Travel Trailer Departure Checklist

Arriving is a job you do carefully because everything is new. Leaving is a job you do at seven in the morning with coffee in one hand, and that is why it needs a written list.

Inside the trailer

1. 01Fridge door latched and vents set

   The travel latch is there for a reason. A fridge door that opens on the road empties itself onto the floor.

2. 02Everything off the counters and tables

   Anything not in a cupboard or a sink will be on the floor. Including the thing you are sure will be fine.

3. 03Cupboard and drawer latches engaged

   Check them, do not assume. One unlatched overhead cabinet redistributes its contents through the trailer.

4. 04Roof vents and windows closed

   An open roof vent at 60 mph breaks its hinge or tears off entirely. Windows closed keeps road dust out.

5. 05Water pump and water heater off

   The pump cycling against a closed system on the road is pointless wear, and a water heater element running dry is a replacement element.

6. 06TV antenna down, satellite stowed

   Crank the antenna fully down. This is one of the five classics and a raised antenna meets the first low branch on the way out.

Outside, and this is where the expensive ones live

1. 01Awning fully retracted and locked

   Fully in, latched, and check the arms are seated. An awning that unrolls on the highway destroys itself and whatever it hits.

2. 02Sewer hose disconnected, drained and stowed

   Both tank valves closed, hose drained toward the sewer, capped both ends, outlet cap back on. The disconnect sequence.

3. 03Water hose disconnected and the inlet capped

   Spigot off first, then disconnect, then drain the hose. The regulator and filter come off with it.

4. 04Power cord disconnected and stowed

   Pedestal breaker off first, then unplug, then the protector, then coil the cord into its compartment. Not left dangling.

5. 05Steps retracted and locked

   Manual or electric, fully in and locked. Another of the five classics, and a step that catches a curb takes the mounting with it.

6. 06Stabilizer jacks fully up

   All of them, fully retracted, and pads collected. A jack left down is bent on the first driveway lip.

7. 07Walk the whole site

   A full lap. You are looking for the chock you forgot, the leveling block still under a wheel, the jack pad, the hose cap, the dog's bowl. This lap finds something roughly one time in three.

Hitching up and the final checks

1. 01Coupler latched, pinned and weight distribution bars seated

   Latch closed, safety pin or clip in, bars seated and at the bracket setting you recorded. Your recorded settings.

2. 02Safety chains crossed, breakaway cable attached

   Chains crossed under the coupler so they catch it if the coupler releases, with enough slack to turn and not enough to drag. Breakaway cable to the truck, not to the ball mount.

3. 037-way plugged in and lights tested

   Someone at the back while you work through running lights, brake lights, left indicator, right indicator. Every time, because a bulb fails whenever it likes.

4. 04Chocks removed — all of them

   Count them. Four out, four in the compartment. Driving over your own chock is an undignified way to start a trip.

5. 05Tire pressures checked cold, and the TPMS paired

   Before you move, while they are cold. Trailer tires run near the sidewall maximum, often 50-80 psi. The psi guide.

6. 06Tongue jack fully up and the pad collected

   Fully retracted. A tongue jack left part-way down is the first thing to hit a dip at the campground exit.

The first fifty miles

Stop at fifty miles and check three things: the hitch and bars are still seated, the wheel lug nuts are still at torque, and nothing has shifted inside. New trailer wheels loosen, which is why the torque check matters, and a loaded trailer settles on its first run.

Also put a hand on each wheel hub. A hub that is noticeably hotter than the others is a dragging brake or a failing bearing, and finding that at a rest area is far better than finding it later.