[droolingmess]

Travel Trailer 101.
Some things you might get when you buy the trailer,
Roof vent covers. They allow you to tow with the roof vents open and most important of all (since you are going to Seattle) you can leave your roof vents open in the rain. If the dealer won't cut a deal on them Camping World had them on sale and they take all of 10 minutes each to install.
Replace 2 12v batteries with 2 6v deep cycle in series. If dealer can't help Costco had 6v golf cart batteries last I looked. They have much more amp hour and longer lifespan.

Trailer will probably come with a start up kit (water pressure reg, cheap 10' sewer hose, 15amp cord adapter and some toilet chem) and since you used to have a tent trailer probably already have some of the stuff you need but there are some must haves you can pick up cheaper at Walmart or Camping World for example than you will get at the dealer,
Toilet chem and paper.
Cable lock for spare tire. Important
Locking pin for ball mount. Important.
20' sewer hose, 10' just is not enough. Important.
Airtight sewer hose adapter and slinky to keep the hose off the ground is required by law in some states. Important.
Inline water filter. Important
Non slip matting for cabinets and drawers.One roll will do a whole trailer.
Stove and oven lighter.
25' water hose.
25'coax with F type connectors and slip on adapters on both ends.Radio Shack.
Spare fuses. Important.
1/4" mesh Builders cloth to make bug screens for water heater, furnace and fridge. Important. Lowes or Home Depot.
Torque wrench, extention and 13/16" socket, if you don't already have one. Important.
Flares if you don't already carry them.
3/8" socket adapter for cordless drill and 3/4" socket. Much nicer way to lower and raise stabilizer jacks.
13/16" lug wrench. Important.
A/C polarity checker. Important.
Leveling blocks.
Tire chalks, you can make.

I bought a little Craftsman portable air compressor that weighs next to nothing takes up hardly any room but will air up my E load rated tires with no trouble. Checking truck and trailer tire pressure are big time important and feeding a bunch of quarters into gas station air compressor just does not cut it. Some truck stops offer free air but you may have to hunt to find it.

Something to keep in mind, if you get a flat tire how will you jack up the trailer?


When you do the walk thru on your trailer pick it apart. I worked on RVs 4 years and hate to say it but quality in general is a joke. Not trying to scare you here cuz this is a great time to buy but in this economy the sad fact is the company that built your trailer or the people that sold it to you could be out of buisness a week after you pick it up. That is a reality everyone has to deal with now days and some of the RV web sites are warning people to get any warrenty work done as soon as posible. Having prepped many, many new trailers here are some of the more common defects I would see.

Damaged, missing or improperly installed external and internal trim.
Marred finish outside.
Marred paneling inside.
Door hinge screws stripped.
Windows that don't operate properly or are missing hardware.
Drawer stops installed improperly.
Window screens damaged or fit poorly.
Window blinds damaged or do not operate properly.
TV antenna wearing into roof.
12v recepticle will not accept common 12v plug.
Loose or crooked light fixture.

Getting stuff like that fixed before you haul it off the lot is a huge help because many RV dealers will charge a fee come to your home to fix that kind of stuff even though it is warrenty work and you might not want to have to unload everything from your trailer to drop it off.