Power Cord Qs

[OutdoorsNY]

I’m supposed to take delivery on my 2021 Jay Feather 24BH within the next week or so. I’ve been stocking up on things for the trailer and for camping and I’m wondering how much power cord is “must Have” for campgrounds and how much is “nice to have”?

I called the salesman at my local dealer today and he told me that Jayco will include an electric power cord with the RV. Does anyone if this is true? My salesman wasn’t the most knowledgeable. If it is true, how much length will Jayco provide with the trailer?

I’d also like to thank everyone for all the great information on this blog. Happy camping everyone!

[Jagiven]

Welcome aboard!

The stock power cord is usually enough. I do carry a 10 awg extension cord. I have used it maybe once in 10 years. Most CGs have power post in a good spot. I do carry a 12 AWG heavy duty extension cord too. I can use it in a pinch for the TT if I need to (minimal AC use). Usually I use it for a slow cooker or other outside items (plugged in at the shore power post).

[JFlightRisk]

There will be a cord included, somewhere between 25' and 30'. We may be the exception, but we carry two extra 25' extension cords, in addition to the 25' on board, and actually had to use them all last summer. The state park had shared power pedestals between sites, and our TT was 60' from it. We carry bunches of water hoses on board too, for that same reason.

[Grumpy]

Originally Posted by JFlightRisk

We may be the exception, but we carry two extra 25' extension cords, in addition to the 25' on board, .

Nope, I did too and actually they were 30' since I made up my own. We did a lot of Rally's and many were at Fairgrounds so they got used often.

[PaulB12]

I carry a 30 and 25. Also carry various lengths of hoses. If I only need 5 I don't like to haul out a standard 25, that's just me. Get a whole house water regulator for rvs, you'll need it, buy once and be done. Those cheapy regs just don't cut it.

PaulB12

[2021JayFlight28BHS]

My 2021 jay Flight came with a 36’ power cord, but the hook up is in the back of the camper so I think that’s why we got a longer one from Jayco than most. I carry an extra 25’ cord just to be safe.

I also did the same for the water hose I have 25’ and a 50’.

By the way, I had a 24bhs on order, it was perfect setup.... but after 3 months of waiting I found the one I have newly stocked at the same dealer, and not knowing when I might get the 24bhs I decided on this one instead....as I wanted to go camping this year.

[Camper_bob]

OEM came with 30' cord; I carry an extra 50' cord (had it for my previous camper as an "adapter", so it's not quite 50' now that I cut off the end to make it compatible with my new camper). I also carry a decent extension cord, like someone else mentioned, to use electrical devices outside the camper mostly, but it can be brought into service on the main hookup if needed (no, or only one AC though).

Over the years, I have used the extra cordage a couple times. With the TT, the "long extension" was used like an adapter so I could run my generator from the back of my pickup. It had a 50A twistlock on one end, and a standard RV 30A on the other. I've had a questionable pedestal in a campsite before, and I ran my cords to the next unoccupied site over, so DW and DS could have AC until park staff could come check it out.

But I've only used anything other than the OEM cord in odd or specific situations. Am I going to keep that cordage in my camper? You bet! If you need it, you'll dang sure wish you had it...

ETA: Also a good idea to have a couple extra "ends" for your power cord. You never know when you might need to replace it because a loose connection melted it... Which is also another good reason to have a second shore power cord...

[Lake Huron]

All new trailer purchases should come with a power cord. If they dont the dealer is ripping you off.
My 44' Northpoint came with a 30' power cord which sometimes is not long enough. The power connection on the trailer is at the rear and sometimes the site connection is in the middle (front to back) and it won't reach. I also carry a 50' cord to extend my reach to 80'. Honestly it wouldnt hurt to get a second, longer, cord.

[LuckyDuck]

Originally Posted by Jagiven

Welcome aboard!

The stock power cord is usually enough. I do carry a 10 awg extension cord. I have used it maybe once in 10 years. Most CGs have power post in a good spot. I do carry a 12 AWG heavy duty extension cord too. I can use it in a pinch for the TT if I need to (minimal AC use). Usually I use it for a slow cooker or other outside items (plugged in at the shore power post).

We have the exact same as Jagiven — have never used the backup 10 awg but it’s comforting to have. One newbie tip: I pulled my fixed trailer cord out to its full length, then put a strip of duct tape around it about 2 feet from the end. When I see that, I know I’m near the limit and don’t risk possibly pulling too hard on the internal connection.

[JFlightRisk]

One family camping reunion my BILs cord was 3 feet short of the pedestal. The expression on his face was something you had to be there to see. I gave him one of my extensions for the week since we were 30 miles from anyone that sold them. I think I've lent them out more than I've used them myself, and sometimes along with a 50 to 30 amp adapter. At least one of our state parks has random 50 amp only sites, and it catches some off guard.

[Jayco2015JayFLIGHT]

Originally Posted by PaulB12

I carry a 30 and 25. Also carry various lengths of hoses. If I only need 5 I don't like to haul out a standard 25, that's just me. Get a whole house water regulator for rvs, you'll need it, buy once and be done. Those cheapy regs just don't cut it.

PaulB12

what is a whole house water regulator and whats the difference? i just bought a camco with gauge from walmart but havent opened it. Can still return it if this wont cut it.

[michael.g]

Our 2nd trip with our new HTT we needed an extension cord. We were at an old campground where multiple sites shared 1 pedestal. We were a good 20 feet short of the pedestal. The campground owner lent us an extension cord. After that trip, we bought a 30 AMP extension cord, 25 feet if I remember correctly. Never needed to use it at a campground, but did use it a few times when parked at the house.

We've purchased 3 new RVs over the last 15 years. All three came with an electric cord.

-Michael

[paul_ottawa]

Pretty early on I bought 2 25' 30-amp cords. I use one at home all the time. I thought 2 25' would be easier than a 50', and from Amazon it was basically the same price.

Most of the time the ~30' on the TT is fine, but a couple of times this summer I used both 25' extensions, and wish I had another one so I didn't have to run the cord through the site.

I also have a 100' 12 gauge cord I run from the pedestal to our "kitchen" area outside so I have have the electric frying pan and toaster/kettle running at the same time. I could use it in a pinch for the TT, but would have to limit my power usage to ~15 amps.

[Jay2504]

Both of the campers I have owned came with cords. I got a 25’ 30 amp cord at Walmart for about $63. It has come in handy, mostly to put the generator in front of the truck to keep things quiet at the camper. Jay

[RichCarter]

Your camper should come with a 115V/30A power cord. It will be under a round plate on the side of your camper. You grab the plug and pull it out. Mine was approx 25' long. This is good for most camp sites. I bought two more 25' cords at Walmart.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/abn-30-am...sion/132760253


You might want to get a 30A to 15A adapter. You can use this to plug in when at home. Be careful however not to overload the circuit. Running your air conditioner while running anything else would be too much. I switch my refrigerator and water heater to gas when using a 15A plug if I turn on the AC.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Camco-553...emale/46649926

[Bluesky46]

you will probably get 25' or so.. I have never been to a campground where that was not enough. But just to be sure, I do carry along an extra 25' of 30amp power cord as well as an addition section of sewer hose and water hose. Never have had to use any of those.

[RichCarter]

There's a bunch of other stuff you'll need. We drove about 400 miles to PA to pick up our camper last summer. I grabbed everything from our old camper. We left early, got there mid-afternoon, inspected the camper, signed the papers, and then loaded the stuff up. It was a lot of stuff. You said you were stocking up. I assume you already put stuff on there like kitchen pots, pans, dishes, silverware, spices, towels, pillows and pillow cases, sheets, toilet paper, paper towels, BBQ, lighter, flashlights.



Here's some things that might not yet be on your list.


Cable TV antenna cable.
Water hose for potable water
Water hose for blackwater cleanup and tank rinse
Pressure regulator for water supply
Tool kit
Folding chairs for outdoors
Wheel chocks

Four wood blocks to put under the camper leveling legs, 8x8 12in works pretty good.
Another wood block for under the tung jack
Door mat



And oh, don't forget the beer!

[Hollander Mutthaulers]

Originally Posted by Jagiven

Welcome aboard!

The stock power cord is usually enough. I do carry a 10 awg extension cord. I have used it maybe once in 10 years. Most CGs have power post in a good spot. I do carry a 12 AWG heavy duty extension cord too. I can use it in a pinch for the TT if I need to (minimal AC use). Usually I use it for a slow cooker or other outside items (plugged in at the shore power post).

Same here, but carry a never-used-yet 30' 30A extension. Do use a 25' 12 gauge extension when plugged in at home and use it or a 20' 14/3 for an auxiliary plug for dedicated high-draw items like electric heater.

[skids]

Be aware that there are two types of “dog bone” adapters to go from 30 amp to a 15 amp. There is one with a twist type locking ring and a regular type. The locking ring types are for travel trailers that have removable 30 amp cables...

[deepsea5]

I second the recommendation for carrying a 50 Amp to 30 Amp adapter. The 30 Amp receptacles at campgrounds get a lot of use and may be in pretty rough shape. A lot of them will also have a 50 Amp receptacle right next to the 30 Amp receptacle. The 50 Amp sees a lot less use so should be in good condition. And as JFlightRisk mentioned: the power pedestal may only have a 50 Amp receptacle available.