16 Must-haves for your RV/Camper (you definitely need)

16 Must-haves for your RV or Travel Trailer you should consider bringing on your travels.

Updated May 3rd, 2024

16 Must-haves for your RV/Camper (you definitely need)

There are certain items you just must have with you on your RV travels to be safe and organized. Important devices I would never go without and nice to have items you should consider bringing on your journeys.

Have you ever forgotten something really important and had to go off your route to get it? So frustrating. This is why I made a packing list, so this won’t happen anymore.

You can download the packing list from my Resource Library

But there are still items you just need to have on or in your RV or Travel Trailer to be safe, organized, and comfortable.

So here are my 16 Must-haves for your RV or Travel Trailer (for inside use and outside use) I can definitely recommend:

And some of these must-have items make a pretty good gift for Father’s Day or a Birthday.

This is one of the 16 Must-haves for your RV or Travel Trailer:

A handheld vacuum cleaner. This vacuum cleaner is so powerful and gets all the dust and dog hair off the floor.

RV/Camper Must-haves for (you definitely need for the outside of your RV or Travel Trailer /Camper):

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GPS Navigator

You want to be safe and know where you are going, especially if you like to take back roads. Bridges can get nerve-wracking if you don’t know the height of your rig. Get a Garmin GPS navigator that provides you with road warnings to keep you aware of steep grades, sharp curves, weight limits and so much more. It also includes a directory of RV parks and services.

Mirror

You feel so much better if you can see what is going on around you. This clip-on mirror was our first purchase after we bought our Travel Trailer.

Outdoor Rug

Bring an outside rug. It is so necessary to have a clean space where you can take your shoes off, or have a table and some chairs. It is also nice to step out of your RV onto a rug and not on the wet gravel.

Also gives small kids a place to play or the dogs a spot to hang out and stay clean.

Mosquito Repellent

Nothing worse than sitting outside and being hunted by mosquitos, wasps, and flies. And trying to grill and get the food outside is even worse. So using a repellent is a lifesaver.

A step for yourself and the pets

My dog doesn’t like to get up on the entrance stairs, because they are too high for her. This is why I got this step to make it easier to get inside. I like to use it too and it is extra wide.

Comfortable chair

You want to sit outside, at the beach, in the woods, sit by the fire, read a good book and just relax. You will need a good chair, of course, foldable and a side table is always nice to have. I love this chair because I can put my food and drink down and I have space for my magazines.

This is all I need.

Shoe Cleaner

A shoe cleaner is not a must-have, but a good thing to have if you don’t like to take your shoes off before you go inside your Camper. Most of the sites we have parked on are covered in stones and dirt and my shoes were constantly dirty and scratched the floors inside our Camper. So this cleaner comes in pretty handy.

Bubble Level

Before you bring your slides out, your Camper or RV must be leveled. If you don’t have good levels on your Camper, make sure to get some. Also pretty good is this app to have your RV leveled to be sure nothing can go wrong.

Water hoses, pressure regulator, Water filter

A water pressure regulator can be very important because if the water pressure is too high, it can blow your lines. So a nice and important thing to have.

A Water Filter reduces bad taste odors chlorine and sediment in drinking water. So this is definitely a must-have.

If you are concerned about drinking water with all the bacteria in the water system, it is recommended to get a water filter, which takes care of all the bacteria in the water. It is pricy, but if you don’t need to buy bottled water anymore to be sure you drink good clean water, it is well worth it.

Also considering the environmental factor, buying bottled water is just not a good thing to do.

This water filter is specially made for RV usage:

This is what the manufacturer Clearsource says: Contaminants range in size. Silt and sediment range from 50-100 microns. Bacteria are roughly 5 microns and giardia cysts are even smaller. In-line filters are commonly rated at 100 microns – or not at all. Our second-state carbon block filter element is rated at 0.5 microns. It traps contaminants other filters miss.

Water hoses

You need at least 2 water hoses in different colors to be sure, you use only the blue one to fill your water tank and the orange one to clean out the sewer hose.

The Zero-G hose is a little more expensive, but so much easier to get it rolled or unrolled. You are going to love it.

Sewer hose extension / Dump hose

Don’t forget to check your sewer hoses periodically as they can break over time. A sewer hose extension comes always in handy when you are about to dump and you notice that the hose is too short. Just makes your life so much easier.

…and talking about sewage… Always use a lot of water when you flush, leave the black water tank closed until you dump it, and add Happy Camper to get rid of the smell and odor.

And of course, toilet paper for your RV is also required:

Damp Rid

Damp Rid prevents moisture/mold inside your RV. We use it inside the cabinets and the bathroom. Also make sure that your mattress has spacers underneath, to get some air flowing and to prevent mold.

Hitch Alignment kit

If you can’t rely on other people and you want to get the job done by yourself, use this Hitch Alignment Kit. It helps you align your hitch and works with any tow vehicle and trailer. Due to the magnet, it sticks on your bumper, no installation is required.

Levels

Always bring plenty of levels. You never know what site you will end up on.

Surge Protector

An RV surge protector is designed to assist you when plugging your RV into an unknown power source in an RV park or storage unit. The RV surge protector is designed to analyze the power source for proper ground and neutral, does not have reverse polarity issues, and no high or low voltage issues. There are many different surge protectors to buy, these are recommended:

Progressive, Hughes, and SafeGuard Surge Protectors are the leading brands and are recommended by many RV users.

There is a huge price difference. The more you pay for it, the more protection it gives you and your camper.

50/30 AMP Converter

Not bad to have a 50 AMP Converter handy.

Back up camera

This is probably one of the best things you can have if you don’t want to get into fights with your partner. Of course, you can choose from a lot of different cameras with different price tags. The Furrion brand also has rear and side cams, infrared night vision, and is motion-activated which helps a lot. But they have to be wired.

Trailer Hitch Lock

I would look into getting a hitch lock. Many Travel Trailers disappearing right now because there is high demand and it is a lucrative object. Another tip is to get a GPS tracker in case it gets stolen you can at least track it down.

Rope, Bungee Cords

Bungee Cords are always needed when you are out with the RV. Therefore always keep some in your storage.

16 Must-haves for your RV/Camper (you definitely need)

Must-haves inside your RV or Travel Trailer/Camper

RV/Camper Must-haves (you definitely need)

Now inside is where you have to start saving space. Somehow I try to keep my little camper tidy and bring only the absolutely necessary items, but still, they have to have their spot otherwise I am getting nuts.

That is why we have hooks everywhere possible to be able to hang jackets, purses, hats, etc. as counter space is limited. And because I don’t want to search constantly for keys, hats, or scarves, this is why hangers work for me.

If you need some RV-storage ideas (who doesn’t need them?) get a lot of pretty simple ideas here: The best RV storage ideas

Must-have Appliances for your RV

For the last two years, I thought I didn’t need a vacuum cleaner a broom would do that, but with the dog and all these hairs, I decided to give it a try. Because I have very limited space I tried without a vacuum, but this handheld one is a great compromise. And it seriously works so well, I will never give it away because it is so useful.

Clothes Hampers / Laundry Baskets

This is what I forgot on my first trip with the camper. Where to put the dirty laundry? Now I have a laundry bag hanging in my shower and everybody knows where to put their dirty stuff.

Instant pot

This instant pot can save you so much trouble when you need to cook in a tight space. You don’t need any more pots, one pot is enough for cooking.

Coffee Maker

If you like to drink coffee but you have limited space for appliances, here is the perfect, small coffee maker:

We used to bring our big Keurig Coffee Machine but it used so much space. Now we bring the French Coffee Maker and it helps us save on trash, and space and the coffee tastes so much better.

Weather Station

OK, this is not a must-have item but a nice to have. Especially if you have enough wall space and you can hang it on a well-visible spot.

It is always good to know how the weather is going to be. This weather station is nice to have.

Get the Highway Weather App so you can plan ahead

Also, a very good tip is to install the Highway Weather App. It is free. Just download it from your App Store on your phone. Very easy to use. Just add your location and where you are traveling to and you will see the weather forecast on a map.

These are my Must-haves for inside and outside your RV or Camper which I think are absolutely necessary. What do you think? Did I forget anything important? Let me know so I can add it to my list.

Nice to have and so helpful

16 Must-haves for your RV or Travel Trailer you definitely need

Yes, I forgot to mention a daily journal, a diary. We have been traveling with our Travel Trailer for years now and I just thought about getting a journal because I forget where we have been, which campground we camped on, was it nice or not so nice. Things I would like to remember. So here is a journal I just got for our next travels and I love it:

Or just use the sticker map. Nice to have for the kids and also for the adults. I love to fill in all the gaps and plan our trips around it…

And of course, there are more nice-to-have items when you go camping. Here is my collection for happy camping

Makes a good gift too, I am always happy when I get thoughtful presents for the Camper.

For planning a Road trip get the Campendium app and Roadtrippers app.

These apps are really helpful to find the best Campgrounds and the best routes. Try them out they are free. How to plan a road trip

http://campendium. com

http://roadtrippers.com

But stop, there is more:

Go to my Resource Library and download the Packing List and the Tool List to make sure you have an overview of what you need. Check off the items you keep in your Camper and you don’t have to pack them in and out all the time.

The Resource Library is password-protected and for my subscribers only. So just sign in here and get access to awesome tutorials, printables, and checklists around camping and home decor.

I hope you check out the blog for more information about travel and home decor or get the E-book with so many tips about ‘How to update the interior of an older RV’

If you have a question, please send me an e-mail. I love to hear from you,

Hugs from Conny

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