RV Departure Guidelines – Use This RV Guidelines Earlier than Driving

Do you’ve an RV departure guidelines? If not, it’s time to place one collectively.

Why do you want an RV departure guidelines earlier than driving down the highway?

Effectively, think about for a second that you simply’re heading out for a drive in your new RV. The canines are alongside for the journey and everybody’s excited to go on an journey. As you’re turning onto the primary highway, you immediately hear crashing noises because the drawers fly open and gadgets fall out onto the ground. This scares the canines and so they strive scrambling onto your lap and below your toes inflicting you to battle to manage the 20,000 pound leisure car you’re driving.

Sound a bit far fetched? Effectively, it occurred to us. Whereas I used to be in a position to safely cease our small Class A motorhome, we realized the hazard of lacking small particulars earlier than getting on the highway in our RV. This incident was the impetus for us to place collectively our first RV departure guidelines.

Learn extra in regards to the adventures and misadventures of RV residing, try my second e-book, Tales From the Open Highway.

RV Departure Guidelines

Having a effectively thought out and full pre-travel RV guidelines will enhance security on the highway and ensure essential duties usually are not forgotten. RVs of each form are complicated with many issues that have to be checked previous to getting on the highway. Add in a tow car and the complexity goes up.

What must be in your RV pre-trip guidelines?

In brief, all the things. After we created our pre-departure guidelines, we began on the surface of the RV after which moved to the within. For instance,

• Tire strain checked and visible inspection
• Bay doorways locked
• Hoses and cables disconnected

We listed every merchandise that wanted to be checked and included directions as to what wanted to be carried out. Doorways wanted to be “locked” and hoses wanted to be “disconnected.” We adopted the identical course of for the within of the RV which ended up turning into fairly an extended RV guidelines earlier than driving down the highway.

That mentioned, we realized that in occasions the place we have been in a rush, there have been sure issues we may skip and would simply deal with the essential gadgets. For instance, we didn’t need to test tire strain EVERY time we acquired on the highway however we did HAVE to be sure that we have been disconnected from shore energy.

We’ve discovered checklists so useful that now that we’re part-time RVers, we’ve a guidelines for the home that we use earlier than every tenting journey to be sure that all the things in the home is buttoned up BEFORE we go away. Nothing like getting an hour away from the home if you understand you left the storage open (ask me how I do know).

Replace and Modify Your RV Guidelines

Every time we transfer into a brand new RV, we replace our departure guidelines. To present you a quick abstract, we began RV life in a Class A motorhome towing a Jeep Wrangler Limitless and touring with two giant canines. Then we downsized to a ProMaster Class B RV and in addition examined a collection of Class B RVs by completely different producers after which lived out of a 4×4 pop-up truck camper for 2 years. We now have a Class B RV once more that we use part-time.

I hope our guidelines will provide you with a very good start line for creating your individual RV guidelines earlier than driving down the highway.

RV Guidelines Departure

Here’s a record of things to contemplate on your guidelines. Watch the video to see the pre-departure RV guidelines in motion.

– Moveable photo voltaic panel indifferent and put away
– Carpets and mats put away
– Exterior storage doorways locked
– Awning retracted
– Windshield cleaned
– Rear view and facet view cameras cleaned
– Tire strain checked and visible inspection (RV and tow automobile)
– Hoses and cables disconnected
– Moveable electrical administration system stowed
– Locks and keys collected and saved
– Steps are cleared and carpet is put away
– Antenna down
– Followers on the roof are closed
– Slides in, locked and post-it secured (to remind us to unlock earlier than placing the slides out)
– Kitchen secured
– Journey Berkey Water Filter strapped down (Berkey Water System Overview)
– Water pump off (we by no means journey with the pump on as a result of if there’s a leak, you received’t hear the pump taking place the highway and will find yourself with severe water injury)
– Water heater off
– Lights off together with storage bays and closets
– Generator off
– Inverter off
– Toilet merchandise secured
– Bathe door latched
– Bathroom flushed (and secured if utilizing a transportable bathroom)
– Drawers pushed in all the way in which and locked
– Doorways closed
– Fridge gadgets secured
– Home windows closed
– Canine water bowl degree test
– Gas test
– Windshield wipers in working order
– Leveling jacks retracted
– Steps retracted when engine is on
– Leveling blocks and Jack Pads put away
– Tire chock eliminated and put away
– Tow automobile in tow mode
– Safe tow automobile to RV
– Verify all security pins
– Connect brake line to tow automobile
– Verify flip alerts and brake lights
– Walkie talkies charged and able to use
– Water, espresso and snacks simply accessible by the passenger

Now it’s time to place collectively your RV guidelines and ensure to make use of it earlier than you hit the highway.