A Couple of Our Tips

[ColoradoRick]

Just a few things we do that may help someone else:

-We reuse a couple pieces of the blue, painters tape on the master control panel. One covers the awning opening switch if we have the cover installed over it and the other covers the gas switch on the water heater if we have it empty. (We never leave water inside the water heater when not camping.)

-When setting up and tearing down, we will do a double-walkthrough/walkaround and are surprised at how often the 2nd person finds something.

-One of us will normally be in charge of the food since we've found both doing it causes way too much getting forgotten and also bringing way too much food. After one has loaded everything, the other will go over all the meals and ensure we have everything.

-We used to only bring the clothes we planned on wearing. (So for a 3-day trip, just bring 2 extra set of clothes.) NOT anymore! We had food mishaps on ourselves and walked into the greasy towing hitch ball on the truck and regretted not having an extra set of pants/shorts. Also, we've gone out expecting high-80 temps and finding it dropping down into the 40's/30's at night in the mountains so we, now, always bring extra clothes "just in case" (I've been caught in pouring rain a couple times during setup/teardown so purchased raincoat and pants and haven't been caught, since...which is typical!!)

[actadh]

Good tips, especially the clothes. I often bring three changes of clothes for each day in different lengths and weights

[asquared]

Now I don't feel so bad in how much I bring.

I've learned to leave DH to outside setup/take down and I get the inside set up/take down. We both learned the others jobs just in case but we stick to our own.

A list made prior to camping helps with packing. As things go in, they get checked off. Only downside, if it wasn't on the list, it probably didn't make it on the trip.

[bob caldwell]

Just food and clothes back and forth....every thing else stays, unless....

[Springerdad]

We use checklists too. We keep them in a folder on the laptop and update them as we discover more things. Print one out and check things off as we load. It's amazing what we would forget otherwise!

[53jimc]

Back in the late 80's early 90's when we were tent and popup camping with our kids we had a boating and camping checklist we followed religiously. It was borne out of experience.
Fast forward to now, we've lost the handle a bit since there was a 20 year camping hiatus, but we'll get it back.
I hate being unprepared.

[mtnlvr]

Extra shoes. If they get wet and muddy; there's back up. I always keep a variety of clothing; jacket, hat, gloves, shorts......if I'm traveling where there is a wide range of temperatures between night and day. Also, I have a couple of large dogs who will go swimming at every opportunity, (today it's rain), so extra old towels; great in the doorway too.

[CWElliott]

All great tips, and most-of-which we adhere-to already. I especially like the "double" walk-around idea. As for the food thing, we always seem to bring too much darn food, and I feel Left Brain always wants to work too hard preparing elaborate meals, rather than easy. She does do a "cook before leaving for the trip" thing, then freeze for helping keep the fridge cold, longer, but if it were up to me, burgers, dogs, and s'mores would do me just fine (although a nice sausage or bacon-and-egg breakfast in the AM is good with that outdoor coffee). Happy Trails!

[bob caldwell]

The PERFECT MENU !

[satdog01]

If you do not have a tow ball cover get one, stuff a paper towel in it when not in use. Wally World and TSC carry them. Have seen ones that have a deer head or fish on them. Throw this one as soon as I unhitch, saves the clothes! Wally World has a smaller size that I have seen used on Fiver trailer pins.

[RamblerGuy]

I've used a tennis ball to cover the hitch ball. I've also used sandwich bags. They stick to the grease and don't blow off.

[grayfox]

Throw the SHIN BUSTER in the back of the tow vehicle. I never leave it in the receiver, if I do it lets me know it

[ColoradoRick]

Originally Posted by grayfox

Throw the SHIN BUSTER in the back of the tow vehicle. I never leave it in the receiver, if I do it lets me know it

I used to but can't since I installed the big mud flaps to protect Rocky.

[Terier]

I also keep a variety of clothing in the TT along with shoes. As a solo camper I try to coordinate menu planning so that some items can repeat like French bread or salad which simplifies buying & loading.

[mtnlvr]

I'm retired from many years of cooking for others. Let someone else cook. Tonight, I'm relishing a great seafood dinner, bay front in Oregon. My hitches, even though I agree they are "shin busters", I keep in for safety reasons. I was once rear ended( minuscule damage to my bumper, but their heavy car got totaled by my hitch.

[MainelyUS]

Love the info above....
I agree with Springerdad's using of "Check List". Looking back on our first year of camping we have discovered similarities between RVing and flying..."Check List" are critical...Two Days Out, Trip Departure, Site Setup, Site Departure, Return to Base and now Winterizing. We find they minimize overlapping of tasks, confusion & frustration and maximize safety and a peace of mind!
I will be adding a few more items from the above posts to next seasons CL...

Happy Trails to all you Snow Birds
For the rest of us "Think Spring"

[Kilday4]

We leave certain clothing on the rv for the entire season just for back up purposes. It has been used more than once. Nice knowing you always have some sort of emergency clothing if needed.

[Tall frog]

We found a rv check list app in the play store. You can add items or remove them and it was free. Works great to jog your --- ah --- oh ya, memory.

[Dabmeb]

We love our check list, never have issues with losing it as it's usually right on the counter at home when we return. Lol
Need a list to remember to bring the list.

[merrykalia]

We have dishes, pots and pans, towels, sheets, blankets, etc. that were purchased specifically for the RV. They stay in the RV. When we close down for the winter, the fabric items are washed, dried and then packed away into the plastic vacuum bags, placed back in the RV and are ready to use when spring rolls around. The pots and pans as well as the dishes and silverware are put into the cabinet and left there - I will wash in the spring.

We have "camper clothes" that stay in the RV year-round. They are jeans with paint spots, T-shirts that are just this side of being rags, underwear that has seen much better days, socks that are holey or discolored, hoodies that are not really fit to be worn anywhere else other than around a campfire. They, too, get washed, dried and put into vacuum bags for the winter.

Our food stuffs are brought in at the end of the season and used in the S&B during the winter. In the spring, I will purchase our staples (flour, oil, spices, etc.) and re-stock the RV.