Introduction
If you are an adventurous soul, you must be intrigued by the idea of overnight camping plans. Having a campervan to travel with your buddies is the best way to spend your vacations while exploring and still having a comfortable sleeping space. However, with all the comfort and ease of traveling in a van or camper comes the great responsibility of finding a good parking spot and ensuring you are safe through the night. So can you leave a truck hooked to a camper? Or should you unhook and hook it again the next morning? Read further to find out!
You Can Leave Your Truck Hooked To Your Camper: Here’s Why
Most long-distance trips include night stays. The greatest obstacle of driving around with a campervan is deciding whether or not you should leave your truck hooked to your camper for the night. Most people prefer to find a good and safe parking spot where they leave their camper, unhitch their truck and go around the area at night to explore and have a little adventure. However, most experienced RV drivers suggest keeping your truck hooked to your camper overnight. They have their reason which makes sense. Let’s see why.
Time-Saving Method
On adventure trips, the main focus is exploring the area and relaxing around a campfire. If you decide to unhook your truck, you will be wasting an hour or two just in that. The process of unhooking is not as simple as it sounds. It involves an entire process of making sure your trailer is at level ground to avoid any accidents. Sometimes you might even have to add bricks or leveling blocks to ensure the trailer is leveled side to side. Then comes the process of unhitching.
This requires effort and safety measures as well. Most manual jacks require a lot of time and energy to unhook, and you do not want to be tired and drained before the night adventures even begin. If you unhook the fifth tire, you would have to spend equal energy and effort the next morning to hook it back. Hence, it is better to leave your truck hooked to your camper, especially if you are staying for just one night.
Easy Mobilization
Most of the time, you might want to settle down at a spot, but after exploring the area a bit, you would want to move your camper, so you get to enjoy the perfect sunrise view from the comfort of your camper. Or most places have restricted areas where RVs can not be parked for longer hours. In such cases, keeping your truck hooked to your camper is better. This will make it easier for you to move around and change spots if needed.
Otherwise, your entire night’s stay will be wasted on hooking and unhooking the truck. Apart from that, an unhooked truck camped for an entire night will catch the attention of people living in the area as they might find it creepy. With a camper hooked to it, it will be better, and people will know everything and that you are just a visitor.
Cost Saving
Most truck parking spots allow trucks and campers to park for the night. They also have free access to restrooms and shower areas. This will help you save the cost of wear and tear and the fuel expense you would have to pay if you left your truck unhooked with the engine running all night long. You might have to pay a small parking fee, but that will be less than your fuel charges for running your engine all night.
Noise Pollution
If you are parked in a crowded parking spot from where you have to leave early, it is better to keep your camper hitched to your truck. If you re-hook your camper early in the morning, the noise will surely disturb others and make it uncomfortable. In order to avoid any disturbance and have a smooth operation the next day, keep it hooked for the night.
Things To Do Before Keeping Your Truck Hooked For Long Hours
Apart from the major benefits listed above, staying hooked overnight has perks. You get to meet fellow drivers with similar plans as you do. Moreover, you will easily access your truck and feel safer through the night. However, even if you decide to stay hooked to your truck, you will have to follow a few steps to ensure your safety through the night.
To make sure your trip goes smoothly without any uncertain circumstances, here are some safety tips you should consider before leaving your camper hooked to your truck overnight:
Making Sure Both Vehicles Are On Level Ground
It is essential to ensure that your camper is leveled properly during the night. In modern RVs, refrigerators run on propane, and for a proper propane supply, the camper needs to be leveled. The most updated versions of campers have auto-leveling features pre-installed in them. Even if your RV does not have one, you can use a leveling tool, a few bricks, and a little adjustment to make sure it is leveled for the night camp.
Ensuring Power Plugs Are Secure
The rowing vehicle is connected to every RV camper using an electric cable. The purpose of that cable connection is to ensure that the camper’s brakes, lights, and other necessary features are operating smoothly as it directs the power from the truck’s battery. If the cable remains connected all night, your truck’s battery will run out the next morning, and your plans will be delayed. To avoid such inconvenience, disconnect the wire overnight and plug it back in before leaving the next day. This will save your fuel and battery’s wear and tear and will save your costs as well.
Follow Your Checklist
Every RV has a checklist that the driver ticks before moving. Before moving after a night stay, make sure you tick all boxes off the checklist; these include checking your hinges, brakes, pedals, and other connections so that your plans are on schedule for the trip.
Lock Security
When camping on a new trail, make sure you have extra locks, for instance, pedal locks, hitch locks or wheel locks, etc. These will ensure your safety from burglars attacking your camp during the night. However, to be on the safer side, try choosing a spot with more people in the area rather than going solo on a mysterious track.
Riding In A Camper Van: Legal Or Not?
Most states allow trucks to have camper vans hooked to them while on the move. However, there is a restriction on 5th-wheel vans’ travel around in some states. At the same time, other states might not allow you to move around with any passenger vehicle attached to your truck. To avoid trouble, make sure you are aware of the laws and legal regulations of the state you are traveling to. In some cases, you might need a permit to move around. So make sure you go through all the legal paperwork before your vacation trip.
Truck Camping On Night Adventures: Safe Or Not?
If you are an adventurous person who is often ready to go on trips around the states, then yes! Truck camping is safe and secure. Modern RVs and campers are built to resist elements and have high-tech security alarms pre-installed. These will keep you safe from any accidents or even from thieves. The windows and exterior structure are made to keep you safe from any crashing or explosions. However, if you want, you can customize your camper and modify it according to your choice. You can add a tracker, door locks, window locks, etc., to your camper and ensure your safety.
Why Should You Not Leave Your Truck Hooked To Your Camper?
Although we have seen most experts in favor of keeping your truck hooked to your camper overnight, there are a few scenarios where it is better to unhook your truck during the night. Depending on the type of RV you are traveling in, sometimes two vehicles are too big to move around.
It is difficult to run errands with it, and even parking both of them together becomes a hassle. In that case, it is better to unhook your truck from your camper and enjoy a safe parking spot. In that case, survey before making your final decision. Besides, keeping your truck unhooked will make it easier for you to run errands without wasting time on re-hooking.
Final Thoughts
To sum it up, keeping your camper hooked to your truck for extended hours is completely safe. However, whether you should hook it up depends entirely on your plans for the night and the next day. Both options are safe, and you will enjoy your trip.
However, if you decide to keep your truck hooked overnight, always run a checklist survey to ensure all your wire connections and locks are secure. Even before leaving, double-check your jacks and hooks to avoid accidents, and have a fun trip! Happy Camping.
I love crispy fried chicken, jogging, brisk walk, and I do sleep tight at night.