New 16' Sport owner

[Parkabito]

My wife and I are brand new owners of a 16' Sport 2015. We are taking our first venture out of the driveway to dry camp in a few days. Prior to this beautiful rig, we had a bare bones pop up tent trailer and before that, ground tents.

This is obviously a huge change for us. We got the intro from the dealer and have both poured over the owner's manual. Nevertheless, we are still concerned about the huge responsibility we are about to undertake. Are going to ruin it? Blow up the propane? End up with a trailer full of sewage? :roll eyes

Any suggestions, tips or reassuring words of Airstream wisdom would be very much appreciated!

Thank you!
The Parkabito's

[Stefrobrts]

Originally Posted by Parkabito

Are going to ruin it?

Not likely.

Originally Posted by Parkabito

Blow up the propane?

Really not likely.

Originally Posted by Parkabito

End up with a trailer full of sewage?

Maybe...

Just kidding! I was comforted by knowing how many safety systems are built into the modern propane appliances, it would be almost impossible to blow yourself up with them. You got the intro, I assume it comes with an owners manual, just take your time and get to know your systems and you'll be fine. And enjoy!

Once you have it all figured out it will be old hat in no time, and that's when you'll start skipping steps and taking stuff for granted! So my number one recommendation is to make a checklist that you go over step by step before the trailer moves. My own list is about 20 items long and includes things like closing the vent, putting up the step, removing the wheel chocks and checking the lights. There are examples here on the forum, and long discussions about what should be on them. If you check everything every time, you can roll out with confidence and enjoy the trip.

Another great thing would be a set-up list, because I can't tell you how many times I have put down the stabilizers and THEN decided to level the trailer front to back. Once you're parked nothing catastrophic is likely to go wrong, but there is a bit of 'order of operations' to follow to reduce frustration.

Enjoy your new toy, we have been enjoying ours for 11 years now with no sign of tiring of it, and not a single disaster (no sewage floods yet). It's still the best money I ever spent!

[Parkabito]

Thanks Stephanie-
I expect by the end of our 1st venture away from the safety of our driveway we'll relax. (A little...) Good suggestion about having check lists for getting ready to tow and also for setting up.

I expect we'll have a few bumps along the way of our learning curve but I'm so happy to have this experience. Looking forward to new adventures!

Suzanne