I've Got a New Baby

I have been searching for a good camper for over a year now. I can find ones that have features I want that were just out of my budget or if I could afford them, they seemed to be missing something I really wanted. Patience paid off and I found what I was looking for at Crestview RV in Buda, TX. I am now the proud owner of a 2017 Starcraft Launch Ultra Lite 21FBS!

I had worked with Justin Boyd (and Travis) off and on over the last several months and this unit popped up on their website recently and I jumped on it. A little haggling over financing and I took a trip last Sunday to take a look at it in person with my Mom, Daddy and brother in tow. I LIKED IT!  They still needed to look over everything and test all the systems before I could sign for it. Thanks for all your patience, Justin!

Everything worked out and I planned to drive down on Friday and do a walk-through and stay the night in their campground so I could thoroughly check everything out. I'm so excited!

While I was in with Finance and signing my life away (I may have signed over my first-born too), they took my truck and installed the trailer brake. I got a weight-distributing hitch and they installed it as well. The technician walked me through every system and feature on the rig and how to hitch it up.

My good friend, Robert, came with me to serve as my SME since he's got a camper of his own. He gave me as many tips as the tech did and pointed out lots of things for me to pay attention to. After dealing with the camper, we went to eat and then headed over to Willie's Joint to celebrate. The breeze was wonderful and help cut through some of the humidity. It was Karaoke Night and some of the singers were really good. Some just thought they were. 😉  We had breakfast at Chavelo's Mexican Restaurant, which was recommended by my salesman. Good suggestion!

We got back to the camper and Robert had ME go through all the steps of shutting up the camper and hitching it up for the ride home. Thankfully, he drove most of the way back since I was a little nervous about it. I haven't towed anything of this size in a long while. It tows nicely with my Chevy Colorado and is well within the specs of the towing capacity of my truck with only a GVWR of 4900 lbs. I think the brake is set just right and isn't jerky. I drove it once we got into Burleson County so I could get a feel of it in familiar territory. Got home and parked it and went through all the un-hitching steps.

I loaded some more items in the camper today and introduced Dixie to it. I think she likes it and is ready to go on new adventures in it. She'll be a good travel companion. Now I've started making lists of things for the camper.

NEED:
Mirror extensions for the truck
Wheel chocks
Leveling blocks.....

WANT:
Water filter for hose
Hooks/rack for bathroom
Memory foam mattress topper....

💡 So...for those of you that are seasoned RV campers, please leave your tips, tricks and suggested items to have (or not to have) in the comments below.

Adventure awaits!