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It always seems like there are many tasks to complete to be able to get out of town and begin camping. Often departure times slip and later than planned arrivals result. This can start your trip off on a frustrating note. Here I’ll share 8 tips to help you get out of town quicker and start relaxing sooner!
Clean your RV after your last trip. If you do a thorough cleaning when you are putting the RV up from your previous adventure, this should eliminate the need to do a major cleaning before going out next time. This should allow you to do a quick wipe off before you begin to restock your RV for the upcoming trip.
Divide and conquer tasks. You should consider pre-assigning certain tasks. One personal can take responsibility for interior task, like organizing and stocking the kitchen and setting up bedding. Another person can take ownership of exterior tasks, like hitching up, airing up tires, torqueing wheel lugs, etc. The old proverb, “many hands make light work” comes to mind.
By dividing tasks, you can base things on skills or level of detail needed. Maybe one person is more mechanical and the other more organizational. You can also involve kids accordingly if they can handle the responsibility. This way each person can focus on their task without duplication of effort or forgetting something important.
Dedicated storage space for RV items at your residence. Having a specific location at your residence for RV gear and items is a huge help in getting out of town quicker. It will save time when gathering resources for your trip. I have both inside and outside (garage) space allocated for storing RV gear. This makes it so much easier and saves time looking for items. I have found that by utilizing dedicated storage space, I need fewer checklists when packing!
Utilize clear supply bins. I use large clear plastic heavy-duty supply bins for most of my RV gear. This makes for easy visibility into the bin to see contents when bins are stacked. It also allows for easy toting of gear to the RV from the house. The bins make for logical separation of gear into general areas for packing the RV (e.g., belly storage, kitchen, bathroom, etc.) Also, some bins are only used for house storage and toting to the RV, while other bins get put as-is into the RV.
Duplicate essential items. It is easier, if your budget allows, to have some duplicate items that are to be used just in the RV – things like coffee makers, pans, flatware, space heaters, etc. This eliminates the need to gather items from different places around the house. By have some duplicated and dedicated RV items, it will allow you to keep these items in your dedicated storage space ready to go. It also can help prevent leaving things behind!
Replenish supplies early. If you replenish supplies immediately after your last outing, it will save huge time when stocking up the RV to head out. Things like soaps, paper products, propane, dump station supplies can all be restocked right after the last camping trip, so you are ready to roll for the next trip. It saves time and stress of having to run to the store last minute or hoping an Amazon order will arrive prior to departure.
Do advance preparations. There are many tasks that just don’t need to be done right when you are getting ready to leave. Things like fueling up your towing vehicle, setting up mail holds, checking tire pressures, torqueing lugs and exchanging or filling propane tanks, just don’t need to be done last minute. Best to get these items out of the way so the actual packing and prepping won’t be interrupted.
Use preprinted checklists. This may seem obvious but having a refined RV departure checklist is fairly essential to reducing departure stress and speeding up your process. It is vital that you do not forget certain tasks and items, and a well-crafted checklist will assist with this. You likely should parse the checklist by different task owners if possible, and don’t forget to add items about leaving the house, like turning off water to the house for longer trips or resetting your thermostat. You may be surprised by how many tasks are happening fast toward the end of your departure, so a checklist can really help you not skip over something important.
All the best on your camping endeavors!
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