Hey from VA

[DaveVA]

Hey All! We are newbies from Virginia. We are going to pick up our new Imagine 2020 XLS 21BHE on Saturday. We are looking forward to using it! Any words of wisdom for a couple of rookies would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

[Andi]

Welcome Dave and Adrienne! Congratulations on your new Imagine. You can learn a lot by reading all of the posts on the forum. Don’t be concerned by posts complaining about things, more people come here when they have a problem then to just say “Hey I love my Grand Design and everything’s going great”! We have many people who will help you out if you have questions, so don’t be afraid to ask!

Andi

[Barefootchelle]

Welcome! Don't be afraid to ask questions. We have all been rookies. My first hard lesson was it's a really bad idea to have water hookup but not sewage if you have 3 little kids in the camper.

[DaveVA]

We've taken two trips so far and made a few mistakes but learned from them. I've learned winter camping takes more planning when you have to think about freezing temperatures. First trip I learned to pay attention to surroundings to make sure the awing can extend all the way, lucky for us it was a nice weekend so not an issue there. Second trip we learned always to check to make sure the water works before unhooking trailer, we learned this the hard way. The campground had the water turned off due to freezing temps, but did not let verbally communicate that info. So we got unhooked and tried the water and it wasn't on. So, we had to hook back up and fill up the tanks and then get all set back up again. Probably and hour mistake, but we learned from it. All together its been great so far, ready for warmer weather.

[howson]

We've taken two trips so far and made a few mistakes but learned from them. I've learned winter camping takes more planning when you have to think about freezing temperatures. First trip I learned to pay attention to surroundings to make sure the awing can extend all the way, lucky for us it was a nice weekend so not an issue there. Second trip we learned always to check to make sure the water works before unhooking trailer, we learned this the hard way. The campground had the water turned off due to freezing temps, but did not let verbally communicate that info. So we got unhooked and tried the water and it wasn't on. So, we had to hook back up and fill up the tanks and then get all set back up again. Probably and hour mistake, but we learned from it. All together its been great so far, ready for warmer weather.

The DW and I always check power at a new site before unhooking and starting the setup process, too. Honestly, I haven't had an issue with power at any park but it's an ingrained habit at this point.

Glad you're enjoying your Imagine!

[lobsters]

The DW and I always check power at a new site before unhooking and starting the setup process, too. Honestly, I haven't had an issue with power at any park but it's an ingrained habit at this point.

Glad you're enjoying your Imagine!

This is excellent advice. We've had (seriously) low voltage (< 105V) at two sites during the past year. We moved sites both times. I was able to talk to the electrician at one while he was troubleshooting. He pointed to a distribution panel across the main road of the campground, and said, "the wire is damaged somewhere between here and that panel. We'll have to dig up the road. My response? "Ugh!"

-Al