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Old 03-31-2013, 09:45 PM   #1
LFM
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Just Do It!!!

Sometimes I think the fear of RV'ing intimidates many new "to the travelers club" members. I have found that just hooking up and getting out, answers, or gives me great questions to ask, more questions than over analyzing the trip. If worried, make a short trip, many questions will come up. I guess my advice is, just do it. Any problems encumbered will surely be answered here in a professional manner.
If your tow vehicle isn't right, you will find out.
If the hitch isn't right, you can find one that works better, you will have experience to notice the difference.
If you purchased the "wrong" trailer, you will know what it is that you need.

In the meantime, you will experience "the experience". And enjoy it.

Just do it!!

Greg
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Old 03-31-2013, 10:20 PM   #2
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We used to call this "learning the hard way".

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Old 04-01-2013, 05:38 AM   #3
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"Sometimes you have to take the leap and build your wings on the way down".


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Old 04-01-2013, 06:08 AM   #4
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Learning the hard way

Quote:
Originally Posted by dkottum View Post
We used to call this "learning the hard way".

doug k
Yup, that's what it is all right. But despite how much good information is here for the reading, ya' can't learn everything just by reading the Forums. For example, will you like it? How far can you comfortably tow in a day? Some of these things just require jumping off the dock!

BUT - if you have been an ardent camper but are tired of sleeping on the ground and dealing with a wet tent, if you like seeing new places and not having to worry about motel bedbugs, if you like using your own towels and your own toilet and shower, if you can put up with your own cooking (or at least boil water), and if you've got some $ to throw at the issue .... then yes, after doing some preliminary reading here, "just do it." Most of the rest will sort itself out in a short time.

And here's the good news. Almost everyone loves it!
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Old 04-01-2013, 06:37 AM   #5
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Don't worry about making mistakes; everybody does, and being a newbie you've got an excuse. Besides, mistakes make for good conversation starters later, "Back when I first started, I was soooooooo green that I…"

But, you can hedge your bets by choosing the RIGHT first trip.

Pick someplace reasonably close to home, so that if you forgot something important, you don't have a long trip back to fetch it. My first trip was to a campground 60 miles from home. Fortunately, I didn't forget anything I really needed, but if I had forgotten my medication or something, it was only an hour away.

Pick someplace that has full hookups, even if you don't use them all. The campground I chose for my first trip had full hookups, but I filled the freshwater tank and worked off of it, and waited until the end of the trip to empty the holding tanks. But if I had misjudged how much fresh water I needed, or how quickly the holding tanks would fill, the water and sewer hookups were right there so I wouldn't have looked like too big of an idiot for making a newbie mistake. I did use the electric hookup, though, rather than my generator.

Pick someplace that features activities that you enjoy. A boring first trip would color your impression of RVing thereafter. My first trip was to a Louisiana State Park, that I chose for its 14 miles of hiking trails. My mobility ain't what it used to be, and I wasn't able to hike all fourteen miles while I was there, but I had a great time tramping through the piney woods and checking out the scenery and wildlife. Flushed a doe and two wild turkeys during early-morning hikes!

Carry a full set of fuses, even if you're all thumbs and don't intend to do your own repairs. A blown fuse can spoil an otherwise delightful experience, if that fuse goes to something important and you have no spares. My Interstate uses a macerator pump for wastewater discharge, with a power-retracting discharge hose. I blew a fuse (twice!) on the take-up reel trying to wind the hose back up because it winds so fast that I wasn't able to get the hose to spool up straight and it jammed before I learned the trick (guide the hose with one hand, flick the switch on and off rapidly so that it retracts just a little bit at a time). If I didn't have spare fuses on that first trip, I would have had to cut the discharge hose off with a knife in order to pack up for the trip home.
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Old 04-01-2013, 07:09 AM   #6
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Old 05-02-2014, 08:38 PM   #7
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Until the airstream leaves the driveway, your just parked. Wander! That's what they are made for!
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