Newbie asks - If you knew then what you know now

[boomerBear]

We recently purchased a 2007 27FB Classic front and rear panos with Hensley Hitch. Will be picking it up from Can AM RV middle of April. Going on Shakedown trip end of April. Would love to know from others what advice or things we should look out for. A story of a mistake you made or tip you have that would give me a heads up before hand. We will be going through it over the next week or so to take inventory as we bought all contents as well. Look forward to meeting you all on the road someday! Thanks

[Protagonist]

Welcome to the AirForums!

I'm sure lots of people will have lots of tips for you. Here's one to start off…

Make sure your first camping trip is (1) close to home, so you don't have far to go if you forgot something important; (2) a campground with full hookups (electric/water/sewer).

But even though you would be at a campsite with full hookups, don't use all of the hookups. Fill your freshwater tank, and then disconnect the freshwater hose. Your waste tank capacity should be a pretty close match to your fresh tank capacity, and you're unlikely to overfill the waste tanks before you run out of water in the main tank. But verify the capacity of all tanks when you do the walk-through, just to be sure.

The purpose of this is to give you an indication of how long you can go on a tank of fresh water before you have to dump your holding tanks and refill your fresh tank. But if you guessed wrong, you've got the hookups right there to correct the problem, and no harm done.

I suggest this because, even if you never go boondocking, you'll find that there are a lot more campgrounds with dump stations than with sewer hookups, and knowing how long you can last without emptying your holding tanks will do wonders for planning your future trips.

[RUMSHIP]

Just a thought. If you wash dishes and take showers, and flush the toilet 5 times, your gray tank will be full and your black tank has 5 gallons of water, your fresh would be half full. Your two waste tanks together would equal your fresh. What you need to learn is conservation of gray water when without hook ups. One way of doing this is to save dish water and pour it down the toilet to help balance the tanks to make the gray tank last longer for showers.

[Silver Otter]

You're going to have a GREAT time, and be grinning from ear to ear! Don't worry too much, take it slow and easy. Our two never-to-repeat mistakes: 1) - pulling out of the Hensley without putting the tongue jack down; 2) - failing to lock a bedroom window closed before hitting the road. No real damage from #1, but arrived at a fuel stop to find a big empty window frame from #2. Walk your unit just before your roll checking ALL the locks (windows, doors, awnings, etc.).

[blickcd]

The only mistake we made was not buying our trailer years ago. Sure, stuff has broken over the years and I've had to fix it, but the the relaxation and enjoyment we've had with our Airstream has outweighed that.

Before the maiden voyage, I checked to make sure everything worked. Even took the trailer to a large empty parking lot for some maneuvering practice. I'll admit to being a bit obsessive when it comes to checking things, planning, etc, but I still remember that first camping trip and everything was perfect. It was just a weekend at a local State Park, but it was every bit as relaxing as I thought it would be.

Bought it in 2004 and have pulled it almost coast to coast now. Enjoy.

Christopher

[cwf]

Check mirrors properly set

Check tire pressures and look at visible areas of tread for potential flat causes (bolts. Screws nails delamination) this goes for TV also.

All hatches secure.

Bride aboard.

[Protagonist]

Everybody makes mistakes; it's part and parcel of the learning curve. Don't worry about getting everything right every time. Just make sure that when you inevitably make a mistake, you get a good story out of it! That's the difference between a disaster and an adventure, the story you tell afterwards.

[Lily&Me]

Originally Posted by boomerBear

We recently purchased a 2007 27FB Classic front and rear panos with Hensley Hitch. Will be picking it up from Can AM RV middle of April. Going on Shakedown trip end of April. Would love to know from others what advice or things we should look out for. A story of a mistake you made or tip you have that would give me a heads up before hand. We will be going through it over the next week or so to take inventory as we bought all contents as well. Look forward to meeting you all on the road someday! Thanks

Spend the night in it at your dealer.

Unpack your stuff and put it away, use/turn on and off everything to make sure it works and flush the toilet a few times.

Empty your black and grey tanks at the dealer.

It is important that you know how to use everything before you set off with it (ask me how I know this), also then that any issues are immediately fixed.

Good luck!


Maggie

[MrUKToad]

I put a ding in the door side end cap on our first trip. I arrived at the Provincial Park and when directed by the park warden to pull over to the right, failed to notice the
H U G E Stop sign. It scraped down the side of the Airstream, bounced off the awning support and *bang*, one dented panel.

I decided that I'd keep the dent (it's not so bad after I'd pulled it out a bit) as a badge of honour. Also, if I'm ever stuck in a field of Airstreams then I'll know which one is mine

As a Postscript, I noticed that the park's Stop sign was nicely bent and, on a later trip to that park, I saw that they'd traded it for a much smaller sign. I claim a moral victory!

[newsgauger]

Welcome to the forums and I'm sure that you will enjoy your Airstream.

Of note, Cam-Am is hosting a seminar this Sunday, March 24th, starts at 9:30 AM and from what I understand there is still room.

Call 1-866-226-2678 to reserve a seat.

Chris

[Woosch]

Boomer,
Congratulations! We have the same unit and love it. You may want to get a copy of "The Newbies Guide to Airstreaming". Tons of good information. Hooking up always has us a little paranoid so we use a checklist every time. Also, you can download a copy of the owners manuel on the Airstream site. Study up and you will be better able to follow them on the walkthrough. Be sure to be very thorough on you inspection. Crawl under it and get a ladder and look at the top too. Good advise to stay near the dealer for at least a night and I would avoid picking it up on a Friday in case something needs to be fixed. Most of all, have fun!

[Protagonist]

Outfitting… Make sure you have enough fresh water hose and shore power cable. I just had one 20-foot freshwater hose for almost a year, and thought I'd never need more because every campground I went to had the water hookup less than 10 feet from the pad where I parked. Until I stayed at Chicot State Park near Ville Platte, LA, and discovered that the fresh water hookup was 21 feet away from my unit, and due to some bumper-height wooden barriers, I couldn't move my unit any closer. Fortunately a fellow camper nearby had some hose to spare that he let me borrow. Now I carry a spare hose, too, in case it happens again.

I've never stayed at a campground where the shore power hookup was too far away for my cable to reach, but after the experience with the hose, I bought a 30-amp extension cord to double my reach for that, too.

[MrUKToad]

Originally Posted by Protagonist

I've never stayed at a campground where the shore power hookup was too far away for my cable to reach, but after the experience with the hose, I bought a 30-amp extension cord to double my reach for that, too.

If you ever find yourself booking into an Ontario Provincial Park, make sure that you have plenty of 30 amp cable; those outlets can be a loooooong way away!

[mcair]

Get an extra power cord. Lots of older parks have electric boxes way back in the woods.

[boomerBear]

What great advice you all have passed on. I am taking something from all of your insights. MrUKToad, I remember seeing your blog about your first trip and the dent. I will remember that when we go to Rondeau this summer. I also liked the idea of downloading the manual ahead of time. And have purchased a copy of Newbies Guide to Airstreaming which I have read about a 100 times. We will be staying at Can Am over the weekend when we pick it up, just to make sure all is well. They have great and took part in the first seminar in March. Met great people and new friends.

Doug&Maggie how do you know this? It sounds like a story worth repeating.

You have convinced me to go out and get longer 30 amp cords. Which we will be doing the first weekend.
Protagonist I anticipate boondocking for at least 1 week a year (one of the reasons I bought the Airstream - the other being our annual trips to the east coast with some of the drive across the interior of New Brunswick - basically paved logging roads)
so your suggestions to get comfortable with the holding tanks is appreciated.

Woosch My question is how large is the fresh water tank on this unit? Sometimes I read 54 gallons, others 39?

[Lily&Me]

We had the dealer where we bought our Interstate on speed dial for a month or so after we bought it.

We not only didn't understand how to do some of the basic operations, he didn't show us where the hot water tank access was for winterization. Not in the manual, no way in hell a newbie would find it on their own.

Our toilet also leaked immediately, and we made three trips back before it was fixed properly. Come to find out, there was a pipe cut too short, thus the leak. After doing who-knows-what the first few times, he finally replaced it with a flexible pipe, no more problems.

Dealer was over an hour away, had to leave the Interstate and return for it THREE times.

Seriously, stay overnight with it at the dealer, at least. It will be worth the time it takes and there will be someone there to answer questions and show you what you need to know.


Maggie

[boomerBear]

Fortunately we live 15 minutes away from the dealer and though my wife is a little hesitant bout staying over night I am looking forward to the experience. We will try and stock it with things we will leave in the trailer.

[RUMSHIP]

Don't forget the roof vents. They tend to blow off while going down the hwy when left up.