Thursday, November 19, 2015

25 Essential Items all RV’s Must Have…

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We are often asked about what things we have that we would recommend that all RV’ers have. Since we have been full timing nearly five years now I think we are finally qualified to make a list of recommendations that we think all or most RV’ers should strongly consider having in their RV. This blog will focus on those items that should be purchased first. I mean you have an RV now what items do you still need to buy before going out on your first trip…
  1. A high quality RV water hose specifically designed for safe drinking water (buy 2 as you will need the extra one one day to reach the water spigot)
  2. RV water pressure regulator to prevent damage to internal plumbing
  3. In-line 100 micron fiber water filter  (cheaper by the four pack)
  4. To ensure premium water quality for drinking add another in line filter
  5. 30 amp or 50 amp extension cord
  6. 30/50 amp or 50/30 amp converter
  7. RV 30 or 50 amp Surge Protector - Two popular brands are SurgeGuard and Progressive Industries
  8. Surge Protector to protect your computer and appliances
  9. RhinoFLEX 15' RV Sewer Hose Kit – get an extension hose as you will need it someday
  10. 50 foot Coaxial Cable for TV hookups
  11. Premium first aid kit
  12. 150 PSI portable air compressor – needed to maintain air pressure on RV tires
  13. Portable ladder – We have a simple 6 foot ladder but if I had to do it over again I would get the more versatile collapsible ladder
  14. RV Tire Pressure Monitor System – I have to be honest as we still don’t have one of these but I would probably buy the one from Pressure Pro found here
  15. Outdoor propane grills – maybe not a must have but I certainly must have one – the two we like are the Weber Q series or the Coleman Series. We have the Coleman but when it wears out I will likely try the Weber.
  16. RV GPS – We love our GPS device. It is not perfect but we certainly would be less comfortable traveling down unknown routes without it. We also use our smartphone GPS as well. They seem to sometimes offer different routes which make it even better traveling. Two popular options are the Garmin RV 760LMT and the Magellan RoadMate RV9165-LM
  17. Walkie Talkies (Two-Way Radios) - Two-way radios make for a handy RV tool we parking in your new site. We don’t use these since we have a speaker at the rear of the RV that serves the same purpose. But communication while parking just might save your marriage ;)
  18. Weather Radio - Having a weather radio – When the weather is getting rough this is a must have!
  19. Camping Chairs – again maybe not a must have but we certainly must have them – we love the Zero Gravity Recliners the best
  20. Patio Rug – another highly preferred item to have for the more extended stays
  21. RV Extendable Brush – all the money we spend on our RV we surely should protect that investment
  22. RV Leveling Blocks – Plastic stacking blocks that weigh next to nothing when compared to heavier wooden blocks.  They also take up less storage space. 
  23. Microfiber Door Mat – We just ordered a new one to replace our nearly 5 year old mat
  24. RV Tire Covers – As expensive as RV tires are they must be protected
  25. RV Windshield Covers – there are lots of people out there that make these such as Sunguard, Shade Pro and Sunshades4less.  Our RV came with one when we bought it used. We certainly wouldn’t want to live without it.
Did we miss anything? It would be interesting to hear from other fellow full-timers as to what they would add to this list!

19 comments:

  1. That seems to be about the most of the items one will need, then get on the road and enjoy an amazing lifestyle.

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  2. Good list, we have everything except 17 and 24. And 25 but we have a fifth wheel so it doesn't count. lol As far as the tire pressure monitoring system, if you ever get one I would suggest you take a look at TST. We started with PressurePro and didn't have great luck with it. The sensors kept dying and you can't replace the batteries yourself. You have to send the sensor back and they don't send a new one until they get the old one. Didn't work too great with a traveling lifestyle. TST sensors just take regular batteries and we can replace them ourselves. Plus TST monitors pressure and temperature while Pressure Pro only does pressure. We like it much better.

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  3. We have the Weber Q at the condo. We got the stand too, but you wouldn't need that. Very compact, perfect for storage in limited space, and works great.

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  4. Your list is very good and will be extremely helpful to new fulltimers.

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  5. I think you nailed it! We have all those items on the list except the 50' of coax since we have a dish. There are times however I wished I had it so I could hook up to the park cable. One thing we bought that I wished we didn't was an RV water softener, we just don't use it......

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  6. I agree, except since I travel solo, I don't need a walki-talki. Tire covers are important if one is camping mostly in AZ or NM - the dry heat seems to affect the tires a lot. I have all except the walki-talki - your brands or others. Probably all work pretty much the same. Great list for beginning RVers! :)

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  7. dedGood list, but we don't need an air compressor because we can air up with a hose from our air system built into the coach. Also we have never really felt the need for an outdoor rug. I can think of a few other helpful items. A one step folding stool for the few times the leveling takes the rig up a bit far for safely getting in and out. Not absolutely required, but we bought one when an older relative visited. We all could make a much longer list of tthings that make life easier.

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  8. Must haves:
    Money
    cell phone
    internet hot spot
    humor

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  9. Thank you. Good for us Future Retired Rv'rs.

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  10. Well.. we have 2 (maybe 3) things on your list... been full timers for almost 15 years. But.. we don't have a TV, we check out the weather and move on... stuff like that... also Bill checks out and fixes stuff as we move along. No doubt a great list for those starting out, but as time goes on, (most) people figure out what they need (or don't need) to live on the road. I read all kinds of books about full-timing before we hit the road thinking they'd be helpful... but one lady even wrote about finding a hair stylist on the road... come'on now... that's not been one of my high priorities. I like Merikay's advice about having a sense of humor... yeah... you better be able to roll with the flow...

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  11. Wouldn't be without a crock pot. It makes everything. When sight-seeing we throw something in before we leave and come back to a meal be it stew, chili, a chicken, ham or various soups (made with leftover chicken or ham). There's a multitude of recipes on line.

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  12. We've had lots of BBQ's, but, the weber 200 is by far the best yet.

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  13. I have zero-gravity chairs, and love them, but I've recently discovered that for an evening around the campfire they are not as comfortable as the plain old camp chair in a bag.

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    1. I agree with you, sold ours and bought great Coleman chairs.

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  14. Good list. We have most of those things. :)

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  15. Timely post, as we'll be on our way next week to pick up our new Airstream. Yikes! Next week will be our trial by fire. Then we'll hit the road (of retirement) full-time in 2 months. Thanks for sharing!

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  16. Great list. I wish we had had it when we started.

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  17. Great list for someone starting out. I started to make such a list to post on our owners forum and had hundreds of items. One item that you list I think is essential. A good RV oriented GPS. I think the Magellan is the best. I have tried Rand McNally and Garmin too. Not as RV friendly. I wore out one Magellan and replaced it with an identical unit. I like the optional wireless backup camera too. Visit my site http://www.rvandmarineaccessories.com Mention this comment for a discount.

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