Setting in at camp if far more than just back it in and grab a drink while building the fire. While all important, there’s a bit more to it. The most important thing to remember here though, is don’t stress. Take your time, focus on the task and list of things that need to be done and you will be chilling in your chair before you know it. Honestly 30 minutes and you should be about wrapped up. Come up with a plan, a system that works for both of you and just work through it. In and outside.

We see all sorts when sitting around a campsite. That’s kind of part of the scene, part of the experience. Watching others set up and tear down. What are they doing doing right, wrong or just different. It can be interesting for sure. I’m sure people watch us and let them. I really don’t let that concern me. I know I am doing what works for me and it gets done pretty quick, safe and correct.

My wife and I have a system down pat, relatively unspoken at this point. We just know what the other is taking care of and we focus on setting up camp so we can relax. After all, relaxing is why we are there. Now obviously, backing in right is first, so take your time and don’t worry about anything else or anyone else. Nowadays, a lot of people are using back up camera’s and while this does certainly make life easier, you should still get out and inspect the site to make sure you are going to be where you want to be.

If no one is coming, sure jump out and take a look around. If someone is wanting by then the best thing to do is back it in enough to get off the drive. Take a look around. Things to consider, how far back can I put in and be comfortable? Do I need to slide left or right? Where are are my slides going to land? Is one area more level than another? What about run off if the weather is bad? I know this can only be controlled so much but sometimes you can adjust enough to help your situation. This really depends on the size of the site and not all sites are created equal. Here’s a big question many people don’t think about but I always have to consider. Our awning reaches the back of our trailer, this can be a huge issue in placement and in regards to the location of the fire pit. I do occasionally have to pull forward a bit or slide left more. I have no interest in flame embers burning the awning.

So you have your spot on your site. Now, on the bigger, fancier rigs they have auto leveling systems which are great. You push a button and the trailer starts to auto level. For the rest of us, an extra minute or two at this point and you will be caught up. I personally have trust issues with a level attached to the side or tongue. So I like to use a portable 6inch level. I can set in on the tongue but usually set it on the floor inside the door. Checking left to right first and placing blocks on which ever side needs to be raised. When using wooden blocks it is good to have two or three thickness for fine tuning. When using plastic “RV blocks” you are set to their thicknesses. The newest thing out is “camper levelers”, these are cool cause you can set them down on one side and roll up on them till you are level and place the wedge. Tip here, our trailer, I know with an oversized super slide is heavy to that side when it’s out. So I set up slightly out of level with that side a little higher. Once the slide goes out I’m good. Front to back leveling can be done with your jack once off the truck.

Whether your trailer has auto leveling, stabilizer jacks (not meant to level anything, just stabilize), or scissor jacks, always put some type of pads under them. Even on blacktop or concrete always put down pads. Steel on concrete tends to want to slide and slip. Also, add pads if you are going to be farther off the ground in some places, make it thicker. Stabilizer jacks and scissor jacks should not be more than about 45degree angles of extension. You begin to loose stability when they are over extended, weakening and compromising everything at that point of stress. The same goes for your tongue jack, put pads under it. This helps at all those points from damaging the trailer parts and helps disperse the weight over a slightly larger area.

At the tongue, ensure your wiring harness is turned down so not to take on water and also not laying on the ground. Make sure your chains are tucked in or hung up and you have placed some sort of hitch lock on. The same goes for your hitch in the truck. Either use a “lock pin” or pull it out of the truck and secure it elsewhere. Sorry, I trust no one these days. Safe is always better. The tongue jack, most are electric now, thank goodness. If you have ever hand cranked 7000lbs. by hand you understand. Anyway, the jack, now most times comes with a “cover”. If not you can get one online. Put it on. It should be on whether camping or at home. This keeps the jack from weather damage and sun bleaching. Also, your jack should have come with a back up hand crank. Keep that in an easy to grab location because you never know. Been there, done that.

By now and before the trailer is off the truck, put in your tire “chocks” so nothing rolls. Put in your “wheel X chocks” as well, these are not meant for keeping things from rolling. They are meant to stabilize the trailer and help keep it from bouncing as much and yes they make a big difference when you are walking around inside. Also, these are not usually needed on the bigger 5th wheels since the auto leveling system often takes the tires up off the ground anyway. So no “X” chocks.

Before you get all your things out and spread everywhere, you need to get power and water setup and ensure you have no issues at these two points. It doesn’t typically but on rare occasion one of these will cause you a headache. So first, the power. Make sure the breakers are all turned off before plugging anything in. Plug in your “surge protector” directly to the power panel and then your cord to the protector. Attach the cord to the trailer and then turn on the breaker. I can’t stress enough to hook up power first. We learned the hard way years ago. Never gave it much thought, I mean everything should work right.? We had everything out and all but done setting up before we realized the power was not there. By dumb luck there was 1 site left vacant in the campground from a cancelation. We were able to move thank goodness but throwing everything back in just to shift was a real treat. Seriously, I am trying to save you a headache here.

Water should be pretty easy but follow this simple order to make sure you don’t have dirty lines and a dirty trailer. First, turn on the hydrant and let the water run clear. I have my “pressure reducer” attached directly to my water filter. This makes it easy to hook into directly to the hydrant and then hose from the “filter” to a “shut off” and then the trailer. This keeps my “drinking hose” line clean. This also keeps me from forgetting a step or losing anything. Having the filter and pressure reducer together just simplifies for me personally. With the shut off on the other end of the hose, I can turn on the water, flush the line one more time. Flip the shut off valve and attached everything to the trailer. This may sound like a lot but really isn’t, just helps us keep the trailer lines cleaner. Now, for a lot of people, especially long term haulers, these people would suggest a more comprehensive filtration system and I would absolutely agree with them. We tend to camp two nights to a week at a time and a single good filter has never failed me. Side note here….I always have a back up pressure reducer in the trailer and at least one extra filter on hand. If anything ever breaks, freezes or even got left at the site by accident, you have what you need to get you through. You won’t always be able to run to a store while at the campsite.

Next…..Depending on the type of trailer you have. I recommend getting “slide supports“. Personally we have a super slide. It contains an oversized dinette and a couch and it’s heavy. The “slide support” brackets help a ton with keeping the trailer from rocking when we are inside walking around. These can be set in as soon as the slide is run out. (Something to note here, these are great for what they are and I love them. However, you need to be careful when using them. First and foremost, do not over tighten them. Just get them snug. Next, when on concrete things are pretty good here but when on gravel, grass or similar, really don’t over tighten and check daily. Your camper is likely to settle and that can make the slide supports even tighter. This can in turn actually damage your slide and how it operates. I check mine daily to make sure they are only just snug enough to stay in place. The last thing you want is damage anything. Slides are in fact designed to hang. I simply use them for a touch more stability but again, I stress caution and regular attention to the supports should you choose to use them.)

Now on to the decoration and comfortability of your site. What all do you need outside for stuff? Well for everyone that answer is a little different.

The basics would be an “outdoor mat” or mats. Some are huge and can be hard to handle. We prefer having two smaller ones. They layout across our area better and are easier to handle and store for us. They are “8×10” each of them. Plus we have a heavy “rubber mat” at the bottom of our stairs to also help keep debris from entering inside. Then inside the door we always keep a rug or “mats” of some sort to keep from tracking more mess in. Unless you enjoy cleaning the floor every 20 minutes. (On the really rainy trips, we actually put down a large towel over the rugs to catch as much outdoor mess as possible. It can be shook out repeatedly without terribly messing up the mats and is a lot easier to shake out for that matter.

Additionally outside, you want a “folding table” most likely. 6ft is easier for us to store and plenty big enough for our needs. I have a tote dedicated to grilling supplies that usually lays under the trailer near my grill. Some “camp chairs“, maybe a “side table” or two and maybe some “campsite lights” if that’s your thing. A lot of people are using rope lights around the perimeter nowadays. They do help to give a line especially for small children. We have some decorative “awning lights“, that are not nearly as bright but good for safety and give a more relaxed feel for us. We hang these on short “shepherds hooks” in early spring and then in the fall since the daylight is in short supply then. These are also good for lighting a path between sites when friends are with us too. Don’t really need them in the summer with the longer days though. We also have an “American Flag” that hangs on the front of the camper. A lot of people just hang it on a rope draped between trees and that looks nice as well. I like having it for two reasons actually. The first should be obvious, the second is, it lights the drive area nice for backing in after dark, for walking the dog and just general safety in a generally dark space up front. Beyond these few items you should not need much else outside. Although having a “broom” dedicated to outside really is a must.