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Home > Girl Camper > Episode 119 – Rookie Mistakes Explored
Podcast: Girl Camper
Episode:

Episode 119 – Rookie Mistakes Explored
Category: Society & Culture
Duration: 01:12:42
Publish Date: 2018-02-22 10:58:23
Description: On this week's show my guest is my BFF and travel buddy, Carol Thompson. Carol and I joined the Sisters on the Fly over twelve years ago and we have many road trips under our belt. Along the way we've learned a few things, some of them the hard way. I polled the members of several Facebook groups dedicated to RVing women over 300 comments detailing some of their rookie mistakes as well. These mistakes can bruise our egos, erode our confidence and cost us real dollars. Hopefully this podcast episode will help you avoid making some of those mistakes and also provide a laugh or two. It is great to belong to a community of women who help and support each other. First, the Top Six most mentioned Rookie errors. #1 Hitch came off the ball #2 Forgot to put antenna down #3 Not holding down sewer hose when dumping #4 Forgot to unplug before pulling out #5 Locked out with no back up keys #6 Forgot to put wheel chocks in place before unhooking Trailer Towing Mistakes Most Mentioned  Getting stuck on road with no room to turn around Backed over something and pulled forward ripping up bottom of trailer Hit something backing into driveway - post, mailbox, tree, porch, neighbors fence, garage Took off awning or AC at gas station Towed small car behind Class A with emergency brake on Set Up Mistakes  Mistakenly put water in gas tank of motor home at campground Used boards in stead of stacking blocks to level and boards kicked out and damaged underside of trailer Forgot to put wheel chocks in place before unhitching Unhooked trailer when car was in neutral Hooked up freshwater hose to black tank back flush and flooded trailer with black water tank fluids Bent anti-sway bar by backing up without loosening it Turned on hot water heater with no water in it Didn't leave enough room for slide out to open Dumping Mistakes Not holding down sewer hose while dumping, pops off sewer and sprays area and person! Leaving black tank valve open when hooked up to full hook up site Opened blank tank when they thought it was empty Packing up Errors  Pulled out with electric or water hose still connected to campground Drove out with slide out open Awning not locked and opened up Steps ripped off when forgot to put them in Drove away with storage compartments open or unlocked Pulled forward with tongue jacks still down Forgot to lock fridge, cabinets or trailer door Didn't check site - Left behind wheel chocks, jack crank, hoses, awning crank, electric cord Drove away with trailer and storage compartment keys on bumper  At Campground Damaged awning when left out in rain or wind storm Ran out of propane on cold night Locked out with no back up keys Pipes froze when heat was not high enough No surge protector - electric damaged No back up fuses Some of the reasons women sited for making these mistakes gives some insight on how to avoid them. Working with a "Before You Pull Out" checklist and "When You Arrive" checklist helps cut down on these mistakes. Having a comprehensive list and a strict policy of always working off it is what every seasoned RVer will tell you to do. Even when we have done something 100 times and created a good muscle memory we can get distracted by conditions and forget something. Many people sited that they were talking while getting ready to pull out or when arriving and setting up. Impending bad weather, trying to beat rush hour, trying to get to the dump station line before its too long can all distract us and make it easy to miss something. Having that checklist laminated in a cabinet or on a file in your phone cuts those chances of dropping the ball on something important way down. Arriving at the campground late and tired is another recipe for set up mistakes. Driving for long periods causes real brain fatigue and it can be easy to miss something.
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