Step 1. Walk Your Campsite.
When you arrive at your campsite, you’ll want to locate your water, sewage, and electric hook ups. That way you’ll have a good idea on where you’ll want to park your van!
Tip: Be sure to pay attention to low hanging branches, trees, or wooden posts in the ground- these obstructions can easily damage your van!
Step 2. Park Your Van in the Spot that You Want to Set Up Camp!
Now that you've identified the location of those connections, It’s time to park your van within the appropriate distance of those hook ups.
Step 3. Level your Van
What you’ll need: Lynx Leveling Blocks and a 360 Degree Bubble Level.
Once you have your van in your desired spot, you need to check how level it is using a 360 degree bubble level. Simply place it in the center of the van on your kitchen countertop.
Adjust the levelness of your van by placing lynx leveling blocks down and pulling the van up onto those blocks. This will increase the height towards the side that is unlevel resulting in a level van!
Example: If it is unlevel to the back right corner, then you need to pull the van forward, place a lynx leveler where your back right tire once was, and then back your van back onto the leveling block- then check your bubble level! This may take a few attempts, and may require adding more leveling blocks or removing them until you get it just right!
Step 4. Connect Your City Water Connection
What you’ll need: White water hose, water pressure regulator, inline water filter.
Some vans these days like Winnebago, have their city water connection accessible only when the rear doors are open. So instead of leaving your doors hanging wide open, just fill up your fresh water tank and turn on your water pump!
If you have a city water connection outside of your van, then you'll just want to connect directly to that. Always connect the regulator directly at the campground water supply to regulate the pressure from where the water originates. If you connect the regulator to the RV, it could cause the water hose to expand and potentially burst.
In the following order you’ll want to make your connections.
Campground Water Source > Water Pressure Regulator > Water Filter > White Water Hose > Camper City Water Connection
Step 5. Connect Sewage House to Drainage Outlet
What you’ll need: RV Dump Gloves, Sewage hose, various assortments of clear fittings, 90 degree clear elbow, sidewinder sewer hose support.
Here I’d recommend some dump gloves. Before pulling the cap off of your sewage outlet, be sure the black and gray tanks are closed off.
Remove the cap to your drainage outlet, and in the following order connect your hose
Attach clear fitting to camper drain outlet > sewage hose> 90 degree clear elbow to septic at the campsite.
Don't forget your sewage hose supports!
Tip: Keep your Tank Valves CLOSED- many people leave them open for everything to “flow” out this WILL result in clogged tanks and that's not good for business!
Step 6. Connect Electric
What you’ll need: 30AMP Power Cord, electrical adapters, surge protector.
We recommend purchasing a surge protector to protect the electrical system of your RV. That surge protector will plug into the electrical outlet at the site, and your power cord will plug into the surge protector!
Always connect to your camper first, then the campground electricity!
Tip: You may have to turn on an electrical breaker at the electric post in your campsite in order to get 110V power!
Step 7. Connect Cable if Applicable.
Some campgrounds offer cable hook ups, you’ll want to use a black coax cable and plug that into the campground cable source!
Tip: On the TV you’d like to watch cable, you’ll need to perform a “channel search,” this can be found under settings>channels>channel search ( be sure your TV input is on “TV.” )
Step 9. Ensure You have 110V Power.
Look at your microwave, and make sure it has lights on it, if so, you have 110V Power! If there are no lights on the microwave, and your Air Conditioner or 110V outlets aren't working then you need to do some checking around because you only have 12V (Battery) Power!
Step 10. Prime Your Black Tank
What you’ll need: 5 Gallon Water Bucket, RV Toilet Chemical, and RV Toilet Paper
Prior to using your Toilet inside of the trailer you need to prime the black tank first! Priming consists of filling the black tank with water by either flushing the toilet for a couple of minutes, or by dumping a 5 gallon bucket of water down into the black tank through the toilet.
Next, you'll want to place RV Toilet Chemical into the toilet and flush that down into the black tank. They come in two forms either liquid form or pods. Either will work fine. These chemicals will help break down waste and deodorize your tank!
Now, if your van has a removeable 5 gallon cassette tank, then we only want to put roughly a gallon or so into the tank either through the toilet or by taking the tank out and pouring water into the tank itself. You also want to put liquid toilet chemical in only. Do not use the pod type chemical here!
Tip: You only ever need to put more water and chemicals in, if you go outside and have to dump your tanks because they were full!
Final Step: Run your Awning out, set up outside carpets, camping chairs, coolers, etc!
Now You are ready to Have Fun and GO CAMPING!