Make sure you don’t just throw new bearings on old races.  That is a good way to have a bearing failure as the bearing and race wear together.  Also, if you are repacking your bearings don’t do more than one wheel at a time as you may get your bearings mixed up and now they might be with the incorrect race.  Again, this could lead to bearing failure.  Not where you want to be.

Here’s a video of how I do bearing and race replacement. Remember this is how I do it, there are other slightly varied techniques out there. Also, never, ever, do a task you are not comfortable with. Paying someone to do this job is much less expensive than a trip to the hospital.

Also, as just a word of caution, this is time consuming. There are many videos that make bearing maintenance look fast and easy. It is not an easy or fast job. Most of those videos have been edited for the sake of time. I just want to let you know so you don’t become frustrated with how long it may take. The first time I did a bearing repack it was brutal. I spent over 30 minutes just removing the rear seal. So just take your time and a deep breath and you will be fine.

Here is the video – please “Like”, and “Subscribe”.

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1. Escape the great northern winter – many campgrounds in Texas are open all year round.  Keep in mind though, there can be temporary cold snaps. you might even see ice storms and snow, but they don’t last long. Keep in mind if the weather does get nasty, things do shut down!
2. Texas State Parks are inexpensive and beautiful.  Seriously, you will be blown away by how nice these parks are. There are also many Army Core of Engineer Parks (COE) to camp at.
3. From Palo Duro Canyon to Big Bend National Park and down to the ocean, the variety in scenery in the state of Texas is really diverse and amazing. 
4. Wonderful places to visit. Here are just a few examples:
   • San Antonios River Walk. This is the number one attraction in the state. There is a KOA on the bus line not far from the river walk.

• The Alamo, also located in San Antonio.

• Johnson Space Center in Houston.

• The 6^th floor museum at Dealy Plaza, site of the JFK assassination.

• Fort Worths Stockyards National Historic District.

• The Dallas Texas Motor Speedway, Fort Worth.

• The Grapevine Vintage Railroad.

• The Jefferson Texas Ghost Walking tour

5. Ten Months out of the year the weather is pretty much fantastic for camping.  July and August can be pretty hot, but it’s a dry heat – sometimes!  I wouldn’t let the heat keep me from camping in those months even so, just be prepared for it.

So, these are my five reasons why you should consider camping in Texas.  You may want to consider Texas as your winter destination if you live in the north.  I’d say come on down in November and stay through March or April. 

However, pick your region in Texas carefully if you want to stay through the spring, because we do get strong storms with high winds, hail, and lightening, and tornados. We had only been here for two years when I ended up getting a new roof due to a nasty hailstorm with a tornado touching down only two miles down the road.

Personally, I would just keep an eye on the weather and be ready to move to a safer location if storms are in the forecast.  I know that’s easier said than done, but most of the time it’s going to be smarter to move camp than risk the effects of the storms. Tammy and I have had to do this a few times over the years down here. Several times we left to avoid potential severe thunderstorms packing hail. Other times we have moved due to hurricanes. I have never regretted moving out of the way of stormy weather.

On a side note, I think you will find the folks in Texas to be the friendlies around.

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That might sound great with 333,733 total RV shipments in 2024. However, as I have previously mentioned, 2023 was a horrible year with shipments of 313,174. – so, 6% over 2023 really isn’t saying anything at all.

To get an overall perspective of what those numbers mean, let’s make a comparison. We will compare the 2024 Year End Numbers to 2019 (pre covid). I don’t want to use covid numbers because they are so inflated and not indicative of the real market.

In 2019 the year end numbers for towables were 359,441. Year end for towables in 2024 are 298,842. The RV industry is operating at a 20% reduction in shipments in 2024 compared to pre-covid numbers. The numbers are almost the same for the motorhomes with a loss of 25% when compared to 2019 numbers.

I want to mention that 2019 had suffered a 16% loss when compared to the year end numbers for 2018. So, I think using 2019 numbers certainly isn’t inflating their loss. In fact, 2017 total shipments were 504,599 and 2016 numbers were 430,691. So, this means that the 2024 numbers are certainly nothing to write home about.

For the fun of it, I took the last nine years of shipments (including covid numbers) and the average number of shipments per year is 443,984. Only four of the last nine years were sales larger than that number. You would think that number is only high due to the covid sales boom where 2021 and 2022 shipments were 600,240 and 493,268 respectively. However, believe it or not, if I just take the five years before covid, the average number of yearly shipments actually goes up to 451,088. Thats how bleak the last two years have been!

So that tells me there is more going on here than meets the eye!

So, what does this tell us about the state of the RV industry right now? I think it says that they are in trouble. But, let’s hear what the RVIA had to say:

“Despite challenges, the RV industry showed resilience and an upward trajectory in 2024, AND continued to demonstrate its BROAD appeal to consumers,” said RV Industry Association President and CEO Craig Kirby. “These modest gains provide a solid foundation to build upon, and we are confident that with continued innovation and dedication to customer satisfaction, the RV industry will see even greater success in 2025.” 

Saying that they have had modest gains is really gaslighting folks that won’t look back beyond 2023.

It’s interesting that the lobbying group for the RV industry speaks about innovation and dedication to customer satisfaction. My opinion is that they have enabled the RV industry to achieve these low numbers through keeping standards low. But what do I know.

If you want customer satisfaction in the RV industry start building them to residential standards. The plumbing and wiring that exists in RV’s in for the most part a joke. Now, couple that with all the press on frame flex or whatever the new buzz word for it is, plus a NHTSA investigation, and you can see why anyone would be afraid to buy an RV. I think that’s why the industry is down over 100,000 units per year over the last two years.

I will say this, things were better for the consumers when the RV industry had competition. Look at all the RV manufacturers that got gobbled up into the “Big 3” since 2008. I would gladly put my old Jayco Jaywren, Mallard Sprint, Fleetwood Prowler, Coachmen Captiva, or RVision Trail Cruiser, up against anything being produced today from a quality perspective.

Anyway, that’s my update just looking at the numbers. I’m positive that other folks have different interpretations about the industry, where it’s headed, and why.

Anyway, this is just food for thought – and by the way, I’m still optimistic that change could be coming.

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Well, this study cherry picks the least costly option when it came to traveling to Orlando, Florida.  They chose a pop-up camper as the RV of choice.  Pop-ups are lighter than a reg travel trailer so gas efficiency will be better.  Pop-ups do not make up the majority of RVs, travel trailers do, then fifth wheels after that.

The study concluded that a family of four taking a 7-day vacation from Atlanta, GA to Orlando, FL would spend $3,216 for a road trip in a family car and staying at hotels and motels. The same vacation in a folding camping trailer would cost $1,712, a 47% savings.

I did my own computation based on trips I’ve taken from Wisconsin to Orlando and plugged in the numbers. Also, I only used two people in my scenarios.

I didn’t use resort campgrounds during the trip or while in Orlando. Then I calculated my diesel round trip of 2600 miles at 3.25 a gallon.  I budgeted 400.00 for groceries. Total cost of the trip = 2,070.00

For the folks not using an RV I used flights to Orlando, a rental car, a three-star hotel with continental breakfast, all other meals out, and fuel costs.  Total Cost of the trip = 2,669.00

If the folks drove from Wisconsin, the cost of their trip would be 1,593.00. Since they were driving, I added two days of lodging and meals on.

The result was that I came up with a cost savings of about 1100.00 dollars if using a Travel Trailer like mine, when airfare is the comparison.

However, if the 2 non-RV folks drive, They save 447 dollars over the RV folks. However, if you add two children into the mix, it’s about 300 dollars cheaper to travel in the RV.

But there’s really more to this story:

If you factor in an RV payment, Storage Costs, and RV insurance, those numbers are going to change drastically in favor of the Non-RV trip.

I’ll bet outside storage will run 100/month

Now add your RV payment which could be anywhere from 225/month and up.

Plus, you still have your monthly Insurance Premium.  I’m sure it’ll be over 100 per month.

So, if we add those costs into the equation just for that month, it may still look rosy for the RV owner, with a savings around 175 dollars for the week in Orlando over the vacation with flights. However, those RV payments don’t stop when the vacation is over.

I don’t say any of this to dissuade an RV purchase. Just keep in mind everything the RV industry puts out is not 100% truthful.

In fact, the study that the RVIA put together factored in a bunch of extraneous stuff in their footnotes such as estimated cost of RV ownership is based upon published data regarding average ownership periods, residual values, annual days of use, insurance, and other costs of ownership, as well as any applicable tax benefits.  That sounds like the warnings at the end of a drug commercial, “May cause drowsiness and loose stools”.

So those numbers are really skewed in my opinion. How would anyone be able to factor in all those things to come up with a weekly trip cost?

RVing is a great way to see the country, but it’s not cheap. So don’t enter into it thinking that in some way you will be saving money, because you won’t.  In fact, you will be spending additional money each year on repair and maintenance.  So just go in with your eyes wide open. You’ll be happy if you’re prepared for the RV life. RV’s are like any other hobby, sometimes is best not to try and justify the costs, and just enjoy them.

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If you’re looking for a positive blog post, you might want to back out of the site today! It is a bleak year for RVIA Shipments.

The RVIA’s November report of manufacturers’ shipments found that total RV shipments ended the month with 23,573 units. This is a decrease of 6.3% compared to the 25,160 units shipped in November 2023.

It’s important to remember that 2023 was a horrible year for RV shipments, so that makes the number of shipments even worse that you might think. 313,000 shipments took place in 2023 compared to 493,000 in 2022.  So, when we talk a decrease in monthly shipments over 2023, you can see where the RV sales are headed…in the dumper.

In fact, this year’s number are much lower than pre-covid numbers. 2019 shipments were 406,070.  RVIA can always paint a rosy picture, but my opinion is that the RV industry is in real trouble.

Towable Market

So, let’s talk about the towable market.

Travel trailers are down 2.5% comparing November of 2024 to November of 2023 but up 15.6% over 2023 for the year to date.

Fifth wheel Trailers are down 9.6% comparing November of 2024 to November of 2023, and up only 1.2% over 2023 for the year to date.

Folding Campers are down 16.6% for the year

Truck Campers are down 8% for the year.

Motor Homes

All motorhomes are down double digits when comparing November of 2024 to November of 2023.

First, Class A’s are down 32.5% for the year

Second, Class B’s are down 30.9% for the year

Third, Class C’s are down 17.7% for the year

Now it’s time for me to give my opinion on why the RV industry is in the shitter.

1.  The quality is horrible, pretty much across the board of manufacturers. Sure, there are some RV’s that are made better than others. However, not a single unit exists that I would ever buy without a third-party inspection.
2. The standards are loose, thanks RVIA. What passes as acceptable would never fly in any other construction.  Pex to flexible plumbing connections, wiring that differs depending on the installer, axles and springs that just meet the GVWR of the trailer. Not to mention the dreaded frame flex issues.
3. Social Media is finally exposing all of this, and has led to the NHTSA getting involved in the frame flex problems. While not exclusive to Winnebago/Grand Design, but certainly they are a big part of it.
4. Social Media has educated folks on the current state of affairs in the RV industry. I think that is making folks pull back. Certainly, a nice tent almost looks like a better option when you see new owners showing their 200,000 dollar class c or 100,000 dollar fifth wheels falling apart.

I’ve said many times that I would love to see the RV industry do well. The only way I see that happening is if the RVIA makes a top-down change, implementing new and better standards along with real quality control on the factory floor.

It may be time for the NHTSA to regulate towables, and the RV industry is certainly heading in that direction.

On a side note, HUD exempts RVs from its residential building codes. Why? Because they only recognize RVs as intended for temporary use—guess who helped make that happen: the RVIA. That needs to change.change.

What a mess!

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Here are some tips to get you through your storage period. I also have some tips for when the camping season begins again.

Since the cold weather is here, let’s start with that. It doesn’t matter if your trailer is onsite with you or in a storage facility.  You are still at risk for having rodents and other creatures get in your trailer.

Tip 1 – Don’t make their lives easier by allowing easy access. Get under your trailer and look for places where they might gain access.  Then use Rodent expanding foam, steel wool, or copper mesh to fill those voids OR a combination.  I have used copper mesh around all my plumbing leading from the sinks to the under belly.  Openings in the floor of the trailer are a great place for critters to get into your living area. Ball up the copper mesh and jam it in there, and the good thing is that it won’t rust.

Tip 2 – Keep your trailer completely empty when you go to storage. All food, clothing, soaps towels, everything out.  This includes emptying your storage areas. Rodents in particular will look for anything to nest in.  They will use outdoor mats, cardboard, rugs, and just about anything to create a home out of the elements.

Tip 3 – If your RV is on site, like mine is, you may want to use bait stations. I use bait stations that are dog safe.  To add extra protection for Eva they are secured with bricks so they can’t blow over or move.  Trust me these work. I have been using them for the last 10 years around my property.

Tip4 – If your rv is offsite, you may want to consider a product like decon.  When I stored offsite, I would put a box under the bed, and a box behind the toilet. I never let my dogs enter the trailer until I removed it in the spring.  Some folks will recommend using cotton balls soaked in peppermint oil or lavender, dryer sheets, or Irish spring as alternate deterrents to rodent bait.  I can tell you for certain that the Irish Spring recommendation doesn’t work.  The others have mixed reviews.

Tip 5 – Battery powered ultrasonic or strobe deterrents. Many of these are available on Amazon. I have not used them, and I would highly recommend that you read the reviews before purchasing.  Some swear by them but many have a large number of 1 star ratings.

Tip6 – if its spiders and ants your worried about there are many “Ortho Home Defense” type products you can spray around your trailer. Spray on all the contact points that touch the earth where they might find a way up.  I use ortho home defense along my shop walls in the summer.  Diatomaceous earth (food Grade) is another option for spreading around the contact points but over the winter it’s probably going to blow away or will get covered in snow.  Also, there are some reported respiratory issues with it so do some research, I don’t think that would be a good option with Eva as she would most defiantly be snorting it.

Now, let’s move onto summer camping season, everything that we just talked about above applies, but now we have the complication of food.

It is important to keep the campsite as clean as possible. Do not put garbage outside to wait for the trash bins. Food smells attract bugs, so clean up right after you eat. I always clean my grill or griddle immediately after use.

Try to Minimize the amount of time you’re going in and out of your travel trailer, I know that’s hard with kids. Flying insects are always hard to keep out if there is a lot of traffic in and out of the trailer.

If you have to go out at night, your best option is going to be to turn off the lights inside or dim them before you open the door. Also, I rarely put the awning light on if it’s buggy outside, but safety is more important that chasing down some bugs that slip by.

Keep in mind, while bugs are definitely annoying, they cause a lot of problems beyond just being a nuisance. They will cause damage to your major appliances. So, using bug screens on your furnace, fridge, and water heater, are a great idea. If you are worried about using them when your appliances are in use, just pull them off and reattach when you are done camping.

LASTLY – a caution about the worst pest of all – the folks that might try to steal your Travel Trailer out of the storage facility.  Do yourself a favor and buy the best RV lock you can find. You can easily tap off 20-dollar locks with a hammer, they are junk. The lock below is from The S5 Trailer Coupler Lock | Lock It and Leave It website. Use a heavy-duty lock like this and then also lock your tow chains around your hitch frame with a padlock so they can’t be used to cradle the hitch and then be towed away.  Do everything in your power to make sure you make it really difficult for someone to steal it.

I hope this gives you a few ideas of how you can protect yourself this winter, and when you start camping next season.

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If you are a child of the 60’s through 80’s, you probably do! That is a Coleman Tent heater and the white fuel that goes with it. I think I bought it for about $30.00 back in the dark ages. Back in the dark ages is when Tammy and I would go tent camping. Tent camping was our main form of entertainment even when the kids came along.

When Tammy and I got married, we camped in tents for the first ten years. We spent many weekends each year camping alone and with other family members. After our children were born, we quickly brought them into our camping routine.

We would spend weekends at Devils Lake, in Wisconsin. This is a beautiful park and for a young family, an inexpensive way to enjoy the weekend. In the picture below you can see a crib in our cabin tent, just to the left of the door. Jeff would have been under a year old when we went camping with the crib.

All of our years of tent camping would come to a pretty abrupt end on a very cold June day in the upper peninsula of Michigan.

We had planned on spending a week camping at Straits State Park, across from Mackinac Island. We loaded our 1976 Chevy Chevette with the Cabin Tent, the Screen Room, coolers, food, cooking stove, crib, and headed north from Madison. To say the Chevette was full was an understatement. We were probably lucky that the police didn’t pull us over because our rear window blocked visibility

Fortunately for us, our kids have always been great travelers. Seven hours of driving later we pulled into the campground and set up everything. Later that afternoon we heard that the nighttime temperatures would be getting down into the forties. Tammy looked at me and asked, “You brought the tent heater, right?”. Nope, I didn’t. It was June and I thought it would be warm enough to leave that piece of equipment behind. That my friends, was a huge mistake.

That night, the kids slept like rocks while Tammy and I worried about the temperature in the tent. It wasn’t terrible, but it was most definitely cold.

The next morning, I stood by the fire, warming myself while I was getting breakfast ready. Then I heard the weather report. They predicted that temperatures would drop below freezing that night. I turned to Tammy and the kids and said, ‘That’s it—pack it up. We are done. Let’s find a motel.’

That is exactly what we did. We enjoyed the rest of our time commuting from the motel to Mackinac Island and other places we wanted to visit. Here’s just a few pictures from the island on that trip. I wish I could turn the clock back.

Well, the trip ended, and we had the drive back to Madison. Sometime during that ride home Tammy said “You know, maybe we should buy an old travel trailer as an experiment. I mean I know I would like to camp that way, but it would give you a chance along with the kids to see if you like it. It doesn’t need to be fancy, just something basic like the one my parents rent every year”.” Tammy had camped in a small travel trailer with her parents for years. So, she had a good idea of what it was all about.

After this camping trip, that idea sounded great.  I was finally burned out on all the things that wear people out on tent camping.  Packing and unpacking was tedious. Waking up with damp clothes from condensation in the tent was also a pain.  I was certainly tired of the effect of the elements on camping.  “Yes, let’s start looking”

Our first stop was at a large RV dealership very close to our home; Wisconsin RV World.  It was located just a few miles north of Madison, Wisconsin. The Dealership still exists today, and it is still family owned – a rarity.   I can probably recommend only a few RV Dealerships, but this would be one of the few where we have always had a positive experience.

I really had no idea of what kind of travel trailer we would be looking for, other than it had to be pretty inexpensive.  The only thing I didn’t want was to be buried in debt.

In addition, since Tammy had more experience with travel trailers, she would be the one to say what could work for us, and what probably would not.

After looking at a number of older used travel trailers with the salesperson Debbie, we settled on a 1971 Jayco JayWren.  This Jayco was sixteen feet long and weighed a little over 2000 pounds. The Jayco’s couch and table would fold down to form beds, and there was a fold down bunk bed over the rear couch. The trailer also had a small refrigerator, cooktop, sink, and furnace.  The only thing it was missing was a bathroom. 

Having always been tent campers, not having a bathroom would not be an issue; we were already used to that.  After all, this was an experiment to see if we would enjoy camping in a travel trailer as much as camping in a tent.  As long as it had the fundamentals like a furnace and refrigerator, we would be happy.

I knew nothing about travel trailers at the time so something this simple was probably the best decision we could have made.  There were no holding tanks and the plumbing consisted of a water line that went directly to the sink.  The sink drained into a bucket outside the trailer.  The power was provided by an extension cord that plugged into an AC receptacle.  It powered the refrigerator, furnace, and a few lights.

We put some money down to hold the trailer.  My recollection is that the trailer cost us around $750.00 plus tax, title, and registration.

That trailer (which I wish I still had), started us on our journey of over 37 years with two children, five shepherds, and eight travel trailers. It has been an amazing journey. Regardless of the challenges that have happened while owning the travel trailers, it has never dampened our desire to keep camping this way. I owe it all to leaving a Coleman tent heater behind on a very cold June trip to Michigan.

How lucky was I to have made that mistake!

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For those that don’t know about the RVIA they are the RV lobbing group. They represent the manufacturers and component part suppliers of recreation vehicles, and lobby against regulations or legislation that could impact RV manufacturers.  I am not a fan, because I think they are detrimental to the RV industry having accountability and better quality – that’s my opinion. Here’s a link where you will get a flavor for what I am talking about:

RV Industry brags about defeating RV lemon laws – RV Travel

On with the update

Overall shipments are up 7% over last year.  However, that’s all types of RVS. So let’s talk about towables YTD compared to 2023.  Let’s remember however that 2023 was a bad year for the industry, down 37% over 2022s numbers.  This I’m sure was due to the end of covid (so demand dropped) plus a lot of folks dumping their RVs, adding to the used market, as we came out of it.

When you look at travel trailers, they are up 17.4% and Fifth wheels only 2%. This is just speculation, but I think that the frame flex issue could be impacting the fifth wheel market. It could be that folks are reluctant to buy a fifth wheel when they are reading about frame flex almost every day on social media.

Pop-ups are down 18.3% Truck Campers are down 12%. The numbers of truck campers and pop-ups shipped each month do not make up a big shipment number. So, it doesn’t take much of a drop to really move that number.

Overall, the towable market is up 13.2% from last year. However, that standard isn’t particularly high. However, when looking at the entire RV market, the increase is only 7%.

Class A and B- both down 32%

Class C down 17%

So right now, all the motorhomes are really down compared to 2023. Some of this might be fueled by the bad press they’re getting over certain states implementing regulations that require a percentage of a manufacturer’s motorhomes to be electric. Another thing that could be impacting sales is that more and more quality issues are showing up on YouTube channels. Videos abound where folks are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to buy a lemon. This is just my guess at what is happening.

Let’s look at what has been happening over the last seven years. The numbers below show the year, number of shipments during that year, and then the percentage difference compared to the previous year. 2024 is just my guess at where shipments will finish this year.

We are nowhere in shipments where we were in 2017@504,599 or 2021@ 600,000, In fact in 2023 we were about half of that!!! However, has there been any change in quality?  Not that I’ve seen.

I typically hate government regulations, but given on how these are slapped together, one could certainly argue for it in the RV industry.  After all you are rolling down the highway and there are plenty of things that can, and do go wrong, that can impact innocent drivers on the road.  In fact, the NHTSA is currently investigating the frame failure issue in Grand Design Momentum and Solitude models. 

In my mind they could be investigating a lot more than frame flex. Why? Because I feel all these units are under-engineered.  Why are the axles not rated to handle more the fully loaded vehicle weight, springs seem to break at an alarming rate, Frame cracks, and flex, wiring being different depending on who did it at the factory, plumbing connections from Pex to flexible hose, which will almost certainly lead to eventual leaks, roof membranes not adhered correctly.  I could go on and on.

So folks, regardless of new or used, do yourself a favor and get an inspection – that’s my advice.  Because quality in the RV industry has no correlation with shipment numbers at all.

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1. This KOA is very close to Hot Springs National Park. I would say you can get downtown within 10 to 15 minutes. I highly recommend that you go there and walk bathhouse row – you won’t regret it at all.
2. It is clean and the staff is constantly working to keep it that way.
3. They have a very friendly staff and a large store.

Let’s move on to why we wouldn’t be eager to go back (pictures Below).

1. The county road that leads to the entrance is very steep. In fact, it displays the deep battle scars of many rigs that just couldn’t handle that incline. If I were the owners of that KOA I would petition the county to reconstruct that road. It was an “Oh Shit” moment for us when we saw the incline.
2. The fun doesn’t end there as once you pull into the KOA. You must navigate yet another steep hill to their office, where oddly, there isn’t decent parking for check in. Then to your dismay, you will need to go around an upper loop to descend the hill to your spot (unless you are in the upper loop).
3. The dog park is behind the office – so if you want to take your dog there – get ready to walk the hill.
4. This campground is multi-level, so some of the sites (like ours) are built on a hill that steps down to the next site via a cinder block wall. In our site, there was no grass, so not great for having a dog. We would walk to the road with Eva, as that was the closest grassy area.
5. This KOA wants you to sign a hold harmless agreement (HHA) when you register. In a nutshell, no matter what happens at this KOA, it is your fault. This would include any damage that happens to your travel trailer, other personal property or your pets, even if it’s their fault. I can infer from this that even if they damage your camper – it’s your fault. This agreement gets borderline ridiculous as it tells you that “consuming animals, vegetation, and water around the campground is dangerous”. If you happen to have kids with you get ready to sign a second part of the form that holds them harmless for anything that happens to them. Obviously, an attorney crafted this, perhaps in response to something that happened once, or maybe just as protection for the campground.

When I go to a campground, the last thing I expect to get with my check packet in is a Hold Harmless Agreement. So that alone really turned me off from going back. Also, you will see no mention of this HHA on their KOA website. My feeling is that they should be transparent about it so folks can decide if that is something they want to sign before they go there. I can certainly understand that the owners are worried about claims, and want to protect themselves in a litigious society, but most folks are not out to sue a campground.

Does the good outweigh the bad? That’s something you will need to decide. The steep climb coupled with the HHA, is probably a deal breaker for me. However, if you have a small camper, or one that won’t drag on the hill, you may enjoy it here, many folks do. As I mentioned, it’s very clean and well maintained.

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So, for the sake of this blog post we will assume the trailer has passed its inspection. Feel free to create your own list using the following as a guide:

1. Know how to connect and disconnect your travel trailer to your tow vehicle. Do this more than once so you know how to do it effortlessly. This would include hooking up your tow chains, brake-away switch, and power cord from RV to Tow Vehicle.
2. Know how to level the trailer using leveling blocks, and the front power jack. Not having the trailer level will lead to many problems such as the refrigerator not running correctly, the sink and shower as well as holding tanks not draining correctly.
3. If you have an auto-leveling system, you will need to know how it operates, and I would suggest using it a few times before leaving the dealership.
4. Know how to use the stabilizing Jacks. These are only used to keep the trailer from moving as you walk inside. They are not to be used for leveling the trailer. Some are electric, some are manual. understand how to extend and retract them.
5. Understand how to connect your shore power to the trailer. When you leave the dealership, the first thing you should buy is an EMS (electric management system), sometimes referred to as a Surge Protector, but an EMS is much better than a standard surge protector. They are expensive but may save you hundreds of dollars if something goes wrong with the power supply, or in the case of a close lightning strike.
6. Understand how to connect your water supply to the trailer. When you leave the dealership, the second thing you should buy is a water pressure regulator. Not having a way to regulate the incoming pressure could lead to burst water pipes.
7. Understand the difference between the “City Water” connection, and the “Fresh Water” connection. Understand the proper way to switch between the two types. The city water connection uses the campground water pressure to supply you with water. The fresh water (tank) used the water pump to draw water from the tank and supply water. Understand how the freshwater tank gets filled, sometimes there are two different ways to fill it (a lever, and/or an outside connection).
8. Understand how the water pump works.
9. Understand where your low point drains are located. This is very important for winterizing your trailer. Know where the fresh water drain valve is located as well.
10. Understand the other connections that are located outside or in an outside storage location. this might include things like cable and satellite hook ups, outside lighting, 12-volt cut-off switch, etc.
11. Understand how to hook up your sewer hose (AKA Stinky Slinky). Make sure you know how to make sure it’s fastened correctly, or you will be looking for new shoes, and maybe a new campground! You also need to understand the appropriate procedure for dumping your tanks. The black tank goes first followed by the grey tanks. The tanks need to be at least 3/4 full before you dump.
12. Understand where all your dump handles are located.
13. Understand how to use the Black Tank Flush Valve, if you have one, and NEVER walk away when that is being used! I can’t stress that enough.
14. Understand how to drain your water heater. You should do this after every trip. Some heaters will have a plastic plug that is removed, others will have an anode rod. If you have an anode rod, you should be pulling it to inspect its condition on a regular basis. It prevents your water heater from rusting.
15. Understand how to access your water heater in order to by-pass it for winterizing. Understand how the bypass valves work.
16. Understand the Jack Points for your trailer in case of a flat.
17. Moving inside the trailer, locate the control panel. this panel will have a display for some if not all of the following: battery condition, holding tanks levels, water heater ignition, interior lights, and awnings/awning lights.
18. Know how to properly operate any slide-outs you have.
19. Know how to properly open and close any awnings.
20. Know how to open vents and turn on vent fans.
21. Understand how to open the emergency egress window to get out in an emergency.
22. Locate and understand how to operate the fire extinguisher. In fact, you might want to buy a few extra.
23. Understand where the fire detectors are located. This would include locating the Propane/CO2 detector and understanding how it operates.
24. Make sure you can operate the furnace and the AC unit. This would include a knowledge of the settings you will need to use on the thermostat. Also understand how to clean your AV filter(s). The furnace will not have a filter.
25. You may want to try all the appliances that come with the unit. This may include the Fireplace, TV, Microwave, Fridge, stovetop, etc.
26. LASTLY – understand all the things that don’t come with your trailer. This would include the sewer hose, tank chemicals, water hoses, leveling blocks, TV cable, etc.

So, I hope this list help with conversations you may have with your dealership! Take your time going through your new or used trailer. This is your time to make sure everything is correct; the dealership owes this to you!

Happy Camping!

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