Magical Thinking?

[FarFetched]

Here's the scenario:

We take delivery of our 2018 Serenity in one week. Our dealer has a really good reputation for thorough PDIs. Then, five days later, we head out on our maiden voyage. Our destination is 300 miles away, dry camping in a reserved spot, with about a million other people to watch the eclipse, but we're leaving three days before eclipse day. It will be hot there. We'll have a Honda generator that should be well sufficient to run one of the A/Cs. There will be many other Airstreamers there. We are both experienced campers, but this is the first camping vehicle we'll have owned. One of us has done a multi-week road trip in a rental Class C, and one of us has experience towing a 30-foot race trailer and horse trailers.

This is crazy, right? We need lots more time to familiarize ourselves with our acquisition and have a much less ambitious shakedown, right? We've completely lost our minds. Haven't we? This is a disaster waiting to happen, isn't it?

Enablers and naysayers both welcome to chime in.

- Eeyore and Pollyanna

[dznf0g]

Go and enjoy. Other ASers there will be more than happy to help and answer questions

[slowmover]

You could camp out on the street in front of your house, but how would that be memorable?

No, when an item or two isn't up to par and you've quaffed all the gin, it'll be better to accept a buttered rum toddy from a fellow camper as he re-sets the circuit breaker for you.

I'd say an eclipse party is a good idea for the aluminum tent. If the toilet flushes and the AC runs, you're good.

Have fun.

[Al and Missy]

Congratulations on your purchase and may you have many happy miles and days and nights in your Airstream.

I would suggest you arrange to spend a night in the trailer at or near the dealership or home under camping conditions. Actual use of the trailer is the best way to find out anything you thought you understood in the PDI but didn't. It will also help point out things you wanted to have on board but didn't load.

Just in case, what Honda generator do you have? While some may have the capability to run the AC, they don't have enough capacity to start the AC, or will start it but have an extended low voltage / high current period during startup which is not good for the compressor.

[Iansk]

"Camp" in your driveway a couple nights before the trip and test everything out there. It's not rocket science and anything not covered by the dealer can be answered in the manual or in this fine forum.

Happy camping.

Ian

[uncle_bob]

Hi

Go for it !!! Get out and use your new toy !!!

300 miles at an average of 50 MHP is six hours. That's a lot of drive on your "first day ever". If you can, look for a spot about half way. Three hours the first day (or afternoon) and 3 hours the next is *way* easier. Right now I'm in an Airstream park about 15 minutes off of the interstate. A number of people pull in here, spend the night and take off the next day. They don't even unhitch from the TV. They just hook up the shore power / hoses and spend the night.

Where ever you do your first camp, make sure there is a store nearby. Something like a Target is ideal, a Dollar General is "good enough". Uncle Bob's Firearms, Cigarettes, Moonshine, and Live Bait ... probably not .... . No matter how well you plan, there will always be surprises.

Bob

[Lily&Me]

On your walk thru, be sure all systems work, then consideri spending one night at your dealer, familiarizing yourself with everything before heading out.

In a campground full of people, you will find lots of friendly folks to help you if you get stuck with something, but the important thing is to make sure everything is working at the time of delivery.

Have a great time.

Maggie

[weirdstuff]

You'll be fine!!! You have 5 days to test things out before leaving for the eclipse party? Plenty of time!!

When we bought our Interstate, it was our first RV ever. We picked it up from the dealer, and drove 200 miles and stayed out front of our friend's house for 5 days.

We were so dumb...couldn't figure out how to get the fridge on, didn't know how to get the heater to work (and it was COLD!), had a mystery alarm going off one night..... FUN TIMES!!

On top of that, I was so freakin' claustrophobic the first two nights, I couldn't sleep, and spent a bunch of time sitting outside on the curb, in my jammies.

This is the stuff that memories are made of!!!

As uncle_bob said above, it's helpful to be near a store, because you'll quickly find out there are things you really need right away!

[FarFetched]

Al and Missy,

The generator we plan to get is a Honda EU7000iS. https://powerequipment.honda.com/gen...odels/eu7000is

Whaddya think?

[Piggy Bank]

Lawn chairs, a good cooler, and a way to make coffee are all you need to know that you can handle anything.

After all, even if 100% of the systems don't work in your camper, you can sleep in the camper, sit outside, keep your food from going bad, and see the eclipse. If you can't figure out how to make coffee, another helpful camper will surely make some for you.

On a more practical note, if you use a download file saver program (like evernote or google docs or dropbox) you can download the PDF file of the owner's manual for your model, and also the parts diagram PDF of your model, from the airstream dot com website. Do this now. Then read through the owners manual before you pick up your rig. This will help you acquaint yourselves with what needs to be done.

Additionally, if you know already what model hitch you will be using, watch the You Tube videos on how to hook up and unhook it.

Figure out if you need tow mirrors (if your vehicle doesn't have them standard, then you do!), and get these now.

Most dealers have an accessories area. You will need dump hose and connectors, wheel chocks, fresh water hose, RV toilet paper.

Get some flashlights and bring lots of paper towels and trash bags. We seem to use more of these than you would think.

Put the name and number of your dealer, and the service manager's email in your phone contacts. This makes calling them on any questions easy, and if you need to email them a picture of your question you have that address ready.

Sheets and towels. Plates, cups, silverwear, pots, pans. Hot Pads. Soap and shampoo and hand soap and toothpaste. Foil. Dish soap and a dish pan so you can dump dishwater at a campground gray water sink if you need to.

You will have a blast!

[PKI]

Spend every spare minute you have until pickup studying the threads here. Also, spend some time on the web viewing videos on RV camping in a trailer. Colonial has video on specific trailers. View the one on your coach multiple times. Have a plan for the walk through that includes all the systems.

Take special interest in the AC control, the use/store switch, the hitch, the dump process and the propane system. Discuss checking the wheel lug nut torque and tire pressure, as well as battery water level.

The Honda needs to be broken in, including oil changes. Run it to power the coach at the house for a couple of nights.

Charge the batteries fully before you leave on your trip. Full means you will see a 12.7 volt reading at least a hour after the coach is removed from power. Conserve power at every opportunity.

Get the sales person's phone number and the service department phone number. You will have questions.

Good luck on your trip. Pat

[orange kayak]

Congrats and welcome! The best way to learn is by doing. You'll have lots of resources on site if you want them. We may be going to the same event. Have full propane, and full water tank; then just have fun. We were newbies too almost 4 years ago. Definitely not experts now, but we do ok and have had so much fun!
BTW we're breaking up the drive by leaving Thur. evening and staying in Vantage. PM me if you want. Hope to meet you there!

[rmkrum]

Don't forget toilet tissue. Chamin Ultra Soft works better than so-called RV toilet paper. Coffee and food are essential. A supply of toilet paper makes things come out much better (pun intended)

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by FarFetched

This is crazy, right? We've completely lost our minds. Haven't we?

Yes, it is crazy. Yes, you have lost your minds. But you've been sane for a long time, and change is good.

When I bought my Airstream way back in the stone age of 2011AD, for my first trip I took along some clothes, some food and basic cookware, and an assortment of fuses. Nothing else. Literally. No tools, no checklists, no tableware, not even a lawn chair to sit in outside, in my haste to actually start using my Airstream. I had a blast! I sat on the ground or the campsite's picnic table. I ate straight from the pot I cooked in. I spent the evening lying on the top of the picnic table looking up at the stars. And I made a list of "Gee, I really wish I had brought_____along with me," so I would know what to bring along next time.

I sometimes miss those early days when everything was new and I was still learning what to do or not do and even the smallest task was an adventure. Now I'm just a few years older, a lot more experienced, and the new has worn off. It's still fun, and I still enjoy every minute of Airstreaming.

But now the adventure is usually found away from the campsite, not at the campsite— unless something goes wrong; things going wrong are always an adventure if you can laugh about it afterwards, or a disaster if you can't. But barring things going wrong, the campsite routine these days is just that, routine.

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by FarFetched

. . .
We are both experienced campers, but this is the first camping vehicle we'll have owned. One of us has done a multi-week road trip in a rental Class C, and one of us has experience towing a 30-foot race trailer and horse trailers.
. . .

This breadth of experience, and your sense of humor, Eeyore and Pollyanna, should carry you through a great experience.

Great advice already . . .

Have fun!

[64airstream]

FarFetched,

We'd like to add to the positive "go for it" comments. You'll have a ball and we're sure you'll find other campers and especially Airstreamers willing to help, if you need it. Don't hesitate to walk up and ask, "what year is it?"or to say you're "new at this, do you know how this works?"

There are many threads here on generators, we encourage you to read through a few. A 7000w generator is a lot of power and it will definitely run one, if not both, Air Conditioners - possibly even the next trailer over. It is big and heavy, however, and a 3000w may do what you want (run one AC), with some margin. You may want to consider taking your generator with you to the delivery demo and step through its use with the AS rep. Maybe even video how to hook it up, start it, which breakers to turn off, etc.

Enjoy your trip into the path of totality, and we hope August 21, 2017 is the darkest day you ever have...

Roy and Marie

[Al and Missy]

Originally Posted by FarFetched

Al and Missy,

The generator we plan to get is a Honda EU7000iS. https://powerequipment.honda.com/gen...odels/eu7000is

Whaddya think?

Wow! I wasn't aware they made an inverter that big! You can run your trailer and your neighbor's as well. Nice choice. I hope you don't have to move it.

You have a sweeeeet setup for sure. Get on out there and enjoy it!

Al

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by FarFetched

Al and Missy,

The generator we plan to get is a Honda EU7000iS. https://powerequipment.honda.com/gen...odels/eu7000is

Whaddya think?

Hi

A couple of things about the 7000. It's big enough to run most of the trailer. You would need a 12,000W to run a full 50A service. It's certainly big enough to run AC. If you mentioned how big the trailer is, I missed it ...sorry !! If you only have a 30A service, the 7000 is as big as you would ever need.

The 7000 running "slow" uses twice as much gas as the 3000 running slow. Generators only throttle back to a certain point. You probably will go through a 5 gallon can of gas every day or three running the 7000. Obviously it depends a *lot* on how much you run it. Running the AC in hot conditions (why else would you run the AC ...) it'll burn through 5 gallons in 8 to 10 hours. The 18 hour rating is at low speed.

261 pounds of generator is a big heavy thing to lift. It's also a big heavy lump to have suddenly move around in the truck. You need a way to get it in and out. You also need a way to securely tie it down. In a panic maneuver situation, you don't want it shifting.

At 28" high, the 7000 will not fit under a normal bed cover on a truck. That may or may not be an issue. You should have a way to keep it out of the rain, both when hauling it and when in use. That's not essential, but it will make it last longer.

None of this says don't go for the 7000. It's a great generator. It will let you do a lot with the trailer. Go through the plusses and minuses and figure out how they impact you. Understand the issues before you commit to a purchase.

Bob

[Oli44]

Install Microair EasyStart on each of the two Dometic AC and the Honda 3000 will run one and a pair of Honda will run both. Threads on the Microair have thoroughly discussed the benefits of installing.

[FarFetched]

Hmmm, we may need to rethink our generator choice. Our AS will be a Serenity 27FBQ with dual A/C, but the dealer tells us we can run a single A/C on the 30 amp service. I'm thinking we should rent a generator that we know will run the A/C just for this trip and then settle on our choice afterwards. We've got enough decisions and provisions to handle between now and then already.

Sometime after this first trip we'll add a solar system.

Our TV is a Nissan Armada. No pickups for us as on future trips we'll need to have comfortable seating for us plus one set of parents plus a German Shepherd, and we're all vertically gifted so a crew cab would make for grumpy campers.

Thanks everyone for all the encouragement!

Orange Kayak, are you headed for Madras? If so, did you choose Vantage so that you could take 97? I.E. are you purposely avoiding 26 through Mt. Hood? We haven't even looked into a stopover because we figure it's so late that everything between here and there will be booked anyway.