Usually Tara starts in the front (bedroom), and I start in the rear (garage), and we meet in the middle. This concoction will splash around in there while we drive and clean the tanks and sensors) Dump grey tanks and geo-treat (AFTER showers, dishes, etc) (I like to put about 5 gallons of water in both grey tanks along with a cup of water softener and bit of dawn dish soap.Secure patio (collapse patio rails and close rear door).Load Lucile (if possible) and strap down loosely (no sense compressing the shocks longer than necessary).Garage: Happpijack fully stowed / confirm items strapped to bunk are secure.Garage: wheel-dock in place and tie downs ready (simply on the floor where they will go for travel).Garage: desk in stow position (up against the bathroom door but not tied down yet as I'll likely still need it).Garage: roll up carpet (this does require some jugging of the furniture).Garage: rear bathroom secure and door closed.Garage: rear bathroom vent closed and lights off.Plan route and fuel (get a feel on gas station locations, rest stops, etc) (while this is usually already mostly done, I still text the next address to myself so I have it in the truck for the GPS in the morning) Note: we use RV Trip Wizard for all of this.T-12 (night before departure, usually just before bed) Check Radios / charge if needed (we use these).I've found that 100psi cold with no load puts it right about where it's supposed to ride when loaded) Check Pin Box Airbag pressure (100psi) (our FlexAir pin box has a shock and airbag.Check Truck tires (inflation, general inspection) (truck TPMS also greatly simplifies this).I always make sure the tires are +/- 3psi of target of 110psi) Check Rig tires (inflation, general inspection) (a TPMS / Tire Pressure Monitoring System makes this a simple task.Fill fresh tank (% based on next location) (usually just 1/3 tank unless we'll be boondocking). ![]() (while slide toppers really eliminate this need, I still like to get stuff off them that may have accumulated during our stay) Inspect Rig wheels and suspension (torque lug nuts once a month) (just a general visual inspection of the leaf springs, attachment points, etc.Inspect HITCH bolts and connectors, including hitch head retaining pins.Fuel Truck (much simpler to fuel without the rig attached, and usually cheaper).Dump / Flush FRONT black tank (we leave this hooked up as it's also the dump for Grey 1 and Grey 2, the hose is under the slide anyway).Secure REAR Dump Hose (less stuff to stow on departure day).These can be done casually any time the day before: ![]() T-24 checklist (24 hours before departure) If we're not on full hookups, we dump and flush the tanks on the way out of the park, etc. For example, if we're not in a pull-thru site, Lucile (the motorcycle) will need to be loaded last. Also, some of the items will slide from one list to another depending on the situation. It should also be noted that when we “secure” a room or area, that's shorthand for vents closed, blinds up, drawers and cabinets closed, nothing loose that can fly around when traveling. So, now we have a checklist for each stage of our pre-travel preparations and we use them EVERY TIME! Luckily we have nothing to report in that category! Or it can be catastrophic when it's something to do with towing. Nothing like crunching sounds in your 5 day old rig to make you second guess your ability to live in an RV. ![]() Hydraulics are very unforgiving and will rip the door our completely out if you don't hear it in time. Forget one little thing and it can be a small issue, like the time (okay 3 times) we forgot to check the pantry door before putting the slides out. The short answer is that it's not very difficult at all with practice, but we would never attempt it without our Pre-Travel RV Checklists! We learned this lesson very early on with some (luckily inexpensive) mistakes. We get asked a lot by friends and family members (and sometimes fellow RVers), how difficult it is to pack up our home and move every week or so.
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