RV Like a Pro With Our Weekend Warrior Checklist
If there’s one thing we’ve already learned from renting motorized RVs in Season 10, it’s this: being a weekend warrior comes with a whole new set of challenges that we aren’t used to as (mostly) full-timers.
As it turns out, moving into a different rig for a few days at a time doesn’t just mean adapting to a new set-up and tear-down process, or getting used to how the new rental handles on the highway.
It also means forgetting lots of stuff that usually lives in our Airstream—like a leash for Charlie, for instance.
If you’re a weekend warrior (or anyone who lives in a sticks-and-bricks home but owns an RV), you probably come up against a lot of these same challenges. We’ve heard from so many people who got to their campsite, pulled out a bottle of wine, and promptly realized that their corkscrew was at home. Along with the s’more ingredients, towels, toothpaste, dog leash … you name it.
We’re big on using checklists for things like setting up and tearing down camp, even after years of doing it full-time, because having a list means never having to worry that you forgot something important. And even the little things, like forgetting your phone charger, can use up a lot of mental and emotional energy—especially on a short trip.
That’s why we created our Weekend Warrior checklist to help you pack and prepare for the most enjoyable adventure possible, without the hassle of trying to MacGyver replacements for things you forgot.
Sure, checking off a list is an extra step. But trust us—it’s well worth the peace of mind.
You can download the checklist at the bottom of this post. And as a bonus, here are our top three tips for packing as a pro-level weekend warrior.
#1: Treat your RV as a second home
We know the small stuff adds up, especially if your RV is new and you’re still reeling from the sticker shock. So don’t nickel and dime yourself into debt doing it—but as much as possible, treat your RV as a second home.
By that, we mean buying a complete set of everything you need and leaving it in the rig.
Ideally, the RV will have its own dishes, silverware, toiletries, cleaning supplies, pet bowls (and leashes) … you get the idea. That way, you never forget anything, and you have that much less to worry about when you’re packing for a weekend getaway.
You can even leave a set of clothes in the rig, depending on the size of your closet.
Decide what makes the most financial and practical sense for you. If you don’t mind loading up the RV with certain things every time you travel, great! The checklist will help with that.
But if you travel a lot, try to keep a second set of items in the RV permanently, and you’ll save yourself a lot of hassle.
#2: Personalize your checklist
We’ve created a KYD Weekend Warrior Checklist (linked below) to get you started, but depending on what you leave in your RV and what you consider essential, you’ll probably have some adjustments to make for your own list of RV essentials.
For example, we don’t travel with babies anymore—but if we did, you can bet that diapers and a stroller would be high on our list!
So use this checklist as a starting point, and then make it your own. When you’re on a trip and notice that you’re missing something, write it down. (And then don’t lose the note! Not that we’ve done that …)
You can even laminate your list and use an erasable marker to check things off or add items as you go.
#3: Don’t expect perfection
Even with a great checklist, you’ll probably manage to forget something, or realize days into the trip that you didn’t even consider taking something you’d love to have. (At least, this happens to us!)
We talk a lot about staying flexible and enjoying the adventure, and we can’t provide a packing checklist without a quick reminder that those things are still super important!
By all means, plan ahead and prepare for your trip. Use checklists to remember the essentials and to stay safe on the road. But don’t get so wrapped up in the perfect plan that you forget to enjoy the journey!
Things won’t always go perfectly—and in fact, they almost never do. Years in, we still forget things and make mistakes. We have mishaps on the road. But we enjoy it all because the most important thing to us is spending time together and enjoying every trip for what it is.
Also, even small towns have stores that carry essentials—so whatever you forget, you can probably buy. Or discover in a storage bay of your rental RV …
So pack wisely, enjoy the journey, and get out there!
Click the checklist below to open and print.
I’m Reg and wife of 50 yrs. is Diane. We are so happy to have found your you tube story.
Hi Marc and Trish,
I feel your pain forgetting Charlie’s leash. I was heading to the Keys last year, stopped for the night at Miami Everglades and forgot my dog Riot’s leash tied to the picnic table. I had a heck of a time finding a leash on New Years Day. You guys are the best live the updates and KYD 55 we’ve never felt better. Heading to Rivers End Campground this week.
Happy Camping.
Jimmy and Shannon
Dear Marc & Trish,
Thank you – I have been doing this checklist in my head – this is much, much better.
We look forward to Sunday evenings when your new videos come out – always enjoyable.
Respectfully Yours,
fm
I have used purse straps and belts for a leash or two!!
Great list- super helpful! But don’t forget the toothpaste and toothbrushes! (Our dogs have theirs too!) We really enjoy all of your videos-look forward to them every week!
Hi Marc and Trish,
This is awesome! Thank you for preparing…we will be picking up our first RV (Class C: Thor 31L) in a couple weeks and are super excited to be starting our “Savannah Adventures!” We absolutely love watching your travels, learning from you and enjoying your family fun. It’s a favorite for our Sunday evenings!
My husband and I are so glad to have found your channel! Absolutely love your reference check lists, they have been an excellent addition to our travel binder. Extra piece of mind now that we have our newer new to us hybrid travel trailer.
Thanks so much for sharing and all you do!!!
We purchased our TT in November. Haven’t taken it out yet, but can’t wait for Memorial Day weekend and our maiden voyage! These past 6 months we’ve so enjoyed your channel and love the videos, we’ve learned so many things. One thing we learned years ago from taking small kids camping is designating a specific spot (staging area) for “ things that are going”…even when they were small “ if you want it to go with us, you have to put it there…” it worked pretty well, except when it doesn’t…like many years later, when I had an injury and couldn’t carry my suitcase down the stairs, my adult daughter put hers in “the staging area” my husband saw it, thought it was mine, packed it and when we arrived at the destination for the wedding – realized I had no clothes. 1.5 hour round trip ( and loads of tears later ) we arrived at the tail end of the cocktail hour. We had called for an “ intercept” that cut a half hour in each direction off his drive 🤣😉👍 like you say…you gotta be flexible!
We use the “staging area” (bed in the spare bedroom for us) method as well – it helps a lot! If I suddenly think of something I want to bring, I just grab it and put it there. Saves my terrible memory from missing it later on. We also keep our essential things in the RV at all times. We spent a little money at first to do it, but it was worth it to us not to have to pack and unpack all that stuff every time! Enjoy your trip!
I’m a simple man.
I just duplicate everything in the RV so all I need to pack is a few clothes.
Everything from coffee maker to socks and shoes already lives there.
Beddy on the bed.
My dream goal was to just need the keys and go. It never quite works out that way, but I try.
My checklist would include “10# bag of ice in the freezer for cocktails the first night.”
We are renting a Class A for our first ever RV trip in July (going to Mt. Rushmore. I am beyond excited!). Your channel is my go-to. If I have a question, I just look to see what Marc and Trish say to do! You guys are the best on youtube!
We could not agree more about taking notes of what you are missing. My husband and I also find it helpful to take notes of anything that isn’t working properly or that needs to be fixed. Makes it easier when you take it in for repairs or for us to remember to fix it when we have time (and if we can). We have a journal style notebook we keep in the RV where we take notes on all those things. It has worked out well and is much harder to lose than a little piece of paper (which we excel at losing!). I’m a major list and note maker. Comes with having a terrible memory. I even started keeping a list, in Google my maps, of campgrounds we see on your show or on other sites and shows – for when we can retire and travel in the RV more!
We also agree on the, don’t let small mishaps ruin your trip. When we got our trailer we had an F150, my husband decided he wanted something with a little more power and traded it for 250. Unfortunately it didn’t occur to either of us that the hitch receiver might be a different size! It was, and we didn’t realize until the night before we were supposed to leave. We got in the truck and drove to the closest Camping World in hopes they would have a sleeve, they did not. ☹️ They said their other location in the area had one left, so we tore over there and on the bottom shelf, all the way in the back, was one sleeve (5 minutes before closing on a Saturday). It fit perfect and we managed to make our first trip. We still laugh at ourselves for it.
On another note Marc and Trish – my husband and I love the YouTube show! We started watching just after we bought our RV at the beginning of 2020 (perfect timing). It’s been great for ideas ranging from products for our RV and places we want to visit, so thank you for that!
Hello Marc & Trish,
Is there a reason why you use Plasticware and not regular silverware? I try to minimize my use of plastic as much as possible for the environment. I am not an environmentalist zealots, I am just curious if there is an underline reason, like to save the usage of water. Again I am sorry. Your videos are great and I been sharing them with wife. We live in eastern Carolina and enjoy the beach and boating, so I see the effect of too many plastic in the water. I try not to use bottle water. When we anchor in the ICW, we sometime used plasticware to save on water usage on the boat. I also use non-plasticware while hiking and camping in mountain, it is easy to clean up in a stream. I am not calling you out, I am just curious. I agree with the other comments that you guys are great and I enjoy watching your video and your insight.
Ziggy
Based on your tough trip in the class c, maybe add “Charlie” to the list of pet things not to forget. Just saying…..
I am a full time care giver to both my mother and father. For over a year I had been planning on renting and RV and taking them on a small camping trip. (small as in not far from home) I checked out RV’s, made area specific lists, made a list for my father so he wouldn’t forget a jacket or his medication. I was “on it”.
On the day before we were to leave on the trip, I was stacking everything we would need in the garage in anticipation of loading it in the RV once I had picked it up. Confident with my progress I went to set beside my 85 year old father who had been watching my process.
As I bent to sit next to my father, he said “Will you grab that big pipe wrench too?”
I looked at him with a questioning glance and said, “What for?”.
He laughed and said “well you are taking everything else, I figured we’d be taking the kitchen sink too.”
Perfect timing for the check list. Thanks. Our province is still in lock down and will be until June 2. During this time I have packed, unpacked, packed and unpacked our unit readying for our first break away. Just lifted the bedspread and realized there are no sheets there. Back to the drawing board. Again thanks for the Checklist. 🙂
Two things:
1. My wife was after me this weekend while we were in Cape May, to prepare a setup and takedown checklist. She wants to follow along so she can be more helpful. Also she worries what would happen if I got sick while on the road. So a I will be preparing a setup and takedown checklist.
2. Long ago, an old girlfriends father taught me a significant lesson. They were frantically wondering if they packed enough for a week at the beach and what they might have forgotten. He turned to me and told me that there is only one thing you cannot forget – MONEY! I take that now as money and credit cards but the lesson from over forty years ago has served me well.
Love you guys! Your so much fun to follow!!!
Hi Young Learners (Marc and Trish),
Your list is a great tool! Thank you for creating it! I’m sure it will become valued by thousands of new weekend RV travelers.
My wife and I recently purchased a class C. But way back in 1999 we were retired and became full time RVers and we just loved the lifestyle. That mindset never really left us as we grew older and returned to sticks and bricks to be closer to our now very large family. So we packed our new “C” as we did our full time Rig. It was logical and almost automatic for us.
The result of doing that meant that we now have two of everything. One in the house and one in the motorhome. It just didn’t make sense for us to unload everything after a short jaunt.
It may not work for everyone but for us, it’s pretty easy to wake up in the morning, look at each other, then decide to take off for that campsite we liked so well a few years back. After a quick stop at WalMart for a supply of food and wine, we would be heading down the road before noon!
Keep having fun and buy another leash for Charlie!
Love your segment about Charlie and the mouse! I copied it and sent it to my husband who’s in the hospital with an appendicitis hoping it would cheer him up! It did! Now he’s watching the video and he got squeamish about Trish’s story about the snake and the mouse!
Help!! I am challenged trying to print your checklist. I am using an iPad and clicked on the checklist and saved to PDF. But when I print it only prints the boxes, not the list wording itself. Does anyone know how to get this to print with the words and boxes??
Thank you for the list and any help you can offer on how to print
Be sure to open it in your browser. That might make the difference.
Great stuff, and fun to follow! I love the list. The list is missing one important item for us… Aluminum Foil! It is a must. We buy the big roll from our local Sam’s Club. Anyway, happy journeys! We are taking our new rig out this weekend. We bought it in December and this will be the maiden voyage.
Thanks Marc and Tricia for this super helpful list.
Last time we went out we thought we had everything in the van….. except dog food!
A leash you can improvise on but dog food ,not so. Anyway, a quick stop a specialty pet store and we were on our way, but with different food and the good news was our dog Teddy found a new favorite food.
One request I would have with the list would be to have it in an editable form. If it was done in Excel most anyone could change it. If it was done in Illustrator or InDesign many could it. Looking at a well laid out list makes it so much easier and your layout is excellent.
Thanks, safe travels to you!
Yes, please please make your checklists editable! There are steps we’ve added to the setup and tear down checklists specific to us (like cracking open a cold beverage when we get the tow vehicle unhooked 🙂
Love you guys! Thanks for putting this together and for cracking us all up every episode!
Even your Typos are funny – Surge Projector vs Surge Protector 🙂
Scraper is spelled with one p, not two. Otherwise, love the checklist!
We are so happy to have found you and all your videos!
Just recently we decided to buy a 5th wheel and have plans to travel from Alberta where we live south hopefully in early November if not before,
We haven’t got thru many shows as we just found you but we are hoping to get ideas on routes, campgrounds etc.
Thanks so much for all you do!
Lana
Thank you for this list – we used as a guide as we collected our new Class B XL MB Sprinter Van from Advanced RV. 3 things I would add as a Newbie and essential: a) flyswatter, b) measuring cup, and c) pair of utility scissors to cut tags off the many new items purchased (we are not Boy Scouts with a Utility Knife in pocket). Otherwise, it served beautifully for our needs to complete 4 nights of our Shakedown cruise in RV.
Love your channel and Charlie is so cute. I’ve got a dog too and looking at buying a class C to full time travel Baja Mexico this winter then the US in the spring/summer. I’m new to RVs and wonder how you keep the RV cool for Charlie in the summer when you’re out doing stuff. Thanks!
I can totally relate to being ‘weekend warriors’ after first doing the full-time RV living things for almost three years ourselves. I became so used to having everything we needed with us at all times…now I cannot travel without a checklist. A phone charging cord, paper towels, and a good pan to cook with are just a few things that I’ve forgotten during our last trip out. Your list is super helpful, thanks for this!
My wife and I used to have a 1999 Airstream, sold it to focus on a lake house dream. Now we are retired and back at it with a GD Imagine. Thanks for the check list, it was a big help.