Now that you have your RV home we need to discuss what you will need for the RV before you go on your first trip. Your RV dealer probably gave you an RV starter kit when you purchased the RV. This is usually made up of the basic essentials and in many cases is not sufficient for what you may encounter. For example if the starter kit included a 10 foot sewer hose you will be disappointed when you discover you need a 20 foot hose to reach the campground sewer connection. This checklist is not all-inclusive, but will provide you with what I refer to as the RV essential items to get through just about any situation you may run in to.
__RV Education 101 video/DVD for the type of RV you own, & the RV essential items DVD
__Potable RV drinking hose- these hoses can be purchased in an RV dealer's parts store. It is a good idea to have a 10-foot and 25-foot hose. They should be used for drinking water only.
__Green or black garden hose- RV drinking hoses are white. You should take an ordinary garden hose for cleaning and other purposes. The color will help distinguish between the two.
__Water pressure regulator- this will protect your RV water system from high water pressure that is common at some campgrounds. Always connect the regulator at the source of the water to regulate pressure before it enters the RV.
__90-degree elbow connector- if you do not use an external water filter at the city water connector on the RV it is a good idea to connect the elbow there to prevent the drinking hose from kinking.
__Water filtration system- I highly recommend some type of water filtration. Either under the counter to a faucet for the drinking water, or an external filter that filters all water going into the unit.
__Sewer hose- it's a good idea to have a 10-foot and a 20-foot sewer hose. Get the heavy duty type. They are not that much more expensive and will hold up better.
__Sewer hose connectors and adapters- you will want to have connectors on the ends of the hose that hook up to the RV and to the campground sewer. You will also want adapters to connect the two hoses together if you need additional length. There are several kits available to make these various connections.
__Sewer hose donut- this is usually plastic or rubber and is used to get a good seal where the sewer hose attaches to the campground sewer. It is included with some sewer hose kits that are available. Some campgrounds require this.
__Electrical adapters- depending on your unit you will need adapters that will allow you to plug in to the electrical service provided. There are adapters that go from 50-amp to 30-amp, 30-amp to 20-amp etc. Check with your RV dealer.
__Extension cords- Ideally you want an extension cord that is designed for RVs with the same gauge wire and ends that match the RV and the campground. If you use a household type extension cord it should be at least 10-gauge wire.
__Spare blade fuses- check the amperage of fuses in your RV and carry spares.
__Spare bulbs- identify the type of bulbs used in lights and carry spares.
__Holding tank chemicals- there are numerous chemicals available for your RV. Experiment with some until you find what you like. The black water tank needs to be treated each time you dump the tank. I recommend you use environmentally friendly holding tank chemicals.
__Gloves- you¡¦ll want to have gloves for some jobs like dumping the holding tanks. Disposable gloves work well.
__RV toilet paper- always use toilet paper designed for use in RVs. It breaks up and dissolves in the holding tank chemicals preventing problems in the black water holding tank and the RV waste water system.
__Wheel chocks and stackable levelers- you always want to chock the wheels and you will need some type of blocks to level the unit. Lynx Levelers work well.
__Striker- it is always a good idea to take a striker along to assist in lighting LP gas appliances that don't have built in igniters.
__First aid kit- you never know what may happen. You will want a good first aid kit available at all times.
__Fire extinguisher- RVs come with fire extinguishers but if you buy used, you may not have one. It is also a good idea to have a fire extinguisher in the tow vehicle too.
Note: This list is not all-inclusive but is a very good start. Eventually you can tailor this list to suit your needs.
Happy RV Learning!
Mark Polk
RV Education 101
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Copyright by Mark Polk owner of RV Education 101 – all rights reserved
you forgot one essential: A polarity tester. That little gaget used to test the electrical outlet before you plug in your RV. At less than $10 it is a bargain that could save you alot of headaches.
ReplyDeleteI was at an RV show and there was a booth set up showing good RV practices. One of the demonstrations they had was several different types of toilet paper in containers of water showing how they break down. Some toilet paper was not breaking down at all and some was. They weren't trying to sell toilet paper so didn't say which brand was which but some of the samples that weren't breaking down in water, even after shaking the container were rated as RV toilet paper! Another good reason to have a clear sewer elbow attached to see if your TP is actually breaking down or not as you flush. If you see lots of "white"chunks flowing out on a regular basis, maybe your TP isn't breaking down as advertised.
ReplyDelete