Essential kit for a full-timer?

[spelunkus]

Hi everyone,

I'm about to pull the trigger on a 25' EB. I am in the midst of research about essential gear to start with. I'm planning to stay in an RV park for a few months (have to stay in LA until a class finishes), then I'm hitting the road, probably around Southern California / NV / AZ / NM until it gets warmer. I expect to be doing a lot of boondocking, but I'll ease into it.

My unit has the 100W factory solar package. I expect to upgrade it but haven't started looking into that yet.

I have done plenty of backcountry / car camping / road tripping, so I'm mostly interested in gear that is particular to the trailer itself and the tasks associated with using / maintaining it.

So far I have:

- Hose kit
- Water regulator
- Generator (eu2000i if I don't need to run the A/C, eu3000i if I do)
- Levelers (flat ones or the andersen style)
- Standard tools (driver, ratchet, screwdrivers, wrenches, etc.)
- Hitch

For boondocking:

- Jerry cans, blue boy
- Cell phone booster, directional and omni antennae
- A 2nd or instead a larger generator
- Upgraded solar
- (eventually) composting toilet

I know these lists can get crazy. At this point I'm mostly looking for things I haven't thought about because it's my first trailer.

Here are the lists I've found:
- http://boondockdad.com/stocking-the-trailer-essentials/
- http://longlonghoneymoon.com/2013/12...or-rv-campers/
- http://www.airforums.com/forums/f42/...rip-61864.html
- http://just5moreminutes.com/blog/mon...en-essentials/
- http://www.doityourselfrv.com/rv-mus...g-accessories/

Thanks!
Matt

[slowmover]

A TT is something both house and car. A mix. Hard to have too many tools is what this leads to, but they are heavy. Take your time with it, do a few projects to see what you'd like to keep with you.

Next, a goal for the rig. Two weeks of complete independence from any re-supply (including water). Or, a month. I'd say this approach will sharpen focus.

[AWCHIEF]

Good luck with your transition. Hope you do not shoot yourself in the foot when you "pull the trigger".

[dkottum]

Travel light. It will make your experience better in every way.

[kblakelymd]

Matt
It really depends on where you will be going. I was planning on being in Washington State for mild winter weather but ended up for the whole winter in northeastern Ohio. IF cold weather, you will want a skirt, perhaps some chicken coop lights for under the airstream and heated water hose. Inside it is nice to have a oil filled heater to save on propane and a dehumidifier. There are a couple of great books on wintering in the Airstream on Amazon.
I keep my tools , dewalt rechargables to construct anything I might need. I also found a portable satellite dish is nice to keep informed. EB Airtstream Trailer is awesome.
Good luck
Kent
2013 EB 25 ft

[demijac]

There are quite a few accessories which you will either figure out based on the lists you've assembled or by necessity based on your unique needs. One thing that we never saw on a list and which has been proven to be indispensable to us is a heated mattress pad.

We like to sleep with the heat off - even when it's cold outside. When we first got started, the inside of the trailer would get cold pretty fast once the outside temperature fell below 50 degrees ouside. We would be in bed under our down comforter but would still get a little chilly - mostly from cold air coming up from below. We spent about $50 on a 'thin coil' heated mattress pad with dual controls and have slept nice and warm ever since - even in single digit temperatures. Also, it improved the comfort our original factory supplied mattress as well. The only caveat is that we don't use the heated mattress pad when we're boondocking.

Good luck!

[Foiled Again]

Toilet paper
toothbrush & toothpaste
2 changes of undies
charge card


GO!


Buy anything else small that you think you'll use a lot - at a thrift store. That way you can afford to throw away all the stuff you got by mistake. Over thinking and preparing can be useless when 3 weeks in the trailer lets you know what are must haves - and what you worry about buying six years down the road when you actually DO need it.

Paula

[Silver.Sanctuary]

Originally Posted by spelunkus

So far I have:

- Hose kit
- Water regulator
- Generator (eu2000i if I don't need to run the A/C, eu3000i if I do)
- Levelers (flat ones or the andersen style)
- Standard tools (driver, ratchet, screwdrivers, wrenches, etc.)
- Hitch

For boondocking:

- Jerry cans, blue boy
- Cell phone booster, directional and omni antennae
- A 2nd or instead a larger generator
- Upgraded solar
- (eventually) composting toilet

Thanks!
Matt

Looks like you have,in fact, done your homework. One thing I would suggest is that you consider the generator(s) carefully. You list a Honda 2000 for situations without AC and a 3000 for AC situations. In the boondocking category you list a 2nd or larger generator.

When I bought my trailer, I got the Honda 2000 pair before I used the trailer much. When I did, I was grateful to have the pair for AC but was reluctant to use the generators in dry camping scenarios just because I didn't want to break the serenity of nature. Years ago when tent camping in the Grand Canyon, I was next to some inconsiderate individual who played his 'boom box' late into the night. I didn't even like his music and I don't want to do that to others with my generator.

After I bought the generators (don't get me wrong, they are great!) I read somebody on this forum who, in response to a comment about an individual needing them for AC, said that if you needed AC maybe you were camped in the wrong spot! That has really hit home a lot... but sometimes the site is selected by others or events like Star Parties. In the end, I bought the pair because I can easily handle one at a time and it is very easy to plug them together. I doubt I could easily handle a 3000 and putting it up in the truck bed would be really tough without help.

If I had it to do over, I would still get the pair of Hondas (or Yamahas but I got a good deal on Hondas from Mayberry's), but I have purchased a Trimetric Meter and shunt and a Tristar Regulator and will put in a solar charging system to supplement my PD4645 converter that I replaced the original with. I will probably get a portable panel so I can park under the trees and keep the battery topped off. My Airstream is a 2004 so the 1141 bulbs are now soft white LEDs at a reasonable conversion cost and I don't use an inverter at this point, so I don't think it should take much to keep the batteries topped off. The charging wizard on the PD4645 is good, but the programming ability of the Morningstar Tristar solar charger is better.

Bottom line is if you get generators and are 25-50 and lift weights regularly, the 3000 is probably ok. If you someday will hit 55-70, consider the fact that two smaller generators are easier to handle (one at a time) than a big one.

Good luck and have fun in your new rig!

[dkottum]

You don't need a water pressure regulator, it's already built into the Airstream external hose connection.

Starting from scratch, I would look at some solar and battery options before buying a generator. The Eddie Bauer has a huge ventilation hatch, you may not need air conditioning.

[BoldAdventure]

Pretty much all I do is boondocking/dry camping. We are at 100 days of free boondocking in the Southern CA/AZ areas. Just came back from Organ Pipe and Ajo, AZ.

Your list is ok but get rid of these two:
- Water regulator
- blue boy

Never in the past year of full-timing have I said, gee I wish I had a blue boy.

As for tools, you're in luck, you get this before I publish my blog post.

[tvoneicken]

If I were you, I'd reconsider the generator stuff. I have a yamaha 2000is and I'm not happy. The thing runs great and quiet but it's not enough for the A/C but too much for just about everything else (OK, we don't microwave). I carry the yamaha on top of the battery box where it adds to tongue weight, but I don't want it either in the TV nor in the AS, so it's the only place. I wish I could have gotten one of the small ~600W generators @20lbs that are out now.

I don't know if you have it in your list, but we carry 2 5-gal drinking water canisters. We much prefer that over whatever crappy water we have in our tank. They also saved the day when we discovered a fresh water tank leak in Death Valley when pulling into an amazing spot 50mi & dirt road from anywhere. You can never have enough fresh water in the desert and it's not just about gallons but also redundancy.

If you are planning to hit dirt roads, stop after the first 5 minutes and see where dust is coming in. Have some rags at hand to plug the openings. Also, have some velcro cable ties to tie the sliding overhead compartment doors together so they don't open (or does the EB have the FC style cabs?). Then check the hinges of all cabinet doors. I just gave in and removed every metal screw of every hinge (3 per hinge) and put blue thread lock on it and remounted. If that doesn't do it I'll have to replace all hinges.

Have fun!

[Retail6]

Doug, sent you a PM, take a look and let me know. Curious about those chairs in your Photo.

[KenSanLan]

We were given an invaluable bit of advice before we "hit the road". If at all possible, before you start traveling, spend some time living in your trailer and making adjustments as to what you really do and don't need. No matter how prepared you think you are, there will be things to tweak. Take this out, add this in. This was a huge help for us. Sounds like you may be able to do this while finishing your class.

[Cannonball]

One thing I noticed missing from your lists are the necessary equipment for changing a flat tire. Your trailer did not come with a jack, and the stock lug nuts have a flimsy cover over them that mangle really easily. I wrote a post about a year or so ago about what I have in my tire change kit that goes everywhere with us. There is also a recent post about upgrading the the McGard lug nuts, which are expensive, but probably worth it.

[cjammer630]

I have read all the posts here and looked at the picture lay out of the tools for full timing. All are great suggestions. Unless others have mentioned it, I did not see or hear of anybody suggesting a 3 ton hydraulic bottle jack and some (4) 2X6 treated boards approximately 12 to 16" in length.

I also recommend propane space heater large enough to keep the trailer warm during the winter (They do not use any electricity) They must be used with ventilation (cracked windows) and a fan powered by d cell batteries lasts a long time to help circulate the heat.

I have boon-docked and traveled all over the United states while I was in the Marine Corps. I lived with my family in a 1978 Tradewinds 26 in the winter in Montana, Washington State while waiting for a new house to close.

It has paid for itself 3 times over and I still have it after I retired from the Marines.

I would not own any other trailer.

[eggman]

hubby packed us up for 3 years full timing in with several large manly tools like crescent wrenches etc. which we never used. what we did have to go buy, however, were several odd size and odd star shaped tiny socket and drivers like you need for the inverter, water heater etc. check your mechanical and electrical and take the sizes you might need...
other stuff we had to go buy (that we don't typically need for the house) included additional sewer hose and connectors, water hoses, DE and orange oil for safe bug killing, small container of bleach solution for disinfecting water hose connections,disposable gloves, foil tape, fuses, and a cheap umbrella baby stroller for toting propane tank to refill area .