Brand new to all of it

[TrailRunner1]

Howdy Y’all,

My wife and I decided to jump in the deep end, and went out and got a 2022 Forest River GT7 36D7. Planning on doing some full time RVing with our kids. We both work remotely and do unschooling with our children, so our lifestyle fits this route. We also plan on turning our primary residence into a short term rental income generator. Loving seeing the community in here and other forums, and it’s already been welcoming thus far. We pick up the rig today, and are excited to make it into a new home.

[Maller01]

Welcome to the forum! I’m newer here myself. Lot of good information in these forums!

You say you are going to work remotely from the RV, what are your plans for a constant good internet option? Genuinely curious as I work remotely but would be concerned with getting quality internet to handle my work needs while on the go.

[2TxAgs]

Howdy and welcome. This is great place to ask, learn, and share. All of us started as a newbie at some point, so do not be afraid to seek help here. Best wishes on your new adventures.

[Blastvalve]

Welcome to the forum! Lots of great people here and lots of knowledge at your fingertips as you start this new journey.

Please keep us in the loop on your adventures, I for one love to live through the forum in the winter when our rig gets winterized and put away to hibernate for a few months.

[TandW]

Welcome aboard!

[MSHappyCampers]

Hi ! Welcome to IRV2! We're sure glad you joined us!

Congrats on the new rig! Have fun and keep her between the ditches!

Good luck, happy trails, and God bless!

[TrailRunner1]

Originally Posted by Maller01

Welcome to the forum! I’m newer here myself. Lot of good information in these forums!

You say you are going to work remotely from the RV, what are your plans for a constant good internet option? Genuinely curious as I work remotely but would be concerned with getting quality internet to handle my work needs while on the go.

Our MH came with a winegard, so I’ll probably pop in an ATT sim and hope and pray. I also work for a company that makes their own cellular gateways and are launching a 5G so I may add that just in case 🤷🏻*♂️🤷🏻*♂️

Also, we probably won’t be too far outside of major metro areas for a few of our first trips. So I should have access to coffee shop wifi pretty often as well

[TrailRunner1]

I will say, I’ve never driven anything bigger than a an eco Van, so driving it off the lot today was a trip. Made it happen and got it 60 miles safely home. Plenty to learn, but exciting times for sure

[Maller01]

Keep us posted! I remember the first time driving my rig home. I was so nervous as I felt too big for my lane. Now it’s nothing… lol

[TrailRunner1]

Thanks for the welcome everyone. The journey home was a bit different for sure - i certainly liked hugging the right line a bit (where i knew i had no cars beside me), but got it home nice and safely. Drove it again today to get it into storage for a couple weeks before our first real adventure, and it really was a night-and-day experience where the lane just felt a lot wider. Excited to do some long-hauls in it now!

[rarebear.nm]

First welcome!!


As we were all newbees at one time, there's much to learn. Take it slow. Strong advice is for at least one night maybe more stay in a Walmart parking lot, so you can make the many trips in the store to get the things you still need.


As many have learned try to keep your daily driving time/mileage down. In these forums there are many threads about daily drive times and speeds. People's speed will vary from 55 to 75+ with something like 60 to 65 being happening as a general rule. Keep in mind it's easy to get these rigs going 75+ but safely stopping them is another matter. Many folks try to limit their daily drive time to 4-6 hours. We average right in there. Our longest daily drive was about 11 hours, never again. Our shortest drive as 20-30 minutes.



Keep in mind nearly ALL RVs will require some items to repaired/fixed under warranty. Some items will be minor and others can be major. SO I'd plan on several shorter more local trips until you feel the problem shave been worked out and you've got the rig equipped and fitted out as you like.


You did not ask, but I've attached a generic list of stuff people frequently carry as RV basics. This varies greatly according your travels and other needs.


Have fun and be safe....


The copy past operation destroyed the formatting of this document- ssorry.




RV General Setup Equipment


Sewer hose at least 12 feet, perhaps extra 12ft section
Clear sewer hose fitting at the RV end. Might be straight, 90 or q 45 degree elbow. Allows you to see if waste water is in the pipe before opening the dump gate(s) and when it has finished dumping.
I like adding a twist-on 3” sewer valve at the existing connection end, with a clear section upstream. This allows you to see if waste water is the pipe and gives you a second valve incase either main ones get jammed partially open.
Many campgrounds require air-tight seals where your sewer hose connects to the campgrounds sewer line. Most are threaded to match many RV 90 degree hose ends. Sometimes you may need a rubber doughnut adapter, rare these days.
A few places require you to use some type of sewer line support device to maintain grade and get your hose off the grass.
Drinking water hose 25 ft. perhaps another 25 ft section
Hose Y splitter, sometimes you must share a hose connection.
Hose “Y” splitter with two quarter turn valves. I attach it between the hose and the RV’s city water connection. I leave the RV side off when hooking up and then bleed off air in the hose with the other Y valve. Then turn-on water to the RV. Solves issue of having air in the RV water lines.
A water meter for the hose. Sometimes I want to carry like half a tank of water but the gauges only read Empty, 1/3, 2/3 and Full.
Water filter, maybe a cheap inline type or a whole hose filter either outside or built-in to the RV
Water pressure regulator, at least the cheap ones that are really flow restrictors that happen to reduce pressure. Better is a real water pressure regulator like a Watts residential model.
If you have a black tank rinse, may want a dedicated hose to attach to that inlet. Mine is marked with red tape wrapped around near both ends.
At least 25 feet of shore power cable, either 30 or 50 amp depending on your RV. Some are attached while others detach from the RV. May also want to carry a correct sized extension cable.
A variety of power connection dog bones or adapters. Your RV may be 50 amp and only 30 amp service is available, or vice-a-versa. There’s also 30/50 amp to 20 amp adapters for some places with only low end power service.
“Surge” or electrical protection device to reduce problems associated with bad 120 volt power. Like a Progressive Dynamics 30 or 50 amp model.
Chocks, at least one pair. If you have a tandem axle trailer consider a pair of X-Chocks to reduce RV movement.
Leveling blocks is you do not have leveling jacks. Even then in some campsites you may need some extra height under the leveling jacks.
If you do not an auto leveling system you’ll need a level, either attached to the RV or hand held to determine when your rig is level enough.
Cable TV coax cable if you have an external cable input connection. May also want a tool to make getting the connection tight/lose easier.
Front door matt, or “patio rug” with corner stakes
Depending on your step arrangement you may want a portable front door step. Many are adjustable in height.
I’ll leave outside items, like chairs, tables and cooking items up to you.

Some of these items are pretty much required for most RVs. Others are really depended upon the type of RV you have and it’s options and the type of places you stay. Boondockers require different stuff than people who only stay at full service sites. I carry various additional items in this category to meet my own experience and wants. There is a seemly endless list of other stuff you can add to suit your RV style.

[Arch Hoagland]

Might I suggest taking it to a local parking lot that is relatively empty and practice backing into a space setup with orange cones. You need three safety cones in any case due to the possibility of breaking down while out on a highway.

If you encounter concrete barriers while on a trip SLOW DOWN. They were my least favorite problem to overcome when new to driving a class A coach.

Are you planning to pull a car?

[BCam]

Originally Posted by TrailRunner1

Thanks for the welcome everyone. The journey home was a bit different for sure - i certainly liked hugging the right line a bit (where i knew i had no cars beside me), but got it home nice and safely. Drove it again today to get it into storage for a couple weeks before our first real adventure, and it really was a night-and-day experience where the lane just felt a lot wider. Excited to do some long-hauls in it now!

Eventually you'll get a feel for the lane widths. I think one of the hardest thing to do is to make sure it's ok to change lanes, especially if you're not used to driving only with side mirrors. I like to pick a vehicle that I can see in my rear view mirror, with nobody behind it, and pass after they go by (after double checking the best I can). If you have a backup camera that you can leave on, all the better.

Perhaps the most important thing is to allow much more room for stopping.

I know that many will brag about how they can cruise at 70 mph or more, but why? Your mileage will be worse and it's not as safe or as comfortable as driving at a more reasonable speed. Watch your tach and find the sweet spot with a decent speed and relatively low rpms. For me, it's about 63 mph. You don't want to hang in there at the spot where your transmission is just on the verge of going into your highest gear. With my older rig, I sometimes have to coax it a bit by playing with my accelerator pedal until it shifts and the rpms drop.

It's also easy to get going too fast on long downhills, so be extra careful and downshift as necessary. It doesn't take much to get that out of control feeling. Slow down on long uphills, your transmission will thank you and your mpg will be better. If you have a transmission temperature gauge, keep an eye on it. It's easy to overheat your transmission going uphill.

[LynnD]

Welcome to IRV2! Good to have you here and I look forward to reading about your adventures, stay safe out there!