Guide and Tips for the First Time Travel Trailer Owner
This post is a beginner’s guide along with tips to help make your experience owning a travel trailer more enjoyable. Whether you've just purchased a travel trailer or you’re looking at making your dreams and goals a reality there is so much to be excited about. RVing opens up a whole world of possibilities when it comes to traveling with your family and friends and being able to vacation whenever it is convenient for you. Here are some things to keep in mind as you plan for your first camping trip:
- Make a list - Keep a checklist of essential items handy and buy separate items off the list instead of using the ones in your home so you won’t have to pack each item every time. One of the benefits of owning a trailer is that you can leave your camping gear packed and ready to go.
- Get organized - Take the time to organize your supplies and gear two to three days before you leave for your trip. You might even use a label maker and tag spots in your cabinets and on shelfs for where everything should go.
- Get to know your water system - Your trailer has three types of water tanks: black for used toilet water, gray for used water from sinks, and fresh drinkable water. You need to fill the fresh tank full of water using the hose at your house. Your black and gray tanks will be empty when you take your first trip.
- Where to store heavy items - Heavy items like suitcases and a generator should be stored to the front of the RV.
Hauling an RV
It is recommended you check to see how much your vehicle can tow, which is usually listed on the sticker in the driver’s door jam. Then you should check the trailer and make sure the weight doesn’t exceed your vehicles tow capacity. You usually want to give yourself a buffer of no less than 1,000 pounds between what you’re towing and what your vehicle says you can tow.
- Always double check the ball size on your hitch.
- Pay close attention to tight curves in the road and turn slowly.
You can learn more about hauling and towing your trailer by reading out towing guide here.
Setting up at your first camp site
- Park on flat ground - An incline or decline can damage your RV’s fridge and cause the RV to bounce around when you walk inside.
- Unhook your tow vehicle.
- Put stabilizers up - There are four stabilizers that keep the trailer from bouncing and shaking when people are walking around in it.
Generator Use
- Appliances - Many appliances such as the microwave, TV and fireplace will only work if you are plugged into power or to a running generator but the rest can run off batteries.
- AC / Heater - Using the air conditioner or heater will require using the generator.
Another tip for first time travel trailer owner’s is to go to an actual RV park for your first trip so you can ease into learning the trailer electric, sewage, and water hookups. Once you feel comfortable doing that then you can try boondocking! We guide wrote a great guide to boondocking here if you want to learn more about it.
The Water System
Every trailer has a variety of water tank capacities. Learning how much water you have and use on average will help you be more prepared on your travels. The first time you run the water in a new trailer it may have an aftertaste, you can try running it through several times or bring bottled drinking water. Also, you can bring hand cleaning wipes to cut down on water use.
Plan Ahead
Lastly, we always recommend researching your destination and planning ahead especially for campgrounds and national parks. With any State Park or camp ground you plan to visit we highly advise you check the website and call before you start your travels for any park closure alerts, as well as inquire about camping fees and availability or any needed reservations or permits you may need to prepare for in advance. We hope you enjoyed this guide for the first time travel trailer owner , please tag us in your travels on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram!