05/19/12

It teaches you how you will really use an RV; whether you will spend more time traveling or sitting in a campground.

This is the vehicle that lets you discover where you can go and what you can do. You learn how many days per year you will use your RV and the number of miles you will travel in a year's time.

It teaches you about driving, backing and leveling; how the size and weight of your rig affects road handling, and how it determines what roads you can travel and where you can camp.

Your training rig teaches you how the electric, plumbing and propane systems work; how to hook up the utilities at a campground and how to dump your holding tanks. You learn how to use the self-containment features and the self-containment capacities you really need.

It helps you discover whether you prefer the convenience of full-service RV parks or drycamping in primitive campgrounds.

Your training rig teaches you how to equip, furnish and pack an RV. You learn just how much interior storage space (closets, cabinets, drawers) you really need (is there ever enough?). It reveals how critical the size and accessibility of the outside storage bays can be and the importance of cargo-carrying capacity and towing capabilities.

It helps you determine what floorplan, features and accessories would best suit your RVing lifestyle and needs. Your first RV becomes your basis of comparison when you look for your next RV.

And if you come to the conclusion that you enjoy RVing, there will most certainly be a next RV.