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Old 03-27-2012, 08:30 AM   #1
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Location: Seattle, WA
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Maiden voyage with our new 25BHS

Up here in Washington we have to endure long wet winters and often long wet springs too. So, when we took advantage of the low season trailer prices, we knew we might have to wait a while before we could get out and try our new toy.

We figured that since RVing was all new to us, we would face the unknown knowing one thing: we wouldn't have to fight with the weather too! So I picked up the trailer from the dealer in early March, parked it at our chosen storage facility, and waited for a clear weekend.

I had a few weeks to buy all "the necessary stuff" before our maiden voyage:

Dominator sewer hose, extension and clear sewer elbow
Water pressure regulator
Camco Water Filter
Y Valve for the water connector
Wireless backup camera - a marriage saver
new GPS navigator - another marriage saver
Extra length of hose for potable water
Hose for non potable water
Wheel chocks
hitch lock
Vornado electric heater
Quickie Flush Black tank rinser
... other items I don't remember right now

We watched the weather for a clear weekend and at the beginning of last week it looked like we were finally going to get our break. So we reserved a spot for 23rd-25th March at Deception Pass State Park.

Come Friday 23rd, we packed up and headed out. It was a pretty uneventful drive and we were at the campsite in 90 minutes. The weather was great. We checked in and started setting up.

Reversed into our spot. Check!
Checked the trailer was level width wise. Check!
Chocks in place. Check!
Unhitch. Check!
Level the trailer length wise. Check.
Drop the stabilizing jacks. Check.
Prepare to open the slide. Doh! We were too close to the electricity box!

Undo everything, hitch up and wriggle the trailer so that it was far enough from the electricity box. Repeat the above steps.

Hookup electricity. Check!
Hookup water. Oh! We were a little too far from the tap for the 25ft hose that came with the trailer. But no problem, I purchased an extra 50ft of hose for this kind of situation. Unfortunately the Valterra hose I bought on line had loose fittings on the ends and as soon as I turned on the water the ends popped out. Thank you Valterra! Hose is going back but boy did I dislike Valterra! So, undo all the above and move trailer a few feet so that the 25ft hose could reach.

Repeat all of the above.

Finally we were ready to enjoy our first night in the trailer. The rest of the weekend went great, no major issues at all.

A couple of lessons learned:

1) When you buy something test it before you head out to the campsite. Even if it's from a reputable brand. Luckily it wasn't the only potable water hose we had so we just had to go through the pain of tearing everything down, moving the trailer, and setting everything up again.
2) Before unhitching, check all your hoses and electrical cables reach where they're meant to reach.
3) Before unhitching, make sure you have enough room for the slide out to ... slide out.
4) The gray water tank fills fast. The black, not as fast. Use a plastic tub to washup in the kitchen and then flush the water down the toilet to save space in the gray tank.
5) We purchased an electric heater to keep the noise down at night. The RV's propane furnace heats things up really fast, and we use it to get the trailer warm after we've been out all day... but it's really noisy and I can't imaging sleeping through the night with it starting and stopping ... the electric heater is whisper quiet and doesn't wake you up at night.
6) After unhitching, do not drive off without removing the 7 pole cable from the truck's socket. It will snap out, but take the little plastic bit on the cover that holds the plug in place with it and then you need to have a new one installed.

That's it for now. We had a pretty good maiden voyage, no major issues, couple of lessons learned, good weather, and most of all we had fun. :hihi:

E
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Old 03-27-2012, 08:54 AM   #2
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Sounds like a successful trip with some good experience gained. Sometimes, the best way to learn is to make the mistake the first time... it's painful but you won't do that again, I promise!
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Old 03-27-2012, 09:01 AM   #3
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Sounds like a fun filled learning experience. I think we all have been there before. My new 32bhds comes off the line at Jayco today. I hope to be taking the maiden voyage here in a couple of weeks. Congrats on a successful first outing. :hihi:
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Old 03-27-2012, 09:52 AM   #4
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All good lessons learned. I had to move the TT once because there was a tree stopping me from fully extending my awning.
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Old 03-27-2012, 10:42 AM   #5
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Deception pass can be tough to get in and out of with a larger trailer. Congrats on doing it for your first time out. It's a wonderful place.

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Old 03-27-2012, 02:58 PM   #6
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Congrats! Hope you enjoy your camper, we have a 25BHS 09' model and love it. I live in WI and although we had a very warm summer....i mean spring, things cooled down. We have our first outing scheduled for May but i may take it out earlier once we arent so busy. Enjoy!!
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Old 03-27-2012, 03:34 PM   #7
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Don't worry, we all learned many things the hard way. Those 'lessons learned' are well earned and will stay with you. Glad you had a good maiden voyage.
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Old 03-27-2012, 03:34 PM   #8
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Congrats on your maiden voyage. Last year was our first year with a TT. We loved it! We are so busy this spring that our first trip isn't until the end of May. Guess we will just have to wait until then.
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