Setting out on the open road offers a sense of freedom not found anywhere else. Whether you’re traveling cross-country or simply getting out of town for the weekend, traveling is always a fun experience. One of the best ways to travel is with a travel trailer that can be hooked up for camping. While camping in tents has its own unique benefits, having a travel trailer that you can take from one campsite to another makes for a trip worth remembering. However, setting up your travel trailer at a campground can be confusing for first-time campers. Thankfully, there are a few tips that will have you looking like a pro in no time! Here’s what you need to know!
Practice Ahead of Time
If you don’t have a lot of experience with trailers, you should practice driving and setting up your travel trailer before actually setting out on a trip. One of the best ways to do this is to find a big parking lot and set up a mock campground. This will familiarize you with the different components of your trailer and how they work. It will also give you access to videos on your phone if you need them since most campgrounds don’t have cell service.
Practice setting up and taking down your campsite, taking care to remember things like chocking your wheels and extending your awning, although you’ll still be somewhat limited as parking lots won’t have the necessary hookups for water, electricity, and sewage.
Setting up Your Travel Trailer at a Campground
Once you’ve had a few practice runs, it’s time to set out on your camping adventure. If possible, try to arrive at the campground while the sun is still up, as setting up in the dark can be extremely difficult, especially for those new to camping.
Once you arrive, take note of which side of the campground your hookups are on, and pull in or back in accordingly so that they match your trailer. Also, be sure to leave plenty of space on the side of your trailer for any awnings or pop-outs you may want to extend.
After you’ve arrived and parked, disconnect your trailer, chock your wheels, and stabilize your trailer. However, here’s a bonus tip. If you’re only staying one night, and you don’t need your towing vehicle, leave it connected to save time during your departure the following day.
The electrical hookups are fairly straightforward. Simply switch off your trailer’s breaker, connect the hookup, and switch the breaker back on. Make sure all switches and appliances are working correctly.
Connecting your water is also simple. Most campsites follow a universal coloring pattern. The white hose is for drinking water, and the black hose is for sewage. Try not to mix them up. That being said, not all campsites have a hookup for sewage, although there’s typically a dump station on your way out of the campsite.
Leaving The Campsite
Once you’ve enjoyed a few days of camping and it’s time to go, simply reverse the steps you took to set up your travel trailer. Be sure to clean up after yourself and not leave any food or trash behind. When camping, it’s always important to try and leave the campsite better than you found it to help preserve such areas for years to come.
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