We wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfillment.  ~ Hilaire Belloc

When we realize our insignificance in this world,
it some how relieves the pressures from society to succeed -  Cindy Bonish 04/07

Camper Check List

For new campers, this is a must have.  For those who have been camping for years, it never hurts to have a simple checklist to look over before you leave the campsite.  It can mean the difference of forgetting a valuable item that may not be easily replaced while on the road.  We've also seen a few campers pulling out of the campground with their steps still down, the TV antenna still up, or a window open wide.  A simple list like this can solve those costly mistakes. 

Feel free to copy this and ad to it anything that might be unique to your rig or campsite set-up.  By no means is this gospel, but it is what we use, we find it suits us fine and it is a good start for anyone who doesn't already have one made.  It might be a good idea to laminate it and cross them off after they are completed with a red dry-erase marker.  Once you have done your routine, we switch and Cindy goes over mine, and I go over her list.  Our rule is - She takes care of the inside and I take care of everything outside. 

Before we even get to this list, we have usually made the bed, put away anything on the inside of the camper that we might have been using and have done some basic tidying up.  Once we know we're ready to leave, that is when we say "Ok, lets get started" We then yell at the top of our lungs "Wonder Twin Powers Activate" Just kidding, but I thought it was sort of funny.  

Check List Before Leaving Camp and getting on the Road

Usually the first thing I do is connect the truck to the camper with Cindy's guidance.  Once this is hooked up, she heads inside to do her stuff, and I start on the outside.  We have this down to about 10-15 minutes total.  We never try and race, it's just that easy once you get used to it.

Inside the Camper

• Make sure all windows are shut and locked

• Make sure all blinds are closed so inside remains cool - We have daylight shades which are two separate blinds, if it's winter, we just close the first ones to allow the sunlight to keep it warm inside.  If it's summer, the light blocking shades do a good job of keeping the heat out

• If it's warm outside, we open a few of the roof vents to exhaust any stale air while driving

• Position the rocking chair so it wont bounce around.  (We have a Velcro strap that keeps it against the wall)

• Clear off counter tops and dining table and make sure everything is where it belongs

• Clear off bathroom counter top

• Lower roof antenna

• Stow items in refrigerator so nothing will leak or fall over and check that all lids are tight

• Lock the refrigerator door

• Make sure the sinks are empty, and glass coffee pot is in the plastic strainer

• Close and secure all cupboards and drawers (We made Velcro straps to lock them all closed)

• Put laptops away and secure them so they wont bounce off the chair

• Empty the shower of anything that could fall or spill

• Turn off Furnace or A/C depending on what season it is

• Turn off Water Pump

• Make sure tank heaters are off if we had them on while camping

• Make sure TV's are secured

• Close Toilet lid

• Make sure all appliances are off...i.e. Radio, Lights, Fan, Inverters

• Switch refrigerator to LP if we are leaving a Full Hook-up campground

• Switch Charge Controller from Shore Power to Dry Camp for the Solar Panels

• Close bathroom door to prevent it from swinging around

• Make sure the dog water bowl is empty

• Put any recyclables in the recycle bag in the back of the truck

• Empty the garbage basket

• Make sure toilet is flushed and doesn't have any water in the bowl

Outside the Camper

• Put the Tongue Jack Block (8x8 piece of wood) back in the storage bin

• Fold up Camp Mat and secure on the rear rack

• Close Awning, secure properly & make sure the tie-downs go in the storage bin

• Put Camp Chairs on rear hanging rack & bungee strap them down

• Retract scissor jacks & make sure 18volt drill is back in storage bin

• Pull up wheel chocks once camper is attached to truck & put in storage bin

• Check tire inflation on all tires - Truck and Camper

• Make sure the motorcycle is strapped tightly & Dirt Bag Cover is latched

• Check the mountain bikes & make sure the bolts are tight on the rack

• Visually inspect to make sure Television roof antenna is down

• Make sure solar panels are flat if we had them angled for better sun exposure

• Make sure the Fresh Water Tank is full before tearing down filter assembly

• Make sure all connections are disconnected...i.e. Fresh Water Hose, Cable, Electrical

• Make sure Fresh Water hose is wrapped up & secured on the rear rack

• Put floor mat inside the door of the camper - We keep one on the ground outside the door while camping

• Put the dogs in the truck & attach them into their harnesses

• Bring cameras into the truck from the camper

• Put up the steps and lock the doors

• Swing the grab handle against the door

• Pull up leveling boards once we pull away from site

At this point, we are ready to go.  We both usually give the entire rig a walk around and visually inspect the hitch mechanism.  I want to double check to make sure I have everything hooked up right, and the scissor jacks are all up.  From here we usually drive over to the dump station and run through that ritual.  I wont go into detail because everyone has their own way they go about emptying the black & grey tanks.  Luckily for us, we have a black tank sprayer on the side of the camper so this isn't a two person process.

• Before we get on the road, I usually switch on the lights in the truck to make sure the camper lights come on.  I usually do this while the tanks are emptying and I can walk around the entire rig to make sure they are all on.  If we were staying somewhere that we werent hooked up to city water and I'm going to be filling the fresh water tank at this time, I usually try and combine a bunch of the steps like checking tire pressure, locking all the storage bins...e.t.c. to this time frame.  Just another way of multi-tasking

Weekly we try and do a more detailed checks of the truck and the camper.  I'll admit I don't do this as much as I should, but once a week I try and actually crawl under the camper looking for any loose wires or anything that might be out of the ordinary.  These times are when I also check the oil and transmission fluid in the truck.  We watch a lot of people in campgrounds who do this every single day, but I'm not that regimented. 

If there is one bit of information I could recommend for people who are traveling, it would be to SLOW DOWN!!

On the highway, try not to exceed a speed of 55 miles per hour. Not only are you less likely to get into an accident, but the faster you drive, the more fuel your vehicle consumes per mile. That means more money and more greenhouse gases that you're burning!  Plus, think of all the cool sights you're missing.

At 65 mph you're burning 10% more fuel than at 55, according to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. At 70 you lose 17% of your fuel economy, and at 75 it’s 25%! The numbers get worse from there.

Even though you may thrive off living in the fast lane, if the national speed limit were reset to 55mph and everyone were to follow it, it would save 1 billion barrels of oil per year -- more than the U.S. imports from the Persian Gulf.
 

• Tool Kit List - We've had a bunch of emails asking what tools and items first timers should bring, so I went ahead and made a list of what we bring with us.  By no means is this gospel, but it's a good start.  Feel free to copy it and add or delete anything you need.  

  Solar Tips, Fact's and Trick's we've learned while on the road.  Fell free to send any tips or tricks of your own that might help us along. 

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