What to do within the week before 1st trip

[SDRS]

Need tips on what we need to do within the week before our 1st trip. Husband just wants to get the trailer out of storage Friday, throw our bags in and leave--I know we'll need more time than that, and I'm sure there are things I won't even think of that need to be done/brought.

Maintenance-wise we just got it all 'summer-ized', new tires, and various mechanical things done to it.
:h

[Merrykalia]

We have RV stuff and stuff for the house. The RV stuff - blankets, sheets, towels, etc. are WHITE in color and the stuff for the house is a different color. White is easy to bleach to get clean and if I see a white sheet in the laundry room, I know it needs to go in the tote to be hauled to the camper.

We have a set of dishes, pots and pans, etc. that stay in the RV year round. We stock spices, flour, corn meal, etc. each spring and take it out in the late fall/early winter.

This way, we carry stuff out one time, then we only need clothes, electronics, meds and DH's CPAP and we are on our way.

[downtheroad]

ah grasshopper, the moderator speaks with wisdom.

My advice, do it his way and if it is a disaster you can always say, "Na na na na, I tried to tell you. Since you wouldn't listen, now you can deal with it."

[jplante4]

Well, if he's not listening to you, he sure as hell won't listen to a bunch of strangers on a web forum.

[turbojimmy]

I usually do everything the day before, not a week. I won't rehash the lists everyone else provided - I do all the same stuff. I always manage to forget something (or somethings). This is my 4th season camping and the list of forgotten stuff is getting smaller.

A couple years ago I left my wallet home on a 4-day trip to Hershey. That was a doozy. I didn't realize it until I tried to pay at check-in. Just about anything other than a wallet can be procured en route or once you get to your destination.

[DrewE]

Assuming it's a normal absorption fridge (as opposed to a residential compressor fridge), you need to allow about a day for it to cool down when turned on. It may not actually take quite that long, but they're definitely slower in initial cooling.

I find just the plain ordinary loading of stuff, filling the water tank, checking tire pressures, and so forth usually take me longer than I would like to imagine. If you're going to clean the camper before leaving (inside and out), allow sufficient time for that. Washing the outside of an RV takes a lot longer than washing a car, which should be obvious if you think about it and look at their relative sizes; none the less, it sure does seem like a labor of Hercules whenever I go to wash my motorhome.

As WNYBob said, for the true first night "camping," going all the way to your own driveway is a great idea.

[WNYBob]

If it truly not camped in it, try a driveway night!

Downs load a camping check list, include everything you take, and then check everything you used while camping. Then remove those things not used

[korbe]

My first of the season checklist is a bit different than others. I will normally inspect the roof, make sure everything works, and re-stock everything that we took out when we winter-ized.

[Lwiddis]

Let's see -- check propane, check fridge outside including vent for wasps etc., confirm fridge is cooling, sanitize fresh water system - 6 hours minimum time, fill fresh water, check battery fluid levels and terminals, charge batteries, clean hitch & apply fresh grease, check all 12 volt and 120 volt lights, plugs and appliances including trailer lights - stop, running and signals, check TV and TT tire pressure day of leaving, check television antenna by extending and retracting, check radio, check sewer hose for leaks, insure dump values are still moveable, clean windows at least maybe entire outside of TT, check that water flows to all sinks, the shower and toilet, check water heater...there are more. Better to know in the driveway than the campsite.

[kerrlakeRoo]

If you haven't already, containerize your gear. Cookware, linens, towels etc all in containers ahead of time to load when ready, you can leave the containers at home, but have them at the ready to transfer back when you arrive, and on the items that can stay on the RV your already done as far as packing and loading.
It can help cut down of the forgotten items.

[rbrand]

On our first trip of the year we always plan to stay the first day or so some place where we can easily get everything we forgot.