What's wrong with my RV?

I thought "let's start with a funny one". I thought "don't get too heavy a subject until you have a week or so under your belt".  I thought "pick something that has nothing to do with school starting back".  SO I chose the RV.  The classic, super fun recreational vehicle.

They don't tell you that you can upgrade the bed and toilet.  We didn't tackle the toilet yet but we did put in a cushy pillow top queen size residential mattress.  It makes the bed really tall but it is not so heavy that I can't get into the under bed compartment.

Or that there are hidden fuses all over the trailer that will blow. We knew about the ones in the breaker box, but were not aware that there were external fuses in bay compartments.  It wasn't until the front landing gear blew a fuse and we had to hand crank the trailer to get it to the dealership that they showed us where those handy little jewels were.  We stocked up on 30 amp fuses so as to not be stranded again.

Or that the airbag hitch they installed is notorious for leaking all the air out.  We had to purchase a portable air compressor while on a trip to Alabama for this obstacle.  We were packing up to head home and found the airbag in the hitch had bled out.  So we towed it sans air to the nearest air supply about two miles away and filled up.  Come to find out a tech said that the hardware needs to be replaced and they are known to leak.  He also said they don't test the set up before the customer takes delivery, no soapy water or anything.

Or that you can purchase a water filtration system to put between the city water hookup and your trailer.  When the water comes out fizzy cream colored, that's not an A&W root beer tap!  You need a filter!

Or that you should invest in one of those foam swim noodles to cut a slit in and place on the bottom of your bedroom slide out.  I hit my head twice on that thing.  Made sense then why I had seen those noodles hanging from slide out bottoms.

Or that the back feet come down at separate times when stabilizing the trailer.  Here I am pushing one side down with my foot thinking that something is broken, only to be told that they are on a pendulum and should come down separately.  My bad.

You are going to feel every step and movement that other people make in the trailer and you are going to hear every acorn that drops onto the roof while you are sleeping.
But you are also going to love having a cool place to rest between swimming and hiking!  A soft bed to lay down in, and a place to use the restroom that 5 million other people haven't already used.

They DID tell us not to wash the trailer with the water pointed up, to keep from spraying water into the side vents and into the trailer. And to drain the black tank first then the grey tanks.  And to pour the cleaning tabs and a few bags of ice into the toilet before heading home to help clean the lines and black tank a little more thoroughly.

This is based on a 2014 Forest River Heritage Glen fifth wheel.  And I will probably edit it and add more helpful tips as we learn more things the hard way.  What tips do you have about campers that no one told you?  Don't you wish you had one of those cute vintage campers that seem super simple?

 

Happy Camping!

 

Jennifer