Essential RV AccessoriesKevinOphoff2024-10-11T17:14:02-06:00

Essential RV Accessories

You’ve hit the jackpot in your search for information! We have not one, not two, but three pages covering everything you need to know about essential RV accessories: the little things you don’t even know you need before you hit the road. Don’t be the poor soul standing on the side of the highway, holding your phone high in the air, desperately searching for signal to find the nearest RV parts store. NOW is the time to find out what you’re missing.

Before we get started, here’s what you’ll find on our other essential RV accessories pages:

Essential Accessories for RVs will give you the lowdown on tire accessories, leveling blocks, towing accessories, fire safety, first aid, and some particular necessities for boondocking.

RV Accessories You Can’t Live Without reviews the finer things in life: cooking accessories, RV pet care, TV reception, and Wi-Fi connectivity.

On this page, we’ll address three important areas: hoses and their important pieces/parts, shore power, and bedding.

Find out which hoses you need and why, and the small accessories you’ll need like a water regulator, a heated water hose, a sewer hose, and how to dispose of gray water.

Electricity is one of those things we don’t even think about until we don’t have it. Be prepared with a good surge protector, assortment of fuses, and a generator.

Finally- bedding. Another one of those things we take for granted until we’re tossing and turning.

How I’ve selected these essential RV accessories

Wouldn’t you know, someone already wrote a book about it.

Here is a list of essential RV accessories you’ll need for a successful RV trip. In some cases I have provided links for the items show to take you directly to a product supplier like Amazon. In other cases I’ve provided a link to a page of this website that discussion those essential RV accessories in detail. Tiny Life Consulting does make a small commission if you buy something, and it doesn’t cost you anything extra. I have not packed this list with a bunch of crap you don’t need. Just the essentials you’ll need right away.

The essential RV accessories I suggest are always good quality with excellent reviews. There may be cheaper, lower-quality alternatives available at your local big-box retailer, so don’t feel the least bit obligated to buy these particular items.

BPA Free Fresh Water Hose

Unlike a standard garden hose, a drinking water hose is free of known carcinogens and other toxic chemicals.

This Camco premium water hose is lead-free, BPA-free, phthalate-free and UV stabilized for longer life. It comes in various lengths and doesn’t kink.

Use this hose to fill your fresh water tank or connect to RV campground water. Never use it at a dump station or to clean out or back flush your black tank. Keep a separate hose on hand for that.

You can use a regular garden hose for black tank clean out. See my website page about Keeping Your Water Lines From Freezing.

Some other fresh water system accessories you’ll need

Hose Elbow

Prevent hose crimping and strain, and extend hose life. Camco RV 90 Degree Hose Elbow eliminates unnecessary stress and strain on all RV water intake hose fittings. It’s perfect for RVs. or just around the house. The elbow is made of brass for years of trouble-free use.

Water Regulator

This RV water regulator reduces water pressure to a safe, consistent 40-50 lbs of operating pressure, protects plumbing fixtures, and prevents hose failure to help prolong equipment life. Note: The regulator is just the small brass fitting between the faucet and the hose.

Heated Water Hose

Heated fresh water supply hoses provide smooth-flowing drinking water in freezing temperatures. The heating source is self-regulating, supplying additional heat as needed as the temperature drops – no thermostat is required. Heavy-duty zippered insulation cuffs at each end are included for added freeze protection. This drinking water safe hose operates on 120VAC, and is available in 15′, 25′ and 50′ lengths.

Wastewater Essential RV Accessories

Every RVer will need these accessories to connect to sewer at the RV park, or to drain your tanks at a dump station.

Rubber gloves. You can buy nitrile disposable rubber gloves and the grocery store. Keep a box on board. For a more natural latex glove, see my page on Eco Friendly products.

Sewer Hose

Might as well get a good one right off. No one wants a spill at the dump station.

Camco’s RV RhinoFLEX 15′ Sewer Hose Kit with RhinoFlex Hose and Swivel Fittings features a super-tough bayonet fitting with four prongs for a more secure fit. At the dump station end, they’ve added an easily detachable 4-in-1 translucent elbow adapter for fitting to 3″ slip or 3″, 3-1/2″ and 4″ threaded pipes. It’s a ready-to-use kit made with 23 mils of the toughest hose you can buy. The fittings swivel and feature reusable locking rings so that fittings can be moved to a new RhinoFLEX hose. It includes a bayonet and elbow storage cap. The kit compresses to 56″ for storage, and the removable 4-in-1 adapter allows you to store the hose in 4” square bumpers. Amazon’s top seller. Click on image to see more details.

Disposing of Gray Water

Gray water usually contains soaps, toothpaste, tiny food particles, and normal dirt. We put basin tubs in our kitchen sinks to catch the gray water and deliver it to the plants in the drought-stricken forest around us. I recommend Eco-Friendly dish soaps from EarthHero. See coupon code.

We use a collapsible dish drainer for drying. See this page about reusing gray water safely.

Visit this page to see essential RV kitchen appliances, including the all-important ice maker.

Visit my page “How to Drain and Maintain Your RV Holding Tanks” so you’ll feel confident as an RV sanitation engineer.

I also have a page showing how to empty your tanks at home, or if you are parked in a friend’s yard quite a ways from the sewer: “How to Empty Holding Tanks Remotely.”

Another issue people run into regularly is stinky-slink storage. If you buy accessories that don’t fit within the 4″ bumper, here are some additional storage ideas.

Shore Power Accessories

You’ll need several electrical accessories right away.

Surge Protectors

Your RV is full of sensitive electronics. That RV park power grid was probably installed in the 50’s. That’s trouble just waiting to happen. A good surge protector will save you costly repairs or replacement of your appliances and electronics.

What’s the difference between a less expensive surge protector and an expensive surge protector?

The 30-amp surge protector shown on the left sells for $69.99*. It will absorb a whopping 12,000 joules of surge energy, then it’s done. It has four LED lights that can indicate certain problems with the incoming voltage and connection. There is a 50-amp version for a little more. Get the one that fits your RV.

Here’s what you get if you pay more

The expensive surge protector on the right has some really important features that make it worth the extra coin.

First, it can absorb 6100 joules. But better yet, once the surge protector part is cooked, the surge module it can be replaced for just $48.09* and it’s as good as new. If it goes out in the first year, the manufacturer will replace it for free*.

Second, and just as important: A Smart Circuit Analyzer will shut down power to RV if a dangerous event occurs. An alert will be sent to your smartphone. It automatically shuts down power if voltage drops below 104 V or over 132 V. Once power conditions are good and stable for 90 seconds, the unit will turn back on automatically. When first plugged in, it makes a bunch of tests automatically before allowing power to flow thruough.

Third, the Hughes outdoor surge protectors have a built-in locking bracket so you can securely lock it to the pedestal with a cable lock.

It also has an app so you can monitor your power and usage on your phone.

The Hughes Autoformers PWD50-EPO-H sells for a reasonable price on Amazon.com. Limited Lifetime Warranty. The 30-amp version is a little more.

For detailed information about shore power and surge protectors see this page, “All About Shore Power and Surge Protectors.”

Fuse Assortment

RVers frequently report electrical issues with their rig. Many times, they’ve blown a fuse as part of the issue. Keeping an assortment of fuses on hand will save you a trip to the auto parts store. Buying an assortment saves a ton of money over buying individual fuses.

Last time I purchased just one it was $15.00! This whole kit is just $8.99* and comes with a convenient carry box. Click on image to see details on Amazon. Your vehicle uses these same fuses.

Generators

The generator on my rig is built-in and I take it for granted. We flip it on to run the microwave oven and charge the battery. Things would be quite different if we didn’t have one.

I have several pages about generators giving a ton of information you might want to know, so, refer to these pages:

Generators or Portable Power Centers, Which one is right for you?

Portable Inverter/Generator Comparison

How to Quiet Down Your Generator

Running RV appliances, like air-conditioners, off-grid

Make sure you are insured

We recommend Roamly Insurance. They search over 26 insurance companies to find the right policy for you. Roamly will insure you even if you’re living in your rig full time. They’ll also insure you if you want to rent your RV out when you are not using it.

RV Mattresses, Mattress Pads, Sheets, and Bedding

RV bed mattresses are notoriously poor. Why? Because you really don’t notice this at the time of the sale, and it saves them money.

But camping without a good nights sleep is miserable. That’s one of the main reasons we got an RV in the first place.

RV mattresses and sheets are a different size than home mattresses. Sometimes they aren’t even a rectangle; they’ve got a corner cut off, or some strange shape.

Your bedding is also subjected to extremes in temperature during storage, which cause things like certain types of foam to deteriorate prematurely.

Visit this page: Best RV and Tiny House Mattresses to view products and sources made for RV living.