We are new to RVing haven't even gone a trip

[suecamp]

Trying to equip our CS & looking for recommendations:

Water Filtration? add to the one canister supplied? get a new system? reverse osmosis? UV light? is there electric plugs near water system in basement?

Sewer Hose: Best brand? I read somewhere that there is one that has a smooth inside, seems like a good idea. Is a universal adapator end needed?

Wheel Covers: anyone know a gray cover that have a good quality & will last?

Appreciate suggestions!!!

[Busskipper]

Originally Posted by suecamp

Trying to equip our CS & looking for recommendations:

Water Filtration? add to the one canister supplied? get a new system? reverse osmosis? UV light? is there electric plugs near water system in basement?

Sewer Hose: Best brand? I read somewhere that there is one that has a smooth inside, seems like a good idea. Is a universal adapator end needed?

Wheel Covers: anyone know a gray cover that have a good quality & will last?

Appreciate suggestions!!!

Just grab your sheets and pillows pack a small bag and pick up what you need at Wal*Mart on the way.

If you get into a CG you will find what you need and then run to the local WM and stock up, your fellow campers will give you suggestions Face to Face.

BOL,

[rvnavigator]

We use a portable water distiller (H2O brand)that makes pure water. We tried RO but it wastes so much water and is much more expensive. We can make pure water whenever we have power regardless of water pressure or sewer connection. Understand if you're on tank water, the water pump will cycle every 30 seconds that the RO is making water.
Of course if you just go and sit, RO should work fine, but then why have a motorhome?

kw

[Jim T.]

Originally Posted by suecamp

Trying to equip our CS & looking for recommendations:



Water Filtration? add to the one canister supplied? get a new system? reverse osmosis? UV light? is there electric plugs near water system in basement?



Sewer Hose: Best brand? I read somewhere that there is one that has a smooth inside, seems like a good idea. Is a universal adapator end needed?



Wheel Covers: anyone know a gray cover that have a good quality & will last?



Appreciate suggestions!!!

FIRST & MOST IMPORTANT thing to buy is an Electrical Management System. It protects your motorhome from bad, faulty or failing campground power. I and MANY others recommend this one: Progressive Industries HW50C 50 Amp Hardwired Electrical Management System with Remote Display.

It costs a little over $300.00 on Amazon. Has a LIFETIME warranty.

There is also a portable version.


Jim & Shirley & Abbie (Scottish Terrier)
2013 Newmar Canyon Star 3911
2005 Dodge Grand Caravan - Braun Accessibility Modified Toad
Remco Lube Pump
5 Star Tune
Progressive Industries EMS-HW50C
Coach Net Emergency Road Service

[mel s]

Originally Posted by suecamp

Trying to equip our CS & looking for recommendations:

Water Filtration? add to the one canister supplied? get a new system? reverse osmosis? UV light? is there electric plugs near water system in basement?
Sewer Hose: Best brand? I read somewhere that there is one that has a smooth inside, seems like a good idea. Is a universal adapator end needed?
Wheel Covers: anyone know a gray cover that have a good quality & will last?
Appreciate suggestions!!!

suecamp
I have never had a water filtration system.

I've been using the hoses, (and the various pieces and parts), included with this Prest-o-Fit BlueLine RV Ultimate 20' Sewer Hose Kit for 14 years: Prest O Fit 1 0203 Blueline RV Ultimate 20' Sewer Hose Kit | eBay

Mel
'96 Safari 148k miles

["007"]

Welcome Sue to the forum and irv2.
Below in my signature you will find links "QT's" to much information for your coach and a section for CS related issues.
Enjoy the forum many safe travels ahead and welcome to the Newmar family.

[nothermark]

Originally Posted by suecamp

Trying to equip our CS & looking for recommendations:

Water Filtration? add to the one canister supplied? get a new system? reverse osmosis? UV light? is there electric plugs near water system in basement?

Sewer Hose: Best brand? I read somewhere that there is one that has a smooth inside, seems like a good idea. Is a universal adapator end needed?

Wheel Covers: anyone know a gray cover that have a good quality & will last?

Appreciate suggestions!!!

Water filter - don't buy one unless you know you need it. You *will* know. Otherwise it is money down a rat hole.

Sewer Hose - they all work, whatever is on sale at Wal Mart is probably the best deal thus the best.

Wheel covers - there are seldom brand choices to make.

Electrical - Buy a good multimeter and learn how to use it. It will answer a lot of your questions over time.

FWIW there are places with problems and those without. A lot depends on where you travel to. If you are planning on touring the country then you might have different needs than those of us who do not.
A simple check with a meter will tell you if the park electric is more or less OK. IF in doubt unplug and run stand alone. That is why you have a generator and batteries.
If the water tastes bad buy bottled water to drink. Other usage seldom matters. The amount of water you need will indicate how much you might want to add something else to your system.

FWIW this is my humble opinion as someone who has other rat holes to put my money down. We all have our toys and rat holes so pick yours. Your MH, your money, you decide what you need after trying things out a bit.

[Old Radios]

Camp out in your driveway.

That will help with learning the systems, and things you will and will not need. Out in the woods someplace is not a good way to find out you didn't pack enough toilet paper (or something else just as important) or find out your batteries aren't going to last long enough.

[trimacon]

Originally Posted by Old Radios

Camp out in your driveway.

That will help with learning the systems, and things you will and will not need. Out in the woods someplace is not a good way to find out you didn't pack enough toilet paper (or something else just as important) or find out your batteries aren't going to last long enough.

Great advice. Otherwise you may wind up buying things you don't need, and not what you do.

[hawgguy]

Originally Posted by suecamp

Trying to equip our CS & looking for recommendations:

Don't overthink it too much or you will waste money on things you don't need or use. I would get some basic things and go comping - whether in the driveway or at the local campground, you'll be fine. Run to wally world when needed and, Amazon is your friend. Your camping supplies will grow organically to fit your needs.

[Jim T.]

Electrical - Buy a good multimeter and learn how to use it. It will answer a lot of your questions over time.

The key phrase is to "learn how to use it". If you aren't a regular multimeter user, you may forget what settings you need to check each function or you may forget one or mote of the functions that need checking. That's where a less than $100 pedestal tester is invaluable to a novice RVer or an amateur electrical multimeter user.


Jim & Shirley & Abbie (Scottish Terrier)
2013 Newmar Canyon Star 3911
2005 Dodge Grand Caravan - Braun Accessibility Modified Toad
Remco Lube Pump
5 Star Tune
Progressive Industries EMS-HW50C
Coach Net Emergency Road Service

[Jim T.]

Originally Posted by Jim T.

Electrical - Buy a good multimeter and learn how to use it. It will answer a lot of your questions over time.

The key phrase is to "learn how to use it". If you aren't a regular multimeter user, you may forget what settings you need to check each function or you may forget one or mote of the functions that need checking. That's where a less than $100 pedestal tester is invaluable to a novice RVer or an amateur electrical multimeter user.

Should have added to that post these two sentences: An EMS like Progressive Industries WILL protect your valuable RV & its electronic components & devices from electrical problems after you plug-in. Cheap insurance.


Jim & Shirley & Abbie (Scottish Terrier)
2013 Newmar Canyon Star 3911
2005 Dodge Grand Caravan - Braun Accessibility Modified Toad
Remco Lube Pump
5 Star Tune
Progressive Industries EMS-HW50C
Coach Net Emergency Road Service

[Scatterbrain]

Originally Posted by suecamp

Trying to equip our CS & looking for recommendations:

Water Filtration? add to the one canister supplied? get a new system? reverse osmosis? UV light? is there electric plugs near water system in basement?

Sewer Hose: Best brand? I read somewhere that there is one that has a smooth inside, seems like a good idea. Is a universal adapator end needed?

Wheel Covers: anyone know a gray cover that have a good quality & will last?

Appreciate suggestions!!!

Water filtration: There are RV specific reverse osmosis systems out there, but as has been pointed out, they waste a lot of water. You can get a two stage filter system or a single filter, or a filter and softener. I don't drink the water out of my coaches tank so I just use a single Camco Evo filter. It has a "three stage" filter inside it. For me that's perfectly adequate for brushing teeth, showering, and washing dishes. We have a water delivery service at home so before a trip I just have them deliver some extra water. I have been contemplating an On The Go water softener after staying at a campground recently with the hardest water I've ever seen.

Sewer Hose: Yep, they all work. I use a Rhino hose. If you really want to spend the money you can get a WasteMaster hose kit. I don't know that it's worth it though. Get a good hose with a clear elbow at the RV connection end and support it properly to ensure your poop really is going downhill and you should be fine.

More important is proper tank flushing. Check out "RVGeeks" on YouTube for the black tank flush video and remember that you don't need to use RV/Marine Toilet paper. I use Charmin Ultra Soft personally. You can check out "The Fit RV" on YouTube, he has a toilet paper test video comparing three different brands against the RV paper.
BTW: do not leave the black tank valve open when camping. Leave it closed, wait for the tank to fill before draining it.

Definitely pick up some sort of surge protector. The Progressive Industries unit mentioned earlier is great because it also has high and low voltage cut offs, which can help protect appliances in the RV from burn out due to low voltage.

Wheel Covers: The "temporary" wheel covers that come with the Adco RV covers are grey, but beyond that your choices are going to be black or white from what I've seen. I'd go with white as it won't get as hot.

As far as outfitting the RV, a lot of what you take with you will be determined by how you use your rig. Obviously you'll need a sewer hose and a fresh water hose. A container to store them in. I use these flip top Husky bins for my sewer hose and it's accessories, as well as lots of other sundries that get kept in the basement.

Outside of the galley and the wet bay, much of what you bring will be determined by how you use the rig.

On a side note, check out the Magma nesting cookware. We use it in our rig and the set is a great space saver in the cabinet, while working quite well.

[harleyjt]

Scatterbrain gave you good advice.

Let me add my .02 worth.

For fresh water hoses, i like the 1/2" hoses. They are easier to store and allow for plenty of water flow. I think the pex that the rig is plumbed with is only 1/2". Get a 15' if you can find one, and a 25'. I thnk I carry a 10', and two 25's. (Actually had to make a special trip to Walmart once when the water was just too far for my 35' of hose. In my very limited experience, thats rare. I can often get by with my 10' hose.

Sewer hose - mine is Rhino also. Good hose. I installed the clear adapter on my sewer outlet and thats where it stays. I just put the cap on the clear adapter now. Pick up a box of cheap plastic or nitrile gloves for sewer work.

Hose storage. I bought a couple of plastic drawer storage units from Target that stack. I have the sewer hose and black flush hose in the bottom drawer and the fresh water hoses in the top drawer. I also have 2 narrower drawer units where I store all the fittings and misc items for sewer and fresh as well. They are situated right next to the larger drawer units with the hoses in it. I also use a Valterra adjustable pressure regulator. I keep it set to 55 psi.

As far as tire covers go, I bought the SnapOn covers from Covercraft. No bungee cords to worry with. They have a metal ring around part of the perimeter of the cover that flexes and allows you to snap it into place over the tire. Great covers, but they do cost a bit more than the cheapies from Camco or elsewhere.

Get a good digital tire pressure gauge capable of reading upwards of 150 psi. Also get a good TPMS system. I like my EEZ RV system.

These are just basics. You will find many other things that you want to have with you as you get into it. Keep a notepad handy and write it down.

By the way, some of the first things we found we wanted were a notepad, pen, and a deck of cards. I also carry a large prybar to help a lazy jack back up and also stir up the coals in the firepit. And a battery powered leaf blower is nice to have as well. I use the Ryobi brand One Plus stuff and use the blower, a drill, a fan and a lantern all on the same batteries. BTW - the little fan also operates on 110v too.

Its really amazing all the crap you'll find you want to buy.
jt