Getting Ready to Camp in the Spring?

5 things I learned when I started prepping my camper this weekend.

So you called your buddies, got everyone hyped up for some good ol' fashioned early spring camping. You get off the phone and realize, you haven't even started to prep! Well, that is the situation I ended up in this weekend. Since my camper is new, I had to relearn all of it really fast this weekend.

So here we go! 5 things I learned this weekend about getting back into the swing of camping from the perspective of a rookie to the camping game.

Tip #1 - Call a friend

I got lucky and called a friend of mine from work. We went camping once last year and vowed to go more this year. Long story short, he showed up and began to ask me about my camper. If you have ever purchased a new camper before, you will know they walk you through all the important stuff pretty fast. Luckily, this was my second new camper purchase and I thought I had a good memory. Turns out, I don't.

We got start on de-winterization and realized the low point water drains had already been left open. When this happens, you will get no pressure filling water back into the system to rinse out the antifreeze. I also learned I could use the city water hookup instead of the fresh water tank and pump for this process so that was cool :)

We also could not find the hot water heater for 45 minutes. It finally dawned on me that it was under one of the rear bunks... you know... directly where it should be according to the physical location of the system outside. We thought the bypass for it was at the sink. It was not. I spent all that time taking the camper apart and learning how all the lines connected though, so it was not all lost time.

After that was all done and complete, we took the truck on a test ride to make sure I remembered how to set up my new weight distribution hitch. It was a bit wobbly so we ended up tightening up the chain one link and that helped out a lot. I had to move up to a Blue Ox hitch from my Reese due to the new weight. We also took it out on the highway at 65 MPH to see how it all handled. That went well so we went back home. Its best to do a loop now before having to figure it out the day of your trip.

Lesson learned here is that a friend with camping experience can catch things you don't. Its fun to catch up and to work through problems with another person than it is by yourself. Additionally, you can sound like old pro's and make each other feel better. At least I felt better!

Tip #2 - Wear and Tear

Check your camper for any damage or wear. We purchased our camper in September of 2021. I went down to Pierce RV in Billings MT to pick up our Shadow Cruiser 259BHS. I had a new WDH installed, got a quick walk through on set up and off to the house I went. We parked it in our pad at the house, and it has not moved until this weekend.

You would think with my walkthrough at purchase I would have noticed everything. That is not the case. I did another walkthrough and found several issues that I did not see or have after my initial purchase. I found a window that would not open, trim falling off the bathroom ceiling, a slide ski that was installed poorly, and loose bolts in the underbelly. I was not totally surprised due to my experience with my previous camper that was also new.

I would highly recommend that you do a complete walkthrough of your rig, from top to bottom prior to your camping trips. Look for leaks, cracks, loose hardware, and anything that just will not function appropriately that would cause you headaches if you found it during the trip. A non opening window may not seem like a big deal, but airflow during a hot day through the camper is a pretty big deal once you get there.

Tip #3 - Check your Vehicle

If you own any kind of camper that needs another vehicle to get it there, make sure it is in top operational condition. We are camping with a 2016 F150 5.0 V8 Lariat. This vehicle has 67k miles on the odometer which meant if I was going to tow such a large camper I needed to do some maintenance.

I did a search on highly rated mechanics in town and found one with over 30 5 star reviews. I had them complete maintenance on the front and rear differentials, transfer case, and transmission. I changed the air filter and also completed an oil change. I also had the brakes inspected along with the tires.

I received a clean bill of health on the truck, which provides peace of mind when traveling down the road. This was something that I had to do due to the miles on my truck, but it is always good to check your vehicle before beginning another season of towing. Best to run into bad news at the shop then on the road with your camper and family in tow.

Tip #4 - Store your gear

This is my family's second season camping. Last year was the very first time I had ever camped as an adult and purchased a camper. One thing I did not realize at that time was how to store my items for the next camping season.

Lucky for me, my better half was there to assist in the fall of 2021 when we started putting things away. We made sure to put all of the items for the camper together in our basement storage area. So when the time came to prep this camper with the pillows, gear, etc... we knew exactly what was set aside for the camper.

You may be asking, "why not leave it in the camper" ? I thought the same thing. What I didn't think about was any potential mice or insects that would LOVE to make a home in a camper. The boss did, so we made sure to shut it down and store everything from our old camper in our home.

That prep work we did last year payed itself off when it came time to load this camper up with our gear. Instead of hunting things down, we simply checked things off the list.

Tip #5 - Relax, and enjoy the process

My last tip is to relax and enjoy the process. Getting things ready takes a lot of time and dedication. It will present challenges, and those challenges just get harder when you are not in the right mindset.

I made a few myself this weekend due to the stress getting to me. The first one was that I tried to park my camper by myself into my pad. That was a bad idea that could have damaged my house or my camper.

Luckily, I realized it was more than I could do myself at the time I was attempting to do it, so I backed away from that process and decided to do it later that day. We picked a less busy time on our street and made a few adjustments to the pad itself which ended up making it a simpler process.

The second was that I forgot to change my insurance from parked for the season to being used. That one could have really cost me had I been in an accident. Luckily, that did not happen. It was not on my checklist, but it is now. Make sure to have your insurance coverage in order before you leave the driveway or storage unit.

Both of the above situations came about from the stress of getting things ready. I had to step away a few times and realize that I never need to be in a rush to go camping. It will get done and we will get to our destination safely. It's hard to remember that sometimes, but it is an important thing to keep in mind. Camping is the time you get away from your stress. Taking time to get things done will help you have a fun and safe camping season!

Final thoughts

So those are my 5 tips that I learned from getting ready to go camping. I hope that they help as you gear up and prep for your season. Feel free to leave comments and suggestions in the forums, and thank you for reading the blog!