Newbie Here

[joe w]

We too have a 212QB. Be careful with not overloading the pantry shelves, they will collapse! What we did is to use 4 of those expandable refrigerator Bars, one at each corner of the shelf. We also replaced the mattress with one from Wilderness Mattress as one night on the included one was all we could take. Going over the camper as you stated is a great idea as I found numerous nuts, bolts & screws that were not properly fastened. Check as well your wheel bearings as I've heard of a couple cases where the factory "forgot" to lube them. What kind of weight distribution/anti-sway hitch did you decide on? Enjoy your time on the road.

[Hollander Mutthaulers]

Congratulations on your new rig!

Keep reading up on your unit, camping, anything related. Take notes of what sounds reasonable and watch for stuff you don't really need. Buy the basics like a water filter, hose, electrical protection device, and a few things you might like. After your first night out you'll know a lot more. Take notes, photos, document everything. Work on your rig to make it exactly perfect for you; that
s half the enjoyment and challenge of having an RV.

It'll be a long, cold, snowy winter no doubt, but remember, anticipation is half the fun (or at least part of the fun : ) ).

[LuckyDuck]

Originally Posted by joe w

We too have a 212QB. Be careful with not overloading the pantry shelves, they will collapse! What we did is to use 4 of those expandable refrigerator Bars, one at each corner of the shelf. We also replaced the mattress with one from Wilderness Mattress as one night on the included one was all we could take. Going over the camper as you stated is a great idea as I found numerous nuts, bolts & screws that were not properly fastened. Check as well your wheel bearings as I've heard of a couple cases where the factory "forgot" to lube them. What kind of weight distribution/anti-sway hitch did you decide on? Enjoy your time on the road.

Yes, we found out the hard way when stacks of canned goods crashed the shelves. I reinforced them with 1x1 and 1x2 strips inside. Also the shelves over the dinette and bed. And you’ll find plenty of threads here about reinforcing the bed frame. It’s a must.

[Gregg157]

That is wonderful advice I will be adding a lot of things to my list of things to get. Thank you so much.

[joe w]

I would also suggest picking up a ZeroG water supply hose as they are soooo much easier to handle and store than the traditional hard plastic ones! Don't forget a length of coax to hook up to cable should you stay at a site that has it. Read up on how to properly care for/maintain your holding tanks, especially the black tank. I don't live too far from you here in Chautauqua county.

[Gregg157]

Thanks Joe that's a lot of very good advice. I'm sure I will have my tool bag by my side while inspecting everything. Getting a new mattress is at the top of the list of things to get.

[joe w]

One other thing is obtaining a cordless drill with a socket to fit the stabilizing jacks and a electric tongue jack if your rig didn't come with it.

[CBCOCRBO]

Originally Posted by marbles

Why wait for your first "trip" in the spring. Go sleep in it overnight. Cook in it. Put water in it and use the faucets, toilets, etc. Then empty it. Then with some experience, the big trip is not the first trip.

That is some of the best advice ever. Wish I had thought of that

[joe w]

Yep, we went to Lake Erie State park which is only about 15 miles from the house for a shake down cruise, learned a lot prior to our trip to Yellowstone and other parks. Good advice. Turned out I had to tweak the air mixture adjustment on the furnace.

[Big1]

Welcome to JOF.

[Gregg157]

Thanks Master Sargeant

[pc35]

welcome from ,Quebec,Canada, congrat on your new buy, enjoy and stay safe, you will find a lot of good tips here.

[Gregg157]

Originally Posted by pc35

welcome from ,Quebec,Canada, congrat on your new buy, enjoy and stay safe, you will find a lot of good tips here.

Thank you I’m sure we will have a lot of fun

[Attleboro1]

What norty1 said get use to what you own all aspects will save you some grief take a couple local trip to acclimate.

[Gregg157]

When we get it out of storage in thats the plan

[Kim Gass]

Originally Posted by Gregg157

Thank you for the advice I am pretty good at backing up our pontoon boat but I here a travel trailer is more difficult.

Not necessarily.. Just takes practice and go slow.. Make your movements deliberate and take the cues from the trailer. It leads.. If it starts to get out of line correct it with small movements and not jerking back and forth. You probably already know that with your pontoon boat.

Backing up happens once per campground. A rear view camera helps a lot but The driver really has to look at the site..get out of the vehicle and look before backing.

I think the advice to camp nearby is a good one but with our first trailer our first trip was 2000 miles one way.. We needed stuff as we found out but there are stores along the way.

Glad I read this thread.. our surge protector died at the very last campsite we used. And forgot to put on the shopping list.

We haven't had any issues with pantry shelves but they are so deep we are building sliding shelves. Stuff can get lost back there.

[Gregg157]

Thank you for your input it is greatly appreciated, I have been looking into backup cameras since the Jayco 212QB is prewired. We are really looking forward to the spring and taking our first trip. Thank you again