Leaving from Storage Yard

[freetime58]

First year storing my unit a short distance away at a storage site (10 minutes drive) instead of at home.......looking for some tips on what works when leaving on a trip when trailer is off site in a storage yard. Do I go the day before to turn on fridge? Do I pack all the stuff (food, clothes. etc) in the truck and stock it when I grab the trailer? Do I pick up the trailer swing by the house to stock it up? Do I pick it up and do a bit of shopping on the way out?

Questions like that........those that are in the practice of storing off site and not at their home, any tips, what works for you??

[RAurand]

The easiest thing to do is if where you live allows you to park in front of your house for 24 hours, go fetch the trailer, run an extension cord from your house to the trailer, (charge batteries) and turn on refrigerator. and start loading. Put stuff in the fridge the next day after it gets cold.

[Tockert]

We pick up our RV the day prior to bring to the house to load.
I plug it in to allow fridge to get cool, and the wife loads clothes and such.
Fridge is last. If I want fridge to cool faster, I put it on propane.
I also load some water based on our plan with either a full tank, or partial and how far we have to travel the first night after work.

Todd

[freetime58]

Municipality does allow however we live on a cul-de-sac, long driveways and no parking on the street..............goal is not to leave in driveway because it's too much of a slope. Wondering now if I was to pick it up from the yard the evening before, back it into driveway for the night, don't even unhook then in the morning load it all up including the fridge/freezer, as we leave start up the fridge.......contents should stay cold/frozen until fridge catches up, no?

[Marcm157]

I agree with RAurand but much depends on whether you have power at the storage yard?

I always store at home so I can only answer based upon what i think I would do. I would always want my trailer home prior to a trip. Safety inspection including tire pressure, lights, safety chains, coupler operation, lights etc are all part of my pre-trip routine. Also, adding some water to the FW tank to use while enroute for bathroom stops.

I would not want to drive to a storage lot ready to leave on a trip and find something that needs attention. At least if the trailer is at your house you have an opportunity to correct something you discover.

[freetime58]

Originally Posted by Tockert

We pick up our RV the day prior to bring to the house to load.
I plug it in to allow fridge to get cool, and the wife loads clothes and such.
Fridge is last. If I want fridge to cool faster, I put it on propane.
I also load some water based on our plan with either a full tank, or partial and how far we have to travel the first night after work.

Todd

Great stuff......unfortunately I would not be able to turn on fridge in driveway as it's too much on a slope.......only way would be to turn on once we hit the road where it will be level.

[freetime58]

Originally Posted by Marcm157

I agree with RAurand but much depends on whether you have power at the storage yard?

I always store at home so I can only answer based upon what i think I would do. I would always want my trailer home prior to a trip. Safety inspection including tire pressure, lights, safety chains, coupler operation, lights etc are all part of my pre-trip routine. Also, adding some water to the FW tank to use while enroute for bathroom stops.

I would not want to drive to a storage lot ready to leave on a trip and find something that needs attention. At least f the trailer is at your house you have an opportunity to correct something you discover.

Good advise, my thinking as well!

[michael.g]

When we moved to GA we had to store our HTT and then our Motorhome at a storage lot. Our routine was to bring the HTT/MH to the house a few hours before our departure and get the fridge on. We had a gallon jug that we used for drinking water while camping. We'd fill it with ice, then put water in it before putting it in the fridge. Everything else that went into the fridge had to be cold. Between the cold stuff in the fridge and having it on for a few hours before leaving, the fridge was usually always code by the time we left.

We used to use our Motorhome for day trips to the beach (Jekyll Island, 15 minutes away). We'd do the same fridge loading technique and the fridge would be cold enough to keep beverages and food cold for the day's need.

Depending on our schedule, we might bring the camper home the day before to get it loaded. We wouldn't turn the fridge on until the morning of departure. We never had a problem with the fridge not being cold by the time we got to our destination, even if it was just a few hours away. Just don't put anything in the fridge that isn't cold if the fridge isn't cold.

-Michael

[Siamese]

If your driveway is too steep for the refrigerator, then your only option is to run the fridge on propane for 24 hours in advance in the storage lot. Then take all your stuff to the storage lot and load the trailer.

Being able to bring your trailer home is a bonus. We like having our's in the driveway prior to a trip, and for a few days every spring so we can do annual maintenance. Actually, having it in the driveway for maintenance is considerably more important to us than having it there to load it for a trip.

[Jagiven]

One thing that I found that really helps cool the frig, is a frig fan. We installed a small double 12v fan unit that clips onto the back of the frig coils. It blows the cool air around the frig nicely, and keeps it at a more consistent temperature. I found, within just a couple hours on electric our frig is nice an cool.

I ran the wire through the condensate drain. I tied into the 12v power supply that feeds the control board, in the frig access panel. The clip to the coil, completes the ground, so only one wire is required. When I do not need the fan, I just unclip it from the coil.

[tom463219]

Ours is at a storage facility only 2 miles away. It has never been at the house and never will. Most Neighbors don't even know we have one. The day before departure, I turn on the fridge. RV is in a covered storage area. I am there at least a couple times a week puttering around. It's always fueled up ready to take off.

[KCSA75]

We're primarily weekend warriors. We keep the camper about 60 miles from home near the lake where we do most of our camping.

We'll normally pack everything in the back of the truck at home, pick up the camper and head for the lake. There's a grocery store in a town about half-way there that has a really good meat department so sometimes we'll stop there on the way for some provisions.

[TaftCoach]

We store ours about one mile away. I go a day or two before we leave to turn on the fridge, check for any issues, and load some clothes and anything that could survive a little Texas heat. The morning we leave while I am hooking up my wife unloads the truck and moves us in. My wife experienced having a home broken into while out of town and does not want to tip off anyone that we may be gone. We live in a gated community and know and trust all of our neighbors but . . .

[tom463219]

Originally Posted by TaftCoach

We store ours about one mile away. I go a day or two before we leave to turn on the fridge, check for any issues, and load some clothes and anything that could survive a little Texas heat. The morning we leave while I am hooking up my wife unloads the truck and moves us in. My wife experienced having a home broken into while out of town and does not want to tip off anyone that we may be gone. We live in a gated community and know and trust all of our neighbors but . . .

Exactly, We don't like to advertise when we go out of town either.

[rkymntsno]

Originally Posted by tom463219

Exactly, We don't like to advertise when we go out of town either.

38 years in law enforcement and now retired. We do the same thing. Sometimes when we come back, we'll stop at the house first and unload then head over to storage. But we don't load up morning or day before at the house. We take everything over to the fifth wheel a few days before the trip. I don't think we'll ever change. Seen too much in my career. Yea, we have cameras, alarm system, security doors. But still.....

[Jagiven]

Originally Posted by rkymntsno

38 years in law enforcement and now retired. We do the same thing. Sometimes when we come back, we'll stop at the house first and unload then head over to storage. But we don't load up morning or day before at the house. We take everything over to the fifth wheel a few days before the trip. I don't think we'll ever change. Seen too much in my career. Yea, we have cameras, alarm system, security doors. But still.....

Getting to be a bit OT. Year round we have lights on timers in our house, so nothing looks different when we are home or not. It is nice in the winter, when we come home from work and we drive up and walk in with some lights already on, and looks like someone is home.

[FPM III]

Bringing the RV home for loading/Prepping/unloading is preferable if you can do it. Otherwise, it's loading/unloading twice; It's not only time-consuming, but also gets old real quick. Our TT now lives at home with us, and not having to pay all those storage fees anymore is a nice savings.

[TxLoser]

We’ve always brought it home a day prior. Partly because we’ve got the residential fridge and I’m fairly certain the batteries would die while trying to cool it off. Also, I give it a good once over. I test every system, check tire pressure etc.

Recently though, we’ve come to the same conclusion as some of you. Best not to advertise the fact we’re leaving. My new SOP is to take it to my mother in law’s. Two advantages here. One, I avoid everyone knowing I’m going somewhere, and two I can park the fw in her driveway with all the slides open vs being on the street. On the return home, I’ll come straight to the house to unpack/clean.

[TCNashville]

Mine is stored about 3 miles from my house. The evening before a trip I go down to the camper, level it, and turn the fridge on propane. Also during that time I check tire pressure and make sure everything else is ready to go. Next day I load up the food and stock the fridge. I have a full wardrobe in the camper so I don't take clothes, towels etc. The only other things I stock in the truck would be my golf clubs and fishing equipment. When I get back I wash my laundry at the house and restock the camper between trips as I'm down there 2-3 times a week doing stuff. Having it close by makes all this easy.

[CAG]

35 years in LE and we have been bringing RVs to the house for prep for 20+ years and not had a problem but then we have had good neighbors and there are so many RVs in and out of homes in this area that it would be hard for some perp to keep track

The situation here is a little different than Canada in that our heat prevents RV fridges from really cooling down much below 45 to 50 F during the daytime. The freezer does fine but the fridge side not so much. We have a 72 hr window with the HOA and generally need all of it in the summer months as the heat in the day slows down the "getting ready". Everything gets loaded and ready except the food which goes in the morning of departure to avoid spoilage. It is about 4 hours to our summer spot and the last stop a few miles out of camp is at a store for the ice and bottled water rather than haul that load the entire way up the mountain.

Unloading upon return is a few hour job and it is back to storage for the next trip.