Now What Do I Need??

[jk_and_dog]

Now that the MH is on the way ( 07 Journey 36 G)

and should be here in about 6 weeks what should I start doing first?

I'm new at this MHing stuff

and feel almost over whelmed.

I did pop-up when I was first married for about 10 years

but now that I'm single again I feel lost

when it comes to this stuff. Maybe the first thing I need to do is get a "DW".

1. I have a parkng spot for it.
2. There are plans to hook up to electricity/water and sewer in the near future but due to construction around house it may be a month or two.
3. I have insurance for the home,
4. It will be registered and lic.

But, what tools do you find usefull, do you have metric and US standard?

Dishes, paper or plastic or a form of glass (I think glass may be too breakable)

Appliances, what coffee maker, waffle iron ?, fry pans, pots and pans, toaster or do you use the micro...oh yes what about vaccumm cleaner, small dust buster or a medium unit and if so what type and brand?

How about camping catalogs, listing of camp grounds, wal-marts, flying j's, or other good info directories. Where do I find them at decent prices?

What about cooking out under the canopy in the morning or evening? What grills do you use, howabout the chairs, table etc. Bug spray?? whats good to keep them pesty little devils off of you and the food.

So many questions, so little time, so many things to get (but don't know what) so many so many?????

Oh yes I've already started looking into Good Sams ERS and AAA, lots of posts on them, many good many bad.

Oh me Oh my, where to begin....HELP!

ps: how do I get the "visited state map" into the signature area. Right now the map and the sig line are blank.

 

[jk_and_dog]

Now that the MH is on the way ( 07 Journey 36 G)

and should be here in about 6 weeks what should I start doing first?

I'm new at this MHing stuff

and feel almost over whelmed.

I did pop-up when I was first married for about 10 years

but now that I'm single again I feel lost

when it comes to this stuff. Maybe the first thing I need to do is get a "DW".

1. I have a parkng spot for it.
2. There are plans to hook up to electricity/water and sewer in the near future but due to construction around house it may be a month or two.
3. I have insurance for the home,
4. It will be registered and lic.

But, what tools do you find usefull, do you have metric and US standard?

Dishes, paper or plastic or a form of glass (I think glass may be too breakable)

Appliances, what coffee maker, waffle iron ?, fry pans, pots and pans, toaster or do you use the micro...oh yes what about vaccumm cleaner, small dust buster or a medium unit and if so what type and brand?

How about camping catalogs, listing of camp grounds, wal-marts, flying j's, or other good info directories. Where do I find them at decent prices?

What about cooking out under the canopy in the morning or evening? What grills do you use, howabout the chairs, table etc. Bug spray?? whats good to keep them pesty little devils off of you and the food.

So many questions, so little time, so many things to get (but don't know what) so many so many?????

Oh yes I've already started looking into Good Sams ERS and AAA, lots of posts on them, many good many bad.

Oh me Oh my, where to begin....HELP!

ps: how do I get the "visited state map" into the signature area. Right now the map and the sig line are blank.

 

[Ron-in-Tn]

JK,

Well congrats on your new purchase. If you're anything like me, when you get it home you will want to just sit in it and hang out for no other reason except that you can. You're definately off to a good start by becoming a member here.

Dishes - we prefer to make it just like home so we purchased a full set of dishes, glasses, cups, silverwear, pot/pans (went with stainless steel) and the works just for the RV. You can purchase rolls of that "rubber like mat" at Walmart to cut into squares or cirlcles and place in between each dish in the cabinet so they don't rattle going down the road.

Vacuum cleaner - We chose the compact Dirt Devil for easy storage but this is really just a matter of personal preference.

Catalogs/Websites - I like to keep www.campingworld.com and www.rvupgrades.com readily accessible when ever I can.

Tools - Well, I'm a mechanic by trade so I probably pack wayyy more tools than one needs. My advice...always have a set of crescent wrenches (one smaller and one larger), screw driver set, a hammer, pliers, wire cutters, wire strippers, wire crimps, a small supply of 12v electrical wire 16 or 18 guage, a small electrical connector kit and a 3/8" full socket set (SAE/Metric Deep/Shallow) for starters. I also like to keep at least 1 gallon of engine oil, 1 gallon of windshield washer fluid, 1 gallon of antifreeze, 2 quarts of tranny fluid and a can of spray lube (WD-40 or equivelant) on board when traveling.

I hope this helps.....happy travels.

 

[Gary the Wombat]

Hi jk-and-dog. I understand how easy it is to get overwhelmed--I went through the same thing.

To answer some of your questions:

We use regular plates, glasses etc. and use that rubber mat stuff from WalMart that Ron-in-TN mentioned between them, or around cups held in place with a rubber band when traveling.

Appliances? Regular coffee maker and toaster only. Our MH has a combo Micro Oven/Convection Oven for other cooking. Oh, and a small vacuum cleaner. We have a Shark upright--small but powerful.

Camping Catalog: we keep the Good Sam Trailer Life directory on board, plus a laptop computer with wireless connection for websites.

Outside furniture: we have a couple of folding chairs and that's it. Unless you want to dry camp in the boonies, most campgrounds have a picnic table at each site.

Tools: unless you are a mechanic and experienced with large truck engines I wouldn't go overboard. I keep a small toolbox with the basics, mostly for repairs or adjustments to the "house" part of the MH like plumbing and electrical, rather than trying to attempt major stuff. I'd rather have someone who knows what they are doing handle that. I also have an air compressor (110V) that I can use to check tires each week. (I am rather anal about correct tire pressures!)

My only other advise is, don't even try to get everything you think you need at first. Get out and use your rig and you'll figure it out as you go. There's always a Walmart nearby!

Have fun, and safe traveling!

 

[Rick Buddrus]

Wow JK, so many questions so few answers. Where to start. Congrats on your new purchase. What a great adventure you are about to take.

Consolidate your tools. A metric/US set in a good plastic set. Like a Stanley will meet your basic needs until you decide what is really needed. We all have a tendacy to haul more around than we need. Kind of like "A Jeep Thing".

Dishes...Corell. They are virtually unbreakable and look pretty good for a long time. Don't get a service for 8 unless you plan on feeding the entire RV Park. Usually a service for four will do just fine. Corell for the glasswear also except invest in a few nice glass wine glasses for special occasions or when plastic just won't cut it. Also keep a good supply of paper plates for quiock lunches or light fare. Silverware I would suggest a service for six or eight. And a good set of kitchen knives.

Coffee maker absolutely.

Waffle iron. We carry one as well as a crape maker.

Good set of iron pans and a few good quality teflon coated pots.

Toaster Yup!

We have a built in central vac but wife really doesn't like it much. We are staff studying medium sized vacs that will stow in the rear closet but haven't decided on one yet.

Bar B Que...Absolute necessity. We have used many different and like the Baby Q we have now. Have adapted it to run off the main propane tank on the coach.

Camping World, Camping World, Camping World!!! They are competative on everything and there shipping is fair if you don't have access to one of there stores.

Campground memberships, I would stay away from these until you get setteled in and decide how you plan to RV. Give it a bit of time before investing in these. You may decide that these memberships really don't fit your RV'ing style.

I strongly recommend Coach Net EMS for the coach. It is hands down the best out there. Suspect the folks at Winnie will sign you up for your first year for free. Check with them. Also, join WIT and FMCA. We have been members of GS for years but if they don't back off a bit on all the junk mail, we are going to quit them. They are a good organization but the junk mail is frustrating.

Keep your questions coming, there are a lot of good people contributing to these forums and they are more than willing to help. Remember, no question is a dumb question so ask away.

Another forum you might want to join is

http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/winnebago-owners/

Again, welcome to the adventure.

 

[Pubtym]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by jk_and_dog:
Now that the MH is on the way ( 07 Journey 36 G)

and should be here in about 6 weeks what should I start doing first?

I'm new at this MHing stuff

and feel almost over whelmed.

I did pop-up when I was first married for about 10 years

but now that I'm single again I feel lost

when it comes to this stuff. Maybe the first thing I need to do is get a "DW".

1. I have a parkng spot for it.
2. There are plans to hook up to electricity/water and sewer in the near future but due to construction around house it may be a month or two.
3. I have insurance for the home,
4. It will be registered and lic.

But, what tools do you find usefull, do you have metric and US standard?

Dishes, paper or plastic or a form of glass (I think glass may be too breakable)

Appliances, what coffee maker, waffle iron ?, fry pans, pots and pans, toaster or do you use the micro...oh yes what about vaccumm cleaner, small dust buster or a medium unit and if so what type and brand?

How about camping catalogs, listing of camp grounds, wal-marts, flying j's, or other good info directories. Where do I find them at decent prices?

What about cooking out under the canopy in the morning or evening? What grills do you use, howabout the chairs, table etc. Bug spray?? whats good to keep them pesty little devils off of you and the food.

So many questions, so little time, so many things to get (but don't know what) so many so many?????

Oh yes I've already started looking into Good Sams ERS and AAA, lots of posts on them, many good many bad.

Oh me Oh my, where to begin....HELP!

ps: how do I get the "visited state map" into the signature area. Right now the map and the sig line are blank. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I highly recommend reading all the operator's manuals before a major trip. It could save you money and frustration. It'll assure you don't damage stuff accidentally.

Stop by a Flying J. Apply for a RV card. It'll save you a bunch on gas and propane. Pickup one of their fold out brochures with all their listings. Free dumps..water..food is quick and reasonable. We stay the nights at Flying Js in their regular parking lots. Much better than Walmart lots.

Look at listings here for insulating the doghouse. Put that a priority for comfort in summer and winter.

I have added a $39 Bissle (Walmart) upright vacumn cleaner. Outstanding performance for the bucks!

 

[Trek-Cyclist]

Don't get to excited, I know it's hard not to. When you pick it up bring your cover-alls and a Creeper. Check everything you can see and use everything you can before signing on the dotted line. Take it for a nice L O N G ride, etc.

The Dealers (Gawd I love um) know you just want to take it home NOW! Boy do they use that to their advantage. Spend a full day in-under and on top! Once you get the Newbie home it doesn't take long to call it a piece of crap because things aren't working, cracked or broken!
Enjoy!

 

[depchief]

My excitement is with you, reviewing the specs on Journey's and Meridians now.

When we purchased our MH we decided to wait on most items until we had used the coach a few times.
The coffee pot was the first item, along bedding. We have basically added items that we feel help us on the road.
A grille for outside was next and I love cooking outside on it, love to cook things that other people will not attempt. also keeps odors out of coach.
Cannot stress reading the manuals enough, you have so much info to absorb with the dealer that you forget most of it. Fun to put out the awning and then forget how to close it.
After you use it you will decise on what fits your lifestyle.
As mentioned above Flying J is good and have many locations.

Good luck the time will go fast and the weather will be just right when you are notified that it has arrived at the dealer

 

[ISLAPP]

Since you may be solo on some trips, I would highly suggest researching GPS units. Some require a lap top, some are stand alone. Some seem to be more RV friendly than others.
Mike

 

[skigramp]

jk ...

I suggest strongly that you videorecord the "walk through" and keep the recording in your rig ... there will be several times that you will need to refer to it 3, 6, and 9 months after the delivery ... {for instance I had a difficult remembering where the water heater bypass valve was when it came to winterize ... the video tape came to the rescue}

I suggest that you decide ahead of time whether this is a SHOES ON {as compared to TAKE YOUR SHOES OFF RIG} ... if it is a shoes on rig you will need some throw rugs / canvas to cover your carpeting from day one ...

We have a Eureka "The Boss Pro" vacuum for the carpeting ... we also have a dustbuster (it came with the rig) and a 1 gallon size wet and dry vac for cleaning out the toad and the storage bays ... I have never had to use the wet feature inside of the rig thank goodness ...