Can you please tell me... the soon to be rookie.

[aname4me]

Can you please tell me... the soon to be rookie.
When you first started longer stays in your Airstream.... what did you bring that you really didn't need to or shouldn't have brought ?

[62bam]

My mother-in law ! ! !

[Dave Park]

Too much food. On longer stays, you always get a handle on the local stores and can buy locally for far less than the cost of transporting and storing all that food.

[aname4me]

Over Christmas I stayed at the in-laws for 2 week..... I understand!!

[blmitch5]

I Agee, we pack enough for the first dinner, breakfast and lunch. The rest we buy local. Will will pack our favorite cheese and snacks but the rest we can help the small local stores.

[aname4me]

How about things like pots and pans...
No more then one be burner?

[masseyfarm]

Leave the TV at home but bring all you tools. If you have an older RV, you will always have something to fix and no time for movies.
But the most important thing is to bring your BH so as to have someone to listen and sympathize with you when the sun goes down. (second thought, - maybe she would like the TV?)

Happy Camping
Dave

[n2916s]

Brought way too many tools (heavy) and too many pots/pans (also heavy). Also had a bad habit of loading up at BJ's with the 48 rolls of tp or 32oz jars of peanut butter...

Actually brought cd's our first year out, now have an MP3 player full.

mike

[noreen&sal]

Originally Posted by n2916s

Brought way too many tools (heavy) and too many pots/pans (also heavy). Also had a bad habit of loading up at BJ's with the 48 rolls of tp or 32oz jars of peanut butter...

Actually brought cd's our first year out, now have an MP3 player full.

mike

Never have too many tools. Or too muchTP.

[RickDavis]

Originally Posted by Dave Park

Too much food. On longer stays, you always get a handle on the local stores and can buy locally for far less than the cost of transporting and storing all that food.

We have found just the opposite, we seem to be able to buy food and especially soft drinksmuch cheaper around home. Usually try to have a weeks worth of supplies so we can stay away from civilization.

On the other hand it is hard to carry too many tools.

We stopped carrying bikes after hauling them to Alaska and back with out using them.
Also stopped carrying satellite TV equipment.
The kitchen tends to accumulate to much unused stuff and has to be re-evaluated every now and then

[Foiled Again]

You'll be tempted to buy every darned new gizmo and thing for your camper - most of which a year later will never have moved from it's storage place under the bed.

Things that are always good.

• Something to recharge your batteries . (If boondocking UNPLUG the trailer from the tow vehicle even if you leave it hitched. You CAN recharge your trailer batteries from a running tow vehicle, or if they go flat and the plug is in... you can discharge your car battery too.... 50 miles south of BF Egypt!) Generator? Charger?
• Air compressor to air up tires. I have a tiny cigarette lighter one, that has always been adequate.
• 1 extra fleece blanket - can be squashed down to nothing in a space bag, Last night it hit 20 and turned my chilly bedroom warm and comfy. I bought 2.5 yards of fleece on sale, serged the top and bottom - cost $11.
• Long wool sox (I paid $15 for a pair of cotton lined hiker's sox mainly because I couldn't believe they'd be that good. Now I have three pairs.) When boondocking I can keep the camper at 50 F, and with a good sweater and my woolie sox be totally comfy. If your footsies are cold, you are cold.
• Pots and pans. Start with a small nesting set or better yet, one skillet (lodge cast iron, buy at WalMart cheap) and One biggish pot, and something to make coffee/tea in. Add what you find you constantly need.
• two good sharp knives - paring and meat cutting
• decent paper plates and used silverware, coffee mugs - again let experience tell you what to buy after you've made 2/3 trips. Hot beverage paper cups are good too, take less space than styrofoam & can be used for cold drinks too.
• Grey Poupon Mustard - just to keep up the "Airstream Millionaire" image... though it is good mustard.
• No more than one spare set of sheets and pillowcases. You have to store them! I often do laundry and put the same set right back on.
• cheap work gloves - so you can throw them out after a bad "black tank" incident.
• First aid kit.
• overdo only on tools - you'll need more than you expect.
• on clothing, bring plenty of underwear - the rest is reusable.
• If boondocking a plastic bucket is good to limit water use in shower. One small bucket of hot to wash in, one to rinse with.
• 1 spare propane tank - the 20lb size. Murphy's law says you only run out at 3:00 am. A spare that you can swap out at gas stations, hardware stores, etc. will get you through til morning. I put it on the ground at the hitch, and padlock it to a safety chain.

If you fulltime and it gets cold, count on the campground losing power for six/seven hours too. My little Honda 1000 generator has saved the night more than once. (the damned furnace fan eats the batteries). I run a cord through the bottom of a window which sealed pretty well in spite of that, then plug in a space heater. Pipes fine. Me? Not toasty, but OK.

Don't be in a hurry to buy a generator. It's a big dollar purchase. If you boondock a lot in extreme weather you'll probably want a pair of Honda 2000's or similar, if you spend most of the time in full hookups a 1000 is fine. Actually have desperately needed mine only about 3 times, but it's been a nice to have thing a dozen more.

Happy trails. Paula

[RickDavis]

Paula's list is excellent.
The only thing I would add is, with the cost of laundromats, near the end of the trip it may be cheaper to buy more underwear and T shirts instead of the trip to the laundromat

[masseyfarm]

I have progressed from this standard, but starting out I would advise the following.
I was raised on the farm and it is amazing what you can do in the back 40 with minimum tools.
Basic --
Water pump (channel lock) pliers, Vice Grips (large and small), wire cutter, basic socket set that includes srewdriver bits, set of combi wrenches, pocket knive, large srewdriver/pry bar, heavy hammer, black tape, and a small role of bailing wire.
If you can't get back to civilization with those tools, then buy a membership in AAA and a cell phone.

Happy Travels
Dave

[aname4me]

Paula.... excellent
very useful list! I just printed out.
Thanks

[pmclemore]

I only brought 25' at first; I fit in 31' much better. So, I guess 6' is the answer.

Pat

[Wingeezer]

A four foot high radio controlled model sailboat! Way too big and fragile and never did get around to sailing it, just kept moving it around all over the truck trying not to break it!

The other thing was way too many clothes!

Even although now I bring only a fraction of what I did on our first trips, its still way too much.

I should learn that all I really need is a couple of tee shirts, couple of pairs of shorts, sweatshirt, jacket, sox, u'wear and swimsuit. I bring lots of fancier stuff and never out it on!

Brian.

[Minno]

Make sure you have a good first aid kit including Benadryl (allergic reactions), Aspirin (cardiac issues like chest pain), Tums (for the tummy), Tylenol (fever or pain) and Ibuprofen (fever, pain, or a sprain,etc - helps reduce swelling of the area). It's also helpful to have an Ace bandage, and ice pack. Antibiotic ointment is useful to have. Be aware that medications all expire, so check them from time to time and throw out old ones.
2AM is NOT the time to need to find a pharmacy!

Kay

[dkottum]

Whatever you can get by with on short trips will suffice for long trips. Nothing worse than too much stuff in the backpack, or Airstream.

Doug

[LisaP]

shouldn't have brought so many paper products in the kitchen. Wish we would have thought of an electric blanket!

[AirsDream]

Originally Posted by dkottum

Nothing worse than too much stuff in the backpack, or Airstream.

Doug

I buy that. I've done a lot of backpacking, and I try to think as of the A/S outing as a backpacking trip, and then add a few luxuries. Like a bottle of good Scotch, a few extra clothes, a freezer full of pre-cooked meals that only have to be heated, etc.

The only things I can think of that I have hauled around and haven't needed (much) are a high lift jack, a come-along, a shovel, and an axe. But when I get to needing them, there are few substitutes. I needed 'em all really bad twice ... the first time didn't have them along. Now I'll leave food, clothes, etc. behind before I leave them. And as Paula or someone noted, you can't have too many tools. It's always something ODD that breaks out in the middle of nowhere.