Does it take everyone 2 days to get ready to camp?

[Sheripoms]

Just wondering if it takes everyone 2 days to get ready to go camping?\

Get propane , wash, make reservations, get groceries, make dog kennel reservations, take dog to kennel, Pack up camper, make up bedding.

Its just seems by the time we get to the campground and get set up that I am worn out..
This is our 3rd trip and it does seem to be getting some better. Please tell me that I will be a pro in about year and it will only take me 1 hour to get ready to roll.

[schrederman]

Takes me about a week... or maybe longer. I like to spread it out and check maintenance items first, so I don't get delayed. We always do the laundry when we get home and take everything back within a few days. We make the beds and put in all the linin, towels, etc. and make sure soap and shampoo, etc. are stocked. We leave it clean and ready. The wife starts stocking camper food a couple of weeks in advance. When it's time to leave, everything's done. We take the food to the trailer and stock the fridge that I turned on the night before, and we hook up and go... no fatigue that way. And yes, that takes about an hour... that last little part, anyway...

Enjoy...

[B D HOWie]

We bought the RV so we can take the dogs. Saves the trip to kennel and the expense. Dogs are happy when they get to head for the camper rather than the car. A look at our avatar, sign-in ID and signature will confirm. Yes they are spoiled rotten, but they love us and are part of the family. They generally ride on a pillow between the front seats of our C or DW's lap and sleep on the same pillow.

Paul
Big Dog House On Wheels
2013 Coachmen Freelander 28QB
on 2012 Chevrolet 4500
Using FR app

[Weezer]

I spread it out over a week, actually. We keep ours in the back yard on shore power, so I can stock the fridge at my leisure. Like schrederman, I do the laundry when we come home...may take a day, may take 2 or 3 days, but it goes right back in the RV after laundry. Stuff we didn't consume on the previous trip can be removed from the fridge at my leisure as well.

It's certainly an advantage having it at home and fully powered. I detested the unloading of the fridge before we had shore power.

I also vacuum a day or two after we come in from the trip...have a small Oreck canister vacuum that stays in the 5er. After seeing OC's house vacuum set up, Sneak is talking about installing one in ours.

Bottom line is...yes, you'll get more organize with every trip, then it'll be less drudge work. Including the grocery run, I figure we could be ready to roll for a weekend trip within a couple of hours if need be.

[SKnight]

It does get better.

Washing is about two hours.

Plugging in, turning on the fridge, checking the water system, water heater, lights takes about an hour or so.

Packing clothes and food all told is about an hour or so.

And I don't do it all at the same time usually. I'll do the systems check a few days beforehand. The final packing the day before. Makes it seem like less.

You'll need to find a routine that works for you, but you'll find it and it will be just like falling off a log.

[Terier]

I'm in agreement with your post!

I am learning the art form of keeping 'getting ready' really simple. It helps to have the TT as ready as possible for the next trip soon after returning home.

Clean towels, bedding & clothes are returned to the TT within a short turn around period. Good time to stock up on dry goods items too.

Change bed sheets at the end of a trip.

Keep some clothes in the TT at all times.

A very simple menu equals a simple grocery list. Less to buy, carry & stock. Also less to bring home.

Be willing to get a good night sleep instead of arriving at the campground at right at the start of check-in time.

Since I don't keep my TT at home I use a plastic bin to keep items that need to go back in the TT. At the place I keep my TT the team will turn on the fridge, fill my propane tank (if needed), put air in the tires and wash the TT for me before a trip. This service alone makes for a less tiring trip.

If my old routine of prepping the TT myself didn't do me in then the house or pool tasks did. Whatever is needed to be done for the house is taken care of a couple days in advance. I now try to avoid housework the day before a trip especially with working a full time job. I use this time to get the truck washed and tires checked.

My current goal is to avoid whatever possible the day of an trip.

[AquaMan]

We make grocery list as we camp and use items, makes it easier to restock. A couple milk crates make it easy to unload a fridge if needed, if we do, I put the entire crate in a spare fridge at home. Laundry tote is carried in when we get home and started almost immediately, and goes right back into tote. The camper is cleaned as we pack to come home. Grocery shopping is done on a weekly basis anyway and takes no real extra time to grab 2 items as it does one. For a weekend trip, we can be ready in a moments notice. For a week long trip takes about an hour. We do buy a lot of our fresh produce and perishables wherever we go, though.


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[davel1971]

takes about a half hour. We have more clothes in camper than house. Pantry stays full and fridge stays on and partially stocked. Firewood stays in bed of truck because I don't use it for much of anything else. One clothes basket full of food and a 30 pack of beer in fridge, hitch and go. Little longer if I need to load bikes and kayak.

[RamblerGuy]

Yes, you can get much better at packing, but some things like washing it will take time regardless. Using totes to prepack food, supplies, clothes and other stuff helps a lot. We have been in a rush, just put the totes on board and sorted things at camp.

We spread checkout, preparation and packing over several days, but we can to it in a few hours if we are going on a weekend trip. Normally, we make trips lasting several months and I don't pack light. We don't pack for vacations, we pack for expeditions!

Unfortunately, we have to keep our Sunseeker in storage since it fills up our single driveway, so we have limited time with it at home. I have a 30 amp supply at home so I can plug it in to check everything out.

We have several totes that we prepack with groceries and other supplies days or weeks ahead. Clothes take a while because I am slow about deciding what to take. We both usually take way too many clothes, but sometimes we'll be in weather from below freezing to nearly 100 degrees on the same trip. There are only two of us so we have enough space, especially with a hanger rod in our toad for overflow. We call it the four wheel drive closet.

Hang in there. You'll find your best routine. I know people who will decide to go on a weekend and will be rolling in 30 minutes. I can't load my tools in 30 minutes!

[Ford Idaho]

I think about 2 hours, if I was in a hurry.
Normal about 12 hours while the fridge cools off.

That is down a bit, our first trip it took us 3 days to get everything done....

[lbrunning]

Wow this thread really hit home we just got done with a 4 week stretch of getting home on Sunday and leaving on Thursday and i am wore out. I think when you add getting a camper ready into your already busy life sometimes it can be very stressful but looking back on the time spent camping man we had fun

[Seasonal]

One of the reasons we enjoy having a destination trailer. Camping took us part of a week to get ready and a day on the return side to clean and put away.

[DonCath25ds]

We do weekend trips Thursday thru Sunday almost every weekend. I keep a small crate in fridge for hauling cool foods back and forth to camper, butter, eggs milk catsup mustard etc. and keep it stocked. After going to store, I restock cold foods and have a laundry basket for other staples. As others have said, sheets towels go right back in camper. I can be ready for a long weekend quickly, but longer trips require a trip to the store after we get there.


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[vinmaker]

I too start planning about a week out.

I plug the pop up in a few days ahead of time to chill the fridge and then begin gathering wood, chairs, etc. The food we bring is gathered about a week ahead as well is case we need to run to the grocery store to get needed items.

Day before the trip, I place the cargo carrier on the TV and pack linens + clothes and do final checks. Mount tow mirrors etc.

Morning of trip is when we grab the pillows and toiletries. and I hook up the camper.

It definitely takes days to prepare. Camping is a lifestyle. I do not think it is intended to be easy. But we all love the work.

Vin.

[Kaadk]

Takes us a few days to get everything ready as well. Mostly because we need to bring the unit home from storage at least a couple days in advance to plug in and turn on the fridge.

It'd be a different story if we could keep it at home.



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[jtstromsburg]

Couple hours at most. Fiver is plugged in and waiting on the drive. Fridge stays stocked with the normals, and we keep or restock the freezer with meat. Clothes get washed and returned to their areas within a day or two of coming home. Most of our trips are weekends, but a couple week or two during the summer. That's why we bought a camper. Too much work loading the tents, coolers, food boxes, clothes, etc, etc. The camper stays stocked like a second home.

[CJnDD]

The use of totes, whether cloth or plastic, limits the number of trips to RV.

Laundry is done immediately upon our return and placed back in RV.
The day after our return we dust, vacuum, mop, wash RV.

I keep seasonings, spices, herbs, etc. in a small plastic basket, purchased from $ store. These items stay in the basket in house pantry, so I just grab the basket and head to RV pantry when ready to leave. (I have a nice pantry in RV...just had to trim edges of baskets to fit.)

Two days before trip DH checks everything on RV.





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[B and B]

We store ours and bring home a day before. Washing is done after each trip, all bedding towels etc restocked. Much like Aquaman we buy groceries every week, just ad an item of two. The fridge goes on the night before DW stocks and i get home from work and we leave. Clothes are a couple loads and maybe 2 baskets of food, we leave a lot of items in the trailer during the season.

[PhoneDude 8289]

Takes us about a day to get ready. By that what I mean is several hours the day before travel. The RV was cleaned before hitting the storage lot from the previous trip. Clothes and linens were replaced shortly after washing from the previous trip. The day before trip the truck is serviced tire pressure and torque, same with RV wheels. Dry food items that are stored in plastic bins are put back into the trailer and the fridg is turned on. Fridg items are taken from home the morning of travel. The RV has it's own toiletries, linens and most clothing needed so it's pretty much ready to go at a moments notice. After a good nights sleep its hook up and go.

[RPAspey]

I'm anal about the maintenance items. I'm also of the mindset that I should only have to think about it once..thus I have a checklist organized by t-minus days. For example, t-minus one week, check propane, batteries, go over grocery list (dry goods kept in TT), check lug nuts and suspension parts, etc. Then on say t-1 day, it has listed, fuel truck, verify tire pressures, install hitch, etc. The list is color coded as to critical checks or non critical. Critical being like tire pressures and non critical like verify reading materials. Thus if I have to be in a hurry, I only do the red items.

So, a normal prep is 5-6 hours over a week, quick prep is a few hours in a day.