NewB

[JoMo]

Good morning,
Bought a Winnebago ERA 70M 2019. Retired couple with lots to learn. My wife is Monica and I am John.
Hope to hear from you.

[mkguitar]

Congrats


don't know your experience


we were totally green when we bought our van


the manuals, youtube and other forum members got us going


most valuable was "practice camping" in the driveway to learn how all the systems work- access to tools, internet and no time crunch allowed us to figure out the van on our terms


figure out where all your circuit breakers are- there may be a 12 volt DC panel with breakers or fuses for the coach lights, stereo, detectors and controls for fridge furnace etc


and 120 volt AC breakers for the microwave, airconditioning and outlets etc. you may find that a GFCI outlet in the head or near the galley controls multiple outlets- easiest to discover all this when at home


a new part-time job is managing energy use


our van uses propane, 12 volt dc and 120 volt ac




we do a few multi night or week trips each year and often a month long or more trip to get away from the AZ heat in the summer


we do some $$ full service campgrounds, some remote or no service campgrounds or boondocking and some overnights at a walmart when passing through an area



we can do about 6 days at a time with energy, water, tank dump- so we plan on same interval for laundry and groceries


It's a fun, independent way to travel


mike

[JoMo]

Originally Posted by mkguitar

Congrats


don't know your experience


we were totally green when we bought our van


the manuals, youtube and other forum members got us going


most valuable was "practice camping" in the driveway to learn how all the systems work- access to tools, internet and no time crunch allowed us to figure out the van on our terms


figure out where all your circuit breakers are- there may be a 12 volt DC panel with breakers or fuses for the coach lights, stereo, detectors and controls for fridge furnace etc


and 120 volt AC breakers for the microwave, airconditioning and outlets etc. you may find that a GFCI outlet in the head or near the galley controls multiple outlets- easiest to discover all this when at home


a new part-time job is managing energy use


our van uses propane, 12 volt dc and 120 volt ac




we do a few multi night or week trips each year and often a month long or more trip to get away from the AZ heat in the summer


we do some $$ full service campgrounds, some remote or no service campgrounds or boondocking and some overnights at a walmart when passing through an area



we can do about 6 days at a time with energy, water, tank dump- so we plan on same interval for laundry and groceries


It's a fun, independent way to travel


mike

Hi Mike. Stocking for a class B is a challenge. I keep going through systems operations. I have 2 AMD coach batteries and 200watts solar. Propane and diesel generator. Getting the steps of operation and combination of our power in sync is my priority. We hope to eventually boondock.

[mkguitar]

my 2006 Pleasure Way is "old tech"


using propane, 12 volt DC, 120 volt shore power and a genny ( which has never been used camping!)


we try to "go where the weather suits our clothes" so not much use of heat or ac needed- we try to park in the shade



the only 120vac devices are the AC and microwave, neither is essential
-we also have a small 375/750 space heater to use on shore power as the propane furnace sounds like a jet taking off ( the hot water heater if left on warms my side of the bed from underneath)
shore power also supplies power for the coach and will recharge the battery if needed



when boondocking energy management is a game- we have only a single battery and a small solar panel- max 1 amp on a 20' wire which i kick to follow the sun through the day - that 1 amp is a little more than my fridge consumes for controls and fans while propane does the work of making heat to make fridge cold and the panel extends our stays by a day or 2



all the lighting is changed to low current LEDS, the tv is 12 volt native, we use no inverters



propane also does for hot water & cooking- we carry a butane cassette feu so we can cook outdoors too- like fish n smelly stuff


we have an outdoor shower and use that for fish, dog, muddy boots and to shower when in the middle of nowhere- we don't use the interior shower and it makes our van damp musty


we keep loading stuff into the van- than after a trip taking it away if unused- our van came with 2 table tops and masts- stored at home, we don't use them, we use trays or a campground picnic table- one of those stored where the little solar pane now lives. our aisle shower pan and curtain and stored at home
the armoire was wasted space and now have sliding baskets for pots and pans and a couple of shelves all the galley and drygoods store there


you do need gloves n stuff for the tank dump- last summer i was dumping at a state park in oregon ( free whether camping or not) and a family in a rental was trying to figure it out- WITHOUT GLOVES!
i gave them gloves and some free advice


I carry a spare tire, can of fix a flat, common tools ( it's a chev, can be fixed anywhere by anyone with parts from NAPA) in addition to the 30amp cable with 15 and 50 amp adapters, cable tv wire, lead free water hose, and the dump stuff


we also have window covers cut from that silvery bubbly type material at home depot "Reflectix" - pieces cut a little larger that the side door windows are held in place by the closed doors, & pieces cut to fit the windshield ( suction cups and hooks) and rear doors- when driving these are on the floor between the seats helping to slow the heat from the motor and tranny, the dog bed on top of them


we carry leveling blocks and I use an iphone app to determine level
use another app ( tvtowers) to aim the tv antenna
gasbuddy to find fuel ( usually a costco)
my road service is road america




mike

[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by JoMo

Good morning,
Bought a Winnebago ERA 70M 2019. Retired couple with lots to learn. My wife is Monica and I am John.
Hope to hear from you.

Welcome to the forum!

You have a nice rig there. There will be bumps in the road (we certainly had our system issues, especially on early trips), but the good times make those problems fade in comparison.

Enjoy, and safe travels!

[KYRuss]

Good luck. We bought a new 2017 Era 70A 4.5 years ago. It's been a love/hate relationship. We love RVing and the look and drivability of our unit. We hate the poor quality of Winnebago and have had several problems and issues big and small. Keep a tool kit in the unit, duct tape, and extra door/drawer/cabinet latches. We order them in bulk from Amazon as they are flimsy cheap plastic crap that snap often.

[habsfan59]

Good day JoMo, we have a Roadtrek Ranger (2014) and love the Class B Camping Style (More travelling than Camping...!). Lots of excellent comments above. I would encourage you to purchase (even a cheap one, on Amazon, Harbor Freight, or similar places) multimeter. Try to learn how to use it before leaving. Over the year, too many times I see RVer having difficulties with their "Electricity" (Be the 12 VDC or 120VAC). Using a multimeter will definitely come handy when unsure how "electrical things" works...! That is one of the tool that never leave my RV (Ok I have a background in Electronics/Electric...Not fair...!).

[KWar]

Good Evening,

So happy to run across this forum. There seems to be some very knowledgeable people on here.
The want list I have is maybe not possible, but hopefully someone on here can lead me in the right direction.
Would like a Class B with 4 separate captains seats, rear twin beds and a rear bath. Hopefully 4x4.
Thanks for any insight you can provide. Not looking for new , preferably less than 100,000 miles not really familiar with cost yet so will have to research that.

[NAZCamperVan]

KWar, I'm not sure you'll find a Campervan with 4 seats AND rear twinbeds AND rear bath. Maybe 2 out of 3? Leisure Travel Vans made a Free Spirit SS with rear bath, and Free Spirit TE with 4 seats. https://leisurevans.com/past-models/