Departure Checklist

[thiel]

All,

I don't pick up my trailer until next weekend, but I wanted to make sure I was prepared to ask all the right questions and I often find that "mental walkthroughs" help me identify some of the things I don't know I don't know.

To that end, and (inspired largely by CasaRocinante's unbelievably detailed lists) I put the attached PDF together as a walk-through of a departure routine.

So... knowing I'm a newb, I wonder if people want to take a look? I'd love additional suggestions and I'd be happy to make a Word/GoogleDoc version of the finished document available. The goal is for it to be on two sides of a single laminated sheet.

Thanks!

[thiel]

Originally Posted by thiel

All,

I don't pick up my trailer until next weekend, but I wanted to make sure I was prepared to ask all the right questions and I often find that "mental walkthroughs" help me identify some of the things I don't know I don't know.

To that end, and (inspired largely by CasaRocinante's unbelievably detailed lists) I put the attached PDF together as a walk-through of a departure routine.

So... knowing I'm a newb, I wonder if people want to take a look? I'd love additional suggestions and I'd be happy to make a Word/GoogleDoc version of the finished document available. The goal is for it to be on two sides of a single laminated sheet.

Thanks!

And... now with the attachment... duh!

[DaveMc]

That's thorough!!! It'll come in handy for me in a couple weeks when we pick up our new (to us) Airstream! Thanks for sharing!

Dave

[thiel]

Originally Posted by DaveMc

That's thorough!!! It'll come in handy for me in a couple weeks when we pick up our new (to us) Airstream! Thanks for sharing!

Dave

Can't take too much credit! Check these out:

http://www.casarocinante.com

[Vitaver]

Newbie myself, I made both a departure and arrive checklists. I showed that to the guy that demonstrated all systems at the dealership, he said they were the most thorough lists he's seen... Never used them, the procedures are not as complicated as I imagined them to be. After the second stop, it became second nature and intuitive. I expect the same will happen to you.

Unless you are shipping your trailer to tour some third world country, if you forget anything it is just a click away, or a quick stop at Walmart (Where you will go anyway).

I was (initially) equally obsessed and meticulous with similar checklists when ready to cast off on my sailboat. Then I read that if you wait till everything is ready and perfect, you never leave port... And they don't have Walmart mid ocean! LOL.

Happy trails to you and I hope you get to love your Silver Bullet, live a Riveted Life like the veterans on this forum!

[nvestysly]

We were all newbies at one point or another and I certainly recall some amount of trepidation when departing and returning from a trip. I still experience some of that anxiety - wondering what I may have forgotten at home or at the campsite.

Your list (albeit influenced by others) is very good and I would have appreciated that level of detail for my first few trips.

As your level of experience and confidence increases you'll find the list can be dramatically simplified. I probably should still have a list but don't. Our "list" now consists of walking into each room of the Airstream, as well as the four corners outside, and performing the following...

Look Up, Look Down, Look All Around

I'm not recommending that everyone simplify to this level but it works for us.

[Rich W]

The first time our fishing group took out a very large houseboat I used a camcorder to record everything the dock hand was explaining. It came in very handy several days and cases of beers later. We had forgotten just about everything he had told us. (BTW, if you're having a house built, you can't even begin to imagine how handy this is. Our house is now 20 years old and I'm sure glad to know where the pipes and power cables are.)

If you've not towed anything that big before, I suggest making a small sign for the dash board: WATCH OVERHEAD Very handy at gas stations and low hanging tree branches.

[thiel]

Yeah..this is more mental practice than a checklist I expect to use every single time.

One question: how do you all feel about briefly running the sewer flush with the black valve closed? Run it a little too long and it will flood the toilet, but I would think running it briefly would really help clean the tank... thoughts?

[thiel]

Handy for delegating jobs to the kids though, who might lack the judgement to just look around...

One other detail that the list might help with: say I end up having to run off or get ill or something while on a trip ...my wife, kids, and relatives will know what to do with the trailer.

Overkill for sure, but handy if I were to get a kidney stone or appendicitis or something.

[Adventure.AS]

Very detailed list. You may want to add two items: 1. check cold tire pressures every morning before traveling (use a good digital tire gauge and/or a TPMS, and 2. Check the lug nut torque before and long journey. (You will need a good torque wrench with capacity over 90 ft/lbs, a socket to fit your wheel nuts and a socket extension.)

[nvestysly]

Originally Posted by thiel

One question: how do you all feel about briefly running the sewer flush with the black valve closed? Run it a little too long and it will flood the toilet, but I would think running it briefly would really help clean the tank... thoughts?

We regularly close our black tank valve and allow water to run for several minutes, open valve, repeat two or three times as necessary.

Depending on your black tank size it would take quite a while to fill up the black tank through the "flush" line.

[thiel]

Originally Posted by Adventure.AS

Very detailed list. You may want to add two items: 1. check cold tire pressures every morning before traveling (use a good digital tire gauge and/or a TPMS, and 2. Check the lug nut torque before and long journey. (You will need a good torque wrench with capacity over 90 ft/lbs, a socket to fit your wheel nuts and a socket extension.)

Good thinking. Will do.

Makes me think that there should maybe be a little box or something for periodic tasks that might not need to be done every time, but maybe should be done every once in a while.

Any guidance for how often torque and tire pressures should be checked? After X days? After X hours/miles of driving? During the full moon?

Any other tasks that you'd put in the "periodic" category?

[Adventure.AS]

Originally Posted by thiel

Good thinking. Will do.

...

Any guidance for how often torque and tire pressures should be checked? After X days? After X hours/miles of driving? During the full moon?

With a travel trailer you can't easily detect changes from normal by sound, vibration etc. as you can in your car or truck. This is one reason it is important to frequently check your wheels and bearings. You will see tractor trailer drivers doing this regularly. I expect that many trailer owners never check the lug nut torque.

I check my tire pressure manually before every journey and my TPMS checks pressure and temperature continually while travelling. It isn't necessary, but as I also have my torque wrench with me, checking the lug nuts can be done at the same time as checking the air pressure. Of course this is a good time to visually inspect the tires for uneven wear, distortions or bulges etc.

I also check the temperature of the wheel bearings every time I stop for fuel etc., by touching the bearing with my hand. If there is a problem with heat building up you will feel it easily.

[thiel]

Here's the latest version in PDF. Happy to send anyone a Word version if you'd like... it's just too big a file to attach here...

--Thiel

[BigHornStream]

I am a believer in checklists and would appreciate having a Word version of your Departure Checklist, what a great job! I wanted to comment on the right questions to ask when you pick up your new Airstream, hope this is pertinent to the original thread, although you probably now have it in your possession. We had a comprehensive orientation when we picked up our new Airstream but being so new to this I was focused on towing and making my own hitching and unhitching checklists that we didn’t get as much information on Winterizing as we could have. I've seen most all of the Winterizing Checklists and guides out there and all have been helpful but if we had it to do over we would have asked for more specific information about our model to include location of water pump access and more “how to” use the hot water heater bypass.

[thiel]

Originally Posted by BigHornStream

I am a believer in checklists and would appreciate having a Word version of your Departure Checklist, what a great job! I wanted to comment on the right questions to ask when you pick up your new Airstream, hope this is pertinent to the original thread, although you probably now have it in your possession. We had a comprehensive orientation when we picked up our new Airstream but being so new to this I was focused on towing and making my own hitching and unhitching checklists that we didn’t get as much information on Winterizing as we could have. I've seen most all of the Winterizing Checklists and guides out there and all have been helpful but if we had it to do over we would have asked for more specific information about our model to include location of water pump access and more “how to” use the hot water heater bypass.

I had a couple requests and realized I could set up a dropbox folder. Here you go!

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/l2czf4pvd...bGG2n98Ba?dl=0

[GM Airstream]

Is their a APP for this ? Touch screen checklist...

[Hittenstiehl]

Thiel, that works great. Thank you for sharing. An APP, hmmmm could be another income, writing apps for checklists.

[thiel]

Originally Posted by Hittenstiehl

Thiel, that works great. Thank you for sharing. An APP, hmmmm could be another income, writing apps for checklists.

I could probably make that happen. Give me a couple days :-)

I'm a total newb at airstreaming but I'm pretty good at research and list making!

[SteveSueMac]

If you are an iPhone user, go to the App Store and search for "RV Checklist" and you'll find many options.

If someone here can make a better one, I'd pay you the buck! 😀