New RVer

[Winstons]

Just bought a 2021 Montana 3781RL and my wife and I are super excited! Picking it up in a little over a week and looking for recommendations for a starter kit. This is our first travel trailer and have no idea what is needed in a "starter kit". Thank you.

[jsb5717]

Welcome aboard!

First thing is what vehicle do you have to pull that with.
Second is what kind of tires are coming on the trailer

For the trailer:

• Sewer hoses and connectors
• 50a to 30 amp adapter
• Extension cords
• EMS
• Potable Water hoses and pressure regulator
• Leveling blocks to prevent out of stroke on your Auto Leveling system
• Dishes, silverware, cookware, towels, sheets, etc, depending on how much you want to haul in and out of your house each trip

This is just a start. Others may chime in.

[Winstons]

I will be pulling the trailer with a 2018 Ram 3500. The tires are: ST235/80R16G.

[jsb5717]

Originally Posted by Winstons

I will be pulling the trailer with a 2018 Ram 3500. The tires are: ST235/80R16G.

What brand are the tires?

[Winstons]

I don't know the brand of tires and won't be sure until we pick the trailer up. I would hope the tires are of good quality as it is a new trailer.

[jsb5717]

A lot of folks dump the OEM tires right away for good ones. Some trailers are coming new now with decent tires but many have high incidence of failure which causes damage to the trailer. Something to think about. It will be good to know the brand and get advice here.

[Winstons]

I never would have imagined. I will definitely be posting the brand once I find out.

[DutchmenSport]

The information above is a good starter by way of outfitting your new camper. A word of advise though ... just because it has the label "RV" on it does not make it any better than anything you may use in your house. There's lots of debate about the use of toilet paper on EVERY RV/Camping forum I've ever seen. But the real bottom line is, if it works in YOUR house, it will work in YOUR camper.

About everything else. Sheets, pillow cases, blankets, dishes, pots and pans, even the kind of tooth paste you use, is all your decision. I will suggest though, that you do NOT invest in sleeping bags as your primary blanket for your bed. Sleeping bags are great for tent camping, but you are camping in a luxury suite now! Sleeping bags will smother you. Use nice sheets and blankets, get new pillow's, and after you sleep on your factory installed mattress, you may even think about swapping it out for a different mattress. Depending on the size of your original mattress, any residential mattress for your house will work in your camper, as long as the size fits. Get the firmness and type of mattress that works for you. And it's possible the factory installed mattress may work for you. Just keep an open mind and an open check book.

A word about RV / camping cooking? It took us time and we started out camping from the back of a pick up truck. So for us, it was a gradual progression. But you need to be prepared for those times you want to cook over an open fire, those times you want to cook on your camper stove top (propane), those time you may want to cook on a BBQ grill, those times you may want to cook on an electric skillet or electric griddle, those times you have electricity and those times you do not have electricity. Plus, you need to think about those times when traveling, you want to just grab something out of the refrigerator and keep driving.

It does not take a LOT of "stuff" to cover yourself in the event of any situation above, but you do need to pack smart so you are not taking an entire warehouse of kitchen equipment. Think smart, storage space in any RV is limited.

If you are a coffee drinker and your primary coffee pot works off electricity, do definitely pick up an old style camping coffee pot that will brew from the top of your stove or over a fire. There is nothing worse than waking up in the morning and find out the entire campground lost power in the middle of the night with no clue when power will be restored. Electric coffee pots need electricity. Stove top brew pots do not.

And a year from now, do an inventory of everything in your camper. If you have not used it in the last year, take it out. It weight you are carrying you do not need.

[Winstons]

So much to consider. We are truly looking forward to enjoying this marathon!

[432bartman]

Originally Posted by Winstons

Just bought a 2021 Montana 3781RL and my wife and I are super excited! Picking it up in a little over a week and looking for recommendations for a starter kit. This is our first travel trailer and have no idea what is needed in a "starter kit". Thank you.

1. Your favorite folding/reclining chairs
2. Coaxial cable for your TV
3. Make sure your propane is topped off
4. Disposable latex gloves
5. If you have pets, a dog bed ect.
6. If you bike, a bike carrier (I love the Kuat bike carrier...rock solid)
7. Fire Pit.....wood or Duraflame logs
8. Barbecue
9. Games, cards, cornhole, ladderball. ect.
10. The list can go on..........lol

[sourdough]

Previous posts have given some excellent guidance on things you will encounter as you embark on your RV journey. As time goes you will find your particular preferences will determine what is of importance to you. I will note some things; some have already been touched on.

> I always carry 2 air compressors with hoses. One is 12vdc (Viair 400) and the other is 120VAC (Fini). At some point you will find one or the other (or both) invaluable. I air down when I arrive at a site we intend to stay in for a while and air up before departure (truck). If you develop an air leak it needs to be fixed on site.

>Tires - If you do a search on this or any other forum you will find endless conversations about OEM RV tires. For most of the past the tires put on the RVs were not only inferior quality (IMO) but also overloaded due to the prevailing loading criteria used by the manufacturers. This lead to LOTS of tire failures. In the recent past those criteria have been modified and improved giving the new RV buyer tires that have more load capacity which was long needed. The thought that many of the Chinese made tires are inferior and are "China bombs" still prevails (and you will see that term used extensively) and is still borne out by continued failures it seems (to me). I had a failure on my last trailer at the beginning of my 2nd year with maybe 3k miles on the tires causing 7k in damages. Immediately changed to Carlisles and not a moment trouble since. This trailer came with Ranier tires. Having read of recent failures of that brand I had Sailun S637 tires put on it before I took it off the lot. Your new Montana may very well come with the Sailun tires as I have seen them on some new Montanas.

>Mattress - Some folks are happy with the OEM mattress in an RV.....but I can count those on one hand. Some put some sort of topper on it and they are happy and some replace it entirely with a new mattress....preferably a residential size which makes buying sheets etc. far easier. We replace the OEM mattress before we take possession of a trailer.

>BBQ/Grills/etc: - Ah, now we enter into the "fun" stuff. These items all depend on what you like to eat and if you like to cook/cook out. I do. I do not like to cook in the RV; don't like the smells or mess. It's one thing to fry something in a 3000sq ft. house with tall ceiling, windows, venting etc. but quite another to do the same thing in a 300 sq. ft. little box. I avoid it like the plague. To that end...

At home I have what we call "BBQ central", a covered and enclosed large area where I keep my smoker, pits, grills etc. I sort of duplicate that on the road. We are set up here in FL and in front of the trailer I have a row with my gas grill, then my Blackstone flat top griddle then my Green Mountain Grill Davy Crockett smoker. If I get a hankering for something with charcoal I'll go buy a charcoal grill then leave it. I carry a burner and big pot for boils. I can cook most anything I want on those items and I've found that good smoked anything in FL is almost non existent. I also carry 2 NuWave induction cookers that we find literally eliminates the need for the gas stove, but does require AC. I will mention that we no longer boondock nor want to so the use of those needs to take that into consideration.

A long post but hopefully sort of sheds some light on these little niches that you are going to encounter, and for us, makes traveling more fun.

As you get into it do as a previous poster advised; get the things you think you are going to need/want. If at the end of the first year they haven't been touched, remove them. Space and weight are at a premium in an RV so you want to make sure that what is in it is what you actually need/use. Good luck in sorting it all out and don't hesitate to ask here.

[DQDick]

Welcome to the forum! Don't over focus on getting it right. As time goes on and you discover how you really use your rig you'll find some things you thought you had to have, you don't need and vise versa. Make sure you have the basics, sewer hoses etc. and then enjoy the fun of learning as you go. We've been full time now for 11 years and new stuff gets added and old stuff removed every year no matter what.

[Winstons]

Good deal! Thanks!

[Winstons]

Now that you mentioned Sailun Tires, I think that is what’s fitted on our trailer. Has there been much dislike with them, and would you recommend them?

[Jeff n Susan]

I highly recommend the Sailun 637's. Do some research online and look at the reviews. It is hard to find negative ones about the Sailuns. Good luck!

[jsb5717]

Originally Posted by Jeff Myers

I highly recommend the Sailun 637's. Do some research online and look at the reviews. It is hard to find negative ones about the Sailuns. Good luck!

If it's got Sailuns you're in good shape

[Winstons]

Thanks!

[Rondo]

Tony and Tia- First of all welcome aboard the MOC Forum. You have joined a great organization and the best place to find information concerning your Montana so ask away. Remember there are no "dumb questions" so ask.
Since you are picking up your new unit in about a week, you might want to go to the Search Engine here at the top of the page and type in PDI List and then hit the GO button. This will take you to posts that concern the PDI lists. PDI stands for Pre Delivery Inspection and this inspection if very important to making sure everything is correct and working correctly with your unit. Copy a couple of the lists and take them with you when you go to pickup your unit and make sure you use it during the PDI. If possible try and video the PDI because the person giving the PDI runs a lot of info on the unit by you and you will be knowledge overwhelmed. Take your time on this inspection and don't sign any papers until things you have found have been taken care of or corrected.
Since you are getting a residential refrigerator make sure the person doing the PDI shows you where the TWO water line turn-ons for the icemaker are. Most do not know there are two and you will need to turn both on for it to work.
Also, make sure you have TWO batteries in your unit. The dealer furnished these, not Keystone, and you will need two for the residential refrigerator also for it to run off of battery for any amount of time.
As has been mentioned the basics should be given to you by the dealer as a gift for buying the unit from them. This is a water hose, sewer hose and several other items needed for basic living. These are NORMALLY not the best of quality so you will more than likely have to purchase better quality ones on your own.
Finally, do a shakedown cruise with your unit as soon as possible so you can get used to everything new for you in the unit.
Again Welcome Aboard and hope you enjoy your unit.

[masterdrago]

As to what Rondo said, if you can ask the dealer to let you"camp" there and get everything hooked up (water, power). Also have them show you how to hook up the sewer line. I'm a nut about carrying too many tools - was a Boy Scout. You'll figure that out as you go. There are many things to carry to "fix stuff" as you get into the campgrounds. Lubes, roof tape, sealer, etc. You'll find the extensive list to pack on these forums. And welcome here. And first chance you get, have the RV weighed after you have it loaded. Truck stop or check the Selman's schedule at https://rvsafety.com/schedule. They spend the winter south of Austin and do a great job with doing the individual wheel weight. Also in Livingston, Tx. try the Escapees RV Club https://www.escapees.com/education/smartweigh/. By making your first trip out just past Austin (I think the Selman's meet in Buda), you can kill two birds.


I'll mention this also. Watch the clearance in some state parks. Canyon of the Eagles does not do a good job of keeping the trees trimmed as an example. Ask me how I know!

[DutchmenSport]

Here is a really good web site that offers a LOT of information about the RV lifestyle. I think I've saturated everything on this site, there's just so much information there.

Changing Gears, click here.

The "lists" that articles presented there are detailed, but still basic enough they apply to any one's experience or camping style.

Here's one "list" on the site to help get you thinking about all the different items you use on a daily basis and probably don't even think about it. If you don't have them in your camper, you'll miss them immediately on Day One and be running to Wall Mart: click here

And that is one other item you should always have available, the Wall Mart App on your phone so you can go to Wall Mart to help "save the day" because you forgot something, or really need something you didn't think about!

Good luck, enjoy that web site. I've been using it and still refer to it after years and years now.

And don't forget the potato peeler and the wine bottle cork screw!