By Dale Wade
A friend and newbie travel trailer owner asked me what five items he MUST have on his RV travels. Not the usual stuff like sewer hose, water hose, etc., that we all know. He wants those items above and beyond the obvious. I asked a group of Facebook RV friends for suggestions. So, based on this totally unscientific survey, I divided the many responses into two categories.
If it ain’t broke now, it will be later
I find it interesting that folks who “go RVing” to relax and get away consider work-related items as the most necessary. Over 90 percent of respondents suggested items that one may need to repair a mechanical/electrical failure. The number one mentioned was fasteners, everything from duct tape to bungee cords, from zip ties to rope. Several even added office binder clips to the list. (I don’t get that one.)
Coming in at a close second were tool-related items. These included not only a well-rounded tool bag/box, but an assortment of stainless steel nuts, bolts, and screws. Add to that replacement fuses, volt meter, batteries, and a battery charger to cover the electrical side of enjoying being on the road.
Honorable mention goes to those who listed items to prevent problems. This included things like surge protectors, water regulators, awning tie-downs, and cable converters 30/50 and 50/30. The same goes for safety items like X-chocks, extra keys, a Ring doorbell (?), and a real fire extinguisher. Oh, let’s not forget the WD-40.
Relax and enjoy with a few extra indulgences
Finally, folks got around to mentioning stuff to make life a bit more comfortable. A few of those are helpful in the kitchen like a Keurig coffee maker, an air fryer, and a countertop ice maker. Others need a stick vacuum, Dish satellite, solar lights and a mattress topper. One noted a good old-fashioned fly swatter. (Can you even find one of those anymore?)
Of course, right up at the top was the adult beverages—you know, fine wine, beer (a 30-pack) and the whiskey brothers Jim and Jack. A very few noted that the “spouse” should be on the list, as well as a lot of money.
Well, there you have it. My unscientific, informal survey of MUST-HAVE items that I will pass along to my newbie friend. Of course, others have put more thought into this than my friends. If you are like me, you find a few things missing from this list. It will be interesting to know what those are.
Until next time, Happy Travels.
##RVT1075
Take lots of MONEY! RV’ing costs are getting ridiculous!
My toolbox includes a complete set of star bits for my screwdriver. I have needed them in every RV I have owned.
When you first start RV’ing there is a temptation to buy ‘inexpensive’ cooking gear. Resist the temptation. You don’t need to duplicate a house kitchen, but unless your diet is strictly hotdogs roasted over a campfire and bags of chips, buy quality cookware. The cheap stuff tends to have hotspots, delivering partly undercooked/partly overcooked. And it can be troublesome to wash. You didn’t hit the road to be aggravated by your eating process.
Does your RV have an small oven? Ours does and a single row gas burner at the bottom. It is hard to evenly heat the oven. Our (warning, not inexpensive) solution was to find a local metal artist and buy a pure copper sheet about 1/8″ thick that is a tad smaller than the metal shield over that single burner (as in don’t cover the air holes at the edges). Copper is a very efficient heat conductor and will do its best to distribute heat across the piece’s entire surface. You may have to increase the oven temp by 10-25 degrees.
I saw someone accomplish the same thing using a piece of ceramic tile.
Tried it. Tile (ceramic) breaks in the heat.
Pizza stone
Before our recent trip to MO I searched out a replacement for the broken all plastic fly swatter we had in the MH. After a few stops, I found what I wanted at Home Depot – A two-pack of long wire-handled plastic swatters for less than $2. While visiting relatives in MO, three different households also had exactly the same swatters! One mentioned finding theirs at Dollar General. If you don’t have one of these stores near you, just wait they’ll build you one shortly!
Recently a u tube video spoofed dollar general as they found a dollar general inside a dollar general Guess it’s the largest growing chain right now. Small towns really need them.
Ditch the RV and you won’t need to drag around so much junk. Seriously, if you need an ice maker or an air fryer, just stay home. You’re completely missing the point and probably ruining the experience for the people around you who do get it…
LOL I get your point, but I’m way too old to sleep on the ground in a sleeping bag. You will be too some day.
Me Too!! 1. Too Old. 2. Earned Camping in Style!! 3. Do have Ice Maker in RV Fridge though!! Yippee!!
Well in my younger days I slept under the stars with just a light weight sleeping bag and a plastic ground cloth. Drank stream water with iodine pills. Carried packets of freeze dried food. Just add water and heat on my campfire. Did that for years. As time, age and income increased went from pup tent to large wall tent. Then came an old Ford van. Then on to progressively larger and nicer 5vers and motor homes as age and income increased. Now at 80 I travel in luxury and comfort. And sure as he’ll don’t apologize for it!
Like your “Thinking”!!
I could have written this almost word for word including the old Ford van (I had more “fun” in that van than any other period of my life). Went through a series of RV’s, trailers, 5th wheels and now, at 76, a very comfortable motorhome.
Odd thing to say on an RV site!? My RV allows me to travel comfortably. I may be in a campground at times but I don’t camp anymore. I travel. I don’t bring an ice maker with me but you will find ice cube trays in my freezer. The experience is not the same for everyone and sometimes changes over time.
The best accessory I bought (actually free from the wife) was a small thin yoga mat. Use it every time I’m on the ground dumping the tanks, hooking up and placing blocks and chocs. Saves my knees and shoes. 👍
Same love the yoga mat I’ve used it a dozen times at least and I’m only 4 months into a 3 year adventure it really comes in handy even more so in states like NM where there is no grass, them rocks really hurt when you put your knee into one unless you have a yoga mat…
Office binder clip on end of side table to hold iPhone cables without having to reach on floor through a pile of cords.
Binder clips for closing off chip bags, cereal bags etc. Also best thing we’ve found to bring is a 12 pack of the “bento” type refrigerator storage containers. Those work very, very well for leftover storage in the smaller RV type refrigerators.
Binder clips are great “chip clips”; more durable and take up less room. They also make a great money clip for those wads of cash required for RV emergencies!
Have used binder clips in various sizes as mini CLAMPS. They easily hold items tight together. Great for glueing things together, holding while sewing, drilling, etc.
I’d say having my Leatherman tool on my belt is my #1 MUST HAVE! Things were always screaming to be fixed and in my senior years I often found myself struggling either to find the right tool, get it from underneath oodles of “stuff,” or worst – by the time I’m ready to tackle the problem I’ve forgotten what I was up to – YIKES! But now that I religiously carry my Leatherman in the RV, hardly anything breaks anymore. Touche RV, I’ll show ya 😉
Camping at Lake Erie I understand the need for a fly swatter, but also fly sticky tape. We picked some up at Lowes.
I use binder clips to attach blankets to my drivers compartment curtains. The difference in heat loss is noticeable.
I found I rarely need anyone else’s idea of a must have. I don’t take any electric appliances at all. For cooking, I use a stovetop Dutch oven mostly and a skillet and small thing to boil water. The dog and I have a teardrop trailer, so don’t need a lot. And I’m an old person.
Totally agree. We basically skip the “indulgence” list, as that mostly pertains to the rv park living.
Binder clips work great to close a bag of chips.
The Binder Clips also will hold your repair pages so they don’t blow away. Also get a 3-ring binder to keep items you find in different magazines so you could have a HOW TO when needed. You will never know when that article will come in handy.
We were asked this question on our RV’s forum recently. The best $40 we have spent on outfitting our MH has been on buying a toilet seat warmer! Requires an electric outlet nearby but in cold weather this item is worth more than its weight in gold. It attaches to the toilet lid and as long as the lid is down, it will keep the seat warm. Three different heat settings. And yes, we are travelers not campers. Happy Holidays everyone!
I just make sure my wife goes in first to warm up the seat!
Thank you, Dale! Merry Christmas! 🙂