Picking up our first Class A Tuesday

[Goherd24]

Hello all. We are picking up our 2022 Baystar sport 3315 Tuesday. We purchased the extended warranty, coach net, tire and wheel protection, paint protection and microbe treatment. Super excited to make some memories with our young kids (9 & 5).

I wanted to pick some of your brains and ask about:
A. Any essential upgrades/accessories?
B. Tips for traveling without a tow vehicle, or tips in general! We're newbies to class A.
C. Recommended routes or trips to take. We live in West Virginia.


Thanks in advance!!!

 

[Neemer]

Welcome, and congrats on your new coach! I am a native Mountaineer myself.

There are a number of Bay Star owners here, and I’ll defer to them for specifics on that model.

 

[lostinfla]

Congrats! We had a Baystar as our first class A and loved it. Your children will remember these times forever!

 

[Neal]

Welcome and congrats! I hate to say this as it may be too late but if you can get out of the paint and wheel/tire protection I would, but most importantly paint. Newmar does not recommend these services and they are simply money gouges for new RV owners. I actually ordered and paid for it on mine and while at Newmar for the factory pickup I was told not to do it and got my money back. Dealers love these money makers and con games I hate to say, they got me on a few I regret.

West VA is a gorgeous place to RV, explore the New River valley and join your local Newmar Kountry Klub as I know the WV chapter is very active, they put me on their mailing list.

You'll find what you need for your RV as you use it. It's a great coach, great company, enjoy the journey and share your camping pics.

 

[ARD]

B. Tips for traveling without a tow vehicle, or tips in general! We're newbies to class A.

Hello and welcome!

Congratulations on the new rig. What fun adventures await you and your family.

I cannot imagine traveling without a tow vehicle, but I have met people along my travels that do and instead will rent a car when they need transportation. I have given people without a car rides to the grocery store. RVers do tend to be kind and helpful if you need a ride; however, it isn't something you can always count on. Some campgrounds have shuttle services so that would be something to inquire about.

You can add a bike rack to your coach and depending on where you camp, perhaps you can get by with bicycles. And then there is public transportation. Be sure to check in advance for your options for public transportation whether it's a bus, uber etc as often there is none. It just depends on where you go.

Lastly, be sure to stock up on groceries and all the necessities before you hit the road so you don't have to worry about shopping and spend more time enjoying your family in the outdoors.

Happy travels!

 

[DaveW-NBS]

Congrats on the new Bay Star Sport!

We took delivery of our Bay Star 3124 last summer – had two nice trips so far – I think you’re really going to enjoy it!

Two great places that would be great family trips, but are fairly close for your inaugural outing(s) would be Shenandoah (Skyline Drive) (great for hiking and climbing) and Cherry Springs State Park in central Pa (one of the darkest sky places in the Eastern US and amazing place to relax and explore the night sky, especially with a telescope). Also look at the Hershey Park area (great tours of chocolate plant, a great amusement and waterslide park, and a short drive to pretzel and potato chip factories)..

We too are wrestling with the towing issue – the Bay Star family seems sufficient to tow a smaller vehicle, but you’ll want to pay very close attention to the weight categories – both from a MH standpoint (how much can I carry including people and “stuff”) and how much can I tow (most of the Bay Star family seem to be limited to 4000lbs max unless you “borrow” from the MH “stuff”) – you’ll need to start with the placard inside you MH cabinet (mine was in the kitchen) and study up on GCWR / GVWR / UVW / NCC ( in a nutshell it’s all about the carrying capacity of your chassis minus the total weight of the MH out-the-door which then tells you how much water / gas / people / stuff you can safely carry. Then you can work on the question of how much can you tow).

The question on towing versus not towing has been difficult for us– it would be nice to have a vehicle behind us that we could rely on should there be issues with the MH, and as several have indicated above it would be nice to set up camp and not have to tear down in order to sightsee or run errands. For now we have opted to rent a vehicle – if were going to be in one location for two or more nights we stop along the way and grab a rental, and drop it off on the way out. This would be tough if you’re boondocking. But it's nice to not have to tear down/retract slides each and every day. But for us to tow it would be a dedicated small car that would sit when we’re not RV’ing. Soooo…..

You asked about accessories - one great option I would recommend would be a TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitoring System) – easy to install but helps keep track of tire pressures – very valuable from a safety standpoint.

Once you drive the MH and get a feel for how it handles and rides (windy conditions, getting passed by trucks, highway bumps and expansion strips, etc) you’re going to want to start looking into suspension upgrades – lots of articles on this forum and others about sway bars / shocks/ springs etc. – take your time and get the feel for the rig then decide what you want to “improve”.

Good questions – please use the forum when you have questions – lot’s of great people and great info, especially for newbies (which I still consider myself!).

Best of luck!

 

[Goherd24]

Thanks Dave. I read about the dark sky park, and considered it for a trip this year! Appreciate the info. The 30 minute test drive we took, i really was impressed with the handling, and power it had. It drove great, so no complaints there yet.

I have another question, do the TV's work while you are driving? I ask that for the kids, i never tested it but thought it might be possible to make that happen.

 

[DaveW-NBS]

If you choose to go to Cherry Springs, target sites 26 thru 30 - they are at the top of the hill, fairly level, and out in the open so you can sit right at the MH - the rest of the sites are more on a slope and better for tents. It is a primitive campground with no electric/water/sewer. There is a State Park around 10 miles down the road with full hookups but it might be difficult driving mountain roads in a MH after dark (good reason to tow .....lol)..

Good question on the TV's that others will have to confirm - but yes the TV's work - sketchy for over-the-air TV reception but gaming should work and streaming also if you have wifi or hotspot (phone) capability.

 

[Goherd24]

Sounds great! Will look to book a site this summer.

Also, what app or navigation system does everyone use for clearances etc? As far as general traveling, are there known rv friendly spots like Walmart, etc? Or do people just use truck stops or rest areas? Where is the best place to refill propane?

 

[marc2912]

For towing I'd recommend looking at really light weight cars. I wouldn't recommend doing something like a jeep. You should look into mini coopers some are able to flat tow and might make sense