Last Minute Detail List

Normal dishpans don’t fit into trailer sinks. You need a small one (only available at camping stores) or you have to decide to wash dishes on the counter.
By the way, there is no counter space.
You should buy tire covers for all your camper’s tires, including the spare. Sun wreaks havoc on tires and the covers give you more time without dry rot.
You really need a foot wipe mat outside the door. One of the real sturdy sea grass ones (the bristly kind) works well.
You need to practice putting the awning up and down. It isn’t very hard after you do it a few times, but the first couple times take extra organization. You can’t afford that kind of time when the wind kicks up before a monsoon dust storm.
Since the refrigerator is not as big as you are accustomed to in your house, get ready to shop more often and buy in smaller amounts and in smaller containers.
You should buy some of the anti-skid shelf liner for items that you don’t want to slide around in the cupboards when you travel.
Speaking of cupboard contents, consider some kind of crate or box or something for things like spices and oil. Otherwise you have a major hodgepodge when you get to your site.
We found that we needed some kind of tables in the living room area. When you sit down, you need a place to put your drink or just “stuff”. We found some of those lightweight TV tray tables at Walmart. A set of four was about $25.00, but well worth the spend.
You need to take along some short 2 by 6 or 2 by 4 pieces of wood. There is always something to do with them. You usually need them for proper footing of your jacks and levelers, not to mention, even the sites that say they are level have low spots. Sometimes you just need a few more inches.
Of course you will need folding lawn chairs and a small patio table if you plan to sit outside.
If you are going to cook outside, consider where you are going to put your stove. Not all campgrounds provide picnic tables at each site. When it’s particularly warm outside, even with the air conditioning on inside, turning on the stove has an immediate impact. Since we are spending time in the Phoenix area, it tends to be pretty warm in the evening. We like to cook outside so that the air conditioner doesn’t have to compete with the stove. We even bought one of Coleman’s little stovetop ovens. Controlling the temperature exactly is a challenge, but we have made more than one batch of muffins in it. It folds down into a very compact 12"X12"X2" piece of aluminum. A fun gadget!
At some point, you may want to barbecue. Our biggest bbq dilemma is: do we take the big Weber kettle? or should we just get a small gas grill? The Weber requires charcoal and lighter fluid organization. Gas grill requires propane. Gary is not big on gas grills, but maybe we could live with one.....We will have to decide soon.
We have a regular vacuum cleaner and a hand-held dirt devil. In our old Minnie Winnie, the hand-held was enough for the small amount of carpet we had, but here, we have the space for the big one, so I guess it can go with us.
There are NEVER enough towel bars, so you might consider one of those spring-loaded closet bars for things like hanging your swimsuit and beach towel to dry. Hey—sometimes you can’t hang them outside! You can generally find those bars at KMart, Walmart, or Target in the linens department.
Those plastic bags you get your groceries in are an excellent size for garbage. If you don’t save them already, start now! The best trick is finding a place for them. We found a garbage can at Camping World that was designed for them and works just great!
Our bed is listed as a queen size bed, but in order to fit when the slide is in, the bed is five inches shorter than a standard queen. Now we understand why the sheets all seem so long. We decided to live with it, but you can buy the special size sheets at places like Camping World.
You will need a pair of easy slip-on shoes. You can’t possibly imagine how many times they will come in handy.
Most of the plastic items that are available for storage include stackable baskets of many different sizes. It is very helpful to use them for additional space in cabinets.
We have made numerous trips to the storage place. Some of the things we brought into the trailer don’t need to be there and some of the things we were going to leave behind really do belong in the trailer. I am glad that storage is here and that we haven’t left yet. We discovered that we need another trip and we’re leaving in a week!
Fans are a necessity for us, but you can’t always live with the big ones you use in the house. They take up too much space, and no matter where you put them, they are always in the way!
If you are going to be gone for a while, you have to think about a mailing address. You may want to have your mail forwarded to someone’s home and leave them some money to use when sending you the occasional box of mail. Another option is to go to one of the mailbox stores. Place like Mail Boxes Etc. will accept your mail and send it wherever you want it to go, whenever you ask, for a fee. We are going to go that route, so tomorrow we will have a new mailing address.
Think about a phone. For long term, maybe a cell phone is the way to go. For short term, calling cards may be the way. If you can get all your friends to give you calling cards as bon voyage gifts, even better!
If you are planning to do Email and the Internet, maybe a laptop is a good idea. After all, not all campgrounds give you the option of a phone hookup at your site. We have heard that more and more campgrounds are giving access either at your site or in the office, but if you have to schlep to the office with your desktop computer, it isn’t worth it.
At most of the camping supply places, you can get a small level. Since you want the trailer to be as level as possible, they are a practical investment.
Consider a small toiletries kit. If your trailer shower is nonexistent, or inconvenient you need a way to contain your soap, hairbrush, toothbrush, or whatever else you need to put in it. I recommend one with a hook that can put hung over a shower stall, or that will hand on a clothes hook.
Velcro is always handy!

Last Minute Details