Laundry List of needs for 1st purchase

My wife and I are looking at purchasing our first ever TT this next winter so we are in the planning stages of what do we need to buy, outfit, adjust, etc...to have a successful launch into TT camping. I drive an 05 Nissan Xterra, it does have a class II hitch with 7 pin electrical but no tow package. 

We really like and use our r-dome! It adds a lot of extra room to pod-camping!

   You will need time to go camping and patience when things do not go as planned. 

We were there with you last year! This forum has a ton of great advice. It also has a lot of OOPS remarks to keep you from making the same mistakes twice. Make sure you take the time to look through everything.
That being said, definitely follow the prior advice of upgrading to class 3, and a trans cooler. Make sure you can tow the weight. Full load of water and gear is not in the weight specs.
A BAL leveler works great and is easiest to use for the price. Flashlights, multi-tool and a folding shovel. The r-dome is awesome, but offers zero protection from the sun! It offers a little shade on its own, but it will become sauna-ish. Still, it's very nice to have and will keep bugs out.
There isn't soap dish for the shower. Command Strips has one for like $5. Check the campground amp usage. You may need a 30 amp to 50 amp extension cord. We also bought an external surge protector. Probably upgrading to an internal hardwired evebntually. Battery has to be disconnected when not in use unless you use a trickle charger. We don't so I bought a disconnect switch so I wouldn't have to keep disconnecting the wires. Made the mistake of connecting them wrong and blew fuses!
KYMooses posted a video for winterizing the pod. Bookmark it and you'lll be doing it in 15min.
Mistakes to avoid!!!! 1. Don't connect the battery wires wrong. 2. When lowering the tongue jack, make sure the truck is not still attached.... 3. Don't forget toilet paper. 4. Drive around for a bit to get used to parking and backing in. 5. If water backs up in the shower, it's time to empty the holding tank. Not just keep showering
Outside of that, have a good first aid kit. Don't skimp here. Shouldn't be more that $40. REI backpacker kit is good. The furnace fan is loud so maybe buy an electric heater (portable).
Have fun!

Originally posted by wingnut2312 We were there with you last year! This forum has a ton of great advice. It also has a lot of OOPS remarks to keep you from making the same mistakes twice. Make sure you take the time to look through everything. That being said, definitely follow the prior advice of upgrading to class 3, and a trans cooler. Make sure you can tow the weight. Full load of water and gear is not in the weight specs. A BAL leveler works great and is easiest to use for the price. Flashlights, multi-tool and a folding shovel. The r-dome is awesome, but offers zero protection from the sun! It offers a little shade on its own, but it will become sauna-ish. Still, it's very nice to have and will keep bugs out. There isn't soap dish for the shower. Command Strips has one for like $5. Check the campground amp usage. You may need a 30 amp to 50 amp extension cord. We also bought an external surge protector. Probably upgrading to an internal hardwired evebntually. Battery has to be disconnected when not in use unless you use a trickle charger. We don't so I bought a disconnect switch so I wouldn't have to keep disconnecting the wires. Made the mistake of connecting them wrong and blew fuses! KYMooses posted a video for winterizing the pod. Bookmark it and you'lll be doing it in 15min. Mistakes to avoid!!!! 1. Don't connect the battery wires wrong. 2. When lowering the tongue jack, make sure the truck is not still attached.... 3. Don't forget toilet paper. 4. Drive around for a bit to get used to parking and backing in. 5. If water backs up in the shower, it's time to empty the holding tank. Not just keep showering Outside of that, have a good first aid kit. Don't skimp here. Shouldn't be more that $40. REI backpacker kit is good. The furnace fan is loud so maybe buy an electric heater (portable). Have fun!