If you are a part time camper like we are then you know we are getting close to camping season opening up for the year. It is an exciting time that means warmer weather, more time in nature and lots of campfires. We look forward to the camping season every year and cannot wait for another great season.
Before we head out on that first trip though, we take a good day and a half to go through everything in our RV and make sure we are all ready to go. There is nothing worse than being ready to hit the road on a Friday night only to find that you are missing something in your rig or worse yet you need to make a repair.
If you need to run through a maintenance checklist one more time before the season then be sure to download our FREE Checklist and get ready.
If all your maintenance items are done and now you just need to prep the inside stuff here is a great list of things to get you ready.
Clean out last years junk
We have a second set of everything that lives in our RV all the time. A lot of the items we have transferred from our original tent to our second tent to our first RV and now to our current RV. We have accumulated more things over the years so we like to go through all the cabinets, drawers and storage compartments and clean them out of things we do not use. Everyone picks up the novelty camping things but then after a year you realize you never use it. If you haven’t used it in a year, get rid of it.
Throw away/donate old clothes
Many of our clothes have migrated throughout the different camping seasons as well and oftentimes when things get too dinghy for daily wear the item makes it’s way to the camper. Many of the clothes we have in the camper are 5-10 years old. Go through all your clothes you keep in the RV and see if it still fits or not. If things do not fit or you no longer wear them then donate it or throw it away if it’s too bad. You don’t need all those extra clothes in there if you really only wear a handful of things each trip.
Take inventory of sheets and towels
In our rig we have towel overload, you can never have too many towels in my opinion. It’s a good idea to do a full inventory of towels, wash clothes, sheets, extra blankets and anything else like these items that you will need for the season. If you are light on anything I always suggest grabbing something cheap from either Amazon or Target.
Reorganize storage areas
Throughout every season we all get lazy and start putting random stuff in random places throughout our rigs whether we are in a hurry to clean up on a Sunday or just need to put something somewhere for now. Before the season starts it’s a good idea to go through all your storage areas to reorganize them, take stock on what you have, and make a list of what you need. We have all seen the people with all their stuff strung out across the campsite because their storage areas are not organized. Take a little time to get these areas clean and tidy.
Stock up on the basics
There are basic things we always keep in our RV throughout the season like flour, sugar, chips, crackers, etc. We like to do a big Costco trip at the beginning of the season to get the basics. Things like toilet paper, paper towels, paper plates, cups and utensils and non-perishable food items are great to grab and load in the RV before you hit the road for the season.
Do a deep clean
In our rig we try to do at least three deep cleans throughout the season. We do one before the season, one about mid season when we switch from summer to fall camping and then the last one after the season. We clean every surface, vacuum everything, mop the floors, and really give everything a good scrub down. Then throughout the season it is just a light cleaning on Sundays when we come home and our RV stays nice and clean.
Ensure you have extra cords, batteries and plugs
We really hate getting out on a trip and then all of a sudden we don’t have batteries or we forget a certain plug. This is true especially if you have kids and they bring devices. Before the season starts it’s a good idea to see what plugs and cords you have in the RV, if they still work and restocking on new ones. Keeping a separate cord in the RV for phones, tablets, satellites, dvd players, etc has saved us more times than not.
Rearrange and organize what didn’t work last season
Every season we always find something that would probably work in a different area. For example our kitchen table seats four but last season I realized that it is just two of us that sit at the table on trips so why have the extra two chairs in there. We took two out and now store them at our house in case we ever need to throw them back in. Or you may find that having dog leashes in a different area would make setting up easier because you could grab them and get the dogs set up while you are trying to set up camp. It’s little things like that that you will find makes just a little difference when it comes to smooth trips.
Get those last minute items repaired
Last but not least we could not end this without a reminder to make all of your RV repairs now before the season starts. Don’t think you can put off a repair or that it is not that bad right now. It is that bad and you need to get it fixed because little problems turn into big problems very quickly and that just takes more from your pocket book. Make a list of what needs to be repaired and either take the time to do it yourself or call us and schedule an appointment for a tech to come out and take care of the things for you.
Don’t miss out on camping season because you are not prepared. Make sure you have downloaded our maintenance checklist, taken care of all of your repairs and then load up on the fun stuff for the season.