You know the feeling. The temperatures start dropping. The toy haulers come out. UTVs and dirt bikes start getting serviced. Riding groups start planning their first trips.

Dune season is coming. 

Whether you're headed to Glamis, Dumont Dunes, Ocotillo Wells, or another favorite desert riding destination, now is the time to start preparing—not the night before you're supposed to leave. After months away from the desert, your RV, toy hauler, machines, riding gear, camping equipment, and campsite accessories all deserve a good inspection. Here are 15 things to do before your first desert trip of dune season so you can spend less time fixing problems at camp and more time riding, relaxing, and making memories.

1. Inspect Your RV or Toy Hauler

Start with the biggest piece of your setup. If your RV, fifth wheel, travel trailer, or toy hauler has been sitting during the off-season, give it a complete inspection before your first trip.

Check items such as: Tires and tire pressure, Brakes, Wheel and towing components, Batteries, Exterior lights, Roof and seals, Awning, Slides, Hitch equipment, Safety equipment. Follow your manufacturer's maintenance recommendations and take care of anything questionable before hitting the highway. Your desert weekend starts with getting there safely.

2. Start and Test Your Generator

Don't discover a generator problem after you've already arrived in the dunes. Start it at home and make sure it's operating properly. Test the equipment you'll depend on at camp, especially if the generator hasn't been used regularly during the off-season. If maintenance is due, get it handled before the first trip.

3. Test Your RV's Electrical and Water Systems

Go through the trailer like you're already camping. Check your: Interior and exterior lights, Outlets, Water pump, Freshwater system, Refrigerator, Air conditioner, Battery system, Other essential equipment. Finding a problem in your driveway gives you time to repair it properly. Finding it Friday night in the middle of the desert doesn't.

4. Get Your UTVs, ATVs and Dirt Bikes Ready

Your toys have probably been waiting for dune season just as long as you have. Before loading them into the trailer, inspect and service them according to the manufacturer's recommendations. Depending on your machine, that may include checking: Oil and fluids, Tires, Brake, Battery, Drive belt, Air filter, Suspension, Steering, Lights, Electrical connections. Then actually run the machine. Don't assume it's ready because it ran perfectly on your last trip.

5. Inspect Your Trailer Tires

Trailer tires deserve their own spot on this list. Check: Tire pressure, Tread condition, Sidewalls, Cracking, Damage, Spare tire condition. Also verify that your trailer maintenance is current. The last place you want to begin dune season is on the shoulder of the highway.

6. Go Through Your Riding Gear

Pull everything out. Yes, everything. Check your: Helmets, Goggles, Gloves, Boots, Riding clothes, Protective equipment, Communications equipment. Replace anything damaged, excessively worn, expired, or no longer appropriate for use. It's much easier to order something now than discover it's missing while everyone else is getting ready to ride.

7. Restock Your Tools and Spare Parts

Remember that tool you borrowed from your desert toolbox six months ago? Make sure it actually made its way back. Go through your tools and supplies before the season begins. Depending on your machines and riding conditions, consider what spare parts and equipment you may reasonably need.

Your setup might include: Basic hand tools, Tire repair equipment, Portable air source, Flashlights, Chargers, Spare fuses, Machine-specific spare parts, Appropriate recovery equipment. Carry equipment suited to your machines and know how to use it safely.

8. Check Your Recovery and Emergency Equipment

Things don't always go according to plan in the desert. Make sure your group has appropriate recovery and emergency equipment before leaving camp. That includes essentials such as: First-aid supplies, Drinking water, Flashlights, Communication equipment, Navigation, Recovery equipment appropriate for your vehicles, Emergency supplies. Preparation becomes especially important when you're riding away from populated areas or after dark.

9. Clean and Organize the Toy Hauler

Nobody wants to start a new season surrounded by last season's mess. Empty unnecessary equipment. Clean the garage. Organize cabinets. Check storage compartments. Restock supplies. Give everything a designated location. A clean toy hauler makes loading easier and makes camp much more enjoyable once you arrive.

10. Think About the Upgrades You Wanted Last Season

Here's the one everyone forgets. Think back to your last desert trip. What did you keep saying you wanted to upgrade?

Maybe it was: Better campsite lighting, New outdoor chairs, Additional storage, Better communication equipment, Improved battery capacity, New riding lights, A better camp setup, New flags, A way to make camp easier to find. Don't wait until you're sitting around the first campfire saying:

“We should've bought that before we came.” Dune season preparation isn't only about maintenance. It's also the perfect time to upgrade your setup.

11. Make Your Campsite Easier to Find

Once the desert fills up again, hundreds of RVs and toy haulers can begin looking surprisingly similar especially after dark. You leave camp for a ride. Visit another group. Head over to an event.

Ride the dunes until sunset. Then it's time to find your way back. That's exactly why DipWhipz was created. A 25FT illuminated campsite locator rises high above your campsite, creating a recognizable landmark that can help you identify your camp from a distance. Instead of looking for another white toy hauler among hundreds of others:

Never Lose Your Campsite Again.

12. Upgrade Your Campsite Before the Rush

Your UTV isn't the only thing worth upgrading. Your campsite is where the entire weekend comes together. It's where everyone meets before a ride. It's where you cook. It's where the kids hang out. It's where friends gather. It's where everyone returns at the end of the night. Make it yours. A DipWhipz 25FT campsite locator doesn't just help make your camp recognizable it gives your entire setup a presence that stands out when the desert comes alive after sunset. If DipWhipz was one of those upgrades you kept saying you'd get “before next season,” now is the time to get your setup ready.

13. Do a Full Test Setup at Home

One of the smartest things you can do before the first trip is simulate part of your campsite setup at home. Turn everything on. Test the generator. Check your accessories. Power up your lights. Test your communications equipment. Inspect your camping gear. Set up new equipment you've purchased. If you're bringing your DipWhipz, familiarize yourself with the setup before arriving at the desert. A driveway is a much better place to learn something than a dark campsite.

14. Plan Your First Trip Before Everyone Else Does

Popular desert weekends can become busy quickly.

Start planning: Destination, Departure date, Camping location, Riding group, Fuel, Food, Water, Supplies, Weather considerations, Emergency plans. Coordinate with your group ahead of time so everyone knows where you're meeting and what equipment each person is bringing. The better the plan, the easier the weekend.

15. Don't Wait Until the Night Before

This might be the most important tip of all. Don't wait. Once cooler weather arrives, everyone starts preparing at the same time. Service shops get busy. Parts need ordering. Accessories sell. Everyone suddenly remembers what they meant to fix six months ago. Start now. Get the trailer ready. Get the machines ready. Get the riding gear ready. Get your camping equipment ready. And get those upgrades you've been wanting handled. Because when that first perfect desert weekend arrives... You shouldn't be working on your setup. You should be using it.

DIPWHIPZ

Never Lose Your Campsite Again.

FIND YOUR WAY.