Hello from Southwest Florida.

Cfkingfish

Hey everyone, my name is Christian, and a few weeks ago I made the decision to make the T@B CSS my primary residence. I travel a lot throughout Florida for work, and my main client offered to pay me to park my trailer on his farm in Miami so I could reduce my expenses to him. I call the Sarasota/Fort Myers area home, but I don't have much of a desire to own or rent a house anymore. On a business trip to the north side of Lake Ponchartrain, I found a great deal on a 17 model in Mississippi and towed it home with my cargo. This is my first time being an RVer, I have never owned one before but I love it so far. I do have a little advantage in that I can basically be outdoors year round down here, but the heat is pretty rough and I bought the full tent from Pahaque. I tow with a 2018 Honda Ridgeline AWD which has been a great ride so far, at 60mph I can get almost 16mpg on our flat roads. I still haven't figured out how to get the 120V outlets working or the hot water, I have been so busy I have barely looked at the manual! My plan is to be in Miami 7-10 days a month, plugged into my sister's for 7-10 days, and the rest I spend at a house with my girlfriend. So far, sleeping two in the rig hasn't been too bad, it is well insulated from noise but not her snoring! 

I came here to share my experiences as well as learn some about basic RVing so I can have the best experience possible. This seems to be a great group of people! 

Sharon_is_SAM

Welcome Cfkingfish!  Hopefully you have a surge protector for your 30 amp line.  Try resetting the GFCI on the outlet next to the fuse panel.  The A/C is on it's own 120 circuit - does that work? 

Assume you are hooked up to water via the city water connection.  Have you turned on the Alde panel yet:)  First step to getting hot water.  If you are only using AC to heat, put the electric bolt on 2 (faster warm up) and the shower on 2 (the "boost" - the glycol pump stops and the time to get hotter water is prolonged ).  Fill the Alde hot water tank by opening the hot water tap/taps - that draws water into the Alde water tank.  When you open your hot tap to fill the tank you may have a lot of spitting to clear the air.  Wait 15 minutes - should be warm by now, wait longer for hot.  Let us know how it works.  Are you heating the cabin?  

Roamey

, l hope your GF doesn't read this!  Otherwise she has a really good soul. 

Ratkity

Welcome!!

2Cougs

Welcome!  Sounds like you just need to start turning things on and seeing how they work.  We were at the same spot last year this time.  The learning curve gets better the more you use it.  Seemed to learn something each time we took it out. 

And you are right... this is a GREAT group of people!

Cfkingfish

Thanks everyone, yes obviously I am a complete noob with RVs, and today I messed around with interior stuff because its basically the first day I could plug in and not travel/work. The 120V outlets just needed reset, and I don't have my water hose from Amazon yet (I use one that exists at my work in Miami). 

I set up Chromecast on the inside TV, can't get sound but I'll figure it out. I don't need to heat the cabin but for 2-3 days a year, so if the AC can blow hot air I'll just use that. The AC works well but if I had the option I would have gotten a stronger unit - it's basically essential here 7 months out of the year with the humidity. 

My other problem is storage - I have been using the "trunk" in the Ridgeline for storage, I am trying to find the best box to bolt/weld onto the trailer frame. I am sure I can browse the forums to find options, I hope I can make a meetup or two in the future!

My girlfriend knows she's a terrible snorer, we are very candid with one another.  

Homebodyatheart

Welcome @Cfkingfish! Trial and error is a wonderful teacher! This forum, the categories on the side bar, the amazing people you get to "know" are invaluable resources! About the side tent and your heat, some have posted that they open their trailer window on the door side, turn on the AC, and some use a fan to move the cold air to the tent. They say it works well. Good luck on your new journey!

dragonsdofly

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on your t@b! We were complete newbies last year when our t@b adventures began. Nearly 20,000 miles and 30+ states later we no longer fit into that category, but it was fun getting to our level of ability and the ease of our current travels. I am confident you'll manage with flying colors and have fun while accomplishing your goals. Happy t@bbing!

ericnliz

@Cfkingfish, Welcome aboard! Your experience with your new T@B will come with time. The very best teacher is using everything, and not be afraid of making mistakes. We all ( at some level of experience, or lack thereof) started out just as you are. The storage aspect comes with time & figuring out what works for you, and your needs. There are some great modifications that folks have done & shared here, but just remember that not all will fit the bill for your particular needs, or wants. Don't be afraid to ask questions, or use the search box when in doubt. You came to the right place for advise, help, and just plain ol' good camaraderie! Enjoy, have fun & happy camping!

SweetlyHome

Welcome to the forum. We are Southeast Florida T@bers, Jupiter.  We will keep an eye out for you.  We are looking forward to our first camping weekend of the season in November.

Cfkingfish

@SweetlyHome Thanks, I could most likely make it anywhere in the peninsula for a camping weekend then. Right now I am "test camping" by having it plugged in to my sister's house in Venice and have been living out of it for the past two days. I have set up Chromecast for the TV, making full use of the clamshell for storage, and been successfully stealth camping here in the driveway (even plugged in!) I have found that using stuff definitely is the best way to learn, my next challenge is finding the best storage solution for the trailer frame. 

dsatwork

@Cfkingfish Several of us have used this a lund box available through home depot. http://tab-rv.vanillaforums.com/discussion/1127/lund-box#latest

SweetlyHome

@Cfkingfish, your mileage with the Ridgeline is notable.  Do you have cap on it?

Freshaire

@SweetlyHome I drive a 2012 Honda Ridgeline and the best mileage I have gotten to date is 14.3 mpg.  I do not have a cap, I use high test gas, keep to 65 or slower when possible.  @Cfkingfish has the 2018 Ridgeline, perhaps that is the difference between our mileages.

Michigan_Mike

Ryobi makes an 18V DC/110V AC operated fan that costs about $40 and is powerful and very convenient.  You will need a couple of batteries and the charger but it would allow you to have a fan for either camping in an RV park or when power isn't available.  Very handy!  

And as others have noted they do make a diamond plate rectangular tool box (for added storage) that you could mount on the front and eliminate the front tub if you are handy with these types of modifications.  

 If your girlfriend snores she is probably a candidate for a sleep study as she probably has sleep apnea. Have her get that checked out as you could easily eliminate the snoring and get a full nights rest! 

Happy Trails!