What did you forget to do before driving away?

[m.hony]

At a campground with full hook ups I have left the threaded adapter that screws into the sewer pipe.
Of course I didn't even know it until I got to the next campground.

[m.hony]

I leave the refrigerator door open during storage. I have driven away without closing the refrigerator door. Somehow or other it ends up closed. It must close itself when I brake.
I have driven away without fastening the little loops that hold the pocket doors open. When I reached my destination the pocket door was closed.

[m.hony]

We have left things on the counter which end up either in the sink or on the floor.
This thread reminds me how forgetful I am. Apparently I'm not the only one.

[Protagonist]

Insulin. I had enough for the first day or so in the pen I was using, but needed to have a spare insulin pen in order to last the whole trip. Remembered it about 45 minutes down the road, so I looped back home to get it. Better that than cutting my trip short when I ran out!

Never forgot anything at a campground when packing up to return home. Yet.

[SteveSueMac]

We had a trip once where DW and I faithfully executed every step on our checklist (in a notebook, not a laminated card) and left the site commenting on how fast that went and that we must really be getting the hang of things. A few miles down the road we realized we left our checklist/notebook at the campsite!!

Called the site so they'd let us back in to pick it up.

Now have to add "put checklist in truck" as last item on the list. :-)

[overlander63]

There is a 100 foot long trench in our parking lot from an unnamed customer leaving with their trailer without raising the tongue jack.

[murreywalker]

Anyone want to know what a replacement jack stand costs?

[drew05]

Originally Posted by murreywalker

Anyone want to know what a replacement jack stand costs?

Ouch ;(

[switz]

I know.

Between the AAA roadside assistance guy and my self on my trip home after switching tires from a flat rear with only a donut spare (front to rear and donut to the front...), I tried to hook back up to the trailer for only my second time. Mis-communications and the trailer went backwards and the stand bent in extended position. Fortunately I could raise it enough to get the base plate off and have five or six inches of clearance driving down the road.

The dealer sent a smaller diameter unit the first time and had to order the appropriate larger diameter stand.

[dznf0g]

This summer, at a CG just outside of Rocky Mountain NP (the wild side), I unhitched and left my HAHA wrench on the back bumper of the PU. A couple days later, while hitching up the evening prior to a next day early morning departure, I realized my error. It had been raining, and my search of the dirt road revealed a perfect impression of my wrench, where it had been run over and forced into the road...but no wrench.

Next morning, I saw what I thought was a survey stake by the road directly opposite the impression in the road. I realized it was my wrench, standing upright with stones around and supporting it, with orange marking tape flying in the breeze.

Thanks the nice person who went to a lot of trouble to get the wrench back to its owner!

[crispyboy]

I'm guilty of leaving the TV antenna up and some folks pointed it out before we got to the dump station......
I try to do a walk thru and a walk around before departing looking low and high. I have often thought about a checklist but I doubt I would use it.
My wife and I often remind each other of things while getting ready to roll - this seems to help the most.

[mapley3]

Laminated lists are useful. Stopping to check the site to make sure you haven't left anything behind (trash included) should be automatic. And, stop after 50 miles and check your hook-up, etc. One would think that after 20 years, hundreds of campgrounds, and thousands of miles a seasoned Airstreamer would do it right every time. However, we all know better. I've left the wheel lock behind - didn't even feel it pop out; failed to connect the pig tail - obviously didn't check the lights; left the trailer keys on the rear bumper - found them at the 50 mile stop; left windows open; didn't remove a window cover; didn't replace the water inlet plug; left antenna up; left tools on truck bumper; and numerous interior screw-ups that we discovered at the 50 mile stop. Best advice: don't be in a hurry and let the wife independently do a walk-around. Two sets of eyes are better than one.

[jcanavera]

Really I think my mistakes have always been when someone is talking to me. It happens on set up or packing up. Thankfully it's been little things and typically I do catch them as do the walk around prior to departing, or the walk through the trailer before locking the doors. The worst thing so far was my last trip where I failed to lock the door on the fresh water fill. No damage but I was humbled when I pulled up to the fill station at the campground and found my door already open. Prior to leaving the house I sanitized the water tank and apparently closed the door, but didn't have my keys to lock it. I remember saying to myself, I'll lock the door before we leave. If I had left it open I would have caught it on the final walk around.

I also do a second walk around after I pull the trailer out of the drive onto the street or out of the campground site. I especially pay attention to the hitch making sure all the Equal-i-zer clips and pins are in place. Lists are good, but I've seen instances where folks have lists and still miss things on the list. They check things off but forget they really didn't look. Sort of like taking that daily pill but not remembering you took it.

Jack

[Minno]

We've left the X chocks in place - only a foot or 2 before we realized. Need new ones. Last summer, left the remote thermometer sensor on the tongue, and remembered it when we got home - new thermometer system now as we can no longer replace that sensor. We've left compartment doors unlocked, but latched. Fortunately, they stay closed. We've also lost over the years: dog tie out chains a few times and clothes lines. I broke one of our pink flamingo statues forgetting to put it away. Lost an earring by leaving it on the counter (still looking for it). On an SOB trailer a few years ago, we forgot to connect electrical to TV, and discovered it a few hours later when we stopped for a brake. Luckily we were near a Walmart that had a new connecter Chris could quickly rewire in. We always check lights when we hitch up but apparently had forgotten that day. We've talked about a check list but have never sat down and put one together. Maybe this winter....
We both do walk arounds before we leave a campsite, and STILL forget things!

Kay

[ALANSD]

Left the shore power plugged into an extension cord. Ripped the cord right off. I saw the orange thing in the rear view ....not pretty. But no damage to my Moho at the time.

[masseyfarm]

We had been parked by the Salish Sea a couple, or 3 years ago and planned on an early morning departure.

The site was level so I had not used the jack system, but just dumped the suspension air on the CLIPPER.

I had done my pretrip in the late evening and stored all connections, so that we would just fire up the Cummins, build up air, and go in the early morning light.

Morning brought a stiff East wind and I was happy that I was going to just drive away.

Moved ahead about 4' and heard a huge BOOOOOOOOOOMMMM!

Grab the flashlight and get out and down on my knees to see what the h^% happened?

Some kids soccer ball was under my duals, and half the trailer park was gathered around wanting to know who got shot.

Always do one last circle check, even in the dark.

Dave

[AldeanFan]

Did everyone see the YouTube video of the guy towing a car behind his MoHo with the car in park?

I find that friendly neighbors often want to come over and talk to me about the trailer while I'm backing in to a site and unhooking the trailer. I usually tell them I'm not trying to be rude but if I don't pay attention to what I"m doing the trailer may roll away or I'll hit a tree or something. Most campers understand and are happy to come back once the trailer is set up.

[Zia]

Dragged tong jack, chocks, left storage doors, vent cover, antenna open, however, forgetting to put the pin in the hitch receiver was ultimate. Luckily I was pulling out of the storage facility and during the left turn on a busy street my wife noticed that the trailer front is abnormally low and I could hear some draging noise. Immediately thaught of flat tire. Stopped, luckily the front of the trailer was resting on the hitch and the chains were holding the trailer.
What happended next is quite painful, we were able to hitch and left before the cops showed up. Some times in hot weather people like myself do these #/%* things.
Leason learned: take your time, check and double check any list you might have never trust the routine you are used to.
Happy camping

[Skater]

Originally Posted by AldeanFan

Did everyone see the YouTube video of the guy towing a car behind his MoHo with the car in park?

I haven't seen that, but there have been a couple times when I started to move the B190 and a towed car (on the dolly) without releasing the parking break on the towed car. The few times it happened, I knew it immediately - I'd give it gas, but the rig wouldn't move; even on dirt or soft surfaces it was clear immediately there was something wrong.

Originally Posted by Zia

forgetting to put the pin in the hitch receiver was ultimate.

Oh, geez. This reminded me of an incident with the dolly where I was trying to load the car on to it quickly and get out of the road (small campground road, didn't have much choice but to block the road while I was hitching) - as I pulled out on the to main street, I heard an odd noise, so I got out and looked, and I discovered I'd forgotten both tray locks - there was a pin as well as a thing you cranked down, and I forgot to do both. A quick half-mile or so walk/run back to the campsite, and the pin was still laying in the campground road where I'd left it, then back to the camper to put it on and head home.

(As I accelerated on the road, the weight of the car on the dolly shifted back a bit and caused the tray to lift, so the ramps touched the ground - that was the noise I heard. I never accelerated fast enough on the campground road for that to happen, which is why I didn't notice it before I got to the main road.)

Your advice is spot on - I was trying to hurry and get out of the way, and I made a stupid mistake. I skipped my usual double check of everything, and look what it got me. No harm done, fortunately, and lesson learned. I double check everything with our hitch after I'm theoretically finished hitching up. I kind of shudder at the "I can hitch up in x minutes" claims - it's not a race; I probably could hitch up in 10 minutes, too, but it's much better to take my time and double check everything.

[Ahab]

Left my fishing tackle box on the picnic table. Went back a half hour later and it was gone. Nobody saw it. 20 years of accumalated lures.