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As (mostly) fair-weather weekend warriors living in the savage-winter Northeast, we typically put our rig in storage from November until April.
During those months, I follow the Twitter & Instagram accounts of the year-round & full-time RVers with envy – but honestly, I’m a seasonal kind of person! I like having a really busy, active time, and then some time to stay put and regroup for the next adventure season.
So what can be accomplished during that down time from your RV adventures? Here are a few things we’ve found you can accomplish (while you partially hibernate) to make next RV season go smoothly:
Make Reservations
Most state parks & campgrounds allow you to make reservations at least six months before your arrival date. We’re even luckier with Pennsylvania State Parks because we can book up to a year in advance.
Since we are coming and going from our home base all the time, I like to have a map close by when I’m making reservations so I can make sure we won’t be headed down the exact same highway or going in the same direction on consecutive weekends.
Take Care of Routine Maintenance
If you missed our post (read: warning$) about keeping your batteries charged, don’t forget to put that on your winter maintenance list!
Essentially, we lost hundreds of dollars by believing our batteries would remain charged for 4+ months while still in the RV stored out in the freezing cold. Pro tip: they don’t.
Re-Stock Your Game Stash
It only took one wicked weekend of awful weather stuck in the RV to realize our game “game” was pretty awful! And even if you have a stash of games in your RV, don’t be afraid to throw down a little refresh!
A wonderful friend got me a set of glow-in-the-dark playing cards that I’m sure will be awesome this summer. Throw in a travel Scrabble set (and a Scrabble dictionary to avoid cage matches!) and a magnetic chess/checkers board, and we should be set!
Learn Something!
We couldn’t have a new Tail on board without having her learn her manners first! The off season was the perfect time for Hazel to complete Puppy Kindergarten (and pass, thank goodness!).
Are there some training classes you’d like to take with your furry friend? Or maybe classes you would like to take on your own at a local community college? Is there an outdoor activity organization near you like this one that will teach you how to snow shoe or kayak – or even how to administer first aid? Do it!
Hopefully by the time you’ve accomplished these things, it will be time to get back on the road again!
