Shake down cruise

Thanks for the suggestions Teton Camper. We have reservations at Colter Bay and also have the bear spray!

Originally posted by Tetoncamper -1 1/8" socket, 6" extension, and ratchet to put in and remove anode rod in water tank.

At least on my Surburban SW6DE the anode is 1-1/16, not 1-1/8.

Originally posted by julieboyles Glad to read that your towing fears were unfounded as I, too, have this concern having never towed anything. I'm almost ready to take the leap of a new 178 as well, towed with an F150. In addition to the price I negotiate (I'm shooting for $18,500 or under), I'm wondering what other expenses will be justified: Sway bar? Do I have to buy a bunch of cables, tubes, hookup things, wheel blocks, that kinda stuff? Can someone tell me approximately what all of that will cost? I'm guessing solar is worth it? Cost? I want the R-dome or an easy-up but will test out the trailer before I make that decision, I think There are a bunch of registration fees, etc, at purchase--any guess what all of that stuff adds up to? I'm kinda into simplicity, so not looking for fancy extras, but am trying to get a realistic price on everything needed and required above the price of the trailer.

Some of these are situation dependent.
Sway bar? Yes. We tow with an Escape. The dealer installed an Equl-I-zer 4-way stabilization hitch. I would not tow without it. However, your F150 likely would not need the same setup. A sway bar is much less expensive, and would be good, especially if you get into a strong cross-wind situation.
Cables, etc? If you have the factory tow package, you may have the connectors needed to easily add an electrical brake controller. If your F150 has the 7-way (round) trailer connector, it will be simple. If it has the 4-way (flat) connector, you will need an additional part. Check out http://www.etrailer.com for more details. As for wheel blocks, you will want chocks and some way to level the trailer unless you are traveling to level sites all the time, That is unlikely, so do check out leveling and chocks. I ordered the BAL 28050 Light Trailer Leveler and the 28020 Single Axle Tire Chock, and am quite pleased with them. I tried the Andersen leveler and the Lynx levelers. The BAL leveler is more work, buit it is easier in the sense that one does not have to go through the gyrations of adjusting blocks, backing or pulling forward, moving off the blocks to adjust again and repeat. You can go cheap and get plastic chocks, but don't! They will shift and make for more shaking when you move around inside the trailer.
Solar? Are you planning on doing a lot of dry camping? If so, it might be worth it. With a pickup, you also would have room for a generator. Solar does not make noise, but some of the inverter generators are very quiet. Some places prohibit operation of them outside of specified hours though. Solar would not have that limitation, but if you get a spell of cloudy weather, you may find them to be inadequate. You can use your tow vehicle (TV) to charge the battery/batteries, but it would be under the same limitations as a generator. Cost is dependent on system manufacturer and system size/capability.
R-Dome? Up to you. I did not want to spend the money. I am in the process of building my awning. When it is done, I will post details in my mods (link below). I already built one for the slide-out. Pictures are there already for that.
Registration fees? Again, that is situation dependent. You will have the appropriate tax, title, and license fees for your state. In NC, I also had the property tax added on.

Hopefully, I've been able to answer some of your concerns.

We just piced up our 182g in Oregon and paid 312.50 in "other" charges like regisstration, title, etc.

Good luck.

Did not know where you were traveling from.  Oregon is a little far from Ohio where we ate getting our 180.    Worth it for us from New York State.  Around $15,000. For the package