New 23 Cougar 320RDS

[bill59]

Just made the deal. Moving up from an Imagine 26 ft trailer. Will be a few days before I can pick up. Ordered a Curt A16 from Home Depot and should be here in a few days. Starting on a 6-month trip next month. Central Tx to see the eclipse. Then to the Midwest, Montana, and Idaho for the summer. If all goes well, we will go full time next year.

[wiredgeorge]

Originally Posted by bill59

Just made the deal. Moving up from an Imagine 26 ft trailer. Will be a few days before I can pick up. Ordered a Curt A16 from Home Depot and should be here in a few days. Starting on a 6-month trip next month. Central Tx to see the eclipse. Then to the Midwest, Montana, and Idaho for the summer. If all goes well, we will go full time next year.

That is a nice floor plan! Only thing I saw I didn't care for was the lack of nightstands. I use a CPAP machine and a nightstand is a must and the missus likes to put her books and magazines on her nightstand.

If you come to the Hill Country for the eclipse, drop me a note as I know some great campgrounds in the area where you can see that event and you had best make reservations very soon.

There is a document floating around on this site that has a checklist of things you should go over when you take delivery and have them fix the stuff on the spot if possible if you do find things wrong. If there is something fairly major, April will be on you before you know it if the dealer needs to get parts or an appliance. Good luck!

[bill59]

Originally Posted by wiredgeorge

That is a nice floor plan! Only thing I saw I didn't care for was the lack of nightstands. I use a CPAP machine and a nightstand is a must and the missus likes to put her books and magazines on her nightstand.

If you come to the Hill Country for the eclipse, drop me a note as I know some great campgrounds in the area where you can see that event and you had best make reservations very soon.

There is a document floating around on this site that has a checklist of things you should go over when you take delivery and have them fix the stuff on the spot if possible if you do find things wrong. If there is something fairly major, April will be on you before you know it if the dealer needs to get parts or an appliance. Good luck!

This model does come with a queen and 2 small nightstands which is what we preferred. However, the price was good and it had the 2 AC units plus the 400w Solar.

Made reservations for Concan almost 2 years ago. Plan to be there 4-5 days ahead of time to avoid the madness.

Just praying that everything works ok. Went through all this a few years ago when we bought the trailer.

[wiredgeorge]

Originally Posted by bill59

This model does come with a queen and 2 small nightstands which is what we preferred. However, the price was good and it had the 2 AC units plus the 400w Solar.

Made reservations for Concan almost 2 years ago. Plan to be there 4-5 days ahead of time to avoid the madness.

Just praying that everything works ok. Went through all this a few years ago when we bought the trailer.

We have stayed in most of the parks in the Concan/Leakey/Camp Wood area and the ones around Concan be be crazy during the eclipse so good you made reservations. I plan on not going anywhere while the madness strikes. I went out riding my trike with my missus during the last eclipse and it wasn't too bad. Lots of folks out in the country in lawn chairs but the small towns south of Hwy90 were pretty normal.

[LadyCPA]

Columbia SC was in the total eclipse section on the last one. Let me tell you this town was quite the zoo. People renting their houses for 2 days for 2 grand to visitors, and left the area. Our wonderful son brought his boat down from Charlotte, and we spent the day on Lake Murray, and it was an unforgettable experience. It is good that you are hitting the campground well in advance of the insanity.

[bill59]

Had it home a week now. Had a hell of a time with the auto-level. After a couple of hours on the phone with Lippert, we did a hard reset and then it worked. So glad we weren't at a campground. Other than that, we love it so far. Still learning all the new tech. Leaving Tuesday for the Texas Hill Country then working our way north to Montana, Idaho for the summer.

[NH_Bulldog]

How do you like the Curt hitch? A friend of mine is looking for a hitch but wasn’t too keen on the B&W Patriot that I have

[bill59]

Originally Posted by NH_Bulldog

How do you like the Curt hitch? A friend of mine is looking for a hitch but wasn’t too keen on the B&W Patriot that I have

The Curt that I ordered was delayed so I ended up driving to El Paso bought a B&W Companion slider with a 20K head. Install in the Ford puck system went smooth with a few adjustments. I set it at the middle height and seems to work there.

[wiredgeorge]

Originally Posted by bill59

Had it home a week now. Had a hell of a time with the auto-level. After a couple of hours on the phone with Lippert, we did a hard reset and then it worked. So glad we weren't at a campground. Other than that, we love it so far. Still learning all the new tech. Leaving Tuesday for the Texas Hill Country then working our way north to Montana, Idaho for the summer.

Be aware that the Hill Country will be inundated with tourists come April. Here is the note I got from the Medina County Texas Emergency Office yesterday:

Medina County Office of Emergency Management issued this morning 3/29/2024: There are a few things that residents of Medina County can do to prepare for the possibility of a large number of visitors coming in for the Total Eclipse on April 8th. There is a possibility that we could see a record number of visitors and that could draw upon our resources locally.

For example, if we have an extremely large number of visitors, then there will be more vehicles on the roadways which will impact driving conditions. Try to plan in advance to do the things you put off until the weekend so that you are less likely to be stuck in traffic.

Do your grocery shopping and pick up the things you will need for family, children, and pets a couple of days before the weekend. Additionally, there will be more vehicles that are fueling up in Medina County. Therefore, it would be wise for residents to insure that your vehicles have sufficient fuel to get you through Friday, April 5th, until Tuesday, April 9th.

However, we want to caution you against completely fueling every vehicle and gas can you own because that can create a situation where local gas stations will have reduced fuel available during this time. Across the State there have been instances where out of fear people have panicked and that resulted in human-created shortages. So, it would be a good idea to make sure you have sufficient fuel a day or two before that will last through the entire weekend.

Another thing to consider is that it is possible for cellular communications to be impacted due to the volume of people and that could mean times when making a call may be difficult. Text messages will normally go through when calls won’t; so utilize texting when possible.

Let your family and friends know in advance where you plan to be during this time in case they can’t get through to you. The good thing is that we all have time to get the things done in advance that can make this less stressful. Please consider what you can do to be prepared and try to enjoy this historical event!

[bill59]

I will be in the hill country early next week and will stay parked until the weekend after the eclipse. I also have starlink. Between Monday and Wednesday I am not going anywhere. I just hope the weather cooperates as I plan on filming the event on my telescope.

[wiredgeorge]

Originally Posted by bill59

I will be in the hill country early next week and will stay parked until the weekend after the eclipse. I also have starlink. Between Monday and Wednesday I am not going anywhere. I just hope the weather cooperates as I plan on filming the event on my telescope.

Probably the best suggestion in the fear-inducing note sent by my county is to make sure your fuel tank is filled up. When we had a storm hit the Gulf a year or two ago, I went up to Lubbock to pick up my trike (purchased from an elderly couple) and fear that fuel would run out had every gas station in Lubbock dry in a day or two. I came back home on back roads and all the rural filling stations had gas. I expect even bigger towns like Bandera, Kerrville and Hondo might see runs on the filling stations. Funny how folks act when some out of the ordinary event MIGHT occur.

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by NH_Bulldog

How do you like the Curt hitch? A friend of mine is looking for a hitch but wasn’t too keen on the B&W Patriot that I have

Here's the CURT website link: https://www.curtmfg.com/5th-wheel/hitches/16k?

I tow with a CURT A-16. My previous hitch was the CURT E-16. Both of them were set up with the Ford puck system legs. I changed from the "slide bar E-16" to the "circular locking ring" A-16 because of the chucking I was getting as the slide bar and trailer pin indention wore just enough to allow for some "slop between the mating pieces".

The A-16 solved that chucking as it grips around the pin indention rather than locks the indention behind a solid flat bar. On the E-16, there's about a 1/8" contact point between the round pin indention and the flat, straight hitch locking bar. That, I believe, is what caused the pin indention wear, created the sloppiness and started the chucking, although I can't prove that opinion.

I'm satisfied with the A-16, but would not recommend the E-16 for any "fifth wheel travel trailer"...

If you go to the CURT website, all the options are listed for both hitches. It's available as a "standard in bed rail mount", a truck puck system mount or a slide mount for both hitches. Prices on the CURT website are almost double the price on Amazon or at most RV parts/service stores. So, use the CURT website to get specifics and to contact CURT for questions and answers, but if your friend is "ready to buy" SHOP AROUND, the website is the most expensive pricing I've seen anywhere. So much for "factory direct savings", eh ???

[LadyCPA]

Originally Posted by bill59

Had it home a week now. Had a hell of a time with the auto-level. After a couple of hours on the phone with Lippert, we did a hard reset and then it worked. So glad we weren't at a campground. Other than that, we love it so far. Still learning all the new tech. Leaving Tuesday for the Texas Hill Country then working our way north to Montana, Idaho for the summer.

Hey Bill Sure hope you will post under campfire section how the trip is going and review some of the campgrounds where you stay. We will be starting that treck from South Carolina in the fall.

[German Shepherd Guy]

Nice looking floor plan. Question, is there a TV with this rig, and if so where does it live? The floor plans and pictures I saw did not show one and I am just curious.

[wiredgeorge]

Originally Posted by German Shepherd Guy

Nice looking floor plan. Question, is there a TV with this rig, and if so where does it live? The floor plans and pictures I saw did not show one and I am just curious.

https://www.holmanrv.com/product/new...0rds-2133065-5

[bill59]

Originally Posted by German Shepherd Guy

Nice looking floor plan. Question, is there a TV with this rig, and if so where does it live? The floor plans and pictures I saw did not show one and I am just curious.

TV is on the rear wall in the living room. 60in Televator.