Visit our Popular Forums

dames7 · 11-02-2015, 07:32 PM

My Wife has her check list and I have mine, after we do our list we check each other's.

So far we have left the TV cable, one wrench, for got to close the fridge door and found all of our food all over the floor at the next stop (113 out side).

We have found two TV cables, one water hose, one hammer, rod to pull out the sun shade and a cooler full of beer, not a bad trade off after 9000 miles.

Goal15 · 11-02-2015, 08:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dames7

My Wife has her check list and I have mine, after we do our list we check each other's.

So far we have left the TV cable, one wrench, for got to close the fridge door and found all of our food all over the floor at the next stop (113 out side).

We have found two TV cables, one water hose, one hammer, rod to pull out the sun shade and a cooler full of beer, not a bad trade off after 9000 miles.

Let me know if you find the bicycle lock cable I left locked around a picnic table. I've got the keys lol

Sent from my iPhone using Airstream Forums

Xicaque · 11-02-2015, 09:18 PM

^^^ lol! what color cable?

Seemore2006 · 11-02-2015, 10:45 PM

I have a great written checklist but forget where it is when needed. So I put the checklist in the notes section of my phone. When I'm ready to use that, I usually find that I forgot to charge the phone. So I resort to a visual, I start at the same place on the interior and go around the perimeter until I'm back where I started. I focus on each thing as I do a hands on - hasn't failed me so far! same for the exterior! The hardest thing is to remember to put the steps up.

larryglarson · 11-03-2015, 06:00 AM

Nice to see that others have problems too. We can not get by with out check lists and the older we get the more we need them. Also it is easy to "rush" threw them an not really think. The cost is so great for a mistake. Thanks every one for making me not feel alone.

Rokitman · 11-03-2015, 04:28 PM

We use checklists "religiously". Some we run together (one reads, the other acts), some are "reminder lists", some we use as back up to my actions taken (final walk around), some to make sure the once-a-year process is done in a specific order and without forgetting $omething (winterization). I envy you MrUKToad; but, your day will come. No matter how familiar, or what little white reminders you have, one day you will have an expensive oops. There are only two types: those that have and those that will. Checklists have already $aved my wallet (and perhaps, my marriage) a couple of times. I even bought Flight Checklist binders on Amazon to hold them. And to PKI, my friend, yes, it takes time to nail down the correct, efficient order in which to accomplish tasks, so keep on updating. Pilot checklists aren't made overnight, and still undergo updates and tweaks for years. Wonder how to get started? Google: "rv checklists", and prepare to be amazed.

MrUKToad · 11-03-2015, 06:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rokitman

We use checklists "religiously". Some we run together (one reads, the other acts), some are "reminder lists", some we use as back up to my actions taken (final walk around), some to make sure the once-a-year process is done in a specific order and without forgetting $omething (winterization). I envy you MrUKToad; but, your day will come. No matter how familiar, or what little white reminders you have, one day you will have an expensive oops. There are only two types: those that have and those that will. Checklists have already $aved my wallet (and perhaps, my marriage) a couple of times. I even bought Flight Checklist binders on Amazon to hold them. And to PKI, my friend, yes, it takes time to nail down the correct, efficient order in which to accomplish tasks, so keep on updating. Pilot checklists aren't made overnight, and still undergo updates and tweaks for years. Wonder how to get started? Google: "rv checklists", and prepare to be amazed.

Ha ha, you may be right, Rokitman. I'm not so proud that I can't go back to the check lists if I have to, but for now, my "little grey cells" are holding up quite well.

thesignlady · 11-03-2015, 06:35 PM

Could a few of you check list folks share your lists and the era of your trailers with all of us please? I figure with a few different ones I could compile a pretty complete list for posting inside my vintage fleet

I'll post a vintage looking PDF after for anyone that wants to print one off in the future

**Rocinante** · 11-04-2015, 06:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thesignlady

Could a few of you check list folks share your lists and the era of your trailers with all of us please? I figure with a few different ones I could compile a pretty complete list for posting inside my vintage fleet

I'll post a vintage looking PDF after for anyone that wants to print one off in the future

Sure! We'll gladly publish our checklists, which we use for our 2014 International Signature 27FB.

* Packing Checklist for camping - Casa Rocinante
* Trailer Departure Checklist - Casa Rocinante
* Trailer Departure Checklist - Casa Rocinante

Xicaque · 11-04-2015, 06:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rokitman

We use checklists "religiously". Some we run together (one reads, the other acts), some are "reminder lists", some we use as back up to my actions taken (final walk around), some to make sure the once-a-year process is done in a specific order and without forgetting $omething (winterization). I envy you MrUKToad; but, your day will come. No matter how familiar, or what little white reminders you have, one day you will have an expensive oops. There are only two types: those that have and those that will. Checklists have already $aved my wallet (and perhaps, my marriage) a couple of times. I even bought Flight Checklist binders on Amazon to hold them. And to PKI, my friend, yes, it takes time to nail down the correct, efficient order in which to accomplish tasks, so keep on updating. Pilot checklists aren't made overnight, and still undergo updates and tweaks for years. Wonder how to get started? Google: "rv checklists", and prepare to be amazed.

This is exactly how I was going to start setting up my checklists that I've started "collecting." I got quite a few of these binders from my service days with aviation units.

**Rocinante** · 11-05-2015, 08:23 AM

Whoops! one of those three links above was supposed to be an arrival checklist.

Here you go: http://www.casarocinante.com/Blog/Sp...ival-Checklist

AudioMike · 11-05-2015, 08:56 AM

Thanks for that comprehensive checklist. This will save many of us time in the creation of our own.

aftermath · 11-05-2015, 10:44 AM

I find these checklists confusing at times. You might have many things to do when getting ready to depart. Some of the lists say things like, connect trailer to tow vehicle, disconnect water hose, close door, and on and on.

Really? Wow, I never thought about disconnecting the water hose. Of course these lists can be quite long and there are some small things that we could forget. Stowing the sewer hose and raising the stabilizers wouldn't fall into that category for me though. I do think these lists are really good ideas for newbies but after you do this for a few years, not so much.

That said, the wife and I work as a team. She deals with most of the interior stuff while I do the outside. It works well for us until.....I go out by myself. I have avoided disaster by stopping and concentrating on these things. So far, after many years we have only had a very few mishaps. I have lost two locks by putting them on the battery cover and forgetting to lock them on the hitch. We also use a wireless thermometer with the outside sending unit placed on top of one of the tires. That way it is out of the sun and out of the rain. It is also out of sight and my wife has never forgotten to bring it in. I, on the other hand, forgot once and I would not advise rolling over one of these things with your trailer. It wasn't a pretty sight.

Protagonist · 11-05-2015, 10:58 AM

For me, memory is a use-it-or-lose-it proposition. Both of my parents had dementia in later years, and I for one would prefer not to follow in their footsteps. I'm afraid that if I don't exercise my memory, it will disappear, having seen their memories disappear. So I don't use a written checklist at all. Having learned what I need to do through repetition, I just go ahead and do it. All those years of rote learning in school have finally paid off, by virtue of the fact that I learned how to learn by rote!

Which works very well so far— right up until someone comes up to me to talk at me while I'm hitching up my toad or performing some other moderately complex task. Then I find my attention split and I'm likely to either (a) forget something; and/or (b) be rude to the otherwise friendly person who has no idea that they're inconveniencing me.

**Rocinante** · 11-05-2015, 12:45 PM

Our posting of admittedly detailed checklists to our blog and sharing them here doesn't mean we insist you use one. We posted them in case they might be helpful to folks who are thinking about their own checklists.

If you like them, use them in good health (oh, and at your own risk - lawyers made us say that). If you don't like them, that's OK, too. We still wish you good health and happy camping trips, again at your own risk.

While we welcome feedback on our lists here or via our blog, please understand: they work for us.

With that, we'll retreat to our Safe Space. Butters will be monitoring our feeds.

jbxx · 11-05-2015, 03:28 PM

Could someone please convert the attached checklists (in Works)
to Notepad or something I can use?
Thanks in advance.
J.B.

kb0zke · 11-05-2015, 04:13 PM

I clicked on one, saved it to the desktop, then clicked on it and OpenOffice immediately opened it. The .docx says it is a recent Microsoft Word format.

**Rocinante** · 11-05-2015, 05:40 PM

You could try this free web service. It seemed to work for the first one on your list above.

Convert documents to TXT

Seemore2006 · 11-05-2015, 11:05 PM

Re Aftermath's mention of teamwork - it has me thinking that while i have the interior mastered with or without a checklist - we both need to know each other's 'checklist' especially should there be an emergency. Guess I better check out the exterior list and vice-versa! I'm going to customize two lists, laminate them and hang them on the interior cabinet door - last instruction to put list back In place! Thanks for the many good suggestions here.

RangerJay · 11-08-2015, 07:12 AM

We don't use checklists any more but work hard at making the final hook-up quick and simple.

The night before:

- pack up as much as you can - for us this means all the outside gear (chairs, tables, stove, BBQ etc),
- put the awning up,
- roll-up and stow any outside mats,
- water hose rolled and packed away (use the on-board tank for the last morning),
- mirrors put on the truck
- truck backed up and ready to hook-up.

This leaves only a short set of tasks for the morning: raise your stabilizers, unhook your utility connections, do your actual hook-up of the hitch, check the lights, a final walk-around and then departure.

My wife goes through the same kind of procedures for the inside tasks.

Also - when we're doing "stuff" we use a repetitive routine - always in the same (logical) order each time.

Jay