Another newbie jumps in

[B_and_D]

Originally Posted by PopBeavers

On one trip I discovered that 100 feet of water hose was not long enough to refill my tank. Fortunately I also carry two 6 gallon collapsible water containers.

On one trip I wished I had slightly more than one bag of Lego blocks. I now have two bags.

On one trip I discovered that I had a sudden desperate need for ant spray.

I would really hate to have the toilet fuse trip in the middle of the night and find out that I did not have a spare fuse.

That's why I have an excel spreadsheet packing list of things that I bring with me that contains over 250 items. Call me crazy, but something always comes in handy.

The last trip we took, we blew an inline fuse (twice) for our battery charger line. I had spares (plus a couple left over). The flashlight bulb burned out. I had a spare (plus several other flashlights, including a wind-up one and a solar one). The hinges on the campsite cupboards weren't tight, so I added some screws and tightened the others.

When we're camping the last thing I want to do is have to drive into town to buy stuff (if they have it where we are) when I'd rather go exploring, or fishing, or just spending the day at the lakeshore.

I feel that the better prepared you are, the better time you'll have camping. You can deal with more of the things that happen when you're far from home and stores.

Welcome to the TM family. We have almost finished our 1st year with our first RV. Very good ideas above. Also other info on this site for 1st timers, but we are all still learning as we go. Be patient the first few times. I spent the first week-end out reading the manual.

Curious --where did you buy and did everything go well?
(We purchased our 2720 at CRVS last Fall and replaced it with a 2720SL this season when we realized we picked the wrong floor plan for our needs. Our 2720 is posted on this site and currently at CRVS, in case you find someone looking for a good, like-new TM).

ENJOY!! Definitely come back to this site for lots of good information.

Thanks to everyone for the ideas/advice. I picked up my TM2619 last weekend in Salem, VA (Snyder's RV) and was generally pleased with the experience. Rigging my tow vehicle is another story (for another thread, I think). Long story short, I couldn't get a hitch reciever on the Tacoma in time, but fortunately have a backup Toyota 4Runner with factory tow package. Four-hour (250 mile) drive home was uneventful--okay the check-engine light flickered twice, raising my heart rate a bit--and consumed about 2-1/2 gallons of gas beyond normal consumption. Backed into my driveway more or less successfully and have been equiping ever since. This weekend, we head to a regional park about 20 minutes from home for the maiden voyage. I'll let you know how that goes.

Dave, Rebecca and the traveling trailer poodles

Welcome Newbees,
Since I have the same or very similar tow vehicle ('01 Tacoma, 4x4, V6, 3.4L w/ manual tranny) I thought I share a few thoughts and experiences. The tongue weight of your TM almost hits the max. rating for your Tacoma. I absolutely wouldn't go on the road without a weight distribution hitch. You need to distribute some the TM tongue weight to the front wheels of the Tacoma & to the TM axle. I have an Equalizer hitch which I installed myself that works quite well. It's a bit pricy and a bit heavy. If I had it to do over again I'd probably go with a Reese hitch and save some $$$ and some weight.
At six years old --- my rear Bilstein shocks needed to be replaced as they showed signs of leakage and no longer did their job. I replaced them with adjustable Rancho's which I really like. I turn the rear shocks up to a 6 or 7 setting when I hook up our 2720SL and with Equalizier hitch -- the Tacoma's suspension is not noticeably compressed and the truck rides perfectly. I also changed out the front struts --- but went with Monroe Magnums up front.
We just got back from a Colorado trip where we climbed some 10k ft mtn passes with a full truck bed and the TM in tow. Our Tacoma did great until about 9k ft --- then it began to labor with some of the inclines and I had to use 2nd gear (38 mph) a few times. Usually I was behind someone else who was having even more problems with power loss. I'd have to say, however, that I have had very satisfactory results with my K & N air intake system. It doesn't work well on some (even many) applications (especially Tundras) but it sure adds ahout 10 hp throughout much of the power band on my 3.4 L. You just have to be careful that you don't over oil the filter when you clean it. If you do --- you can foul the mass air flow control sensor. I've cleaned my filter twice and have had no problems. I should also note that the K & N adds somewhat to engine noise but only when you're really getting on it. Also, the Tacoma front brake rotors are very susceptible to warpage. Avoid riding the brakes if possible. When we were pulling in the mountains I increased the boost setting on the Prodigy to make the trailer brakes work a bit harder --- and I used my gearing to reduce downhill speed.
The Colorado campground that we stayed in was full of Taco's -- although most were newer than ours. Apparently, we both have a good little work pony.
Take Care, eric