It Could Always Be Worse

JanAndBill · Apr 3, 2014

I've made my share of dumb mistakes but, I've learned that it can always be worse. Went out this morning and saw two elderly women in the back of their truck surveying the damage. They had turned to short and got into the back of their truck. Window was shattered and there was a nice size dent at the roof.

Lynn1130 · Apr 3, 2014

I watched two people load up their boat on the ramp and pull away with the outdrive still down and the skeg dragging. I am sure not casting blame here because I have done my share but it always hurts when it happens to you or someone else.

wdk450 · Apr 3, 2014

I was lucky on my near incident last week. I had pulled out of the RV park headed for the freeway onramp just feet away. I was lucky that the sun was bright and in the right direction, and I saw the shadow of the extended TV antenna ahead of me. Add to that there was a roomy pullover space just ahead of the beginning of the onramp.

Somehow in my pre-slide-in walk through, I didn't go over the bedroom hazards. I even have a bright orange "antenna up" sign I clip to the bedroom TV (which wasn't stowed for travel properly, either).

porthole · Apr 3, 2014

I have and use the antenna up sign as well.

But, I use a "list" app on my phone EVERY time I hook up and get ready to roll. I use two lists, one for leaving home and one for breaking camp.

Seren · Apr 3, 2014

Last week as we were bringing our RV home for the first time, I started to pull away without stowing the ladder. Luckly my wife saw it in the right-side mirror, before it hit anything. I now use the iPad app "RV checklist"

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TravelTiger · Apr 3, 2014

At a stop for lunch, we got distracted and left the living room slide out!! Noticed it about 1/10 a mile down the road, at 62mph! Glad we didn't hit anything along the way, an no damage to the slide.

Now before we roll, we say, "are the slides in?"

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TXTiger · Apr 3, 2014

I always do a walk around before I pull away checking the sides, slides, tires, doors and handrails, possessions left out on the ground, looking underneath the rig for anything on the ground (saw the spare tire hanging one time and had to secure it), rear stabilizer jacks are up, and always step back and look at the roof for the antenna and low hanging branches, then double check the hitch.

donr827 · Apr 4, 2014

I probably have one of the dumbest ones. It was raining the morning that we were leaving. I had the awning out going through the check list with my wife to stay as dry as possible. Did the final walk around, got into the truck and pulled away with the awning still out. Enough said.
Don

JanAndBill · Apr 4, 2014

These are great, I suspect that even the most detailed among us will forget something sooner or later. I've left the steps down and the antenna up, but thankfully no slides out. The best we can hope for is that our mistake isn't to painful that we can't laugh about it later.

sengli · Apr 4, 2014

The dealer we bought our big horn from, routinely moved coaches around the lot with the slides and steps extended. Our unit when delivered, had to have the steps replaced, becuase they hit something and broke them before we took posession.

DonnyB007 · Apr 4, 2014

JanAndBill said:
I've made my share of dumb mistakes but, I've learned that it can always be worse. Went out this morning and saw two elderly women in the back of their truck surveying the damage. They had turned to short and got into the back of their truck. Window was shattered and there was a nice size dent at the roof.

At Sault Ste. Marie KOA, they put a sign up on leaving and it states,

1. Is your antennae up?
2. Are your slides in?
3. Are your stairs in?
4. Are your dogs, kids and wife on board?

Now who would ever think to forget their wife at camp?

Wmnmy · Apr 4, 2014

I had my moment of it could have been worse I ordered my blue ox bedsaver and before i received it I was rushing and slowly pulled out of my storage space and I heard a awful sound luckily was able to get the trailer off my bed with no damage to trailer but a couple dents small to my bed rails whew that was a close one now have bedsaver installed and it works as advertised now I triple check everything no distractions some have not been so lucky....

Manzan · Apr 4, 2014

Ours came the first time we took our new Trail Blazer out in 2004. Neighbors came out to see us off and take pictures. Pulled out of our parking place and started down the hill. As soon as Suburban and trailer were on the same level heard a horrible grinding sound. New immediately what it was--left rear jack was down. Bent it pretty good but got it up and when we reached our destination, got it pretty well straightened out. Finnished the job when I got home. Always check and don't even put down the stabilizers our 21fbs has while at home. So far, that is it. Not too bad for close to 30 years of trailering.

JohnD · Apr 10, 2014

The Once-Over...

TwoToes said:
I always do a walk around before I pull away...

Exactly!

I call it 'The Once-Over'!

Before I even pull the trailer out of the site, I do the 'Once-Over' . . . where I walk around the trailer and the camp site to make sure everything is the way it should be.

Then I pull the trailer out of the site . . . and I do the 'Once-over' again.

Then . . . before I hit the highway, I pull the the rig over and check the hitch and everything else again, just to ease my mind.

So I guess I should call it 'The Thrice-Over!'.

Tallyrver · Apr 10, 2014

A few years ago we were getting ready to leave our camping site in the class A ,it started raining so I turned on the generator because it was hot. After a little while we pulled out and heard a funny clanking noise...always make sure you unhook the power cord. It was time to upgrade the transfer switch anyway...

Wayne

Greengas · Apr 10, 2014

Quick Story. Left on trip with 2 lounge chairs strapped to the ladder on the back of the rig. Arrived at our destination with only one lounge chair on the back of the rig. Don't know where the other one fell off, and frankly, I really don't want to know

murry135 · Apr 10, 2014

This is real recent, like two days ago. I am in Elkhart having warranty paint repair done. Pick up coach and happy than a pig in poop. Next stop, MOR/ryde for IS and disc brakes. Pull into over night lot, back up like I really know how to handle my big rig everyone watching, you know the feelin right? Get out walk around PERFECT, enter camper extend slides, all goood. Go outside to relax and have cigar and see where my living room slide is less than 2" from an electric panel. You now can call me SKATER, as I skated on this one. Camping should be defined in Websters as: a daily challenge to avoid damage and incurr cost realted to failure to evaluate your environment.

porthole · Apr 10, 2014

murry135 said:
Camping should be defined in Websters as: a daily challenge to avoid damage and incurr cost realted to failure to evaluate your environment.

Right up there with boating.

JohnD · Apr 10, 2014

porthole said:
Right up there with boating.

That's funny!

Ironically, before I got into RV'ing . . . I was into boats!

When I bought my 16 foot speed boat . . . I trailered it around to different lakes every weekend and had loads of fun!

Never any kind of incident.

However . . . the boating life led to more intense thinking . . . where I eventually rented, then bought, a house on the lake!

Now that is a whole topic thread on it's own!

I will say this . . . once I had lakefront property . . . the boating was not the same!

Funny how when you own lake front property . . . your number of friends ratio increases substantially!

I've traded in the boating life for the RV'ing life . . .

While I can't say that the RV life is any less expensive . . . it is much more rewarding in many ways!

BubbaChris · Apr 10, 2014

John,

You touched on a thought I've been having lately. I always teased my boating friends that a boat is a hole in the water you pour money into (but worked hard on earning my seat, especially during end-of-day clean up).

Now that I'm only a few weeks into TT ownership I'm thinking of replacing "water" with "driveway" for the above saying. Of course my goal is to quickly determine the right number of key accessories and stop buying "extras" for a while.

Luckily all my newbie mistakes have been small so far.

Best regards,
Chris

It Could Always Be Worse

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