Alice

1 hour ago, NDBirdman said:

To avoid fillin up the black tank, use park's restrooms.  Use their showers to avoid going through all your water.  Take a hot dog stick for the cook-out, for the marshmallows, etc.  Sunscreen, whatever you are eating for breakfast/lunch/dinner x 2 days (depending on how long we plan on being gone), bottled drinking water, a deck of cards, some brewski/wine, some baggies/small shovel if taking a pet.  We always take 3 days clothes for one or 2 nights.  Depending on where and how far we are going, firewood for the nights campfire.  Some places won't let you bring your own, check first.  Couple folding chairs to sit in whilst fishing, don't forget the bait. 

We're quite a way from the park's restrooms, so at least part of the time we'll use ours.  That's the point of having one!  No firewood - BIG no-no in these parts - there's been some bad bugs.  Hubby with nix the hot dogs - I'm thinking steaks.   Our RV dealer gave us a bottle of wine, so we'll definitely be using that.  

37 minutes ago, 2gypsies said:

Thanks NDBirdman, I thought of those suggestions after I posted.  

OP:  Since you'll have water at the campsite, run the faucets and press the pedal on the toilet to fill the tanks before you make that drive home.  Then you can safely empty the black tank.  Don't try emptying it if you only have a little liquid in it.  That's how 'things' build up.

We also used the dishwater method.

We best put quite a few bowls down it.  I'm sure it's bone dry at the moment.  Dishwater is a solid idea.  I'll have to remember a pan.

25 minutes ago, sandsys said:

My mother always told new campers in Colorado to bring a winter coat and a glass jar with a tight fitting lid. You'll want that coat in the Arizona desert, too; temps drop quickly once the sun goes down.

Linda

We're in Missouri.  I guarantee, we don't need jackets.  I'm excited about the air conditioning! 

Boy are we ready to get the trailer and GO! We picked up our TT on July 27 and it's just been parked. We can't even park it by our house thanks to the tiny, steep lot we've got, so it's in a storage place nearby.

Today I reserved a spot in a campground about an hour and a half from home. It's got great reviews and our spot has a big "yard" area around it so we're not going to be stuck up against another RV. There's a little fishing (catch and release) lake and some trails and a pool etc., but mostly, this is just us learning what we can. The only downside is there is no dump at our site, water/electric only, but that's okay because the RV Storage lot has one and we can dump when we get back. It's just a weekend...won't be like we'll fill her up.

So...any pointers for us rank amateurs?   What do you consider "essential" for a little weekend jaunt?

On ‎8‎/‎5‎/‎2019 at 10:32 PM, sandsys said:

You might want to put a tension rod in the shower to use to hang wet clothes when you come in out of the rain. It's nice to not have to wonder where they are dripping.

Linda

Excellent idea!  Thanks!

First, Thank you all!  We are excited!  Now if we can just find time to USE it!  LOL!   But working full time, funny how just overnight almost sounds like too much work for too little fun - but I WANT to use it!  I think we may have to pay just for an overnight at our local park or in the driveway of a friend's house!  We have to pay storage since our lot isn't level or large enough to keep it and our drive is just really steep.

On ‎7‎/‎28‎/‎2019 at 6:04 PM, 2gypsies said:

I like how the rear door leads into the bathroom in case you're wet or muddy.  Convenient for taking off shoes before entering the living area.   

The rear door was one of the reasons we liked this one.  The bathroom is HUGE on this trailer.  We had three fairly large adults in it at once and we could move around.  It is big enough to use as a mud room, which will come in handy I'm sure! 

On ‎7‎/‎29‎/‎2019 at 12:05 PM, sandsys said:

Isn't it exciting to get to this stage?!!! Congratulations!

It really is.  I can't believe it was just 6 months ago I freaked out and talked us out of buying one less expensive!  But this one just seemed meant to be.  Now to buy all the little things you need...levelers, hoses, chocks, etc., etc.

On ‎7‎/‎30‎/‎2019 at 4:52 AM, rollindowntheroad said:

Congratulations!  What size is your truck?  I just got a 2019 F150 with the Ecoboost.

And we just got a 2016 3.5 L F150 with Ecoboost.  LOL!  We were going to use the Colorado, but went "looking" the night before we picked up the trailer and found this truck and just kind of fell in love with it.  Same year and practically the same mileage as the Colorado and changed our payment by less than 50cents...  We were sure the Colorado would pull the trailer, but heavier and more control just seemed like the best idea for the novices.  

Of course, three days later - after towing the trailer home (which it did beautifully) the master cylinder blew and the brakes went out!  BEFORE the extended warranty we bought kicked in!  But all is well, the dealership made it right free of charge - which, legally speaking, they didn't have to.  We really do love this truck.

We not only got our trailer yesterday, we got a new(to us) truck Friday night!  We decided we were worried enough about the weight of the trailer to trade up and our payments didn't change so...

Tried to post a photo,  but apparently I'm incapable of making it small enough,  skk instead here's a very bad,  shot sideways video,  on you tube. 

On ‎7‎/‎3‎/‎2019 at 4:45 PM, Lou Schneider said:

Easy way is to add 1/4 cup bleach to enough water to fill the hose.  Raise one end and pour the mixture into the other until the hose is full.  Join the ends so the hose is sealed into a loop and let it sit for an hour.

Maybe shake the loop a couple of times to ensure the bleach mixture splashes into any air pockets.

How to tell how much water you need?  Fill the hose, then empty it into a bucket.

Reading these long posts take time, but there are some jewels of advice in them!  I admit, I'd have NEVER thought of doing this!  Too many years drinking from the garden hose as a kid I guess.  Our plan (not full-timers yet) has been to add an in-line filter to the hose at the faucet end, there is also a filter between the tank and the sink...and to use a Brita Pitcher for drinking water.  We figured that we'd have to do something after winterizing in the spring to clean and flush that stuff out of the system, but I never thought about the water-only hoses needing cleaned! 

Love this site!

We've planned our first stop too.  We're going directly from the dealer the roughly 45 miles to our home town and then to the empty State employee parking lots,  where much backing-up practice will be done.  😂  

Then well figure out where to go to actually camp.  Ha!

49 minutes ago, Kirk W said:

If it has a backup camera, it would normally be installed outside or at least where the lens is open to the outside and not in a storage cabinet. In addition, it would have a display of some type, usually mounted into the dash. 

The TT is backup camera ready. We know where the housing is.  We couldn't imagine NOT having one,  so we hoped just maybe he'd taken it off and stuck it in a drawer.  We didn't really think we'd find one,  but it was worth a look and an excuse for us to play around in it some more.  

My brother in law has had a 30 foot TT for years without one,  but we're having one installed before we leave the lot.  

Jabberwockey is Mr. Alice, in case you hadn't guessed.

We pick it up next week, coincidently on my husband's birthday!  Its like the stars aligned and everything was just meant to be.  🌟 That poor tech has been warned that we'll be spending hours making him show us every tiny detail.  

On ‎6‎/‎13‎/‎2019 at 10:20 PM, rynosback said:

I do not blame people for not wanting to rent there rig to complete strangers. I posted this because I did not even know that this even existed. And it kinda shocked me as you can rent RV’s through Cruise America or El Monte. 

But there are thousands of hotels and true bed and breakfasts out there yet air B&B is growing and making cash.

Yeah, but you can get a decent Airbnb for $50/night.  The cheapest RV I've seen (drivable) was $160/day.  That's why we still haven't rented one.  I can do a trip to see my son in Colorado for about $300 in rental/hotel expense.  That wouldn't even get me out there in a rental RV. 

While I don't own an RV yet... I guarantee we'd never rent one out.  We were landlords for several years of a mobile home we couldn't sell.  Never, ever, again.

On ‎6‎/‎2‎/‎2019 at 9:41 AM, Jesse A said:

We have our eyes on the grand design 351m.

Hi Jesse!

My husband or I could have written your posts, except for the part about kids.  We're empty nesters, looking the full-time in retirement in about 4-5 years and have looked and looked for the right rig to do that in.  We're pretty sold on the Grand Design toy haulers too.  Have you actually been in a 351M? - Very nice. 

We like the toy haulers for a lot of the same reasons you do.  Large tanks, on-board generators, fuel tank that will be mainly for the generators.  We plan to do a lot of boondocking and those things will be fantastic.  Unlike you, our garage wouldn't be a bedroom, just storage and a place to work on hobbies or to just get away from each other for a bit; a "man-cave" if you will.  I'm really taken with the idea of a patio. 

Of course, in my opinion, the secret of a happy marriage is two bathrooms!

Anyway, all the best in your search!  You've gotten some awesome info that is helping me too! 

On ‎1‎/‎1‎/‎2019 at 9:40 AM, GR "Scott" Cundiff said:

I just posted our 2018 Fulltime RVing Expense sheet. Frankly, it was an expensive year with major repairs on both 5th wheel and F350. Some years are like that for everyone: both RVers and folks living in Stix and Brix. This year it was our turn to feel some financial pain.  

Here's a link to the 2018 expense sheet.

I almost had a heart attack at that monthly average.  My husband and I don't exceed that by much now, gross!  We'll have about half that as retirement.

19 hours ago, Matthew said:

IMHO.  Don't make the purchase. 

You have a house mortgage (implied), under water on vehicle loan, have credit card debt, need repair items to your cabin and a unpaid student loan.  And you want to add to that debt by purchasing another truck and 5th!?!?  With the hopes of using money you are promised 5 years down the road to pay off most of the debts leaving very little "emergency" money in the bank?  I'd have cold feet too.

 

Thanks Matthew, but it isn't as bleak as you made it sound!  We have more than enough income to pay for the trailer we were looking at - a small TT, the 5th wheel isn't until we retire and sell our house - we have quite a bit of equity.  It isn't "hopes of promised money" - the State of Missouri damn well better come through with our retirement benefits we've been working for 30 years! LOL!  

It's all academic now as we decided to wait.    We paid off the credit cards with a low-interest signature loan, are paying more on everything else to get it all paid off before we retire.  We'll likely still get a small trailer in a couple years...just not yet.

38 minutes ago, whj469 said:

Before I bought an RV I attended the Escapees Boot Camp. I went to Livingston, TX, about 40 miles from my small ranch in SE Texas, but they do them in other locations as well. They stated that they wanted to help you but your third RV first. Good Luck

We've been talking about that!  We'll have quite a trip to make since they seem to never be around here, but I think we'll do that.  It'll likely be next year though.  And Thanks!

Well folks, I thank you all so much for your patience and your counsel.  

I didn't talk myself out of it.  My husband and I talked ourselves out of it.  

We tend to be spenders,  and impulsive,  and kind of...I don't want to say irresponsible with our money and time... but we need to concentrate on a whole lot of other things so we're ready when the time comes to retire.  We could spend the money and buy the trailer now (or more accurately borrow the money now)  but if we did one of two things would happen: we'd either not use it enough to justify the expense,  or we'd use it too much and not accomplish other goals that are more of a priority - which would be great fun,  but foolish.  That's just how we are. 

So we're going to wait,  get some stuff done,  and save money for now.  Maybe in a year or two we'll find one we can afford to pay cash for.  

Still looking forward to excapee-ing some day in the not too distant future.  😁  I am so very ready to retire!

@NDBirdman It was my absolute pleasure to impart a bit of my useless knowledge.  

Love that Joe Cocker song too.  But I thought he suffered from some debilitating nerve disease the first time I saw him perform.  He does have odd body language.   

18 minutes ago, Darryl&Rita said:

Bob Marley, amongst others have done versions of the song well before Bobby MFerrin.

Bobby McFerrin wrote that song in 1988.   Marley was, sadly, dead by then. 

Maybe you're thinking of: 

SOOO many good Marley songs. 

13 hours ago, Ray,IN said:

This travel trailer towing calculator will accurately and safely match your Colorado to what it will safely tow.

Thanks again for that link.  Dry weight is well within the max trailer weight even with the 20% margin.  This TT has a cargo capacity almost equal to its dry weight, be we are never going to put 3,300 lbs of stuff in it...this is a weekender.  Maybe a week at most.  We've got 1,400 lbs before we hit the max with the 20% margin.  We're talking a few pots and pans and paper plates, food, bedding, a change of clothes and fishing poles.  I think we're good. 

Of course, we'd get a weight distributing hitch.  Not from the dealer though.  The only one they sell is $800.  I'm sure it's awesome...but geeze! 

Anyone care to chime in with a recommendation for a good hitch for a small trailer - it won't be exceeding 5,000 lbs I'm 100% sure, and about 23 feet long?  I want a good one, but not necessarily one that costs that much! 

3 hours ago, NDBirdman said:

 

Dude!  That is SO not Bob Marley!  That's Bobby McFerrin!  I know my reggae!  My son says the only people he knows who listens to it are stoners and his mom.  LOL! 

10 hours ago, sandsys said:

So you worry more about money than you do whether or not you are enjoying your life? Do you enjoy worrying? You must get something out of it or you wouldn't do so much of it.

Linda, another worrier who is trying to quit.

1 hour ago, dzwiss said:

Pancho: If my worries are over, I won’t have anything to worry about.

 Yeah.  I'm a Pancho.

It's not just money.  I am a worrier as a general rule.  I guess the other worry is:  Will we use this enough at this point in time, to be worth the money.  I think we need to do a cost/benefit analysis.  Objectively, I know the TT is a good price.  With the options on it, it's below "Low Retail" on the NADA site.  For some reason, I'm calmer about the whole thing today. 

12 hours ago, Ray,IN said:

I suggest you focus on the tow vehicle first. A Colorado is low on the scale for towing capacity IMO;   if you tow at its maximum capacity it will be stressful for both of you and harder on the vehicle, which means you may expect parts to wear out or break sooner. This travel trailer towing calculator will accurately and safely match your Colorado to what it will safely tow. It even offers the option of selecting a 20% safety factor, to which many full-timers subscribe. Do not accept the word of a salesman on towing capacity or ratings, do your own homework; after all it''s YOUR money being discussed.

You may discover your Colorado is inadequate to tow any trailer that satisfies you both. This of course would mean you need to change priorities from trailer to truck.

I'm going to double check with the calculator you've linked, but we're pretty sure the Colorado can handle this particular trailer.  We have a tow package, etc.  Short of being a diesel, our truck is as good as a Colorado gets for towing.  We can't trade it in yet, so yeah...that would change everything. 

Thanks again folks.

6 minutes ago, Kirk W said:

It is all about money management and priorities. Good luck!

Yeah...Husband and I have already decided we have to sit down and have a serious discussion about this - in the next 3 days!  We're supposed to go buy this thing on Saturday - assuming they still have one.

Sorry for all the whining folks!  I'm really not good at letting go of money.  That is such an understatement.  It took me like 7 years to let myself buy a Kitchenaid mixer that I'd wanted for even longer than that and then I stressed over it - and it was under $400!

I appreciate the input. 

36 minutes ago, sandsys said:

It sounds to me like you have everything in place to buy that TT now and have some fun over the next 5 years. What if you wait 5 years then have some illness/injury that keeps you from being able to go then which would you regret most?

There is that.  The fact that it's pretty much exactly what we want, at a good price, is the biggest "pro".  What if we wait and can't find anything we like next year as much as this.  What if something happens and we can't use it?  Not like there's a good resale. 

20 minutes ago, Kirk W said:

In our early years we went family camping with a small tent, then a bigger tent with a lot more equipment.

Our son hated the outdoors.  He didn't do sports.  He didn't like camping.  He liked our medieval reenactment events only because there was stuff to buy and he was pretty good at archery.  But he hated fishing, he couldn't care less about nature, hiking, sunshine, etc.  And now he lives in beautiful Colorado and still doesn't do any of that stuff. So sad.

22 minutes ago, Kirk W said:

I believe that someone with the doubts that you have would be much wiser to buy a smaller, older RV that you can get for less money and use for a year or two just to make sure. The fact that you have doubts means that you could be making a major mistake. It may seem that everyone else loves RV life but that is only because you are visiting a website for those of us who do. Believe me that I have seen many people visit these forums to address our lifestyle who are only around for a short period because it just didn't work for them.

I don't have doubts about the travel, or even really the RV full-time in a few years, though I might make my husband insane as I'm a nervous passenger in a car, much less a truck hauling a large trailer. 

We've been looking for a while now and haven't found anything smaller or older that we think is "livable"...but that doesn't mean they aren't out there.  Well, there is one that is cheaper we found, but it has a "spongy floor" and I know that means water damage and we're not going there!  We're not that handy! 

It's really doing it NOW - when we have other things to spend the money on.  I've considered saving a year or two and we'd have enough to pay cash.  But then if we spend it on the projects, we aren't saving it and that's the same issue.    I'm not good at this.

44 minutes ago, Twotoes said:

Don’t worry. When you are ready to retire and buy an RV you will quickly learn the ins and outs of using it. There are plenty of folks here who will help you learn.  But if you do not buy one now you will loose out on the enjoyment of weekend trips and vacations for the next 6 years. It is good to be frugal and have no bills, I too pay off my credit cards in full every month, but look at the quality of life and the fun of RVing part time now. You must be comfortable with your financial status so don’t buy now if you won’t be able to sleep at night or buy now and sleep in a campground a couple of times a month. 

Thank you.

But I really quoted you to get your attention...you need to make another post now!  Look at your post count.   

Edit:  Looks like you were busy!  Up to 668! 

41 minutes ago, NDBirdman said:

What are you going to pull this TT with?  When you retire in 5 years and want to upgrade to a bigger camper, are you going to have to also buy another vehicle?  Then you'll have 2 big payments a month.  We ran close to the same thought as you, what we did was buy a fairly new truck, bigger than what we needed but big enough when we buy a newer/bigger 5th wheel in a couple years.  Then we bought an older but great shape camper.  I put some sweat equation into it and now it works great.  Actually, I have it set up much nicer now than a lot of newer campers, we own it, not the bank.

Actually, we won't have any payments.  We are eligible to retire this year.  But we're working another 5 years to get the "backdrop" as my state calls it...a lump sum-distribution.  Between the two of us, plenty of money to pay for a new(ish) truck and 5th wheel, pay off any still unpaid credit cards/loans, and finish a few projects we need done to our cabin...which will become "home base"...and still have a bit in the bank. Not a lot, but enough, given that we will have a life-time annuity from our retirement + Social Security when that time comes.  Our house note will be taken care of by selling it.  My only large worry is a student loan we may be still stuck with until we die.

As for pulling the TT now, we have a Chevy Colorado that we're upside down on.  It has a tow package and will handle a small TT.  Since we're upside down on it, we planned on keeping it for a few more years before we upgrade to a much bigger truck and keeping the TT until full retirement and we trade it in on the 5th wheel. 

Not forever, I still want to full-time after we retire at least for a while, but I'm getting cold feet about the new TT we found.  It's a great TT.  Tons of storage, ticks all our "must haves", good price - which actually might even be lower than I originally got quoted.  Bank approved a loan at under 6%.  We DO need to get a TT and "get our feet wet" and learn the ins and outs of black tanks and living small and hauling even a little trailer.  We get it now, we'll have it almost paid off in 5 years when we retire.  It won't be our "forever" RV, but it will be fun for weekends and such.   

And then I start thinking of how much money it is.  Now, realistically, it isn't a bad price.  Even with a 6 year note, and paying for insurance and storage (because there's no room at our house and keeping it on our hunting property it would probably wind up heavily infested with rodents and bugs) we're talking about $300/mo.  But - here's the big BUT - I'm a very frugal (cheap) person by nature.  Not in practice, mind you...we have little in savings because we fritter it away - but the bills are always paid on time and the thought of a big debt makes me a little ...I don't like debt.  I don't like spending money on things that are unnecessary.  Heck, I've been known to mend underwear! 

I keep thinking of all the things we could and probably should spend $300/mo on.  We have SO MANY projects that we should spend money and time on, instead of $300 a month and however weekends we go camping. 

When you got your first ever TT - how did you all know it was time?  Did you have travel plans or extra money just laying around?    Was it just spur of the moment?  Did anyone else worry they might be spending money foolishly when they needed to spend it on other things...there are always other things after all.  I'm making myself absolutely crazy...and probably my husband too.