Hitting the Road: Vacation / Camping Checklist & RV Toolkit

With summertime fast approaching, many just can’t wait to hit the roads & go on vacation. When we first started out it was packing up the vehicle & sleeping in tents at a campground or staying at a hotel. As we started getting just a tad older & the family grew (6 kids & a dog) we joined the approximate 8 million plus that enjoy RVing each year. No matter what your favorite mode of travel or destination is, there almost always to be something nagging at someone or an item gets forgotten. With that in mind, here are a few of my tips (and a checklist) to help prevent that, along with a toolkit that every RV’er should have just in case…

Honey, did you pack…

No matter what the mode of travel or the destination it always seemed like someone was going to forget something. After this happened once, twice, ok a few times… I developed a checklist that we used and tailored to where we were staying. When the kids were younger we simply gave them a list of clothes & optional items & had them lay everything out on the bed so we could verify it before they packed it. With that here is a downloadable Excel Spreadsheet that you can modify to fit your needs: Vacation / Camping Checklist

Honey, I think I might have…

Hmmm, left the iron on (seriously, we are going camping), left the back door unlocked, left the stove on… For most people these are just normal jitters & the best way to deal with them is also by having a quick checklist. In our case, everyone was supposed to use the restroom & go sit in the vehicle while I did a final walk through checking locks, toilets, unplugging items, resetting the thermostat, etc… A few of the bigger items (circled in blue) I had on the checklist like stopping mail delivery, turning off the swamp cooler (they work great in Arizona for part of the year), turning down the water heater, & resetting the thermostat.

How do we…

No worries Dad, we can get the tent up… 10 minutes later… Ok, Dad how do you do this, we can’t figure out the poles… Well, where are the directions… Ummm halfway to Albuquerque, you see the wind… Two quick tips here, if you sense that might be an issue you might consider having a backup set of directions. In our case you can see the pole arrangement is listed on the checklist (which I circled in red). The second one is to make sure you bring any applicable manuals with you & store them in an area where they won’t get lost or damaged. Along those lines, you might want to make sure you have everything down & everything works by doing a dry run & test at your house. For example, tents, stoves, air mattresses, etc…

RV Tool Kit:

Whether it is an issue with your rig, some new purchase (yeah, some assembly required…), or maybe even a fellow camper needing a hand, it is definitely a good idea to have some tools on hand. Without going overboard, here are our recommendations to help you handle most items that might pop up while saving valuable space and weight. The set below should easily fit in a military surplus box… now if I could just find out where mine has run off to…

• Screw Drivers – instead of having multiple ones, consider buying one driver that comes with an assortment of bits which include torx, hex, phillips, & regular
• Wrenches – double ended ones rock & seeing almost everything is metric a set that runs from 8 to 20 should see you through. If you like to be really prepared you can add in standard sizes from ¼ to 1”
• Sockets – just grab a small set that contains ¼ & 3/8 drive sizes in it
• Folding or retractable knife with spare blades
• Straight cutting tin snips – not only can this cut wire in a pinch, but works better than scissors on heavier duty tarps, canvas, etc…
• Pliers – I would definitely go with needle nose and maybe 1 or 2 locking ones – a cheap regular pair is great to let a neighbor borrow
• A saw – grab a few different types of reciprocating saw blades & a folding holder / handle and  voila you have a saw that can cut wood, metal, and plastic
• A Hammer – personally I simply have a camp ax (About half the size of a regular ax) which doubles as a hammer when needed. With that said, if you are worried about smacking yourself, a regular hammer will be better for you when it comes to banging in tent stakes, making slight adjustments, etc… While space & weight is at a premium, going small is not always the best answer
• Center punch / awl – great item to start drilling holes, driving screws, punching a hole in some canvas or leather
• Drill & Bits – a hand drill with a small set of bits is great for fastening items back together with screws or bolts. Occasionally panels do pop off or come lose & unless you have a TUG or MIG welder handy…
• Flashlight – while this should be in with your regular gear, it might be best to have a hands free “head” light that is locked away & the kids won’t be playing with. Just don’t forget to check the batteries every so often
• Speaking of batteries a terminal cleaner or better yet a simple wire bristle brush is great for cleaning off gunked up terminals or connections.
• A digital multimeter – the swiss army knife for testing electronics. If any part of the RV has an Achilles’s heel, this is it. Not only does one have to deal with all the bouncing around causing the occasional loose connection, one has to worry about mice and other animals. Even if you don’t know how to work one, someone around probably does &/or the tech on line can walk you through it
• Polarity Tester – generally yellow with 3 lights on the front & used to check receptacles in your house – this works great for checking the “shore” power to see if it is wired correctly before you plug into it & fry something.
• Soldering iron – great for reattaching wires & using to make wood art with
• Speaking of electrical, a proximity tester, assortment of electrical splices / connectors & the crimper required for them are an item you might wish to consider adding though many of the other items listed above & below can get you through until a professional can fix it properly
• A Fire Extinguisher – while not a tool, this is one item I can’t stress enough about having on hand

Not only are tools important, but having some hardware, adhesives & sealants is a good idea also. Many places will sell small assortment cases which have common cotter pins, snap rings, wood / self- tapping metal screws, fuses, electrical connectors, washers, nuts & bolts, etc… that might be worthwhile picking up. A few items we definitely recommend are:

• RTV silicone sealant
• Super Glue
• Duct Tape (Prefer the 100 mph tape)
• 550 cord (military parachute cord)
• Electrical tape
• Zip ties
• Hose Clamp Assortment
• Or you can always try the chewing gum & bailing wire routine…

With that, here’s hoping you have a great vacation and all the tools  and drama stay safely packed away while you enjoy time like this…

Additional Info & Websites:

• Good Sam Club – great resource for RV’ers, with some excellent programs (Life member)
• Go RVing – site created by RV industry to help consumers make informed decisions and get the most out of there vacation
• Camping World – service, sales, and equipment
• The HTRC: Camp Fires & other Safety articles, More Holiday & Vacation Checklists, Misc. Tips & Tricks

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