Twins!!!

[cruisegrandma]

So the first of our twins was delivered last Monday. It's a Ford F150 Ecoboost. Beautiful. Drove it to VA (from PA) this past weekend. Not particularly a truck fan, I love it. What a nice ride. Our second twin will be delivered tomorrow. It's a Passport Elite 23RB. We are so excited and look for so many happily retired years together. Maggie Mae and Duffy Dog will be tagging along for the ride.

I have been reading the forums for the past few weeks. Very interesting and have learned a lot. I have a few questions though. First, what does DW mean when referring to what I think is a spouse or child. I see that frequently. Secondly, are there any other RV abbreviations I should know about? Third and last for now, what is the one thing everyone forgets on their first camping trip? I have a stock pile of stuff, but I know there is something missing for sure. The way I see it, every thing comes behind TP (toilet paper).

One last thing, I have one friend, but if anyone else out there with a 23RB would like to be friends, I would appreciate it. That way, we can ask model specific questions of each other. Thanks all, ~~~dee

[BirchyBoy]

Welcome Dee!

I was looking at the F150 Ecoboost trucks on the website last night. They sure do look good and have a great tow/cargo capacity. The 23RB is a great camper as well. Enjoy both!

I think that DW is "dear wife" and DH is "dear husband".

The one thing that I forgot on my first trip was to take time and relax during the camp setup. If you're new, you'll learn as you go and it is easy to get very stressed about the small things. Take your time and have fun.

[GaryWT]

Congrats and good luck. Tes, DW is dear wife unless used in a negative way, could be darn wife...

There is a topic on abbreviations, not sure where it is though.

Ketchup is what we tend to forget on our first trip of the year and if not ketchup, mustard.

[KanTC]

:wlcm: to the forum Dee (& hubby), and congrats on the purchase of your truck & trailer!
Here's a list of the more common forum abbreviations
http://keystonerv.org/forums/showthread.php?t=449

And here's a "New Owner Checklist" which might be helpful
http://keystonerv.org/forums/showthread.php?t=9915

Glad to have you join us... if you have questions *just ask* ;)
Terri, the Chevy co-pilot :)

[slow]

Glad to hear you are over the decision phase and now anxiously awaiting the second of the twins.

I second BirchyBoy's recommendation about just relaxing and enjoying the experience. After a year, I can still get caught up in the minor nuisances associated with owning a new TV and TT.

What hitch system are you planning on using?

BTW: Be sure to report back on how the F150 EB does with the 23RB.

And do not forget your credit card on the first trip. There is always something you will decide you need.

[sourdough]

Before you do a lot of camping that includes backing into tight/blind spots, go over how you are going to communicate when trying to get the trailer wherever it is you want it to go. When we first started it was impossible for me to understand what DW was trying to motion to me with her arms. What should have been some pretty easy parking situations turned into some pretty stressful times. We know have that down but be sure you have talked about it. What signal do you use for stop? If you use a backup camera, know where it is and how to motion so the driver can see in the camera etc. etc. We use cell phones from time to time but even that can be confusing when someone is at the back/front of the vehicle telling you "left or right".

Congratulations on the twins and hope you have a blast.....we sure have.

[cruisegrandma]

Thanks everyone for your response. For our first trip, we are going to go to a state park nearby. I was thinking of putting out a tip jar because I know our first back in will be quite the show. Thanks for the tip on the communication/hand signals. That is a great tip.

Catsup... check.
Mustard... check.
New owners check list... check
Credit card... double check
Relax and enjoy... triple check.
Practice hand signals... check.

The TV has the max tow package and the equalizing bars are on the hitch.

I'll report back on the twins after we (DH and me lol) get our act together.

[notanlines]

Grandma, believe me, all of us out here want the very best for the two of you. The great thing about this is after about five outings you'll lay your head on the pillow and the next thing that pops up is a vision of an Outback 325 hooked to a new F-350 dually, that smell of diesel fuel on the soles of your boots from the pump......just telling you how it really is! :wlcm:

[BirchyBoy]

Grandma, believe me, all of us out here want the very best for the two of you. The great thing about this is after about five outings you'll lay your head on the pillow and the next thing that pops up is a vision of an Outback 325 hooked to a new F-350 dually, that smell of diesel fuel on the soles of your boots from the pump......just telling you how it really is! :wlcm:

Or, she'll realize how bad the bed is and start looking for another mattress :)

[michael_h]

I love my F150 Ecoboost, word of wisdom though, if you didn't purchase the Max Tow version or have tow mirrors installed, for towing you should consider a set of these mirror extenders

http://www.etrailer.com/tm-2011_Ford_F-150.htm

[KimNTerry]

Or, she'll realize how bad the bed is and start looking for another mattress :)

First trip for us. New mattress by the second trip and worth every penny.

[sourdough]

New mattress? In a new trailer with a new mattress??:eek:

I told my wife I'm keeping this new mattress in my new trailer until it either has dents in it or it has me so crippled I can't walk:(:banghead: I think we're pretty close to the crippled part so I see a new one on our horizon as well."bouncey:

[notanlines]

Sourdough, that got a pretty good laugh in our house! Sometimes it is better to just "eat those words" and get on with life. About the fourth night on a good mattress makes that memory of the $1000 kind of disappear. We also have a small 16 foot enclosed trailer that we camp out of at some rallies and have 30" x 80" mattresses on each side of the trailer. We had them built too firm and could barely spend a night without complaining. We bought a queen size egg crate topper and split it in the middle, putting half on each mattress and it worked wonders. I have never been a fan of the toppers but in this case it saved our investment of those two mattresses.

[cruisegrandma]

Michael~~~ We looked at those mirrors, but they don't fit on the 2015 Ecoboost.

Also, we're not getting a new mattress just yet, but I did get a pillow top for the hard as nails mattress that came with the camper and it helped a lot. Got if for the third night after two restless nights. It helped a lot. If that becomes unbearable, a new mattress it is.

[bsmith0404]

It's been a long time since our first outing, but I seem to remember putting some burgers on the grill and then wondering what I was going to use to flip them.........It's always the little things.

[B-O-B'03]

It's been a long time since our first outing, but I seem to remember putting some burgers on the grill and then wondering what I was going to use to flip them.........It's always the little things.

LOL, that is funny.

We bought a memory foam topper for our mattress, before the first trip, based on a few threads I had read, so we have never slept on just the mattress.

Congrats on the new trailer and truck, I look forward to hearing how the eco does towing.

We have done two trips in ours, so far, with a total mileage of around 4000 and the 5.0 F150 handles the 22RBPR quite well.

-Brian

[KimNTerry]

re: mattresses
1st trip was awful (sleeping anyways), Mattress was waaay to flimsy
before 2nd trip bought a memory foam topper and tried in the drive way. Still no good. DW knew she would not get decent sleep, so we bought a regular queen mattress from the local mattress store, actually one of the least expensive models on the floor, tested in the store on a plywood platform and DW was happy with it, so we ordered one. It arrived the night before our second outing and the sleeping was great. It is nice for me to have the full 80" length as I am 6'2" and the shorter RV mattress left me scrunching up.

The RV mattress that came with our cougar was utter crap. Good riddance.

[cruisegrandma]

So some asked for a report back on the twins. My hubby did all of the driving and in his words, "It was a dream." Like I have said before, I'm not a truck person, but this is a pretty nice vehicle. Very comfortable and not as bumpy as I had remembered. As the passenger, I rarely realized we were towing anything. Gas was not as good as we had hoped. at one point 11 mpg, but I think it averaged out to about 15, so we are satisfied. We didn't go too far from home and there was a lot of stop and go. When I took just the truck to VA a few weeks ago, I got 20-21 mpg. All in all, very happy with the twins and they look beautiful together. Which brings up another question, I add their picture to my signature, but it doesn't appear. What am I doing wrong? I'll try to put it in this message... Tried, can't.

[mom2budnbug]

Congratulations on your twins:) and welcome to the forum