This trip started with the idea of going to Van Horn, Texas to watch a Blue Origin rocket launch.  Our initial thought was to simply go for the launch, then we realized that we were going to be in a dark sky area and that added to our excitement.  From that initial idea, our scope expanded, and we realized that we could go to a National Park to enjoy dark sky while also experimenting with cold weather camping.  National parks are not as crowded during the winter season so, we decided to go to a couple of really popular ones, Arches and Canyonlands National Parks in Moab, Utah. 

Days before our trip began, I started my pre-departure routine.

My pre-departure routine is a well thought out, ever-evolving series of repeatable steps that support our safety practices. If you are developing your own pre-departure routine or looking for ideas or steps others may take to get ready for a road trip, I wrote an article about my routine that I encourage you to read.

My routine includes turning on my tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) and checking the Airstream’s tire pressure.  It takes a few minutes for the monitor to make the initial connection to all the sensors, so shortly after starting my initial walk-around, an audible alarm showed that the driver side tire on the Airstream’s front axle was low.  The monitor showed 55 pounds when it should have been 80. 

Fortunately, I have an after market, onboard air compressor system on the Ram, so I was able to fill the tire up quickly.  I thought I heard air at the stem after bringing the tire to the normal pressure, so I dropped soapy water on it, and it began to bubble just a few seconds later. 

Once we finished the rest of our pre-departure routine, I added air to the tire again so we could drive it a mile to a tire shop.  I explained to the technician that we were at the beginning of a long road trip and was told that they would do everything they could to get us out of the shop as quickly as possible.  They promised to have us out within an hour.

Our Airstream has two axles so getting a damaged tire off the ground is as fast and easy as driving the good tire onto a Trailer Aid.  I almost always carry a Trailer Aid with me but didn’t for some reason on this trip. I was still able to duplicate the process by using my leveling block. 

The Trailer Aid or block method shown above prevents potential damage caused by a jack positioned in the wrong place on the frame of a tandem axle trailer.

A technician came out to the RV about 15 minutes after I put the trailer on the ramp. He removed the tire, took it into the shop, and brought it back about 30 minutes later.  They found that the rubber around the valve stem deteriorated just enough to cause an inconsistent leak.  Once the tire was back on the Airstream, I took a few minutes to check torque, and off we went. The $27 repair only took about 45 minutes.

As we waited for the tire to come back from the shop, I started thinking about all of the potential issues that we avoided because our tire pressure monitoring system identified a problem during our pre-departure routine.

• We were not forced to pull over on the side of the freeway, so we avoided potential damage and/or serious injury from a secondary accident. 
• Our trip was delayed only 45 minutes because we found the issue during our pre-departure routine. We were able to drive the RV to a tire shop right down the road from our storage unit and they started servicing the tire almost immediately.  We did not have to wait by the side of the road for help to arrive.
• Some trailers don’t have steel wheel wells, and a blown tire can put a hole in the floor of the camper.
• Rubber shrapnel can damage slide outs. That is not a a risk for us because our Flying Cloud does not have a slide out, but it is certainly a risk for readers who do.
• Depending on how the tire comes apart, it can also damage the exterior body of the RV, skirts, and some of the aluminum or fiberglass outer wall.
• Wires and propane lines that run near the tires can be damaged by a blowout.

We had the right equipment and the right processes in place to identify a potential issue so, we discovered a tire problem early. Our routine prevented a small problem from becoming a big one and it prevented a blow-out which would have injected unnecessary expense and drama into an otherwise peaceful road trip.

I hope that you have an effective pre-departure routine and if not, I hope that you captured some ideas that may be helpful in developing one of your own. See you down the road!

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