You just got your new RV and now what? What do I need, where do I get it? You may have already researched some of the must have products but do you really need all those things from the start?
At least those are the questions we asked ourselves. Brian may have overbought so let’s learn from his “always be prepared” motto from Scouts and only get what is needed. To be fair, we have used everything we had bought at one point or another but not all of them were needed for our first trip.
Let’s walk through some basic items that are recommended to make your first trip enjoyable. Almost all of these are geared toward making your time at the campground easier and more enjoyable. Even if you are a seasoned RVer, you may also find something in this list that will help you.
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- RV Leveling Blocks – Camco Camper / RV Leveling Blocks
- Andersen Levelers – The Andersen Camper Leveler provides ‘dead-on’ leveling at any increment from 1/2″ to 4″
- Wheel Chocks – MAXXHAUL 70472 Solid Rubber Heavy Duty Black Wheel Chock
- X-chocks
- Surge Protector
- Camco Power Grip Camper/RV 30-Amp Voltage Protector
- Camco Power Grip Camper/RV 50-Amp Voltage Protector
- Stinky Slinky – a.k.a. Sewer Hose
- Camco RhinoFLEX Clear 45 Degree RV Sewer Hose Swivel Fitting
- Poop-wand (or Holding Tank Rinser)
- Sewer Hose Support
- Gloves – Thor Grip Heavy Duty Industrial Orange Nitrile Gloves
- Hose for Black Tank Flush
- Water Hose for Drinking
- Water Filter – Camco TastePURE RV Water Filter
- Water Splitter
- Water Pressure Regulator
Bonus
1. RV Leveling Blocks
Why do we need leveling blocks? First thing we do when we arrive at our campsite is level from side to side to make sure our RV isn’t leaning one way or another. These blocks can be used for many purposes. For example, we use them if we have to level one side of the camper up a 1 inch or so. You can interlock these to bring the side you need to level up 1 inch at a time. Once you are done with leveling side to side you’ll then level front to back.
We mainly use them under our stabilizer jacks and front tongue jack. The less each of these have to extend the more stable your RV will feel. On Travel Trailers this keeps the stabilizer arms out farther so they have less stress or pressure on them. Same concept on extending the front tongue jack.
Make sure you get enough though. We carry with us 3 sets of 10. You may think that’s overdoing it but we have run into situations in which we didn’t have enough and had to either borrow or go buy more. Yes, some sites can be so unlevel that you’ll be glad you did have enough.
2. Andersen Levelers
Just like the RV Leveling blocks, Anderson Levelers are used to level your RV side to side. The main reason we use these over the level blocks is this allows us to easily level the RV without having to guess or build out the height we need. The Andersen levelers will allow you to place them and then slowly move your trailer forward or backwards (depending on where you placed them) until you have the right height. Providing ‘dead-on’ leveling at any increment from 1/2″ to 4″ – no other leveler is this precise – or this easy to use!
For both of these leveling options, we use a 2ft level inside the RV or on the bumper of the RV to make sure we are level. It’s important to know that for a lot of your RV fridges to function properly, you must be as close to level as possible. Not only does it make your trip more enjoyable, it doesn’t put added stress on your RV during the trip. Your slide outs could also malfunction if your RV is not level.
3. Wheel Chocks
In addition to all of the levelers, once you have leveled side to side, you will always want to make sure your RV is not going to roll back before unhitching from your Truck. These will help keep the RV stable for your next important part which is unhitching and leveling front to back.
We recommend these solid rubber heavy duty wheel chocks over many of the plastic ones you can get. They will be more stable and less likely to fail due to the construction and materials used. We have seen way too many times where the plastic ones get crushed. Never have seen these do the same.
4. X-Chocks
X-Chocks are placed between your tires preventing tire shifts. They help stabilize your RV from front to back movements as you move throughout your RV.
You will want to make sure you have enough space between your tires for these. Also don’t over tighten them. Getting them just snug enough and a little bit of a tug is all it takes.
We install these once level, wheel chock, and disconnect from the truck. Prior to bringing the slides out. You can do it after the slides are out but it’s not much fun crawling under the slide to install. When you use these you will certainly notice a difference in the RV when walking inside. Thank us later.
5. Surge Protector
Protecting your RV’s electronics is very important. If there’s ever any damage, it not only can be time consuming to troubleshoot or repair, it will also be costly. A good surge protector will help guard against situations in which the power you are getting from the campground becomes dirty (bad) at any moment. Either from a faulty power source or even storms which are not the fault of anyone.
The first thing you do when you arrive at a campground is test the power. This will help you identify if there are any issues prior to unhitching from your truck and setting up.
We were once at a campground where we were able to identify some wiring that went bad. Before we plugged in the RV officially, we used the protector and noticed that the power at the pedestal was not right. We called the front desk and they came out and fixed the issue right away. Disaster avoided.
Make sure you know which service your RV has. Is it a 30 amp or 50 amp?
6. Stinky Slinky
(AKA) Sewer Hose
You won’t be able to get away from having one of these unless your plan is to never use any sink, toilet, showers, etc. We didn’t want to buy one of their more budget friendly options because who wants to wear what comes out from the RVs black and gray tanks? You know what we are talking about.. We know you watched Robin Williams movie RV, or even the best Christmas movie National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. Don’t forget about flushing the tanks with Hanks as in HappilyEverHanks on YouTube
You won’t go wrong with this Sewer hose purchase. We like to also see what is coming out of our tanks as we flush them. Gross sounding for sure and not something everyone will be jumping for. We do recommend purchasing a Camco RhinoFLEX Clear 45 Degree RV Sewer Hose Swivel Fitting https://amzn.to/4cJmyyB to help you know when your tanks are clean. Hint, it should be clear water coming out with no additional surprises.
You get now why we call it a Stinky Slinky? Just be glad we didn’t talk about the poop wand. Or more sophisticated name Holding Tank Rinser https://amzn.to/3VOVeZD
7. Sewer Hose Support
Need a little support in your life? We’ve got you. Seriously, the name says it all. Having good support for your sewer hose is actually a very important thing. The saying goes “S#*t rolls down hill” not up. The same is true for your sewer hose. The support will help make sure the waste moves down hill.
This product is very compact so it doesn’t take up much space. Helps make sure you can maintain steady flow for optimal drainage. The design of this allows you to have the best path no matter the obstacles.
8. Gloves
Keeping you clean from the big choir of dumping your tanks. Plus when disconnecting and doing a final clean up. You really don’t want to be touching anything related to your waste with your bare hands. These gloves are LATEX FREE for those who have a latex allergy.
It’s a good idea to make sure you keep gloves with you at all times. The gloves have a texture to them that make them have a good grip. Last thing you need is something slipping out of your hands while handling the stinky slinky. No need to wear anything stinky.
9. Hose for Black Tank Flush
For sanitation purposes, you will want to have a dedicated hose for doing your black tank flushes. This will make sure you don’t have any backflush of waste contaminating your drinking supply. Avoiding any issues with health related incidents from accidental contamination.
We recommend getting a black hose to differentiate your drinking water hose. We also like ones that have a valve that you can shut close to where you connect it to the inlet for the flush.
10. Water Hose for Drinking
As mentioned with the black tank flush hose. You will want a dedicated drinking water hose. These hoses are specifically designated for drinking water. Make sure to keep this hose designated for drinking water only. A good idea is to sanitize this a couple times a year.
These hoses will be used to either fill your holding tank for campsites that don’t have city water hookups. Or will be used at your campsite to hook up to the provided city water.
Just make sure to get a different color than your blank tank flush hose. That way you don’t mix them up easily.
11. Drinking Water Filter
Keeping particles out of your drinking water will enhance your experience with showering, washing dishes, cooking, etc. There are some pretty fancy setups out there but we have never used some of those systems. We don’t need anything fancy and this water filter does an amazing job at filtering out some of the bad odors, tastes, etc. that you may have from campground water.
The filter has a 6-step filtration technology with each layer working together to provide you great tasting water. Making this a great choice for campers, boats, pets, garden, car washes, & more.
12. Water Splitter
We like having a splitter that we can not only shut the water source off at, but leverage in case we need to do some extra rinsing outside of the RV. Say for the days your dog or kiddos get really muddy. Or washing off your shoes from a muddy hike.
Having a secondary water supply option is a recommendation of ours so you don’t have to shut off your primary water supply.
13. Water Regulator
Not having a regulator on your water supply line is a huge mistake made when connecting your RV to city hookups provided by the campground. A regulator will do as the name says, regulate the water pressure provided to your RV. If there’s too much water pressure coming into the water lines in the RV, you risk damaging the lines or connections. Ultimately causing a leak. It’s common to find water pressure to be too high at campgrounds.
Camping is all about enjoying your experiences and a leak is certainly not one you will enjoy. This is avoidable by making sure you use these when you connect your water supply lines.
Bonus
1. Tank Treatment
Tank treatments will help keep your tanks from smelling and ruining your trip. Sewer smells are not enjoyable but you can avoid them by putting treatments in your tanks when you arrive at the campground. How often you do this all depends on your stay.
Your trip will be will be much better for all with this very simple addition to your setup routine.
2. RV safe Toilet Paper
Most toilet paper you use at home is not recommended for your RV. The holding tanks are flushed more often so the toilet paper doesn’t have time to break down like it does at your home. You will want to buy toilet paper made specifically for the RV.
Also remember to never throw wipes, Kleenex, feminine products, etc. in the toilet. This not only can clog your lines, it may cause very costly repairs to be needed. You will want to avoid that at all costs.
