Cardinal RV Club

Jash,
Thanks for your service to this great country.
Just last year we were in the position your in, new rig and no experience. The Cardinal site and its members were great with advice and the posting the various lists. So as we started to load the rig and plan our first trip, I generated a list of things that I needed.
Two levels (one short and one long)
Level on hitch
Wheel chocks
Landing gear and rear jack pads ((8) 2 x 8 x 12”lg)
Wheel boards ((2) 2 x 10 x 6’)
30A – 25’ extension cord
30A to 50A dog bone
50’ retractable fresh water hose
Brass water pressure regulator w/ gauge
Water filter element
20’ EZ coupler sewer hose kit
Drip cap
Drop in deodorizer
2 ply tissue paper
Awning tie down
10-ton jack
Tools to remove a wheel/tire
Triangle safety reflector
LED flash light and lantern
12v air compressor
Various styles and sizes of pliers, channel locks, wrenches and sockets
Sears offers a screwdriver kit with 30 styles and sizes of tips
Volt / ohm meter
And a bit of the Captain after I get set up.

Camper shows are a good source to pick up some of these at good prices.
Good luck.

I’m new to the club and relatively new to the rv world. These rigs are monsters that you tame. The prior posts are great and cover most of the important things. A few I have found are never hurry though you hook up process. I was in a hurry and hooked up my last rig, may it rest in pieces, and I have a habit of hooking up and then holding the trailer brake and pulling forward to check the attachment of the hitch. Well I did that took off made the first turn and the pin let go and the rig dropped onto the bed of my truck. Oh ya it tore the gate off the truck. so, double check your attachment. Never be in a hurry driving. Remember these rigs are heavy and do not come to a stop quickly. Leave plenty of room between you and cars in front of you. The last thing is try not to go on steep grades. I found myself going to yellow stone last year following the GPS and ended up going over a hill that had 10% grades up and down. Down was really scary.

Enjoy your adventures and be safe.

Tom

baddogy wrote:I found myself going to yellow stone last year following the GPS and ended up going over a hill that had 10% grades up and down. Down was really scary.

Hi Tom, where did you find that grade?

Rob

Its on the east or north east exit if i remember right BIG BIG HILL maybe the beartooth hwy i must be getting old cant remember Thats why go out the west end not through the park with a trailer

Mike is right it is the Sawtooth Mountains just outside Sherdian Wyoming. I took it in an van and would not try it with a trailer.

Don

Thanks guys.

Rob

That is the scariest down hill i have ever been down in all my years. i could smell the brakes, and even started to get brake fad, even in low gear with a jake brake. Next time i'll check the rout that the gps gives me. The most direct rout is not always the safest way to travel. i learned my lesson on this one that for sure

8,9,10,11% grades on two lane roads are common here in WV. You learn to start slow at the top and never let it get above a safe speed, usually 35 mph max. The factory exaust brake on the new Dodge is thing to have.

Welcome from full-timers since 2005. Enjoy your new home. I agree with camping locally a few times for shake down cruises. You may find you forgot need things from home or way over stocked. ALWAYS do a walk around before pulling off, one time we left the rear jacks down, and the awning out! Bad job. Now we both do a separate walk around.
We use our cell phones on speaker for back ups. Watch for low hanging trees in campgrounds. So many things we have learned. Have a good time and keep learning.

We recently purchased two Directories. One is the Mountain Directory West and the other is for the East. It has locations and Descriptions of over 400 Mountain Passes and Steep Grades in each of the Directories. Honestly I wish we would have had these when we went on our trip to Alaska last year. It's designed for Truckers, RV, and Motorhome Drivers. We purchased these through the Good Sams Club.
Happy trails,
florine

OOps forgot to mention in the Mountain Directory West they do not have that information for the state of Alaska.