Anna, you might ask about the water on the Texas forum. You might find some Brownsville area campers on that.

Thanks, I will do that later today.

Good idea Jean

Never been to Brownsville, have stayed in other areas of Texas when one of our sons lived there.

A question..please bear with me..still working on first trip plan

Do you use a scrubber drop in something to clean the sides of the waste tank??

Do you use anything to make the valves lubricated so that the panel that tells you the levels of waste and fresh water are working and not gunned up?

I went to camping world and am overwhelmed by the products to make my life easier...frankly..they overwhelm.

Do you know if AAA covers RVS..I will call but just wondering. Camping world has a plan for $69 that will tow greater than 100 miles... to a certified RV repair..not just a gas station repair..
--give you reduced costs on propane tues and thurs...cover all drivers and all cars... blah..blah...


Another plan pays for hotel up to $1200! If break down

Also it's techs come to you if slide outs don't work

Do you carry extra regulators, plugs, blow out reducer plugs fuses...basically what must you have in emergency breakdown?

Rosie, we have AAA Plus RV and my DH added something extra for towing even more miles not sure of the cost we have all our vehicles covered. We don't have hotel coverage, doubt that AAA offers it. We did have a rig break down once in over thirty years of RVing and did stay in a hotel until the repairs were completed. We have used the AAA Plus RV service for a tow, since ours was large they had to send a special unit to do the tow as a normal wrecker could not handle the tow.

My DH carries extras of whatever he thinks we may need he always says better safe than sorry.

For the tank any of the products and valve lubricants from Camping World or your dealership should carry RV supplies. One of our sons found that putting a bunch of ice cubes in the waste water tank along with some water cleaned it up very well as the vibrations from driving did the job. We also always use a product in the waste water tank to minimize odor and sanitize. I am sure you know you have to use RV toilet paper which breaks down and doesn't plug up anywhere. One of our DIL's managed to get one of ours plugged up with the TP she used, DH has insisted that we only use RV tp since. Ours has a waste tank spray washer built in that can be used to rinse the tank.

I have had great luck making my own waste sanitizer - equal parts borax and baking soda. I make it up and keep in zip lock bags. We also do the ice cube trick. Dump in before your last leg home so it rattles around on the road, then stop to dump.

I've never gone the AAA route. Seems credit cards have the same coverage at no charge for vehicles, with the caveat that you can only use that service once/year. We've never needed it so it hasn't been a problem. Not sure what the coverage might be (or not) for an actual RV, we've always had a slide-in camper.

Re Camper World, go check out their stuff, then hit up Fred Meyer or other big box store -- often the same products will be half the price. Plus I think Camper World requires an annual membership fee. Just never penciled out for us. But...free popcorn... Party stores are also good spots for acrylic stemware and such. I went with lightweight melamine dishes rather than paper plates, hate the waste, but my live-aboard aunt/uncle swear by paper plates and they've been fulltimers for well over 15 years. I don't mind washing up a couple dishes along with the pots/pans.

Have fun!

Ours didn't come with a waste tank sprayer so my husband fashioned a length of PVC pipe with a cap on the end, and that fits on a hose. It is full of holes he drilled. He uses it to wash down the inside after a trip. The ice cube trick does work well. He tells me when to turn the water on and off while he does it.

We had insurance and towing for the first year or two, and never had a problem, so we dumped it. We've used it for 13 years so far with no problems.

You don't need special RV toilet paper. Just buy the Costco tp that is safe for septic tanks. It is made to dissolve.

Where will you go on your first trip? We stuck close to home in case of problems, but it wasn't necessary. It all went fine.

Rosie, I always kept a small notebook for ideas of things to add/change. Sometimes just sitting around in the evening will bring good ideas, or you may see something on another RV that strikes your fancy. I find bright lights a bit intrusive, and always meant to get some sort of wall mounted candle holder but never found one that suited me. I did always keep tea lights and small holders here and there. Kept it smelling nice as a bonus.

Check out Pinterest under RV renovations and you will see all sorts of really interesting ideas that people have come up with!

Since i am not on my PC and any extended typing on this iPad drives me insane, i will just say that we have the Good Sam travel road assist for any traveling problems. Not had to use it yet.

The SU got sme kind of wand gizmo that has a spray end that he puts down the toilet and is able to spray the inside of the tank.

When you say use ice..I assume you mean entry is right down the toilet?

The RV has an electronic panel..probably familiar to you all ..when you push the buttons the panel lights tell how full the various tanks are and how charged the batteries are. The lubricant I mentioned is to be sure the mechanisms that float (IF they float as opposed to measuring weight) say how full the water tank is..the grey water etc..don't get stuck with gunk.

that is good to know ( the Costco paper )

I did take the suggestion to journal ..and picked up a nice journal yesterday.
Great idea to record the hints for optimizing function and places and things we do and learn and visit

I found THE GREATEST rubber drain mat for the dishes.. The counter space is small next to the sink and I originally thought I could use those absorbable cloth mats but this mat is a perfect size 12x12 with liquid drain grooves. And for traveling it will not slide it is a rubbbery rubber!

I think I too would rather use a melamine or similar plate.
I picked up dome baskets for the overheads and lidded plastic containers.

Right, the ice can go right down the toilet. When will you take your maiden journey?
Don't worry so much. All will go well, and you'll love it. It really beats motels and hotels. It's so nice to be able to go where you want to go, and be comfortable while you're having fun. I keep a list of all the things I have to put on board before we leave home. I make up my menu and then make sure I have all the ingredients, pans, utensils, etc.We normally go out into the boonies where we don't have access to grocery stores. If you'll be near them, you can be more flexible and play it all by ear.

Rosie, you must not have a double sink since you bought a drainer mat??

I barely have a sink!! Period! Forget two!. It will be a change since at home I have a bilevel. I never use dishwasher...wash the stuff in a large deep granite composite (94/6) -and there is a 'step up' right in that. I put the rinsed stuff on it.

Anna you would get claustrophobic in this RV, You are a wide open space gal...I am a city kid. Brooklyn born. ( but I do like a B I G laundry room... ! ) 😊

Thank you all fot putting up with what I know is old hat RV questions

I am nervous because my DH is 69 I am "just turned " 64 ( thanksgiving day) and when he was a young stud, I thought he could do anything..now I am smarter. Plus, I research and overthink everything.

Ex: We went to an RV camping world and had the propane tank filled... then smelled it for days . We took the rv for short 'rides ' .. FILLED it at gas stations..,... just to get a feel for the handling. .. we waited for the odor to burn off...figured maybe the guy overfilled the propane ...and some vented?? Well. someone at tire shop said.."hey you have a leak!! ". He turned off tank. Back to camper world...whole damn afternoon.. ...Turns out RV worker did not shut off the one way valve to regulator as he filled and blew it up!

Stuff like THAT learning curve worries me.
I WANT to do maiden overnight voyage locally but temps are dropping...
We are going instead to The Keys and dewinterizing there...what can happen if something messes ...we can get a little hot is all

We will stick to populated areas before we go remote.
I want to blow up that black water crap ( pun intended ) at a place where I can jump into an ocean! Ha!

This is intended to be a hotel..not a camper per se. I do love tents! (My back don't tho 😝)

I got these from the net. If it was warmer, I would take photos of ours. I wish I had the overhead in the cab..nice storage and electronics panel. Ours has electronics panel on "wall" next to the shower.. my DH says no..he likes the walk "right into" the cab area with no bending..it is wide open. Maybe he has a point. There is a hole on fkoor to move the table there and eat up at the front too. That front has huge leg room ..enough for 3!! and seats super comfy..but I drive a B3000 mazda pickup that is 16 years old and it IS rather bumpy stiff so maybe I am easily impressed. But with only 60 thousand miles on it... I guess it is my last car.

How cozy! I love the process of 'setting up.' Fun items for me are solar lights - so many different ones. I had one that was multi-colored and just stuck into the ground. Good way to easily identify our campspot after dark. (Yeah we have outside lights but rarely use them.) I've also purchased rip-stop fabric and sewn storage bags for things like the tablecloth, maps, dog tie-out, etc.

Rosie, I love your new RV, you should have lots of fun traveling in it.

What do you think of this?
Are these normal rates
We can't stay 26 feet minimum
We are 24
But.... just curious
And what us 30 amp or 50 do we not have 120v that gets converted to 12 v??

And what is a RUBBER DONUT for waste water??

Del mar RV.,key west

SCHEDULE OF RATES

Effective Fantasy Fest & Christmas to New Year

Minimum Stay of 5 Nights

Rates based on: 2 Adults (Extra Adult $10/day)

Rates include: Water, Sewer, 30 & 50 AMP Electric Service, Cable TV and WiFi

Master Card & Visa Credit Cards accepted




"IN SEASON" - Oct. to April 30

"OFF SEASON" - May 1 to Oct. 14

OFF WATER IN SEASON OFF SEASON

DAILY $ 105.00 $ 80.00

MONTHLY $2,150.00 $1,600.00

WATERFRONT IN SEASON OFF SEASON

DAILY $ 115.00 $ 90.00

MONTHLY $2,500.00 $1,700.00

Rates DO NOT include 12.5% TAX

30% DEPOSIT REQUIRED . . . PRICES SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE

I am thinking that is more than WE could afford. I'm assuming that it is a gated RV park.

@MISSINGROSIE with Anna. Those prices sound pretty steep, however, we have never camped during the winter or in Florida. I'm sure Key West is especially pricey.
The donut for the waste water is to make a water tight connection to the sewer.
Usually the hookups are included in the nightly rate. We have never been to a campground where we were charged for "extras." You will no doubt need 50 amp to run everything. Older campgrounds usually have only 30 amp and we always skip those -- not enough juice to run appliances, etc.