RV Needs – Equipment Update

Last year, I wrote two of my most popular posts to date on RV equipment needed for your first camping trip, and RV luxury items you don’t really need, but would eventually buy. I thought an update post would be helpful if you’re shopping for your RV needs.

There are some things that didn’t make the cut. We keep many of these items just in case we have a need.

Here’s our list of RV needs after our second year of RVing.

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RV NEEDS – BARE NECESSITIES

Let’s just skim over what I said in my previous post.

Just to make it easy on you, let me type out the list:

RV NEEDS – BASIC SETUP

Hitch Pin Lock
Universal Coupler Lock
Magnetic Level
Cordless Drill
Wheel Chocks
Leveling Blocks – These the only items on this list that we don’t use every time, but we do use them often enough. It just depends on how level our campsite is (and sometimes how we the ground is…it keeps the feet of the jack from sinking in the mud).

RV NEEDS – WATER SUPPLY

No Kink Water Hose – Not only do we use this every time, but we bought a 50′ one for the harder to reach water faucets.
Hose Saver Elbow
Water Regulator – We started using this (EVERY SINGLE TIME) after we replaced our toilet valve the SECOND time in one year. 🙂 Replacing that valve is NOT FUN on the fly!!!

SEWER NECESSITIES

Magnetic Bumper Caps – Still love them!
Sewer Hose Kit
Protective Gloves – DO NOT leave home without these!
Sewer Hose Support
Blackwater Sanitizer
Grey Water Odor Control – I don’t buy this separately, but just drop the black water tabs into the grey water tank.

ELECTRICAL & MISC

Surge Protector – Use it every trip!
30-50 Amp Converter – We probably use this 10% of the time, but we still keep one on hand. It LITERALLY doesn’t take up any room!
Rain Gear – Again, we don’t use it often, but when you need it, you need it! I was thankful to have mine on when we had a craptastrophe in the rain last November…oh, yeah, THAT HAPPENED!

SUMMARY FOR THE FIRST POST

After reviewing this list, I still agree with each and every single item. Consequently, we still store them all in a laundry basket for easy setup and tear down.

If I could indulge to add one more “MUST HAVE” to the RV needs list, I’d add a basic tool kit. We ALWAYS keep one on us…no matter what. You need some wrenches, pliers, screwdrivers (standard and Phillips…maybe even a star tip), hammer, and FOR SURE a flashlight. In my mind, this is a deal breaker to leave a toolbox at home!

RV NEEDS – LUXURY ITEMS

In my thinking, these are things you don’t NEED, but will most likely buy anyway.

I’m just going to list items from my other article and let you know what we still take with us, what we scrapped, and why.

If you’d like to see the original list, click here.

OUTDOOR ITEMS

Outdoor Mat – We still take this, but don’t use it every time. If a campground has nice gravel or pavement, we use it. If it’s dusty or sandy, we use it.
Anti-gravity Chairs with Trays – GONE! We were having to tote these into and out of the camper each time we camped…MASSIVE pain in the butt! We’ve opted for versions of the next item. That being said, if we had storage capacity, we’d keep these around.
Extra Umbrella Chairs – We still keep extras, but this is Glynn’s go-to chair. I actually use a director style chair to help with chronic back pain.
Hammocks/Air Couch – we still bring these but don’t use them often. I think I will remedy that this year. I want to hammock more.
Ice Chest – Still use every trip.
Outdoor Table – Nixed…just didn’t use it much and it was too much trouble to haul in and out each time. Plus, most campsites have picnic tables to work on.
Address Sign – Still use because it makes me smile! 🙂
Tent – Nixed…those dang kids don’t want to camp with us, and when they do…they want to be IN our camper! I think if we were full-timing, we would DEFINITELY keep it.

KITCHEN ITEMS

I feel like a link to my “Get Organized” post is in order here! I have a lot of links in that post to my best recommendations.

Organizational Items:

Shoe boxes
Multi-purpose bins – quite possibly my FAVORITE thing in the whole camper…that and my throw blanket…and Glynn! 🙂
Sterlite White Basket with Handles
Magnetic Spice Rack

Safety Items:

Bungee Cords
Step ladder
First Aid Kit

Utensil Holder – Yep. I velcroed this baby to the countertop so I don’t have to put it away every time we move. LOVE THAT!
All in one pot and fryer – Yep…stores in the microwave.
Big pan – Yep
Dish Drying Mat – Nope…we just don’t do enough dishes to justify the trouble.
Coffee Maker – Yep…although, we rarely use it. I may have to reconsider this one or store it away.
Toaster Oven – Nope…I consider this one on a trip by trip situation. If I was full-timing and didn’t have an oven, I’d most likely keep it on board.
Instant Pot/Crock Pot – We’ve actually dropped the crock pot in favor of the instant pot. Wouldn’t leave home without it!
Yeti Mugs – We’ve actually expanded our collection of Yeti (type) mugs. I like the smaller ones for hot chocolate on cold days and the bigger ones for cold drinks. Glynn got a nifty one for cans, too. Love ’em!

ELECTRONICS

Coaxial Cable/HDMI – You can never have enough coax or HDMI cords! 😉
TV/Chromecast/DVD Player – DVD player…nah, Chromecast…yeah!
Extra Phone Chargers – YES!!! We each have our own 10′ charging cords that live in the camper. BEST DECISION EVER!!! iPhone Charger, Android Charger, Type C Charger

BEDROOM

Mattress pad – Nope…replaced the mattress with a real one from the house. We just spent the weekend with a friend on their memory foam mattress and we may switch to that…I’ll keep you updated!
Bedding – Of course!
Extra Pillows – Yep! Keep one set in the camper and one in the house!
Laundry Hamper/Bag – Yep!
Hangers – NOPE! I discussed this in the RV Accessories post, we have no closet in our camper. If we did, I’d use huggable hangers.

BATHROOM

RV Toilet Paper – YES!
Shampoo & Conditioner – We still keep some in the camper, year round.
Linens – We bring in the towels and sheets after each camping trip to wash. When the wash is done, they go straight back in the camper.
Shoe boxes for toiletries – Yep!
Clothesline – We keep one, but haven’t used it much. If we did more water activities, we would use it.

EXTRAS

Games – Yup! We like Yahtzee…like A LOT! I also keep an adult coloring book (as in difficulty level…not as in X rated!) in the camper with colored pencils for rainy days.
Kayaks – we bring them on an “as needed” basis. If we were full time, I might consider renting. We don’t use them much.
Water Toys – again, “as needed.” If we were full-time, we’d most likely keep these with us and just blow them up when we want to use them.
Basic Toolkit – ABSOLUTELY! In fact, I’d move this(and did already) to the “MUST HAVE” list!

RV NEEDS – ADD-ONS

So, after two camping seasons, there are a couple of little things I’d add.

I’m mostly happy with our lists so far but we could improve it just a tad.

Flashlight – ABSOLUTE MUST! In fact, we have several for different reasons. One is for things that go boom in the night. It’s super bright and looks like a spotlight on a prison yard! We keep a little lantern in case we need to see something under the camper, or just to have some basic lighting around camp.

Satellite receiver – DEFINITELY A WANT! We don’t have one yet but have camped with several people who do. I LOVE the convenience of having cable TV. We may never pull the trigger on that, but the point is, you should be aware there is such a thing because YOU might want one!

Mobile Hotspot – If you’re talking to Glynn, it’s a WANT…if you’re talking to me, it’s a NEED! This is another thing that you may or may not need, but many people like the convenience of having the internet no matter what. I would talk to your mobile carrier and see how much it is for an add-on.

Simplified Wardrobe – If we had a closet, I’d most likely keep a simplified capsule wardrobe in the camper…even if we weren’t full-timing. The more you keep in the RV, the easier it is to go camping next time. I’m all about easy!

CONCLUSION

That’s it! We are pretty simple campers. We don’t have a lot of RV needs, so we don’t take a lot of stuff with us. Most people we meet are very similar, too.

Did I miss something you ABSOLUTELY wouldn’t camp without? Let me know in the comments! I’d LOVE to hear from you!