RVs do not come with many of the essential items necessary to be able to utilize one at most campgrounds. There are an infinite amount of things you’ll need to acquire over time. However based on my experience, these are the top 15 essential things you need immediately for your RV. I feel these are all equally important and placed related items together next to each other.
#1 RV Sewer Hose
Most RVs do not come with the hose necessary to empty your grey and black waste water tanks. I found this kit (click to find on amazon) to come with most of the essentials needed to hook up at pretty much any campground. Specifically, it includes two 10′ RhinoFLEX sewer Hoses, a translucent elbow with 4-n-1 adapter and Four storage caps.
What I learned early on is that sometimes the campground sewer fitting isn’t particularly close to the RV’s waste water port and 10 feet of hose just wouldn’t work. This kit includes two 10′ sections of hose which virtually ensures you can hook up just about anywhere. It also includes the adapter that will work with most campground sewers.
I’ve used the same Camco hoses for two seasons without any issue.
#2 Transparent Sewer Elbow
I feel that using a transparent sewer elbow is very inexpensive way to help prevent many future RV black tank issues. I installed this one between the RV waste water outlet and the hose. It allows me to see exactly what is coming out of the tanks. When flushing your black tank, you want to keep flushing until you don’t see any residual solid items (such as poo or toilet paper) coming out of the tanks. A clean tank is a happy tank and will provide years of trouble free service.
#3 Sewer Hose Support
Have you ever seen water run uphill? I know I haven’t and this is also true with waste water. This sewer hose ‘slinky’ will allow you to ensure your sewer hose has a gradual drop from the RV to the campground sewer hookup. This will keep wastewater from staying in the hose allowing free flow at all times.
#4 Disposable Nitrile Gloves
Working with sewer hose is a dirty job which can be riddled with bacteria and other germs. I recommend carrying disposable nitrile gloves to protect your hands. After you are done, you simply take them off (pulling inside out) and toss them in the trash. I use and recommend nitrile gloves, especially for those with latex allergies.
#5 Black Tank Treatment
Black tank treatments are chemicals you pour down the RV toilet to help break down the solids in your black tank and to help prevent sewer odor in your RV. I like the Pure Power individual bottles since I don’t have to measure out the treatment and they work as intended. I’ve tried a few different chemical types and the Pure Power is the best treatment option that I have used to date.
#6 Fresh Water Hose
New RVs generally do not come with the hose required to hook up the campground water faucet. Even though the fittings are the same, I strongly recommend not using any old green garden hose. Garden hoses are intended for non-potable applications only. Instead, I suggest using a hose designed for drinking water, such as the Camco blue hose (which is what I use).
#7 Water Hose Elbow
Some RV water connections stick straight out and is stressed when you screw a hose to it. Adding a 90 degree fitting eliminates undue stress and minimizes potential hose crimping and strain. It also keeps the hose close to the RV body preventing accidental damage if ran into.
#8 Water Pressure Regulator
The water pressure at some campgrounds can exceed 100psi which can cause major damage to your RV plumbing. This simple nonadjustable regulator reduces water pressure to a safe level. More expensive adjustable regulators are also available. I personally made the switch so I could fine-tune my pressure in the RV.
#9 Water Hose Y Splitter
A Y-splitter is a must when you carry an additional hose for general cleaning or black tank flushing. this prevents you from having to disconnect your main RV water hose. You can leave both hoses hooked up and just turn off the general hose when not in use.
#10 Expandable Water Hose
I carry a second hose for non-potable water hose for general cleaning. I have used this to rinse off dirty outdoor mats, bicycles, kayaks, etc. I also use to connect to my black tank flush fitting (I strongly recommend not using your drinking water hose for this task due to potential for cross-contamination). I like this particular hose since it is collapsible and very lightweight. This makes it ideal for storing since it takes very little space.
#11 Electrical Management System
I strongly recommend that addition of an electrical management system (EMS) between the campground electrical hookup (shore power) and your RV cord. They are offered in both 30A (picture above) and 50A versions. EMS helps to protect your RV against voltage fluctuations, power surges and incorrectly wired shore power which can cause severe and costly damage to RV appliances and electronics.
I will say that this unit has saved me thousands of dollars of potential damage in the first year alone! One time I was assigned a site that didn’t have an appropriate ground wire at the shore power connection. Lack of grounding is a severe safety hazard as you can end up getting shocked by just touching anything metal on your RV. Another time, the EMS shut down the power after it dropped to 105 volts. Items such as air conditions cannot tolerate voltages that low. Had it not been protected, I may had to replace my entire AC system!
A simple (and less expensive) surge protector would not have prevented these potential issues. I feel a $250-$300 investment in an EMS is absolutely necessary. I do secure my EMS to the shore power pole using a cable lock. They are also offered in 30A or 50A hardwired versions (to permanently mount in the RV) for those with good electrical aptitude. I’m a true believer in using this and strongly recommend it as essential as insurance against potential electrical faults.
#12 Emory Cloth
Its unlikely you will find others that put emory cloth on their essential list. I learned early on that electrical plugs sometimes fit loosely in the campground shore power receptacle (30 Amp plugs seem to be more prone to this issue). Even the plug on my EMS system was not exempt from this issue. Over time, this causes heating and pitting of your electrical connector. When the corrosion becomes serious enough, there will be electrical arcing in the receptacle and resistive heating. In the most severe cases, the end of your plug could catch fire! I’ve seen some seriously distorted plugs on various social media posts. To ensure good contact, I like to polish my connector prongs before each use. This will minimize the chance of plug failure requiring replacement. You can find this at any hardware store, or on Amazon.
#13 Refrigerator Thermometer
RV propane refrigerators are notorious for temperature fluctuations, depending on how loaded they are. To prevent food spoilage due to inadequate cooling and undesired freezing of items in your refrigerator, I recommend a basic refrigerator thermometer. I like to keep my refrigerator between 32 and 38 degrees F.
#14 Leveling Blocks
Most campgrounds aren’t level and some are worse than others. When using RV hydraulic jacks on highly unlevel surfaces, tire(s) can come off of the ground. Jack manufactures advise against this and I feel it is a very unsafe practice. Using adjustable leveling blocks (for dual rear tires as shown above) under the tires to roughly level the RV before using the jacks helps prevent this situation. Sometimes you just don’t know level a new campsite will be and you don’t want to learn about this the hard way (like I did).
#15 Battery Powered Lantern
Setting up camp in the dark is no fun, so shed some light on the situation! I like these small LED lanterns to help see what I’m doing while setting up after the sun goes down. They are also nice for adding light to a picnic table or when walking to the campground bathhouse at night.