like a kid with a new toy

DH and I have talked for a couple of years about someday getting a small RV to travel in.  We haven't been in a hurry to get anything becasue he wanted to get some other things payed off first.  We did have an idea of what we wanted though so we started to keep our eyes open. The opportunity arose Friday when an officer DH works with told him he was selling his RV because they bought a lake cottage.  We went to look at it yesterday and didn't think twice about buying it.   It is a 2002 Winnebago Rialta with just under 20,000 miles on it and it is like new condition.  He got a VERY good deal on it when he bought it 2 years ago and passed some of the savings onto us.  We got it for well under the appraised valu.  The great thing about it is that it gets 16 mpg. We are so excited about getting it loaded up and going for our first trip.  It has 4 captain chairs, and can sleep 4.  There is a toilet,vanity,shower,stove,microwave,kit sink,frige and TV with VCR and DVD built in. We can run it off electric or the on board generator.  The last owner also had an awning attched to the side. It is so neet.  I wish I could take it to the campout next week.  I need advise from you vetran campers as to what kind of things are good to keep on board.  I don't want to load it up with a bunch of stuff we won't use.  What accessoires do you all find you need. Storage is at a premium. I've attached some pic on my profile.

Congrats,  have lots of fun. 

Jan, Being newbies too, here's a few things we learned to have on board: disposable gloves (to empty the holding tanks) duck tape (No, I'm NOT kidding!) Water pressure regulator Water hose repair (our broke in KY with no camp store nearby) basic tools jumper cables 3' Step ladder (can usually store under bed) electrical adapter for amp (15/30, 30/50) spare bulbs fly swatter toilet sanitizers (break down waste & tp) fresh water tabs RV TP or TP that can dissolve readily in water (I would get this at Wal-Mart, NOT an RV store or you'll pay twice the $..in fact, check at Wal-mart for all of this stuff first) I would also recommend storage containers to put all that stuff in. I was sitting at the table for one of our early on trips and Bill went to get a tool down from the cabinet above me and knocked a wrench down. It landed on my wrist...I thought it broke it! The following weekend, we were organized! I had gotten 4 extra ones too. One for Bill's meds, etc. One for my meds, etc. One for our movies. One for Amusement Park needs (crystal light, wet ones, etc). I n the basement: Spare clean water hose lawn chairs/table awning lights Small appliances: Toaster & perk coffee pot (don't have to worry about the glass breaking!) Kitchen: 1 skillet, 1 pan, 2 microwave bowls, a pizza pan (doubles as a skillet lid), containers with screw-on lids for left overs that will fit on fridge shelves, 1 can opener/bottle opener, plastic dishes, silverware Other: Besides food, I also got a 3 gal container at Wal-Mart and fill it and 2 one gal containers with water for 3 day trips. I use the water hood up at the camp sites for dishes, cooking, potty...but for taste, I prefer my water from home. Those 5 gal are enough to keep us in drinking water with some to spare. We bring 3.5 gal more for week-long trips. Don't be afraid to use all the space you were given. We had forgotten all about all the glorius space under the bed for awhile. Trust me, we use it now! Sherri ps..how long is she?

Oh yeah, I forgot! A pen & paper to write down all those 'I wish I had'!

"she" is just 22 ft.  There is no storage under seats where the table is.  One has the water tank and LPgas under it the othe has the water heater and generator under it.  There is storage under the rear two captain chairs. I got two plastic containers to slide under them and act like drawers in stead of just digging around.  There are 4 overheads and one small cubbie beside the sink.refridge. There is a compartment on the back. That is where we get to the power cord and the jack is stored as well as a few other things..  Other the closet that is all. I think we are going to order a StowAway2. The previous owner had one that he hooked into the reciever inthe back for extra storage. What do you do with the water pressure gauge?   We have so much to learn about all this stuff.  I tried to call you a couple of times this weekend while you were up this way. I didn't leave a message becasue I didn't know when I'd be available.  Hope you had a good time.  Guess if you were still there thismorning you got rained out.  When going south on I 69 you were just 1 mile from my house you could have stopped for a visit.  We are just a mile west of 69 on US 6 (Waterloo/Kendalville exit.)  We did get a few things today. Small toaster/Small Mr. Coffee ( I wraped towels around it for storage) I need to get a few more things (bedding and towels) and we can be off.  I guess the best way to learn is to just do it.!