Ordered a Globetrotter. Now what?

[johndpolk37]

Before we purchased our first trailer, we rented many trailers over the course of two years. We learned what items we needed, what were included, and what we thought would be good to bring with us to a rental trailer.
The only way that you can figure out what you will use, is to live it first and figure it out as you go. Trying to sort everything out up front will be almost impossible.
To paraphrase a famous quote "no plan survives its' implementation" or more commonly known as "no battle plan survives contact with the enemy"...
Your first trailer should not be your enemy!

[David Logue]

......AND the very first movie you should watch IS "The Long, Long, Trailer" you may want to watch before leaving on that first safari....LOL

[goransons]

We are vintage lovers but REALLY like the Dublin Slate Globetrotter. I hope that it's in the cards this year. Time will tell!

[GMFL]

Originally Posted by goransons

We are vintage lovers but REALLY like the Dublin Slate Globetrotter. I hope that it's in the cards this year. Time will tell!

Airstream should give you one for the awesome job you did of Wally’s trailer.

[PKI]

You are going to get offered an extended warranty and nano coating at closing. Research prior and decide before hand. If you decide to buy, do a bit of negotiating on the pricing.

Pat

[goransons]

Originally Posted by GMFL

Airstream should give you one for the awesome job you did of Wally’s trailer.

I like the sound of that (and thank you for the compliment). Who knows what if anything will happen on that! I look forward to seeing the new rig. I've been reading a lot on them.

[LakeState]

your homeowners insurance will cover items not part of the AS like your guns, camera equipment, laptop and so on. towing for the AS and towing for the truck. enjoy the ride it's going to be great!

[ShelMar]

I recommend purchasing some wood glue. I own a 2019 Globetrotter and so many screws of the cabinet latches, drawer guides and drawer pulls are coming out. I have been unscrewing hardware and squirting wood glue into holes and rcrewing back in. Best to do before they vibrate out so you don't need to purchase larger thread screws to replace. Especially the bottom drawer under the sink. Very poorly designed, the side mount brackets are held in by 3 small screws with a few threads in each. I havent been able to use the drawer since my first trip. Looking forward to getting the unit back to the dealer to lock everything down. Hopefully covered under warranty.

[Felina]

Be sure to read the blog Living in Beauty. It is terrific and they have great ideas even some of us long time owners can use.

Originally Posted by Old Grumpy

I fulfilled a long awaited dream today. I placed an order for a 2019 Globetrotter. I am so excited and I can't wait to go camping! Of course it has to be ordered to get it exactly how I want it and that will take time. I'm told it will arrive sometime in late March. But that gives me plenty of time to get ready to enjoy it.

While I am waiting, I thought I should start acquiring the things I will need to make life on the road easy, fun, exciting, fulfilling, comfortable, enjoyable, etc., etc., etc. And that is where you come in. Please give this newbie some advice on the things you have found to be especially useful. Some will be obvious, like a sewer hose. Other things perhaps only you have thought of.

If you can share with me your Top 5 things you would not want to do without then I can start compiling my own list and use these next three months to get ready.

Thanks in advance for all of your suggestions! I really look forward to meeting many of you on the road!!!

[Adventure.AS]

Originally Posted by ShelMar

I recommend purchasing some wood glue. I own a 2019 Globetrotter and so many screws of the cabinet latches, drawer guides and drawer pulls are coming out. I have been unscrewing hardware and squirting wood glue into holes and rcrewing back in. Best to do before they vibrate out so you don't need to purchase larger thread screws to replace. Especially the bottom drawer under the sink. Very poorly designed, the side mount brackets are held in by 3 small screws with a few threads in each. I havent been able to use the drawer since my first trip. Looking forward to getting the unit back to the dealer to lock everything down. Hopefully covered under warranty.

It sounds like you may have tire pressure that is too high in the trailer tires or the hitch WD bars are too stiff.

[RandB]

We bought our classic 18 months ago. Aside from the normal stuff here are the top five we’ve added:
1. Surge protector. We got the inline one rather than the one at the post. Doesn’t matter just get one.
2. Rock guards- We got a set of Rock Tamers
3. Dehumidifier. We have a 30 pint floor model from GE. A must have for humid camping in the south.
4. Quick starts for air conditioners- for boondocking and generator use to allow ACs to be used.
5. Allstays App for iPhone to find campgrounds and fuel sites on the road.
And lastly, magma stacking pots... although that’s #6!

[hawksbil]

We were very excited last year before we took possession of our basecamp. I found watching you tube videos put out by long long honeymoon very helpful. I went out and bought all kinds of things just to live in the trailer. Then I kept my credit card handy for the things I needed. Have fun
Hawksbil

[Ol Bob]

A Dash Cam is an essential travel companion.
"Expect the unexpected" as you travel down life's highway.
It's memory card will give an honest expianation of what you experienced.
You will be surprised how often you are cut off because other drivers don't want to be behind a trailer. Aka: you are seen as a rolling roadblock.
I have a Rexing 1080P dash cam I got off EBay for $123 then put in a 128GB micro SD memory card. Gives me days of recording time
.

[triptick]

Alright, one thing (for sure) is a Dyson Cordless Vacuum for cleaning up. Suction is awesome.

I'm sure others will come up with 4 more.

[Piggy Bank]

I agree with the Long Long Honeymoon blog site/you tube videos (also called LoLoHo)

They give a lot of tips about real world driving, camping, campgrounds, and parking.

It was on their video we got the tip about backing into a pull through site if it's tight.
Why would you want to do this you may ask? In Yellowstone there are lots of "pull through" sites that have trees on both sides, and the sites are curved. Our truck is narrower than the Airstream. If there is a tree branch in the way you may find yourself unable to make the curve when you try to pull through and out at departure.

But if you back into the site, you know absolutely that you can drive forward out and clear all issues. This tip was a big help for us there.

[TxTravelsUSA]

Congratulations on your purchase!
There are lots of good suggestions.
I was a newbie last year and would add a couple things I discovered.
-Any unit over 25ft absolutely needs two AC’s. You will not want to skimp here. Very expensive lesson when you have to add a second unit later for $9999.
-The Container store large shoe box fits perfectly in the cabinets of my FC 27FB.
-I use two 25’ ZeroG RV Marine hoses for fresh water. It’s soft and at low temps much easier to coil.
-I lined the doors to the storage bays with clear contact paper immediately. This protects the door inner surfaces as you slide items in and out of the bays.
-A good paper map. GPS will fail at times I prefer the McNally Motor Carrier atlas. Has bridge/tunnel/height/weight restrictions and lots of other great info.
-A Sense of humor. Remember your house is bumping down the road. Things are going to wiggle loose, open unexpectedly, and malfunction.
-Have a great time!

[dmac]

An indoor place to store it. Hail, corrosion, and leaks are your enemy!

[Apalach53]

Lots of good suggestions but don’t forget a trailer tongue coupler lock. A simple one like this one works. https://www.amazon.com/Camper-Traile...e+coupler+lock
I like the locking type. https://www.amazon.com/Trimax-SXTC2-...e+coupler+lock

[patriciahawk]

This has some basic starter lists and is an interesting read as well. I also love watching YouTube videos about it. We get ours in February!! Such an exciting time!!!
https://www.airstream.com/wp-content...ers-Manual.pdf

[64globe]

I have a 1964 globetrotter 19’.....for twentyyears...over 150k.....tow with a 2000 dodge/sterling 3500 Cummins cab chassis 4x4......I have modified the trailers suspension and frame for off-road adventures.....so much fun.....ENJOY YOUR NEW TOY.....