RV Trip Checklist

Updated September 2026 · Vacation Checklists

Two things ruin RV trips, and neither is bad weather. The first is arriving at a site your rig physically cannot fit into. The second is a departure checklist you skipped, which is how awnings meet trees and steps meet curbs.

Both are prevented on paper, at home, before you turn a key. Write down your length, height, and weight, then build a departure sequence you run out loud every single time.

Pack the inside of the rig with our free packing list generator, then work through the sections below for the mechanical side.

Updated September 2026. Rigs, rentals, and campgrounds differ enormously. Your owner's manual, your rental agreement, and the campground's own page are the authorities for your specific trip. Weight ratings are safety limits, not suggestions.

Know Your Numbers Before You Plan Anything

Write these four numbers on a card and tape it to the dash. They decide which roads, which bridges, and which campsites are available to you.

Length. Your total length, including a towed vehicle or a truck plus trailer combination. Many campgrounds, especially older state and national park campgrounds built for 1960s trailers, have a hard maximum site length. Some are as short as 20 to 27 feet, and that limit is enforced.

Height. Measured to the tallest point, which is almost always the air conditioner shroud, not the roof line. Add the roof rack, the antenna, and the satellite dome if you have one.

Weight. Three numbers matter here:

• GVWR, the maximum the rig can legally weigh fully loaded
• UVW or dry weight, what it weighs empty from the factory
• CCC, the cargo carrying capacity, which is what is left for your gear, water, propane, and passengers

For a towable, add tongue or pin weight and your tow vehicle's ratings. Being overweight ruins braking distance and cooks tires, and blown tires are the most common roadside RV failure.

Width, including mirrors and open slides, for narrow lanes and tight campsite pull-ins.

Worked example: what you can actually carry

Take a Class C motorhome with a GVWR of 14,500 pounds and a dry weight of 11,300 pounds. Cargo capacity is the difference: 3,200 pounds.

Now subtract what fills up before you pack a single bag:

• Fresh water, 40 gallons at 8.34 pounds per gallon: 334 pounds
• Water heater, 6 gallons: 50 pounds
• Two 30-pound propane tanks, filled, tanks included: about 120 pounds
• Four adults at an average 170 pounds: 680 pounds
• Full fuel tank if the dry weight was quoted without it: often 300 pounds or more

Running total: about 1,484 pounds gone. That leaves roughly 1,700 pounds for food, clothing, chairs, tools, bikes, a generator, and the firewood you keep meaning to stop buying.

That sounds like plenty until you load a family for two weeks and add a couple of bikes and a portable grill. If you are close, travel with the fresh tank a quarter full and fill at the campground, which alone frees up 250 pounds.

The only way to know for real is a certified scale. Weigh the loaded rig, and weigh it again per axle if you can.

Height clearance is a real hazard, not a theoretical one

A standard car GPS routes you under low bridges without hesitation, because it has no idea you are 12 feet 6 inches tall. Every year that produces the same photograph of a peeled-open roof at the same handful of low overpasses.

The fix is simple:

1. Measure your true height with a tape, do not trust the brochure
2. Add 6 inches of safety margin and write that number on the dash card
3. Route with an RV-specific tool that accepts your height, weight, and length, or with a trucker's atlas that marks low clearances
4. Read the posted clearance sign at every overpass, since repaving can reduce clearance below the posted number

Example: a rig measuring 11 feet 2 inches to the top of the AC gets a dash card that says 11 feet 8 inches. Anything posted below that number is not your road, no matter what the app says.

Our guide on how to plan a road trip covers realistic daily driving distances and route planning, which matters even more in an RV, since 55 to 60 mph and frequent stops make the miles take longer than the map suggests.

RV Trip Checklist by Category

Generate a tailored version with the free packing list generator, then add the RV-specific hardware below.

Driving and safety

• Tire pressure gauge rated for your tire pressures, plus a compressor
• Tread depth gauge and a look at the tire date codes before you leave
• Wheel chocks, at least two, four is better
• Leveling blocks or ramps
• Fire extinguisher, checked and in date
• Working smoke, carbon monoxide, and propane alarms
• Roadside kit: triangles or flares, high visibility vest, jumper cables
• Roadside assistance number and policy details
• Rear view or backup camera, and a walkie talkie pair for spotting

Hookups and utilities

• Shore power cord and the correct adapter, 30 amp or 50 amp
• Surge protector or electrical management system
• Dedicated potable water hose, the white one, used for nothing else
• Water pressure regulator
• Inline water filter
• Sewer hose, sewer hose support, and clear elbow
• Disposable gloves, dedicated to the dump station
• Tank treatment chemical and RV-safe toilet paper
• Extra propane, or a filled second tank

Kitchen

• Nesting pots and pans, one skillet, one saucepan
• Plates, bowls, mugs, and cutlery for your headcount plus two
• Sharp knife and a cutting board
• Can opener, corkscrew, tongs, spatula
• Dish soap, sponge, dish towel, small tub for washing up
• Trash bags and a bag holder
• Coffee method that does not need shore power
• Non-slip drawer liner, which stops the rattle that drives everyone mad
• Cooler for overflow and for the drive home

Bedding and living

• Sheets sized for RV mattresses, which are often not standard sizes
• Sleeping bags or comforters, one per person
• Pillows
• Bath towels, hand towels, and beach or camp towels
• Small rug for the door, to keep dirt outside
• Command hooks and bungee cords for securing things in transit
• Nightlight for the bathroom

Tools and spares

• Socket set, adjustable wrench, screwdrivers, pliers
• Duct tape and self-fusing silicone tape
• Spare fuses, spare bulbs, and a 12 volt tester
• Zip ties and a length of rope
• Headlamp and a backup flashlight
• Spare sewer hose gasket and hose clamps
• Lug wrench that actually fits your lug nuts, checked at home
• Work gloves

Outdoor

• Camp chairs, one per person
• Outdoor mat or rug
• Portable table
• Grill and fuel, plus a lighter
• String lights and a lantern
• Broom and dustpan
• Bug spray and a citronella option
• Firewood bought locally, since moving firewood spreads pests and is restricted in many states

Documents and admin

• Driver's license and vehicle registration
• Insurance documents, and the rental agreement if renting
• Campground reservation confirmations, printed as well as on the phone
• Park passes, such as an America the Beautiful pass
• Roadside assistance card
• A printed dash card with length, height, weight, and clearance margin
• Offline maps downloaded, since cell service disappears in the good places

Hookups Explained for a First Timer

A full hookup site gives you three connections. Here is what each one actually involves.

Shore power and the adapter question

RVs come wired for either 30 amp service or 50 amp service, and the plugs are different. A 30 amp plug has three prongs, a 50 amp has four. A 50 amp rig has roughly twice the total power available, which is why bigger rigs run two air conditioners and smaller ones do not.

Campgrounds do not always offer what your rig wants, so carry an adapter, usually called a dogbone. A 50 amp rig on a 30 amp pedestal works, but you have far less power available, so you cannot run everything at once.

Those wattages are the nominal ratings at 120 volts, so treat them as ceilings rather than promises. Campground voltage sags in a heat wave when every rig on the loop is running its air conditioning, which is exactly when an electrical management system earns its cost.

Plug a surge protector or electrical management system into the pedestal before you plug in your rig. Campground power quality is genuinely variable, and low voltage or a miswired pedestal can destroy an air conditioner or a converter. An EMS also checks the pedestal before it lets power through, which is the whole point.

Order of operations at the post: turn the pedestal breaker off, plug in the protector, plug in the cord, then turn the breaker on.

Fresh water

Use a dedicated potable water hose, the white or blue one sold for drinking water. A garden hose is not a substitute, since it can leach into the water and it never gets used for anything clean again.

Always fit a pressure regulator at the spigot. Campground water pressure can spike well above what RV plumbing is built for, and a burst line inside a wall is a bad day. Add an inline filter if you drink from the tank.

Two ways to use water: hooked up, where the pump stays off and city pressure feeds the taps, or on the tank, where you fill the fresh tank and run the 12 volt pump. Filling the tank and running the pump is a good habit even at a full hookup site, since it exercises the system and reminds you how much water you use.

Black and gray tanks, and the dump order

Two waste tanks. Gray takes sink and shower water. Black takes the toilet.

The order matters:

1. Connect the sewer hose securely at both ends, rig and ground inlet, before opening anything
2. Pull the black valve first and let it drain fully
3. Close the black valve
4. Then pull the gray valve, so the relatively clean gray water flushes the hose

Doing it in the reverse order leaves the hose coated with what you just dumped. That is the entire reason for the rule.

Two more habits that prevent the classic problem:

• Keep the black valve closed while camping, and dump only when the tank is around two thirds full. Leaving it open lets liquid drain away and leaves solids behind, which builds the dreaded pyramid.
• Add water after dumping. A few gallons down the toilet plus tank treatment keeps things moving.

Wear the gloves. Wash your hands. Never rinse anything with the potable water hose.

The Departure Walkaround

The single most expensive mistakes in RVing are things left extended. Print this sequence, laminate it, and run it out loud with a second person answering each item. Every time, even for a five minute move.

Inside, before you move:

1. Refrigerator latched and contents secured
2. Cabinets and drawers latched
3. Loose items off counters and tables
4. Windows and roof vents closed
5. Shower door secured, TV secured, and TV antenna cranked down
6. Slides in, after checking nothing blocks them
7. Propane off at the tank if your rules or route require it
8. Water pump off, water heater off

Outside, in a circle:

9. Awning fully retracted and locked
10. Shore power unplugged, cord stowed, pedestal breaker off first
11. Water hose disconnected and stowed, spigot off
12. Sewer hose dumped, rinsed, capped, and stowed
13. Steps retracted
14. Stabilizer jacks or levelers fully up
15. Chocks removed, and physically put in the storage bay so you can see them
16. Compartment doors closed and locked
17. Hitch, safety chains, breakaway cable, and tow lights checked if towing
18. Mirrors set
19. Full walk around the rig, looking up at trees and down at obstacles
20. Headcount, pets included, before you move

The two most commonly forgotten items are the TV antenna and the steps, followed closely by the chocks. Making the chocks the last thing you touch outside is a good forcing function, since you physically cannot forget them if the rig cannot move until they are stowed.

Leveling and Chocking

Level the rig before you do anything else at a site, because it affects sleep, drainage, door alignment, and, in absorption refrigerators, cooling performance.

The sequence:

1. Park roughly where you want, then check level side to side with an app or a bubble level
2. Drive up onto leveling blocks under the low-side wheels until it reads level side to side
3. Chock the wheels now, before anything else, on both sides of a tire on both sides of the rig
4. Unhitch if towing, then level front to back with the tongue jack or the leveling jacks
5. Lower stabilizer jacks last, and only to stabilize, not to lift

Two safety points people get backwards. Stabilizer jacks are not jacks. They stop the wobble, they do not carry the rig, and using them to lift can bend a frame. And chock before you unhitch, never after, because an unhitched trailer on an unnoticed slope moves faster than you can react.

Campground Reservations

Popular campgrounds, particularly in national parks and desirable state parks, book far in advance, and the best sites in the best months are gone almost immediately when the booking window opens.

Booking windows differ by agency and by park, and they change. Rather than trusting a number in an article, check the source:

• Federal campgrounds, including most national forest and Corps of Engineers sites, book through recreation.gov
• National park campgrounds vary, and some are first come first served, so check the park's own page on nps.gov
• State parks use their own state systems, each with its own window and rules

Practical habits: set a calendar reminder for the day your window opens, know the maximum site length before you book, and always have a fallback. Private campgrounds, county parks, and membership networks often have space when the famous parks do not.

Cancellations release constantly, so check back. Many people find their best site a week out from someone else's changed plans.

Boondocking, Briefly

Boondocking means camping without hookups, on public land or a friend's field or a parking lot. It is quiet, cheap, and limited by three resources.

Power. Your house battery runs lights, the water pump, the fridge control board, and the furnace fan, all on 12 volts. Air conditioning and microwaves need shore power, an inverter with a big battery bank, or a generator. A single lead acid battery realistically gives you a night or two of modest use. Solar extends it, and knowing your actual daily amp hour draw is what makes the plan work.

Water. Fresh tank in, gray and black tanks out. Your true limit is usually tank capacity, not fresh water, since showers fill the gray tank quickly. Navy showers and a dish tub double most people's stay.

Waste. You must carry it out to a dump station. Never dump anything on the ground, including gray water, in most areas.

Add the rules of the place you are on: dispersed camping stay limits on public land, quiet hours, generator hours, and Leave No Trace. Our camping checklist covers the off-grid systems in more depth.

Rental or Owned

If you are renting, read the agreement carefully, because what a rental includes varies enormously between companies and between peer to peer platforms.

Commonly not included, and worth asking about before you pick up:

Ask for a full walkthrough at pickup, and record it on your phone. You want to see the dump procedure, the water heater, the furnace, the generator, the slides, and where the fuses and the water pump switch live. Photograph existing damage before you leave the lot.

If you own the rig, the equivalent discipline is a pre-season shakedown: check tire dates, test every appliance, sanitize the fresh water system, and take one night close to home before the long trip.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I pack for a first RV trip?

Start with the RV-specific hardware, since that is what you cannot improvise: a potable water hose, a pressure regulator, a sewer hose, the right power adapter, a surge protector, leveling blocks, and chocks. Then pack normal camping and kitchen items using the free packing list generator. Rentals sometimes include the hardware, so confirm before you buy duplicates.

Do I dump the black tank or the gray tank first?

Black first, then gray. The gray water then flushes the sewer hose out on its way through, which is the whole point of the order. Keep the black valve closed while camping and dump when it is roughly two thirds full, since a partly full tank flushes far better than a trickle.

Do I need a special license to drive an RV?

For most RVs, a standard driver's license is enough in most US states. Some states require a non-commercial special license above a certain weight, often in the 26,000 pound range, and rules differ state to state. Check your own state's DMV page, which is the authority, and check the rules of any state you plan to drive through.

How much does an RV weigh, and why does it matter?

It varies from about 1,500 pounds for a small teardrop to 30,000 pounds and up for a large Class A. It matters because exceeding the GVWR or your tow vehicle's ratings lengthens your braking distance, overheats tires, and voids warranties. Weigh the loaded rig at a certified scale once, and you will never guess again.

What is a surge protector and do I really need one?

It sits between the campground pedestal and your power cord, and the better versions, called electrical management systems, also check the pedestal for miswiring and low voltage before allowing power through. Campground power quality is genuinely inconsistent. It is inexpensive insurance against replacing an air conditioner or a converter.

Can I use a regular garden hose for RV water?

Use a hose sold as potable, usually white or blue. Standard garden hoses are not made for drinking water, and once a hose has been used for other jobs it should never touch your fresh tank. Keep the potable hose in its own bag, separate from the sewer gear, forever.

How far should I drive in a day in an RV?

Less than you would in a car. RVs cruise slower, take longer to stop and start, and use more fuel, and long days are where mistakes happen. Many experienced RVers use a rule of about 300 miles, arriving before mid afternoon, and no more than a few consecutive travel days. Our guide on how to plan a road trip has the driving hours math.

What do most people forget on an RV trip?

Chocks, the sewer hose adapter, and a lug wrench that actually fits their wheels. After that, it is the departure walkaround items: the TV antenna and the steps. Print the walkaround sequence above and tape it inside a cabinet door.

Next step: build the interior packing list with the free packing list generator, use the camping checklist for the off-grid systems, and plan realistic driving days with how to plan a road trip before you book a single night. For the family car version of this list, see the road trip packing list.