We’ve all done it. Or at least most of us have. You pull out of the driveway feeling pretty proud of yourself. The fridge is stocked, the snacks are packed, and the route is loaded into the GPS. You’re officially on vacation mode.
Then, somewhere about 50 miles down the road, it hits you.
You forgot something important.
Maybe it was medication. Maybe your coffee maker. Maybe the dog’s leash. Maybe your entire bag of clothes. Or maybe—like Tony in today’s newsletter—you left your Starlink dish sitting on the back porch. Oops.
Sometimes you can turn around aaaand then sometimes you realize it a little too late and end up buying a replacement at some tiny town hardware store for three times what it should cost. And sometimes the forgotten item turns into one of those stories you laugh about for years afterward.
Experienced RVers often have a “never again” list because forgetting something once is usually enough to burn it into your memory forever. Though somehow, despite all the checklists and routines, another forgotten item always seems to sneak through eventually.
So now we want to know… Have you ever forgotten something important at home after leaving on an RV trip?
After you vote, tell us in the comments: What did you forget? And did you turn around for it—or just make do without it? We’re curious and excited to hear.
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I did leave something important behind, but I went back and got her. She was plenty mad!
Many times, that is why we have duplicates of several things.
Yes, and that convinced us to use checklists.
Our checklist for leaving a house to fend for itself over a snowy winter is a full-page of tiny type. And it isn’t just the house. It includes packing tax records, address changes for items that won’t be forwarded, absentee voting, …
Yes, but how important? Maybe it wasn’t a thing you take with you, but something that should have been done before leaving. We have both a house and a seasonal RV we leave behind. And we have somebody at each end of 1700 miles with access.
Sometimes if a thing, we have had it shipped and sent reimbursement for the cost. But more often than not, we have decided that a duplicate that stays with the RV is worth the cost.
We packed up and hitched up the day before departure. Upon arrival at our destination we discovered that we forgot the RV keys. A friend helped us break into the trailer without damage so the weekend was saved. We couldn’t even unhitch because a padlock was on the coupler.
Yes, and it was important. We had an issue with our Class A motor home and had to leave it in Iowa for two and a half months to be fixed. We drove the Jeep to Tucson for our winter spot. I flew back to Iowa in December to pick up the motorhome, boy the temperature difference was huge. I drove the RV back to Tucson. When we went to go back to Iowa in April, I couldn’t find the parts that slide into the front of the Jeep in order to tow it. After looking to buy them and have them express shipped, it would cost more than the gas to drive to Iowa. My wife was not happy that she had to drive as well as me, she was very forgiving though.
Early on, I forgot our pillows on one trip and our camp chairs on another. We quickly learned to make a checklist, and both of us checked off on each item.
We reduced the possibility of forgetting things simply by stocking the RV year-round with bedding..pillows, blankets, sheets, plates, pots and pans, tableware, canned goods, toiletries, clothes, shoes and other essentials negating the need to schlep those standard items to/from the house and RV. That reduced our packing to fresh foods and other special items.
We forgot the things when we first started camping in a pop-up. There was no room to store many things inside it. As we upgraded to a travel trailer, then to a larger one, we were able to stock it like you say.
Anyone who answered “no” should never be trusted to tell the truth.
If you full time… you could say no as you have your home with you. 🙄😂
Maybe instead of No, there should be a Not Yet, choice.
my wife and I drove 5 hours, set up camp, and were enjoying the evening when I realized that I had forgotten my meds. Luckily, there was a Walmart about 30 minutes away and I transferred my prescriptions there. Another trip my wife left her purse at home that had money for the trip as well as her glasses and contact lense supplies. Again Walmart to the rescue.
Two hours in start time forgot meds turned around grab and back on road with 2 hours behind time still able to make up 1 of those hours to destination. So now meds go onboard first
I clicked no, but eons ago we did leave things behind. Now, we have a detailed checklist we follow. We update our list usually during our trips. Anything we bring, but don’t use (Yep). Anything we want to add that we think will make our trips more enjoyable? yep. Just stay flexible, and stay safe !
drove 250 miles to our destination and found I’d left the rv keys at home.Had to call a locksmith on a saturday!! not cheap.
We have our “RV stuff” that stays in our RV and our “House stuff” that never sees the RV. Perishable food, pets, important documents and clothes are pretty much the only transfer. If we forget something, it’s usually available at a Walmart out there somewhere.
Yep, we learned to duplicate after we accidentally forget to bring a can opener on one trip and scissors on the next. I even have a pair of “RV slippers”…..
We were full time for 5 years. Can’t forget anything if you’re towing all of it!
NO!
I’m not that smart!
As others have said – checklists, checklists and more checklists – for everything from leaving the house for a trip, the RV trip itself, and activities such as fishing, ATV’ing and equipping the truck for winter travel! Constantly revised and updated as necessary. For a take on the importance of checklists, read “The Checklist Manifesto” by Atul Gawande.
My wallet . . . . 300 miles from home. Reached for it when I had to get diesel fuel for the RV and, surprise!, nothing there. No driver’s license, no credit card, no cash, no Medicare/insurance cards, just an empty pants pocket. Fortunately, I could use my wife’s credit card for fuel and I had my passport for an ID because we were headed for Canada.
I called our son, who went to our house, photo’d my license, and texted it to me. He also Fed-Ex’d it to me for pick-up at the last Fed-Ex location in MN before the Ontario border. So all’s well that ends well, but it was an embarrassing learning experience for someone who has been driving for 66 years.
Had exactly the same thing when we left in January for Arizona. Realized it when we got to the border. Had our son Fed-Ex it to Yuma. Amazing how good a driver you can be when going through small towns without your drivers license in your pocket.
Had to make up dinner from our food pantry in rv, Top ramen and canned green beans. Left groceries for dinner in car. We have a class C. Was looking forward to sloppy joes, mac salad, cake for dinner.
I truthfully have never left something behind on an RV trip. However, I was a tent camper for many decades before becoming an RV’er 4 years ago. I learned from experience to make checklists which I review after each trip and update or revise as needed.
Yes, a couple of times but we discovered it early and went back home for it.
Left my wallet at home. Luckily I have a friend who knew how to get into my house, he overnighted it to the campground I was heading to. I learned to keep cash, a credit card, and a few checks in the camper.
In 60+ years of RVing I couldn’t tell you how many times we’ve left on a trip only to realize we’d forgotten something important. Whether we turned around and went back depended upon how far we had driven before discovering it. One time we forgot the keys to the camper but fortunately we hadn’t gone that far away. From that time on we kept a set of camper keys in the tow vehicle all the time.
Got about an hour down the road when we got a call from our neighbor. We left our front door open. Geeeeeezzzzz
We left our pets monthly meds for fleas, etc at the beginning of a 2 month trip! Fortunately, our first stop was only an hour from home so we were able to go back for them! Another time, we forgot to close our garage door. Luckily, we were still in our neighborhood so we stopped about 1/2 mile from the house and I ran back to close the door! Now, we make sure closing the garage door is on our departure check list!!!
I remember turning around and going back, from less than a couple of miles away, but I don’t remember what it was. Well, I did forget to unplug the electrical cord a couple of times, but it was right there behind me dragging along the pavement.
I’m a “packer” who uses check lists and takes weeks to do it. That way I have plenty of time to check and double check to make sure we have “everything”! So, I choose “no”, as I can honestly say over the many years it’s been only minor “kitchen” things we may have forgotten, so now have two!
One time we left some food behind but it was no big deal.
I enjoy taking photos with a decent camera. Once on a flight down to New Orleans I realized my camera was at my front entrance. I picked up a cheap one in CVS. I still wasn’t happy.
I now have various check lists in my computer. City/Theater; Shore, Fall, Spring etc. I also have doubles that are always in my suitcase.
Luckily, we have never forgotten anything critical, just annoying. Unlike my father who left my aunt at a scenic lookout, while she was brushing her teeth, from the slide in camper outside faucet. Let’s just say my aunt was a bit put out.
We left my husbands hearing aid charger behind once. We were still close enough we could go back for it the next day tho. To ensure we never do that one again we invested in a second charger just for the camper. We actually double up on a lot of items so we don’t have to haul things back & forth. Plus lists, lots of lists!
Not with an RV, but I left the ridge pole of my tent once and had to improvise with a sturdy stick