Last Updated on February 22, 2024 by Grant
Owning a travel trailer has been one of the best experiences of our lives. We bought ours back in 2016 and have taken it out each summer on some pretty epic road trips as well as shorter trips throughout the year. That said, owning a travel trailer definitely has a learning curve. Now, we know what we’re doing and are happy to share our travel trailer tips with you.
It has taken us quite a bit of trial and error to figure out how to make the best of the camper. To help you avoid some of the headaches we endured, we’re bringing you these travel trailer tips for beginners. In this guide, you’ll find everything you need to know about buying and owning a travel trailer.
We hope this post helps you smooth out the problems when you first take out your travel trailer.
(Disclaimer: When we link to places where you can buy our stuff or places we stayed, we are using special codes that earn us commissions on the sales at no additional cost to you. Please see our Review Policy for more information.)
Before You Buy a Travel Trailer
My number one tip before buying a travel trailer is to make sure your vehicle can tow it. Check with your vehicle’s manufacturer to determine the towing capacity of your vehicle. Then go through the step using this app to see your real tow capacity. Just because your vehicle says it can tow something doesn’t mean it actually can do it safely.
Once you have determined how much you can safely tow, you need to prep your vehicle to tow.
For all but the lightest trailers, you are going to want a Class IV hitch at the very least. If the camper weighs more than 3,000 pounds, you will need to have a trailer brake controller. If you are towing a camper over 5,000 pounds, you are gonna need a weight-distributing hitch. This keeps the trailer and the back end of the truck level. Most also have some anti-sway capability as well.
We have a Husky Centerline TS and it has worked perfectly for us. The dealer tossed the hitch in with the price of the camper and installed it for us.
Lastly, you are gonna want tow mirrors. There are mirrors you can clamp on and mirrors that you can install. Max tow packages for most trucks often come with tow mirrors. We bought Trail Ridge Tow Mirrors for our F-150. They were easy to install ourselves and are quite happy with them.
Now, your vehicle is ready to tow a trailer!
Read more about the vehicle we tow with, a 2017 F-150.
Buying a Travel Trailer
When we were looking for our first travel trailer, one of the best pieces of advice we found on the Internet: Buy your second camper first. We agree with that advice.
RVs do not appreciate in value like a house. They lose value like a car. So, if you are buying a “starter camper” to see if you like the RV life, I recommend renting an RV. Take it out for the weekend instead of buying. It will save you a LOT of money.
Read more about renting a camper through Outdoorsy here.
Don’t let the dealer try to convince you to buy more than you can safely tow. That’s really important. You do not want to be barely able to pull your travel trailer through the Mojave Desert or over a tall pass in the Rockies.
Think about what you want in your trailer and try out a bunch of them. An RV show is a great place to check out a bunch of campers. Pick a floor plan you like then see which dealer has the best deal.
Read How to Get the Most Out of an RV Show here.
We wanted a wrap-around queen bed and a couch instead of a dinette. In hindsight, we wish we got both a couch and a dinette. Then we could use the dinette as a desk for working on the blog. We make it work, though. And that is certainly not enough of a problem to buy a new camper!
Another important feature for us was having plenty of storage space. We have closet space by the bed and by the front door/bathroom. And plenty of cabinets in the kitchen. There is also a large pass-through for outdoor items. That said, we are struggling to make our new chairs fit with everything else we have in the pass-through.
Make sure you have the dealer walk you through the camper. Have them show you where everything is. You need to know where to find cut-off valves, the fuse box and the reset buttons on various appliances.
Read about our experience of buying our first travel trailer.
Add-ons to Have the Dealer Install
Once you have found and priced the perfect travel trailer, there are few things we recommend having the dealer install right off the bat. For some of these, you might be able to get the dealer to toss them in with the purchase price. Others, you are gonna need to budget for.
First and foremost, have flying insect screens installed on all of your exhaust vents! Dirt daubers like to make a home in those vents. Their nests can ruin a fridge, a furnace or a hot water heater. If you’re fairly handy, you could probably do this yourself.
Second, get slide toppers if the trailer does not already come with them. These will keep debris from getting on top of your slide. The rubber gasket around the slide keeps debris out of your camper when you retract the slide. The slide topper will keep the debris from getting there in the first place. You will avoid having to clean off the top of the slide when you strike camp.
Third, get a battery disconnect. The carbon monoxide detector is always on and always draining the battery when we store the camper. A simple battery disconnect will help preserve the life of your battery if you cannot leave the vehicle constantly plugged in.
Fourth, get an electric hitch jack. I can’t tell you how much time and effort this will save you from having manually lower and raise the jack of the trailer.
I also recommend getting vent covers for the pop-up vents. We have a couple of Max Air vent covers that allow us to open the vents even when it is raining. This is really nice for venting out your bathroom after showers.
If being able to watch satellite TV is important to you, have a dish mounted on the roof. Both Dish and DirectTV offer packages aimed at RVs. I would certainly check the fine print in terms of contracts and requirements.
Lastly, if you camp away from connections (called boondocking) often, we recommend you talk to your dealer about having alternate power sources, like solar panels or a generator, integrated into your trailer from the get-go.
Outfitting Your New Travel Trailer
The reality is you are gonna need a lot of stuff for your camper. You’ll need equipment for getting everything hooked up and operational along with all the comforts of home – linens, cookware, dishes. We have written a top-ranked comprehensive guide on outfitting your travel trailer inside and out.
Read more about outfitting your camper here.
Seriously, we have you covered when it comes to outfitting your travel trailer.
Before You Take Your Travel Trailer on the Road for the First Time
As you load everything into the travel trailer, make sure the majority of your gear is loaded toward the front of the camper. If you push the majority of the weight (60%) forward of the axles, you will reduce sway considerably.
Check out this video from the folks at UHaul…
Once you load everything in, it’s time to check the wheels and tires on the trailer. Take a lug wrench and tighten down all the lug nuts. Then check the air pressure on all of the tires, including the spare. It does you no good to have a flat spare.
If you installed a battery disconnect, reconnect the battery at this point.
Then connect the hitch and the trailer. This process is different depending on the weight-distributing hitch you have. Make sure you lube everything that needs lube, including the ball.
Pro tip: If your battery is dead and you need to power the jack, once you connect the cable to the truck, you should get enough power to operate the jack. If the power is not immediately flowing, depress the slider on the trailer brake controller to send power to the trailer.
Make sure you hook in the chains, crossing in an “x” underneath the hitch so that if it comes loose, the chains will catch it.
Once you connect everything, you can remove the chocks and you are ready to perform one last walk-around.
In this walk-around, make sure you close and lock all of the compartments. Be sure to double-check the windows are closed and the TV antenna is down. Then check the brake lights on the trailer to make sure they are functioning.
Lastly, make sure you extend the tow mirrors and you can see down the length of the trailer in the mirrors.
You are now ready to hit the road.
Towing a Travel Trailer
The first thing to know about towing a travel trailer is you can’t go as fast as you would otherwise. Most trailer tires are rated for 65 MPH.
A higher driving speed significantly reduces your braking speed and stopping distance. That means it is a lot easier for you to rear-end someone if they stop suddenly. Additionally, excess speed leads to increased sway which can easily topple your vehicle.
Additionally, it takes some time to get used to the additional space the truck and trailer combo take up on the road. Even towing a relatively small trailer poses difficulties in heavy traffic.
This also holds true for finding gas and fast food on the road. We highly suggest researching gas stations and restaurants to make sure they have RV parking or at least plenty of room. We use the satellite view in Google Maps or Apple Maps to check it out in advance.
Backing up a travel trailer is tough and there is no way to get good at it other than practice. Honestly, our worst arguments come from backing up our camper. I have gotten better at it but I always struggle a bit when we first head out.
Our F-150 has the Pro Trailer Back-Up Assist, which I love… when it works. When it doesn’t, mostly due to the sensor losing sight of the sticker, it tends to cut off when I need it most: on a tight turn.
Setting Up at a Campsite
We suggest camping somewhere with a Walmart or RV store nearby for your first few outings. You will find you need things you didn’t think of. Camping near a store means you can buy items you need easily, which will make your first trip that much better.
Read about the RV essentials you need before you hit the road here.
As you settle your trailer into the campsite, be sure to take note of where the connections are. On our second trip, we managed to set up too far away from the water connection and had to buy a second water hose.
Pro tip: We store all of the gear we need for setting up in the pass-through on the left side of the trailer. This allows easy access for the driver to everything needed to get the travel trailer set up.
Take a large construction-style level with you for the first trip. As you get settled in and level the trailer, then apply the bubble levels we recommend in our outfitting guide to the outside of the camper to make leveling it easier in the future.
Use levelers to make sure your trailer is level. Most fridges will not operate if the camper is not level. Make sure you put chocks down to keep the trailer from moving before you disconnect from the truck.
Once you are level and disconnected from the truck, connect the electrical. We use a power management system (basically, a surge protector for RVs) and that takes a couple of minutes to allow electricity through. Make sure the system is reading no errors before you get too invested in the site. We have had to move a couple of times because there were electricity issues at the campsite.
Pro tip: Put on gloves when working on the outside of the camper. That will keep your hands a lot cleaner when dealing with greasy stuff and the sewer connection.
Bonnie and I typically divide our efforts at this point, with her taking care of everything inside and me taking care of the stuff outside.
Once you connect the electrical, then connect the freshwater. Our camper is only designed to handle 45-55 PSI. We use a pressure regulator and a water filter to make sure our pipes are not damaged and the water tastes good.
Pro tip: Don’t forget to switch the bypass valve for the hot water heater to allow water to flow into it the first time after the camper has been winterized. Turning on the hot water heater without water in it can damage the heater.
Chances are, the dealer winterized your travel trailer before you bought it. You will need to flush the antifreeze out. Just keep the water flowing until it is clear. If the dealer used an air compressor to blow out the lines, you may need to keep the water flowing until all the air is out of the lines. You will need to do this on all of the sinks, shower and toilet.
Next, it’s time to connect the sewer. The hose rotates on and should stretch to the sewer connection at the site. Be sure to use a screw-in adapter or a donut to prevent foul smells from leaking out of the sewer lines. Use a hose stand to keep the water from the tank flowing easily.
Now, it’s time to drop the stabilization jacks. These work to prevent the camper from rocking too much as people move in it. We use a cordless drill with a scissor jack adapter to put ours down quickly.
Some travel trailers come with automatic leveling jacks. Those are pretty cool but they are pricey, too.
Now, your trailer is set up. You may need to move a couple of things around on the inside, put out slides or generally get things shifted from storage to use, but that does not involve any complicated steps.
If you have a cable connection at the campsite, you can plug in your cable or you can raise your antenna to see what broadcast TV you can get.
Typically, this takes us around 20 minutes but we have been doing it a while. It will take you more time the first few times, but you will get the hang of it.
Now, it’s time to get out camp chairs and enjoy a cold beverage!
Leaving a Campsite
When you’re ready to leave you have to take down everything you set up when you arrived. No one ever said RVing was easy.
Start by putting on some rubber gloves. You will need them.
Once everything requiring water is taken care of on the inside, you can start draining the tanks. You will want to drain the black water tank first.
While I am working outside, Bonnie works on the inside to make sure everything is put away and ready for travel. She also pulls out the trash and leaves it out for me so I can dispose of my gloves and any shop towels I use.
While the black water tank is draining, you can take care of other items, like putting the hitch on the truck or putting away camp chairs.
Once the black water tank has finished draining, you close that valve and drain the gray water tank. You want to always drain the foulest tank first, then rinse with less nasty water, then finally rinse with clean water… more on that in a moment.
While the gray water tank is draining, disconnect the freshwater hose and put it away. Then attach your utility hose. Once the gray water tank is drained, use your utility hose to flush your sewer hose then put the sewer hose and stand away.
Pro tip: Do not use your freshwater hose for anything other than fresh drinking water. Additionally, store it in a separate bin from anything related to the sewer, like the utility hose.
Once everything is done on the inside and any slides are in, you can disconnect the power connection and then retract the stabilization jacks.
It’s now time to reconnect the travel trailer with the truck. Then, move off the levelers and get everything put away in the pass-throughs.
You are now ready to do the walk around on the camper, making sure everything is put away, locked up and ready for travel. Be sure to check those brake lights and the TV antenna one more time before you leave.
This typically takes us about 40 minutes. Then we visit the bathroom one last time and hit the road!
Final Travel Trailer Tips
Don’t let this long list of travel trailer tips discourage you. Yes, there is a learning curve to owning your first travel trailer. Yes, it’ll certainly be difficult and frustrating at times, especially in the beginning. And there is no doubt that you’ll make mistakes along the way. That’s true of most anything that you are new to.
Still, it’s a wonderful lifestyle and a great way to explore the world around you. With time, you’ll figure out what you’re doing and soon you’ll be the veteran and will share your travel trailer tips with a beginner.
Every year, we get better at RVing. With experience, the little things like winterizing the camper or handling small emergencies get easier.
I am heartened when I look back on how much easier the basic tasks are now. Owning a travel trailer may be a bit difficult to manage at first, but once you get the hang of it, it is a lot less stressful. And those tasks that took forever at first are second nature and finished with ease.
We hope this travel trailer guide takes some of the guesswork out of how to deal with a camper and what to expect when you first start out.
We invite you to join our Facebook group, US RV Trip Planning + Itineraries. This group is for experienced, newbie and wannabe RVers to discuss RV itineraries, destinations, camping tips and more.
Travel Resources
What do you use to find a flight?
We use Skyscanner to find deals on flights. Skyscanner has a great interface and compares tons of airlines for the best pricing and routing. That said, it does not always have every airline and some airlines will have better deals on their website. Still, Skyscanner is a great place to start.
Click here to search for a flight.
What do you use to find a hotel?
We typically stay at Hilton properties, so we use the Hilton website. You can find good Hilton Honors discounts or AAA discounts for a hotel there. We make great use of our free night certificates from our Hilton Honors American Express.
Click here to book a Hilton property.
If there are no Hilton properties available, we use TripAdvisor to read reviews and book the hotel. We find we can get the best price that way.
Click here to search for a hotel.
We recently partnered with Stay22 to add interactive maps to each of our destination posts. This will allow you to see a plethora of hotels and vacation rentals all in one responsive map of the area.
Click here to search an interactive map.
What if I need more space than I can get at a hotel?
We use Vrbo for the times when we have rented a cabin for a weekend getaway, like this cabin in Townsend, TN, or needed to rent a house for a large family vacation. We had a great experience with them in terms of refunding deposits when COVID hit and will continue to use them.
Click here to search for a vacation rental.
Who do you use for rental cars?
As a general rule, we book with Hertz for rental cars. We have had nothing but good experiences with them. Plus, we really like unlimited mileage and not worrying about crossing state lines. We have even rented from Hertz overseas in both Slovenia and Croatia.
Click here to book a rental car.
How about booking a cruise?
We have found some amazing prices for booking a cruise through Cruise Direct. We have saved a lot of money on our cruises compared to what we found elsewhere, making a last-minute Bahamas cruise even cheaper.
Click here to book a cruise.
What if I want to rent an RV?
We highly recommend Outdoorsy for RV rentals. We rented a camper van for a week to visit Rocky Mountain National Park for the elk rut and Custer State Park for the Buffalo Round-Up and had a blast. The program was easy to use and we really enjoyed the freedom of having a camper van for that trip.
Click here to rent an RV.
What do you use for booking tours?
We don’t often book tours. Typically, we like to do stuff on our own. That said, there are some experiences you can’t have any other way. So, when we do want to book a tour, we always check Viator first.
Click here to book a tour.
Do you use anything to get discounts on the road?
We make extensive use of both Good Sam and AAA on the road. Good Sam is normally regarded as a discount card for RVers at campgrounds and Camping World but anyone can use the 5 cents off a gallon at the pump at both Pilot and Flying J.
Click here to get a Good Sam membership.
We have had AAA as long as we have been married and it has more than paid for itself in discounts at hotels, aside from the peace of mind of having roadside assistance. Add in paper maps and the ability to get an international driver’s license and it is more than worth it for any traveler out there.
Click here to get a AAA membership.
Where can I get Travel Insurance?
We have partnered with Global Rescue for travel and evacuation insurance. This provider will put you out of the worst situations and get you to medical care promptly. You can even purchase “cancel for any reason” insurance from Global Rescue. This is our go-to provider of travel insurance. Traveling somewhere dangerous? They will even extract you if war were to break out on your trip.
Click here to get Global Rescue for your upcoming trip.
Thanks for sharing this information. We have watched many YouTube videos and read multiple blogs in preparation for our first camping adventure in our new HTT this upcoming weekend. I feel more confident after reading your blog. We’re camping about an hour and a half from our house at Land Between the Lakes and it’s supposed to be good weather. I’m saving your blog info to have just in case.
Coop, that is a great spot and distance for a first camping trip. We hope you have a great weekend and enjoy your camper! Welcome to a great lifestyle!
Great tips for first timers! We purchased a fifth wheel 2 weeks ago and still reading blogs and posts. Thanks for your insight!
Thanks for the feedback and glad you found it helpful. Let us know if you have any other questions.
Great tips. We are picking up our new TT in a couple of days. While we are experienced with campers and camping in general the new trailer has many features the old did not. So for your readers I would say, you will never stop learning or improving your processes when it come to RV’ing. Furthermore, create a checklist and follow it. Once you get into a rhythm it will be less applicable, but doing things in a slow orderly deliberate manner will ensure your equipment stays in great shape for years to come.
100% agree!
Thought you have one of the better articles for newbies however not all campsites are full hookups. That first trip to the dump station can be a learning experience. You may want to add that for the new campers.
Thanks Debra and great idea! We will certainly add that after our next trip to a dump station to take some pictures!
Thanks for telling me that I should purchase a travel trailer that can be towed by our vehicle. My boyfriend and I are fans of outdoor adventures and we think that this is the best time to try RV camping. I’ll try to look around local auto dealers and see if they can offer us a good price for the vehicle we wanted.
Good luck, Zoe! I am not sure how much you want to be able to tow but be sure you get a truck that has a max tow package installed. That typically has a lot of the features you are going to want your truck to have, like a trailer brake controller and tow mirrors.
Loved how detailed this post is. Well done compiling this, its the complete package and I couldn’t thank you enough!
Thanks so much, Jeremy!
Hubby and I recently bought a 28 foot TT after 28 years of tent camping. Whew! Big step for us! Our first excursion will be at a nearby RV resort (close to civilization) in case we forgot anything. Your fantastic article helps to give us the confidence we need, thanks!
Joni,
Welcome to an amazing community! We know you will have a great experience and we think staying local for your first trip is the perfect thing to do.
Please let us know if you have any questions going forward!
Great article lots of good tips. My wife and I just upgraded from a medium size tent trailer to a hybrid trailer. (20 feet long). We won’t be taking possession until next May as it’s going into storage for the winter. Looking forward to our first outing. I hope we can get into the US in 2022. Bathroom hook ups and water heater are going to be the biggest learning curve. Lili and Mike, Montreal, Quebec,Canada.
Thanks so much!
We hope you can get in the US in 2022 as well! We hope you enjoy your new camper!
Aloha guys, this is probably the longest amount of reading I’ve done since high school, lol. Very informative and simple to read and understand. Been doing a lot of research and we are finally ready to get ourselves an RV… Heading to camping world for the 4th time now and I am as prepared as I’m gonna be.
Thanks once again!
Cody Kanekoa Selman
Mahalo Cody! So glad we could help! Please let us know if there is anything more we can do to help you as you embark into this wonderful world!