Campsite Set Up in 15 Easy Steps with Full Hookups!
w/ Justin @ Beckley’s RVs
(Travel Trailer Edition)
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 trailer!
Tip: Be sure to pay attention to low hanging branches, trees, or wooden posts in the ground- these obstructions can easily damage your camper!
Step 2. Park Your RV 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 trailer within the appropriate distance! If your trailer has slide outs, be sure to leave ample room for them to go out. Tip: (Most slide outs are typically 3.5ft in width.)
Caution: Don’t move onto the next steps until you’ve ensured you’re within the proper reach to those hook ups!
Step 3. Level from “Left-to-Right.”
You’ll need: a carpenter level, a bubble level on a trailer, or a cell phone leveling app.
You’ll also need one of the following leveling blocks: wooden 2x6s, lynx levelers, or anderson levelers.
It's vital to ensure your camper is level, this will ensure all of the components inside properly function!
Many campgrounds you go to may have a campsite that is level already from side to side, if so- move onto step 4!
Set a carpenter level on the floor of the trailer right where you open up the entrance door. If the trailer is unlevel to one side, use leveling blocks to raise the side that is too low. Simply stack the blocks up and pull your trailer’s tires up onto the blocks until you have reached your desired height.
Step 4. Chock your tires!
What's needed? Plastic wheel chocks, blocks of wood, or X chocks!
Chock your trailer wheels in both the front and back on both sides to prevent it from rolling in either direction.
Step 5. Level from “Front-to-Back”
What you’ll need for Step 5 and 6: wood blocks or lynx levelers.
First, you will want to support the trailer tongue jack without the worry of it sinking into the asphalt or ground on a hot or rainy day, all you need to do is place a block or board under the jack to prevent this!
Next, disconnect your tow vehicle and move it out of the way from the trailer!
Using your carpenter level you’ll need to see how level your trailer is from front to back. Using your trailer tongue jack either raise or lower it to get your desired height.
Congratulations! Now your trailer is level from left to right and front to back!
Step 6. Put Your Stabilizing Jacks Down
Put a leveling block under each stabilizing jack just like the tongue jack and lower them until they make solid contact with the block. Once it does, give it another half turn to ensure it has solid contact with the board!
Tip: Stabilizing jacks are designed to stabilize the trailer from rocking and wobbling when you move around inside. They are not designed to level or lift the weight of the trailer, an attempt to do so will result in the bending or even worse breaking of the stabilizing jack.
Step 7. Connect Your City Water Connection
What you’ll need: White water hose, water pressure regulator, inline water filter.
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 8. Connect Sewage House to Drainage Outlet
What you’ll need: RV Dump Gloves, Sewage hose, various assortments of clear fitting, 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 clogs!
Step 9. Connect Electric
What you’ll need: 30 or 50 AMP 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 10. 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 11. Run Your Slides Out.
Again, be sure there is enough clearance all the way around for the slide to go out!
Tip: If possible, have someone outside watching the slide to ensure you don’t accidentally hit anything!
Step 12. 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 13. 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. From there, you’ll flush the toilet chemical into the black tank! These chemicals will help break down waste and deodorize your tank!
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!
Step 14. Check your Refrigerator
Many RV refrigerator’s run on both propane/ electric . When you arrive at the site and plug in, they will often automatically switch to electric mode. Ensure that your fridge has no fault lights and that it did in fact switch over! You certainly don't want to throw away all those groceries!
Step 15. Turn on water faucets to ensure proper water flow
I recommend turning on both the hot and cold side of your faucets to ensure you have water rolling through at adequate pressure. If you have an electric side to your water heater turn that on at your control panel!
Tip: If the campground water pressure isn't adequate, you can disconnect your city water, fill up your fresh water tank, turn on the water pump and use water from your tank instead. This will provide you better water pressure!
Tip: I don’t recommend drinking water from the campground!
Now You are ready to Have Fun!
Go Camping! Run your Awning Out, Set up outside carpets, camping chairs, coolers, etc!
Justin @ Beckley’s RV’s