit the southern states etc.,etc.

Here's a heads up for you'all. I got to Kentucky which feeled so much warmer to this Northerner so I drained all my lines of antifreeze in a CG and hunkered down for the night.

During the night the temps dropped and when I went outside my water hose (still connected to the CG spigot) was frozen but the worst part was my inline filter had blown completely apart!!

Lessons Learned?
1.Kentucky is NOT far enough South to de-winterize during the winter. :B
2. Don't leave the water hose/filter connected unless you want to buy another water filter!:B

[NMDriver]

Dewinterize when you reach a place that is not freezing at night. It is really a matter of the water lines location, including your low point drain. Where they are located in relation to heated space in the RV, If they are all in compartments that are warmed at night by your heater then you can flush out the antifreeze as soon as you are where the temps stay above freezing in the RV while you drive.

Do not leave your water hose out and hooked up in freezing weather. Use you fresh water tank water and refill it as needed in the daytime.

You have already received good advice on the sewer hose, look into a spare 20-30 amp plug adapter in case you find yourself only able to hook up to a 20 amp pole. Have a few 2x6x12's available for side to side leveling, take along chokes and always use them. Most folks use a hose rated for human drinking water (generally white in color) but a spare short hose and a Y adapter for the faucet will come in handy too. There are probably 20 other must haves I forgot but someone else will mention. Have fun and the temp is going to be 70 degrees here in NM on Wed 🙂

[hyattjlbb]

-Pressure regulator for your fresh water hose
-Second fresh water hose (sometimes you are to far away from the hydrant)
-Box of rubber gloves or hand sanitizer for dumping tanks
-clear elbow for sewer hose (would rather "see" when it is done than the other way to find out)
-leveling blocks or chunks of lumber for "side to side" leveling
-Adaptor(s) for power cable 50/30/15
-"Y" connector for fresh water hook-ups
-and the list goes on but these are the basics.

As for de-winterizing, too easy. You literally run the pink stuff out. Depending on your tank size, add bleach to your FW tank. Fire up the pump and run the pink stuff out using your FW tank and water pump. When pink is gone and you smell bleach, stop, let it sit overnight then flush the bleach solution out. De-winterized and sanitized. Now switch the by-pass back to normal use on the water heater. As to "when" all depends on your temps overnight. If you are hovering around freezing at the coldest part of the night then go for it. More than a few hours below 32 and you may have issues. Hope this helps!

[1492]

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