List of things to buy and suggestions.

Now that I have the Cyclone, I realize I need to get a few more 'neccessary' things.

Would you mind suggesting which ones to look for and why you like them/dislike?

1) sewage system (I've heard of the flush king) what else do I need?

2) Leveling blocks?

3) in line filter options?

Anything else?

We have the X chocks, TST system, Surge protector (the big one). I forgot what else we have already.

Thanks for the suggestions!
Irene

I don't have a rig yet but may be getting one in the next few days. Been trying to make a list myself of what I am going to need. You will need a drinking water hose, a water filter system, pressure regulator, regular water hose, connectors etc. Also a surge protector for the electrical, wheel chocks, sewer hose (can buy a complete kit with hose and couplers), assorted tools and flashlights. Kitchen items (dishes, forks, spoons etc.), bathroom items (towels) and the list goes on . . .

If you search for "RV camping list gear" you'll get plenty of online lists, here's one that's fairly comprehensive:

http://www.rv-camping.org/CheckList.html

One more item to add to the list, though, is a replacement fuel filter (and wrench that fits the filter/space) for your truck. Given the questionable quality of the diesel fuel, you want to be prepared.

I'll skip the everyday stuff. There's lots of people/places to get those ideas. Here's my list for Plan B, what you need for when things go wrong:
- a spare set of keys for TV, TT, hitch lock, etc. If you lose or misplace your keys at the campground, it's a long walk home.
- a small air compressor, for when DH checks the tire pressure before heading back home and disovers there's been a slow leak.
- a 5-gal. water carrier and/or hoses to refill your fresh water tank. More than once I discovered upon setting up that I hadn't filled the tank before departure or the site didn't have water.
- a spare WD hitch chain lift bar stored in the trailer. 1/2" x 18" Sch. 40 pipe works. If you leave your one and only bar laying in the driveway, you may not be unhooking at the campground.
- a locking hitch receiver pin. If you leave your hitch in the TV receiver while seeing the sights near the campground, some petty thief may see to it that you drive home sans TT behind you.
- more tongue jack blocks than you think you need. Scrounging the campground for rocks and wood scraps for that uphill site may make for a restless night's sleep.

I might only use one item on this list once in a year. But that's the one item that saves me from a ruined weekend.

Porkchop said:

Now that I have the Cyclone, I realize I need to get a few more 'neccessary' things.

Would you mind suggesting which ones to look for and why you like them/dislike?

1) sewage system (I've heard of the flush king) what else do I need? If you don't have a hose and fittings yet, you will need them. The ones that usually come in the "Starter Kit" do not work well. I have had a few including the Blueline which I liked because of the push togther fittings and it came with 20ft of hose, and the Valterra EZ Coupler which we currently have (don't like it as much but works fine. I wanted a Rhino Flex but dealer was out and we were leaving that moment! We have also had to use a rubber seal at some parks.

You may also want to consider what type of chemicals (if any) you wish to add to the holding tanks. Many use nothing, others do the GEO thing, and as for me, being old school I still use Aqua-Kem and never had any tank problems (knock on wood).

2) Leveling blocks? I think this too is a personal preference. Many like the Lynx Levelers or Rumble blocks but we use small pieces of 10x2.

3) in line filter options? Haven't done that yet!

Anything else? Your quest has just begun!

We have the X chocks, TST system, Surge protector (the big one). I forgot what else we have already.

Thanks for the suggestions!
Irene

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Porkchop said:

Now that I have the Cyclone, I realize I need to get a few more 'neccessary' things.

Would you mind suggesting which ones to look for and why you like them/dislike?

1) sewage system (I've heard of the flush king) what else do I need?
I don't know what the "flush king" is but I suspect it is a macerator (sewage garbage disposal/pump). This can be handy if you don't have access to a regular sanitary sewer setup, but is another thing to clog up and fail.

2) Leveling blocks?
Aside from your personal comfort in the coach, it is imperative to have your coach properly levelled when stopped for extended periods unless you relish the idea of a RV refrigerator failure and buying a new one for over $1000.

3) in line filter options?
When you are talking "in line filter" are you talking water filter? Some people do, some people don't filter. Some people are sure you will get sick from the unfiltered water, others don't worry about it. It is something you can do without the first few trips and make up your mind about the water taste.

Anything else?
The big question might be "Do you intend to ever Boondock - that is, camp without hookups?" If so, you need to look into making and storing your own electricity with a generator. and/or extra 12 volt storage batteries, and/or solar panels, and/or an 12 volt DC to 120 volt AC inverter. The key to generator sizing is whether you intend to run your air conditioner on it. On the batteries and inverter , the question is how much electricity you plan to consume for each hour, and for how many hours.

We have the X chocks, TST system, Surge protector (the big one). I forgot what else we have already.

Thanks for the suggestions!
Irene

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Those are my ideas!

Thanks for the suggestions and keep the coming! I so far we don't plan on. Boondocking too often. We are heading up to Canada for a track day and will be without electricity hook up for 4 to 5 days.

We will have bathrooms and showers available so we will use that instead of using the rv facilities.

Did I say I have a generator? Onan 5.5 and we got the extra fuel cell as well.

I'll do the wood blocks suggestions first because we will be probably parking on pavement most of the time. But you never know, right?

It's a steep learning curve and I'm very thankful for all the support here.

Thanks again!
Irene

Since keys were mentioned -spare truck keys are in the trailer.
Spare trailer keys are in the truck.

Will do thanks! I got two sets of keys for the RV. I'm going to have a few sets made as a back up

Cheese-its, pretzels, chips, beverages, .......................

MTPockets said:

Cheese-its, pretzels, chips, beverages, .......................

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You can never have too many snacks! Add: peanuts, cashews, pistachios... Oh, and in case Deb Bylinski is coming by for a visit, a box of instant grits (right Deb? ).

FRS hand held radio. Could come in handy when backing up and or setting up. I would get some that will transmit a good distance. I have included a link for a set that does not look too bad. I know that most people may have two cell phones, a his and hers. But what about when you have zero coverage? These will work and if you have more than a couple of people you can pick up another pair. lots cheaper than cell phones.

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/to...wo-Way Radios&cm_cat=Pronto&cm_ven=Aggregates

So here is the list that I'm compiling for purchase:

1) Flush King: amazon $25.54

2) Rhino sewer line: Amazon: 15' = $29.97, do I also need the 5' extention with coupler $16.86

3) Sidewinder hose support: Amazon:20' = $36.07

4) 303 protectant: Gallon: amazon 55.75

5) Leveling Kit (will use wood first, then decide on which one to get, seems like a lot of choices).
BUt this one looks nice:

http://www.amazon.com/Tri-Lynx-0001..._1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1336567945&sr=1-1

6) Brass Pressure regulator around $9

7) white drinking water hose $15

8) Locks for the toy hauler (looking to Master Lock keyed alike) but there are a lot of options. Any preferences?

We have the BAL X chock (2 of them) do we need more chocks?
I also got the Portable 50 AMP Electrical Management System

We have a small generator and compressor.

No 5 gallon water thing yet. Will look into that as well.

I just thought of something. I probably need extra FUSES as well!

I think its mostly 15 amps with a few 20 in there. Any other Fuses I might need?

Food is ALWAYS in the TV! I'm always starving!

We have some old FRS radios that I've had laying around. Time to scrounge them up and make sure they are working!

Thanks again!

Porkchop said:

So here is the list that I'm compiling for purchase:

1) Flush King: amazon $25.54

2) Rhino sewer line: Amazon: 15' = $29.97, do I also need the 5' extention with coupler $16.86

3) Sidewinder hose support: Amazon:20' = $36.07

4) 303 protectant: Gallon: amazon 55.75

5) Leveling Kit (will use wood first, then decide on which one to get, seems like a lot of choices).
BUt this one looks nice:

http://www.amazon.com/Tri-Lynx-0001..._1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1336567945&sr=1-1

6) Brass Pressure regulator around $9

7) white drinking water hose $15

8) Locks for the toy hauler (looking to Master Lock keyed alike) but there are a lot of options. Any preferences?

We have the BAL X chock (2 of them) do we need more chocks?
I also got the Portable 50 AMP Electrical Management System

We have a small generator and compressor.

No 5 gallon water thing yet. Will look into that as well.

I just thought of something. I probably need extra FUSES as well!

I think its mostly 15 amps with a few 20 in there. Any other Fuses I might need?

Click to expand...

Sewer hose, I would opt for the 10' extension if they still make it.

Those leveling blocks from Amazon are pricey. I bought the yellow brand whenever they were on sale at CW, less then $20 a bag of ten.

303 - a gallon - what are you protecting?

25' white hose to start, eventually you will find you need a 50' or an additional 25'. I have used the 25 and 50 together several times.

Small generator? you have one in the trailer, leave the small one home. If you kill the trailer batteries enough that you can't start the genny, hook up the truck and run it for awhile.

You can hold 100 gallons of fresh water. That is a lot if you are careful with use. Boondocking - use throwaways instead of plates and silverware.

You can get a variety pack of fuses at Wally World.

Sign up for some rallies!

rick_debbie_gallant said:

FRS hand held radio. Could come in handy when backing up and or setting up. I would get some that will transmit a good distance. I have included a link for a set that does not look too bad. I know that most people may have two cell phones, a his and hers. But what about when you have zero coverage? These will work and if you have more than a couple of people you can pick up another pair. lots cheaper than cell phones.

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200422249_200422249?cm_ite=200917&cm_mmc=Aggregates-_-Pronto-_-Pronto-_-Pronto&cm_pla=Sporting%20Goods%3ETwo-Way%20Radios&cm_cat=Pronto&cm_ven=Aggregates

Click to expand...

Oh, you just burst my bubble.

Someone here had mentioned that the wife uses an ear piece with her phone and the husband uses his phone hands free inside the truck with the Bluetooth sync. That's what we were planning on doing ( I just need to decide on an earpiece.) but you bring up an excellent point. One of us is bound to not have coverage (probably me since I'm on AT&T and he's on Verizon) especially as we head west.

Heres another newbie question and I apologize for hijacking the thread. Do you use any sort of hand signals to help you line up the trailer? Or do you just throw up your hands all together. I told Eric that I would run down to the airport and swipe a pair of those light up orange hand sticks that the guides on the ground use. He didn't laugh, rather told me we might need them.

Feel free to hijack! That way we can both find out what we need as newbies! I'm sure there are tons of things that I don't even know to ask!

PS here is a link to some hand signals that I found:http://www.themotorhomeguide.com/techtips_hand_signals.html

Duane,

303 for the roof?

I'll hold off on the leveling blocks. Thanks for letting me know they are pricey (maybe I can find some cheap ones that are used).

Thanks!
Irene

ericandalice said:

Do you use any sort of hand signals to help you line up the trailer? Or do you just throw up your hands all together.

Click to expand...

Closed fist in the air - STOP,

After that whatever you decide. But the STOP must be in agreement with you both.
That and the "always visible in the mirror" routine. And that goes both ways, if the back up person can't see the driver in the mirror, then the driver can't see the back up person.

Porkchop said:

303 for the roof?

Click to expand...

Is that in your manual for roof care?

Porkchop said:

I'll hold off on the leveling blocks. Thanks for letting me know they are pricey (maybe I can find some cheap ones that are used).

Click to expand...

Day late and a dollar short - sold all my extras to a co-worker for a buck each.

We have a set of the FRS radios. Who ever is at the wheel just listens. The backer does the talking, so it's hands-free for the driver. I do the majority of the backing and tell the wife where I want to end up and she can then watch for any problems. And I survey the spot before moving into it.

The leveler blocks are pricey and you will need at least two sets. If the ground is not flat, or there are tire tracks, you may find they break under load if not fully supported. Easier to pick up some 2x10 and 1x10 lumber and cut it into lengths that will span both wheels and carry it in the truck bed.

Yes, RhinoFlex has a 10 ft. extension available, but it does not come with fittings. The 5ft. ones do. I carry the 15', 10' (with fittings), and two 5' extensions. Why so much? Because it was mentioned that the sewer connections at Goshen might need 35 ft. Ended up just using 25 ft., but it was stretched out.

I also have a 50' water supply hose (RV Water Filter Store) because of Goshen. Good to have the extra length instead of having to couple hoses together. For washing the rig, I picked up two 50' sections of the self-coiling hose from WalMart and store it in a section of 4" PVC that I hang off the frame while on site.

For extra fuses, get a multi-pack of both ATC and glass fuses. Your rig has both.

An extension ladder is handy for doing maintenance on the sides or cleaning. I did have a folding Cosco extension ladder (like a Little Giant), but recently got a 12.5 ft Xtend+Climb telescoping ladder to use. Lighter and less storage space required. A soft scrub brush with a telescoping handle is another good thing to have for cleaning the rig. Add a plastic bucket to that. Also a coil of 3/8" polypropylene rope and a couple of those little caribiners is handy for hoisting things up on the roof when you need to work up there. I put tools or cleaning stuff in the bucket, climb up with the rope in hand, and then hoist the goods up.

If you plan to move your rig a lot and travel, this next item won't work for you. I picked up a large plastic patio box and modified it so that I can disassemble it and store it in the front compartment. Great place to put chairs, folding tables, games, etc., while on a long-term or seasonal site. Also comes in handy as a place to set things when going in/out of the rig, like with groceries.

On the subject of cleaning your rig while on a campground, are most of them ok with that or do you have to clean it in a designated wash area?