Three important tasks – Get ready for camping season

How To - Planning, Preparation and Maintenance, Tips - Planning and Preparation
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As of December 31, 2023, we are no longer camping much and I an no longer updating this website. I have left it online for the time being, knowing that people still find their way to my articles and find them helpful. Please note, however, that as time goes by, some of the information presented here (particularly on specific products) may become outdated and links may no longer work.
 
I've enjoyed eight great years of interaction with thousands of other small travel trailer owners. Thanks for all your support, and hopefully a few of us will meet again somewhere in the woods or on the road! - Denny

I'm About Ready to Go Camping Again!

During all the years we lived in Florida, we were able to go camping pretty much any time we wanted. Since we moved to Tennessee, like many people, going camping is out of the question for us a good part of the year. While the first thing I need to do soon is to de-winterize our trailer, I also have a list of other things I do to get our trailer ready to go camping each year. (As well as a "to-do list" compiled during our travels last year.) Of everything on my lists, here are the really important tasks to prevent a major (and possibly dangerous) disruption to our travels.

Are your tires ready to go camping?

Look your tires over carefully. Be sure to check the tread depth and look for signs of dry rotting. Every bit as important though is to check the age of the tires. Often tires simply deteriorate with age on the inside and show no problems during a visual inspection. The life expectancy of a trailer tire varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, but most are between 3 to 8 years.

It's always a tough decision to part with your money to replace tires that visually look good. For me, however, I'm a believer that it's better to be safe than sorry. I got four years out of our last set and it's now four years since I replaced them. I'm starting to think about tires a little too much, so I may be back in the market for new ones soon.

How to read the data on a tire sidewall

The most important item here is the date the tire was made. When you purchase new tires you should always check this date. Make sure you are not purchasing tires that have been sitting around in a warehouse for a long time.

Do your wheel bearings need to be serviced?

A wheel bearing that fails can leave you stranded on the side of the road. I've heard all kinds of recommendations to minimize this risk. My approach is to replace our wheel bearings every year if we've taken a long trip. Otherwise, at least every two years. It's pretty inexpensive and helps avoid one of the worst scenarios I want to run into on the road.

Years ago when we had a pop-up camper, our trips were rarely far from home. I would just inspect and repack the bearings myself. At this point, I pay to have it done by someone whose entire business is trailers. I've also found that it's no more expensive to have them replace the bearings than to repack them.

Don't forget the brakes

If your trailer has brakes, this is also the time to service them if needed. It's an easy check since the wheel hubs must be removed in order to do the wheel bearings.

Is your hitch too loose or too tight?

This may not be a common problem, but it always scares me a bit whenever we hit a big bump. I just imagine our trailer becoming disconnected from my truck. Yes, the safety chains are supposed to catch it if that ever happens, but...I guess I just like to have a little something to worry about!

Adjusting the coupler on your hitch is very quick and easy. There's really no excuse for not doing it each year. It will only take you a few minutes. Click on the photo below to see a short video on YouTube that shows you how to do it.

And while you're on the road...

Once you start your travels, there are two things you should be checking along your way related to the items above.
Tire Blowout
Other than deterioration of a tire due to age, the three main causes of blowouts is excess speed, excess weight and improper tire pressure.  All three of these are under your control  First, make sure you don't overload your trailer.  Second, have the patience and discipline to hold your speed down.  Third, check your tire pressure every day before you start travel.
Bearing Temperature
A overly hot wheel hub is a good indicator that a wheel bearing is failing.  You should check the temperature of each wheel hub while you are towing, every time you make a stop.  The quick and easy way is to put your hand over each hub and feel it.  If it feels similar to other metal on the same side of your trailer, you're good.  But, if you burn your hand, you probably have a problem. I prefer taking it easy on my back and also not getting my hand dirty at every stop, so I use an inexpensive Infrared Thermometer.  You simply aim the laser beam at the hub and the digital readout shows you the temperature. The Amazon links below are to the devices I use.  They are both quite inexpensive and I've been very satisfied with both of them.
 
Tire Pressure Guage   Infrared Thermometer

Camping Accessories

Be sure to also look over all the tools and accessories you take with when you go camping.  You don't want to get to your first campsite and find that something you've been using for years has outlived it's life.  If you're just getting started with camping, or looking for new ideas, be sure to check out the list of products we use and like.

Be sure to check out my complete list!
Products we use and like

That's about it for now!

So I hope this helps get you started thinking about your camping and travel plans this year. I'm sure you're anxious to get going, but be sure to take the time to properly prepare and stay safe.  As always, please drop me a note if you have any questions.

- Denny

Denny Johnson

Denny Johnson

After having spent most of our adult life in Orlando, my wife Fay and I moved to Knoxville, TN in 2020. We are loving the change of seasons and being near the mountains. Plus, this part of the country is loaded with great places to camp. 
 
We camped years ago with a pop-up camper, but got serious about it when we purchased our Casita in 2014. There was a lot to learn as we started traveling with it, and a lot of conflicting opinions on line. That's when I decided that creating a website would be a good retirement project. I started tinyTowable.com to share things we've learned along the way that have worked well for us in hopes that the information would be of help to others.
 
However, since moving to Tennessee, I've gotten involved with new hobbies (you can check some out on my personal website at https://www.softrite.com) and we haven't camped very much. So, at the end of 2023, I made the tough decision to stop updating this website.
 
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This article has been revamped and updated since it was originally posted.

13 thoughts on “Three important tasks – Get ready for camping season”

  3. A comment you can add with #1 is spending mioney on tires that look good is cheaper than spending money for road service plus a tire plus any damage the bolowout caused as well as maybe interrupting your trip.

    Reply

    1. Ha! I hope you’ve just given this a lot of thought Greg, and you’re not talking from experience!
      – Denny

      Reply

  7. I recently had my trailer pop off the hitch, don’t want to revisit that so I will double check the coupler, thanks for the video..

    Reply

    1. Hi David,

      Thanks for contacting me. Unfortunately, I really don’t know anything about various tires.

      We have our second set of Goodyear Endurance. We ran the first set for about 4 years and traveled from Florida to Vancouver, and up into Canada never having any problems. The current set has been on the trailer for about 4 years now too but hasn’t had anywhere near as much travel as the previous set. When I replace them, probably in the next year, I’ll go with the same tires again since they’ve been trouble-free for us.

      – Denny

      Reply

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