RV Gear: Absolute Essentials for Full-Timing
In our first three months, we have learned SO MUCH about our RV! As I've said before, I've clocked numerous hours online researching as much as I could about this lifestyle, but there really is no substitute for the first-hand experience.
This list is going to vary greatly depending on your location, your RV, and your personal needs/lifestyle. Loren and I live in Oregon, which means lots of rain, moisture, cold temps, and amazing beautiful nature that makes it all worth it!
#1 Dehumidifier
My #1 most essential item is a dehumidifier. We got ours this week and in less than 48 hours it has pulled about 1.5 gallons of water OUT OF THIN AIR! I really wish we had of bought this before moving in, because we already have some mold/water damage. Luckily, we caught it early! We purchased the Frigidaire 50 Pint Dehumidifier on Amazon for $200. Depending on where you are, you may not need such a beast, but for us Oregonians it's a must!
**UPDATE Oct. 2020: Wow, we’re on our second warranty replacement from Frigedaire (after two years). We’ve had mechanical issues that were not fixable with two units. We highly recommend the Meaco Zambezi Desiccant Dehumidifier. Check out our full review here.
#2 Water Connections & Filters
Okay, so maybe this should be #1 since you need it to live in your rig, but I can't stress enough how important that dang dehumidifier is. You'll need a drinking hose, we purchased a 50' kink resistant one on Amazon for $24. You may also need a heated hose if you'll be in temperatures below freezing. Our hose and pipes have frozen once (temps were in the upper twenties/lower thirties). Believe me, waiting all day for your pipes to thaw just to see if they've cracked is no fun! We also purchased this filter and pressure regulator. You don't want gross campground water or burst pipes! The outdoor water filter was unfortunately not enough for our taste, so we use a Brita Water Filter for our drinking water.
Heated Hose
Water Filter
Brita Water Filter
Pressure Regulator
#3 Sewer Hose & Chemicals
Unless you're really lucky and have a composting toilet, you'll need a few things for your black and grey tanks. To keep odors down, we use Unique Digest It **we used to use RidX, but it’s no longer available. Both of these contains bacteria that break down the waste and tissue in your tank. This is great, because it's formaldehyde-free. Who wants to preserve their poop? I mean really! You'll also need a hose to dump the tanks. This 20' one pictured below is great! We purchased a similar one at Walmart. Make sure you have a clear adapter, so you know when your tanks are cleared thoroughly. If you're staying somewhere you'll have a sewer hookup, definitely check out a sewer hose support. This will keep liquids flowing and the hose off the ground.
#4 Heaters
Because we camp host, we have free electricity, so I try to avoid using propane as much as possible. We have several electric heaters: one is forced air for the bedroom and was about $30 on Amazon. This thing works great for it's size! I absolutely LOVE this infrared heater we got at Lowe's for $99. It heats up the main part of the RV super fast (provided there isn't a cat in front of it) and it looks like a fireplace!
We also have several small ceramic heaters. We keep one outside near our connections to keep the pipes warm. The other sits on our dash to decrease condensation on the windshield.
During colder nights, we keep a forced air heater in the bathroom with the cabinet open. This keeps the pipes and the holding tanks pretty warm.
Our infrared heater
#5 The Internet
There are a lot of posts out there about how to get internet on the road, and frankly they are way more qualified than I am to give tech advice. I can say that our first month or so we had WiFi at our campsite, which made things really easy. When we moved to our next site, however, we didn't have any reception or access to the web. Truth be told, we are millennials and the internet is our entertainment, side income, and encyclopedia. Without it, we were a little more than lost. So we switched to an unlimited plan (for real unlimited) and have been using our phones as hotspots. This is my first experience using a hotspot, but so far it's been great! We stream, google, netflix, and obviously blog!
#6 Surge Protector
This is one that I haven't noticed needing, but it's just a good idea to have. We got the Progressive Industries 50 Amp Surge Protector before moving into the RV, because I didn't want to take any risks with our electrical system or what we have plugged into it.
Honorable Mentions
Here are a few items that didn't make our most essential list, but could be necessary depending on your situation.
*Roof sealant- if you bought a used RV, just expect to seal up some leaky spots on the roof. After the first rain, we had several leaks, and used this self-leveling sealant. It works great and we've been leak-free since (knocking on wood now).
*LED lights for under your rig. No, these aren't just for looks- they repel mice and rodents from getting into you RV. We have fellow full-timers to thank for giving us this tip early on.
*Thermal curtains for the front windshield , thesehave helped keep the heat in. We turned the curtain panels sideways and added grommets to the top to attach the existing windshield curtains.
That's it- our top essentials and a few honorable mentions! Did we miss anything? Let us know what your top essentials are in the comments below!