Setting Up Your RV Campsite

Setting up the outdoor area in your campsite is a pleasurable and integral component of a successful camping trip. It is often the starting point of your outdoor adventures. However, it can be tedious. Have you found that too often you get bogged down while setting up your RV campsite and spend too much time on the little things? Or causing the set-up process to take valuable time from other activities, decreasing the enjoyment of setting up camp?

You can overcome this and complete the set-up in as little time as possible by developing a campsite setup plan for each member of your family. Each knows what they have to do and everyone is working toward the same goal – which is to jump in the pool, take a hike, go on a bike ride, or anything else your family likes to do during camping trips.

Setting up your outdoor area

Make a list of everything that goes into setting up your unique campsite. Everyone’s list will be different, and may vary between campground locations, so feel free to add to or remove your own interests:

Acommodate the RV. Level the RV, connect your water supply and dump hose, and hook up the electrical cord. Roll out the awning, lay out your patio carpet, unload bikes and other outdoor toys, set up folding chairs and tables. Hang up hummingbird feeder and hanging plants, string patio lights on awning roller, and bring out your other campsite decorations. If you travel with a pet, set up pen or leash.

Set up your outdoor cooking area. Locate the barbecue where you expect to cook, whether connecting your gas grill to the RV’s propane supply, or placing the grill near the picnic table. Place all supplies – grill brush, charcoal, water spray bottle (in case of flare ups), barbecue tools, mitt, hot pads – on an end of the picnic table or on a separate BBQ table near the grill.  Whoever the barbecue cook is should set up this area to their liking (with help from the kids who can bring out the mitts and hot pads).

Create your eating area. – Get out your table cloth, paper napkin dispenser, shade umbrella or canopy. Do not set up or leave out any food items, for example, bags of chips, opened soda cans, and spilled food. All of these can draw all sorts of pests, from mice to wasps. Include small trash cans or bags for garbage and recyclables – emptying into campground facilities can be duties of your little ones – and mosquito coils or citronella candles if necessary.  Stack your firewood and kindling next to the fire pit.

You can turn the setup process into a fun game by timing the setup and keeping “World Records” (announced with great enthusiasm when a new record is set) and awarding prizes or special privileges for a job well done.