Essentials for new 5th Wheelers

[scrowba]

Ok, Someday I will take delivery of my 3685FL. Being my first 5th wheel, what would you say you can not live without and is a must have for a new 5th wheeler?
Thanks
Karl

[Countryfolks]

A good brake controller.
BAL wheel chocks, the between the wheels kind that uses a wrench to adjust.
Pair of GMRS radios.
Folding step stool.
Assortment of pigtail adapters.
A satellite finder if you plan on using a manual satellite dish setup.
Long propane lighter to light the oven.
Lawn chairs or equivalent.
Plenty of refreshments of choice.
Door mat.

Skip

[sreigle]

spare fuses

slide lube (the spray dri-lube kind so it doesn't attract dirt)

slide seals lube

forgot the name but one of those teflon disks that goes on the pin so to eliminate the need to grease the saddle on the hitch. you still want a little grease on the pin itself and moving parts on the hitch.

lots of bungee cords of various sizes.

weather alert radio with battery backup if you will be in areas where severe weather is possible.

tools, such as you would carry in your truck. Include drivers for Robertson square-drive screws (used all over the place in RV's).

recommend electrical tester to ensure the park's electrical hookup isn't going to fry your appliances. (just bought one for $3.46 and tax at Walmart).

[CountryGuy]

Torque wrench

rechargeable power drill

Long handled scrubbers, one for bugs, and one with soft brush for washing Montana.

Extra hoses, extra sewer stuff (one of each, just ask Glenn and Lorraine, they have a great assortment), extra electrical stuff. You need to be ready to hookup to any number of strange and different electrical, water and sewer configurations. Amazing what some of these campgrounds can come up with!

Creativity, sense of humor, $$.

[Northstar]

All of the above are great starters. Especially the tools-the more the better. As time goes you will need them.

[firetrucker]

A pocket digital voice recorder to note all your thoughts as soon as you think of them, a digital camera to take pictures of things other people have already thought of, and the nose, and tact, to go up to people and ask what problems they've had and how they solved them.

Bob

[jrgwdenner]

Bicycles! Great for fun and relaxation. We bought several throw rugs to save the carpets since we track in a lot of sand and debris. A Eureka "Boss" vacuum to pick up that debris. Latex gloves to wear when emptying the sewer. More bungee cords. A 30 amp cord and pigtail so you don't have to drag around that big one. An inverter for your truck so you can run your laptop, especially when you get lost. This is the female version.

[DrivesBGM]

Good rear view mirrors on the tow vehicle!

Craig

[Joyce H]

"what would you say you can not live without "............
This forum. Where else could you find such valuable information and such willingness to share. It is also like have a great owner's manual at your finger tips. To the above necessities I might add, if you like campfires a small electric chainsaw comes in real handy. For the kitchen, I have an electric skillet, electric steamer/deep fryer, and electric griddle. Saves on propane and allows lots of cooking outdoors to keep odors out of the unit. Several outdoor extension cords. Oh yes and I love to see those American flags flying.

[DHenry]

Battery powered drill and adaptor socket to power down the stabilizers.

[tbhd]

All the above are necessities but the most important is DUCT TAPE!!! (aka 100 mile per hour tape). Don't leave home without it. Especially helpful if you have a tailgate that whisles.

[jrgwdenner]

Along with Joyce's comment about cooking outside, we love our Grill-2-Go. There's nothing like the smell of bacon and eggs OUTSIDE the Monty on a cool morning. Beside, then Glen will do the cooking if it's outside on a grill.

[rames14]

Things that I can't/shouldn't live without:

My laminated checklist in order of things to do at each end of a camping trip.

A small ladder.

Digital Multimeter.

Woodalls or Trailer Life campground guide.

Leveling blocks - wood or plastic.

Leveling screw jacks.

All of the things listed previously.

[Glenn and Lorraine]

Not a whole lot I can add to the above.
In 18 months of fulltiming I have added to my list of must haves on a regular basis. As Carol (CountryGuy) pointed out I have a huge assortment of sewer stuff. I also carry most every elecrical adapter I could possibly need including a 25 foot 30 AMP and a 20 foot 20 AMP extension cord. An array of freshwater hose fittings/adapters, pressure reducers, filters, 2- 25 foot and 1- 10 foot hose as well as hose replacement ends. You also need a good 50 foot garden hose and nozzle for washing the rig. This could be the same hose you hook up to flush the black tanks and rinse out the sewer line when breaking down. In a few cases I even carry duplicates just in case something developes a leak or breaks. If there is one thing I hate it's not being able to complete the hook up because something broke or I didn't have the correct adapter. There isn't always a CW or Wally World nearby and some of these campground stores charge an arm and a leg for some of this stuff. That is of course if they even have a store.

The only things in the above list I don't have is...
A pocket digital voice recorder but I will be getting one.
a small electric chainsaw but I do have a bow saw
electric skillet, electric steamer/deep fryer, and electric griddle These could be some items we will add but for now we mostly eat out or just grill a cb or hd.

That cb (cheeseburger) above just reminded me of something I don't want to be without...My CB Radio. My CB has saved me mucho time by me having advance knowledge of traffic congested areas and being able to take an alternate route. Not to mention being able to brush my teeth and comb my hair before Smoky takes my picture.

I have also realized that I will never have all the "must haves" on board but you can bet I will add it to my stuff at the first opportunity.

I'd make up an inventory of all the "can not live without and is a must have" I carry on board and put it in the 'puter but I don't think I have enough memory.

[jrgwdenner]

Oh;, I thought of something else that has gotten us out of more than one jam. I love Streets and Trips for directions when you're lost and for finding campgrounds. There are many other versions of mapping programs and GPS systems which are equally good or better. But I love trip planning on this program.

[Montana_2785]

AND.... your favorite credit card for the things you forgot to bring that you really REALLY have to have RIGHT NOW!

Eric

[Montana_265]

A trucker atlas or list of low clearence underpasses... the fifth wheels are very high.... We keep a list of east coast ones in the truck and a list at home when planning trip. I don't like surprises!

[jrgwdenner]

Yup, that credit card is so important. First stop, the campground...second stop, Wally World.

[sreigle]

Glenn's comment on hoses reminded me of something. I got tired of getting kinks in the longer hoses, the 20 and 25 foot variety. So those are now my wash-the-rig hoses. I bought half a dozen of the light blue ten foot hoses from the RV section at Walmart. Now I just hook together however many I need. Also, a three footer (thanks Hamrad) for those times you need just a little more hose. I also use a three footer between park spigot and our whole-house water filter. When we discoonect, this three footer nicely coils around the filter and connects to the other side to complete the loop and keep stray items out of the filter and the water from leaking out. Since we fulltime, we'll hook up again later that same day so I don't bother to drain the filter. If weekending I'd probably drain it.

[jrgwdenner]

Steve, how large is your "whole house water filter"?