The 10-Minute RV Setup Routine That Changed Everything

Our first year on the road, setting up camp was a production. Lisa would direct, I'd argue, things would get level-ish eventually, and by the time we were hooked up we'd lost an hour and most of our patience.

Three years later we've got it down to under 10 minutes. Heres the system.

Step 1: Pull in and chock. I carry orange leveling blocks in a milk crate right inside the basement door. Pull in, eyeball it, stack blocks if needed, chock the wheels. 2 minutes.

Step 2: Level and stabilize. We invested in an auto-leveling system which was a game changer. If you dont have one, a set of Andersen levelers and a bubble level app on your phone works great. 2 minutes.

Step 3: Hook up. Water, electric, sewer. I always connect in that order. Everything is pre-measured and coiled so I just grab and connect. Lisa handles the water pressure regulator and filter. 3 minutes.

Step 4: Slides out, awning out. Self explanatory. 2 minutes.

Step 5: Relax. This is the important one.

The secret isnt speed — its consistency. We do the same thing every single time in the same order. Muscle memory kicks in and you stop thinking about it.

One tip that helped more than anything: I labeled every hookup connection with colored tape. Blue for water, yellow for electric, green for sewer. Sounds silly but when you're tired after a long drive it eliminates stupid mistakes.