Ultimate Guide to RV Accessories, Upgrades and Add-ons
Just got a new RV and wondering what you need before your first camping trip? Here’s an extensive list to get you going and empty your wallet! The more we RV, the more we will add to this list.
Essentials
American Mattress Company 8″ Graphite Infused Memory Foam-Sleeps Cooler-100% Made in The USA-Medium Firm RV King – 72×80 (other sizes available)
Most mattresses that ship with your RV suck and you’ll feel it after just one night in your camper. American Mattress company has 6″, 8″ and 12″ memory foam mattresses in RV sizes. These are rated medium-firm so you won’t feel like you’re falling into them!
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Stromberg Carlson EXT-3542 Extend-A-Shower Rod
If you’re RV has a regular shower rod, you might feel a little claustrophobic when taking a shower. Installing this Stromberg Extend a Rod will give you extra space when showerin and then it can be flipped inward to dry things such as wet towels or bathing suits over the tub!
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Teknor Apex Zero-G 1/2″ X 25′ Drinking Water Hose
Whatever hose you use, make sure it is safe for drinking water! These Apex Zero-G hoses are convenient because they coil up nice and small. We carry two of these for a total of 50ft of drinking water hose)
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Speaking of Water, make sure you get a water filter and pressure regulator!
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Camco Fasten XL 2×2 Leveling Block – Interlocking Design Allows Stacking to Desired Height
We have 3 sets of these that we use for both the front jack, leveling, and for the stabilizer jacks. They have a nice interlocking design and carry handle.
Another good option is the Andersen Hitches Ultimate Trailer Gear Super EZ Bag (3630)
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X-Chock Wheel Stabilizer – Pair – One Handle – 28012
Before you unhitch, make sure your wheels are chocked up, we use these with regular chocks because they also help prevent motion when there is movement inside your RV.
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AcuRite 00986 Digital Refrigerator Thermometer with 2 Wireless Temperature Sensors & Customizable Alarms for Fridge & Freezer
Tired of guessing what your RV Fridge and Freezer temps are? Wondering if you RV Fridge is working at all? This digital gauge/wireless sensor kit takes the guesswork out of it! The main display is magnetic making it easy to mount.
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Hughes Autoformer BX4370 Power Watch Dog 30 AMP Surge Protector with Bluetooth(50 amp also available)
Do not plugin into RV Park receptacles without protection! We really like this model because it has Bluetooth and a free app to monitor your RV electric usage.
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30-Amp RV Extension Cord, Heavy Duty, Waterproof 10 Gauge (also available in 50 amp)
Your RV probably came with a 25ft or 30ft electric cord. If you camp enough you are bound to run into a site where you can’t reach the electric box so it’s good to have a 30 ft extension cord handy.
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Camco RV Vent Insulator And Skylight Cover With Reflective Surface, Fits Standard 14″ RV Vents (45192)
These help keep the sunlight and associated heat out of your RV via the vents.
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RVLock V4 Keyless Entry Handle w/Integrated Keypad & Fob
Yup keyless entry for your RV! They have different models depending on the type of existing lock you have. These are very convenient!
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Gravity Chairs
The ones listed below are from Amazon but check your local CostCo or Sam’s Club too.
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Camco 42843 Swirl Awning Leisure Mat-Charcoal 8′ X 16′
These mats are large but fold up into an easily storable size and are easy to clean. Available in different colors
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Coleman RoadTrip Grill or Similar
We’ve had a Roadtrip grill for a few years and it has served us well. It folds up and fits nicely in our RV storage compartment(aka the basement). I switch one grill side out for a skillet.
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There is also the Blackstone Table Top Grill which we haven’t used but know many people love.
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GOODYEAR Endurance All-Season Radial Tires Load E
If your RV came with no-name tires made in china(also known as “China Bomb Trailer Tires”), consider making the investment to MAde in the USA Goodyear Endurance tires with a Load E rating(overkill is good here). You don’t want to have a damage-causing blowout on the way to your destination!
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High Volume Air Pump – Viair 00088 88P Portable Air Compressor
That $25 plastic air pump you got in Walmart isn’t going to cut it with high psi tires such as 80psi Load E or 65psi Load D. Air up tires quickly with the Viair Portable Air Compressor.
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Keep an eye on those trailer tire pressures with a monitoring kit such as the TireMinder i10 RV TPMS with 4 Transmitters and have some peace of mind while towing or driving your RV.
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First Aid Kit – You probably have one in your tow vehicle(you do have one, right?!) but it’s a good idea to out another one in your RV.
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Backup Cameras aka Save Your Marriage Backing Into Spots
A lot of newer RVs come prewired for Furrion Cameras. The Furrion Vision Series is available in 4.3″, 5″ & 7″. These old eyes prefer a 7 inch screen!
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A budget option to the Furrion cameras is Haloview, such as the MC7108. Haloview also has optional side-view cameras that replace your side markers. These can all be used while driving.
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Also helpful when setting up your RV are devices like the LevelMatePRO Wireless Vehicle Leveling System. These let you monitor level-ness from your smartphone so you don’t have to keep running back and forth like I do! Not as much as a “marriage-saver as the backup camera” but it could keep you off the couch for a night.
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Let’s Talk About RV Steps
If your RV steps are the older pull type that doesn’t touch the ground, then you are familiar with the way your Rv bounced whenever some exits or enters the RV. Fortunately, there are replacements available that get rid of this bounce and that are much more stable to entry & exit. Make sure to get the model that matches your current width and RV height. We have the Lippert version and have been very happy with it.
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Under step storage – make use of the space where your old steps were with the Mor/Ryde International Inc. SP54-099H Under Step Storage Box
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Need even more storage? Check out the Lippert 236558 RV Double Box Under Chassis Storage Unit!
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Boondocking and Dry Camping
Champion 3400-Watt Dual Fuel(gas & Propane) RV Ready Portable Inverter Generator with Electric Start – Boondocking/Dry-Camping Essential
We are able to start and run our 15k AC with this generator on propane. We got about 8 hours out of 1 20lbs propane tank running the AC full time on the Texas Coast. The ability to run on gas or propane is definitely a bonus.
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Renogy Solar Suitcase
These are great when you’re boondocking bt don’t want to run your generator.
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See or DIY Solar Generator post for more details about Solar Panels, Batteries, and Inverters.
Extra Fridge/Freezer Space
By now you’ve realized that many RV Fridge/Freezers are not big enough for more than a weekend get-a-way. We were able to fit this Whynter 65 quarter fridge/freezer under our master bed. As a bonus, it runs off of 12v or 120v so it is well-suited t boondocking/dry camping. We’ve have run it at 0 degrees as a freezer for weeks at a time. If you have a Toy Hauler or Fifth Wheel you could probably fit the 85 quart version.
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Speaking of fridges, we just picked up a tabletop Ice Maker because of the limited RV Freezer space.
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Working While Camping
Cell phone boosters: surprisingly the good ones like weBoost do work! We’ve been in spots such as outside of Durango on a valley with ZERO bars of service, but were able to get 3-4 bars with this booster! We added a directional antenna to our original kit and an app called Network Signal to locate the local cell towers. I know a lot of y’all camp so you can be offline but some of us need to work on longer trips.
The weBoost Connect RV 65 (471203) includes the directional antenna and a 25ft telescoping pole to mount the antenna. This probably works better than my 5ft pvc pipe mounted with suction cups!
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Be warned that although many RV Parks claim to have WiFi, often times you will find out when you get there that they barely have enough bandwidth to send emails(forget streaming Netflix or Hulu from your RV!) Othertimes, your RV spot will be too far from the RV Park Office Wifi Access Point. The Alfa WiFi Camp Pro 2 Long Range WiFi Repeater RV kit is a nice package to pick up those RV Park WiFi signals and boost them inside your RV. We put together our own booster using Ubiquiti parts. If you’re a geek like us let us know if you roll your own WiFi Booster/Repeater!
A bonus of this setup is your RV Wifi Access Point remains the same so you don’t have to connect all of your devices to it at each RV park.
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We are also testing out this GL.iNet GL-X750 (Spitz) 4G LTE OpenWrt VPN Router with Tmobile Data service as we attempt to do Remote School & Remote Work from the RV. Initial results are good but will do a more in-depth post on this after we’ve used it more.
Update Sept 9, 2020: We’ve been using the GL-X750 for 2 weeks successfully for remote school +work(lots of Zoom video sessions@).
See our full write up here: GL-X750 4G LTE WIFI Router Review – Great for RV Travel
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Nice to Have Upgrades
Faucet Upgrade
Our bathroom sink came with a plastic faucet that was really short…too short. T-rex could never wash his/her hands in ours. We replaced it with the PARLOS 2-Handle Bathroom Sink Faucet. Pretty easy install, but don’t use the included drain as it’s for overflow sinks and will leak.
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RV Toilet Upgrade!
Nice to have or the most important upgrade of all…the Toilet! Replace that squeaky creaky plastic toilet with Dometic’s 310 version which has a ceramic bowl. This is a little bigger than the 300 we replaced so double check if you have the extra room before ordering. If you have a lot of space, Dometic also has a larger 320 version. What’s next, an RV Bidet?
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AC Silencer
The RV Rooftop Air Conditioners are notoriously loud. WackpoProducts makes am AC silencer for Dometic and Coleman AC Units.
Speaking of ACs, make sure you replace your AC Filter often.
Dometic 3313107.1030000001 Replacement AC Air Filter
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Maxx Vent Covers – These allow you to keep your vents open when it’s raining. Some people also use these to keep the vents open while they are driving the RV but we haven’t tried that…yet.
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Getting motion sickness in your RV whenever someone moves even just a little? JT Strong Arms kit will eliminate just about all of that unwanted RV movement. BAL also makes a similar product. We installed 1 of the Bals side-to-side in the back of our Travel Trailer and it helped a lot. We’ll probably get one more for side-to-side movement in the front of the Travel Trailer.
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Mount n lock safety struts
Mount it! TV mount
Camco screen door cross bar
LCI screen Defender
Maxx vent covers
RV Smart Plug
*These are Amazon affiliate links and if that bugs you, just copy & paste the titles to search/find them without affiliate links.