Getting set up

[Captnkirk54]

Hello we have committed to a new to us 2013 Flying Cloud 25 FB. Still getting the paper work finished and arranging shipment to us. My wife and I are getting prepared for retirement in a couple of years and think the Airstream will fit right in. While I have spent most of my working life traveling there has been no time to smell the roses. I have a reliable tow vehicle in an F250 4x4 diesel it will need a WD hitch and I'm leaning towards the Blue Ox Sway pro . The only question I have is will 1000 lb bars be enough for the 25 loaded up. The info I've seen says the hitch weight is 837 with batteries and lp tanks full. I'm sure it has to be over that loaded to travel if anyone has better numbers I would love to hear. We have done a fair amount of tent camping so we have most of that gear and we use to pull our horses with us some. We like getting off the beaten path and plan on some boondocking after we get broke in. I've been reading thru this site for several weeks now and find it a wealth of information . I'm sure I will have many more questions after get our Airstream delivered.

[Mrjkq]

You're fine with 1000 lb bars. I use the Equalizer WD with 1000lb bars towing with a Titan XD 5/8 ton truck. Enjoy!

[Captnkirk54]

Well added to our equipment list ordered a 3400 watt Champion dual fuel generator. Amazon had one refurbished for less than $800. That should take care of any needs when we can't plug into shore power. Our FC doesn't have the convection microwave so I think I'll have the needed watts . I'll keep it in the bed of the truck under a cap I already have. I plan on mounting our kayaks on top of the cap ,bikes will go on the included bike rake on the trailer. My wife is getting excited and looking forward to some trips with our daughter ,son in law and grandkids. They have a pop up right now . Our kids have spent a lot of time camping over the years and look forward to some more wide ranging trips. My wife suggested we do a dry run here on the farm so our first trip maybe down to the creek.[emoji41]

[uncle_bob]

Hi

Some sort of "short trip" is a really good idea with a new RV. There will always be odds and ends that are not quite right. In some cases they are things you left at home, in other cases they are a < $100 run to Target for the whole batch. They still need attending to either way. In our case none of them were show stoppers, they just bug you until you get them attended to. (We need to be able to hang this up somewhere .... )

Bob

[sandollars]

The very best first "short trip" is to spend the weekend in the driveway. No kidding. If you are missing something, you can go get it from the house. In the driveway one would usually have good wi-fi to place all those orders for the stuff you find out you are missing that isn't in the house. Regardless, Enjoy the journey!