The new camper starter guide
The orientation you can keep. Everything we wish we had known when we picked up our Coleman 17B: what to buy and what it costs on your own, how to hitch up, set up, and pack up, and checklists you can print or check off on your phone.
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1. Before you buy
The most expensive mistakes happen before you ever camp: buying a camper your vehicle cannot safely tow, or one with water damage you did not catch. Three free tools help with that:
- Which Coleman should I buy? A 5-question quiz that matches you with the 13B, 13R, 17B, or 17R.
- Camper towing calculator. Checks your vehicle's tow rating and payload against a camper's weight.
- Used camper checklist. What to inspect before you buy, with water damage first.
When you sit down to make the deal, know what is not included. Our 2025 Coleman 17B did not come with a weight distribution hitch or a spare tire. Both are worth asking for or pricing in. If the dealer offers a starter package, read our Camping World package breakdown first. And new does not mean perfect: we had a small leak show up early on ours, so learn how to check for leaks with a moisture meter.
2. Your starter shopping list, with prices
Here is everything a typical dealer starter package bundles, what each item is for, and what it costs to buy on your own. These are ballpark prices for a 30 amp travel trailer like ours, from typical Amazon and Walmart prices in fall 2026. Prices move around, so treat them as a range, not a quote.
The basics
| Item | What it is for | Typical price |
|---|---|---|
| Deep cycle battery (Group 24) and box | Runs the lights, water pump, and furnace fan when you are not plugged in. Check whether your camper came with one. | $120 to $150 |
| Wheel chocks (pair) | Keep the camper from rolling while you unhitch and level. | $15 to $25 |
| 30 amp surge protector | Protects the camper from bad campground power. The one item worth spending more on. | $60 to $130 |
| Drinking water hose (25 ft) | A hose made for drinking water. Never use it for rinsing anything else. | $20 to $30 |
| Inline water filter | Catches sediment and improves the taste of campground water. | $20 to $25 |
| Power adapters (30 to 15 amp and 15 to 30 amp) | Let you plug into outlets that do not match your camper, like a regular outlet at home. | $25 to $35 |
| Propane fill (one 20 lb tank) | Fuels the furnace and stove, and on many campers the water heater and fridge. | $20 to $30 |
| RV tank sanitizer or treatment | Keeps the black tank from smelling and helps break down waste. | $10 to $20 |
| Leveling blocks the RVMATE set we use | Getting level keeps the fridge happy and stops the AC from dripping inside. | About $30 |
| Sewer hose kit (20 ft) | For dumping your tanks at the site or at a dump station. | $40 to $60 |
| Water pressure regulator the Camco one we use | Protects your water lines from high campground pressure. Cheap insurance. | About $15 |
| RV toilet paper | Breaks down fast so it does not clog the black tank. | About $10 |
| Basics total | Knock off anything your camper already came with. | About $400 to $560 |
What dealer flyers leave out
These are the items that surprise new owners, and they are where most of the money goes.
| Item | What it is for | Typical price |
|---|---|---|
| Weight distribution hitch with sway control | Spreads the tongue weight across your vehicle and fights sway. Our 17B did not come with one, so we bought ours. Budget models start around $260 to $280. Popular Equal-i-zer and Andersen models run about $590 to $875. | About $260 to $875 |
| Brake controller | Runs the camper's electric brakes from the driver's seat. Many trucks have one built in. Free if your vehicle has one built in. Most add-on units run about $85 to $205; premium wireless models cost up to about $415. | $0, or about $85 to $415 |
| Spare tire on a wheel our spare tire setup | Our 17B did not come with a spare tire. A flat on the highway is not the time to find that out. Match the size printed on your camper's tires. | About $180 to $250 |
| Spare tire carrier the carrier we use | Holds the spare on the camper. | From about $40 |
A realistic starter budget: about $900 to $2,200
That is on top of the camper itself. For reference, we paid $13,499 out the door for our new 2025 Coleman 17B, and the hitch was a separate purchase after that. The biggest swings in the starter budget are the hitch you pick and whether your vehicle already has a brake controller. For comparison, dealer starter packages are often priced at $1,000 or more and still leave out the hitch, brake controller, and spare. You can see everything we actually own on our gear page.
3. Hitching up and towing
Do the same walkaround every single time you leave, even for a short drive. The before you pull out checklist below covers it step by step. The ones people miss most are crossing the safety chains, clipping the breakaway cable to the vehicle, closing the roof vents, and latching the fridge door.
A weight distribution hitch with sway control makes the camper ride level and tow steadier. In Iowa, trailers of 3,000 pounds or more need brakes and a weight-equalizing hitch with sway control, unless the trailer is pulled by a truck, in which case only the brake rule applies (Iowa Code 321.430). Rules vary by state, so check yours.
Give yourself more stopping distance than you think you need, swing wide on turns, and practice backing up in an empty parking lot before your first campground. We added a wireless backup camera to our 17B, and it makes lining up and backing into a spot far easier. It is number 3 on our top 10 upgrades.
4. Setting up at the site
Setup goes faster when you do it in the same order every time:
- Look before you pull in. Check for low branches and find the power pedestal, water spigot, and sewer connection.
- Park and chock the wheels before you unhitch.
- Level side to side with leveling blocks under the low side's tires while you are still hitched.
- Unhitch, then level front to back with the tongue jack.
- Lower the stabilizers. They keep the camper from rocking. They are not for leveling.
- Power. Turn the pedestal breaker off, plug in the surge protector, turn the breaker on and check the surge protector's reading, then plug in the camper.
- Water. Pressure regulator on the spigot, then the filter, then your drinking water hose to the camper.
- Sewer (full hookup sites only). Connect the hose and keep the black tank valve closed until it is time to dump.
- Propane on, fridge on. Run the awning out only if it is calm. We would not leave ours out in wind or rain.
Leveling matters more than it sounds. On our 17B, sitting dead level or leaning toward the door side can make the AC drip inside, so we aim for a slight lean toward the off-door side. Here is how we level to stop the AC from dripping.
5. Living in it
Power. A 30 amp camper has about 3,600 watts to work with. The air conditioner, microwave, and anything that heats (a hair dryer, a space heater, a coffee maker) are the big draws. Run them one at a time and you will rarely trip a breaker. Keep a fuse kit in the camper, because a blown fuse should not end a trip.
Water and tanks. You have three tanks: fresh, gray (sinks and shower), and black (toilet). Tank gauges are often off, so learn roughly how long yours last on a normal trip.
Propane. We carry a spare 20 lb tank so we can swap tanks instead of running out of heat or hot water mid-trip.
Safety. Test the smoke, carbon monoxide, and propane detectors before each season. A battery CO detector is a must if you ever run a propane heater or generator nearby.
Between trips. We added a battery disconnect switch, which stops small background draws from draining the battery while the camper sits.
6. Packing up and dumping tanks
Dumping tanks is less gross than people expect if you do it in the right order:
- Put on gloves and connect the sewer hose.
- Dump the black tank first. Open the valve, let it drain completely, then close it.
- Then dump the gray tank. The soapy gray water rinses the hose on its way out.
- Rinse and store the hose, then add tank treatment and a little water to the black tank.
Keep a separate hose for rinsing. Your drinking water hose should never touch the sewer setup. Then work through the packing up checklist and the before you pull out list.
7. Keeping it healthy
Water is what ruins campers. Check the sealant around every roof seam, vent, and skylight a couple of times a year, and reseal anything cracked or peeling. Our leak check shows how we found and resealed a leak on ours.
Tires. Check the pressure before every trip. Trailer tires age out before they wear out: the last four digits of the DOT code on the sidewall are the week and year they were made, and many owners replace them around 5 to 6 years old.
Wheel bearings need regular service. Ask your dealer or a shop how often for your axle.
Winterizing. If you live where it freezes, the water lines have to be winterized before the first hard freeze, or they can crack. Here is how we winterize our 17B, step by step.
8. Your first trips
Do a test night in the driveway before your first real trip. You will find out what you forgot while the store is still 10 minutes away. Then pick a campground close to home for the first real trip, so a forgotten item is not a crisis.
A few campgrounds we have reviewed honestly, with rates, photos, and the sites worth booking:
- Fontana County Park in Hazleton, Iowa, with full hookup sites
- Heery Woods State Park in Clarksville, Iowa, electric sites on the river (plan ahead for trash and dumping)
- Mackinaw Mill Creek Camping in Mackinaw City, Michigan, our base for Mackinac Island
Not ready to buy? Rent our Coleman 17B around the Cedar Valley and try camper life first.
9. Printable checklists
Check items off on your phone (they save on this device), or print them and keep them in the camper.
First trip packing list
Before you pull out
Setting up at the site
Packing up
New camper FAQs
How much does it cost to get started with a camper?
Plan on roughly $900 to $2,200 beyond the camper itself. The basics most dealers bundle (battery, chocks, surge protector, hoses, adapters, propane, leveling blocks, sewer hose, and so on) run about $400 to $560 if you buy them yourself. The bigger swing comes from a weight distribution hitch, a brake controller if your vehicle does not have one, and a spare tire. Prices are fall 2026 ballparks.
What do I need for my first camping trip with a travel trailer?
At minimum: leveling blocks, wheel chocks, a surge protector, a drinking water hose, a water pressure regulator, a sewer hose with gloves, power adapters, tank treatment, RV toilet paper, and a full propane tank. Our printable packing list on this page covers the rest.
Do I need a weight distribution hitch?
For most travel trailers, it is a good idea, and in some states it is the law. Iowa requires a weight-equalizing hitch with sway control on trailers of 3,000 pounds or more, unless the trailer is pulled by a truck, in which case only the brake rule applies (Iowa Code 321.430). Check the rules in your state and your vehicle's owner's manual.
What order do you hook up at a campsite?
Chock the wheels, level side to side while still hitched, unhitch, level front to back, and lower the stabilizers. Then power through a surge protector, water through a pressure regulator and filter, and sewer last if you have a full hookup site.
Do you dump the black or gray tank first?
Black first, then gray. The gray water rinses the sewer hose on its way out. Wear gloves, and use a separate hose for rinsing, never your drinking water hose.
Is a dealer starter package worth it?
For most buyers, no. The gear in a typical package costs about $400 to $560 on its own, and the package still leaves out the hitch, brake controller, and spare tire. Our Camping World Let's Go Camping package breakdown goes item by item.
This guide is general advice from our own experience as new camper owners, not professional or legal advice. Always follow your camper's and vehicle's manuals and your state's towing laws. Prices are ballparks from fall 2026.