Wellington and Me

Wellington and Me
My rolling home!

Thursday, June 19, 2014

RV Departing checklist

So today I am up at JohnsonRV in Sandy Oregon, the dealership where I purchased Wellington, having a few small things fixed... hopefully under my extended warranty.  Last night and the morning I went through the process of prepping the RV to roll, which involves many many details. 

I thought I'd share my pre-departure checklist.   Here goes!

inside

bedroom
- put all things away in cupboards 
- use black storage bin to assemble all small items from counters and rest on bed
- rest fan and radio and other items on bed
- lay down vacuum beside bed
- make sure the bifold door and slider are latched in place
bathroom
- stow all things in cupboards
- use black storage bin for any counter top loose items and rest on bed
- secure hanging things in the shower, close shower door and apply the door catch
- make sure the pocket sliding door is secured with catch on the floor
- make sure all items in toilet room are secured and door latched
- move scale so it doesn’t talk at me on the road!
kitchen
- wash dishes and put away
- cover the stove with panels
- put all counter top loose items in sink
- make sure all cupboards are secure
- empty keurig water tank, secure table items
- move garbage and recycle bins to under table
- move dog bows etc so out of way of slider
- bring in outside thermometer
sliders 
- make sure nothing blocking the bed or living room sliders - slide them in
- bring down the hanging decor with bell
windows
- make sure all blinds are up for visibility and so they don’t rattle
- leave windows open for ventilation if needed
- turn off ceiling fans and interior lights to not drain batteries
Make sure tv antenna is down



outside

Lower leveling jacks
Remove leveling blocks
Remove wheel chocks
Empty black and grey tanks - add chemicals and water so they can rinse while driving
disconnect rinse and stow hoses and cables
make sure all storage compartments are closed and locked
Prep jeep to tow, if towing
- uncover tow bar, connect to jeep
- connect light power cable to jeep
- connect safety cables
- install Patriot Brake and test/activate in jeep
- disengage transmission in jeep
Test brake and turn signal lights on coach and jeep
bring in all exterior items - bbq, lights, rugs, chairs, plastic step, metal step support, etc and stow them


Final

Get any beverages or snacks needed for the first leg of travel
make sure glasses and sunglasses are at the dash
Get phone in place with charging cable.  Look up map route if needed.  
Program music for the road
Make sure leveling jacks are  up, step is in, emergency brake is off.
Check fuel level - get gas if needed 

When ready to go, ease forward to extend the tow bar arms into locked position. Check to verify they are locked. 

Rock & Roll!

7 comments:

  1. I would add that if you're going anywhere more than a short distance away, fill your water tank. You'd be surprised how hard it can be to find a source of fresh water you can connect to on the highway! An adequate supply of fresh water means you can park in a rest area or walmart for the night without fear of running out of water for showers and flushing.

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    1. Ah! Good point Bobby. I'd not really thought of that. I'll add it to the list. :)

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  2. Don't totally fill the fresh water tank - water weighs quite a bit.. Make sure fridge door is latched, lower overhead vents (if you don't have vent covers). turn off water heater, latch oven vent, unhook shore power and store electrical cord. Check lights aka jeep lights and on the coach(make sure brake, turn signals work and running lights)

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    1. Excellent additions! Not all apply to me such as the hot water, as I have an on-demand hot water system, no oven (just convection oven/micro), etc. But great things to add! Thanks.

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  3. Sounds like a lot of work. Enjoy the open road.

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    1. It's good to keep a checklist like this, as there are lots of things to remember. But I can usually pack everything up and batten down the hatches in under and hour and I'm ready to go!

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