Best starting and ending trip checklists

[Pokeymom]

Looking for the best checklists for Class A Entegra Regatta XL - we are new to Class A rigs.

[Camp CA]

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on your new motorhome!!

Suggest making your own checklist of tasks to do prior to departure and upon arrival and laminate them. This is an example: https://rvchecklist.info/checklist-d...0hatch%20doors

[bduemig]

Try RV checklist by Adventure Treks in your app store. It is customizable to suit your needs

[ChrisDParise]

I've got a great one, found many years ago and had several copies laminated. I still pull it out and review especially if I've been rushed, tired or have had other things on my mind.

I keep it handy within reach of the drivers seat

[Mr_Moustache]

I write on snap bracelets with an indelible marker. Jacks, Slides, Patio awning, water hose, gas firepit, etc. and snap then on the steering wheel. They work for me.

Mike

[RV Driver]

I use the CheckList+ app on my IPad. It’s in the App Store.

I’m a retired corporate pilot. Checklists were a daily way of life for me for decades. After looking at a lot of different ways to mimic an aircraft checklist, I found this app to be the best fit for me.

It is fully customizable with easy “touch to complete” checkboxes to use when running the checklist.

Here are a couple of images of my checklists.

[Isaac-1]

I have yet to see a good complete pre-trip check list, it seems most fail to focus on all the details, ie they focus on the direct mechanical stuff like, make sure slides are in, jacks are up, etc. but fail to say check expiration dates on license plates, insurance, roadside service, inspection stickers, etc.

[Mark_K5LXP]

I use a spreadsheet and print it out once a year, marking it up and updating as we go. Grouped by category, e.g. chassis, bathroom, kitchen, dogs, personal, etc. Problem with checklists is they become familiar and there's a tendency to gloss over or dismiss things that are assumed OK because they were OK the last two dozen times you looked. I find that the "pre flight" walk around is the best discipline, not only does it accomplish an important safety check and discovery of things missed, but also focuses your attention on the rest of the things that need action or checking. I have also reinforced the idea of equal responsibility with my copilot. There is no such thing as "I thought you were going to do that" or "that's your job", if something needs to happen you make it happen. Better to have something done/checked twice than not at all.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

[RV Driver]

Originally Posted by Isaac-1

I have yet to see a good complete pre-trip check list, it seems most fail to focus on all the details, ie they focus on the direct mechanical stuff like, make sure slides are in, jacks are up, etc. but fail to say check expiration dates on license plates, insurance, roadside service, inspection stickers, etc.

That is why I recommended the CheckList+ app in my post above. YOU make the checklists the way YOU want them. You are not forced to use pre-defined, cookie-cutter checklists that don't fully apply to your situation. As to your suggestions about expiration dates, etc. that is an annual checklist item for me, not a per-trip checklist.

The ability to make several checklists for each stage of a trip is what I really like about the CheckList+ app. In aviation, we had several different checklists to run, depending on where we were in a particular flight. There were checklists for:

• Preflight
• Engine Start
• Pre-Taxi
• Taxi
• Takeoff
• Climb
• Cruise
• Descent
• Approach
• Landing
• Off the Runway
• Shutdown
• etc.

I've built separate checklists for each phase of a motorhome trip, similar to what I did in aviation.

There is an important concept to discuss here, no matter what tool you use to build your checklists, and that is the concept of "flow." Your checklists should follow a logical flow pattern so you are not bouncing around the coach checking this, checking that, all over the place.

An example...
My "Campground Departure" checklist starts in the back of the coach, in the bedroom, where I bring the slides in and make sure loose items are secured. I then move forward to the bathroom, making sure everything there is secured and ready for travel. Then it's forward into the kitchen/living room are where I check things there, bring in the front slides, and take care of the other items that are done up front, including starting the engine, raising the jacks, etc. Then it's outside, where I start at the entrance door and work my way clockwise around the coach. If I've used blocks under the jacks, I can stow them because the jacks are coming up. I check the towed hookup, disconnect power, water, sewer, check the tires, make sure all the basement doors are secure, etc. I will complete this checklist back at the entrance door. Once I get back to the door, I know the checklist is complete and we're ready for the road.

Checklists are absolutely necessary when operating any complex machine. Our motor homes and other forms of RVs certainly qualify as "complex machines."