Newbie in Houston

[Amelie.bilodeau]

LOL, I had a feeling there was a joke in there. We're actually not staying in Houston, we'll be full-timing and moving around. Trying to get out of here by July 4th!

[Amelie.bilodeau]

Thanks for that info! We have an 8ft bed, so (long?). I'm getting the hitch installed this week.

[ChrisLLynn]

If I had it to do over, I would have taken an RV driving skills course. I thought I knew how to pull a travel trailer. How hard could it be? During my first year, I learned a lot of valuable lessons that left a big hole in my bank account. I almost sold our 31RLTS. Other RVers would console me by saying that everyone has done things just like me. BUT I've yet to find anyone that has made all the mistakes I have. There's a lot to remember with hookup, trailer backing, cornering, being constantly aware of EVERYTHING, proper setup, etc. RVing is fun and I've been damage-free for two years. The first year would have more enjoyable had I taken a course. That's my two cents. Safe travels.

[Amelie.bilodeau]

I've already looked into classes and there's nothing close to us that I could google. Our fifth wheel is in Austin right now, and we're leaving from there the weekend of 4th of July. We have someone that will come help us hitch and give us a few pointers, other than watching lots of you tube videos, I guess it'll be trial and error. To give a little more background info, we're actually moving all of our furniture into storage and will be full-timing for awhile. We both work remotely. So, we are literally moving our stuff in storage on the 3rd and heading toward Austin on the 4th. We're headed north to see family. We plan on taking our time, and driving not more than 300 miles a day (driving to Pittsburgh)..we're not in a hurry and want to be safe. Thanks everyone for the helpful tips.

[Steven@147]

I've already looked into classes and there's nothing close to us that I could google. Our fifth wheel is in Austin right now, and we're leaving from there the weekend of 4th of July. We have someone that will come help us hitch and give us a few pointers, other than watching lots of you tube videos, I guess it'll be trial and error. To give a little more background info, we're actually moving all of our furniture into storage and will be full-timing for awhile. We both work remotely. So, we are literally moving our stuff in storage on the 3rd and heading toward Austin on the 4th. We're headed north to see family. We plan on taking our time, and driving not more than 300 miles a day (driving to Pittsburgh)..we're not in a hurry and want to be safe. Thanks everyone for the helpful tips.

May good fortune smile on you for your trip. You have a great game plan! Our family lives up in Indiana and Ohio so we know that trip very well. Great idea to have someone help you thru the process. Just remember you are not in a hurry, take your time, who cares if other RV'ers are watching you, packing up, hitching/unhitching, get to know your RV leveling system and how to use it to hitch and unhitch. Do not short cut the process, then pulling out, getting back on the road. The wife and I use small two-way radios to communicate. When parking, the spotter always stays visible to the driver of the rig! If we lose sight of eachother we stop the rig and it doesn't move until eye visibility is restored between us.

I don't know anything about the RV classes. How long they are, how detailed and so forth. If you think you need to take a course for peace of mind, by all means do it. I am teaching my wife how to drive our rig. What i'm teaching her, when driving leave yourself an out if possible, to get out of the situation you are in. Just remember to give every motorist around you advanced warning of what you are going to do. Pull deep into an intersection and swing wide in the turns, get to know and get used to religiously using your truck mirrors, understand your RV tires will track significantly more inside of a turn than the truck. When refueling, practice safety first, don't get too close to the fuel pumps, leave yourself some room pulling out for RV tail swing. At each stop over, do a walk around, check things out, make sure everything is were it should be. Don't worry about things you can not control or do anything about. When things happen, don't get all flustered and lose perspective, that is when you will make more mistakes. Its all experience and the only way to get it, is to do it.

[ChrisLLynn]

That sounds like a good plan. If/when your site is a back in, don't be hesitant to ask for help at the registration desk. Most places have someone that can help. Practicing at a Walmart parking lot is a good thing but backing into a site is not the same as an open parking lot. Some of them can be really tight.

[LaThinking]

I am not a 5th wheeler but when i get treated right I like to pass it on. On the other side of Houston Cannelveiw there is Channelview Supply which is a great RV place for parts plus they took care of me changing my AC for me back in April. They are not a GD dealer and in fact do not sell any RVs but they can repair them. I am from Lake Charles and was on my way to Canyon Lake and these people helped me out. Large supply of parts and great repair shop. They are much larger than any Camper World I have been in.

[Amelie.bilodeau]

Thanks all again for the advice. We decided to actually hang out in Bastrop for a week over 4th of July weekend before heading out north. We have a pull-through site, and the KOA is less than 5 miles from our storage facility. So here goes nothing!

[Steven@147]

Thanks all again for the advice. We decided to actually hang out in Bastrop for a week over 4th of July weekend before heading out north. We have a pull-through site, and the KOA is less than 5 miles from our storage facility. So here goes nothing!

Welcome to Bastrop, your're just 8 miles from my home base. The Colorado River KOA is a good one. Just across the bridge and about 1/4 mile from you is the Buckee's. Nice place to grab some food and fill up, coming in the main entrance off highway 20/95, pull around to the left side far corner are the spacious RV, PUtruck/trailer/bus lanes. Diesel/DEF at the pump as well as Gas.

Enjoy your stay, and have a safe trip

[CampersfromIowa]

Just a quick note. There was a checklist with an item that suggested turning the propane tanks off for travel. Just another opinion.. when we travel our refrigerator runs off propane so we keep in on while on the road to keep things cool. If you shut off your propane tanks your refrigerator will no longer be cooling. We run one at a time and keep it turned on at all times. Again, just food for thought.