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RV essentials… You have just haggled your little heart out, signed papers and gotten the keys to your shiny new RV. But now what?
Well you’re going to need a few RV essentials before you take it out for a test run. Trust me you don’t want to get out somewhere and not be able to use your new home on wheels.
We just went through the buying process with our RV and we wanted to share what we’ve purchased from the RV must haves list as well as a few items from our wishlist.
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RV Essentials: What You Cannot Live Without
These are the things you will need before you can use your RV for the first time.
Sewer Hose
You will need a sewer hose and this isn’t something a dealer will throw in for you. I wouldn’t want to use someone else’s used sewer hose anyways. So get yourself a new sewer hose.
We got this one with the clear elbows. Yes it’s gross to watch your waste go down the tube but you want to be able to see if it’s backed up at all.
This is one of those RV essentials you will need immediately.
Sewer Hose Support
This will help your waste to make it down the tube without it having to travel uphill to get there. It levels the hose out and keeps it from getting damaged in the process.
The last thing you want is your hose down on the ground in the mud, sand or sharp rocks. Trust us… you do not want to compromise your sewer hoses.
Sewer Tank Treatment
We picked up this sewer tank treatment for $18. You throw one in after each dump and they keep your waste from solidifying inside of your tanks and keep the smell down.
Trust us you want these on hand to use when you have your tanks closed. It’s the cheapest way to stay on top of your tanks and keep them in working order.
Potable Water Hose
You don’t want any ole hose for your RV because you may be drinking this water and you don’t want it filled with contaminants. Get a potable water hose. We bought a 25 foot 5/8 inch diameter hose but we also want to get a 1/2 inch diameter hose that’s 50 feet.
RV Pressure Water Regulator
You want one of these little guys to keep your pipes safe inside your RV. This will regulate the water pressure inside of your RV so you don’t bust pipes.
The last thing you want is a leak due to high city water pressure.
RV Tire Chocks
It’s always good to be safe so grab a set of tire chocks. On our smaller trailers we’ve been known to use a rock or brick at home, but I wouldn’t trust that out and about in a 20+ thousand pound RV. Put it on your RV essentials list and grab some tire chocks.
RV Friendly Toilet Paper
You cannot use the Cadillac of TP in your RV. We bought great value TP from Walmart! It’s the same thing as the RV branded toilet paper but way cheaper.
Block Levelers
Depending on your circ*mstances you may want a set of these little legos levelers. Our RV likes to extend the jacks all the way out and trip a breaker for some reason.
To remedy that situation we bought these to help the rig level without taking all of the tires off the ground.
RV Essentials You MAY Need
Basic Tools
My husband says you want basic tools to start. When we hit the road full time we will have more than just the basics.
To him the basics are:
- Flashlight
- Drill and drill bits
- Screwdrivers
- Pliers
- Hammer
- Wrenches
- WD-40
- Transmission fluid for jacks
- Fuses
- Duct tape
Our list will be a little longer when we take off but for now thats what we’ve got on hand.
Flying Insect Screens
Our RV didn’t come with furnace screens so we had to grab a couple packages of these. You don’t want flying insects or birds trying to nest in your pipes.
Bedding & Sheets
I’m not sure what your needs will be in this department but it was the top of our RV essentials list.
We bought a rig with bunk beds that are a weird size so we had to get bunk bed sheets. Not to mention it came with a king sized mattress and we only have a queen in our house.
We just bought sheets for the time being and these cot sheets worked the best for our bunk beds.
Grill & Propane Hose
We have propane hookups but we didn’t have a grill that was appropriate for our RV so we picked up a new portable tailgating grill. Don’t forget the propane hose.
I know that’s a lot… honestly it is. The cost will add up but we bought an RV and we are going to live in it so we had to have these RV essentials.
So what kind of RVing are you going to do? My suggestion is to make an RV wishlist on Amazon and send it to your family. If they buy you anything they buy it from the wishlist!
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