Reflections on 6 Months of RV Research! ;)
Hi Class C Forum, I caught the RV bug about 6 months ago after a particularly stressful stretch at work. Researching RVs has become the way that I decompress when I have some discretionary time. Cu...
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However, our camping style is hit and run ... not park and squat.
Thanks of course we have done both some of our best memories are over nite in Walmart parking lots! just get up and go next morning.
This probably goes on a different forum but this is our routine to get going if we are fully hooked up.
36 Foot Pace Arrow Full Wall Slide, Bedroom Slide, 1 and 1/2 bath
1. Coffee and tea
2. Take stuff off counter from last nite's party and dinner with friends and wash a few dishes or a lot. Which might mean separate the beer cans from the now full trash can and recycle. Ensure dinette is empty of items you have used their such as fruit bowl, napkins, flowers etc.
3. Turn off ice maker so it will not draw water from the holding tank and check freezer and refrig bars in up right position to stop food from falling out (which never works well anyway).
4. Make front bed after you have convinced doggies it time to get up. Put Pet container from dash on sofa bed so dogs will be confined down the road. Take dogs out to do their business. Try and convince the doggies it is time to get in their travel mode container. ha
3.Shut down lap top in front office desk area (dash) and secure key board and mouse in propery place to use going down the road. If you have used the printer put that back in storage as well.
4. Tie back curtains each side and ensure they hook and are not in the way of seat belts. Remove cushions that usually go on magic sleeper sofa and put them back and turn around the driver and passenger seats to forward position if they have been moved.
5. Dismantle bedroom. make the bed and take the computer desk, laptop and various stuff to secure position the two of you hoist the reclining office chair and stow on bed so slide can come in along with anything else like the vacumn, guitar or clothes hamper small vacumn. Make sure you get some clothes out before slide comes in. Also make sure lid on toilet is down and sliding glass door is locked at the bottom and that the fan cover is in down position. Then check the other sliding glass door for lock as well. Try not to leave anything like wallet or phone back there as you need to slide out the bedroom slide to get back there now. that stuff comes forward to the drivers area. Make sure nothing inhibits the slide from coming in like electric cord which it will slice in two.
6. Shower and put shower head in secure position and secure glass doors with latch. Put any odds and ends in back full bath in secure location for going down the road (usually ends up in sink)
7. Turn off A/C and all lites and try and blow dry hair before electric is cut off.
8. Check small bathroom window and vent closed and nothing out of place on counter.
9. Doggies need to go out again? just to be sure since will be on the road for long time. Say good bye and chat with new friends you have made compare routes etc. Exhange e-mails and hope to meet up again (sometimes this can take awhile)
10. Hubbie starts the disconnect I start engine pull in slides after I have made sure nothing is in the way such as a throw rug or folding table that once got crushed..ha
11. Go move the tow car into a good spot for hook up.
12. Guide hubbie out of space to avoid tree damage or hitting poles etc.
13. Drive tow car to back of motorhome and go thru the transmission instructions carefully put in neutral make sure radio off etc. Hook up the car.
14. Then once hooked up double check each outside compartment is locked all the way around. (to ensure it never opens again and strews all your stuff for about a mile before you can stop and go back and try and get it out of the way for other drivers, thankfully on non busy highway that time but high mountain road. Thank your lucky stars that nothing that "flew out" was glass and remember that glass containers should always be in back or in the rig?
15. Hubbie then moves the motorhome forward a few feet while I check and double check on the wires and harnesses to make sure all in proper locked position. Then he drives away from me and turns slightly to ensure both locking mechanism on tow bar lock into place.
16. I stand back and make sure all stop lites and turn signals are working on both coach and car. Then go to front to check turn signals there.
Then I get in sit down and wait for the first forgotten item to fall on the floor, we just laugh now because it may be just a drawer that was not all the way shut or a cabinet or I put something on dinette seat that decided it would not stay there..Sometimes you forget something on counter you thought would stay like your small potted plant so those items always fall in deep steps by door and you have to stand on your head to get them or wait til you stop to clean up the mess.
Over the years we have become a coordinated team each doing everything quickly and efficiently we can set up and tear down in about 30 minutes but it usually takes more like an hour from bed to road because of coffee and getting ourselves in mode.
It was our home for a few years and travel for 9 years and the best ride ever! but ready to try no tow and small small small. Will be a new learning experience!
Thanks of course we have done both some of our best memories are over nite in Walmart parking lots! just get up and go next morning.
This probably goes on a different forum but this is our routine to get going if we are fully hooked up.
36 Foot Pace Arrow Full Wall Slide, Bedroom Slide, 1 and 1/2 bath
1. Coffee and tea
2. Take stuff off counter from last nite's party and dinner with friends and wash a few dishes or a lot. Which might mean separate the beer cans from the now full trash can and recycle. Ensure dinette is empty of items you have used their such as fruit bowl, napkins, flowers etc.
3. Turn off ice maker so it will not draw water from the holding tank and check freezer and refrig bars in up right position to stop food from falling out (which never works well anyway).
4. Make front bed after you have convinced doggies it time to get up. Put Pet container from dash on sofa bed so dogs will be confined down the road. Take dogs out to do their business. Try and convince the doggies it is time to get in their travel mode container. ha
3.Shut down lap top in front office desk area (dash) and secure key board and mouse in propery place to use going down the road. If you have used the printer put that back in storage as well.
4. Tie back curtains each side and ensure they hook and are not in the way of seat belts. Remove cushions that usually go on magic sleeper sofa and put them back and turn around the driver and passenger seats to forward position if they have been moved.
5. Dismantle bedroom. make the bed and take the computer desk, laptop and various stuff to secure position the two of you hoist the reclining office chair and stow on bed so slide can come in along with anything else like the vacumn, guitar or clothes hamper small vacumn. Make sure you get some clothes out before slide comes in. Also make sure lid on toilet is down and sliding glass door is locked at the bottom and that the fan cover is in down position. Then check the other sliding glass door for lock as well. Try not to leave anything like wallet or phone back there as you need to slide out the bedroom slide to get back there now. that stuff comes forward to the drivers area. Make sure nothing inhibits the slide from coming in like electric cord which it will slice in two.
6. Shower and put shower head in secure position and secure glass doors with latch. Put any odds and ends in back full bath in secure location for going down the road (usually ends up in sink)
7. Turn off A/C and all lites and try and blow dry hair before electric is cut off.
8. Check small bathroom window and vent closed and nothing out of place on counter.
9. Doggies need to go out again? just to be sure since will be on the road for long time. Say good bye and chat with new friends you have made compare routes etc. Exhange e-mails and hope to meet up again (sometimes this can take awhile)
10. Hubbie starts the disconnect I start engine pull in slides after I have made sure nothing is in the way such as a throw rug or folding table that once got crushed..ha
11. Go move the tow car into a good spot for hook up.
12. Guide hubbie out of space to avoid tree damage or hitting poles etc.
13. Drive tow car to back of motorhome and go thru the transmission instructions carefully put in neutral make sure radio off etc. Hook up the car.
14. Then once hooked up double check each outside compartment is locked all the way around. (to ensure it never opens again and strews all your stuff for about a mile before you can stop and go back and try and get it out of the way for other drivers, thankfully on non busy highway that time but high mountain road. Thank your lucky stars that nothing that "flew out" was glass and remember that glass containers should always be in back or in the rig?
15. Hubbie then moves the motorhome forward a few feet while I check and double check on the wires and harnesses to make sure all in proper locked position. Then he drives away from me and turns slightly to ensure both locking mechanism on tow bar lock into place.
16. I stand back and make sure all stop lites and turn signals are working on both coach and car. Then go to front to check turn signals there.
Then I get in sit down and wait for the first forgotten item to fall on the floor, we just laugh now because it may be just a drawer that was not all the way shut or a cabinet or I put something on dinette seat that decided it would not stay there..Sometimes you forget something on counter you thought would stay like your small potted plant so those items always fall in deep steps by door and you have to stand on your head to get them or wait til you stop to clean up the mess.
Over the years we have become a coordinated team each doing everything quickly and efficiently we can set up and tear down in about 30 minutes but it usually takes more like an hour from bed to road because of coffee and getting ourselves in mode.
It was our home for a few years and travel for 9 years and the best ride ever! but ready to try no tow and small small small. Will be a new learning experience!
