New travel trailer purchase help

[dakid]

I will be picking up my new travel trailer in 2 weeks. Can anyone suggest some needed/nice to have accessories?

The dealer has recommended the following items:
Slide out covers
Aeroflo vent cover
2nd battery
SurgeGuard Portable 30A
Surge Guard Surge Protector, Portable, 30A
AC line Monitor/Polarity Tester

Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

[Hondavalk]

PeteK-Hou wrote:

Hondavalk wrote:
I would get a bottle jack or Trailer Aid for changing a flat tire

Dang..I read that as "I would get a bottle of Jack..."..which come to think of it...may not be such a bad idea...

That is what I meant. Although the DW prefers Honey Jack. A camping necessity.

[PeteK-Hou]

Hondavalk wrote:
I would get a bottle jack or Trailer Aid for changing a flat tire

Dang..I read that as "I would get a bottle of Jack..."..which come to think of it...may not be such a bad idea...

[LakeN]

Definitely get the vent covers or add yourself. Easy install. You want to have air circulating in camper to avoid mold. Slideout covers will save you from having to sweep off the top of slides. they do collect dirt, leaves, etc.

[Hondavalk]

I would get a bottle jack or Trailer Aid for changing a flat tire

[FKT4387]

Lots of good advice. There are some lists and even videos that go over the stuff. A lot is personal preference and how you camp as the suggestions for 2 batteries. I am assuming you have all your sewer/water connections? Sewer hose stands, regulator, jack pads, tank chemicals etc.

I did a hard wired surge protector with digital reader. I am glad I did that. I also really like the x chocks. I changed all my lights to LED, another thing I was glad I did. I have a battery operated drill to use on the stabilizer jacks. I have vent covers Maxx Air2 another item I am glad I got.

Part of the fun is getting new stuff and shopping for interesting and helpful gadgets.

[Dick_B]

gps and tpms

[WyoTraveler]

Oops double post

[WyoTraveler]

Many dealers will try to nickel and dime you to death with extras when you pick up your RV. ERS, special under coatings, extended service plans, sewer hoses etc. They make big profits on these items. Many items like sewer hoses you need can be purchased elsewhere cheaper. Just hold on to that wallet when you go in. Many RV manufacturers give you one free year of ERS.

[TexBohunk]

Mud-dobber screens, quality water pressure regulator for water connection.

[midnightsadie]

price this equipt at other places e bay, amazon, etc the dealer will be way high on price and you,ll get the same product.

[handye9]

If you're going to camp regularly without electrical hook up. A second battery is nice to have.

That said, when you're running two batteries, they should be of same age and state of charge. If you think you be using two batteries, add the second one now. If you're camping is such where you're only doing short weekend trips, and at campgrounds with electrical hookups, you don't need two batteries.

Vent covers are nice to have, if the dealer is going to throw them in, or install for free, then you might want to do that.

What APT said about the rest. Pretty much personal preference.

[DavidP]

They one thing on the list I would certainly go with is the surge guard. I have the TRC 30 AM Portable for the last 10 plus years. IMO with the crappy electric service in many parks makes it worth every penny. Make sure you get one that monitors incoming voltage. Mine has killed power on more than one occasion where voltage drops to an unacceptable level. Brown power is terrible for all your electronics and circuit boards and will degrade them over time. It will also test the pedestal and ensure you plugged into a safe power source. Is it needed? Many will say no but I can tell you after a storm years ago I’m glad I had it when many surrounding RV’s had damage from spikes when power was returned. I was also in a storm where lighting damaged surrounding RVs and I had no damage. Obviously not a direct hit as nothing can protect from that but certainly to close for comfort. Worth considering.
Slide out covers are nice but not needed. My last RV had them but current does not. They are nice for keeping debris off so you do not need to clean them before retracting. I now have an electric blower I use to blow off both slides before retracting.
I also use a TRC line monitor in the coach to monitor power real-time. I find it useful but many would not see the value.
The vent covers IMO are needed. The stock covers will crack easy and the covers will also allow you to keep them open during rain or storage.

Good Luck with the new RV. Enjoy!

[APT]

Everything you listed is personal preference, or use case desirable. With that in mind, skip them all and use the TT for a while. There are tons of accessories that you can purchase. Start by using it how you would and look for ways to improve your RVing experience.

[wbwood]

I believe the 2 surgeguards you mentioned are the same thing. Slide out covers are based on personal preference. Our TT didn't have them. The motorhome does. They're good, until they mess up (ours hasn't yet).
Vent covers are good to have. I would suggest some fantastic fans if the TT doesn't have them already. A 2nd battery never hurts. But really depends on the type of camping you will do. How much camping without hookups will you be doing? If not much, then the 2nd battery may not be necessary. I would make sure the TT has LED light bulbs in it.