Setting up at a campground is all in a day’s work for RV owners. It cannot be avoided. Still, that does not mean you have to spend hours on a task that shouldn’t take more than 30 minutes or so. When set up takes too long, it is usually due to a lack of preparation or general inexperience.
The good news for new RV owners is that set up gradually gets easier the more you do it. Nearly every RV owner figures out the most efficient ways to do things after having set up numerous times. And of course, procedures can change as new and better ways are discovered.
Whether you are new to RVing or you have been at it a while, here are some suggestions for how you can save time:
1. Know Before You Go
The easiest and most important thing you can do to reduce setup time is learn everything you can about the campground before you go. That way, you’ll know which sites are suitable and which ones are not. Then you will not be left guessing at check in.
In other words, making sure you get one of the sites that is appropriate for your RV means you’ll have the right site when you leave the office. You will not have to go back for a new site after finding out that the assigned site won’t work.
Learning about the campground before you go will also prepare you for how you are going to approach and park. If you know a campground’s layout, you’ll be able to understand the traffic flow along with the best way to approach your assigned site.
2. Establish a Step-By-Step Procedure
Next, setting up goes a lot smoother when you don’t have to guess about what to do next. The best way to avoid guessing is to establish a step-by-step procedure. Whenever possible, always do things in the same order. This is critical for helping you establish a routine. Follow a routine long enough and you will no longer have to think about it. Each task will seem like second nature.
3. Get Everyone Involved
As the RV owner, you do not have to handle set up entirely on your own. Everyone in the family can get involved. While you are hooking up water and sewer, two other family members can roll out the awning and get it set up. Someone else can handle the electrical connection.
You may have to handle some of the more complicated tasks on your own. An example would be installing your RV skirting. But buy a product like AirSkirts inflatable RV skirting and you will find that most members of your family can handle the job.
4. Check Water and Sewer First
One of the most frustrating things in RV set up is going through the trouble of parking and leveling only to discover that the sewer and water connections are too far away. Now you have to start over. You have to reposition your motorhome or trailer, re-level it, and then hook up the water and sewer. This wastes time.
Before doing anything else, check the location of water and sewer connections. Make sure your RV is close enough. Only then should you park and level.
The key to reducing set up time is efficiency. It is all about doing things in the most efficient way possible, and in a way that is repeatable time after time. With efficiency and repeat practice comes less time spent on each task. That ultimately leads to spending less time on set up and more time enjoying the campground.
