New used owner

[Dreaded1]

We just picked up a new to us 2018 Jayco 195RB. Bought it used from a family friend and saved a ton of money. The guy used it once to tow from NY to SC and hasnt used it again. He just wanted his loan paid off, which we did. The trailer comes with the WDH, anti sway, back up camera, enclosure for the awning, and things I have not found yet.

Being a TT newb, I am here to gain knowledge and what to look out for. We have several couples that we camp, hike and MTB with, so they will be teaching me a lot about TT towing, setup and maintenance. One of the couples is coming with us when we pick it up next month to make sure I dont screw anything up, it only cost me some grilling time.

I just starting scanning the forums last night and I can already see that the 1st thing I need to do is strengthen the bed as soon as I get it home.

[Marcm157]

Great way to get into a new "lifestyle". Congratulations and welcome to the group!

[wiscampsin]

Welcome from Wisconsin. Congrats and enjoy your 2018 Jayco 195RB.

[Dreaded1]

Originally Posted by Marcm157

Great way to get into a new "lifestyle". Congratulations and welcome to the group!

I wish is was that "lifestyle" Just a group of friends that enjoy being outdoors hiking, camping and mountain biking.

We tent camped a couple of times last year and my GF was not having anymore of that. So then we rented a few TTs last year to see what size we could work with, while looking for one to buy. This one happened to fall into our laps.

[Scott]

Welcome from Northeast Illinois.

[Jagiven]

Welcome aboard! We really enjoy getting out, and doing a lot of hiking. It always helps to have a few friends to meet up with periodically.

When you get it home, one thing I would strongly recommend doing ASAP, it to go over the entire unit and check its caulking. It is just old enough the caulking could be starting to fail, which means water leaks. Start with the roof! You can use Dicor, or better yet Eternabond.

[Dreaded1]

Originally Posted by Jagiven

Welcome aboard! We really enjoy getting out, and doing a lot of hiking. It always helps to have a few friends to meet up with periodically.

When you get it home, one thing I would strongly recommend doing ASAP, it to go over the entire unit and check its caulking. It is just old enough the caulking could be starting to fail, which means water leaks. Start with the roof! You can use Dicor, or better yet Eternabond.

Thank you for that info. I will be going though and trying to mouse proof it also

[Ohiofinlander]

Welcome from Ohio!

[fochman]

Welcome from York County, South Carolina!

[cbeers]

Welcome from Texas Panhandle. Sounds like you found a great RV, Enjoy

[NjNewbie30]

Welcome from N.J.

[Dreaded1]

Last night I added some extra support to the bed, it just seemed a little flimsy. While I was there I installed the divider between the underbed storage and pass through. I have a new set of stabilizers for the front I need to install, replace a light in the bathroom (button disintergrated) and find ways to make it mine. DW is going crazy ordering things to make it more homey.

[Kim Gass]

You will hate the thermostat if you have the original one. Easy and about 10 bucks to replace with a digital one.

Bed lift is a plus.

Shower head shutoff. Otherwise you will find your grey water backing up into the bathbub faster than you want. The grey tank capacity is limited

Check how the dinette seats are stapled / nailed. You may want to reinforce them.We rebuilt ours.

We used our 195 for canoe trips. We would do the RV thing and then put it in the campground storage and take off for a week or more on a canoe trip.. The basement held all our camping gear nicely. We were going to do the same this summer but the border still closed.
Watch the buying of accoutrements. The cargo load is VERY limited. We held ours down to less than 250 lbs food clothing and all . If you get a better mattress ( and you will) that heavier weight counts.

Its a good unit for those with a tent camping style. You can see from my map our 195 went elsewhere before we retired it at 120.000 miles of towing.

[Dreaded1]

Bed lift is definitely on the short list of upgrades. I can deal with a $10 thermostat upgrade.

We don't like the dinette and will probably rarely use it. It will stay as it is this year but probably get removed or turned into a couch of some sort.

She is mainly buying dishes and things we will absolutely need. She has 3 comforters on the way so we can see which one we like best and return the others.

[robchampagne]

Welcome from Northern Ontario. I'm sure you will enjoy your 195RB.

[Dreaded1]

We took our travel trailer out for the first time this weekend. I am happy to report that there were no arguments and we are still together. I have 0 regrets about purchasing the 195RB. It had evertying we needed for the weekend. Our first outting was at a full hook up site, so that was sweet. Except the site we had wasn't level and the sewar hookup was uphill from the drains. I have the drain line holders but they were still not tall enough to make up the upslope angle. I had to walk and lift the line a few times to make sure I got it to drain.

I pulled the camper with my Jeep Gladiator and it worked perfectly. I got better gas milage than expected and it didnt feel to underpowered. This was also my first time towing a camper to a site and home.

We took notes about things to do differntly next or items that we dont have, but need.

It was an asweome time and we had awesome weather, except the first night, when it poured while we were sleeping. But hey, there were no leaks.

We were able to get it parked and situated. I just need to work on my accuracy when backing up.

[Kim Gass]

Backing up accuracy comes with repetition. Don't worry about it.
It dies help to actually get out and survey the situation
Little trailers seem to overreact

[sturgissteele]

Congrats on the purchase and the first time out! And welcome from SW Michigan. Happy Camping!

[Dreaded1]

I am looking to add some gas struts to help lift the bed. I have done some searching in here but cannot come up with the right combination of words to point me in the correct direction. I keep finding posts of people that have done the mod, but have not found out what size/length struts I should get.

Can anyone point me in the right direction?

[Onyrlef]

Originally Posted by Dreaded1

I am looking to add some gas struts to help lift the bed. I have done some searching in here but cannot come up with the right combination of words to point me in the correct direction. I keep finding posts of people that have done the mod, but have not found out what size/length struts I should get.

Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Likely going to be a 20"-100lb., but a lot will depend on the weight of the mattress. A pair of those will lift most any bed. I like to order things like that from Amazon since returns are so easy. Rule of thumb for length is about 55% of the opening, they're measured as fully extended. There's a ton of choices on Amazon.