Tear Down Process for RV/Camper Travel

People seem to have a lot of questions about how we make life work with a family of six in a camper. Overwhelmingly, it’s the mundane details that are just a regular part of our life on the road that people wonder about the most. I guess it’s for the same reason that people watch TV shows like the Duggars. So, think of this as an episode of the Duggars, but with less children and more yelling.

One of the many things people ask about is the set up and tear down process of the camper. Once you get past the the pulling in part, (watch out for that tree) the setup is pretty quick and straightforward. Tear down is a bit trickier. There are plenty of steps to complete, and any one left undone can cause a big mess down the road. Most of these lessons are, sadly, learned the hard way.

Many full time RVers have a detailed list to ensure that they don’t miss any steps and do things in a logical sequence. Not surprisingly, we have more of a wing and a prayer kind of approach. Most of the time that more or less works itself out and we get our house cleaned up and back on the road without too much calamity.

There are inside jobs and outside jobs, with the outside jobs being more physical (and grosser)and in the inside jobs involving more details (and children). Right along gender lines, the mister takes the majority of the outside jobs and I do the inside jobs, figuring that dealing with kids and empting the poop tank is about an even trade.

~Can you spot the potential disasters in this picture~

The jobs inside are all about securing the contents for the usually bumpy ride to the next site. This is trickier than it sounds, for just about anything can be a potential projectile when in the back of a camper barreling down the road. I secure all the loose articles, including the TV, any food that isn’t in a cabinet, and most assuredly all drinks. Even closed drinks can roll off a counter and cause a huge mess in transit. Let me tell you, finding your camper covered in a spray of Fanta Strawberry doesn’t do much for your mood after eight hours of driving.

With the contents secure, I set to making sure all the windows are closed and locked, all the vents are closed, the hot water heater is off, and the antenna is down. The most difficult task is dislodging the children from their beds. On any normal morning, they are up with sun, but on driving days their bodies seem to sense the impending work and slip into a zombie like state. Once they are up, their beds are emptied so that they can be flipped into an upright position to utilize the storage underneath, and the inside jobs are complete.

~It's a bit of a puzzle, but we fit all six bikes in this storage area~

Outside the mister is hard at work doing the “manly” jobs. He usually puts up the feet and removes the stabilizers that keep the camper level and free from rocking back and forth. I can always tell when this job is complete because the house starts to feel more like a ship at sea. (I think he does this first as an act of passive aggression because he’s mad about having to empty the tanks, but I’ll just keep that to myself.) The awning comes down at this point, and if we got desperate for a satellite signal, the dish has to be removed from the roof. Then, he loads all the outside stuff into the hatches, and if the timing is correct, the beds will be empty so he can put the bikes in their place under the beds.

~This scene might as well have a bloody knife and shower, so scary it is to me~

Okay, here is where you have to know a little about the anatomy of a camper to understand the next process. Campers and RVs have two tanks-a black water and a gray water tank. If your imagination can’t decipher the details of the tale of two tanks, let me explain a bit more. The gray tank holds all your sink and bath water, and the black tank holds everything in the toilet. So, you’ve two tanks, but only one hose. So, when it’s time to dump, you want to dump the black water first and then use the gray water to wash any remaining…residue down the pipe. It’s very important that you pull the levers in the correct order. It’s also important that you have something in the gray water tank to use for the washing process. Usually, we forget this crucial step and so, in totally illogical order, the mister takes a shower (to fill the gray tank) and then goes out to do the dirtiest job of the lot.

~This is what happens when the slide hits an open cabinet.  We'll never make that mistake. Again.~

During the tank flushing process, I usually bribe one of the children to throw a giant fit so that I can pretend to be busy while staying completely away from the whole foul experience. The last big job is to pull in the slide, which you would think would be easy, being automated and all, but is always a bit of a breath holder. For one, the slide mechanism seems to be preparing for a slow and painful death and whines its way through the whole process. Also, anything that inadvertently gets caught in the cross fires of the giant sliding piece of metal usually loses. Cabinet doors left open will get crushed. The bunk ladder turned sideways will careen into the wall and break the molding. An innocent tube of blue toothpaste will be forced to spill its contents all over the wall and carpet. It’s a scary process for all involved.

~Nothing says thank you for dealing with the raw sewage like hand sanitizer and Dr.Pepper~

The final details are all that’s left. We unplug the plugs, stow all remaining accoutrements, and hook up the trailer to the car.  Locking the storage cabinets is the final outdoor task.  My last task is grabbing the trash, rolling up the stairs, and grabbing the bottle of hand sanitizer and a drink. It’s my thank you present/peace offering to the mister for doing the outside work. For the happy ability to not have to have anything to do with the <shudder>TANK, it’s the least I can do.

A quick check of the campsite and a once over for the camper and we hit the road. If we did it all right, it’s smooth sailing until our next campsite. If we missed a step, we usually know when someone starts honking their horn and waving wildly. That’s never a good sign.