Camp site set up?

[Glenn Baglo]

I don't know why you would need an arrival check list. I either unhitch or I don't. If it's just overnight I might not deploy the stabilizers. If it's not raining, I won't use the awning to protect chairs from getting wet. I might or might not plug into power and/or water.

It's not like the trailer and all the stuff I brought will disappear if I don't do it now.

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo

I don't know why you would need an arrival check list.....

I covered that... you must have missed it:

Originally Posted by gordon2

... I forgot to put the rear stabilizers down. Luckily I noticed that before I went to bed, otherwise I might have found myself crawling up hill out of bed and making my way toward the door until the trailer's nose came back down with a bang!...

Another thing that might cause a problem for some people is leaving the umbilical cord connected for a long time. Not everyone has a relay or battery isolator on their charge line.

Like I said, I dont use a check list (arriving or departing)... I just wondered if anyone did use one on arrival because of these few more critical things.

[Jon in AZ]

The consensus seems to be no arrival checklist. Some people have packing checklists, departure checklists, winter storage checklists, spring de-winterizing checklists... Gotta draw the line somewhere I guess...

I agree with Glenn- the most important check is the pre-drive walkaround. I don’t use a list, but I look at everything, especially the hitch. I do it after every stop right before I get in the driver’s seat to go. First drive of the day, I also check tire pressure.

There may come an age when I need a few more lists to keep me straight.

[redbarron55]

Being diagnosed as having short term memory loss I forget to use the checklist anyway.
I walk around the trailer twice and try to get Connie in the habit of doing that as well.
There is a long list of damaged items that various people have forgotten to put away or up before driving off from awnings to steps to jacks etc.
Luckily (so far) I have not damaged anything, but only due to that second look.
I have fairly often forgotten to open the gas valve to the water heater, having to go outside in the morning to open it for a shower with warm water.
Having spent around a half year (and coast to coast and north to southern border) in the Scamp I have the routine down fairly well.

[Civilguy]

Originally Posted by rpassmore

Thanks, this is kind of what I was getting at. We changed to a Scamp for the ease of set up/tear down, but we don’t want to give up how much time we spend outside. We’re looking to minimize how much gear we bring but still want the feeling of an outdoor living space. We got rid of our old pop up canopy and replaced it with a Big Agnes Three Forks Shelter that stores pretty small. We plan to use that if we are camping more that one night. And we’ve kept our camp kitchen table and stove along with a couple of chairs, rug and side table. But it’s amazing how much stuff we don’t think we need anymore.

We went from a teardrop to a Casita FD 17 to an Escape 21. As the Casita's kitchen counter and table space was very limited, and we tend to prepare a lot of fresh foods, we continued to carry a camp stove and gear to cook and clean our dishes outdoors.

As the Escape has more counter space and a small three-burner range/oven, we now tend to do all of our cooking, eating and cleaning indoors. We've basically quit carrying the portable stove and a few other associated items.

While this is all very convenient, not to mention climate-controlled, we have lost a lot of the connection with the outdoors.

Stay tuned for further adjustments as there is nothing so constant as change.

[Fred762]

Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo

Last step, before putting the transmission in Drive is to do a walk around the tow and trailer. You don't want to leave My Little Pony, or Barbie, or a Teddy on the picnic table.

WE use both, but as has been said the Departure Checklist [DC]is more imp than the Arrival Checklist [AC]. here is an example I had from last June.

our last activity at a campsite [b4 we roll out] is to go thru a walk around..wife going one way and me going the opposite direction..looking for things.
That June day in the Smokies, I looked again at the trailer hitch AREA:
chains on..> hasp down..> ball IN the socket..> emergency brake cable set.. > hasp lock set..> Propane off..> ANTI-SWAY BAR ON..> ask HOLY IF Frig on DC..> ETC
Then...for some reason I reached down and grabbed the HITCH PIN LOCK (like this one https://www.walmart.com/ip/Trimax-Re...tches/25074181 ) and shook the end where the key goes..shook it and..VOILA' the dam ned whole end piece CAME OFF IN MY HAND..and little pieces of metal, rust and broken plastic fell out of the hole in the lock piece.. onto the ground!!
I was shocked bks the lock was only 8 months old. I showed it to Holly and she was amazed. WE both knew it wd have failed in a few miles, as the hitch pin just wd have backed OUT of the hole and the ball mount slid back, out of the receiver. Maybe the chains wd have held..maybe not. Looking at it, it appeared that if it had failed, the whole ball mount w ball might have dropped down far enuf to slip thru the chains and DRAG along the road! Wow..sparks around propane tanks came to my mind!
I replaced the hitchpin with a spare pin [ https://www.walmart.com/ip/2-Pc-Trai...eter/134963775 ]w a cotter-pin lock we carry in our tool kit, and we were off on our trip home. I now have 2 spare hitch pins and am looking for a real solid type of pin lock for the new trailer we ordered.
AC is waaaay easier..we may or may not connect to H2O, usually we know we need electric, frig on AC? Wheels chocked? front jack down> etc
The rest of the arrival stuff is routine..unhitch or not? Stabilizers down ot not? hang site lite we made, mats under steps?, site sign up or not? Alot depends upon how long we stay etc. St up Gazelle? DRAG OUT PROPANE GRILLE? ETC