Good morning! Newbie here saying "Hi"

[Indianaman]

Good morning everyone. Long time lurker, first time poster.
I have been wanting to take the family camping for a number of years now. They are not getting any younger ( 5,8,10) so I figured I had better get on it.
We saved some money and got our truck in December. A 2016 Ram tradesman 2500 6.4 4.10. Nothing fancy. I did get the back up camera.
Last week we ordered a new Jayco 31qbds with outside kitchen,elite package,thermal package,alum wheels,and with slide covers.
The anticipation is killing us. We have booked 4 spots already. The farthest being myrtle beach state park.
Just wanted to say Hi and thanks.This forum has been most helpful in my quest for camping. I have very good memories of camping when I was younger and owe it to my kids.
Thanks again!

[Gambit80]

Welcome to the forum. I was a longtime lurker, as well, before purchasing out first TT. We did it when our boys were 12 and we enjoyed it as a family. They are now almost 20 and still go with us, but we are starting a new phase where it is just the wife and I. Still exciting to hook up and leave. We camp almost once a month on a weekend, with one or two trips a year in the 4-6 day range.

Congrats and Welcome!

[trailernovice]

actually, you're on exactly the right track...we bought a trailer when our son was little so I could (hopefully) give him the same chance to create memories that my dad did for me and my sisters/brother...we pulled that 19-foot Shasta, with a family of 6 loaded into the Travel-All, from Missouri to Vermont & back again, into Canada, with weekends at Lake of the Ozarks, and various state parks...trying to pass it along to our son

[trailernovice]

you, my friend, have made a serious, life-changing mistake...we have a nine year old...been camping in travel trailers with him since right after he turned four...mostly at state parks...we've hit almost 20 different ones, plus a few county parks and one or two commercial places...generally, on top of our weekend runs, we do one or two longer 4-5 night trips each year...when we stay home for too many weekends in a row, here comes that plaintive cry....'daddy, when are we going to the trailer again??'.. get used to hearing that

[Indianaman]

we love the Smoky Mountains we've been to Gatlinburg three times staying in hotels this year we're going to be staying at Fall Creek Falls in July that's going to be right before we move on to Myrtle Beach. I really do like my tow vehicle the one thing I really wish it had was a push button map light.

[Doug33]

Sounds like you have a great TV/TT combo. I'm glad it has finally turned February because I'm starting to get cabin fever. Hopefully we can get back out to camp by the end of March if the weather cooperates. We're just getting over a whopper of a storm where we got nearly 2' of snow. I pray that there won't be any more major storms.

[DinTulsa]

Welcome to the forum! Spending time as a family is why we started rving in the first place. It gives us a chance to get away from it all. The phones and electronics go in a drawer and we spend time outside together. I would second the above poster, the Smokey mountains are great, we went October 2014 and stayed at Jellystone. It was a great trip with beautiful country.

[ken56]

Welcome from Tennessee Indianaman. Let me be the first to invite you to come down to the beautiful Smoky Mountains. You will find that planning future trips will be constantly on your mind. I hope you go as often as you can afford to. Your children will be better, well rounded people for the experience you give them camping. Of course its all about how much parents are involved in their kids lives. I think the journal idea is a good one and one to have each kid do also, but make it a book style one and not electronic. Just have fun and safe travels.

[Mote]

DutchmenSport wrote:
Welcome to the forums and congrats on you new purchase! We've been RV owners for a long, long time, and the anticipation of taking the camper somewhere is just as much alive today as it was 30 years ago when my wife and I rented that first pop-up! You'll have great memories with your family. Keep a journal, and update it every day you have the camper on the road somewhere.

My wife does this for every trip, although she now does it on our I-pad so she can also take photos of each campsite, and if we do any activities, she attaches those photos to that day's log. I take the photos from our Iphones, the Ipad, and our digital camera and pull them off and keep a record on my laptop computer when we get back home. All my digital photos are back-up on 2 different external hard drives.


But she's been doing the journal for a long time now, and it's amazing to go back and read form several years ago! How times change and your attitude and thoughts change.

I see you're from Indiana! Just curious? Where? I kind of like to keep an unofficial mental memory of where my fellow Hoosiers are located. When they they make posts on here, it helps, especially when discussing campgrounds, weather, and places to purchase "things" or services. So, where you located? (geographical region?)

My signature tells were I'm at. Yea, draw a triangle between those 3 cities on the map, and put a dot right in the middle, and that's pretty close!

Welcome Indianaman, Like Dutch we're also Hoosiers. We're down south of Dutch, but thou we have camped at Mounds State Park up his way back when our son was in college at Anderson.
Now we mostly camp at Brown County, Versailles and Clifty Creek state parks. The picture in my signature was taken at Starve Hollow State Park.
If you have any questions about parks in the Southern part of the state let me know.

[rbpru]

Never too soon or too late to camp. All our Grandkids were wilderness canoe camping before their first birthdays. Twenty years later they still enjoy the out of doors.

Tent, PUP or TT, it makes no difference, just so they can be outside.

[profdant139]

This is the best money you will ever spend in your life. We did not discover RV travel till the kids were grown, and how we wish we had those years back.

[CavemanCharlie]

Welcome. Go camping in your driveway the first time. That way if you have forgotten something you can run back in the house to get it. That way you will be more prepared for when you are ready to really go camping.

[Alabama_Jim]

Welcome to the fun world of camping and to the Forum. May God give you many years of fun and safe travel.

[2_Retired]

Welcome to the forum! I live in Myrtle Beach (have for a dozen years!) and would welcome any questions you have about the area. Just PM me if you're interested. MB State Park is a great choice! There is so much to do in this area for kids of every age! When will you be in this area? That makes a difference as to what is open/closed. Just about everything is open by the end of March through the end of October. So many choices about where to eat too! Here's a couple of sites you might want to check out: http://www.visitmyrtlebeach.com/ http://www.myrtlebeach.com/
http://www.gotomyrtlebeach.com/attractions/ http://www.visitmyrtlebeach.com/plan/visitors-guide/
We moved here when we retired, but camped in the area for over 20 years before the move. Again, feel free to "pick my brain" if you're interested. Safe trip! Pam Hyatt

[Deleted_per_op]

Welcome Indianaman from the left coast.
When we traded in our popup trailer on a travel trailer, I wrote up a checklist for the things I needed to remember on my specific trailer (using several online checklists as a starting point). I used it the first half dozen trips until it became routine.