First timer... just pulled the trigger on a 2870RL

[mboge]

Well... after a lot of thought and consideration, we just pulled the trigger on a 2024 2870RL! And as a first timer, my emotions are a combination of happiness and excitement... followed by nervousness and fear! LOL

My wife and I are empty-nesters and we've been talking a lot about traveling and seeing the country. Since I'm still working, it makes it hard to take enough time off to visit the places on our bucket list AND not feel like we are always rushing to get back. Because I can work remotely, we thought that with a suitable rig, we could spend more time on the road traveling and I could work remotely.

So, we needed something that we could comfortably spend 2-3 weeks at a time in AND had a good spot where I could set up a laptop and work all day without feeling like I'm in the way or my wife feeling like she's disturbing me every time she moves around.

I know there are big rigs that offer multiple rooms or dedicated offices, but we had a budget to work within and this being the first time towing something bigger than a UHaul, we decided to settle on something in the 30' ballpark. I did a lot of research on things like travel trailer vs. fifth-wheel, used vs. new, rear-kitchen vs front-kitchen vs mid-kitchen, dinette vs table & chairs, etc, etc, etc... (if there is a point where you can do too much research, I think I blew right past it!).

We looked at hundreds (thousands?) of videos on YouTube; went to RV shows; visited dealers... and when we entered the 2870RL, it seemed like it checked all the boxes. (Well, most of them... my wife really wanted a king bed, but she kind of fell in love with this one when she walked in the front door - so that was that.) The table and chairs will make a great workstation for me, and the opposing living room slides makes this thing feel huge inside! No worry about crawling all over each other.

It's a little longer than our target (it's 33') and that makes me even more nervous... will I even be able to back this thing into my driveway? When I have to stop and get gas... am I going to get trapped? Is a strong gust going to blow me off the road? We have a RAM 2500, so I don't think I need to worry about the towing part... but the parking! It's been haunting me. Oh well, I'm sure I won't be the first person to look like an idiot taking 30 minutes to back into a spot that it takes veterans 5 minutes.

Looking forward to asking a lot of questions here... I apologize in advance!

[sourdough]

Congrats on the new trailer and welcome to the forum.

You have the same worries that most do when first purchasing an RV. It's natural and will persist until you have a few trips under your belt and you get the trailer and practice with it.


Some quick thoughts (there are many more but don't want to write a book and others will chime in).

When picking up the trailer do a thorough PDI (pre delivery inspection) before it leaves the lot. Make them fix everything you find wrong before you take possession of it. There is a sticky for a PDI list in the Keystone Questions Forum (1st post). Print it, take it and go through it with them....could be up to 4 hours. I always take a notebook and a little cam to video everything.

Right away spend time in it; take it to a nearby park for a couple of nights so you can use ALL the systems in the unit to be sure there are no problems (black tank flush anti siphon valve comes to mind). You can do it in your drive but probably won't have all the hookups you really need.

Only you know if it will fit in your drive...you will need about 60' or so. Get a GOOD weight distribution hitch with sway control - IMO it's mandatory for a 33' bumper pull on any SRW truck and makes a huge difference in taming those wind gusts.

Sounds like you have a gas engine Ram - hopefully the 6.4? If it's gas it does take a little pre planning and "jockeying" at times to get into a gas pump. I've always driven gas and it's sort of 2nd nature now but look for the end pumps unless there's lots of clearance between the pumps and building (extremely rare). Look to see if they have a drive around the back or if you are going to have to do some sort of maneuver to get out. As far as parking it, just take it to an open space - big parking lot (church comes to mind) and practice. Maybe take some cones or ?? to simulate a parking pad in a campground. Remember to TAKE YOUR TIME and get out as often as you need to check clearances, obstacles, placement etc. It does not matter....and no, you won't be the first person to take 30 minutes to park their rig so don't worry about it. We use our cell phones to communicate via the bluetooth in the truck. I used to use little 2 way radios but cell is much better.

As far as the king bed, I don't think you will miss it. The king bed really makes a RV bedroom tight and the bed hard to make. Had the OE king in my current trailer removed and a residential queen installed before I picked it up and we've been very happy. Speaking of mattresses....you will probably want to upgrade to a nicer one in short order. An RV mattress, no matter how upgraded, residential feeling etc. they say it is...isn't - so keep that in mind.

As questions come to mind post them in the appropriate forum (or one that fits closest) and fire away. Lots of folks here with lots of knowledge and willing to help.

[dutchmensport]

Welcome to the forums and congrats on getting your new camper. It sounds like you "really" did your research before settling on this specific camper. I certainly hope you have lots of great adventures with it.

It's perfectly normal to be apprehensive when you get a new camper, a new vehicle, a new house, even a new dog. But, a year from now you'll wonder why you had so many uncertainties. As stated above, take every opportunity possible to use your camper before taking your first extensive trip.

And oh.... by the way .... your first "extensive" trip just might be your own driveway! That's OK. The next "extensive" trip may be 10 miles up the road at the closest RV park or state park. That's OK. You will find, the more you use your camper the greater the distance that word "extensive" becomes.

Someday, you'll be taking a 2000 miles, one way trip, and think to yourself .... wouldn't it be nice if we could go even farther?

Contrats! and Welcome!

[cougar23]

Welcome from middle TN. Do not worry if it takes you a little longer to back into a parking spot 90% of people out there can't do any better until they have had practice.
You could always go to a school parking lot on weekend and practice backing up into a spot. Take wife with you, she will be outside navigator.
When making sharp turns remember to swing wide, trailer will turn closer than truck.

[mboge]

Thanks for all the great feedback!

So, yeah it's the 6.4 gas and will be getting a WD hitch with sway control from the dealer. Funny side note: My uncle is a lifetime RVer and DIY genius... and when I told him that, his head almost exploded! I'm sure I could have procured one myself at half the cost... but being a first-timer, I didn't really want to take on too much on day-one.

[Gkri]

Welcome from another, albeit slightly smaller, Passport owner. We have a 300-ft driveway and early on provided the neighbors with much entertainment when backing in. Now we do it in one go but it took a little practice. I use google maps satellite view to scout out gas stations along our route and pick one with pumps facing the right direction for easy in/out with a trailer. I also carry a 5-gallon DOT approved metal gas can when it looks like easy access stations will be beyond the reach of a full tank. Good luck and happy/safe travels.

[notanlines]

Yep, what they all ^^^^said! Especially Danny's comment about the mattress. You won’t be able to give it away in downtown Seattle.

[sourdough]

Originally Posted by mboge

Thanks for all the great feedback!

So, yeah it's the 6.4 gas and will be getting a WD hitch with sway control from the dealer. Funny side note: My uncle is a lifetime RVer and DIY genius... and when I told him that, his head almost exploded! I'm sure I could have procured one myself at half the cost... but being a first-timer, I didn't really want to take on too much on day-one.

What axle ratio is your truck? 4.10 is best, 3.73 is "acceptable" and nothing lower. I didn't look it up but I think in a 2500 the 3.73 is the lowest (highest) ratio. KNOW what the dealer is providing as a wdh. There are lots of options out there and they are NOT all the same - make them give you a good one.

[spicercars]

Welcome from northern Mn.

[German Shepherd Guy]

Nice rig. Similar to my Premium and the double slides make it very livable.


PDI, take your time, do it slow and right. RVs are not like cars and come pre- installed with problems. They all have them, so catch as many as you can before it leaves the dealers lot. What problems you will find after you get it home (and there will be) this list is a great resource for help. I live very rural so took my trailer first time out onto the various county road intersections and practiced backing through them, going left, right, turn-arounds, ect. Small church about twenty miles away was especially useful as I could practice backing up next to a building. As Danny suggested make your first camp close, get used to all the things you'll need to do, like order of things while unhitching, hitching, getting ready to leave camp and so on. Biggy, do not just open the black tank when set up and think you are fine now, Keep the stuff in the tank until it needs to be emptied and then open, dump, and re-close. If you just open the valve after hooking up in camp you will make the dreaded "poop pyramid!"
Get yourself an EMS, not just a surge protector, for when you hook into strange electric at the various campgrounds. Others are better able to explain, and hopefully will.
Again welcome from Colorado.

[mboge]

Originally Posted by sourdough

What axle ratio is your truck? 4.10 is best, 3.73 is "acceptable" and nothing lower. I didn't look it up but I think in a 2500 the 3.73 is the lowest (highest) ratio. KNOW what the dealer is providing as a wdh. There are lots of options out there and they are NOT all the same - make them give you a good one.

4.10 axle ratio. My truck also has something called "Trailer Sway Damping" that supposedly recognizes trailer sway and attempts to correct it by applying the brakes in a specific way to counter the sway. I'm not sure how well that works or not, though.

[jxnbbl]

Although it's been stated a few times....live in that thing for a week in your own driveway...slides in/out...go through leveling it even if virtual and every day hitch/unhitch the thing with your wife helping you/observing.

Our first trip with a similar size rig/truck we got the trailer, did some test runs towing it and opened it up in the driveway to get familiar with it. During that first trip we found that it would have been better to develop a 'check list' of steps and have my wife double check that everything is done or literally go through the checklist and ensure each step was performed. The first trip was from NH to AL and a bunch of little items did go wrong and in retrospect it would have been better to do that

[jxnbbl]

One other item, if this did not come with it. The most valuable accessory we have (imo) is the rear camera with microphone. It has never failed us especially when backing it into tight spots and working as a team...or backing up a 1/4 mile dead end road without a turnaround!

[wiredgeorge]

I have a very steep downhill parking spot and almost 90 degree turn from a very narrow road. My secret of backing in is that I have no neighbors close enough to see me and never let my missus in the area when backing. I have a rear camera but found it doesn't help in this situation and I always stop, apply the parking brake on my truck and get out and see if I have a chance of getting pulled in straight into my parking spot. Folks told me that with practice, I would get better but they lied. Not having witnesses helps.

[sourdough]

Originally Posted by mboge

4.10 axle ratio. My truck also has something called "Trailer Sway Damping" that supposedly recognizes trailer sway and attempts to correct it by applying the brakes in a specific way to counter the sway. I'm not sure how well that works or not, though.

6.4, 4.10 and the 8 speed will do well with your trailer. The truck's trailer sway damping might help a little bit if you were about to enter a catastrophic sway event but in reality it really doesn't keep things from swaying....just from getting out of control...maybe.

Get and use the wdh/sway control (a good one). Yes, a 2500 is considered a HD truck but it still cannot control a trailer that weighs half again what the truck does. I towed my RV a couple of times without the sway control taking it to the dealer (60 miles) and you definitely know you forgot the sway control. Worse yet, that was just driving down the highway and normal traffic. If things had gotten into a full blown wag the dog situation the truck could not have stopped it.

[jsb5717]

Congrats on the new rig. It looks like a nice couple’s set up. Before I retired I spent a lot of time at the dining table when on the road. It worked just fine…I just had to clean it all up for dinner if we were eating inside.

Another important consideration for working on the road is your internet connection. Sounds like you are good at overkill research (a kindred spirit) so do some of that on RV internet. You’ll find a plethora of options with a huge range of costs.

If you stay in parks near cities then the potential of a decent cell signal increases. We’ve done fairly well with a Visible phone and a wireless router. But Visible (on Verizon network) doesn’t always have good signal. We also have a TMobile hotspot as a backup. Chasing good cell connectivity is definitely a hit and miss proposition but is a reasonably priced place to start. There are lots of different cell options and many expensive boosting options.

[Bliss53]

We just got the same 2024 2870 RL a few weeks ago. I got it up into my steep and short driveway with a bit of jockeying. Most of the tail is out over the lawn. Pilling mine with a 2023 Toyota Tundra, seems to pull just fine. Added a 3 inch foam mattress on top of the stock mattress. Changed out the tv and added a bedroom tv. Booked a ton of long weekend trips and a week-long trip with the grand kids. Waiting for it to warm up a bit in New Hampshire.

[Robert Campbell]

Congratulations!!!! I agree with the THOROUGH walk. Check ALL electronics and outlets to make sure they function properly. Light the stove and oven. If there are outside outlets and hookups for a TV, make sure to plug in the TV to be sure you have antenna reception. I speak from experience. I would also ask them to hook up water to check the plumbing and dump tanks. Safe travels to you and your partner.

[Mikelff]

Originally Posted by mboge

Well... after a lot of thought and consideration, we just pulled the trigger on a 2024 2870RL! And as a first timer, my emotions are a combination of happiness and excitement... followed by nervousness and fear! LOL

My wife and I are empty-nesters and we've been talking a lot about traveling and seeing the country. Since I'm still working, it makes it hard to take enough time off to visit the places on our bucket list AND not feel like we are always rushing to get back. Because I can work remotely, we thought that with a suitable rig, we could spend more time on the road traveling and I could work remotely.

So, we needed something that we could comfortably spend 2-3 weeks at a time in AND had a good spot where I could set up a laptop and work all day without feeling like I'm in the way or my wife feeling like she's disturbing me every time she moves around.

I know there are big rigs that offer multiple rooms or dedicated offices, but we had a budget to work within and this being the first time towing something bigger than a UHaul, we decided to settle on something in the 30' ballpark. I did a lot of research on things like travel trailer vs. fifth-wheel, used vs. new, rear-kitchen vs front-kitchen vs mid-kitchen, dinette vs table & chairs, etc, etc, etc... (if there is a point where you can do too much research, I think I blew right past it!).

We looked at hundreds (thousands?) of videos on YouTube; went to RV shows; visited dealers... and when we entered the 2870RL, it seemed like it checked all the boxes. (Well, most of them... my wife really wanted a king bed, but she kind of fell in love with this one when she walked in the front door - so that was that.) The table and chairs will make a great workstation for me, and the opposing living room slides makes this thing feel huge inside! No worry about crawling all over each other.

It's a little longer than our target (it's 33') and that makes me even more nervous... will I even be able to back this thing into my driveway? When I have to stop and get gas... am I going to get trapped? Is a strong gust going to blow me off the road? We have a RAM 2500, so I don't think I need to worry about the towing part... but the parking! It's been haunting me. Oh well, I'm sure I won't be the first person to look like an idiot taking 30 minutes to back into a spot that it takes veterans 5 minutes.

Looking forward to asking a lot of questions here... I apologize in advance!

Congrats on the new unit! All of the previous posts are great info. Your walk through should catch obvious issues. Turn on EVERYTHING to make sure it works and you know how to use it. Practice backing, turning, and communications with your spotter in a nice big parking lot. Watch for “tail swing” when turning. Turn wide and then sharp and use your mirrors to watch clearances. LOOK UP when you are going through trees, or low bridges. Know your clearance hight when hooked up. The check list mentioned is a great idea. You will catch yourself making mistakes or forgetting something and correct it before something happens. It’s easy to be distracted and miss something. You will find what you thought is a big space, shrinks the longer you are in it. Be sure to write down all the warranty fixes needed as you find them during and after your PDI. This forum is loaded with tips and fixes and you will likely find what you need right here. Happy trails!

[ACJCF2]

Congratulations on your new camper. One of my camping friends (a retired trucker) told me when backing to remember "GOAL", Get Out And Look. It helps.

Happy camping!

Jim