How many times have you traveled 25 miles down the road only to realize you forgot something at home or forgot to do something before you pulled your rig out of its camping spot? If this has happened to you then you may be a good candidate for creating a list so you can check off the essentials before you leave. The list below assumes that you are departing from your home base and that the travel trailer’s black and grey tanks are empty.

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Let’s start with some of the basics, these can be done prior to the day of departure.
  • Confirm your reservations at your campground.  We print our confirmations and take them with us.
  • Stop your mail with the post office.
  • Let someone know your travel plans so they can alert you of any suspicious activity.
  • Make sure you have addresses for all your campground stops.  We load our destinations into Garmin in advance of the trip.
  • make sure you have your RV registration and insurance in your tow vehicle (see our blog on “When Trailering goes horribly wrong”, you never know when you will need it.
  • A day or two before you leave it is not a bad idea to start your refrigerator so it’s at an appropriate temperature when you load your groceries.
  • Make sure your RV Battery is fully charged
  • Make sure your Propane Tanks are full
  • If you are taking city water, then fill your RV water tank.
  • Pack emergency supplies, this would include a first aid kit, flashlights, etc…
  • Pack a basic tool kit and a tire pressure gauge.
  • Inspect the compete hitch assembly, tighten all bolts, and grease the assembly if necessary.
  • Check the tire pressure on the Travel Trailer
  • Check the tire pressure on the tow vehicle
  • Gas up the tow vehicle and add any needed fluids (like windshield washer fluid)
A day before the trip
  • Pack up all your clothes, shoes, jackets, rain gear,boots,hats, needed for the trip.
  • Pack bedding and pillows.
  • Bath towels and Pool towels.
  • Load all of your groceries into the trailer
  • If your refrigerator has been running on electric, then you need to decide if you will run on propane as you travel or shut all your propane off the day you leave and hope the refrigerator stays cold enough until you park your camper.  There are many opinions about traveling with or without propane on…obviously the safest method is to run without propane on.  If you turn it off, do so at the tanks as well.
  • Install bracing bars in the refrigerator and pantry if needed to prevent shifting or braise during travel.
  • Double check that water heater drain plug is installed and that the water heater has been taken off by-pass if this is you first trip of the season.
  • Kitchen supplies, dishes, pots, pans, glasses, silverware, napkins
  • Load any entertainment items such as games, or movies.
  • Load any outdoor equipment needed (grill, chairs, lawn mats, etc)
  • Make sure you have toilet chemicals, RV toilet paper, and any cleaning supplies ( this would include hand soap, dish soap, paper towels)
  • If you travel with pets make sure you have a copy of their vaccination records.
  • Pet Food and pet supplies (toys, kennel, bowls, spare leashes, tie outs, poo bags, etc…)
  • Make sure you have all your sewer, fresh water, and black water hoses and supplies.
The day you leave
  • Toiletries like toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, body wash, etc…
  • Prescriptions
  • Pet medications
  • Lock TV into place
  • Close roof vents and any open windows
  • Lower antenna if it is up
  • Turn off Furnace/AC
  • Secure any pocket or shower doors, and close any internal doors.
  • Tie Down freestanding chairs if necessary
  • secure refrigerator and oven doors if they are supplied with latching mechanisms
  • Retract Awning
  • Retract slide rooms
  • Disconnect land line power supply and stow power cord.
  • Raise stabilizer jacks and stow any leveling pads
  • Hitch Tow Vehicle to Travel Trailer
  • Plug RV into tow vehicle
  • Remove wheel chocks
  • Walk around vehicle and make sure all storage doors and RV doors are locked
  • put steps up and fold back door railing if you have one
  • Make sure all valve covers are on (sewer cap, fresh water cap, etc…)
  • Double check hitch assembly and emergency brake-away cable
  • Check brake lights and turn signals on RV
  • Check trailer brake operation and adjust if necessary.
As you leave
  • Spare set of house keys, travel trailer, and tow vehicle keys.  Remember if you get somehow locked out of your travel trailer you need a back up plan.  Hannah once locked Tammy out of the RV by putting her paw on the dead-bolt lever.  When I came back from getting my oil changed, Tammy was waiting at the picnic table while both dogs were locked up in the RV.  Who would have thought?  Now we carry multiple sets of keys so no matter what crazy scenario takes place we are covered.
  • All appliances in you personal dwelling turned off
  • House locked up
  • Security cameras and alarms activated
  • garage door down
  • gates locked

This may not be an all-inclusive list but hopefully it provides a blue print for a list you can construct that will get rid of that “I know I forgot something” feeling.