Planning an RV Camping Trip in your Fifth-Wheel Camper

In the winter months, what else are we going to do but plan for our warmer weather RV camping adventures? At least, that is what we do around here. Seeing as I am not a cold weather person, I dream of the days that we can get out in the camper and my butt is not cold. I hate my butt being cold!

So how do you plan for an RV camping trip?

It starts with where you want to go, or in our case, where we fit. Having a 40ft. fifth-wheel RV camper is awesome, but getting it into the right pull-through sites can pose a challenge. And let me tell you, we have backed that sucker into some questionable pull-through sites. Which is why we tend to prefer places we know we can fit. Nothing like trying to level out 40ft of rig on a grass spot.   

So anytime we are working on trip planning, we decide where we can fit. Thankfully most online booking places have pictures of what the site looks like. Most of the time, you can get a pretty good sense of where trees are and how your slides will roll out. Again when you have four slides in different spots on the camper, you have to be aware of the surroundings.

Do your research on what RV camping pull-through sites look like.

Another thing we like to do in the winter months is driving around to look at different campgrounds, and see where we could fit. For example, we have friends that are always trying to get us to go to a certain campsite in southern Missouri. We went for a drive one day to check it out. Lo and behold, there is one site that we could get into and to get into would involve a fair amount of maneuvering. We decided while yes, this is a neat place, perhaps not the right place for us.

Had we not gone to check this out ahead of time, we could have been blindsided if we booked there. Also reach out to the online communities like ours if you want to know what sites are like in certain areas. Someone told us about going to Yosemite that a rig as big as ours would probably not fit. Or if you want to go on the infield of a Nascar race be conscious of the space you will have.

Plan what you’ll be doing at the RV park or campground.

Now in most cases, it is just all about relaxing by the fire, hiking or in the summer playing by the water. If you don’t have a second set of everything in the camper, as we do, you need to plan clothes and shoes for each of these activities.

The best thing to do is just have a second set of everything that way you don’t forget anything. We have at least three swimming suits, towels, clothes and shoes in the camper that stay in there at all times. Then I typically don’t have to worry about forgetting something.

So what activities are you going to be doing on your trip?

Plan what food to pack in your RV.

Food is a must, obviously, but I like trying new things when we are camping, especially if we are going with people who have kids. Yes I am that person that brings all kinds of snacks and junk for the kids and then send them back to their parents camper. But who we are going with plays into what food we are bringing.

If it is just the two of us, then I stick with whatever food I meal prep and then try to plan one new thing to try. We have tried all sorts of things while camping like skillet nachos, dutch oven dutch baby, new chili recipes, roast beef grilled cheese with gouda cheese and horsey sauce and plenty of other random things. Mostly though we stick with a good breakfast of eggs and bacon or sausage, quick sandwich for lunch and then a hearty dinner. In the fall we go for chilies, stews, soups for dinner and in the summer we are typically barbequing.   

Planning food can be easy and I like to do as much prep ahead of time as I can. Then when I am there I can be focused on enjoying the outdoors and all it has to offer.

That’s really it to any good RV camping trip planning.

1. Where are you going to go and do you fit?

2. What activities are you going to do?

3. What food are you going to bring?

Keep it simple and make the trip about relaxation, spending time with the right people and FUN!

#fifthwheelcamping #pullthroughsites #rvcampgrounds #RVcamping