We just got back from southwest colorado after 2 weeks. Pulled a 32 ft TT from Katy to Durango, CO and back. We reserved all of our stops ahead of time. RV parks and campgrounds were pretty full, but if flexible, you might be able to find some last minute sites for one night. It was damn hot all along the way except for evenings in Durango. Could not have managed without power to drive A/C. Even in Telluride, they were experiencing higher than normal temps into the 90s. If this is your first trailer, I would let the dealer install the WDH, but you still might have to make some adjustments. CatScales help you get dialed in once you are loaded up. We hit a couple a long the way and then I adjusted hitch accordingly when we unhitched. Helps having the correct tools. Wind coming back especially in SE New Mexico and almost all of drive through texas back to Katy was very windy. I was being blown all over the place and talked to others having same experience. 5th wheelers seemed to be able to deal with it much better than us though. One day!

We must have just missed the cold front. Was HOT the entire time we were there except late evening/morning.

I think you've lost your marbles if you're new to RVing and you want to go on a 2-3 week trip without much of a game plan. Prolly good that you're crazy; you'll need to be to pull it off.

I'd definitely recommend a shorter trip to figure out what you do and don't need. It took us making several weekend trips with our first travel trailer to figure it out. There's all the useful RV accessories, like:

Leveling blocks
Level
Hoses - sewer, fresh, washout, - several different lengths and fittings sure are handy
Water pressure regulator
Electric circuit analyzer - so the park wiring doesn't kill your rig
Electrical adapters - in case you're stuck with 15-20A, 30A, or 50A service
Toilet chemicals
Tools - sockets, screwdrivers, pliers, wrenches, hammer
Multimeter

Think about every aspect of your normal day at home and then ask yourself "How will I do that in a camper out in the country?"

You can also install the weight distributing hitch yourself. It's not that difficult if you can follow instructions.

I also wouldn't worry as much about the A/C. But that's just me. If you're that worried about it, I recommend staying in parks where you can hook up to electricity. Generators are annoying.

Good luck, have fun!

Looks like you already found some RV parks for reservations which is good. The desirable places are booked but there's plenty of parks out there with a couple spots left here and there.

If you can turn A socket and use a measuring tape I would do the WDH myself and that's not just to save money. There's no telling who will install it and whether or not they're having a lazy day. The dealer we bought our first trailer from installed it terribly and basically to the point where it was t helping at all. I did some research and reinstalled it myself and it was night and day.

Generators, watts and amps can be a tricky business. I got the predator 3500 from harbor freight. Very quiet and can support 30amps. That said I've been able to avoid using it for the most part.

Have fun and remember your first trip will be your hardest. Many quit and never get to experience the joy of camping. It takes work but that's half the fun.

Currently "camping" at Pedernales Falls and loving it.

Purchased a Predator 3500 to run my Winnie and works great!

Check to make sure the NFS or BLM land is open for boondocking. I have heard that some areas are closed

FWIW, if you want to go boondocking, try the green river in Wyoming. Up by the wind river range

And get another battery -AGM. Or two

• we chain the generator to the bumper of the trailer
• I think you'll need two of those 2200 Hondas to run your ACs, but it could probably do one.
• If you get into a situation where you need heat, its possible your batteries will not power the heater blowers all night (Just something to keep in mind if you stay in an area that doesn't allow generators and has no electricity. Those factory batteries last hours not days. )
• You will fill up the gray water tank in 1-2 days if you treat it like a normal house. We have kids 1 & 2 yrs old and between their baths and my wife's shower we use a lot of water. I take an extra 30 gallon fresh water barrel for boondocking trips and a gray water tote. This can be totally mitigated if you all use the public showers.
• The hitch is easy, just make sure you have good instructions.
• I recommend the OnX app for finding boondock spots and navigating national forest and BLM land.

as far as where to go, the Dinosaur monument area is a little off the beaten path and would be great with kids that age. Activities would be rafting the Green River in Dutch John (rapids are small), renting a boat and exploring Flaming Gorge, exploring the canyons in Dinosaur monument, and obviously seeing the Dinosaur bones.

There are also a zillion bonedock spots around there on either the BLM or Ashley national forest. From there you could head south to Moab (if not too hot) or head north to southern Idaho / Wyoming.

drewbie96 said:

---

We just got back from southwest colorado after 2 weeks. Pulled a 32 ft TT from Katy to Durango, CO and back. We reserved all of our stops ahead of time. RV parks and campgrounds were pretty full, but if flexible, you might be able to find some last minute sites for one night. It was damn hot all along the way except for evenings in Durango. Could not have managed without power to drive A/C. Even in Telluride, they were experiencing higher than normal temps into the 90s. If this is your first trailer, I would let the dealer install the WDH, but you still might have to make some adjustments. CatScales help you get dialed in once you are loaded up. We hit a couple a long the way and then I adjusted hitch accordingly when we unhitched. Helps having the correct tools. Wind coming back especially in SE New Mexico and almost all of drive through texas back to Katy was very windy. I was being blown all over the place and talked to others having same experience. 5th wheelers seemed to be able to deal with it much better than us though. One day!

---

My one ton and fifth wheel was getting pushed around a bit this weekend in West Texas. Couldn't imagine driving a long TT in it.

drewbie96 said:

---

We just got back from southwest colorado after 2 weeks. Pulled a 32 ft TT from Katy to Durango, CO and back. We reserved all of our stops ahead of time. RV parks and campgrounds were pretty full, but if flexible, you might be able to find some last minute sites for one night. It was damn hot all along the way except for evenings in Durango. Could not have managed without power to drive A/C. Even in Telluride, they were experiencing higher than normal temps into the 90s. If this is your first trailer, I would let the dealer install the WDH, but you still might have to make some adjustments. CatScales help you get dialed in once you are loaded up. We hit a couple a long the way and then I adjusted hitch accordingly when we unhitched. Helps having the correct tools. Wind coming back especially in SE New Mexico and almost all of drive through texas back to Katy was very windy. I was being blown all over the place and talked to others having same experience. 5th wheelers seemed to be able to deal with it much better than us though. One day!

---

Y'all just had some bad luck, the high over the next 10 days is 82!

Ogre09 said:

---

Premium said:

---

So we just bought a Winnebago 2301BHS and are planning to go for 2-3 weeks as a last minute trip with two kids, 6 and 8.

Bad timing we know, so plan on having to do quite a bit of boondocking. We do plan to go up though Colorado for cool temps, so just a few days traveling each way would be in hotter temps.

Some questions about what we need:

1. We bought a Honda 2,200 watt quiet generator, do we need two? The trailer has two a/c units to daisy chain?

2. Should I pay for the dealer to install the weight dist hitch for $650 when the unit could be purchased for $350? Anything special or difficult about "shimming".

3. Are there any "must haves" or "nice to haves" gadgets or things we should get before the trip?

Some questions about where to go:

1. We did west Colorado and Tetons/Yellowstone last summer. I don't mind some repeat, but was thinking about Rocky Mountain NP and/or Mount Rushmore. Considering our lack of planning, where would you try to go? If you know of anywhere with hookups, available, bonus! - but we expect to not have that very much.

2. Can you just crank up a generator and sleep on the side of many rest stops / Wal Marts? Is it safe and what keeps someone from stealing your generator?

* ETA found 3 nights at a KOA in Colorado Springs, July 5-8 - booked it. We are leaving Houston on Friday the 2nd.

---

Congrats on the purchase! What are you towing with? 2014 F150 Ecoboost 4x4 Offroad Package, think 10K lb towing capacity

I would schedule a place to stay for every night of the trip. RVing got super popular last year, and I wouldn't want the added stress of not knowing where I was going to be able to set up. Unfortunately not finding many spots available, will have to be calling along our path as we go, looking for cancelations or non name brand (ie KOA)

Gadgets: thanks for the tips!
Pop up trash can

Door mats (inside and out)

Clothes drying rack

Roof vent insukated covers (press up into the vent space from inside, reflective on one side and fuzzy on the other, keeps heat out)

Propane fire pit (I love a good wood fire, but finding good firewood can be challenging. Propane is super convenient.)

Good sewer hoses (Camco Rhinoflex)

Tire pressure gage that runs up high enough

Socket for stabilizer jacks to use with cordless driver (if you don't have automatic ones)

Dish drying rack, collapsible

Reversimat

2 sets of Camco leveling blocks (some sites are pretty wonky)

---

Todd 02 said:

---

I think you've lost your marbles if you're new to RVing and you want to go on a 2-3 week trip without much of a game plan. Prolly good that you're crazy; you'll need to be to pull it off. What's the worst than can happen ? Go on...

I'd definitely recommend a shorter trip to figure out what you do and don't need. It took us making several weekend trips with our first travel trailer to figure it out. There's all the useful RV accessories, like: thanks for the tips!

Leveling blocks
Level
Hoses - sewer, fresh, washout, - several different lengths and fittings sure are handy
Water pressure regulator
Electric circuit analyzer - so the park wiring doesn't kill your rig
Electrical adapters - in case you're stuck with 15-20A, 30A, or 50A service
Toilet chemicals
Tools - sockets, screwdrivers, pliers, wrenches, hammer
Multimeter

Think about every aspect of your normal day at home and then ask yourself "How will I do that in a camper out in the country?"

You can also install the weight distributing hitch yourself. It's not that difficult if you can follow instructions.

I also wouldn't worry as much about the A/C. But that's just me. If you're that worried about it, I recommend staying in parks where you can hook up to electricity. Generators are annoying. That is the goal but I'm a bit worried about if we stop in TX or NM... hopefully a spot comes open with hookups we can find.

Good luck, have fun!

---

Just fyi - if you go to Rocky Mountain NP, get a timed pass for park entry. Required this year to keep crowd size manageable. Read the articles about angry people turned away who did not know about this prior to their vacation.

Should we need a surge protector or EMS protector for electric hook ups? Or a water pressure regulator?

Wife is asking

Premium said:

---

Should we need a surge protector or EMS protector for electric hook ups? Or a water pressure regulator?

Wife is asking

---

Both are highly suggested in the long term. Just buy the water pressure regulator on Amazon, it's like 10 bucks. For the surge protector, do not go cheap. I believe mine was $350+

Also, while you're at it. Buy the brass 90 for your city water connection. That way it's not putting pressure on the connection to the camper from the water hose.

ETA: My surge protector is a little over the top, but I like knowing if it's my camper or the power pole that is having issues and a couple of other things. For my first camper I think I spent maybe $125 and it worked for a couple of summer storms before crapping out.

Premium said:

---

Should we need a surge protector or EMS protector for electric hook ups? Or a water pressure regulator?

Wife is asking

---

Here you go.

Update, after Colorado Springs the 5th-8th, found Estes Park hookups for the 8th-10th.

Is there any boondocking in Rocky Mountain National Park or nearby?

Looks like it's coming together, got 2 nights at Devils Tower after Estes and 3 nights at Mount Rushmore / Badlands for 3 nights after. Headed back after that.

I love KYD!

Aggiewes said:

---

Just fyi - if you go to Rocky Mountain NP, get a timed pass for park entry. Required this year to keep crowd size manageable. Read the articles about angry people turned away who did not know about this prior to their vacation.

---

Or, just show up before 6 am.

I had a timed entry last year and got there a few minutes after 6 and the booths weren't manned yet.

Reserved for:

July 2, leave
July 2-5 TBD
July 5-8 Colorado Springs KOA
July 8-10 Estes Park KOA
July 10-12 Devils Tower KOA
July 12-15 Mt. Rushmore KOA

I'll 2nd the brass 90 folks are talking about. I learned the hard way after having a leak that I'm fairly confident was caused by going without

You will need 30 amps of power to run both your ACs at the same time. That Honda 2200 produces about 18 amps so you will need 2. They sell a kit to put them in parallel, it's easy.

Have fun!

We just got back from a 2 week trip in our diesel pusher to Gulf Shores and Panama City Beach

Premium said:

---

Should we need a surge protector or EMS protector for electric hook ups? Or a water pressure regulator?

Wife is asking

---

Highly recommended.

I would also recommend a tire monitoring system. Blowouts make for long waits and damage to the RV. Don't run underinflated on the cold pressure of your tires and don't run over their speed rating.

If you have 2 ACs, that inverter won't run them both and won't run much else in the RV with one AC. Test at home before you get on the road. Make sure you have the correct adapter as I don't see the RV outlet on this inverter. Look at the applications for this inverter.

Safe travels to you.

I second the EMS. I have the Progressive Industries PT30X. Is this a used trailer? Were the previous owners fairly diligent about maintenance? If you're not sure, it might behoove you to repack the bearings before you go. If not check the temp at gas stops. If you can't hold your hand on the grease cap, something's up. An alternative to the TMS is to check the pressure as part of your departure checklist. Get a nice 12v air compressor like a Viair - it will come in handy. I also carry a torque wrench. If you need to change the tire you'll want to get the correct torque and re-torque the lugnuts after 50 to 100 miles. And buy a tire tackle kit. On my last trip, the schrader valve stuck open after checking pressure. I had a valve stem tool and spare schrader valve and air compressor ready to go. Back on the road quickly.

I have a brand new, in the box, 30 AMP for sale but I suspect your rig is a 50 AMP.

Is that the PT30x? Think that's out for delivery today from Amazon. Location / price? Ours is 30 amp.

Yesterday said:

---

Premium said:

---

Should we need a surge protector or EMS protector for electric hook ups? Or a water pressure regulator?

Wife is asking

---

Here you go.

---

Great videos from them. Been watching them for a while now.

Premium said:

---

Is that the PT30x? Think that's out for delivery today from Amazon. Location / price? Ours is 30 amp.

---

Yes it is. $150. Brazos Co. Should have mentioned it earlier.

Try downloading and signing up for Campendium ....Free app with really good info on both free and pay sites including the retailers that let you stay, forest service campgrounds, BLM spots, etc.

We use this quite a bit to find good free spots to use in Western States including NM, CO, UT, AZ, WY, etc.

Brazos Co. if I have a friend in Bryan could that meet you pretty easily?

Congrats and welcome to the crew! I was going to also recommend KYD but y'all beat me to it!

Already lots of good advice here. We traveled for two months last year through CO, UT, WY, ID, and MT in our 36' bumper pull and are doing 4 months in the same states this summer in our new-to-us 5th wheel. You're going to learn so much very quickly and there is an endless list of gadgets you'll "need". We're in our 5th year of RVing and I'm still buying crap on Amazon almost daily. Actually just bought the surge protector that they recommend on KYD (they have an amazon list) and it seems pretty cool so far. Can't get the remote monitor to connect but working on it...

First, you're crazy brave for doing this last minute. We started planning our summer travel and booking spots back in January. That was because we didn't start planning the previous summer until April/May of last year and wound up moving around a lot and not getting to stay in the places we wanted to for very long. You're hitting the road at the peak of the summer RV season up there. You're rig isn't small but you should be able to get into some of the smaller primitive boon docking style spots. The ones without power and water will probably be all you will find available unless you watch for cancellations like a hawk. Highly recommend you have an agenda and reservations for every night of that agenda before you leave out on your trip. I know a lot of people do the walmart parking lot thing - and I wouldn't be above it in a serious jam - but I certainly wouldn't have that as part of my plan A.

Power - as other's have said, you will probably need two of those little honda generators to even run one of your AC units. Our 36' bumper pull had a 13,500 and a 15,000 BTU unit and I couldn't run both with the 3,500 watt generator I had. Also, keep in mind that the more power you are pulling off your generator(s), the more fuel you will use. My 3,500 watt generator isn't an inverter generator but it will only run for 4-6 hours on the 2.5ish gallon tank with one AC unit running. As others have said, its the starting amp draw on the compressors that will kill your generator and that soft start system may help but I still wouldn't expect to be able to run both even with 4,400 watts of generator capacity. That's also really 1,800 W x 2 = 3,600 W of rated capacity. We have found the weather to be pretty unpredictable up here. We've experienced several days over 100 in Glenwood Springs and Ridgway State Park over the last two weeks but it finally cooled off late last week. It was the same last year. Seemed like it was a heat wave and unseasonably hot wherever we went. We work during the day so we are in the trailer and need AC most days. If you're out doing stuff during the day you could just leave the windows open and probably be fine at night without AC. However, I would not set out without a solid power plan that would allow the use of at least one unit. Keep in mind you will also need the adapters to go from the power outlet on your generator to your power cord on your trailer.

Tires, weight, weight distribution, sway bars, etc. - All VERY important and most of us learn the hard way. I think our TPMS system is probably the best thing I have bought. Went through some scary and damaging blow outs before I got that. The one we have gives me pressure and temperature which are both critical. Low pressure leads to high temperatures, side wall failures and explosive blow outs. Weight and weight distribution are critical. I bought our weight distribution hitch from the dealer and let them install it but anyone with some tools and a bit of know how could do the installation. However, you're running a bit short on time and may need to pay for the convenience of a professional installation. The idiot that installed mine didn't install the sway bar that came with the kit and told me I shouldn't need it. I needed it and would never tow a bumper pull trailer without one. I see some people using two sway bars and can understand why. Pay attention to how you're loading the trailer and make sure you're not too heavy or too light on the tongue. Also note the location of your fresh water tank and keep in mind you will add almost 700 lbs of water weight (82 gal) if you do fill it up to go dry camping. Not sure what you're pulling with but I highly recommend air bags on the back axle of your tow vehicle. Even my 1 ton DRW truck has air bags and it makes for a much better and safer towing experience. Excessive sway, improper weight loading, and lack of control due to all of the above leads to a lot of accidents, even with experienced RVers.

It looks like your trailer only has one slide. Our last one had two but they were both on the same side. It was very frustrating to level because it obviously wants to lean to that one side when you roll the slides out. We figured out the trick was to set up so that the slide side was up about an inch higher than level, then set the stabilizers and then run the slides out. We tried the plastic leveling blocks, cut up 2x12s, etc but what worked the best was a cut up rubber stall mat from harbor freight. They are about $50 and you can make enough strips to get up 4-5" - which you may need in some spots. The one I used was 4'x6' so it made 6 12" wide strip, 4' long and 3/4" thick. I used the Levelmate Pro app and device to tell me how off level I was when I pulled in and then selected the number of mats we needed to get us 1" high on the slide side. Stack them up in front of the tires and pull up on top. Wife and I got pretty good at this process and got lots of compliments for the idea. Wish I could say it was mine but it wasn't. Seriously the best and probably cheapest leveling solution we found. Sometimes the simple things are the most handy. We still carry some blocks made from a cut up 6"x6" and use them all the time. You're going to find very unlevel spots even in some private RV parks. I think the KOA in Laramie might be the worst we've experienced.

Take tools! Stuff is going to break! You're pulling a small house with all your crap in it down the road and that SOB is trying to shake itself to death. My father in law were just talking today about the tools you absolutely can't travel without. A good cordless drill is a must. Bits and screws to put stuff back together when (not if) it breaks. I just had to buy a little hand saw and a 1"x4" to make some blocks to screw a cabinet back together. Gorilla tape and glue is awesome! Cabinets, drawers, closet shelves and clothes rods seem to be popular failure points, in my experience. Don't depend on those latches for the drawers and cabinet doors. They don't work worth a crap at holding stuff in and they will break and you will find a 10lb bag of flour evenly distributed all over half of the trailer (don't store bags of flour in the upper cabinets). Also had a kitchen drawer launch itself and all of the contents across the trailer. The drawer slides disconnected and it went for a joy ride throwing silverware, knives, etc around like they were mardi gras beads. Oh, you need a hand held dyson vacuum cleaner...

You're about to spend a small fortune on water hoses, sewer hoses, power adapters, chairs, grills, outdoor stoves, cook ware, silverware, plastic plates and cups, coffee making contraptions, organizing bins, head lamps, electric heaters, a bigger trailer, a bigger truck for the bigger trailer, more crap for the bigger trailer.....or maybe that's just me. We started with 0 experience, just learned as we went, still learning and having a blast. Have fun!

Yes.

D&C 2002 said:

---

Congrats and welcome to the crew! I was going to also recommend KYD but y'all beat me to it!

Already lots of good advice here. We traveled for two months last year through CO, UT, WY, ID, and MT in our 36' bumper pull and are doing 4 months in the same states this summer in our new-to-us 5th wheel. You're going to learn so much very quickly and there is an endless list of gadgets you'll "need". We're in our 5th year of RVing and I'm still buying crap on Amazon almost daily. Actually just bought the surge protector that they recommend on KYD (they have an amazon list) and it seems pretty cool so far. Can't get the remote monitor to connect but working on it...

First, you're crazy brave for doing this last minute. We started planning our summer travel and booking spots back in January. That was because we didn't start planning the previous summer until April/May of last year and wound up moving around a lot and not getting to stay in the places we wanted to for very long. You're hitting the road at the peak of the summer RV season up there. You're rig isn't small but you should be able to get into some of the smaller primitive boon docking style spots. The ones without power and water will probably be all you will find available unless you watch for cancellations like a hawk. Highly recommend you have an agenda and reservations for every night of that agenda before you leave out on your trip. I know a lot of people do the walmart parking lot thing - and I wouldn't be above it in a serious jam - but I certainly wouldn't have that as part of my plan A.

Power - as other's have said, you will probably need two of those little honda generators to even run one of your AC units. Our 36' bumper pull had a 13,500 and a 15,000 BTU unit and I couldn't run both with the 3,500 watt generator I had. Also, keep in mind that the more power you are pulling off your generator(s), the more fuel you will use. My 3,500 watt generator isn't an inverter generator but it will only run for 4-6 hours on the 2.5ish gallon tank with one AC unit running. As others have said, its the starting amp draw on the compressors that will kill your generator and that soft start system may help but I still wouldn't expect to be able to run both even with 4,400 watts of generator capacity. That's also really 1,800 W x 2 = 3,600 W of rated capacity. We have found the weather to be pretty unpredictable up here. We've experienced several days over 100 in Glenwood Springs and Ridgway State Park over the last two weeks but it finally cooled off late last week. It was the same last year. Seemed like it was a heat wave and unseasonably hot wherever we went. We work during the day so we are in the trailer and need AC most days. If you're out doing stuff during the day you could just leave the windows open and probably be fine at night without AC. However, I would not set out without a solid power plan that would allow the use of at least one unit. Keep in mind you will also need the adapters to go from the power outlet on your generator to your power cord on your trailer.

Tires, weight, weight distribution, sway bars, etc. - All VERY important and most of us learn the hard way. I think our TPMS system is probably the best thing I have bought. Went through some scary and damaging blow outs before I got that. The one we have gives me pressure and temperature which are both critical. Low pressure leads to high temperatures, side wall failures and explosive blow outs. Weight and weight distribution are critical. I bought our weight distribution hitch from the dealer and let them install it but anyone with some tools and a bit of know how could do the installation. However, you're running a bit short on time and may need to pay for the convenience of a professional installation. The idiot that installed mine didn't install the sway bar that came with the kit and told me I shouldn't need it. I needed it and would never tow a bumper pull trailer without one. I see some people using two sway bars and can understand why. Pay attention to how you're loading the trailer and make sure you're not too heavy or too light on the tongue. Also note the location of your fresh water tank and keep in mind you will add almost 700 lbs of water weight (82 gal) if you do fill it up to go dry camping. Not sure what you're pulling with but I highly recommend air bags on the back axle of your tow vehicle. Even my 1 ton DRW truck has air bags and it makes for a much better and safer towing experience. Excessive sway, improper weight loading, and lack of control due to all of the above leads to a lot of accidents, even with experienced RVers.

It looks like your trailer only has one slide. Our last one had two but they were both on the same side. It was very frustrating to level because it obviously wants to lean to that one side when you roll the slides out. We figured out the trick was to set up so that the slide side was up about an inch higher than level, then set the stabilizers and then run the slides out. We tried the plastic leveling blocks, cut up 2x12s, etc but what worked the best was a cut up rubber stall mat from harbor freight. They are about $50 and you can make enough strips to get up 4-5" - which you may need in some spots. The one I used was 4'x6' so it made 6 12" wide strip, 4' long and 3/4" thick. I used the Levelmate Pro app and device to tell me how off level I was when I pulled in and then selected the number of mats we needed to get us 1" high on the slide side. Stack them up in front of the tires and pull up on top. Wife and I got pretty good at this process and got lots of compliments for the idea. Wish I could say it was mine but it wasn't. Seriously the best and probably cheapest leveling solution we found. Sometimes the simple things are the most handy. We still carry some blocks made from a cut up 6"x6" and use them all the time. You're going to find very unlevel spots even in some private RV parks. I think the KOA in Laramie might be the worst we've experienced.

Take tools! Stuff is going to break! You're pulling a small house with all your crap in it down the road and that SOB is trying to shake itself to death. My father in law were just talking today about the tools you absolutely can't travel without. A good cordless drill is a must. Bits and screws to put stuff back together when (not if) it breaks. I just had to buy a little hand saw and a 1"x4" to make some blocks to screw a cabinet back together. Gorilla tape and glue is awesome! Cabinets, drawers, closet shelves and clothes rods seem to be popular failure points, in my experience. Don't depend on those latches for the drawers and cabinet doors. They don't work worth a crap at holding stuff in and they will break and you will find a 10lb bag of flour evenly distributed all over half of the trailer (don't store bags of flour in the upper cabinets). Also had a kitchen drawer launch itself and all of the contents across the trailer. The drawer slides disconnected and it went for a joy ride throwing silverware, knives, etc around like they were mardi gras beads. Oh, you need a hand held dyson vacuum cleaner...

You're about to spend a small fortune on water hoses, sewer hoses, power adapters, chairs, grills, outdoor stoves, cook ware, silverware, plastic plates and cups, coffee making contraptions, organizing bins, head lamps, electric heaters, a bigger trailer, a bigger truck for the bigger trailer, more crap for the bigger trailer.....or maybe that's just me. We started with 0 experience, just learned as we went, still learning and having a blast. Have fun!

---

Great post, thank you!

sent you a message from that site, didn't see the actual email but the Contact you page I was able to send a message

Just went back and saw that you are towing with a F150. My buddy just pulled the exact same trailer (I think) from Oklahoma to Alaska as they were moving/military relocation. So, you can do it but just have to be super attentive to your weights and the weight distribution. Towing capacity doesn't mean a lot - its really more about payload capacity. There's a really good KYD video that explains all of this. Your trailer has a dry weight of 6,000 lbs and if you go by the recommended 20-25% of the trailer weight on the hitch, you are already overweight. Your payload capacity is 1,000 lbs (half ton) and that needs to include you, your family, all the gear in the bed of the truck, and the tongue weight from the trailer.

Don't freak out...

I went back and did the numbers and I was actually overweight with our 36' bumper pull last summer in a F250. In that KYD video they are overweight in a F250 with their airstream. The good news is that you can do it but just really have to be on top of your weights and weight distribution. The air bags would really really help by leveling out the truck and getting rid of the "float" on the front end. They give you back a lot of control and make the ride so much more comfortable. That combined with your weight distribution hitch and I think you are ok. I have friends that tow trailers your size with F150s and they do ok. It's more of a challenge but you can do it. My dad regularly hauls his 10,000 lb rated trailer with a 3,500 lb jeep on it with his F150 and its fine.

Towing capacity - check your manual. I think it says something about derating by a certain percent for every 1,000' you are above 5,000' in altitude. This just means you may struggle and have to pay close attention to your temperatures if you're climbing some of the higher passes. From the research I did earlier in the year when I decided to go from the F250 to the F350, the process they use to establish the capacity ratings is a little ridiculous but the numbers are not irrelevant. I've never been anywhere near the limit in towing capacity when going through the mountains and its still not a walk in the park for the truck - and both of mine have been the 6.7 diesel engine. So, you may want to plan your route so that you avoid any high mountain passes. That thin air is no joke. If you make it to the top, you still have to make it down so you want to learn how to use your gears and not overheat your brakes. For me, going down a big pass is where it gets interesting. I went down Monarch pass on Saturday in 2nd and 3rd gear at 35 mph and I didn't give a F that there were 15 cars behind me. There was another 5th wheel a 1/4 mile ahead of me running about the same speed because that was as fast as it felt safe to go.

I'm sure you already know you need a trailer brake controller if your truck didn't already come with one. They should not have let you leave the dealership without testing the trailer brakes.

Get the airbags if you can before you leave and start thinking about buying a F250. You'll notice that the vast majority of people up here tow with 3/4 ton+