Rving can be so much fun, specially for people who camp with family. Being together camping can give you huge joy. There is no other experience like living or traveling in a RV. When it comes to living in Rv you are surrounded by RV accessories and appliances that make your life easy in RV.
When you talk about accessories in RV different people have different takes on it. It depends a lot on your way of living, lifestyle and habits. Many of the accessories are those that you have been using at your home in day to day life and you just cant live without those even in your RV. Market will always be flooded with all sorts of tools, gadgets or appliances that are less costly, easy to use and help you do the tasks easily or save on time. Here are 15 RV accessories that you must have in your RV.
1. RV GPS
When one travels in a RV, having a GPS is very much important. But a traditional phone GPS can quickly become less useful and you may feel it is inadequate for your needs. RVs because of their height and length needs special GPS that will assist you in parking with those heights and lengths and so many other things that are needed for RV. Thankfully RV is a big market and thus there have been development of GPS specially designed for RV’s.
The RV specialized GPS are designed in a such way that they take into considerations their dimensions, RV needs like hookups. RV GPS can be helpful to find out Parking specially for RVs, stops that are RV friendly, campgrounds that are with hookups. RV GPS can also be helpful in identifying bridges that low for the height of your RV and whether you should a particular road or way due to that. There are number of options in RV GPS to chose from due to growing and large RV market.
Although there have been many players into this market still its soace that struggle a bit, but definatly with time this should turn itslef with greater accuracy and information. Having RV GPS could be of great use if you travel long and travel often in your RV. Some of the best RV GPS options inlcude GARMIN, RAND McNally RVND and Magellan RoadMate. Some of the features that you would find on this will include:
- A large display normally as large as 7 inches or more.
- You can customize the APP to include your interests like campgrounds, Rv parks and other things
- You can feed in information specific to your RV like height, length, width of your Rv
- Any other specific things to your Rv type or brand like tools.
- Voice activated navigation
- Spoken route names
- Lane assist, lifetime map updates
2. Tire Pressure Monitors
Tires are most important parts of your Rv and anything wrong with them could mean a lot of headache. A tire pressure monitoring system isn’t cheap but it is definitely a thing to go for. Just consider the cost you may have to bear in case of blowout. And it can also be very dangerous, a fast moving Rv and you tires blowout could be a deadly combo for a crash and slide. It can cost you in the range of $150-$250 but it is worth it if you travel more and travel long distances. Monitoring tires is important but most people neglect them and take it for granted. However this can be dangerous and even in short travels tire can get heated fast.
A monitoring system for pressure is easy to use and you should buy one if it wasn’t included in your rig at the start. Many a times you would arrive at your destination and then have a look at the tires and you would feel that the tires are low. But that may late, and you may have to bear the consequences for till you get to inflate them. A study conducted by NHTSA showed that 50% of all tires are under inflated. A properly inflated tire can increase the handling and braking. Considering these factors a tire pressure monitoring system is a must for your RV.
Some of the best tire pressure monitoring system includes TireMinder A1A, EEZTire TPMS6, Tire-SafeGuard and Bellacorp System. While these systems are designed to measure pressure, they also do lot of other tasks like indicating temperatures of tire. temperature of tire increases when they are about to go flat and this parameter can be of great use. The sensors can be installed on each of the tires and you can monitor from the drivers seat. This will give you sense of relaxing and will alert you in case of upcoming failure.
3. Water Regulator
You Rv lifestyle needs a lot of water and whole lot of pipeline that brings in good water to you and send the used water back. Having bad water pressures can result in failure of your water piping system. However keeping a close check can help you from this. Specially when you are connected to the water system of a campground the pressure can be high to handle for your RV piping system. And such high pressure water can damage the water system and cost you a lot to do the repairs and replace the pipes and accessories.
What water pressure regulator does is it controls the incoming water pressure to minimum level that can be around 50-60 PSi for your RVs. The incoming water pressure from campground could be high in the range of 100 PSI which your rv may not be capable of handling. Campgrounds normally will have regulated water but just in case or if the flow is inconsistent or your appliances need different psi then the water pressure regulator can come handy.
The water regulator normally comes in as a small device that you can fit and regulate the water pressure. They are mostly easy to installed and can cost you anything less than $10. Its a small piece of gadget but it can make you camping experience great and its absence can be hurting at times.
4. First Aid kit
Traveling long can be risky and a emergency can occur at any time. Safety during travel should be your priority and you should not take it for granted. Having a first aid kit in your RV is a important. You should carry it all the time whether its a long distance travel or a short trip to any any nearby campground. While building your own first aid kit can be easy and affordable try to go for ready made first aid kits available in market. Those will not only have items up to date but will also be compact. Also building a similar first aid kit that can have all such items can be more costly if you make it on your own. You should be able to find brands that make such first aid kits and sell online.
5. disposable Gloves
While your first aid kit may have some gloves needed for medical use, try to have stock of gloves that you will need for other purposes. Synthetic rubber gloves can be used that will help to provide safety from waste water, chemicals or any other solvents while you are traveling and living in Rv. Besides gloves can help in providing firm grip while you are working or fixing anything in the RV
6. Leveling Blocks for RV
If your RV does not have a electric or hydraulic levelers than this is a must for your RV. The leveling blocks help in lifting few of the tires so that all the tires are at same level. When you park in a state or national park you cannot expect it to be perfectly leveled for you and this can be a problem for you while you are camping. Having this blocks will always be good and you wont have problems even if you see uneven spaces in the park area. The leveling blocks are perfect for your RV or camper and helps in protecting you Rv.
Usually such leveling blocks would come in pack of 10. You would want to use those for max three tires and at least one tire should be on ground that’s the rule. Also the blocks usually weight very less, even less that wooden blocks and thus can be easily carried and wouldn’t come as burden for your RV storage. These leveling blocks are built sturdy and strong and they wouldn’t bury under ground even with very high RV weight. They are priced anything from $5 to $35 and easily available online for sale.
7. Portable Air Compressor for RV
Under inflated tires can be dangerous for your Rv. And you may want to ensure that your Rv has the right pressure. When you are headed for a long travel in unfamiliar region it can be difficult if you have a flat tire. Its best to have a air compressor in your Rv so that you have the solution in case you face problems with your tire pressure. It can cost you anything starting from as low as $50 to $200
8. Portable Coffee Maker
RV kitchen is a moist important aspect of RV and your camping goes smooth when you have a well equipped and well stored kitchen and pantry. Having those small appliances in your kitchen can be most handy while you don’t want to cook full meals. A coffee on a day while you travel can help a lot. If you are coffee lover than having a potable coffee maker can be useful. Specially if you are on a long trip or camping for many days then having a coffee maker is a must unless you just hate coffee.
If you are camping with a large family then having one can be make your life easier. Also on long travel sipping on coffee can be good and healthy. You can find coffee makers that come at $25 or more. At this price its definitely worth it and a must have in your RV.
9. A compact and Quite generator
Having a generator in your RV is no point to mention. But try to buy a one that is more compact. They can be bulky and add on weight in your RV. There have been advances and you can easily find one at much lower price. try to compare the generators for various things their technical details, output, capability. But most importantly read review about their noise. generators can be very noisy, its disturbing not only to you in your RV but also people around you who are camping with you in campground. You definitely don’t want that annoyance and also don’t want your fellow campers to get annoyed by it. Buy one that suits your budget but also makes sure you don’t compromise on quality for price.
10. Solar Oven
Solar Oven can be helpful on hot summer days when you simply don’t want the heat from your RV stove. Besides they are energy savers and can be extremely helpful on tight budgets. Advances in solar equipment have made this possible. Cooking doesn’t take that long and you can cook lots of dishes with solar ovens. Try to buy the one that is light in weight and compact enough for your RV. It may seem like trouble in the beginning but once you are used to it, you will find it to be a great kitchen friend.
11. RV Water Filter
Drinking clean water while you are rving should be your priority. While most campground will provide water that is clean and good for drinking, its upto you whether you want to filter it and then drink it. Water may be dirty at times and may also contains sediments that you may want to filter out. specially if you have kids that are younger than 5 years then you may want to be more cautious and filter the water before using it.
Campgrounds would normally provide chlorinated water which could smell a bit at times. So you may want to remove the smell using the filter and improve its taste. Kids normally would complain about the taste and you may want to give them water that tastes good. There are quite a different types filter available in market, try the one that you are used to at home. The best available in the market is based on nano technology which removes contaminants better than any other technology.
12. Battery Operated Radio for weather Updates
One thing that you need to be careful while RVing is weather. It is such a thing that its better to know about it in advance. Specially if you are headed on a long trip. Floods, tornado’s, snow, heavy rain or high winds can be dangerous and cause damage that your certainly want to avoid in all circumstances. Having a weather update radio can come very handy and help you plan in advance. Buy a one that comes with automatic updates so that you don’t miss the update coming in. You should be able to get it in less than a $30. It definitely worth it and doesn’t cost much and nor takes much space. A battery operated radio will make sure you have all the updates even when you don’t have the power as well.
13. Hoses and Sewer Hose Support
This one is no brainier, and mentioning it here just for the sake. Everyone would have it in their checklist. You would need one for getting the fresh water into your Rv and the other for sending waste water out. One important thing to keep in mind is make sure you use different colour hoses for both and that should be easily identifiable. Also make sure you use lead free hose for fresh water system. One other important thing that you should include in your RV accessories is a Sewer hose support. Having such a support for your hose is smart a way to go. Such a sewer hose support helps in keeping the hose stable so that drainage is consistent and smooth. A sewer hose support equipment can cost you in the range for $20-$40
14. Flashlights or headlamps
Flashlights or headlamps can be extremely useful during night. For example if you happen to go out looking for someone, or your dog. Camping in areas that are isolated may need to you step out at night walking. During such times at night these flashlights will be very useful. These are must haves in your Rv. Even during power failures these can come handy. You never know when you will be in dark and need a Rv repairs at night, hence its best to have one always. You should be able to get them cheap online.
15. Powerbank
Camping in isolated areas far away from localities is a common thing. Its a adventure and many people love it. But a disadvantage of such a thing is that you may sometimes be out of touch with basic needs like power. At time your mobile phone battery may die and you may want to charge it back. Having a power bank is always a way to go. And you never know when an emergency occurs and you need a mobile connectivity badly, so its best to keep a power backup in your RV. Having solar power bank can also be handy. At times when there is no power you can power up your power bank using solar energy. There are lots of those in the market and you wouldn’t need to spend much on them.
Conclusion
This is a list that we have put depending on what items will be mostly needed in RV. However there will always be lots of other items that can be listed. Different people will have different view on this but its upto oneself on what to have and what to not. While some of the items may not come into use every time you go camping but many of the items will come handy when you need them badly. And that will make you happy that you had the item in your RV.
