What's your caravan safety checklist like?

[Kate Taylor]

Hi everyone,
Just wondered what checklist you have either in your head or on paper so that you don't forget anything when you're hitching the caravan to the car? We've got our own safety checklist but we'd love to hear your ideas too:
12 steps to saintly caravanning: http://bit.ly/1cLEjqn
/sites/practicalcaravan.com/files/images/Jan2014/12-steps-saintly-caravanning.jpeg

 

[Raywood]

With our Avondale we got a very detailed hitching and unhitching instruction card. If you follow that you will not go far wrong.

 

[RayS]

I've tried checklists - printed out from the computer and then laminated - but still keep it in my head. One thing I did copy from many years of air travel is the pre=trip (flight) 'walk-round' of the whole outfit after doing the individual items. This has - usually - revealed items not strictly safety related, such as levelling blocks, the odd bucket blown away during the night, outdoor temperature sensor for the weather station, clothes pegs etc. etc.

 

[otherclive]

Three things in the main:
1 always wind nosewheel down to check the hitch coupling is on.
2 ask any friendly people who want to talk and wave you off to "b" off.
3 ensure co-pilot walks around as we move off pitch to check van is cleared for take off and no foreign objects left on pitch.

 

[Mel]

Take your time. Go through the hitch up sequence in order. Take your time. Do the walk round. Take your time. Lights. Wing mirrors.
mel

 

[emmerson]

Don't have a "pre-flight" list as such; it all gets done automatically. But there are three things which never vary: 1) I always pull off the pitch, then walk back to check, 2) never, ever allow ANYONE to help me hitch, or 3) talk to anyone whilst I'm hitching up.
Most of our caravanning friends know this and keep away, but if you have tried to talk to me at this vital time, then accept my apologies. I wasn't being ignorant, just careful!

 

[CyberCynth]

May be it's a symptom of my advancing years, but I daren't go out/come home again without my checklist! Having said that, I used to have one when I was camping, many, many moons ago. Since having a folding caravan I always refer to my list of instructions in case I get one of the sequences wrong/out of order. So I have four laminated sheets: erecting and folding the caravan, a 'Don't Forget' list and an awning instructions sheet. They are attached at the corner with one of those little 'Treasury Tags' (staples used to crack the lamination and go rusty). They used to be separate, but guess what used to happen to the 'Don't Forget' list......?

 

[trucker]

Spot on emmerson, im the same, I have a system and if disturb I will start the routine again. I learned the hard way with the truck once connecting the air lines without checking the parking brake as someone was talking to me, no harm done but still very scary.

Kev

 

[trucker]

a

 

[emmerson]

Spot on emmerson, im the same, I have a system and if disturb I will start the routine again. I learned the hard way with the truck once connecting the air lines without checking the parking brake as someone was talking to me, no harm done but still very scary.
Kev, I guess you and I learned at the same school.If one of them big bendy things came apart it would a bigger mess than a mere caravan!
I only ever dropped a trailer once, over fifty years ago. I'd been called away for a phone call, came back, saw all the suzies were on, and pulled away.Only five yards,in the yard but by 'eck did it go down with a bang!
I've never forgotten that, as I was made to get it back up by myself, after I'd cleared up the ten tons of broken bicuits!

Kev