This post is a beginner’s user manual for a travel trailer.  I purchased a travel trailer a year ago and have learned a lot of things that most of the more experienced people never explained to me, so I’m hoping that his post will steer you in the right direction.

Before you commit to purchasing a travel trailer yourself, we recommend doing a test run to make sure it’s right for you. You can find tons of cool camping trailers on Outdoorsy, for a great price too!  You can see your local inventory by clicking here.

Packing, Preparing, and Tips for Planning Your First Outing
Our family (especially our two boys) were SO excited to head out on our first camping trip.  We bought our Rockwood 25′ travel trailer from Camping World (horrible choice of store, by the way) and were ready to hit the road.

On our first trip, we forgot TONS of essential items that would have made the trip nicer.  I kept a list of all the things we forgot and had to buy for our new trailer that’s definitely worth checking out.  I definitely recommend buying a separate one of each item instead of just grabbing it from the house, or else you’ll have to remember to pack it each time.  One of the biggest benefits of a trailer is that you can leave all your camping gear packed, so you’re ready to go camping on a moment’s notice.

While there are many new things to buy, don’t overload your trailer.  It’s no fun–especially in a smaller trailer–to have the isles and every inch of the ground in the trailer cluttered with things.  Park the trailer out in front of your house for two or three days before your first trip and take the time to organize things into a permanent spot as you load.  We took a label maker and labeled what goes on each shelf and in each cabinet before putting anything in, and it was really helpful.

first time travel travel trailer has three different tanks of water: black (used toilet water and deposits), gray (used water from sinks), and fresh (drinkable).  When you load your RV, you need to fill the fresh tank full of water using a hose at your house.  Your black and gray tanks will be empty as you begin your trip and then you’ll dump all your liquids on the way home.

For our first few trips we filled up the fresh water at home with a hose and then drove up–full of water–to the camping area.  We later learned there was an RV dump station with clean drinking water provided for free by a little city near where we camp in the woods (Idaho City, Idaho), so we started filling up there to save hauling the extra weight of water.

As you pack, remember that heavy items like suitcases and a generator should be low and toward the front of the RV.  Another tip for weight is to check to see if you will have water where you’ll be camping.