UPDATE! We just released a video covering all of the gear and accessories that are essential to a successful camping trip in your RV. Some of the items are covered in this video, but there's a whole lot more on our list! Check it out here: th-cam.com/video/f0MWmVdPfvo/w-d-xo.html
Great video very informative. My only suggestion is a surge suppressor that also protects against high and low voltage. #1 cause of burning up ac units. Disconnects power if voltage to low or to high.
@@SKANK_HUNT49 why do people like you have to be so negative? Hopefully you know this guy and you’re joking with a friend. Otherwise try following the rule of “if ya don’t have anything nice to say, or polite constructive criticism, then don’t say anything.” Part of the trouble in this world is “bullying on the internet” and your comment falls into the bullying category. It’d be better for you to keep those comments to yourself, please. I don’t know the guy on this video and I don’t know you either, but this guy is trying to be helpful in this video and your comment is unnecessary.
"Theses are not load bearing, they are leveling only!" As the rigg is completely suspended off the truck. Where's the load if it's not hooked to the truck must bo on the levels 🤔
@Ecoscienceczar The 4 tires and the tongue jack hold all of the weight of a travel trailer, the stabilizer legs are just four extra points of contact on the ground to stiffen things up.
My dad kept a small clipboard with a laminated card on it, the size of the clipboard, with a checklist and clothes pins. As he completed each task he put the clothes pin on the item (i.e. when he connected the power, he put the clothes pin on the power post box). If he didn't do the task, like no water hook up, he left the pin on the clipboard. When the camping was done he would go over his check list and as he completed the take down/disconnect process, he would put the pins back onto the clipboard. He also had certain things that he merely checked them off with a grease pencil like putting the stabilizers down/up. This worked great for him and was great for me when I was starting out. Now, as mentioned in the video, I have a routine to follow, but I have never forgotten my dad's check list and it runs through my head. Great video and great advice. Thank you.
4:55 learning curve for me, toasted my truck alternator when plugging shore power and not disconnecting my truck power. So I always wrap the shore power 3prongs with electrical tape to remind me to disconnect truck before plugging in shore power.
I’m a newbie. What does this mean? Do you mean disconnecting the power cable that runs your trailer brake lights and turn signals or are you referring to something else?
Bit of addition if i may, been full time in my 5th wheel for almost 10 years. dont go for perfectly level, have the end of the rig that your tanks feed out slightly (1/2" or so) lower than the other end, helps with drainage immensely.
I lived in my RV for 20 years, moving the RV every 1-3 weeks. I used a 20-1 diluted Clorox in a spray bottle on the water faucets at each site. I have seen people wash their sewer hose by putting the sewer hose end over the faucet. I stopped using gloves after a year when dealing with sewer. I assume my hands are dirty and wash them with soap and water. I will even walk to the campground restroom to wash my hands after installing or removing the sewer. Then return to setup or finish the process of leaving. I never use hand sanitizer -- it may kill the bacteria and organisms on my hands that protect me. I just use soap and water. I use a written checklist for setup and another for tear-down. I go through each step by doing it or imaging doing it and visually checking. Nothing is skipped. I learned mostly from my own mistakes and occasionally the mistakes of others. 20 years gave me a chance to make all the mistakes at least once.
I’m with you on the sewer hoses and hand washing. I see people spend so much time changing gloves and sanitizing multiple times, wearing goggles, and scared to death of the sewer hoses. Get it, get out and wash up. I’ve never had a problem in 5 years of full time RVin.
Oh, ugh! I will get my spray bottle ready, too! I did see some dumb things this time out, but mostly tenters...many, who did not check the forecast before coming...or were stuck with reservations. We had torrential rain! I felt badly for them, but must admit i laughed as i saw them emerging in the morning, none too happy. They tried to wring things out but finally just started tossing things into bags or just wet into their trunks and leaving ASAP! By 10 am, not a tent left! I offered to help any way i could. But one guy just grumbled that they were fine. Next time, i will get hot chocolate ready!
My plumber lived to be 98. I watched him dig out a bunch of cotton balls from a tenants toilet, and yes, it was full of poop. He "didn't" wear gloves. He did wash his hands after. He also doesn't chew his fingernails. lol Personally I believe folks, (not me,) have become germaphobes and weaken their resistance to germs. -keith
I do have a small suggestion on dumping both black and grey water tanks. I will dump my black tank first and rinse the tank. Then I dump my grey water which contains bath and dish soaps in the water. While I’m not saying it cleans perfectly but does a pretty good on cleaning out the sewer hose. Just my thoughts. Great video!
THANK YOU. I'm a woman on her own with my first travel trailer, and I'm starting with zero understanding of what to do and not to do. Your video was very helpful to me!
@@kerileahy8296 I just started on my own as well and I don't know squat which became very evident once I went to move my rig for the first time and began realizing the things the seller screwed me on :( live and learn...good luck to us all!!
I want to add one thing that I learned from an "RV mechanic" that I know: put down the stabilizing jacks AFTER slides are out. He stated that doing it before is the biggest reason that the slides mess up and the number two reason that the stabilizer jacks bend. The slides, once out, change the center of gravity for the trailers and add leveraged weight on to the side slide of the trailer, causing the stabilizers to bend. He also pointed out that most people who do it the wrong way notice that their trailer still shakes when they walk around inside, he pointed out that by doing slides first, then stabilize, you will have less shake. Great vid though!
Nope. Putting slideouts or even awnings can and will mess up your side to side levelness. Slideouts are best run when it is level. Very bad advice from your RV mechanic.
Slide outs... RV Repair shops bread and butter. Only owned Airstreams and yes its a tradeoff for a bit of space but have seen so many people with slider issues over the years I wouldn't own one.
Great info! We have been RV’ing for 21+ years now and we all can learn something new from each other! This year (hubby retired) we are going to hit most all states. Thanks to you, I learned here that some states require the hose raisers. We also did not know about the power surge you use, with more electronics in rigs that is a great piece of advice. I would love to add that back 20 years ago we found ‘walkie talkies’ are a MUST HAVE! It saves couples from the screaming directions back & forth, with an argument later. 🤦♀️. When we travelled with all four kids the two older ones would work together to guide us into a spot! One time I did a 6 weeker with just me (mom) and the kids and our parking was such a quiet breeze that some guy runs out of his unit YELLING to HELP us 😂 My teens on the ‘walkie’ says “who the heck is this guy?” (His impressed wife the next day apologized to me as she really tried to stop him💁🏻♀️) ALSO when we went from 23 class C (our first rv) to a 36’ TT a wonderful man gave me a very prudent piece of advice. “ Honey, you & the kids need to know how to do everything, including driving it. You may need to get your family home sometime.” Hence our 6 week ‘mom & kids’ road adventure! We also had a check list that every family member would review and follow up on! Blessings on your new adventures!
What a fun story! We started off using walkie talkies but the delay got too frustrating so we just switched to using our phones. Having to constantly take one hand off the wheel to hit the communicate button really slowed things down too. We only ended up in one place with zero cell service out of almost 150 campgrounds, and that one time it was a nice wide spot that was super easy to park in, so I guess we got lucky there.
And to ad to your suggestion of everything being a routine, make sure that everything you use for setup has a specific place to store it. That way you don’t have to search around for the accessories you need when setting up.
Thank you. For new RV'ers, even if you think you know your routine by heart, it's good to have a checklist because sometimes a task can get overlooked. Better safe than sorry.
As newbies, my hubby and I made a habit of doing one last walk around after we sat down in the front seats. That quick walk around the rig has saved our bacon a time or two! It’s was irritating to do, but we were glad we got into the habit.
I’m still new to RVing so, although I knew most of what you were saying, it’s good to know I’d been instructed well in the past to learn a good technique. What I like about this video, and I’ll watch more, is that you are very easy to understand, you don’t go on and on about WHY your making this video, and it is an “easy to stay interested” length. Looking forward to watching more.
Thank you so much! We're going to make a few more episodes like this one as we're getting a new (to us) motorhome in the next month or two and have to outfit it and learn how to use it. 👍👍
My wife and I rely on a checklist both for arriving and departing. We have assigned duties just like you mentioned. We revised our list several times when we first put it together to make sure we caught every detail. The list really helps to put our mind at ease. Thanks for the great video and others from the past. Happy camping.
Great video. One tip: Connect the ends of your hoses when you coil them up. I noticed you coil them neatly and attach wraps to hold them tight. If you connect the ends, you will never have residual water spillage.
But you _will_ promote mold growth and funky tastes because they'll never dry out. I leave them open and just run water through the hose before hooking up the rig end just in case any dirt or bugs work their way in while they were stowed. I'd much rather have a little bit of water in the bay (that air dries) vs funky hoses 😉
Great information. One thing you might consider is using totes to store water hoses and electric cords I have 4 totes Water, Electric, Sewer, and one for Stuff. This helps keep things in their proper place. It keeps your rig clean and no cross contamination. Thanks again for the info.
I would use more totes if I had more room. All of the sewer stuff goes in a tote in the back of the truck but the water hoses just get stacked in the basement when they're not in use.
Maybe if totes take up too much space then the plastic IKEA duffel bags might be useful since they are more playable. Might be good to keep things grouped together but not occupy extra negative space.
Excellent video! I think the top reason lots of folks fail at setup (too far from utility, forget to chock the wheels, etc.) is that they get in too big of a hurry because they think everyone I watching them and judging them. Take your time and don't sweat someone thinking you're taking too long or don't know what you're doing. Proper, safe set up is far more important than being the hot shot.
This!! Just purchased a TT and this weekend will be our 1st trip to a campground and I'm half terrified! Am I going to screw something up? Will I be able to back in? Can I just find a pull through? 😂 Will I trip over a tree root when everyone is watching us... 2 women sit up? 😂👀
@moecheese1991 It went absolutely fine! Or should I say everything went without a hitch 😆 We took our time and went over our routine. We had a nice relaxing week. It's always different than what goes through your mind. 😆 Be safe & enjoy!
Great vid. Very helpful... we’re new at the RV thing and the CHECK LIST is a thing of truth and wisdom. My golden rule... and it only took one time... before you unhook walk around check out your distance to electric water and sewer.... nothing like unhooking moving the truck only to find out .... your still 10 feet away from from things. You learn real quick ..... thanks again. Good stuff.
We usually walk the site before pulling in, or hop out and check the hookup locations as soon as we're clear of the road if it's a busy campground. We've gotten pretty good at eyeballing the distances for our electric and sewer. Funny enough, the two times we had to re-hitch were because we put two blocks under the tongue jack like normal but actually had to bring the nose down lower than that to be level. So back on the truck to take a block out! 😂
@@Five2Go I always have a floor jack with me when I'm on trips, so you could put that on the tongue of the trailer to lift it up and slide a block out from under the trailer tongue jack and set it back down.
@@RickysHP Good call! I have a bottle jack that I carry around but using it didn't even cross my mind the two times we've had to re-hook because of height issues. I'm not sure why, I guess the truck was sitting there so it was the first thing that popped into my head! 😋
Great tips all. Only thing I do differently is with the sewer hose. I use disposable gloves. Having come from a medical background I understand that most E coli and other germs/diseases found in sewer water generally do not survive long when exposed to air, but I still like to practice good handling technique when touching the sewer hoses. I use the mechanics orange "latex" gloves because they are relatively inexpensive and hold up better than the blue gloves. I put them on, do all my connections or disconnections, clean offs, etc and then pull the gloves off in a manner that turns them inside out as I pull them off so the dirty side is inside...then I toss them in the garbage. In theory, once the hoses are completely dry, they should not be harboring any "germs", but I handle the hoses as if they are always carrying germs since the preventative is far cheaper than getting sick. I guess cleaning the gloves off each time as you do, does the same thing but you have to touch the hose, faucet or other things first to clean the gloves, so I am not sure that makes sense...technically. Think food service....everything you touch is now exposed.....Yes I use lots of hand sanitizer after the fact! I also carry bleach and if I have an incident, I take a bucket and put in water and small amount of bleach and drench any areas that were exposed to the sewer water. Maybe overkill but I feel better about it! I have read comments that some people will fill up a 5 gallon bucket with water and bleach solution and drop there fittings, elbows, etc into the bucket to sanitize before they put into the rig. I actually saw one camper run the hose through a bucket solution as well, then when done poured the solution around the sewer fitting in the ground......Maybe overkill but certainly not a bad idea if you are concerned about putting sewer "equipment" into the holding area of your rig. I read another RV'er carries a light bleach and water solution and sprays the water facets before they connect....I guess they assumed the person prior may not have been as vigilant! And yes, I know we have all seen the camper who wears no gloves, does not wash their hands and basically seems to not be concerned.....
A bleach bucket for all the fittings every time seems a bit overkill, but that's definitely better than doing nothing at all I guess! None of my sewer equipment gets stored in the rig, only in the back of the truck and in its own bin. In the few times I've needed to wash the gloves I actually had my wife come out and turn the water on for me so I wasn't touching anything I didn't need to.
@@Five2Go Yeah, I dont do the bucket thing. My rig is a little smaller than yours so I do have to store some of the ugly stuff in the outside storage, but that goes in a bag then in a plastic storage box with lid. I use the disposable gloves because I am on my own with the poop duty :-)
@@eileenglick9436 Everything around the dump station is infected with other peoples "stuff". Sewer lid, non-potable water faucet/hose, the ground, and more.
Newbie here, I am obsessed with these how to videos and yours is the best one I have watched. Thanks for the great straight fax's. A lot of good advice.
Something I recently learned, is to not pull the sewer levers open and leave them open. Let the black and grey tanks fill up and only empty as needed. Otherwise you can end up with the solids not flowing out. Over time, as sludge builds up it can result in plugging up your sewer system. I had no idea! As a noob, I would have probably left them open thinking that's how it worked. Apologies if you mention this in another video, just a good thing to note on hookup.
Spot on! I bet 75 percent of the campers I see each trip have there valves open! You want them tanks nice and full when you empty up. Black tank and then grey(s) to rinse the sewer line. I don’t need a poop stalagmite growing in my black tank 😂😂😂
Dude, you’re video was a big help to me. We are looking to upgrade to a larger rig with slides (currently pop-up owners). The surge protector, water filter are spectacular ideas. Some thing we will have to learn, but enjoyed your video. Preventative instead of reactive is some much easier. Keep up the good work and be safe brother!!!
A decent video for the neophyte, well done! I will say that your suggestion that the stabilizing jacks shouldn't lift the coach at all is a bit misleading. Clearly they are not to be used for leveling or any significant lifting. But if you only let them touch the ground gently, then they won't do much if anything at all. If the owner stops the jack motors just as the coach starts to lift very slightly, it won't overload the jack system, and the system will actually provide stability. I know you were trying to get people to not over do it, but if I was a noob, I would do as you indicate in the video and then wonder why the jacks aren't doing anything.
Just got back from a weekend trip. This was a state park close enough yet far enough to make a forgotten item a nuisance. Point is - make a standard check list as recommended in this vid. One for going and coming home.
Very well done! My wife and I are picking up our first travel trailer today. I know there's a lot to do to make sure you're setup correctly. I'm saving this video for later. Thank you.
For those that don’t do this many times per year, I strongly recommend a practice of a walk around reality check. Before you unhook, before you move, etc. If you are going to move, look at all connections and walk around one more time. That is the hitch, all pins, load bars, safety chains, water, electric, sewer, stabilizers, steps, wheel chokes, windows, gas, everywhere. A slow walk around the entire rig and touch every single thing you can think of. The same thing before you unhook it from the tow rig. Make sure it will not move when it is disconnected. I envision the worst case that I kill someone if I miss something. It is too easy to get distracted in your routine and skip a step. Two more minutes can save you thousands of dollars or in a worst case, someone you can not replace.
Even after stopping in more than 150 campgrounds in two years we would both do a walk around every single time. I made sure to touch everything, not just look at things. Slides in all the way, door locked, stabilizers and stairs up, bays locked, hoses stowed, chocks up, etc etc etc. You can never be too safe when talking about 10,000+ pounds on wheels.
Very informative, paying attention to details can make your life much simpler. One thing we always do is near the end of our camping stay we shut off the grey water from draining and we take long showers to build up the level in the grey water tank. Then before we unhook from the septic we dump the grey tank into the black water tank. This “backflushes” the black tank so after it is dumped it is pretty clean. Simple practice, gives me more peace of mind.
That's one way to do it. We have a built-in "tank wizard" so I can just hook a hose up to blast water straight into the tank to help empty it out. It definitely makes dumping a much easier process!
@@Five2Go We had a 2013 Cougar 5er which had the tank flush. We used it once to flush then used the flushing wand going through the toilet bowl stopper and ended up getting quite a bit more sewage out of the black water tank. If you're just emptying it out and will be using the rig again right away, using the tank flush works fine but if the camper is going to be sitting around for a while, you'd want to make sure everything is out. We pour a 5 gallon jug of water into the toilet to really flush it clean after using the wand. Hope this helps someone.
Thank you. Some great ideas. I knew that about stabilizing jacks but I didn't know to use our blocks. I have lifted the trailer slightly but know I know better. One point you kind of missed. First time I camped this year, I checked the slide outs. Got all set up. Next day I wanted to extend the awning, to close to a tree. Could only extend a few feet. Check both sides of your rv
We pretty rarely use our awning so it didn't even pop into my head, sorry! As for the blocks - you should definitely build them up to minimize how far down you have to run the stabilizing legs. The less of an angle they have to open up to, the better they'll fight the rocking. Same goes for the tongue jack too, but there's only so much building up you can do under those sometimes.
Best advice I can give after 7 years of camping (not full time) is to have a checklist and follow it. Pilots that fly the same aircraft over and over still follow a preflight checklist. I had to redo mine last month when I traded for a new 5th wheel that was different inside and out from our previous one. Have a list for setting up and departure. Also, don’t get in a hurry. Know when you are required to check out and give yourself plenty of time. It really sucks when doing this in the rain but have proper attire and don’t skip steps. Lastly, before you pull into a spot, get out and walk around it looking for obstructions, low hanging limbs, etc. pay attention as to where the hookups are and where in the spot you need to position your rig. It’s very important if you are going into a pull through to look at how you’re going to exit it. I recently pulled into one and later another camper pulled in to one across from me. Due to the way he did I had to back out of mine. Safe travels!
Having a checklist, even a mental one, is definitely a requirement. Even more so if you're NOT a full-timer and doing it a couple times a week. Your recommendation about taking your time is SUPER important though. If you start rushing anything you're going to make a very expensive mistake. We try to tell newbies that it's ok to block the road while getting into your site safely, take your time at a dump station, and generally be in the way if you're taking your time to be safe. Other campers should understand, nobody wants to see someone hit a tree or spray their black tank all over the place...
Agreed. We have been at it for 6 years PT, and we always use the check list. IF we ever fail to do this we ALWAYS invariably miss something. Just like a good pilot. You need to always go over the list.
Nice video. Good information, especially to the newer camper. One question/ discussion point is: Regarding the pressure regulator and filter. I’ve seen the filter and regulator placed at the hookup and at the inlet to the RV. Speaking as a plumber, I’d actually recommend the devices last. That is to mean at the RV. This is for several reasons. If the regulator has a back flow preventer, as a lot do, and the RV is left in the heat without the water being ran, the exposed hose can build pressure as the heat builds. The regulator may prevent this pressure from reducing, leaving an unintended high pressure situation to the rig. With the regulator plumbed last, and the pressure builds in the hose, the regulator will prevent the high pressure from entering the RV. You also have a better higher pressure water supply to the RV. Lastly next to the RV, the equipment tends to be a little more protected for the elements and clumsy people. Your method (as far as I’m concerned) not wrong! Regulators differ among manufacturers as to what they do and don’t do. I believe my method hedges my bet. Safe Travels!
Thank you for sharing, you explained everything perfectly! Me and my husband bought an Rv and to honest I wouldn’t know what we would do without watching videos like yours ! Thanks for sharing again!!
You can attach a check list to the back of a storage door. You can even write on the door with something more permanent and then use a dry erase marker to check it off as you go.
This is so damn intimidating. Just bought a 35ft camper. Never owned one before.. I travel for work painting water towers. Usually stayed in motels. Go back to work in 4 days. Wish Me luck.
Great video. Being new to RVing, I researched hundreds of videos and made a list. The first thing I do when arriving to a site is make sure the trailer location is in the best location; a quick walk around is easy enough. I then do a quick check to make sure the electric and water is operational. Then I begin to level and unhook. I have seen people level and unhook only to find out the water or electricity is not working, and they have to hook up and and change locations.
I hook up that surge protector before anything else - if I don't see three green lights we're going back to the office to get another site. It's easy to rush and not check things like that, but man can it be a pain when something's not working and you have to hook back up and move again!
We're about to be 'newbie's' and all this info is so appreciated! Don't want to make mistakes we can avoid simply by doing a 'whole bunch' of homework, thanks to people like you!!!!!! Thank you! :)
Great information my friend. The one thing I would give is connect your water filter directly up to your rig then to the hose. I found that if you filter the water right at the rig you don't get the hose taste in you water because you have filtered it out. So try putting the filter on the other end of the hose. Yeehaw.
We don't drink the water so we're not too concerned with the taste. When we started out we were in an area that was getting below freezing a lot so I kept the filter in the basement and ran the heated hose out to the post. There's not a lot of room down there though so once it was warm I started putting the filter outside. It's so much easier that way.
I’ve had a checklist for set up and one for take down up on the wall as you enter the trailer. We set up and take down the same way you do. Hubby does the outside after we are stabilized, I do the inside. We’ve had our trailer since 2006. Just a 24 footer. I also have a check list for before we go, and when we get home. Anything that needs repair, replacing or routine maintenance, I have a folder of what has been done, and what needs to be done. We discuss it with our “trailer guy” who does the winteriZing and repairs to see if he needs to order parts and such, and then the small stuff, or sewing needs, I do during the winter months, such as recovering seats, repairing or replacing blinds or curtains so we are always up to date and ready to roll in the summer. We love going in our little RV and will continue until we can’t walk anymore,
Good content the only thing I have to add is when I'm done flushing the black tank thoroughly I leave 5 gallons of water half a cup of dawn blue detergent and a pod in the black tank during travel and sitting.
we've been RVing for about 6 years and try to follow all these set-up suggestions. We added a new one this time just outside Zion NP - make sure utilities line up BUT LOOK UP - make sure there isn't a low hanging branch. Cost us $345. Lesson learned
Our first trip we had a surge. We had mistaken plugged into the “old” power pole that was replaced after floods. The surge protector did it jobs and saved our 2020 new trailer. 👍👍. Great Advice. Red clay or water with iron will stain your filet immediately. Look into a small R/O filter on eBay. Added bonus -in natural disasters where water might be questionable it completely cleans the water-even almost sewage dirty -and under $100 investment and $40 yearly stage filters.
The pieces are usually pex compatible . Most kits include a 2 in one pierce and connect for the waste water for under the sink. Also a t fitting to go on the cool water line usually under the sink. I had to purchase a fitting and alternate t size t fitting reducer at Home Depot (>10$$ but it is plug and play. The hardest part is drilling the 1” hole in the counter top for the faucet. It’s very easy. I’m a stay at home momma and I figured it out with 2 trips to the hardware store. Ours has a 3 gallon tank under the sink with a final charcoal filter afterward for on demand water. It is important to know... due to the fine nature of the filter to remove everything-it wastes up to 75% of the water since the R/O membrane can only filter so much waster and the rest it rejects right down the drain. It must have pressure. Then storage tank below saves water so there is no lag. I have a 100 gallon per hour at home and purchased a 30 gallon for the RV and I wish I would have spent the $60 more for the bigger system. The water will spoil you because it’s 100% pure (no ph buffer and no minerals) and tastes pure. eBay has great options.
Not sure how old this video is, but I've got some tips for you and others. We've used our RV's over the years mainly for Dog Shows. Any dog show person who camps is prepared ! Have at least 2 25' cords for your amps and not just for your amps. We have 3 25' for 50 amps, 4 25' for 30 amps. We've had to stretch out to 100 feet for a hookup before. You CAN go from 50 to or use 30 (with adapters) and to 20 amp if need be. We have adapters (pig tails) to 50 to 30, 30 to 50, 30 to 20 or 15 amps. Do NOT use 2 30's joined together to use for your 50 amp rig though, most camps/fair grounds are not wired correctly for that. 40 to 50 foot of sewer hose is nothing when you have to share or reach to dump. 100 foot of water hose is standard for us and we can go as far as 200 feet.
52go.. Good video. One thing I would reccomend when doing check list..."don't talk to anyone" when performing the checks. Had a neighbor chat me up when ready to leave on a surf trip. Low and behold forgot to lash down my board, flew off the truck on the freeway, thank God it didn't hit anyone. 10'6' board and a loss of 1400 smack a roo's. Talk to me when I'm DONE!
Oh no! That is great advice, but hard learned. We make sure to leave people alone when they're setting up or breaking camp, even if we know them and want to talk. There are too many things that can go wrong. Final walk-arounds are a great thing to do too. I walk around the rig and physically touch everything as a check - slides in, door locked, compartments locked, hitch pins secure, etc. You can never check too many times!
Same issues when doing a CDL required pre-trip inspection. If you get interrupted, stop and start over. Do your steps in the same way each time or make a checklist to check off as you go.
My wife and I have just bought our first camping rig (28-footer, tow-behind, not as big as yours), after 10 years of camping with a pop-up. We close on the new rig in a few days. I found your video very informative and succinct. Many things I haven't thought about yet. Thank you! Subscribed.
All the info was great. I didn't read all the comments so i hope I'm not repeating someone. I have a piece of pvc pipe that's cut to length from my tire to when my slide is out. I just lay it on the ground at the distance I want the 5th wheel away from whatever. We usually stay for a month so I carry 3 stair stepped 2×6 to level if needed. And we use x-chocks for the tire's. A very important thing is to retighten the chocks after the tire's cool down because from my experience they may not be doing any good they could be so loose. In cold weather I stopped messing with trying to insulate my water hose. I fill my fresh water tank 1/2 full and remove the water hose. For the night. I also like having my water filter inside the camper if your hook ups are in a compartment. That all the water is filtered before it goes in the system. And put your hose ends together when not using them. Keeps the ants/bugs out of the water. Also use your water pump frequently. I have had to prime mine to get it work because I hadn't used it for a while. I just replaced my bathroom vent cover that just deteriorated. Fortunately i had the Max air cover's. Or it probably would have ruined our camper being parked for the summer. I could go on and on about camper issues but I'm not. One thing I would not do is pull it down the road without tire pressure sensor's. Just ask someone who blew a tire and the damage it done. I also pull a enclosed motorcycle trailer behind the 5th wheel. Truck and trailer's all have tire sensors and a camera on the back of the 5th wheel. Lots of tires to not have to worry about.
I'm 52 and I've been camping since I was 5, as a scout and with my family, as a child and as a adult. This is, by far, THE BEST video about being prepared and doing it right!
Very important to have a routine, we moved sites 3 times in one day once due to 75/km wind and mosquitoes as our kids are all 3 and under. We sometimes swap roles inside/outside so we are both familiar with what needs to happen. Inside: levels done, turn on fridge electric, water heater, pump, slides out, awning out, take tv off bed and hang, setup pack and plays for 1 year old twins, purge propane/start a burner, put sewage treatment into toilet, coffee maker out of box and setup, thermostat set, wheelchair setup for oldest, bunks unpacked ect. Outside: leveling side to side, unhooking, level front to back, chaulking, power, mat put out, table for out door kitchen, bbq setup and purged, mini fridge plugging in, water/sewer (if full service), cast iron pams, camp stove, fuel, lawn chairs, weight distribution hitch put away, etc. Less than 25 mins for us now to setup or pack up.
I'm glad both of y'all know how to do everything! We see so many times where a rig rolls into a campsite and the wife just hangs out in the truck until everything is set up and it takes the dude 2-3 times as long as it should. Plus, if he gets hurt and can't do something it's going to be way harder farther down the road. It was important to us that we both know how everything works.
@@Five2Go That is exactly it, if someone gets hurt or whatever else. Both parents/partners should be completely fluent with how things work and what order things need to happen in both setting up and packing up. You are dealing with alot of weight along with combustibles. Bad things can easily happen if you remove chalks before they should be and you are on a hill or forget to turn off devices and propane before heading out. I'm lucky enough that my wife doesn't mind getting dirty, be it shovelling dirt in the garden, planting or setting up a trailer. She's not a pricccey princess, but extremely caring, and that's what makes her amazing to me. 😉
This video is the bomb! Most camper videos are of negative topics, problems and are so general in nature. You get right to the point and show a lot of good tips.
Great video good info. Another tip about checking the site when you pull in. If it’s a site with trees and you have awnings make sure you can extend them without hitting the trees. We were in one campground were we asked for a different site since we had no room for the awnings. In another one where we couldn’t get another site since they were full.
Awesome - we're happy to help! We're actually shooting an "RV 101" series that will be released here soon, so you'll definitely want to keep an eye out for that. It's going to be full of everything we wish we had known before we started two years ago!
The wife and I have a routine as well, but I found sooner than later once you level from side to side, to Choke the wheels prior to detaching from the truck and then level front to back.
We are into our second year of owning a bumper pull camper. This is our first camper, which we purchased for retirement travels. Being newbies to the camping world at an older age, we quickly learned we needed a setup and take down routine checklist. It was a tremendous help. I also have a camper inventory list for the inside supplies which I print out before each trip and check off things as I put them in the camper. (This is mostly food items, toiletries, soaps, paper goods, etc which helps me not forget important things we need). I use this list while we are on our trips to write down things we run out of and need to restock when we get back home. For our outside set up, we use separate plastic tubs for the water items, hoses, electrical cords, surge protector, and smaller tubs for things we will need when we first arrive, like a level, mallet, the ratchet wrench for the X chocks, zip ties and bungee cords for the dog fencing, gloves etc. This tub is the last thing that goes in the storage hole on my side when we leave a campsite, and the first thing that comes out when we arrive at a new place. It keeps us from having to search through all the tubs for things we need right away upon arrival. My husband and I also have specific things we do. The items and tools I need to do my setup jobs are all on my side of the storage hole and all the things my husband needs to get us hooked up are on his side in larger tubs. This has worked well for us. We just completed our 14th trip since March of this year and we have at least one more trip planned. I appreciate you going through your setup tips on this video. It always helps to see other veteran campers ideas and procedures.
51 YEARS of Setting up RV's,.... So didnt teach an OLD dog anything new here,..... This Video was WELL DONE! (side note: I keep Ant-Spray handy, just incase a "nest" is nearby, I spray around My Wheels, Jack and Stabalizers, And Wipe the cord & hose near the ground. I do NOT try to kill off their nest. It is NOT my propperty. THANKS
Thank you for making the video. All good tips to know. As a retired semi driver here is a tire tip. For every 5 degrees the road temp changes you loose or gain a pound of air in your tire. Some say it's 10 degrees and 1/2 psi in colder conditions and 5 psi in hot conditions. I use 5 psi as a average gauge. I check my tires in May and at the end of Nov. So every late fall and early summer check your air pressure. As an example say the summer road temp is 90 and it goes down to 10 in winter. Take the 80 degree temp drop and divide it by 5 = 16. That means your tire inflated to say 33 psi in summer is now down to 17 psi in winter. Radials will visually fool you. They won't look low but they are and your underinflated and at risk of a blow out. Also, remember if you run a radial tire 20 or more psi low you should replace the tire. You won't see it on the outside but the inside steel belts will damaged and could blow out.
That's great advice! We see people struggling with tires all the time. We had pretty good luck by just monitoring the pressure every other campground or so (so about once a week). I think a lot of RVers have issues when they overload their rigs and then drive 75-80mph on the junky tires that come from RV factories. That's a bad set of circumstances right there!
@@Five2Go running radial tires 20 psi low tears the inner belts that is why Michrlin and Goodyear say throw tgem out if you find one on your rig that low. Those of us that grew up in the 60's and 70's with stiff sidewall bias ply tires could air up a low tire and it was ok. We all hate to throw out a good looking tire that can be aired up, but the consequences of an blowout accident are great. Another point to share with rv trailer pulling is just like a big rig semi when you brake, the trailer brakes apply more stopping power than the pickup. So in effect like a parent grabbing the back of their childs coat as the child runs forward, the parent in the back is the stopping force. The trailer breaking with more stopping power helps keep your rig from jackknifing.
So relieved!!! I have been a lance camper guy for over 30 years. Believe it or not I have been using all of your safety devises for years on. I just bought a Outdoors RV trailer late last year and have only taken it out 4 times now. I really regret not buying one sooner --- sooooo much room with a pop out!!! Great information to people starting their own adventures.
Good to know about sewer hose I had no idea it had to be off the ground I'm a newbie so I walked around and looked at the others and there's was off the ground so I did put mine up thank you
Your routine comments are spot on.. We have a set routine and when it gets interrupted.. I have to go back to step 1 to make sure nothing gets missed or left out. We also have done it enough so when we get a "feeling" that something is not right we stop and go through the process until we find the issue.. or discover that everything is ok. Routine is so important.. Highly suggest everyone has their own and follows it. Good Video.. and WOW.. I have never had to extend my Poop Hose that far.. that's amazing.
Routines are key! We've actually had to run our sewer a little bit farther a couple times. I was only 4 inches short of two hoses here but there have been times when the third house is stretched way out too...
Great video and I have to agree with you a surge protection is very important and always a must have whenever you are hooking up to anything I keep a 50A 30’ & 20’ Power Cords. I’m a plumber so I have a triple inline filter system with a a piece of pipe to add a screen and I can add a pool chlorine tablet a and pressure regulator that I have it adjusted to 45 psi it’s just a little protection. I agree never drink the water. One thing you can get is these colors plastic strips that go around your steering wheel you label them for things to do before driving away. So basically you back into position and park, set e brake, hook up power, hook up water, hook up waste, chock tires, drop stabilizers, slide outs, remove truck electrical hookups, unhook truck, secure trailer hitch with lock. So everyone of them have a tab that wraps around trucks steering wheel and it is a checklist as you take them out of the bag you do it and place onto steering wheel number them. When you are leaving just remove the tab from the steering wheel and preform the task and place into its go bag. Once you’ve removed them all you will be ready to check your lights and pull out for home.
Kept waiting for you to forget something but you didn’t 😀. Great video, good to see someone go into detail about the stabilizing jacks. Stabilizing not leveling. I’ve seen a lot of people make that mistake. Thanks for spreading the word My wife and I Love to camp and are a little jealous of you to be able to go for such long periods of time. Took us a while to get the routine down but we made a checklist, used it a few times and now it’s all good Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience
It's very easy to think that those are for leveling unless someone explains it. I am guilty of doing this with my first camper trailer we lived in. The spot I was given was su unlevel that the driver side tires were off the ground about six inches to make it level until I was able to get some lumber under them
We're very happy to help! The RVing for Newbies series that we're putting together should have some good info for you too, so keep an eye out for those. Happy camping!
We are newbies also. This vid is super helpful. We also use a checklist for Before Trailering. Obvious stuff like pullin slides. Not so obvious like turn off propane.
You don't need to turn off the propane. If you do, you'll lose whatever is in your fridge if you're driving in a hot climate or for more than 4 or 5 hours. The only time you *have to* shut it off is when going through underwater tunnels on the east coast.
Five2Go ...big controversy over propane on/off during travel and gas filling (open flames disallowed) because of Legal and accident issues. Minimizing the accident risk, I guess one could stop at the entrance to the gas station and turn off the propane..on the other hand, the dealer handling our delivery, a 24 year rv veteran, recommended the Off option (cya?) and assured us that our Furrion will hold the cold. All that said, I’ll turn off the fridge to start, then check it every ~2 hours and review that decision. Our travel plan calls for 5-7 hour travel days so we may be ok. Btw I just Amazon-ordered all the stuff on your video. The 30 amp surge protector was the pricey one.....$75. Everything else together was around $50. The only thing on your video I did not get was some kind of doo dad that elevates the sewer hose. I could not see it in the shadows.
You may want to get one of those sewer hose supports - they're required in some campgrounds. Some states have laws about above-ground waste hoses being elevated, plus they're really good at helping maintain a downward slope which helps everything move along nicely!
Thank you very much. This was our first time out with our new travel trailer. I was nervous about going out without the right stuff. You covered items; surge protector, filter, regulator, etc; that our dealer did not even mention. After watching this video, we went out and got these items and after watching this and some of your other videos, it made our setup successful and our first outing great. Thanks.
Level mate pro is an awesome piece of equipment that makes leveling so easy especially if you go boondocking. It has saved me so much time and headache from the bubble level days of old. Also, a backup camera can save a marriage 😂
And walkie-talkies also help save a marriage. My wife is outside helping guide me as I back into a spot. The walkie-talkies are the best way to communicate what she wants me to do...better than shouting.
Nice video! I do use the drill to lower my scissor jacks. And I don’t raise the trailer with them, but I do make them plenty tight. Otherwise they do move around and seem to loosen up with movement of the trailer over a few days.
As a Royal Ranger Cmdr., I taught camping, "life skills", & Bible to kids several years. Among the primary "no brainer" things we ALWAYS use when camping is check lists. It is surprizing how many important items are missed when not using check lists. I use mental check lists for many daily things, too. Folks who never return keys to pockets are a mess for everyone else around them. I refuse the drama. The same is true with refueling truck, mower, & generator; putting tools away immediately after use; cleaning messes; replenishing toilet paper & paper towels.
Putting things back in their place after using them saves so much time and headache! I try to stay on top of things and clean/organize as I work through projects, whether I'm working in the garage, the kitchen, or anywhere else. It's even more important when RVing because of the limited space and the extra danger when things go wrong!
Thank you from Canada! Just did my first trip in my RV at a Provinical Park. I did not have a surge protector but, will get one now! Didn't think of storm surge! I don't have any extra hoses either so I will look after that too! The dealership I bought my RV from didn't mention any possibility of needing that! Thank you so much!!!
Pretty much. The worst part is that they've been in that site for three months now so they've had all sorts of people coming and going with that sewer connection right there.
Rookie, here. Very helpful; one of the more helpful videos. One person mentioned hooking hoses together to keep them clean. I also put a baggie over each end.
Excellent info, would like to offer one suggestion from experience... consider a power conditioner over surge... what you showed is great, however I don’t believe it protects against low power... low power is as bad as spikes, the problem is you won’t realize it until it’s too late... lost an AC unit to low power... we have come across low power situations every now and then, mostly at older parks....
A surge protector doesn't monitor the power and keep it at safe levels, it just stops surges/spikes. Many times after stopping a surge they have to be replaced. Hughes Autoformers has a surge protector that monitors the voltage and will cut off the power if it gets too low/high. They also have a power booster that will increase voltage to counter brown outs as well as surge protection. You may want to check them out. They also have a replaceable module if you're hit by a surge. Enjoyed the video!
Awesome content. I like to spread Amdro around the site before I even unhook. I had fire ants crawling on me while I was leveling my trailer. Not a fun time.
Good video. My wife and I break down the trailer so fast, we're usually on the road a lot earlier than expected. One time we were camping with friends, and the man was doing the outside stuff, and he said his wife was doing the "skirt work", lol, inside stuff.
I always use my home 50’ water hose for my camper! A hose that’s sitting in your boot is full of bacteria, I wash my vehicles once a week so know that hose is well flushed. I would put your filter on city end connection ! Just a thought for you !
TH-cam suggested your videos a couple of days ago. I am hooked and subscribed. Great information! Thanks for not having the unnecessary music as a lot of channels do. Once I started RVing I realized the black tank was not a big deal as some made it out to be. Take the necessary precautions and take your time-Easy Peasy. Great channel, thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much! You'll find a few music-heavy B-roll sequences in our older travel videos, but we've moved away from that in the past few months. There are plenty of other channels out there where you can find beautiful nature shots and sweeping drone cinematography but you don't learn anything from those and we think that sharing our knowledge is far more important than just having pretty stuff to look at!
I have been a full timer since 1985 started out in a canopy then a camper then several trailers right now I have a alfy 34 ft 5th wheel. I have rebuilt many things on the rv over the years . There are many tings to do preparing for winter heated hose is the first purchase , I have a toilet waiting for me for the alfy.
I chopped off the male and female fittings from an old hose and attach those to the water hose ends. Works better than putting water hose ends together because once you unscrew the ends to attach to water source undoubtedly the other end comes in contact with the ground (dirt).
You're right Virgle, and that's why we don't recommend connecting the ends of the hose when storing it - let the hose dry out and flush it with water before use to get any dirt or bugs out. It's better than mold any day.
I have a “fresh water” tub with everything related to that in it, and a sewer tub as well. Lets me grab them out of the hatch and open them where there’s room during set-up.
My son took his Trailer out for the first time this past weekend. He got everything set up pretty good for being a Newbie RV camper. But I sure learned A LOT from this video. I'm going to tell my son to subscribe. . The one thing that really got to me was in another video watching the black and grey water being dumped. I'm almost positive he dumped the grey water first and then the black water . I got pretty grossed out just thinking about that. I'm going to the store and buying a good tote with a lid that stays put. Just for the hose. And one to out in all the connectors. Then finally get some gloves and bleach in the storage compartment. And taking some time to get the storage compartment organized. My son just has a real bad habit of just tossing stuff. I'm going to keep watching lots more of you're videos.
Very good video. I'm getting an older Winnebago Chieftain to use as I'm a travel nurse. This was VERY helpful even tho you show a towed one. And your check list routine is extremely appropriate: that I'm also a pilot means I'm used to issuing them! Very good. Thank you and safe travels to you!!!
Pretty much same as you do it. Use a blue hose for the black tank flush. Also didn't use the pressure reducer one night and ran out of hot water in the shower. Put it on and it slowed the flow to where I can shower as if I'm home. Last site had a water issue and I rinsed the filter to get by. New one installed with the charcoal or whatever it is that takes all the crap taste out... With a spare and spare O rings.
Hopefully that one site didn't do any damage without the pressure regulator. We've been in some though where there's barely enough pressure to make it through the fixtures. It's a bummer when that happens because we have to fill the fresh tank and run the pump.
You might want to use a check valve or vacuum breaker on the sewer flush hose (at the wye connector) to be sure you don't contaminate the fresh water side if the valve to your holding tank(s) gets left open or bumped open.
Thank you!!.. I'm new RVing. I just purchased my first RV, I pick it up tomorrow, yes I'm a Little Nervous. I've got a case of the Butter Flies. Then after towing and the setup stuff. You have been a help. I believe I'm gonna be OK. Thanks!!..
With your water hoses, always walk them out to make sure they are drained, coil them up, and connect the ends about a half turn. That way dirt or spiders can't get in, but the can breath a little, so they will dry out.
One awesome thing about the Zero-G hose is how it drains really well as you're spooling it up because of how flexible it is. I don't connect the ends because I want it to dry out, but I do make sure to flush it before hooking it up to the rig.
Nice video! We've been Rving off and on for about 5 years and can't agree with you more about setting a "routine". I respectfully turn down well wishers that ask to help as it will alter my routine.
I would highly recommend getting an onboard low volt and spike protection for the shore line. We had a low volt issue and it caused an increase in amps which cooled the plug end. If you go with the onboard you remove a connection that gets wore out over time.
I found this video by accident researching travel trailers. I'm so glad I did! Very informative. I'll be sending this video to my husband. My husband, daughter, and I are a little tired of hotels. We are ready for a new adventure!
UPDATE! We just released a video covering all of the gear and accessories that are essential to a successful camping trip in your RV. Some of the items are covered in this video, but there's a whole lot more on our list! Check it out here: th-cam.com/video/f0MWmVdPfvo/w-d-xo.html
Great video very informative. My only suggestion is a surge suppressor that also protects against high and low voltage. #1 cause of burning up ac units. Disconnects power if voltage to low or to high.
@@SKANK_HUNT49 why do people like you have to be so negative? Hopefully you know this guy and you’re joking with a friend. Otherwise try following the rule of “if ya don’t have anything nice to say, or polite constructive criticism, then don’t say anything.” Part of the trouble in this world is “bullying on the internet” and your comment falls into the bullying category. It’d be better for you to keep those comments to yourself, please. I don’t know the guy on this video and I don’t know you either, but this guy is trying to be helpful in this video and your comment is unnecessary.
"Theses are not load bearing, they are leveling only!"
As the rigg is completely suspended off the truck.
Where's the load if it's not hooked to the truck must bo on the levels 🤔
@Ecoscienceczar The 4 tires and the tongue jack hold all of the weight of a travel trailer, the stabilizer legs are just four extra points of contact on the ground to stiffen things up.
You can buy a 50 amp splitter cord It's s Y adapter for 50 amps
My dad kept a small clipboard with a laminated card on it, the size of the clipboard, with a checklist and clothes pins. As he completed each task he put the clothes pin on the item (i.e. when he connected the power, he put the clothes pin on the power post box). If he didn't do the task, like no water hook up, he left the pin on the clipboard. When the camping was done he would go over his check list and as he completed the take down/disconnect process, he would put the pins back onto the clipboard. He also had certain things that he merely checked them off with a grease pencil like putting the stabilizers down/up. This worked great for him and was great for me when I was starting out. Now, as mentioned in the video, I have a routine to follow, but I have never forgotten my dad's check list and it runs through my head. Great video and great advice. Thank you.
4:55 learning curve for me, toasted my truck alternator when plugging shore power and not disconnecting my truck power. So I always wrap the shore power 3prongs with electrical tape to remind me to disconnect truck before plugging in shore power.
watched a lot of vids and no one ever mentions that... good tip. we are about a year out, still in planning stages, son to graduate and me retire
I’m a newbie. What does this mean? Do you mean disconnecting the power cable that runs your trailer brake lights and turn signals or are you referring to something else?
Bit of addition if i may, been full time in my 5th wheel for almost 10 years. dont go for perfectly level, have the end of the rig that your tanks feed out slightly (1/2" or so) lower than the other end, helps with drainage immensely.
what if you tanks are in the middle of the rig? mine are
@@dougmedeiros5636 it'll still work. Most tanks are in the middle or close. Also tipping to the drain side just a hair helps
Doesn't this effect the functionality of the fridge?
I lived in my RV for 20 years, moving the RV every 1-3 weeks. I used a 20-1 diluted Clorox in a spray bottle on the water faucets at each site. I have seen people wash their sewer hose by putting the sewer hose end over the faucet. I stopped using gloves after a year when dealing with sewer. I assume my hands are dirty and wash them with soap and water. I will even walk to the campground restroom to wash my hands after installing or removing the sewer. Then return to setup or finish the process of leaving. I never use hand sanitizer -- it may kill the bacteria and organisms on my hands that protect me. I just use soap and water. I use a written checklist for setup and another for tear-down. I go through each step by doing it or imaging doing it and visually checking. Nothing is skipped. I learned mostly from my own mistakes and occasionally the mistakes of others. 20 years gave me a chance to make all the mistakes at least once.
I’m with you on the sewer hoses and hand washing. I see people spend so much time changing gloves and sanitizing multiple times, wearing goggles, and scared to death of the sewer hoses. Get it, get out and wash up. I’ve never had a problem in 5 years of full time RVin.
Yep me too
EWWWW! I'm going out and buying a spray bottle for the faucets. Never again without.
Whatelse.....
Oh, ugh! I will get my spray bottle ready, too! I did see some dumb things this time out, but mostly tenters...many, who did not check the forecast before coming...or were stuck with reservations. We had torrential rain! I felt badly for them, but must admit i laughed as i saw them emerging in the morning, none too happy. They tried to wring things out but finally just started tossing things into bags or just wet into their trunks and leaving ASAP! By 10 am, not a tent left! I offered to help any way i could. But one guy just grumbled that they were fine. Next time, i will get hot chocolate ready!
My plumber lived to be 98. I watched him dig out a bunch of cotton balls from a tenants toilet, and yes, it was full of poop. He "didn't" wear gloves. He did wash his hands after. He also doesn't chew his fingernails. lol Personally I believe folks, (not me,) have become germaphobes and weaken their resistance to germs. -keith
I do have a small suggestion on dumping both black and grey water tanks. I will dump my black tank first and rinse the tank. Then I dump my grey water which contains bath and dish soaps in the water. While I’m not saying it cleans perfectly but does a pretty good on cleaning out the sewer hose. Just my thoughts. Great video!
Good idea. I will now start doing that! Soapy shower water bets sewer water any day!
THANK YOU. I'm a woman on her own with my first travel trailer, and I'm starting with zero understanding of what to do and not to do. Your video was very helpful to me!
Single Canadian guy doing the same thing for the first time.Just bought a 2022 Rockwood 37 footer
I’m considering FT RV’ing by myself as well. It’s nice to hear I’m not alone in this adventure!
@@kerileahy8296 I just started on my own as well and I don't know squat which became very evident once I went to move my rig for the first time and began realizing the things the seller screwed me on :( live and learn...good luck to us all!!
@@ShotgunStanley-AmericanCouture would you be willing to share the things you learned for those who are considering a purchase?
I am a single woman just getting started too. This was very helpful!
I want to add one thing that I learned from an "RV mechanic" that I know: put down the stabilizing jacks AFTER slides are out. He stated that doing it before is the biggest reason that the slides mess up and the number two reason that the stabilizer jacks bend.
The slides, once out, change the center of gravity for the trailers and add leveraged weight on to the side slide of the trailer, causing the stabilizers to bend. He also pointed out that most people who do it the wrong way notice that their trailer still shakes when they walk around inside, he pointed out that by doing slides first, then stabilize, you will have less shake. Great vid though!
Nope. Putting slideouts or even awnings can and will mess up your side to side levelness. Slideouts are best run when it is level. Very bad advice from your RV mechanic.
@@americansfirst1095 then what is the point in levelling prior to slides coming out?
Slide outs... RV Repair shops bread and butter. Only owned Airstreams and yes its a tradeoff for a bit of space but have seen so many people with slider issues over the years I wouldn't own one.
So is the surge guard brand a good protector
Says right in the manual to stabilize prior to slide out operation
Great info! We have been RV’ing for 21+ years now and we all can learn something new from each other!
This year (hubby retired) we are going to hit most all states. Thanks to you, I learned here that some states require the hose raisers. We also did not know about the power surge you use, with more electronics in rigs that is a great piece of advice.
I would love to add that back 20 years ago we found ‘walkie talkies’ are a MUST HAVE! It saves couples from the screaming directions back & forth, with an argument later. 🤦♀️. When we travelled with all four kids the two older ones would work together to guide us into a spot!
One time I did a 6 weeker with just me (mom) and the kids and our parking was such a quiet breeze that some guy runs out of his unit YELLING to HELP us 😂
My teens on the ‘walkie’ says “who the heck is this guy?” (His impressed wife the next day apologized to me as she really tried to stop him💁🏻♀️)
ALSO when we went from 23 class C (our first rv) to a 36’ TT a wonderful man gave me a very prudent piece of advice. “ Honey, you & the kids need to know how to do everything, including driving it. You may need to get your family home sometime.”
Hence our 6 week ‘mom & kids’ road adventure!
We also had a check list that every family member would review and follow up on!
Blessings on your new adventures!
What a fun story! We started off using walkie talkies but the delay got too frustrating so we just switched to using our phones. Having to constantly take one hand off the wheel to hit the communicate button really slowed things down too. We only ended up in one place with zero cell service out of almost 150 campgrounds, and that one time it was a nice wide spot that was super easy to park in, so I guess we got lucky there.
Arbonne-TeachTrainTether LAUNCH! m
Blue tooth 🦷 so you don't start messing with sewer and have to touch your phone .
And to ad to your suggestion of everything being a routine, make sure that everything you use for setup has a specific place to store it. That way you don’t have to search around for the accessories you need when setting up.
that's a good idea
Thank you. For new RV'ers, even if you think you know your routine by heart, it's good to have a checklist because sometimes a task can get overlooked. Better safe than sorry.
As newbies, my hubby and I made a habit of doing one last walk around after we sat down in the front seats. That quick walk around the rig has saved our bacon a time or two! It’s was irritating to do, but we were glad we got into the habit.
I’m still new to RVing so, although I knew most of what you were saying, it’s good to know I’d been instructed well in the past to learn a good technique. What I like about this video, and I’ll watch more, is that you are very easy to understand, you don’t go on and on about WHY your making this video, and it is an “easy to stay interested” length. Looking forward to watching more.
Thank you so much! We're going to make a few more episodes like this one as we're getting a new (to us) motorhome in the next month or two and have to outfit it and learn how to use it. 👍👍
My wife and I rely on a checklist both for arriving and departing. We have assigned duties just like you mentioned. We revised our list several times when we first put it together to make sure we caught every detail. The list really helps to put our mind at ease. Thanks for the great video and others from the past. Happy camping.
Thank you Paul! 👍👍
Great video. One tip: Connect the ends of your hoses when you coil them up. I noticed you coil them neatly and attach wraps to hold them tight. If you connect the ends, you will never have residual water spillage.
But you _will_ promote mold growth and funky tastes because they'll never dry out. I leave them open and just run water through the hose before hooking up the rig end just in case any dirt or bugs work their way in while they were stowed. I'd much rather have a little bit of water in the bay (that air dries) vs funky hoses 😉
Great information. One thing you might consider is using totes to store water hoses and electric cords I have 4 totes Water, Electric, Sewer, and one for Stuff. This helps keep things in their proper place. It keeps your rig clean and no cross contamination. Thanks again for the info.
I would use more totes if I had more room. All of the sewer stuff goes in a tote in the back of the truck but the water hoses just get stacked in the basement when they're not in use.
I use separate compartments for fresh water and for sewer hoses. No chance of contamination
Maybe if totes take up too much space then the plastic IKEA duffel bags might be useful since they are more playable. Might be good to keep things grouped together but not occupy extra negative space.
Excellent video! I think the top reason lots of folks fail at setup (too far from utility, forget to chock the wheels, etc.) is that they get in too big of a hurry because they think everyone I watching them and judging them. Take your time and don't sweat someone thinking you're taking too long or don't know what you're doing. Proper, safe set up is far more important than being the hot shot.
This!! Just purchased a TT and this weekend will be our 1st trip to a campground and I'm half terrified! Am I going to screw something up?
Will I be able to back in?
Can I just find a pull through? 😂 Will I trip over a tree root when everyone is watching us... 2 women sit up? 😂👀
@@lovinglife69how did it go? My first trip is this week
@moecheese1991
It went absolutely fine! Or should I say everything went without a hitch 😆 We took our time and went over our routine. We had a nice relaxing week. It's always different than what goes through your mind. 😆
Be safe & enjoy!
Great vid. Very helpful... we’re new at the RV thing and the CHECK LIST is a thing of truth and wisdom. My golden rule... and it only took one time... before you unhook walk around check out your distance to electric water and sewer.... nothing like unhooking moving the truck only to find out .... your still 10 feet away from from things. You learn real quick .....
thanks again. Good stuff.
We usually walk the site before pulling in, or hop out and check the hookup locations as soon as we're clear of the road if it's a busy campground. We've gotten pretty good at eyeballing the distances for our electric and sewer. Funny enough, the two times we had to re-hitch were because we put two blocks under the tongue jack like normal but actually had to bring the nose down lower than that to be level. So back on the truck to take a block out! 😂
@@Five2Go I am a big proponent of carrying a bottle jack and wooden blocks. Happy Camping!
@@Five2Go I always have a floor jack with me when I'm on trips, so you could put that on the tongue of the trailer to lift it up and slide a block out from under the trailer tongue jack and set it back down.
@@RickysHP Good call! I have a bottle jack that I carry around but using it didn't even cross my mind the two times we've had to re-hook because of height issues. I'm not sure why, I guess the truck was sitting there so it was the first thing that popped into my head! 😋
@@Five2Go yep, either way works. Just might be a time saver for you.
Great tips all. Only thing I do differently is with the sewer hose. I use disposable gloves. Having come from a medical background I understand that most E coli and other germs/diseases found in sewer water generally do not survive long when exposed to air, but I still like to practice good handling technique when touching the sewer hoses. I use the mechanics orange "latex" gloves because they are relatively inexpensive and hold up better than the blue gloves. I put them on, do all my connections or disconnections, clean offs, etc and then pull the gloves off in a manner that turns them inside out as I pull them off so the dirty side is inside...then I toss them in the garbage. In theory, once the hoses are completely dry, they should not be harboring any "germs", but I handle the hoses as if they are always carrying germs since the preventative is far cheaper than getting sick. I guess cleaning the gloves off each time as you do, does the same thing but you have to touch the hose, faucet or other things first to clean the gloves, so I am not sure that makes sense...technically. Think food service....everything you touch is now exposed.....Yes I use lots of hand sanitizer after the fact! I also carry bleach and if I have an incident, I take a bucket and put in water and small amount of bleach and drench any areas that were exposed to the sewer water. Maybe overkill but I feel better about it!
I have read comments that some people will fill up a 5 gallon bucket with water and bleach solution and drop there fittings, elbows, etc into the bucket to sanitize before they put into the rig. I actually saw one camper run the hose through a bucket solution as well, then when done poured the solution around the sewer fitting in the ground......Maybe overkill but certainly not a bad idea if you are concerned about putting sewer "equipment" into the holding area of your rig. I read another RV'er carries a light bleach and water solution and sprays the water facets before they connect....I guess they assumed the person prior may not have been as vigilant!
And yes, I know we have all seen the camper who wears no gloves, does not wash their hands and basically seems to not be concerned.....
A bleach bucket for all the fittings every time seems a bit overkill, but that's definitely better than doing nothing at all I guess! None of my sewer equipment gets stored in the rig, only in the back of the truck and in its own bin. In the few times I've needed to wash the gloves I actually had my wife come out and turn the water on for me so I wasn't touching anything I didn't need to.
@@Five2Go Yeah, I dont do the bucket thing. My rig is a little smaller than yours so I do have to store some of the ugly stuff in the outside storage, but that goes in a bag then in a plastic storage box with lid. I use the disposable gloves because I am on my own with the poop duty :-)
I camp solo, so it's only "my stuff' coming out of the sewer hose. I don't worry about gloves and am careful not to touch the campground's dump hole.
@@eileenglick9436 Everything around the dump station is infected with other peoples "stuff". Sewer lid, non-potable water faucet/hose, the ground, and more.
Newbie here, I am obsessed with these how to videos and yours is the best one I have watched. Thanks for the great straight fax's. A lot of good advice.
When you curl up your drinking hose, screw the two ends together and dirt, bugs etc can’t get into the ends.
Yeah, I was surprised when I saw the open hose ends.
We don't like moldy and musty hoses so we leave them open. I run water through the hose before attaching it to the rig to blow any bugs or dirt out.
If leaving open, or even if you're not, screens can help keep things out too.
Is 0g drinking water safe? I just got something similar at Wal-Mart and after opening, see it is super hazardous even to a garden! Going back!
We have cheese cloth squares and rubber bands on our hoses.
Something I recently learned, is to not pull the sewer levers open and leave them open. Let the black and grey tanks fill up and only empty as needed. Otherwise you can end up with the solids not flowing out. Over time, as sludge builds up it can result in plugging up your sewer system. I had no idea! As a noob, I would have probably left them open thinking that's how it worked. Apologies if you mention this in another video, just a good thing to note on hookup.
When you learn more from comments than you doo. Actual Vidio
Spot on! I bet 75 percent of the campers I see each trip have there valves open! You want them tanks nice and full when you empty up. Black tank and then grey(s) to rinse the sewer line. I don’t need a poop stalagmite growing in my black tank 😂😂😂
@@kingrider75 hahaha stalagmite is a good word for it. I’ve also heard it called a “poo pyramid”
Dude, you’re video was a big help to me. We are looking to upgrade to a larger rig with slides (currently pop-up owners). The surge protector, water filter are spectacular ideas. Some thing we will have to learn, but enjoyed your video. Preventative instead of reactive is some much easier. Keep up the good work and be safe brother!!!
A decent video for the neophyte, well done! I will say that your suggestion that the stabilizing jacks shouldn't lift the coach at all is a bit misleading. Clearly they are not to be used for leveling or any significant lifting. But if you only let them touch the ground gently, then they won't do much if anything at all. If the owner stops the jack motors just as the coach starts to lift very slightly, it won't overload the jack system, and the system will actually provide stability. I know you were trying to get people to not over do it, but if I was a noob, I would do as you indicate in the video and then wonder why the jacks aren't doing anything.
Just got back from a weekend trip. This was a state park close enough yet far enough to make a forgotten item a nuisance. Point is - make a standard check list as recommended in this vid. One for going and coming home.
Excellent video. I am a 40 year RV enthusiast and believe a checklist is a must have. It can prevent a disaster,
Very well done! My wife and I are picking up our first travel trailer today. I know there's a lot to do to make sure you're setup correctly. I'm saving this video for later. Thank you.
Have a fantastic trip! Take your time, double check everything, and you'll have a great time 👍😁👍
For those that don’t do this many times per year, I strongly recommend a practice of a walk around reality check. Before you unhook, before you move, etc. If you are going to move, look at all connections and walk around one more time. That is the hitch, all pins, load bars, safety chains, water, electric, sewer, stabilizers, steps, wheel chokes, windows, gas, everywhere. A slow walk around the entire rig and touch every single thing you can think of. The same thing before you unhook it from the tow rig. Make sure it will not move when it is disconnected. I envision the worst case that I kill someone if I miss something. It is too easy to get distracted in your routine and skip a step. Two more minutes can save you thousands of dollars or in a worst case, someone you can not replace.
Even after stopping in more than 150 campgrounds in two years we would both do a walk around every single time. I made sure to touch everything, not just look at things. Slides in all the way, door locked, stabilizers and stairs up, bays locked, hoses stowed, chocks up, etc etc etc. You can never be too safe when talking about 10,000+ pounds on wheels.
Very informative, paying attention to details can make your life much simpler. One thing we always do is near the end of our camping stay we shut off the grey water from draining and we take long showers to build up the level in the grey water tank. Then before we unhook from the septic we dump the grey tank into the black water tank. This “backflushes” the black tank so after it is dumped it is pretty clean. Simple practice, gives me more peace of mind.
That's one way to do it. We have a built-in "tank wizard" so I can just hook a hose up to blast water straight into the tank to help empty it out. It definitely makes dumping a much easier process!
#jonfairbank, Did you get that tip from KeepYourDaydream, Marc & Trish?
@@Five2Go We had a 2013 Cougar 5er which had the tank flush. We used it once to flush then used the flushing wand going through the toilet bowl stopper and ended up getting quite a bit more sewage out of the black water tank. If you're just emptying it out and will be using the rig again right away, using the tank flush works fine but if the camper is going to be sitting around for a while, you'd want to make sure everything is out. We pour a 5 gallon jug of water into the toilet to really flush it clean after using the wand. Hope this helps someone.
You’ve got this process locked down! I don’t even have a trailer but I watched your entire video hahaha! Thank you
Thank you. Some great ideas. I knew that about stabilizing jacks but I didn't know to use our blocks. I have lifted the trailer slightly but know I know better. One point you kind of missed. First time I camped this year, I checked the slide outs. Got all set up. Next day I wanted to extend the awning, to close to a tree. Could only extend a few feet. Check both sides of your rv
We pretty rarely use our awning so it didn't even pop into my head, sorry! As for the blocks - you should definitely build them up to minimize how far down you have to run the stabilizing legs. The less of an angle they have to open up to, the better they'll fight the rocking. Same goes for the tongue jack too, but there's only so much building up you can do under those sometimes.
Best advice I can give after 7 years of camping (not full time) is to have a checklist and follow it. Pilots that fly the same aircraft over and over still follow a preflight checklist. I had to redo mine last month when I traded for a new 5th wheel that was different inside and out from our previous one. Have a list for setting up and departure. Also, don’t get in a hurry. Know when you are required to check out and give yourself plenty of time. It really sucks when doing this in the rain but have proper attire and don’t skip steps. Lastly, before you pull into a spot, get out and walk around it looking for obstructions, low hanging limbs, etc. pay attention as to where the hookups are and where in the spot you need to position your rig. It’s very important if you are going into a pull through to look at how you’re going to exit it. I recently pulled into one and later another camper pulled in to one across from me. Due to the way he did I had to back out of mine. Safe travels!
Having a checklist, even a mental one, is definitely a requirement. Even more so if you're NOT a full-timer and doing it a couple times a week. Your recommendation about taking your time is SUPER important though. If you start rushing anything you're going to make a very expensive mistake. We try to tell newbies that it's ok to block the road while getting into your site safely, take your time at a dump station, and generally be in the way if you're taking your time to be safe. Other campers should understand, nobody wants to see someone hit a tree or spray their black tank all over the place...
Agreed. We have been at it for 6 years PT, and we always use the check list. IF we ever fail to do this we ALWAYS invariably miss something. Just like a good pilot. You need to always go over the list.
Nice video. Good information, especially to the newer camper. One question/ discussion point is:
Regarding the pressure regulator and filter. I’ve seen the filter and regulator placed at the hookup and at the inlet to the RV. Speaking as a plumber, I’d actually recommend the devices last. That is to mean at the RV. This is for several reasons. If the regulator has a back flow preventer, as a lot do, and the RV is left in the heat without the water being ran, the exposed hose can build pressure as the heat builds. The regulator may prevent this pressure from reducing, leaving an unintended high pressure situation to the rig.
With the regulator plumbed last, and the pressure builds in the hose, the regulator will prevent the high pressure from entering the RV. You also have a better higher pressure water supply to the RV.
Lastly next to the RV, the equipment tends to be a little more protected for the elements and clumsy people.
Your method (as far as I’m concerned) not wrong! Regulators differ among manufacturers as to what they do and don’t do. I believe my method hedges my bet.
Safe Travels!
Thank you for sharing, you explained everything perfectly! Me and my husband bought an Rv and to honest I wouldn’t know what we would do without watching videos like yours ! Thanks for sharing again!!
You can attach a check list to the back of a storage door. You can even write on the door with something more permanent and then use a dry erase marker to check it off as you go.
We Velcroed a white board on storage door and check everything off one at a time never forget anything and each task is accomplished
This video is especially good because you can see the mistakes the neighbor is making. Thank you for sharing!
This is so damn intimidating. Just bought a 35ft camper. Never owned one before.. I travel for work painting water towers. Usually stayed in motels. Go back to work in 4 days. Wish Me luck.
Yes, I agree. This is my first RV too. Hope it works out well for you
Yall hireing?
Great video. Being new to RVing, I researched hundreds of videos and made a list. The first thing I do when arriving to a site is make sure the trailer location is in the best location; a quick walk around is easy enough. I then do a quick check to make sure the electric and water is operational. Then I begin to level and unhook. I have seen people level and unhook only to find out the water or electricity is not working, and they have to hook up and and change locations.
I hook up that surge protector before anything else - if I don't see three green lights we're going back to the office to get another site. It's easy to rush and not check things like that, but man can it be a pain when something's not working and you have to hook back up and move again!
@@Five2Go .....Most definitely.
We're about to be 'newbie's' and all this info is so appreciated! Don't want to make mistakes we can avoid simply by doing a 'whole bunch' of homework, thanks to people like you!!!!!! Thank you! :)
Thanks Audrey! You'll do great!
Old milk crates work great
Two of my take aways were how much pressure to apply to the back stabilizers and to purchase a power serge.
Great information my friend. The one thing I would give is connect your water filter directly up to your rig then to the hose. I found that if you filter the water right at the rig you don't get the hose taste in you water because you have filtered it out. So try putting the filter on the other end of the hose. Yeehaw.
We don't drink the water so we're not too concerned with the taste. When we started out we were in an area that was getting below freezing a lot so I kept the filter in the basement and ran the heated hose out to the post. There's not a lot of room down there though so once it was warm I started putting the filter outside. It's so much easier that way.
Why would you not just connect the filter to the faucet?
@@Five2Go so what water do u drink newbies here thanks
I’ve had a checklist for set up and one for take down up on the wall as you enter the trailer. We set up and take down the same way you do. Hubby does the outside after we are stabilized, I do the inside. We’ve had our trailer since 2006. Just a 24 footer. I also have a check list for before we go, and when we get home. Anything that needs repair, replacing or routine maintenance, I have a folder of what has been done, and what needs to be done. We discuss it with our “trailer guy” who does the winteriZing and repairs to see if he needs to order parts and such, and then the small stuff, or sewing needs, I do during the winter months, such as recovering seats, repairing or replacing blinds or curtains so we are always up to date and ready to roll in the summer. We love going in our little RV and will continue until we can’t walk anymore,
Good content the only thing I have to add is when I'm done flushing the black tank thoroughly I leave 5 gallons of water half a cup of dawn blue detergent and a pod in the black tank during travel and sitting.
Good tip! I put a few gallons and two pods in after a full flush so it can swish around while we're driving.
We dump a bag of ice in ours to slosh around and clean the holding tank debris as we go down the road then add a pod after stopping. Quick and easy.
we've been RVing for about 6 years and try to follow all these set-up suggestions. We added a new one this time just outside Zion NP - make sure utilities line up BUT LOOK UP - make sure there isn't a low hanging branch. Cost us $345. Lesson learned
Our first trip we had a surge. We had mistaken plugged into the “old” power pole that was replaced after floods. The surge protector did it jobs and saved our 2020 new trailer. 👍👍. Great Advice. Red clay or water with iron will stain your filet immediately. Look into a small R/O filter on eBay. Added bonus -in natural disasters where water might be questionable it completely cleans the water-even almost sewage dirty -and under $100 investment and $40 yearly stage filters.
Great advice about the R/O filter! Do you know if anyone makes them specifically for RV's or do you just retrofit one in wherever you can fit it?
The pieces are usually pex compatible . Most kits include a 2 in one pierce and connect for the waste water for under the sink. Also a t fitting to go on the cool water line usually under the sink. I had to purchase a fitting and alternate t size t fitting reducer at Home Depot (>10$$ but it is plug and play. The hardest part is drilling the 1” hole in the counter top for the faucet. It’s very easy. I’m a stay at home momma and I figured it out with 2 trips to the hardware store. Ours has a 3 gallon tank under the sink with a final charcoal filter afterward for on demand water. It is important to know... due to the fine nature of the filter to remove everything-it wastes up to 75% of the water since the R/O membrane can only filter so much waster and the rest it rejects right down the drain. It must have pressure. Then storage tank below saves water so there is no lag. I have a 100 gallon per hour at home and purchased a 30 gallon for the RV and I wish I would have spent the $60 more for the bigger system. The water will spoil you because it’s 100% pure (no ph buffer and no minerals) and tastes pure. eBay has great options.
I've seen residential kits like that but never thought about putting one in an RV! That's a really great idea...
Not sure how old this video is, but I've got some tips for you and others.
We've used our RV's over the years mainly for Dog Shows. Any dog show person who camps is prepared !
Have at least 2 25' cords for your amps and not just for your amps. We have 3 25' for 50 amps, 4 25' for 30 amps. We've had to stretch out to 100 feet for a hookup before. You CAN go from 50 to or use 30 (with adapters) and to 20 amp if need be. We have adapters (pig tails) to 50 to 30, 30 to 50, 30 to 20 or 15 amps. Do NOT use 2 30's joined together to use for your 50 amp rig though, most camps/fair grounds are not wired correctly for that.
40 to 50 foot of sewer hose is nothing when you have to share or reach to dump.
100 foot of water hose is standard for us and we can go as far as 200 feet.
52go..
Good video. One thing I would reccomend when doing check list..."don't talk to anyone" when performing the checks. Had a neighbor chat me up when ready to leave on a surf trip. Low and behold forgot to lash down my board, flew off the truck on the freeway, thank God it didn't hit anyone. 10'6' board and a loss of 1400 smack a roo's. Talk to me when I'm DONE!
Oh no! That is great advice, but hard learned. We make sure to leave people alone when they're setting up or breaking camp, even if we know them and want to talk. There are too many things that can go wrong. Final walk-arounds are a great thing to do too. I walk around the rig and physically touch everything as a check - slides in, door locked, compartments locked, hitch pins secure, etc. You can never check too many times!
Same issues when doing a CDL required pre-trip inspection. If you get interrupted, stop and start over. Do your steps in the same way each time or make a checklist to check off as you go.
@@Five2Go Antenna retracted is a big one too. Saw many times when RVer's were leaving the campground and forgot to lower their antenna.
My wife and I have just bought our first camping rig (28-footer, tow-behind, not as big as yours), after 10 years of camping with a pop-up. We close on the new rig in a few days. I found your video very informative and succinct. Many things I haven't thought about yet. Thank you! Subscribed.
Stuff I already knew but delivered in such a clear and straight forward manner I wound up watching the whole video. Thumbs up 👍!
Thanks Christopher, I really appreciate that!
All the info was great. I didn't read all the comments so i hope I'm not repeating someone.
I have a piece of pvc pipe that's cut to length from my tire to when my slide is out. I just lay it on the ground at the distance I want the 5th wheel away from whatever.
We usually stay for a month so I carry 3 stair stepped 2×6 to level if needed. And we use x-chocks for the tire's. A very important thing is to retighten the chocks after the tire's cool down because from my experience they may not be doing any good they could be so loose.
In cold weather I stopped messing with trying to insulate my water hose. I fill my fresh water tank 1/2 full and remove the water hose. For the night.
I also like having my water filter inside the camper if your hook ups are in a compartment. That all the water is filtered before it goes in the system. And put your hose ends together when not using them. Keeps the ants/bugs out of the water. Also use your water pump frequently. I have had to prime mine to get it work because I hadn't used it for a while. I just replaced my bathroom vent cover that just deteriorated. Fortunately i had the Max air cover's. Or it probably would have ruined our camper being parked for the summer. I could go on and on about camper issues but I'm not.
One thing I would not do is pull it down the road without tire pressure sensor's. Just ask someone who blew a tire and the damage it done. I also pull a enclosed motorcycle trailer behind the 5th wheel. Truck and trailer's all have tire sensors and a camera on the back of the 5th wheel. Lots of tires to not have to worry about.
I'm 52 and I've been camping since I was 5, as a scout and with my family, as a child and as a adult. This is, by far, THE BEST video about being prepared and doing it right!
Thank you so much Jim! That really means a lot to hear! 👍😁👍
Very important to have a routine, we moved sites 3 times in one day once due to 75/km wind and mosquitoes as our kids are all 3 and under. We sometimes swap roles inside/outside so we are both familiar with what needs to happen.
Inside: levels done, turn on fridge electric, water heater, pump, slides out, awning out, take tv off bed and hang, setup pack and plays for 1 year old twins, purge propane/start a burner, put sewage treatment into toilet, coffee maker out of box and setup, thermostat set, wheelchair setup for oldest, bunks unpacked ect.
Outside: leveling side to side, unhooking, level front to back, chaulking, power, mat put out, table for out door kitchen, bbq setup and purged, mini fridge plugging in, water/sewer (if full service), cast iron pams, camp stove, fuel, lawn chairs, weight distribution hitch put away, etc.
Less than 25 mins for us now to setup or pack up.
I'm glad both of y'all know how to do everything! We see so many times where a rig rolls into a campsite and the wife just hangs out in the truck until everything is set up and it takes the dude 2-3 times as long as it should. Plus, if he gets hurt and can't do something it's going to be way harder farther down the road. It was important to us that we both know how everything works.
@@Five2Go That is exactly it, if someone gets hurt or whatever else. Both parents/partners should be completely fluent with how things work and what order things need to happen in both setting up and packing up.
You are dealing with alot of weight along with combustibles. Bad things can easily happen if you remove chalks before they should be and you are on a hill or forget to turn off devices and propane before heading out.
I'm lucky enough that my wife doesn't mind getting dirty, be it shovelling dirt in the garden, planting or setting up a trailer. She's not a pricccey princess, but extremely caring, and that's what makes her amazing to me. 😉
This is an excellent video and I'm sure it's helped so many avoid costly mistakes. I don't know how anyone could thumb it down.
Thanks Bruce!
This video is the bomb! Most camper videos are of negative topics, problems and are so general in nature. You get right to the point and show a lot of good tips.
Thx for great Video .. The Zero G hose ... and orange sewer hose .. Great recommendations I was so tired of fighting with the white water hoses. 👍👍
The Zero-G hose is literally life-changing. You'll spool and unspool it just for fun because it's so easy! 😋
@@Five2Go i
Great video good info. Another tip about checking the site when you pull in. If it’s a site with trees and you have awnings make sure you can extend them without hitting the trees. We were in one campground were we asked for a different site since we had no room for the awnings. In another one where we couldn’t get another site since they were full.
Sitting here watching this and making notes for when our new rig arrives next year. So much to learn! Thanks for the advice
Awesome - we're happy to help! We're actually shooting an "RV 101" series that will be released here soon, so you'll definitely want to keep an eye out for that. It's going to be full of everything we wish we had known before we started two years ago!
The wife and I have a routine as well, but I found sooner than later once you level from side to side, to Choke the wheels prior to detaching from the truck and then level front to back.
The stabilizing legs is such a pet peeve of mine! People just don’t understand. Nice video
@Dania Ann I didn’t call anyone stupid. I said that people don’t understand because they aren’t taught. Calm down
We are into our second year of owning a bumper pull camper. This is our first camper, which we purchased for retirement travels. Being newbies to the camping world at an older age, we quickly learned we needed a setup and take down routine checklist. It was a tremendous help. I also have a camper inventory list for the inside supplies which I print out before each trip and check off things as I put them in the camper. (This is mostly food items, toiletries, soaps, paper goods, etc which helps me not forget important things we need). I use this list while we are on our trips to write down things we run out of and need to restock when we get back home. For our outside set up, we use separate plastic tubs for the water items, hoses, electrical cords, surge protector, and smaller tubs for things we will need when we first arrive, like a level, mallet, the ratchet wrench for the X chocks, zip ties and bungee cords for the dog fencing, gloves etc. This tub is the last thing that goes in the storage hole on my side when we leave a campsite, and the first thing that comes out when we arrive at a new place. It keeps us from having to search through all the tubs for things we need right away upon arrival. My husband and I also have specific things we do. The items and tools I need to do my setup jobs are all on my side of the storage hole and all the things my husband needs to get us hooked up are on his side in larger tubs. This has worked well for us. We just completed our 14th trip since March of this year and we have at least one more trip planned. I appreciate you going through your setup tips on this video. It always helps to see other veteran campers ideas and procedures.
51 YEARS of Setting up RV's,.... So didnt teach an OLD dog anything new here,..... This Video was WELL DONE! (side note: I keep Ant-Spray handy, just incase a "nest" is nearby, I spray around My Wheels, Jack and Stabalizers, And Wipe the cord & hose near the ground. I do NOT try to kill off their nest. It is NOT my propperty. THANKS
Thanks Mark!
Not my propperty ?????
@@robertbenthal9396 a campground???????
Thank you for making the video. All good tips to know. As a retired semi driver here is a tire tip. For every 5 degrees the road temp changes you loose or gain a pound of air in your tire. Some say it's 10 degrees and 1/2 psi in colder conditions and 5 psi in hot conditions. I use 5 psi as a average gauge. I check my tires in May and at the end of Nov. So every late fall and early summer check your air pressure. As an example say the summer road temp is 90 and it goes down to 10 in winter. Take the 80 degree temp drop and divide it by 5 = 16. That means your tire inflated to say 33 psi in summer is now down to 17 psi in winter. Radials will visually fool you. They won't look low but they are and your underinflated and at risk of a blow out. Also, remember if you run a radial tire 20 or more psi low you should replace the tire. You won't see it on the outside but the inside steel belts will damaged and could blow out.
That's great advice! We see people struggling with tires all the time. We had pretty good luck by just monitoring the pressure every other campground or so (so about once a week). I think a lot of RVers have issues when they overload their rigs and then drive 75-80mph on the junky tires that come from RV factories. That's a bad set of circumstances right there!
@@Five2Go running radial tires 20 psi low tears the inner belts that is why Michrlin and Goodyear say throw tgem out if you find one on your rig that low. Those of us that grew up in the 60's and 70's with stiff sidewall bias ply tires could air up a low tire and it was ok. We all hate to throw out a good looking tire that can be aired up, but the consequences of an blowout accident are great.
Another point to share with rv trailer pulling is just like a big rig semi when you brake, the trailer brakes apply more stopping power than the pickup. So in effect like a parent grabbing the back of their childs coat as the child runs forward, the parent in the back is the stopping force. The trailer breaking with more stopping power helps keep your rig from jackknifing.
@@Five2Go Agree, and us all sharing our info helps. "Safety is a learned culture, it is not common sense".
So relieved!!! I have been a lance camper guy for over 30 years. Believe it or not I have been using all of your safety devises for years on. I just bought a Outdoors RV trailer late last year and have only taken it out 4 times now. I really regret not buying one sooner --- sooooo much room with a pop out!!! Great information to people starting their own adventures.
Sounds like you need to go camping a bit more... 😂 Thanks for watching!
Good to know about sewer hose I had no idea it had to be off the ground I'm a newbie so I walked around and looked at the others and there's was off the ground so I did put mine up thank you
Your routine comments are spot on.. We have a set routine and when it gets interrupted.. I have to go back to step 1 to make sure nothing gets missed or left out. We also have done it enough so when we get a "feeling" that something is not right we stop and go through the process until we find the issue.. or discover that everything is ok. Routine is so important.. Highly suggest everyone has their own and follows it. Good Video.. and WOW.. I have never had to extend my Poop Hose that far.. that's amazing.
Routines are key! We've actually had to run our sewer a little bit farther a couple times. I was only 4 inches short of two hoses here but there have been times when the third house is stretched way out too...
Great video and I have to agree with you a surge protection is very important and always a must have whenever you are hooking up to anything I keep a 50A 30’ & 20’ Power Cords. I’m a plumber so I have a triple inline filter system with a a piece of pipe to add a screen and I can add a pool chlorine tablet a and pressure regulator that I have it adjusted to 45 psi it’s just a little protection. I agree never drink the water. One thing you can get is these colors plastic strips that go around your steering wheel you label them for things to do before driving away. So basically you back into position and park, set e brake, hook up power, hook up water, hook up waste, chock tires, drop stabilizers, slide outs, remove truck electrical hookups, unhook truck, secure trailer hitch with lock. So everyone of them have a tab that wraps around trucks steering wheel and it is a checklist as you take them out of the bag you do it and place onto steering wheel number them. When you are leaving just remove the tab from the steering wheel and preform the task and place into its go bag. Once you’ve removed them all you will be ready to check your lights and pull out for home.
That's an interesting system! Our new motorhome has a water filter and a surge protection system built in, it's pretty great!
Kept waiting for you to forget something but you didn’t 😀. Great video, good to see someone go into detail about the stabilizing jacks. Stabilizing not leveling. I’ve seen a lot of people make that mistake. Thanks for spreading the word
My wife and I Love to camp and are a little jealous of you to be able to go for such long periods of time. Took us a while to get the routine down but we made a checklist, used it a few times and now it’s all good
Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience
Hah! I'm sure I missed *something* in there! 😂 Thanks for watching - happy camping!
It's very easy to think that those are for leveling unless someone explains it. I am guilty of doing this with my first camper trailer we lived in. The spot I was given was su unlevel that the driver side tires were off the ground about six inches to make it level until I was able to get some lumber under them
I'm fixing to get a 5th wheel myself but it will be set to live in until I decide to go on a trip and this really helps on where to start. Thank you.
New RVer here and I've burned up you tube since I've gotten it and this has been the most informative video this far. Well done sir.
We're very happy to help! The RVing for Newbies series that we're putting together should have some good info for you too, so keep an eye out for those. Happy camping!
We are newbies also. This vid is super helpful. We also use a checklist for Before Trailering. Obvious stuff like pullin slides. Not so obvious like turn off propane.
You don't need to turn off the propane. If you do, you'll lose whatever is in your fridge if you're driving in a hot climate or for more than 4 or 5 hours. The only time you *have to* shut it off is when going through underwater tunnels on the east coast.
Five2Go ...big controversy over propane on/off during travel and gas filling (open flames disallowed) because of Legal and accident issues. Minimizing the accident risk, I guess one could stop at the entrance to the gas station and turn off the propane..on the other hand, the dealer handling our delivery, a 24 year rv veteran, recommended the Off option (cya?) and assured us that our Furrion will hold the cold. All that said, I’ll turn off the fridge to start, then check it every ~2 hours and review that decision. Our travel plan calls for 5-7 hour travel days so we may be ok. Btw I just Amazon-ordered all the stuff on your video. The 30 amp surge protector was the pricey one.....$75. Everything else together was around $50. The only thing on your video I did not get was some kind of doo dad that elevates the sewer hose. I could not see it in the shadows.
You may want to get one of those sewer hose supports - they're required in some campgrounds. Some states have laws about above-ground waste hoses being elevated, plus they're really good at helping maintain a downward slope which helps everything move along nicely!
We're looking into our first travel trailer, and this video hit on so many things that I've been confused or nervous about. Thank you!
Thank you very much. This was our first time out with our new travel trailer. I was nervous about going out without the right stuff. You covered items; surge protector, filter, regulator, etc; that our dealer did not even mention. After watching this video, we went out and got these items and after watching this and some of your other videos, it made our setup successful and our first outing great. Thanks.
That's awesome Scott! We're glad we were able to help! Thank you so much for letting us know 👍👍
Level mate pro is an awesome piece of equipment that makes leveling so easy especially if you go boondocking. It has saved me so much time and headache from the bubble level days of old. Also, a backup camera can save a marriage 😂
And walkie-talkies also help save a marriage. My wife is outside helping guide me as I back into a spot. The walkie-talkies are the best way to communicate what she wants me to do...better than shouting.
Nice video! I do use the drill to lower my scissor jacks. And I don’t raise the trailer with them, but I do make them plenty tight. Otherwise they do move around and seem to loosen up with movement of the trailer over a few days.
As a Royal Ranger Cmdr., I taught camping, "life skills", & Bible to kids several years. Among the primary "no brainer" things we ALWAYS use when camping is check lists. It is surprizing how many important items are missed when not using check lists. I use mental check lists for many daily things, too. Folks who never return keys to pockets are a mess for everyone else around them. I refuse the drama. The same is true with refueling truck, mower, & generator; putting tools away immediately after use; cleaning messes; replenishing toilet paper & paper towels.
Putting things back in their place after using them saves so much time and headache! I try to stay on top of things and clean/organize as I work through projects, whether I'm working in the garage, the kitchen, or anywhere else. It's even more important when RVing because of the limited space and the extra danger when things go wrong!
Thank you from Canada! Just did my first trip in my RV at a Provinical Park. I did not have a surge protector but, will get one now! Didn't think of storm surge! I don't have any extra hoses either so I will look after that too! The dealership I bought my RV from didn't mention any possibility of needing that! Thank you so much!!!
Love these kind of RV parks. Your neighbor hangs out right next to sewer hookup. Time to flush😀😀
Pretty much. The worst part is that they've been in that site for three months now so they've had all sorts of people coming and going with that sewer connection right there.
Korbe Brenner time for them to redesign their set up or get what I’ve seen in British camps-wind breaks/privacy screens.
Aspiring Noob RVer here; thanks for posting your marvelous vid! Currently reviewing most if not all, of your RV videos.
Rookie, here. Very helpful; one of the more helpful videos. One person mentioned hooking hoses together to keep them clean. I also put a baggie over each end.
That works too! There are lots of ways to keep hoses clean. Thanks for watching!
I put washing machine washers in my hoses, they have a screen to catch debris.
Excellent info, would like to offer one suggestion from experience... consider a power conditioner over surge... what you showed is great, however I don’t believe it protects against low power... low power is as bad as spikes, the problem is you won’t realize it until it’s too late... lost an AC unit to low power... we have come across low power situations every now and then, mostly at older parks....
Perfect timing on this video... we head out on a 3 week trip tmrw!!
A surge protector doesn't monitor the power and keep it at safe levels, it just stops surges/spikes. Many times after stopping a surge they have to be replaced. Hughes Autoformers has a surge protector that monitors the voltage and will cut off the power if it gets too low/high. They also have a power booster that will increase voltage to counter brown outs as well as surge protection. You may want to check them out. They also have a replaceable module if you're hit by a surge. Enjoyed the video!
Awesome content. I like to spread Amdro around the site before I even unhook. I had fire ants crawling on me while I was leveling my trailer. Not a fun time.
Good video. My wife and I break down the trailer so fast, we're usually on the road a lot earlier than expected. One time we were camping with friends, and the man was doing the outside stuff, and he said his wife was doing the "skirt work", lol, inside stuff.
I always use my home 50’ water hose for my camper! A hose that’s sitting in your boot is full of bacteria, I wash my vehicles once a week so know that hose is well flushed. I would put your filter on city end connection ! Just a thought for you !
TH-cam suggested your videos a couple of days ago. I am hooked and subscribed. Great information! Thanks for not having the unnecessary music as a lot of channels do. Once I started RVing I realized the black tank was not a big deal as some made it out to be. Take the necessary precautions and take your time-Easy Peasy. Great channel, thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much! You'll find a few music-heavy B-roll sequences in our older travel videos, but we've moved away from that in the past few months. There are plenty of other channels out there where you can find beautiful nature shots and sweeping drone cinematography but you don't learn anything from those and we think that sharing our knowledge is far more important than just having pretty stuff to look at!
Five2Go I couldn’t agree more. Keep doing what you’re doing.
I have been a full timer since 1985 started out in a canopy then a camper then several trailers right now I have a alfy 34 ft 5th wheel. I have rebuilt many things on the rv over the years . There are many tings to do preparing for winter heated hose is the first purchase , I have a toilet waiting for me for the alfy.
Fresh Water hose.. screw the ends together making a "Sealed" coil.
I chopped off the male and female fittings from an old hose and attach those to the water hose ends. Works better than putting water hose ends together because once you unscrew the ends to attach to water source undoubtedly the other end comes in contact with the ground (dirt).
Connecting the hoses together and storing them for any extended period of time can create musty nasty mildew smell..
You're right Virgle, and that's why we don't recommend connecting the ends of the hose when storing it - let the hose dry out and flush it with water before use to get any dirt or bugs out. It's better than mold any day.
@@Five2Go Good point, but I full time it, and its not stored very long. Chuckle.
I have a “fresh water” tub with everything related to that in it, and a sewer tub as well. Lets me grab them out of the hatch and open them where there’s room during set-up.
My son took his Trailer out for the first time this past weekend. He got everything set up pretty good for being a Newbie RV camper. But I sure learned A LOT from this video. I'm going to tell my son to subscribe. . The one thing that really got to me was in another video watching the black and grey water being dumped. I'm almost positive he dumped the grey water first and then the black water . I got pretty grossed out just thinking about that. I'm going to the store and buying a good tote with a lid that stays put. Just for the hose. And one to out in all the connectors. Then finally get some gloves and bleach in the storage compartment. And taking some time to get the storage compartment organized. My son just has a real bad habit of just tossing stuff. I'm going to keep watching lots more of you're videos.
heading out camping next monday with our new trailer...been watching your videos and others...been learning ALOT...thx
We're happy to help! Have fun! 👍😁👍
Very good video. I'm getting an older Winnebago Chieftain to use as I'm a travel nurse. This was VERY helpful even tho you show a towed one. And your check list routine is extremely appropriate: that I'm also a pilot means I'm used to issuing them! Very good. Thank you and safe travels to you!!!
Thank you so much! 👍😁👍
I'm not a guy but hence I'm living in an RV full time I need all the information you can always share. Thanks
I would love to see people’s checklists for setting up camp and then leaving. Our first trip is in a few weeks. 🤞
Best of luck! Don't be in a rush with anything you are doing. That is when bad things usually happen. Take your time and be patient with yourself.
@@iglapsu88 I actually got the Rv Checklist app, as well as watching a crap ton of YT videos, and have it down now!
Pretty much same as you do it. Use a blue hose for the black tank flush. Also didn't use the pressure reducer one night and ran out of hot water in the shower. Put it on and it slowed the flow to where I can shower as if I'm home. Last site had a water issue and I rinsed the filter to get by. New one installed with the charcoal or whatever it is that takes all the crap taste out... With a spare and spare O rings.
Hopefully that one site didn't do any damage without the pressure regulator. We've been in some though where there's barely enough pressure to make it through the fixtures. It's a bummer when that happens because we have to fill the fresh tank and run the pump.
@@Five2Go no damage. It wasn't really high. Just enough to screw up the time on 6 gallons of water
You might want to use a check valve or vacuum breaker on the sewer flush hose (at the wye connector) to be sure you don't contaminate the fresh water side if the valve to your holding tank(s) gets left open or bumped open.
There's a check valve inside the line that goes from the connector to the tank wizard so no nasty water is coming backwards once it's in there.
Thank you!!.. I'm new RVing. I just purchased my first RV, I pick it up tomorrow, yes I'm a Little Nervous. I've got a case of the Butter Flies. Then after towing and the setup stuff. You have been a help. I believe I'm gonna be OK. Thanks!!..
With your water hoses, always walk them out to make sure they are drained, coil them up, and connect the ends about a half turn. That way dirt or spiders can't get in, but the can breath a little, so they will dry out.
One awesome thing about the Zero-G hose is how it drains really well as you're spooling it up because of how flexible it is. I don't connect the ends because I want it to dry out, but I do make sure to flush it before hooking it up to the rig.
Nice video! We've been Rving off and on for about 5 years and can't agree with you more about setting a "routine". I respectfully turn down well wishers that ask to help as it will alter my routine.
I would highly recommend getting an onboard low volt and spike protection for the shore line. We had a low volt issue and it caused an increase in amps which cooled the plug end. If you go with the onboard you remove a connection that gets wore out over time.
I found this video by accident researching travel trailers. I'm so glad I did! Very informative. I'll be sending this video to my husband. My husband, daughter, and I are a little tired of hotels. We are ready for a new adventure!