Top 10 must haves for your first trip

Well you made a decision to go out on the road for your first trip in your RV, I know the feeling of excitement, worry and heck you may even be a little apprehensive, but I know your eager to hit the road and find your adventure. Before you put wheels to the pavement there are a few things that we think are a must have before starting your first trip, here is a list of items that we personally use. We have tried and failed with other products but we have found a nice set of quality products that we believe will help anyone on their first trip.

1. Toilet paper

I know this may sound silly but it is a MAJOR need for any trip in an RV, (tow-able or motor-home), choosing to use special toilet paper will save you thousands in repairs in the future. Normal toilet paper is much thicker and clumps up in water (if you have kids you are all to familiar with this story), Special RV toilet paper on the other hand breaks down in water making it much better for use in an RV. In a regular house the toilet water gets forcefully flushed into a septic tank or sewer, in an RV its all gravity fed, meaning there is no force to eject the material from your holding tank, so if you use regular toilet paper, you may end up with a clogged drain tube, or even worse a clogged tank, and let me tell you, you don’t want that mess! during our trips I make sure we have plenty of stock in special toilet paper, its light so it wont take up valuable weight and it is probably the most needed item during your trip.

I recommend one 4 pack per person, per week at a minimum!

2. Quality waste hose

Since wer on the subject of waste, lets talk about waste removal, having the right hose for your needs is vitally important. you want to make sure when you hook up your wast tank (black water) to your dump site that there wont be any messes and it all works without fail.

there are tons of hoses to choose from ranging anywhere from $20 to well over $150 but we have found that just because you pay more doesn’t mean its worth more. We used the Camco deluxe 20′ waste hose during our trips and when we rent out or motor home, this setup is one of the easiest for a few reasons. First the clear end is actually a good thing, yes you do see your waste and that’s not so pretty, but you also see if there are any clogs, you see when your tanks are clean (assuming your flushing your tanks after you drain them) and it actually helps keeping the system clean, because you can run water through the hose after is use has been performed and you can see if there is anything still stuck in there without having to put your face in places it doesn’t belong, TRUST me on this one, trial and error has proven this to be a vital option.

3. Disposable rubber gloves

I learned about halfway through our trip the need for protection for our hands. Now this is not one of those major ticket items, and it was honestly an afterthought when we first started Rving, but as the miles rack up and the experience grows let me tell you, you NEED disposable rubber gloves.

We have used them for many things around the RV firstly you may want to use them when you are draining your tanks, just incase there is a splash or a leak, you would want to repair that mess with your bare hands, you also can use them for more “normal” use such as changing the oil in the generator. This again is a simple purchase that you can get and store away in your RV that wont take up much space, and is one of those items that you wish you had when you need them.

4. Portable air compressor

low tire pressure is the number one reason for blowouts in an RV, making sure you have proper air pressure is vitally important and can even increase or decrease your MPGs

Tire pressure must be checked often (every morning or before you hit the road if you can), while traveling I noticed a big swing in tire pressure while in the the Rocky Mountains, in places with very high elevation your tires will decrease in pressure very fast, this doesn’t mean your tires have a leak, the air is simply thinner causing the tires to loose pressure. In the deserts of Arizona and New Mexico for example the tires held pressure very well and required little if any inflation, in fact I had to deflate the tires in the warmer climates.

Make sure you know the manufacturers suggested tire pressure for your RV, some tires range from 30-50 PSI, while some of the larger class C and Class A motor-homes require 80+PSI. when purchasing your air compressor make sure it has the power to reach the needed PSI for your RV.

Here is a great one that we used during our trips, there are many others to choose from but the versatility of this system is what drew us to making this purchase, with other compressors they were a 12 volt design, meaning you can plug it into your cigarette lighter in your vehicle and pump up the tires, the down fall to that is in our motor-home we needed 80 PSI and a low voltage system would take literally hours in some instances. Using a much more powerful system like this one can connect directly to your battery allowing the system to run much faster, and filling the tires quicker so you can get on the road and enjoy your trip. I HIGHLY recommend investing in a high quality air compressor take my advice its worth it.

5. First aid kit

When out camping in this beautiful country of ours, cuts and scrapes are bound to happen, always make sure you have a way to treat any minor unjury because while hiking or hanging out by the fire you will always need a first aid kit. We travel with 3 children and if you have kids you know, you will need a band aid. This again is a simple thing that doesn’t take much real estate in your RV and its there when you need it.

6. Fire extinguisher

If you are a regular reader of ours you know that both my wife and myself are Marine Corps veterans, and trust me when I say, anything can happen. We hope this is a product that you never have to use, but it is one of those things you never want to need and not have.

While traveling in New Mexico we came up on a small brush fire in the median of the highway, so naturally we stopped and used our only fire extinguisher to put out the fire, that was an experience let me tell you, but that’s a story for another time. Afterwards we stopped at a local Walmart and purchased a second larger one to have in the RV so now we carry 2 with us wherever we go, always want to be prepared for anything the road may bring.

7. Wheel chocks

Wheel chocks are one of the most inexpensive items on this list that can potentially save you tens of thousands of dollars. When parking for the day or an extended stay at a camp site always make sure you have something that will keep your tires from rolling. Yes all motor-homes have “E brakes” but remember anything can happen. Imagine being at a beautiful spot, just ate a fantastic dinner and relaxing in your comfy outdoor chair and just taking in the sights, when all of the sudden your RV starts rolling way because your brakes failed, not a great image and defiantly not the way you want to remember your first trip. this is a simple product that you NEED to have when RVing.

8. Water pressure regulator

One of the most common questions we have is “Why is it important to regulate water pressure on an RV?” The answer is much simpler than you think. Water pressure from a faucet of a home or RV park, normally has a much higher pressure than your RV can handle, if you over pressurize your plumbing in your RV than you run the risks of causing leaks that can be not only a hassle but can again cost a lot of money to repair. We use the water regulator you see above every time we plug into a water source. Make sure you know what pressure is recommended for your RV, ours for example is 45-55 psi yours may vary always check your owners manual to make sure you are running the proper psi for your system.

When using a water regulator the great thing is that you dont have to adjust the pressure every time you use it. on ours (listed below) there is a simple set screw on the top of the regulator that can be adjusted with a flat tip screw driver, your set the PSI once and honestly you never have to monkey with it again.

9. Water filter

Clean water is not always guaranteed when camping at an RV park or anywhere for that matter. I have heard horror stories of “fresh water” being contaminated from an over filled dump site YUCK, so making sure you have clean water is a must have for any camping experience. This one is simple enough, you need clean water.

10. Water hose

Not all hoses are created equally, when filling your water tank, or using it directly for a water source, make sure you use a hose designed for drinking. Normal garden hoses are not going to do the trick here. Garden hoses have additives in them to help from dry rotting and warping from being out in the sun its whole life, but those additives can not only effect the plumbing in your RV but can cause health issues for you. when choosing a water hose make sure it is rated for consumption. We first purchased a 15′ hose and regretted it, it was always just a few feet short (note: always get more than you think you will need) after our 2nd week we opted to get the 20′ hose and have been happy ever since.

BONUS MUST HAVE

RV surge protector

Make sure where ever you plug into you protect the electronics in your RV! Just like water at a campground, electricity may also be effected. Having a quality surge protector is the one direct link to your home on the road and power to the world, protect that power and ensure your RV will not get bad power.

Our motor-home requires 30 amps to operate, some larger RVs like Class A motor-homes (the ones that look like buses) or some 5th wheel pull behind RVs require 50 amp power sources. Make sure you know what your RV needs before applying power.

Reasons to buy a surge protector:

1. Keeps power spikes from entering your RV that could possibly cause damage to electrical components, and can also reduce the risk of fire from over powering.
2. most quality surge protectors (like the one above) offer a guarantee that their device will stop power surges from entering your rig.
3. Acts like a breaker box on your home, when there is to much power being used or going into the system it automatically cuts power to protect whatever is being plugged in to it.

This is the most important MUST HAVE for your RV and one that you should invest money into to save you from major expenses down the road. In short make sure you have your RV protected from “dirty power” at all times.

NOTE: The breaker listed below is for 30 AMPs make sure you know your required power before purchasing any breaker for your home on wheels.

More to the story?

Of course there are many other items that will help you on your first trip, but this is the list I wish I had before we started our first across the country trip. I hope this helps you so you can enjoy all the fun the road has to offer.

What questions do you have? What systems do you wish you know more about?

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