RV checklists make for StressLess Camping
RV Checklists are one of the greatest and simplest tools that can save you time and money for a StressLess Camping experience. Whether you’re a newbie or an old timer lists can be one of the best tools you have in your RV arsenal.
One of the best things about camping is the people at the campgrounds. There’s something about RVing that brings out the best in most people and many time you’ll find new friends at every campground on your journey. That’s one of the great things about RVing.
However you’ll also find that, as you make friends they’re disappointed that you’re breaking camp and want to come over for one more little chat as you’re packing up. That’s when you can forget something which can prove to be an expensive mistake down the road.
Going through a checklist would mean that you have all your ducks in a row and forgetting would be a thing of the past.
The reminders app on our iPhones is a great way to do checklists.
Peggy and I use the “Reminders” function on our iPhones as our checklist. I like it because, using iCloud, the phone’s reminders sync over the cloud so I know what she’s checked off and she knows what I’ve checked off. We have a list for inside the camper and outside.
The funny thing is, as you get more experienced in camping you think you know it all which is how I pulled the connector right out of the back of my pickup truck on a recent camping experience. I didn’t use the checklist, since I’m now an “expert” (in bullfeathers) and forgot one little thing that ended up costing me money and, even worse, delayed a camping trip. That was not StressLess Camping!
I’ve also seen happy campers with laminated checklists where they can go through and check off items that they’ve done and then, when it’s time to leave, they can just wipe the slate clean. Talk about an easy, low-tech way to do things!
You don’t have to limit yourself to just checklists for arrival and departure. Like we do, you can make things to make sure you pack them in your RV. You can make “what if” lists (such as what if I have a flat tire?). There is almost no limit, really, and I’ve found that making lists really is helpful to me. Plus it feels really great when you’ve checked off all the items on a list!
I’ve included a few starter checklists here that you can download either in Apple’s Pages application or in Microsoft Word or PDF. Please feel free to make these your own and let us know how they’ve worked out for you. There is also a version in Google Docs as well which you can add to your own Drive and edit.
We also have a Routine Maintenance checklist to help you remember what tasks to perform regularly. Again, this list can be downloaded in Google Docs, Word, Pages, or as a PDF so you can make the changes needed for your own RV’s needs.
Finally you have arrived at camp! Here is a handy checklist to help remember the steps for unhooking your trailer and setting up camp.
