Traveling and First Time RVing Tips

So, you’ve bought your first RV and are all insured and ready to go on your first trip.  What next?  Well when planning your trip, plan your destination first.  Figure out how accommodating your site would be to enable you to park your RV properly and safely.  You’ll need to know the length of your RV and the amount of AMPs it needs to hook up to.  *Note: the model number does NOT represent an accurate length, so please refer to your brochure on that.*

Next, you’ll need to figure out your route.  This will ensure that you are able to see whatever sights that may interest you and have the best opportunities for your family’s needs.   Now, some tips while traveling:

• Be sure everything is secure before setting off for your destination (TV, cabinets, dishes, food, chairs, etc…).
• Travel with blinds up to reduce stress on the lower fasteners and so the pleats don’t fall out on the cloth blinds.
• Don’t travel with the water tank full.  I know that it’s tempting to have everything prepped if you are planning on “dry camping,” but ultimately that’s harder on your system.  Now if you want to, have a small amount for emergency restroom breaks but full tanks are not recommended.  Fill up the tank much closer to your destination if it’s absolutely necessary.

Now, once you’ve arrived at your destination you’ll want to get your RV set up.  Remember while leveling your RV, the less you require your jacks to come down the more stable your RV will be.  If you need to, try building up from the ground a bit with Lynx Levelers like our Parts Department has available or cinderblocks for example.  Just don’t forget while setting up that you’ll want to ensure your RV is level, all contents are still properly put away, and all doors are still shut before running out any slides.

As silly as it may seem, be careful what you cook or bake in your RV while on your trip!  Your RV will end up smelling like whatever you fix.  Try instead to cook on an outdoor grill or stove.  I recommend trying a Traeger Grill if you’re looking for a nice, new grill.  You can fix a variety of dishes on one!  There are of course pleasanter aromas that you won’t mind having linger around such as cookies, muffins, or biscuits.  A word of advice on these would be to keep in mind the location of the heating element.  Due to the confined space of the smaller oven, what you have baking (like cookies that are in rows) will bake thru faster over that element.

Once your trip is over and you’re getting ready to leave, check for any debris that may have fallen on top of your slideout.  Any sticks, acorns, etc… may start to damage the slide seal over the course of time.  Don’t dump the rest of the ice onto the ground!  Instead put it down the commode.  The ice with help to clean the black tank while in motion.

Now this is not the “end-all, do-all” of how-to-camp.  These are just some friendly reminders of things that may be forgotten or overlooked or maybe even a new tip all together for you.