New RV owners

[Jhinze]

We just bought our first RV - a slightly used (4,800 miles) 2015 Grayhawk 31DS. We plan to tow a Honda CRV. Ready to hit the road, but we would appreciate any advice as we start this adventure.

1 - what is the most helpful thing to know for 1st new RV owners?
2 - best tip for preplanning a road trip?
3 - on the road as you traveled, what surprised you the most?

we plan a couple of short 1 or 2 day trips to get some experience - then we plan to venture out for 1 to 3 weeks at a time and see the country. No getting caught in TSA lines for us this summer!

So any helpful hints will be appreciated - who knows, we may cross paths as we travel. Jim & Myra

[abarkl]

Driveway camping is a good place to start.
When you drive further from home and/or available services, where will you stay--RV parks with water, electric, and sewer hookups or dry camping locations with no hookups.
In the case of the later I will always find a place to fill up the fresh water tank near my destination and ensure I have enough fuel to run the generator. When leaving the area and before the longer leg of the trip home, preferably an official place to dump the tanks.
Use a wash tub in the kitchen sink for dishes and dump it into the black tank through the toilet...if sink and shower water filling the grey tank before breaking camp becomes a concern.

[norty1]

Make sure your CRV is towable 4 down. Some of the newer ones are not.

Don't buy everything you see cause it sounds good. Go on a few shakedown trips as you stated and make a list of what you need and what you can do without.

One thing we always comment on is how friendly other campers are. We have made many long time friends of people we met camping who have common interests.

[Rustysocket]

Some CRV's can be flat towed and some of the newer ones cannot.

[oldmanAZ]

Originally Posted by Jhinze

We just bought our first RV - a slightly used (4,800 miles) 2015 Grayhawk 31DS. ...snip... No getting caught in TSA lines for us this summer! ...snip...

Congratulations on the new to you Grayhawk and welcome to the forum.

The way the security check lines look at airports, you'll get to your destination faster by driving.

[anav8or]

We tow a Honda CR-V as well (2014 model). As long as you have a 2014 or before, you should be good. They switched to a CVT on the '15s which kills the flat tow option.

A couple of things to keep in mind with towing:
1) Get a supplemental braking system even if your state doesn't require it. I feel a whole lot better knowing that's there.

2) The owner's manual for your CR-V will outline the steps to take prior to towing. Whatever you do, make sure that when you run through the gears, you move to neutral from DRIVE. Do not move to neutral from Reverse.

3) The first time you get into the CR-V after towing it any distance, you'll notice a burnt-rubber smell. That comes from the road grime coating the bottom of the car and is normal. Totally freaked me out the first time I experienced it.

4) If your trip is more than 8 hours, start the CR-V and let it run when you refuel. This will keep the battery from dying. I ended up running a charge line to the battery to keep it happy while we're towing on longer trips.

Other than that, I agree with the others - start with driveway camping, and pick somewhere close by for the first overnight. Enjoy your new rig!

[Jopopsy]

I had considered flat towing something, but I've yet to find a campground resort that doesn't have a Enterprise close by. 40-50 a night, and they pick you up/drop you off. I've been to one resort where they drop the car off to you right there, and you leave the keys w/ the front registration desk when you're done.

[TWP723]

Welcome to the JOF!

[Griswald One]

Welcome and Congrats!

Sounds like you are off on some grand adventures. If this is your first RV and not just your first motorhome have a poke around the sight and look for some of the other first timer experiences. It will help you avoid some of their less fortunate adventures.

Like others mentioned don't run right out and fill your rig with every gadget you see. But there are a couple of things I would recommend making sure you have. Many sites the connections are simply not conveniently located so make sure you have at least an extra 50 foot 30amp cord, I carry 100ft because some Provincial/State parks really hide their outlets. Also make sure you have at least 20ft of sewer hose. I have managed to never need the 2nd 10ft for distance... But I have needed it after the kids damaged the first one.

As for pre-planning... start your adventures with shorter drives then you would willing do in your car. Driving that rig is far more tiring and exhaustion quickly leads to mistakes. I try to keep my maximum daily drive to 8 hours but I am happier at 6. For trips shorter in duration, a great rule of thumb is to not travel more hours then the number of days you are staying... So a three day trip means not travelling further then 3 hours from home.

Finally for your first few trips, try to make sure you arrive in the daylight. It will make the experience of parking that monstrosity much easier and will allow you to see what you are doing during set up until you become accustomed to it. Camp grounds are normally incredibly friendly, if you need any help, don't hesitate to ask a neighbour... We were all Newbies once