RV Newbie Gear

Last Updated on 04/17/2023 by Glynn Willard

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What’s The Most Important Gear For A New RV?

 
You just bought a new or “new to you” RV and you’re bombarded by lists and suggestions of all the gear you need to equip your RV. Do you need everything on the lists? Absolutely not!

And I caution you to consider the weight of everything you purchase (regardless of the GVWR of your RV).

On our first go-around of the country, we took a lot of gear we thought we needed. Upon returning to the home-base, we shed a lot.

And, of course, we acquired a few things we didn’t realize we needed for boondocking fulltime while we were on the road.

I’ll repeat that… if you forget something, there’s ample opportunity to acquire it on the road.
 

Looking To Get Right To The Full List Of Essential RV Gear?

 
You can go straight to our Necessary RV Gear site that lists our selection of essential RV gear in a nice orderly fashion.
 

Essential Newbie RV Gear

 
We have additional categories (nice to have RV gear, essential boondocking gear, essential RV tools, filming gear and RV health & fitness) as well.

But please start with just the necessities until you’ve spent some time on the road.

Knowing and understanding your RVing style will clarify what you do and don’t need from the other categories.

The list:

• Leveling Blocks

 
It doesn’t matter what kind of RV you have, you’ll need a set or two in the rig all the time. And you will use them every time. No need to buy expensive, fancy leveling blocks.



These have served us well and have been put through the wringer. In fact, we use them under the truck tires whenever we get stuck. Yes, it happens on occasion.
 

• Anderson Leveler System

 
If you have travel trailer or fifth wheel, these are a must! But you have an automatic leveling system, you say? It doesn’t matter. I encourage you to have these as a back up.

On more than one occasion, we’ve crossed paths with RV’ers who’s automatic leveling system has failed. If they had had these as a backup, all would have been fine.


We use these almost every time we park the rig. And they’re so easy to use!
 

• The Right Sewer Hose

 
Dump after dump every week for years and this exact hose has held up great to an unbelievable amount of poo!

Make sure you have the additional hose attachment. On more than one occasion, I was a little too far from the sewer and it’s always easier to extend the hose than reposition the rig. Especially if ther are othes waiting!
 

• Water Filters For Your RV

 
We use two types of water filters. The first is always attached to our potable water hose regardless of the water’s flavor. It’s inexpensive and easy to replace.

I sample the water before filling our tanks and if it has an adverse flavor, I add this next filter to the other end of the hose.

It has yet to fail us in making the water we add to our tank palatable. This was less than the competition, but is better quality than I thought. Just drain it after each use (not difficult).

 

• Additional Water Storage

 
Overkill??? Never! Running out of water or figuring out your onboard water is contaminated is never a good thing!


We keep three of these full in the truck bed (which we cycle to keep them fresh). We’ve had to use them on more than one occasion.
 

• Water Pressure Regulator

If you connect to city water, always use this in case the pressure is too high for your rig. We keep one on board, but rarely use it since we live off our fresh water tank.

 

• A Good Potable Water Hose

 
This hose is only for your drink water. It’s the one we keep the inline filter attached to and then it attaches to the secondary filter system and is used for nothing else.

Make sure you have 50 feet, not 25. We’ve needed almost all 50 feet on several occasions. Again, easier to have a longer hose than move the whole rig.
 

• Water Heater Anode Rod

 
If you have a Suburban water heater in your rig, you will eventually need one of these.
 

 
Do yourself a favor and change it anually if you use your water heater on a regular basis. The old syaing, an ounce of prevention…. you know the rest.
 

• Heavy Duty Chocks

 
Please don’t skimp on something that will keep your rig from rolling. We’ve found these exact chocks to do exactly what they’re supposed to do and do it well.

 

• Lubricants To Maintain Your Slide And Seals

 
No need to get caught up in all the variety of lubricants for these applications. Maintaining the integrity of your seals and slide will save you on the long run. And everything will operate as it should for longer.

We show you how to use it in this video.
 

• Hooks, Hooks & More Hooks

 
You can never have too many! They’re all over our rig and we still don’t have enough.
 

 
I assure you, if you place one or fifty up, they will get used.
 

• Power Adaptor Cords

 
Maybe you’re rig is 30 Amp or it’s 50 Amp. You’ll eventually show up somewhere with only a 15 Amp hookup or only the opposite of what you have.
 

 
They’re light, inexpensive and the difference between electricity and no electricity in some locations. Make sure you purchase the correct on for your rig’s amperage.
 

• Gas And Or Diesel Can

Always, always have extra fuel for your vehicle and generator. The Scepter brand is rock solid!

 
We always love the signs in Nevada stating “200+ miles until the next services!” Like I said, always have additional fuel.
 

• Speaking Of Generators…

As we’ve well learned, proper maintenance of this generator will keep it running forever. Whether you prefer Yamaha or Honda, they both make amazing generators.
 

 
We can attribute that two of these put out 30 Amps and run our entire rig, including air conditioning all day on less than a gollon of gas. And they are super quiet!
 

• Trailer Coupler Pin

 
If you have a bumper pull travel trailer, there’s a chance you will lose this by forgetting to put it back when unhitching. It’s almost happed to us.

So, we keep a few extra in the “spare parts” bin.
 

• Dirty Laundry Storage And Transport

 
The key here is it’s light weight, folds up, durable and holds a lot of laundry. The basket rides in the tub on moving days and anywhere it fits on stationary days.
 

 
But, it’s not so good to take laundy to the laundramat. So, we use two of these bags to transport dirty laundry.
 

 
They also get washed, so they’re clean when packing the clean laundry back into them.
 

• A Brush For Washing Your RV

 
Unless you plan on outsourcing your rigs detailing, keep one of these on hand. You don’t need anything fancy, just sturdy. It makes washing every part of the trailer a whole lot easier!

Also, no need to attach the hose. Just dip it in soapy water, scrub and spray off.
 

• Easy Clean Up

 
We use these to clean the inside of the entire rig including floors, sink, toilet, walls and surfaces. Not the same rag for all, that’s gross!
 

 
They work well, we finish everything in under thirty minutes and they burn easily when we’re boondocking.
 

• Baby Wipes, Not Just For Babies

 
We boondock most of the time, which means fewer showers. We use wipes on the “hot spots,” neck, arms and legs. When we’re in the desert, it’s amazing how much dust comes off us.
 

 
These also burn well when boondocking. Gavyn gives you his impression of wipes in this video.
 
 
If there’s anything else we eventually find to be essential, we’ll add it to the full list of Necessary RV Gear.
 
If you take anything from this article, only start with the necessities. Then acquire what you really need/want after you figure out your RVing style.

Happy and safe travels!
 
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