Soon to be new owners... what else do I need to buy??

[Seinbelld]

Hi everyone,

As I mentioned in a previous thread I had started back in the summer, we recently put a down payment on a 2016 International Serenity 30 and will be hopefully taking delivery sometime in April. We are beyond excited and completely new to camping via a travel trailer.

Beyond the trailer, hitch and TV, what else do we need to buy to get us started? We'll obviously accumulate stuff over time but looking for recommendations on what we'll need the first trip(s). I've bought the Newbies Guide to Airstreaming so will check that out over Christmas break (I'm assume that will have suggestions).

In addition to your thoughts, I'd appreciate if you could point me to any past threads on this. I did some quick searching without a lot of luck.

Thanks - and Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays

Eric

[Foiled Again]

Camping World is NOT your friend. They exist only to extract cash from your pocket.

What you need most is OTHER AIRSTREAMERS who will save you from going on a buying frenzy - and later tossing or trading or giving away 60% of what you bought. Bring old stuff from your house for your first trip or two. Time and experience will show you what YOU need to camp happy. (OH - a "white water hose", toilet paper, Kleenex, a roll of paper towels, spare underwear, a tooth brush and toothpaste, a cell phone and directions to the nearest Walmart will cover 99% of all things you'll really really NEED on your initial voyage. I'd personally add coffee to that list, but you might want beer or tea or lemonade.)

So - you're in Pittsburgh and many campgrounds in PA are closed this time of year. There is an excellent Airstream only park about 100 miles north of you - Penn Woods. I don't know if they are open but the people there are wonderful and the park is beautiful. Also you could even visit the "mother ship" - the factory in Jackson Center where the camping is free if you're having service done - and $10 per night if you're just passing through - they call their camping circles the "TerraPort".

You might want to check the bottom of the main page of this forum for rallies or start a thread asking to meet camping neighbors. Lots of folks enjoy "show and tell" sessions.

Paula

[n2916s]

You'll need a potable (white) water hose. I have two 25' hoses for flexibility. Mine came from Ace hardware and are soft, pliant and rugged.

You'll need a sewer dump hose. I like the Rhino brand. Mine is 10' and handles pretty much any situation. If you decide to access a sewer clean out at your home, you might consider the Sewer Solution. I wouldn't worry about that now.

Toilet paper is swell to have. You can pay a lot for official "RV" toilet paper. Or you can buy Scott or Cottonnelle 1 ply toilet paper for much less and it works just as well. No multi-ply, perfume enhanced, cloudy soft TP...

Black tank treatment. I would recommend something containing enzymes and bacteria (I like Pure Power) rather than chemical -- some of the "old school" products have some nasty stuff (formaldehyde etc.) that can really wreak havoc on a campgrounds septic system.

After that, it is up to you.

Mike

[Ron A]

I've gone through more camping stuff and given to Goodwill than I would like to mention. Space is limited. I would suggest you consider staying away from bulky items (example bulky chairs, recliners, large charcoal grills, etc.) keep things small and compact. Think about how you will use it and where you will store it before you purchase camping items. Best of luck & enjoy making new memories in your airstream.


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[Drathaar]

Eric, many dealers provide a starter kit with the trailer. Talk to yours and find out if they do, and what is in it. Some things that won't be in the kit are a good tire pressure gauge, an IR thermometer for checking tires and bearing temps, and an inexpensive air compressor. Maybe a set or two of leveling blocks, and tire chocks to keep the trailer from moving when disconnected.

Many of the things that aren't in the kit can be ordered over the Internet as you find you need them. Camping World will often meet internet prices, so ask. The worst they can do is say no. You can say no, as well.

BTW, negotiate with your dealer, too. When I put solar on my trailer, the dealer was more than twice what local RV shops were asking for the exact same equipment. The dealer wanted the business and came down to local prices.

[switz]

One needs to be careful having a dealer install other than the two 53 watt solar panel factory system. The pre-wiring is not rated for larger loads associated with a more usable system. They may not even be competent enough to do the factory system. They tend to prey on first timers.

Read on the forums about solar installations and send a few PM (private messages) to folks to learn more.

[GCinSC2]

Longer term at a site w/o sewer hookup some folks use a portable tank to drain grey water. Many models avail.

[kdickinson]

You'll appreciate having a few light tools like screwdrivers, pliers, channel locks, etc.. Get some zip ties and some good strong tape. Get a couple of power strips so you can charge things in the trailer at the same time. A DVD player is a good addition if not already installed, many parks rent or loan DVD's which are nice on cold or rainy days. We have our dishes and utensils, pans and other cooking items duplicated for the trailer so it is ready to roll. Get some refrigerator deodorizer (arm & hammer). WD 40 is very handy of course. A good flashlight and a pack of batteries. Latex gloves for the dump hose. A long (30') cable cord to access the camp cable TV. I carry a plug converter to convert from the 30A main plug format to the three prong plug that I can use at my house. A vacuum cleaner is missed terribly when not included. I take a 5 ton bottle jack and a super jack (the tall red jacks you see on Jeeps). Replacement fuses in the tool kit. Leveling blocks. And ... the good old fly swatter.

[Ray Eklund]

Whenever I need a tool for a need at our house.

I get it out of our Airstream storage compartment.

[kdickinson]

Oh - and get a good (name brand) hotspot for internet if you expect to have fast and reliable internet service. The camps pretty much throttle your internet down after so many megabytes of download activity and then you are stuck looking at a progress bar all the time. By name brand I mean Verizon or AT&T. All the others basically resell Verizon & ATT and they also get seats in the back of the bus. You can buy plans by the duration (1-3 months) and gigabytes. I also have an AppleTV in the trailer which allows me to access all of the same content that I can at home via my Apple account.

[kdickinson]

Yes, I tried making up a list of tools to take each trip and just gave up and built up a tool kit for the trailer. I have solid A / A+ tools at home and went for B / B- tools for the trailer to save cost but I pretty much have what I need for pretty much anything that comes up that could be a DIY fix to get down the road or make it through the night. Like I had to re-seat all the faucets after I picked it up from a mechanic who "fixed" some drips at the faucets at 10:30 at night the first night out after about 15 hours of driving - real fun. But I was able to get it done.

[Bayou]

Duct tape!

[VT Wanderer]

I have an EXTENSIVE checklist for what I believe is every possible item that we will need on various trips, from clothing to tools, to inside and outside AS items. Prior to a trip we determine what our activities include; biking, kayaking, rock climbing, hiking, etc. Check what will be needed, and then check the next column when it has been packed. You don't want to be 2000 miles from home and be missing one of your paddles, etc. Don't want to be in the Rockies with improper clothing. If you want a pdf copy, let me know.

[kdickinson]

Oh - and a spare hitch pin, boy is that no fun when you misplace that darn thing and it's time to go

[gecko]

Eric-Welcome aboard!

Paula has it right! Take old stuff from home, and keep it simple for now and find out what you need down the line.

Some more specific thoughts: As the other gentleman said, Airstreams have very limited storage AND you're going to want to keep weight down, anyway. So for any item that you find you MUST have, it wants to be both small and lightweight. For example, for chairs, we recently replaced our folding captains chairs that you find anywhere with some super lightweight chairs made for climbing/hiking. they don't look comfortable, but they are, and they each fit in a bag about 3x4x12", freeing up a tremendous amount of precious storage.

You're setting up a kitchen (galley) for the road, too. So a good set of pots and pans, melamine dishes, bowls, cups and flatware are good to have. If you can start with older stuff, you'll learn what you use and then replace with a pretty and useful set to design coordinate with your interior and your lifestyle. Dishes are a great way to add color accents to an interior at mealtime.

The same is true for your bathroom setup. Towels, hand towels, etc. We added an extra bath towel rack and hand towel rings to our 2010 28' International, and spent the bucks to match the AS provided ones--pricey, but they look nice and work great. You're going to need some fundamental cleaning supplies, of course. Like the dad in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" we've found Windex or other glass cleaner to be great for windows, countertops, and especially for cleaning the vinyl flooring. A collapsible broom (thetford makes the best that we've found, although it usually only lasts one season) is a must for sweeping out several times daily, and we'll clean the floor at least every other day to keep things sparkling. We used Simple Green for the first couple of years, only to find a mysterious white buildup around the edges--removed easily with Windex, and haven't had the problem since.

If you're a BBQ kind of guy and don't have room in your TV, the limited storage area and opening in most AS's make for a challenge. We recently update our small stainless marine unit to a Napoleon Grill--the Blue one (sorry, don't have the name handy--and have been very pleased with it. It perfectly fits through our under-bed opening and doesn't have a large footprint, while it is a fairly good quality grill at the same time.

The starter kit provided by the dealer is just that--a starter kit, and good for your first weekend. If they provide a slinky sewer hose, that may last you a season or two, but you'll definitely want two good quality RV water hoses--one for your sewer washout and one for fresh water. It can be helpful to have them two different colors, or one with a blue stripe and one without, so as to distinguish. And you can't have too much RV or single ply toilet paper on board! Or paper towels!

My partner in travel has been very good at maximizing closet storage space with stackable drawer units. She has even done this in our main wardrobe, and we've been able to store spare paper towel rolls behind it to maximize space. We keep our backup cleaning supplies and bathroom supplies in a plastic bin on the top shelf of the wardrobe, so that it's out of the way but there. Many little tricks throughout the coach to maximize storage for each part of your home away from home.

You may find things that we all now take for granted a bit daunting at first. There's a procedure for every part of setting up camp and breaking it down. Checklists are a great idea to make sure that you don't overlook something, and a final walk around even after the checklist is complete is a good idea, too. But all the stuff that you may have to do with instructions initially will eventually become second nature--it just gets easier--so don't get discouraged, and have a wonderful time!

[Road Dog]

You might want to consider extra fuses and maybe a quality surge protector. I just recently purchased a 50 amp from Progressive. I don't know how many other owners do this, but I also carry a water softener.
You'll figure out what you need over time.

[Vermontmary]

Congratulations! You are starting your Airstream life with an awesome trailer!!! My best suggestion is to have an extra set of keys that you can store in a hidden place on the outside of the trailer (Duct tape is your friend here...). We didn't do that to begin with, and lived to be very very sorry!

[JCWDCW]

Originally Posted by kdickinson

Oh - and a spare hitch pin, boy is that no fun when you misplace that darn thing and it's time to go

Oh Yea...Lost too many when I left the pin on the bumper. Now I make it a rule to keep it with the hitch head or the Hensley stinger! A 5/8 bolt will do in a pinch!

JCW

[dames7]

First, Have deep pockets as you will find that things are not cheap. Amazon will be come your best friend.

We bought our first AS and have travel over 9,000 this year WITH ONLY 2OR 3 PROBLEMS.

Things we have added:

1. Another 5 foot on the sewer dump hose, a 10ft will not work in some camp grounds and you will be out of luck finding one for a reasonable price or QUALITY on the road.

2. Good flashlights, none of those cheep one, can be a life saver or help find your way to the outhouse.

3. A Trailer-Aid, Change a flat on your tandem wheel trailer without a jack and practices at lease once, you could find your self somewhere you can not get help in changing a tire.

You will find that a lot of this is trial and error, take your time and GOD willing you will become a AS guru.

Most important is when you see other AS, take time to say hi and ask them what works for them and you will learn a lot.

Most dealership will only give you an hour or two to get you out the door and say good luck, join the WBCCI and find member close to you to help with question, and don't forget the FORUM.

You get to AZ let us know.

[dames7]

And Warning Triangles, 3pk. Protect yourself during roadside emergencies.