What do I need (or want) to carry in our first RV - 43" Class A DP

[Reacher]

As mentioned, tools lots of tools. I carry 3 tool bags. Mechanical, plumbing and electrical including DMM/clamp on amp meter and endoscope. Misc. hardware in a hobby style divider box including crimp-ons, coax f fittings and coax tools. Various plumbing supplies with plumbers lube and garden hose washers. All relating to the type of plumbing you have, pex, pvc whatever.

[rarebear.nm]

The question of roadside assistance has shown up couple of times here. Yes I have two programs, but have never needed either for the RV setup. But glad I have it. With that said and thinking those programs "generally" work, there are plenty of cases where the RA people claim they could not find a truck/crew in the area when needed. Or they show up with the wrong size tire if that was needed or no tire in stock, etc. In some cases you may be waiting very long on the side of the road waiting. Keep in mind all those programs are like insurance, in that on the average the customer does not reap enough value to pay for it, like me. If you need it, well you come out ahead.

Much better than cashing in on life insurance!

For folks with towables, be aware some programs may tow the tow vehicle and not the trailer. Check the fine print. Not all tow services have equipment to tow some trailers irrespective of the program. Just saying....

[pete5016]

Oops....forgot to add. a small Radiator hose repair kit. I have stuck on the side of the road due to a small hole in a radiator hose....very frustrating!

[BWDavis]

Two things that I have not seen mentioned so far.

1. There are products to protect the seals on your slide outs. Rubber protectants basically. You don't have to apply these often, but it will prolong their life, especially important since you are purchasing a used rig. Along those lines, look into a silicon type spray to keep the tracks for your slide outs lubricated. Maintain and protect your investment!
2. You will learn as you go, which is part of the fun. Before you hit the road, find some good websites to price RV parts. etrailer.com is a good source. There are others. I often end up buying things on Amazon but browse etrailer, and even Camping World (which I don't recommend) to make sure that I find the proper name for the item that I am looking for. As someone previously mentioned, with a credit card and an Amazon Prime subscription you can get most anything quickly.
3. IMO, you will go insane buying and organizing everything that has been suggested. Go use your rig, not far from home and try it. The more you use it the more you will learn what you want/need.
4. From there, distill all of this information into two categories - WANTS and NEEDS. That is sometimes a fine line, but apply some common sense and it will make sense. Certain items are on most people's list. Those are NEEDS. Other stuff, maybe not so much.
5. Other than the basics (hoses and what not) the top two NEEDS that I would suggest are the water pressure regulator and the surge protector. Like someone else, I prefer the hard-wired model with a remote display. That recently saved our lives. Literally. We had a weird one-off problem with our solar inverter and if we had no protector, or even one at the pedestal, I'm not sure we'd still be here. There are a lot of stories out there of people incurring serious and expensive damage from electrical problems, and water pressure issues.

[Moodywelman]

Money!

[dickb46]

I had my inverter/charger go out on a planned one month trip. Never again will I set sail without a good battery charger (only other way to maintain 12 volts)

[BruceDeville]

Originally Posted by Doug427

So, as many of you may have noticed in my many posts, we jumped into the pool at the deep end and our first RV is a 43' DP with a tag axle. It's a 2005 Newmar Mountain Aire 4304. We're sitting here planning on what we need to buy to outfit it. Of course, we know about dishes, glasses, silverware, etc. Being newbies, what do we need that we might not think of until we need it and we don't have it?



Our coach has a Samsung residential RF18 fridge and I have already ordered a really trick item to keep all three doors closed.


I have to load up on tools, a gas grill, a foldable patio mat, etc. I'll probably pick up the top line Garmin nav unit. The Silverleaf VMSpc system looks really neat on a RCA tablet, it's fairly cheap. I might get one of them down the road. Anyone out there using this?



What are we missing? This is the fun part!

My opinion is to buy the bare essentials at first. However pack that motorhome to the gills with stuff from the house, garage, neighbors garage, etc, etc. Then on the trip, sort it out. On the first trip things will emerge as must have, then later in you RV life other things will come to the surface. When you get back home from that first trip, off load what you did not use.

Bruce Deville

[Dutchstar53]

Spare fuel filter and/or find schedule replacement mileage and do it or have it done many miles earlier.

[bjbear]

The list by rarebear is great. I would add:

Spare serpentine and any other engine belt
Spare fuel filters.
Nozzle and filter for AquaHot if equiped.

[Kavee]

Get Lots of Solar power and the most coach batteries that you can fit. Being able to dry camp exponentially expands your location options, and you cannot always use the generator, or have shore power. Another thing we have used a lot is a couple of induction hot plates and an electric toaster oven. Our DP has a propane stove, but not a propane oven...only microwave convection which is fairly useless unless plugged into shore power, and even then, a large toaster oven is more useful for baking, etc. Another thing we have found very useful is a mesh screen to run from the awning edge to the ground. Not only does it stabilize the awning, but keeps the sun off the fridge. I made ours out of screening. In Arizona, we used the same sort of stuff on the front window to minimize sun heat.

[WatchMeRV]

I always carriy spare wiper arms or bushings, dependent upon your coach. Also spare wiper blades. Every Class A I have owned has had wiper issues.

[Rob_M]

Zip ties, duct tape, electrical tape, bungee cords, gloves.
And I agree with others that google maps app is usually more reliable than our rv specific Garmin. None of them are perfect. Map your route ahead of time and use common sense... if something doesn’t seem right pull over and double check your route. I’ve been directed in circles or down a gravel road more than once.

[cheekjo]

I would add a roll of Eternabond (?) tape for emergency repairs. Was camping in Atlanta once. Rained for three days and developed a leak on the roof. Had nothing with us to make repairs. Cost me $250 for a mobil repair guy. Would have paid for several rolls of tape. I actually had a roll that I had left home.

[Jjkkee1]

Buy "The Next Exit" annual travel book. Indicates campgrounds, RV friendly fuel stations, restaurants, attractions by exit number off the interstates for each state.