Heading out on first trip - any tips?

[64airstream]

There are a lot of new Airstreamers here, so, welcome to the forum and congratulations as you begin Airstreaming. Enjoy!

To the experienced hands, thank you. This thread exemplifies how helpful, knowledgable and supportive this community is.

Roy and Marie

[Dan and Liz]

Make wide turns ...

[jcanavera]

Stay focused on the task at hand. Lots of details and if necessary make a task list for prior to departure and setup. Don't talk to friends or fellow campers as you are doing your prep or arrival tasks. It's too easy to wander off course and miss something. You will have lots of time to talk once you are done.

Look twice at everything. Yes you know you did that task but it doesn't hurt to look a second time. As you get more experienced the tasks will be more committed to memory but beware that I've made more errors as tasks become automatic. That's where the double check has come into play. It catches those little things that inattention or over confidence causes you to miss.

I always do one final check, when I pull out of my driveway or campsite onto the road, I stop and get out. I walk the site looking for anything left behind. I then give a visual check to each side of the trailer looking to make sure everything is closed and secure. Then I make one last check of the hitch connections making sure all hitch elements are connected and secure. Once that is done I feel confident for on the road travel.

Jack

[Rocinante]

Our checklists, hopefully useful.

• Packing
• Arrival
• Departure

[Adventure.AS]

Politely decline help, from your camping neighbours, in striking camp. They will distract you from your routine and make you more prone to missing something important or leaving valuable equipment behind. As a corollary, you will find that you and your partner will assume different tasks - don't interfere with their routine.

[Gneiss Guy]

I don't know if anyone has mentioned this, but I have found it is nice to have a battery-powered drill and appropriate socket, for use in raising and lowering the stabilizers. Speaking of the stabilizers, be sure to grease the screws at home or at your first campsite. This will keep them from rusting and make them operate more easily and more quietly.

[Mattirs]

Originally Posted by sjski

We finally found a week to take our 25 Flying Cloud on her maiden voyage, heading to Hill Country and perhaps Galveston beach in Texas (we live in the Fort Worth area). Since we are newbie campers and Airstream owners, we're looking for wisdom from you experienced folks. Any tips? What are we forgetting? Make sure we bring ____??

Well I just got my first newbie lesson tonight. I was hitching the trailer up, which is sitting in my driveway, and learned that you need to raise the stabilizers before you settle the trailer onto the hitch, luckily nothing got bent.

Thank you everybody for your wisdom,

Matti

[NorCal Matt]

Matt, we may have met you at Bay Area. We had the beagle and you and your other were there to test drive your trailer. Maybe not, but it was good to meet you guys either way

[Mattirs]

Originally Posted by NorCal Matt

Matt, we may have met you at Bay Area. We had the beagle and you and your other were there to test drive your trailer. Maybe not, but it was good to meet you guys either way

I think we did meet, I remember a couple with a beagle. We visited it a couple of times while waiting for it be be prepped and then we found out my wife could not get the day off. That delayed it another week or two which resulted in our visiting our trailer a number of times. One advantage of living with in 5 miles of the dealer.

May be we will meet on the road someplace.

Matti

[Rocinante]

Please, for your own sanity, use this as an opportunity to start your own "departure" checklist. Otherwise, you may next find yourself pulling away with the jack down or a window unlatched.

Originally Posted by Mattirs

Well I just got my first newbie lesson tonight. I was hitching the trailer up, which is sitting in my driveway, and learned that you need to raise the stabilizers before you settle the trailer onto the hitch, luckily nothing got bent.



Thank you everybody for your wisdom,



Matti

[themartaman1]

I had mine laminated. Small hole punched in upper left corner and a key chain through it. Use a china marker to check off as you go through it.

[coasttocoast]

move the picnic table out of the way, then back in.
do 2 visual inspections, then drive out.
take walkie talkies, use them when it's dark or tight when parking.
leatherman oht.
oxx coffee maker.
dyson v8, nothing, i repeat nothing, works like this one.
lots and lots of paper towels.
take 2 portable fans.
several flashlights.
take pictures with a camera, leica, and not a phone. there's a reason why my camera doesnt make phone calls....
don't overpack, try to limit what you take. if you think you "might" use it, leave it behind. you will survive without all the shoes and outfits.
i travel with my water tank full.
i dump my tanks daily.
you want full hookups.
while driving, look, look, and look again.
i never cook in my rv, but occasionally, i do use the microwave.
take wine.
take tools.
don't let bugs in.
happy trails

[AraExpress]

Originally Posted by Rocinante

Checklists are your friends. We have them for packing, arriving in camp and leaving camp. Ours can be found on our home page: http://www.casarocinante.com

Keep a notepad of some kind and note things you wish you had brought. Also note things you brought but did not need.

Have a wonderful time!

I was able to look at your site and copy the check lists. Much appreciated!!!

[Vantair]

Eventually you may find it very informative to "know" how your cold food is doing. And without opening the door loosing precious cold to find out.

$30.00~$40.00 (Amazon)Wireless base thermometer with temp and memory for inside. Comes with additional 3 channel weatherproof small wireless remotes. Each shows F or Celsius and humidity with high low memory and alarms.
1. Lives in freezer
2. In fridge below
3. Separate big igloo ice box (or swing it to tow vehicle cabin, truck bed, outside etc. )
4. Base unit with built in sensors / display

Found after a good pre-cooling everything for a day, then loading food and monitoring, with no LP to the Dometic could drive full 6 hours in 80F temps and temps it still stayed below freezing in freezer and low 40s in refrigerator and igloo. (Pics not from this test and for illustration).

Always assumed we had to run LP while traveling and worried if pulling into gas station or through tunnels (some states outlaw running LP at these ).

Usually ya open doors to then determine how their doing. No more !!!

[Kittycatcat]

Ditto on the remote thermometer - I found a cheap one years ago in a closeout bin somewhere, not fancy, but does tell me the max/min for temp inside fridge + max/min temp wherever the part with the readout is sitting (usually on the galley counter) for the time period since I last cleared it. Nice to place sensor in different parts of fridge to check against what the fixed refrigerator sensor says.

And we double-check that the entry door deadbolt is locked - don't want to rely on just the latch to keep it closed underway.

Also, and I know it's on one of the above checklists, last thing before pulling out we check rear light operation, each and every time. Once found rear turn signal on old SOB not working, light looked fine from outside, cover not broken, but turned out bulb was broken (how this happened, who knows).

Also can't emphasize enough, look up, down, all around one more time before leaving.