New to RVs and new owners of a 2018 29mv

[KTown]

My husband and I bought our first RV, a 2018 29mv. We are new to RVing and have a lot to learn. We have two boy who are 7 and 4 years old. We live in California. Any tips for us or advice about what we should add on? Thank you

[Sundancer330]

Welcome to JOF, sounds like shopping time at Amazon for some camping goodies.

[Midnightmoon]

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on your new Jayco

[RVhiker]

Originally Posted by KTown

My husband and I bought our first RV, a 2018 29mv. We are new to RVing and have a lot to learn. We have two boy who are 7 and 4 years old. We live in California. Any tips for us or advice about what we should add on? Thank you

Welcome to the Jayco club.

There are so many things that you may decide to buy for your trailer. I'd suggest a short first trip, near some shopping - a Walmart would be ideal - if some forgotten item is needed immediately. We've been RV'ers for years;we use a check list for food and other items that need to be packed, and a separate clothing to be packed list. You will quickly figure out exactly what you need to take.

Enjoy your new trailer, and take it easy - you'll get it all figured out quickly.

[LuckyDuck]

Originally Posted by RVhiker

Welcome to the Jayco club.

There are so many things that you may decide to buy for your trailer. I'd suggest a short first trip, near some shopping - a Walmart would be ideal - if some forgotten item is needed immediately. We've been RV'ers for years;we use a check list for food and other items that need to be packed, and a separate clothing to be packed list. You will quickly figure out exactly what you need to take.

Enjoy your new trailer, and take it easy - you'll get it all figured out quickly.

X2 on that. Bought our SLX212 last fall and our first “trip” was 10 miles down I-5 to a nice RV park on the Sacramento River. After getting there and getting hooked up I realized I had forgotten to bring coax to hook into the cable TV. Off to the nearby Walmart the next morning.

[Love To Travel 2]

Welcome! We also have a 2018 29MV and are very happy with it. We are experienced travelers and campers, so we were prepared when we transitioned from a travel trailer to our 29MV. There are so many things...white water supply line (we have 2-25 foot sections), a 50 foot hose for the black tank flush, coax for the cable TV, a good quality EMS/surge protector, a good quality water pressure regulator, 2-20 foot sections of quality sewer hose, a clear sewer hose adaptor to watch the flows, a good tool kit, blocks for under the levelers, a good tire pressure gauge, a hose nozzle, extra water filters, disposable rubber gloves, rechargeable flashlights, extension cords, a 500/1500 watt portable electric heater/fan, a thermometer to check the fridge/freezer temps, a dog bone (30 AMP to 15 AMP adaptor), a Y-adaptor for the city water faucet...Oh, I could go on and on.

Like others, we did a 3 night shake down trip about 45 miles from home two days after taking ownership of the 29MV. Turns out each night the temps went to 19 degrees so the campground turned the water off at 7 PM and back on at 9 AM. We always carry plenty of drinking water and extra water to flush, so we ate and showered during the time the water was on. But we did disconnect our fresh water hose each night and kept it in the shower so it was warm and pliable when I hooked back up in the morning. I drained the lines and the fresh water tank and used the tank heaters. Good luck.

[Jaytalk]

Originally Posted by KTown

My husband and I bought our first RV, a 2018 29mv. We are new to RVing and have a lot to learn. We have two boy who are 7 and 4 years old. We live in California. Any tips for us or advice about what we should add on? Thank you

Congratulations on your new purchase. I was just wondering, in which state did you purchase your RV?

[RVMIKE]

Congrats. We too are new to RVimg and also just bought a new Jayco Melbourne 24K. Our shale down was 2900 miles in 8-9 days. A bit too much.

All the suggestions above a needs. We also got a rubber /plastic Mat that is approx 10 ft long and 8 foot wide that you lay down at your entry door. Great to help keep the coach clean.

You also will need enzyme packets for the tank, brass elbow fitting for the fresh water hose.

Stay close to home as suggested and do 2 days or so to learn how to use it. Lastly, when leaving camp a\make sure you both walk around to are sure all slides are in, storage doors locked and you are clear to leave.

[KTown]

Thank you everyone! We purchased the RV from a dealer in CA. Planning to do a 2 night trip close to home in about a week. We got some supplies from the dealer so will need to figure out what we still need. Any recs on rv mattress protectors? Those of you that have the 2018 29mv how has the included queen bed been? Thanks!

[Love To Travel 2]

Originally Posted by KTown

Any recs on rv mattress protectors? Those of you that have the 2018 29mv how has the included queen bed been? Thanks!

We use the mattress that came with the RV. Because the standard mattress is a little short, my wife made a round bolster that we put between the top of the mattress and the "headboard" which adds about 4" or 5" to the length of the bed, just enough to make it feel like a normal length bed. We also use a mattress cover with a 2" pillow top which makes it a little more comfortable. Because our K9 companion sleeps with us we have an inexpensive plastic mattress protector that we use just in case she has an accident, which hasn't happened yet. We have to remove the bolster when the slide is closed.

[travelingjw]

We use a 2" mattress pad on top of the mattress, works great. I might spend a few hours on YouTube watching Newbie videos. There is a lot of information on there and you can begin to prepare a list of items that you need, want, or will dream about. The are lot of opinions but I found the best way was to watch and read multiple sites and articles and decide what is best for us.

[rodpod]

Originally Posted by KTown

My husband and I bought our first RV, a 2018 29mv. We are new to RVing and have a lot to learn. We have two boy who are 7 and 4 years old. We live in California. Any tips for us or advice about what we should add on? Thank you

Congrats on the new RV. We also have a 2018 29 MV and love it. We've had it about one year and we were also newbies. Not anymore. you'll learn fast. The other posts give good advice on things to get. First thing though is get a good surge protector it will save your electrical equipment. It did for me. I hope your hubby is good at fixing things,. I am 5 hours from my dealer so i have had to learn to fix minor things. That said I have had to take it in for warranty work twice. The drive is a pain but no hassles getting the work done. The fun is worth the minor issues. Good luck and have fun.

[Wild4Williamsburg]

Originally Posted by RVMIKE

Congrats. We too are new to RVimg and also just bought a new Jayco Melbourne 24K. Our shale down was 2900 miles in 8-9 days. A bit too much.

All the suggestions above a needs. We also got a rubber /plastic Mat that is approx 10 ft long and 8 foot wide that you lay down at your entry door. Great to help keep the coach clean.

You also will need enzyme packets for the tank, brass elbow fitting for the fresh water hose.

Stay close to home as suggested and do 2 days or so to learn how to use it. Lastly, when leaving camp a\make sure you both walk around to are sure all slides are in, storage doors locked and you are clear to leave.

Good point Mike. ALWAYS perform a quick walk around safety check before you leave a site. All doors locked, stabilizers up, slides in, TV Antenna down, power lines in, hoses in.

[cabinetmaker]

Wife and I passed a class c motorhome the other day that was running down the road with the electric steps out!

The steps are supposed to come in with the ignition switch but we always listen for them and then check the mirror or sideview camera to verify.

At least most newer RV's come with the new TV antenna that doesn't have to be raised or lowered...I can't tell you how many of those we have seen still up running down the road.

Yep...like RVMike said check and double check everything before pulling out. Not a bad idea to make a checklist like pilots have just to be sure you don't forget anything.

[XLEO30]

My wife and I have just pulled the trigger on the same rig....got ours in Grass Valley...we live in NoNevada. Congrats on your decision...we are just a bit older than you and will travel to see our grandkids on BOTH coasts.
Best wishes on your family adventures and totally enjoy your Jayco....we certainly intend to.

[cabinetmaker]

Good choice on motorhome by the way...we really like ours!

[Jaytalk]

Congrats on the new motorhome.

I have a question regarding the mirrors in the bedroom. Do you like them or have you thought of getting something to cover them up? Believe it or not, my wife doesn't seem to like them that much.

Enjoy your new RV adventures!

[mbpharmd1]

Congratulations on your new RV. Take short trips and get to know your RV. Heck even sleep in it at the house for a weekend. You are going to find there are things that you can’t live without on all of your trips and there will be things you don’t need on others. When we had our fifth wheel one of the first things we did was add a nice memory foam topper to our mattress. It made the bed much more comfortable. If you plan on full hookups then make sure you purchase enough sewer hose and water hose. Some state parks can have the hookups quite far away. We stayed at one in Kentucky not too long ago and our water hookup was almost 50 feet away on the opposite side of our hookups as was the electrical. Needless to say, in that instance I had enough water hose but the electrical was another thing. I had to make a run to the closest Home Depot to make a 30 amp electrical extension. It was quite the interesting week. That was an extreme case for us and is more like one of those once in a life time exceptions. I’ve never in all my years needed to do that before. That’s what makes traveling in an RV an adventure. Just get out there and use it, see the country and enjoy. You will always learn. Happy Camping!
www.fromC2Seas.com

[Boudreaux]

Originally Posted by KTown

My husband and I bought our first RV, a 2018 29mv. We are new to RVing and have a lot to learn. We have two boys who are 7 and 4 years old. We live in California. Any tips for us or advice about what we should add on? Thank you

Just remember. Whatever you purchase for the RV should stay in the RV when you get home. The next camping trip, you will likely forget something unless that item is dedicated to the RV.

YES, the "Instant Pot" is "all that" you may have heard ....

Congratulations to you and your family on the purchase of your 29MV ... from Cajun Country ...

Two summers and 16,000 miles on our '16 Greyhawk 29MV .... yes, we love it ...

[MFalcon]

Congrats on you new rig and may you have many years of creating great memories. The children grow fast and it's important to enjoy all the family time you can.

The internet and this forum are a great resources for all the things you will need. I recommend you get yourselves a pre departure checklist and modify for your specific needs. My wife and I have been RV'ing for years and the checklist still saves us, now and then, if we forget something.

Enjoy you travels. Remember the journey itself can be the best part of the holiday. Cheers.