10 Things to have when RVing
1. Sway/ Hitch Displacement system
When I first bought our RV, I pulled it just using a typical ball and tow hitch. As someone who had pulled regular trailers before, I felt blown away by how much I felt the trailer sway and trying to figure out the tow brake system made me feel way too nervous about pulling a trailer a long distance. The first thing I looked into was a set of sway bars and a weight distribution hitch. We went with the EZ Lift Elite Weight Distribution hitch. This was an immediate game changer. They typically run around $270-$300. Definitely worth the peace of mind. It made the pulling feel so much safer and I felt much more confident in my truck's ability to pull it.
2. Power & Electrical Hookups
If you are planning to hook up your RV to any form of electricity I would recommend a good set up with a surge protector, power adapter and an extension cord. A lot of people skip on the surge protector, but the more I have looked into it, the more I would recommend it. The cost to fix electrical or worse having a fire pop up due to an electrical overload would definitely ruin your camping trip. I would also highly encourage you to get a generator inverter. Anyone that knows generators knows that Honda’s make some of the best and quietest, but other companies are also bringing forth better competition. These can be pricey, but if you are camping in the middle of August and want to run an AC. The output on an AC and microwave are too high for your RV’s batter, so you would definitely want to get a generator. Another alternative would be investing in solar panels to help with the electrical loads. Please research what size you need to be compatible with your needs.
3. Water System Gear
I would recommend immediately getting a white fresh water hose that is only used for drinking water. No one wants to accidently get that hose mixed up with the one you use to clean the septic hose set up. Another thing you should get is a water pressure regulator. Not knowing the psi that a campground or city water uses, can cause damage to your water system if the PSI is too high. Another add on I would highly recommend is a water filter you can add to the incoming water line. A lot of campgrounds have water that can be pretty heavy with iron and other minerals. A water filter can easily help you maintain clean water for drinking. One last addon I have seen pop up lately is a 90 degree hose elbow. This helps a lot with the weight of the hose longterm and helps insure you don't mess up the threading or create leaks down the road.
4. Sewer Setup
One of the most important things you need to have planned out is your sewer system set up. We have a Camco Rhino Sewer hose kit. It has a clear elbow piece which allows you to see how the stuff is flowing out. I would highly suggest that you get a good set of gloves that will only be used for the black water set up. I would make sure they are durable and try to only have to touch the house once. The more you touch it, the more you could open the opportunity for sickness etc. I would also suggest you have a specific hose geared towards rinsing your black water hose. No one wants to get that hose and the fresh water hose mixed up by accident. If you plan on putting your hose in the bumper piece, you can also upgrade the caps on the bumper to ensure they don’t fall out going down the road. Make sure you are only using RV designed toilet paper as well. It is designed to break down inside an RV and normal toilet paper will ruin your system.
5. Kitchen & Cooking
I know that your RV will most likely have a grill/stove set up. However, I can’t help but recommend having an additional jet boil on hand. Whether you are camping in a tent or doing an RV, the Jet Boil heats up fast, can pack into some pretty small places and is just incredibly handy if you need to boil something quickly. I would also recommend having a good set of pots, pans and utensils. For this, I would recommend hitting up a local dollar/value store or yard sale. Many people are looking to get rid of those things and you can get pretty reliable cookware pretty easily. For me, the most essential item I would recommend is finding a good coffee maker. There are some portable espresso makers if you really want to get fancy. I would highly recommend bringing a wash pan/bucket you can place in your sink. It can make dishes pretty quickly and help limit what goes down into your tank which can help limit having to drain your tanks. One thing that many people overlook is also trash bags. If you are dry camping, it is essential to leave your camp area cleaner than you found it, and I know in my experience, trashbags are sometimes the last item we think to remember throwing in.
6. Mattress
We bought our RV from a private party. The first thing I upgraded was the mattress. We went with the Celestial 10 inch RV Short Queen Mattress. We found this for around $250 on Amazon and are really pleased with it. Mattresses can range a lot in price. The good news is there are a lot of options out there that can be pretty affordable and reasonably priced. If you do stick with the typical mattress that comes with the RV, I highly recommend a good pillow topper. A standard mattress is still better than the floor, but a pillow topper can go a long ways into waking up happy.
7. Setup Gear
When it comes to setting up your RV when you get to your campsite, I highly recommend investing in various sizes of leveling blocks. Whatever leveling systems you go with though, keep them the same brand, so that you can snap them together easily. If you have different brands, they don’t always work together. Some of the new leveling blocks help you adjust quickly, because they are built more like a ramp and can be driven up onto until your gauges show that the trailer is level. Another thing that is important is having good wheel chocks. This is a safety must have to ensure your trailer doesn’t shift or move on you. We had some plastic ones but upgraded to rubberized ones based on durability and their ability to gain traction with various elements like dirt, gravel or pavement. We also got the x-chock stabilizer to help with extra stability. It is very easy to set up and does a great job.
8. Tools:
Tools that I would highly recommend is a good level to help assist getting the trailer leveled out for the trip. There are some new electronic ones like the Beech Lane Wireless leveler that connects to your phone and makes leveling much easier. I would still have a standard level as well just in case you are like most of us and run out of battery on your phone. The other investment I got was a socket driving set. With a lot of the stabilizers using bolts to move, using one with a drill speeds up a lot of time. It is important to take your time and hand tighten those stabilizers in the end, but a drill and drive socket set helps save time. As with any trailer, I would suggest getting a good tire pressure gauge. It is important to know the levels of where your tires are at. As with any camping, get a good flashlight or lantern. Most rvs have good light systems, but when you are trying to work on things, a good flashlight is worth its weight in gold.
9. Safety Equipment
Since you will be camping outdoors usually, it is important to always check on your safety equipment. When cooking inside, fires can happen, so make sure you have an up to date fire extinguisher. I would also recommend fire blankets. Another one is to make sure you have a working carbon monoxide detector. Most new RVs have them, but it is always good to have one just in case. Lastly, make sure you have a good roadside kit for when things don’t always go as planned.
10. Outdoor Living/Fire Time
One of the most important things you need is a good camping chair to sit by the fire in. To me the most memorable experiences when camping are the nighttime fires with family and friends. Not all chairs are made equal, so I would highly recommend you find the perfect chair for you. I will do an entire blog on this down the road, because there are so many sizes and types to fit your desire. The good news is that I believe this has been improved greatly over the last few years and the technology around camping chairs has many new caveats that make chairs so much more comfortable.
Once you start RVing more and more, you will find things you never thought you needed and some things you realize you never really needed. I am sure there are a lot more things out there that could make your camping excursions great, but here is a great start to your adventure!