CAMPING SEASON IS COMING! Are you prepared? Our easy ideas and FREE printable checklists assist you to keep organized as you start getting ready for tenting season whether or not you’re tenting in a tent, camper or RV motorhome!
Using seasonal tenting checklists will maintain you tenting like a professional all 12 months lengthy!
Psst we’re compensated…see our disclosures.
Get Ready For The Upcoming Camping Season
The finest method to maintain your first journey a optimistic one, is by being ready and staying comparatively near civilization in case you could have points along with your gear and must make a fast journey to the native outdoor retailer since you forgot to pack one thing or your outdated worn-out gear fails on its first use after popping out of storage.
Whether you’re staying in nationwide parks, state parks, on public lands or personal property, it’s a good suggestion to remain in an established campground as you use your tools for the primary time after bringing it out of storage.
If we’re going to new locations on our first journey of the season, we like to remain at campsites which have every little thing we want like a picnic desk, hearth rings, water and energy and we make reservations so there are no surprises.
We have stayed at some nice locations on final minute tenting journeys however we save these out of doors adventures for later within the season.
How To Prepare For Tent Camping Season
Equipment utilized in tent tenting is on the less complicated facet, so getting ready for the summer time tenting season tends to be simpler.
This is the right time to be sure to have the appropriate gear and get new tools to change the gadgets which are “on their last leg” so-to-speak. We don’t throw out gear that’s nonetheless usable however we’ll buy the gear that shall be changing the outdated stuff when it lastly fails.
This is very vital for our mountaineering boots, we at all times have an further pair and change between the outdated pair and the new pair so we’re slowly breaking within the new pair over time.
Merino wool camp blankets are fantastic for layering when sleeping and hanging out round a campsite when the climate is colder than the forecasts anticipated.
Clean And Inspect All Gear
The very first thing we do is unpack our gear and clear every little thing with a delicate detergent and let it dry completely. Check the situation of…
- Tents, stakes, poles, rainfly, shelter awnings and tarps
- Camp chairs and tables
- Lights, lanterns and headlamps
- Solar tools and equipment
- Sleeping gear together with luggage, mats, mattresses, cots and pads
- Tools together with shovels, knives, hearth extinguishers and so on.
This can be the perfect time to examine its situation and performance.
Don’t overlook to examine your security tools like your first assist equipment and coverings for poison ivy and so on. Get extra tenting security ideas earlier than heading out in your subsequent tenting journey.
Fuel Tanks Cleaned And Inspected
If you employ plenty of tenting propane in your journeys … you’ll need to be sure your tools is in good situation. Check the situation of…
- Propane tanks
- Gasoline tanks
If you employ 1 pound propane bottles, you could need to know refill 1 pound propane tanks in addition to examine them and what to do with empty 1lb propane bottles if they’re not protected to make use of.
For further gasoline tanks, examine their situation and fill them up with recent gasoline … in the event you don’t intend to make use of the gasoline however simply need it for emergency functions, it’s a great choice to add gasoline stabilizer to maintain the gasoline recent for as much as 24 months.
Vehicles Inspected And Repaired
When you’re automotive tenting make sure you examine the situation of your automobile and repair any points earlier than you hit the street. Don’t overlook to examine the tire stress and situation of all your tires and spare in addition to all fluid ranges and battery situation. Check the situation of…
- Tires and spares
- Batteries
- Fluids
- Jumper cables
- Roadside toolkits
Fabrics Cleaned And Inspected
Wash and completely dry your gear made of cloth. Inspect for holes or worn spots. Make certain to wash your sleeping luggage, further blankets and pillows too. Check the situation of…
- Tents, sleeping luggage, blankets and pillows
- Tarps and canopies
Depending on the time of 12 months you’re taking your first journey of the season, it is advisable be ready for inclement climate. If you’re doing spring or fall tenting you could expertise wild temperature modifications with heat climate daytime temperatures and winter situations at evening.
The climate forecast could not precisely predict chilly climate and excessive winds that will be finest served with a winter tent, excessive sleeping pad and sleeping luggage with a chilly climate temperature score.
If you aren’t a 4-season tent camper, you in all probability don’t have that tools so be sure to know keep heat in a tent in anticipation of unpredictable climate.
Ropes And Fasteners Checked
Avoid utilizing frayed ropes that scale back the power of tie-down capability. Check the situation of…
- Ropes
- Bungees
- Tiedowns
- Tapes
Replace raveled and distressed fasteners with new ones.
Batteries Replaced Or Recharged
There is nothing worse than having a lifeless flashlight when it is advisable see round a darkish campsite. Check the situation of…
- All battery varieties together with backups for every kind of battery utilized in widespread tools, particularly D-cell, AA and AAA
- Take notice of any specialty batteries and their situation
- Chargers for the tools that makes use of rechargeable batteries
Replace or recharge batteries in your lights, radios, GPS items and different battery-powered gear. If your gear is outdated and unreliable, it might be time to put money into a number of new tenting lights that may run on solar energy and are twin function!
Cooking Equipment Cleaned And Seasoned
Wash and completely dry your cooking utensils and tools. Check the situation of…
- Dutch ovens
- Skillets, pots and pans
- Camp stoves
- Solar ovens
- Cooking and serving utensils
Also, confirm your camp kitchen tools is in working situation and examine for rust … that is particularly vital for forged iron skillets and Dutch ovens that weren’t correctly oiled and maintained for storage. Check out our Cleaning And Seasoning Cast Iron Dutch Oven Cookware put up for extra ideas!
Clothing Inventoried
Examine all your clothes for match, situation and relevance. Check the situation of…
- Shorts and pants
- T-shirts and jackets
- Rain gear, hats and mittens (for heat and to maintain you dry)
- Underwear and socks
- Pajamas and sleeping gear
- Shoes and boots
The troublesome factor about spring and fall tenting adventures is the unpredictable climate. When you’re tenting in the course of the winter months you will be certain you’ll be coping with chilly climate and in the summertime you understand you’ll in all probability be coping with plenty of warmth. But spring and fall climate is usually a little trickier.
A good way to arrange is to gown in layers so you’re cool sufficient for out of doors actions in the event you expertise situations of summer time warmth however you could have extra layers to deal with decrease temperatures.
Winter tenting garments ought to embrace artificial supplies in your internal layer since you need that base layer to wick away sweat in chilly situations however you additionally need that in scorching situations too.
Check the situation of your rain gear together with boots and rain jackets. Also, take a look at these tenting within the rain hacks that will help you put together for a soggy journey and make a backup plan simply in case it will get actually unhealthy.
Necessary And Optional Gear Packed
It is straightforward to overlook to pack one thing in your tent tenting gear field in case you are packing from reminiscence. A great tenting guidelines is your finest pal! Check the situation of…
- Personal hygiene gadgets and toiletries together with toothpaste, physique cleaning soap, shampoo, toothbrush, towels
- Sunblock (for on a regular basis use) and waterproof sunscreen (for water actions)
- Toilet paper
- First assist equipment
- Bug spray
I prefer to maintain comparable gear in smaller storage bins which are straightforward to handle and pack. Keeping all cooking and consuming tools collectively makes mealtime easy. Don’t overlook to pack particular tools and consumables like…
- Dish cleaning soap
- Dishwashing fabric, cleansing brushes and scouring pads
- Drying towels and mats
It does you no good to have your tenting range with out sufficient propane to run it! Check your camp range recipes for components in addition to any particular tools needed to finish the meal.
Other consumables can be issues like clear water in your refillable water bottle, cleaning soap, shampoo, insect repellent and so on. If you need choices aside from utilizing bug spray, see maintain bugs away whereas tenting.
RV Spring Preparation: Getting Your Camper Ready For Summer
There is a little more concerned for RV-ers when preparing for the season, mechanically talking. We’ve received RV ideas and hacks that will help you with storage, group, journey planning and extra.
Whether you could have a towable journey trailer or drivable rig, there are extra issues to think about.
Opening Your Camper In Spring
That unhealthy information about winter tenting is that you need to cope with low temperatures and presumably freezing situations. The excellent news is that you’re coping with fewer crowds at you tenting locations.
The OTHER GOOD NEWS is that you just in all probability don’t need to de-winterize in the event you’ve been utilizing your RV all through the winter.
How to open a camper for the season depends upon if in case you have it winterized with antifreeze. If it is advisable de-winterize your RV, you need to flush the fluids first.
How To De-Winterize Your RV
Generally talking, listed below are the steps to de-winterize an RV water system:
- Add a Spring Fresh Water System Cleaner And Deodorizer to the recent water tank. Alternatively, you should utilize a bleach/water combination.
- If you determine to make your personal, the ratio for the bleach/water combination is that this: 1/4 cup of family liquid bleach to one gallon of water for each 15 gallons of tank capability.
- Pump the water by all of the water traces and fixtures.
- Let it sit for about 4 hours.
- Drain the system and flush it out till the water smells (and tastes) bleach-free.
- NOTE: These are the overall steps for de-winterizing an RV water system, however it’s best to examine your proprietor’s guide for particular directions out of your RV’s producer.
Visually Inspect & Wash Your RV
Washing the outside and inside of your RV lets you clear it and do a primary visible inspection on the similar time. And actually, who can stand going tenting in a grimy RV … yuk!
As you’re visually inspecting your rig, you’re searching for the general situation, structural integrity, presence of moisture (particularly inside closets and storage areas that aren’t overtly seen) and leaks, and so on.
This can be a nice time to re-organize your rig. Check out our tenting storage concepts that will help you with de-cluttering:
- kitchens
- bogs
- closets
- hidden areas
- exterior storage compartments
Minimally, your visible inspection ought to embrace checking the situation of the next gadgets…
- Roof
- Seals and gaskets
- Vents and covers
- Awnings
- Frame
- Brake and wheel bearings
- Hitches
- Windows and screens
- Holding tanks together with recent water, gray water and sewer
- Paint and situation
- Exterior and inside lights
- Exterior and inside doorways, drawers, compartments, latches and locks
- Exterior and inside home equipment and furnishings
Test Your RV Appliances & Systems
Common sense tells you that top-of-the-line locations to check your RV is at your private home the place you could have ample instruments and a close by RV service heart in the event you want skilled assist. The last item you need to do is discover out a serious system in your RV has failed over the winter and wants in depth repairs if you find yourself in a distant tenting spot in your first journey of the season.
Minimally, your testing ought to embrace checking the operation of the next gadgets:
- Refrigerator and freezer
- Interior cooking tools together with microwave, oven, vary and hood
- Exterior built-in kitchen tools together with range, BBQ grill, fridge, faucet and sink
- Water pump and recent water methods
- Sink taps, drains and bathe
- Toilet operation
- Water heater
- Furnace heater
- Air conditioning system
- Electrical methods together with 12volt system and 110 system
- Power converter
- Inverter
- Generator
- TV/DVD and stereo methods
Tips On Testing RV Accessories And Systems
Every RV is completely different however we wished to share the basic issues we check and examine on our rig after it has been in storage for some time or earlier than we go on a huge RV street journey.
Fill Your RV’s Fresh Water Tank
You need to examine for leaks in your RV water system.
- Fill your recent water tank,
- run the water pump,
- then examine every line,
- faucet/fixture (cold and warm) for leaks.
Assess The Condition Of Dump Hoses
As if dumping waste tanks is just not unhealthy sufficient, you don’t EVER need to cope with leaking sewer hoses … eww!!! Learn this lesson the simple manner, dump hoses have a restricted lifespan and also you need to examine for holes or tears BEFORE you employ them!
Also, be sure the hose clamps are tight … as a result of … in the event that they blow off … it ain’t fairly!!! Take it from me, we discovered this lesson the laborious manner … ugh!!!
Check The Waste Tank Valves
It begins out clear, however finally the recent water makes it to the gray or black waste tanks. Not my favourite a part of RV-ing, however that’s why my husband wears a super-hero cape in my eyes! LOL
My hero-of-a-husband has waaaaay an excessive amount of expertise with our black tank … however I’ll go away that story for one more weblog put up! Here’s his recommendation: NEVER examine these valves except you’re hooked as much as a dump station … then, work the deal with out and in to make sure the valve is opening and shutting correctly.
Inspect The Caulking
This spring pre-camping season examine will assist to keep away from water leaks in addition to intrusions of bugs and rodents by hole openings in your RV. Make certain the caulking is just not cracked or lacking round home windows, vents, air con items, doorways and anyplace there’s a seam.
- Remove outdated sealant and apply new waterproof caulking the place wanted.
Examine RV And Tow Vehicle Tires And Wheels
Replace tow automobile and RV tires which have cracks between the treads, sidewall cracks, or any kind of dry rot.
- Also, inflate the tires to the right air stress PSI.
- Check the electrical brakes for correct working order.
- Make certain the lug nuts are appropriately tight and that you’ve the right dimension lug wrenches for ALL of your wheels.
- Be conscious, some trailer wheels require particular socket varieties.
- For towable campers, examine the bearings to see in the event that they should be re-packed or changed.
Check The Hitch
Whether you could have a tow-behind journey trailer, a fifth wheel or a motorhome that tows a automotive, it is advisable examine the hitch earlier than you drive. Make certain the receiver is correctly mounted to the tow automobile.
Minimally examine the performance and compatibility of the next gadgets, if relevant to your model of hitch:
- Receiver
- Draw bar
- Hitch ball
- Coupler
- Latching mechanism
- Sway management gadget
- Spring bars
- Safety chains
- Power connection and wiring for brake management, lights and alerts
- Fifth-wheel plate, plate jaw and deal with, hitch plate, pin and pin field, and facet rails.
Check The Awnings
RV awnings defend from solar and rain, so don’t head out for the primary tenting journey of the season with no good inspection of every awning.
- Roll the awnings out and in to examine the mechanisms (together with the motors in case your RV has electrically operated awnings.)
- Check the material for holes, tears and mildew.
- Minor rips will be repaired with RV Awning Repair Tape earlier than they develop into main tears!
Incom 6-Inch By 10-Feet RV Awning Repair Tape
Inspect And Charge Batteries
Most RV batteries are the lead-acid kind and should be inspected for fluid ranges, terminal cleanliness and basic situation.
- Disconnect the batteries, examine them for cracks and clear off any corrosion.
- Now, join the batteries to a charger till they’re sufficiently charged.
- After you reconnect the batteries to your RV, spay the terminals with a Battery Terminal Protector to forestall future corrosion.
- If your battery wants somewhat greater than a seasonal inspection and cleansing, we have now recommendations on How To Choose, Use And Maintain The Best RV Battery.
CRC Battery Terminal Protector
Check The Fluids And Filters In Generators, Engines And Brakes Of Tow Vehicles And Coaches
Whether you’re getting ready for the tenting season in somewhat pop-up camper or glamorous Class A Motorhome, you want a wholesome engine to get you from one campsite to the following in your summer time tenting journeys.
- Make certain your fluid ranges are topped-off together with oil, coolant, brake and windshield washer fluids.
- Check air filters and clear or change, if needed.
Inspect Driving Lights
Getting a ticket as a result of one in all your tail lights went darkish is a bummer!
- Check that your operating lights, brake lights, head lights and switch alerts are correctly working earlier than you hit the street.
- Faulty lights are normally attributable to burned out bulbs and a quick bulb substitute would be the treatment.
- Unfortunately, the failure could also be induced from rodents chewing by electrical wires and the restore shall be a bit extra difficult.
Examine Your RV’s LP Gas System And Appliances
Of these home equipment, which might you miss essentially the most if it went offline: heater, range, oven, scorching water heater or fridge? Personally, I HATE chilly showers!!! When you’re utilizing LP gasoline in your home equipment, you need to be sure the system is operating correctly.
- Make certain your LP gasoline alarm is functioning first, then confirm all range knobs are within the off place.
- Now, open your RV’s propane tanks (one by one) and see in the event you scent the stunning aroma of sulfur … *she stated sarcastically*! LOL
- But severely, in the event you scent propane, you in all probability have a leak that wants consideration.
- If you don’t scent something, spray somewhat soapy water on the valves and regulators to visually see proof (bubbles forming) of leaks.
- If all is nice … clear, mild and run every equipment that makes use of LP gasoline.
- Lastly, prime off your propane tanks. We like utilizing the Costco propane refill providers on the golf equipment the place it’s obtainable as a result of they’ve good costs and we are able to decide up further provides on the similar time.
If it is advisable empty your propane tanks for journey, transport or as a result of they’re broken and should be changed, take a look at our recommendations on empty propane tanks.
Check Your Safety Equipment And Replace Batteries
Test your emergency tools. Check the situation of…
- Fire extinguishers in addition to smoke, carbon monoxide and LP gasoline detectors.
- If any of your security tools runs on batteries, change them at first of the tenting season and pack one other set as a backup.
- You must also have the tools we have now listed in our FREE Printable RV Tool Kit Checklist, get it and extra ideas in our weblog put up!
Test Your RV’s A/C Unit
Our summer time tenting journeys normally encompass escaping the Phoenix warmth within the mountains of northern Arizona … so, we normally don’t must run our air conditioner. But, we do examine it as a part of our RV spring preparation for our summer time tenting journeys.
Check that no rodents or birds have nested across the exterior condenser space, be sure the coils and filers are clear, then begin the unit and let it run for some time to ensure it’s working correctly.
Necessary And Optional Gear Packed
I’m talking from expertise right here … it’s sooooooooo straightforward to overlook to pack one thing in case you are packing from reminiscence. Using our FREE printable Ultimate RV And Tent Camping Checklist will maintain you stress-free and having a good time in the course of the summer time tenting season and past!
Great Resources For Planning Camping Trips
The remaining step in getting ready for the camp season is to discover good spots to take pleasure in. Many out of doors fanatics relish lengthy days on the path whereas different campers respect brief hikes together with different various tenting actions like trying to find firewood in a heat fleece jacket then having fun with a cup of campfire scorching cocoa round a crackling campfire later within the afternoon. No matter your desire … there’s an app for that!
Camping Apps
Check out the finest tenting apps that can assist you to spend much less time planning your journey so you possibly can spend extra time experiencing it!
Free Template For Planning Camping Trips
Our FREE printable tenting journey planner template makes it straightforward and enjoyable to plan your journeys and maintain you organized!
Menu Ideas For Camping Season
Once you get your gear able to go, it is advisable take into consideration what you may be consuming. Try some new recipes in your menu this 12 months.