Camping in RV is great and you can enjoy the outdoors with a homelike feeling. Campers come with appliances and amenities that can give you all things you would have in your home. But, RVing can be stressful and everything can get messed up if you don’t plan properly.
Preparing a full list of items you need before starting the journey can help a lot. Having such a RVing checklist makes it easy and you don’t end up messing things up.
RV Essentials
What RV essentials you need totally depends on you but some things should always be there in your RV storage else you could face problems.
Here is a list of important RV essentials in each department. This will be helpful if you are a beginner or renting an RV.
| Kitchen | Electrical | Living | Maintenance | Setup |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper Towels | Surge Protector | Emergency Kit | Holding tank treatment solution | Leveling Blocks |
| Garbage bags | Adapters | Water Filter | Fire Extinguisher | Hose Support |
| Can opener | Extension Cords | Bug spray | Tire Pressure Gauge | Wheel chocks |
| Match sticks or lighter | Flashlight | First Aid Kit | Duct Tape | Water Hose |
| Water Bottles | Battery jump cables | Air Freshener | Working gloves | Water Pressure regulator |
When you camp for the first time its important that you have some list with you. Instead of making a full checklist, dividing the entire checklist into sub categories can really help. In this post lets list out RV essentials under each category.
RV Kitchen Necessities
There will be ton of things to carry inside your RV kitchen. How to stock a camper kitchen is up to you and deciding on items priority is key. Keeping a full list ready before packing is important so that you don’t miss anything. While bigger motorhome will have larger space to accommodate things as you want, a smaller travel trailer may not give you that luxury and thus prioritizing is necessary. Lets put out a list of things you should carry for your kitchen.
- Cutting board
- Non stick cook wares, numbers depending on how many will be Rving
- Plates and bowls again as per number of people
- Cups and mugs
- Containers to carry spices and other ingredients (amazon link to check price)
- Sauce bottles
- Portable coffee maker : get this only if you need else it can be a space eater.
- Wine glasses
- Spoons and fork set
- Plastic containers : multiple with reducing sizes so that they can be packed easily.
- Paper towels and holder (amazon link)
- Measuring cups
- Mixing bowls
- Ice cube tray
There will be many other things that can be part of your kitchen but just make sure you don’t over-pack. Keeping a list can really help. A good idea is to build a list over a period of time. As you camp, remove items that go unused and keep those that are needed the most. This way you can really make it easy for you. Kitchen is an important part in your Rving experience and getting it right can make the Rving super cool. Specially when you have kids on-board preparing food is a real priority and getting things wrong in your kitchen can make it bad.
Electrical essentials
A RV has electric connections, switches, wires, lights and so many things that make the whole system work. While the electrical essentials may not come into play during normal outing, they will be needed when things go wrong. Having some of these things or at-least a basic electric kit will save you from annoyance. Especially when boondocking you don’t want these things to happen to you and thus have these essentials as part of your packing list. Lets see the RV Camping List that comes under electrical category.
- Surge protectors (amazon link) for 30 amp and 50 amps
- Batteries
- Jump Starter : Very essentials when boondocking, can help start a vehicle and also charge the batteries
- RV fridge fan
- Multi-meter or voltmeter
- Screw driver set (amazon link)
- Compact electric kit that has basic electric repairing tools
- Portable table fan
- 50 amp to 30 amp adapter
- 30 amp to 15 amp adapter
- Power cord or extensions
- Battery charger
- Portable Generator and inverter (amazon link)
Water essentials
Water and water essentials in RV are critical as that can affect the overall RVing experience. There are lot of such essentials that you need to Pack in an RV. Having good capacity fresh water and holding tanks is necessary for longer duration RVing. To support the whole water system inside the RV you need to have below additional accessories as well. Many of these will be needed while you start doing the set up at the campsite.
- Shower-head
- Shrinking hose
- Water pressure regulator (amazon link)
- Sewer hose
- Drinking water hose
- Portable water tank
- Water tank
- Water bottles
- Sewer hose support
- Holding tank treatment solution
- Water Filter (amaozn link)
Bathroom essentials
Most RV’s come with bathroom and toilet inside them. RVing has evolved over the years and it has become a home away from home. More and more people are going full-time RVing.
All RV’s do not have bathroom though. A very small pop up or tent trailer may not have a bathroom inside. Having a good sized bathroom equipped with all necessary items inside will only make you RV longer. Compromising on these things will be difficult experience and thus make sure you are fully packed with these items.
A compact yet well equipped bathroom and toilet makes it more interesting. A smaller RV will have a compact bathing space and thus having those innovative accessories is always great. Explore online as well as at retail shops to get accessories that are compact and multi-use for bathroom . Remember its going to be different as compared to your home bathroom and toilet.
- Sunscreen
- Shampoo and conditioner
- Toiler paper roll
- Toilet paper holder (amazon link)
- Toothpaste and toothbrush
- Soap and soap case
- Deodorant and body lotions
- Shaving kit
- Toothbrush holder
- Soap dispenser
- Towel holder
- Easy dissolving toiler paper (Amazon link)
- Toilet paper holder
- Air freshener
- Shower drain catcher (Amazon link)
- Wall mirror
Bedroom essentials
First time rving can be tough since you don’t know what to bring and what to not. Most people learn the right way of packing through experience. Bedroom is one such part of RVing that needs better planning else you may end up taking extra things that can increase the weight and eat up space.
Having a cozy bedroom inside a RV is a dream for all Rvers. Making sure your bedroom inside the RV is fully equipped for RVing experience is necessary. Make a full list of these items so that you don’t have to buy anything while RVing. Most bigger RV’s like class A or class C or even fifth wheels will have a bigger bedroom that are already equipped with all necessary items needed.
If you camp often then mostly the bedroom would be pre-arranged and you don’t have to worry much. But if you own a compact camper like travel trailer or if you are renting a RV then such a list makes sense and is more critical.
- Bed sheets
- All essentials clothes
- Clothes hangers (amazon link)
- Socks
- Pillows
- Pillow covers
- Jackets and winter clothes (if its winter time)
- Sewing kit
- Towels and napkins
Living room essentials
RV Living Essentials will depend from person to person. Living inside a RV can be incredibly amazing for a family. A small compact living area will allow you to be with each other in a completely different manner. Living area are mostly convertible where in you make use of it as dinning area as well as living. Having electronic gadgets and other entertainment systems can make it more interesting. If you are a family having kids then do get some games that you can play during indoor relaxing.
- Sofa covers
- Dinning table covers
- Dinning set
- foldable Chairs (amazon link)
- Weather radio (amazon link)
- Portable television (if you own a smaller RV without normal TV)
- Entertainment games like playing card
- Table napkins
- Electronic gadgets like laptop, Bluetooth speakers
Outdoor activity essentials
RVing is not all about spending time inside the RV. You can do that very well but getting out and enjoying the outside world is also important. Boondocking is all about getting out of the RV and having fun.
Outdoor activities make it more fun and for that you need to plan before leaving. Setting up a grill and enjoying that barbecued food will need pre-preparation. It totally depends in which area you are RVing. You can play games, do activities like rock climbing, swimming depending on the campsite or boondocking area. Below is the list of items that you can carry.
- Camping chairs (amazon link)
- Outdoor compact barbecue grill (Amazon link)
- barbecue coal and sticks
- paper cups, plates
- Binoculars
- Outdoor games
- Books
- Swimming suits
- Shoes
- Hammock
- Food items Grilling
- Easy to arrange tents and shades
- Mats
- Hats or caps
- hunting items if you interesting in that
- Portable coffee maker (amazon link)
Maintenance and repair essentials
A RV can remain in use for years but an old RV needs good maintenance. Having some basic repair and maintenance things with you can come handy at times. An awning or a window may need adjusting. Such a mammoth engine may need repairing at times which you yourself can tackle if you have the required tools with you.
Not only the RV but also the interior appliances may at times need repairing or fixing. Having such a basic kit will always save you from lot of headache. Lets see some of the basic items that you need to carry inside a RV or camper.
- Folding ladder (amazon link)
- Leveling blocks
- Drop cloth
- A small drill (amazon link)
- Adjustable wrench
- Scissor
- Silicone and Caulking gun
- Screws, bolt and other nuts Kit
- Duct tape
- Electric testing kit
- Hydraulic jack
- Tire pressure monitoring
- Hammer
- LED light torch (amazon link)
- A safety helmet
- Cleaning brush
- Inspection mirror with LED
- Fire extinguisher
- Plumber putty
- Rope
- Working gloves
- A small pocket knife
Other general but important items to carry
There can be unlimited list of things people would love to bring in their RV. But, always remember to prioritize else you will end up overloading the RV. A motorhome or travel trailer need to be inside the recommended weight limits else that can be against the rule and will also lead to many issues. Having a handy list before starting the packing for RVing is always great and also you don’t give a chance to miss anything . Lets check out the General Essentials RV checklist.
- books
- First Aid kit and medicines (amazon link)
- DVD’s
- Window covers
- Coffee pots
- Outdoor fun games
- Folding table
- Dehumidifier (amazon link)
- Air compressor
- Walkie talkie
- RV GPS
- Water filter
- Back pack
- Hiking shoes
- Swimming costumes
- Instant pot for kitchen
- Blender
- Hammock
Unique things to carry that will make camping or RVing easy
Lets see some of the unique must have RV accessories that can really make the RV camping easy and fun.
- Hand held vacuum : camping can make the whole rv floor dirty and you definitely don’t want to do the job using a broom. Thus, get a quality vacuum that’s smaller in size.
- Bubble level : Getting the trailer leveled is very critical and not keeping it leveled can cause damage to your refrigerator. Get a bubble level to see if the RV is really well leveled or not.
- RV GPS : This is an interesting one. It can really help to find out lots of RV related things like campground parking and so many other things. Phone gps may turn out to be useless at times. A lot of companies have worked on such GPS and having one on your RV is must.
- Fridge airator : A unique product that can be used inside fridge to absorb odors and smells
- Portable campfire rig
- Portable Bluetooth speakers
- Digital wireless camera
Planning is key for better RVing. Plan a proper list and update that list as you camp month after month. If you are RVing for the first time or have been doing it for past many years, having a list of items to pack really helps. Hope these tips for packing for RV has helped both beginners and others as well. Happy camping.
