Your Most Essential Motorhome Items That Did Not Come With The Motorhome

[jscottg]

A ladder 6 - 8 ft. spare fuses. wife.

[BlueGekko]

Lots of good and great ideas for gear. Start and continue to improve a checklist. Have multiple in line water pressure restrictors. I have a tendency to often leave mine connected to the campground water faucet. Also need a back up, Melitta-type coffee maker for those times you don’t want to wake her up at 5:00 in the morning (cook hot water on the propane stove) or when you’re camping off the grid. Also a good stock of your favorite coffee. Mornings without coffee is not a good way to start your day or jump start your brain housing group. Plastic storage bins, lots of plastic storage bins, the first time you open a cupboard after a sudden stop - and things aren’t in bins - will explain why. A GOOD memory foam bed topper. RVs aren’t known for their quality bedding. The topper will fix that. A small, portable propane stove/burner for those days when you’re off the grid, out of propane and HAVE to have a cup of coffee. Or dinner. A GPS that you understand, is uncomplicated, has been updated and you can depend on. We’ve been many places where our iPhone maps can’t find reception but our Garmin can. And the dash mounted Garmin is easier for the driver to see and hear than the iPhone in her hand - especially when she gets a call. Phone calls always take precedence over driving directions, even if you’re headed for a cliff. Finally, a list of emergency phone numbers and membership numbers for your credit cards, banks, road service, vehicle/RV insurance policies, medical policies, doctor’s offices, next of kin and/or friends who can help. Use these six+ pages to begin your checklist, check and amend before, during and after each trip and you’ll eventually be qualified to answer your own question when the next newbie asks it. It’s part of the fun.

[cw5parkins]

Hated getting down and manually checking tire pressure. Also the safety of being alerted if a flat or blowout is immanent.

[sgthurow]

Good pillows
Oscillating fan for bedroom . When a/c or heat isn’t running it gets stuffy feeling . I don’t like leaving the roof units set to anything but auto. When roof units are on low , med or high I don’t feel like it cools as well.
Keurig Coffee pot

Have a great time seeing America ! So many wonderful places and nice people to meet all over !!

[Escape42]

I love the post suggesting the most important thing to bring along is one's wife [spouse]!


My list would include:
1. Surge protector if not OEM equipment which came with the RV.

2. Water filter to be used between a campground water faucet and your RV..
3. Basic set of tools (screw drivers pliers, wrenches, etc.
4. Fire extinguishers.
5. Extra set of keys.
6. Copies of your Power of Attorney and Medical Power of Attorney (particularly if traveling for longer than just a weekend).
7. Extra lengths of water and sewer hoses ... and sewer donuts and/or threaded elbowsws.
8. Depending on the type of RV, 50/30/20 Amp adapters.
9 Cell phone.

10. Camera.



After that, chairs, tables, party lights and other non-essential items can be considered.

[Mudstream]

Essential things to start with:

A good water pressure regulator or two.

30 to 50 amp adapter.

Extra water and sewer hoses.

A hand tool kit.

All of these have been mentioned multiple times. I would keep it simple at first and make a few local trips to get a feel for whatever else YOU want to carry.

One thing we use all the time is a CHECKLIST - kept on a computer for easy editing and printing (you could put it on a phone too.) We have two lists, called the pop-up and pop-down lists (that goes back a ways!) Is the outside thermometer still hanging under the coach? Is the water regulator still on the faucet? Is the Satellite antenna stowed? Double checking the list before you drive away will lower your stress level.

When you're getting ready to move, FOCUS. We've seen people drive away dragging power cords, water hoses and with the parking brake set on the towed. Most mishaps like these are caused by distractions such as the neighbors coming over to visit while you are hooking up the car and so forth. Use that checklist.

Enjoy your new coach!

[joes2901]

Originally Posted by Laserchrome

I have my 1st Motorhome being delivered in the next week or so (Tiffin Red 37BA, all electric). We will soon be on the go and love out of the way places, towing a Jeep JL.
So please share maybe 2 or 3 items that you consider essential that do not typically come with a new unit. It can be anything either on the men's or ladies side. Power Surge Protection to Pima Cotton Sheets.

Thank You in Advance!

The solar, AGM battery banks, suspension improvements, etc. in my signature below. They were all installed in the first 3 months at a little over $35K. They enabled the boondocking I have been enjoying since 2012.

[Sailorman76]

Listed in priority:
1. TPMS
2. EMS unit that test power pedestal before connecting RV
3. Potable water pressure regulator
4. 50 amp to 30 amp dogbone

[PLDieter]

Originally Posted by Xmcdog

Food and water!
Prescriptions.
Lawn chairs.
Fuel filters, rad hoses.
Usual stuff that you use at home.

If you are planning on being away for long periods, be aware that some medications are controlled and your doctor cannot order them from across state lines. Hormones or opioid pain meds can be a royal pain to get while on the road.

[albatterman]

Many excellent recommendations already. I would add to the list a portable water softener and good dual element (particulate & activated carbon) water filter. These will give you good water that will protect your fixtures, water heater and save you the cost and space of carrying bottled water.

[lewisedge]

When I arrive at a new campground with a water hook-up I use my "essential" water pressure gauge to test the pressure. If it is more than 60psi I install a pressure regulator on the faucet before i connect my hose. At more than one campground, I've found pressures in excess of 120psi which can easily damage RV plumbing.


There are some good suggestions by others, but I have not a seen a pressure gauge listed. This one sells for less than 10 bucks on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...9-90a1db2ef53b

[Our05Winneba]

Here's a start:

Essential Class A accessories:

• Surge Protector – Assume 50 amp for your rig. Prefer internally wired Progressive unit. A must.
• Water hose(s) – Get several non-toxic hoses for drinking water. We carry a 25’ and a 50’.
• Water filter – We find the Camco inline hose filter works great.
• Water Pressure Gauge – Get the adjustable one with gauge on it. We found the small in-line cheapies did not regulate pressure very well.
• Door mat(s) for entry steps
• Tools – Screwdrivers, pliers, wrenches, etc, etc.
• Electrical Multi-meter.
• Downloaded service manuals – for your rig, and for all individual appliances & components. I keep copies on my PCs and on phones
• Travel Apps – Downloaded & installed. Such as Allstays.
• Memberships – join up a head of time - as needed. Such as Passport America, Thousand Trails, Harvest Hosts, Good Sam, Roadside Assistance, etc
• GPS System – Can be as fancy as a Garmin, though we find Google Maps to work just fine., and already installed on our phones.
• Lawn Chairs
• Patio Mat
• Spare parts specific to your rig – Oil Filter, air filter, oil, etc.
• Spare Fuses
• Matches / lighters
• Good flashlights – Several!
• Spare batteries
• Tire Pressure gauge
• Tire Air pump – Really. If you use your tire pressure gauge (you should before every travel day) you could easily find one or more tires needs air. Maintaining correct tire pressures is the single most important thing you can do for safe travels.
• Fire Extinguishers – Get a 6 pak of wet chemical fire extinguishers and place all around your rig – inside & out. Why? The typical dry powder extinguishers included should only be used outside, because if you ever use them inside you will coat everything in your RV with a corrosive power that will take days to clean. The wet chemical extinguishers are typically bio-degradable and can easily be cleaned up easily. Be sure to locate extinguishers in a number of your outside storage bays, because you will likely need to access them there.
• Good Paper Maps – We joined AAA just so we could get all their free maps and travel guides for all states, many cities, and even National Parks. I know – maps may be on your phone but there is nothing like opening a large map where you can what is around a much larger area.



Other advice –
• Keep A list of Emergency Numbers Handy - Know who to call when something breaks. Have all contact numbers handy for different purposes: Roadside Assistance, Manufacturer, RV Technician at the dealer your purchased from, etc.

[Pianotuna]

Add a modest solar system to keep the batteries alive while unit is in storage.



This link may help:


https://freecampsites.net/adding-solar/

[rlott2k]

TPMS