Our Top 11 Camper Must-Haves for Camping in a Travel Trailer or RV
When we transitioned from tent camping to a hard-sided travel trailer camper, it took some time to find products that were not gimmicks and actually helped us camp easier, and in a more organized and simple way. I feel like there are always new things coming out, but these are our current Top 11 Must Haves.
A little background on the inspiration for this post: We sold our camper (an Outback) last spring and purchased a new one (a Micro Lite). When we pulled ALL THE STUFF out of the Outback…woah! And here I thought I had our old camper relatively organized (and minimalized…ha!) I was simply stunned! We definitely continue to minimize, especially as we’ve filled our new camper with stuff. When the new owners of our Outback came to pick it up, we learned it was their first camper too – just like it was our very first travel trailer. So we gave them tips on the things that are a MUST for travel trailer camping and here we’re sharing that list with you too!
At this point, this blog post does not contain affiliate marketing. These are items and products we recommend to friends and family and now, you. If affiliate marketing ever were to become something we do, I will edit and update this post. You’ll also notice most of the links are from Amazon – but we prefer visiting your local camper dealer or hardware store to try to find these items through them first because it’s important to support local, whenever possible. What we love about Amazon is the quick access to reviews. And in the times of covid-19, it also delivers to our house as we currently do not venture into many stores at this time.
I also want to throw the caveat that you do not need to have all of these items in order to camp with a travel trailer. We do not recommend purchasing anything with a credit card so, by posting this, we do not want you to go into debt, just to buy all the items (or even one item) we recommend. Instead, think through each item and budget how to afford them without putting them on a credit card. Ask for things as gifts for birthdays or holidays (if that’s something you do) or for gift cards towards the items or simply start a sinking fund to be able to purchase things as you go. Onto the list!
Top 11 Camping Must Haves:
1) X Chocks
The X Chocks help to stabilize the camper. They make it so much more stable, it’s hard to describe it in words. Basically, they apply opposing force to your tandem wheels/tires to stabilize your trailer. If you do not have a tandem axle, continue on to our next favorite item. X Chocks Item Link: http://bit.ly/xchocks1
2) Stackable Nesting Bowls with Measuring Cups & Spoons
Joseph and Joseph have these nesting bowls that include measuring cups and measuring spoons. It’s space saving, minimalistic, and the bowls feature rubber bottoms so they sit still. They’re perfect for camping because they fit right inside a cupboard or drawer or tote and its all in one. If they shift around a bit while traveling, it’s ok, because they all stay together. Stackable Bowls Item Link: http://bit.ly/stackablebowls1
3) Shower lanyard to hold: shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and lotion
When it comes to the bathroom, there can be just way too many bottles and products you may use every day. Reduce a few of those, specifically for when you shower, by purchasing a shower lanyard. What’s handy about this is that we put a sticky hook (command hook) in the camper shower (yes we use our shower vs. showering at campground facilities, but I can see this being handy if you prefer to use campground facilities too) so we don’t have to bring along bottles of shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, and body wash. Less stuff also equals less weight! Shower Lanyard Item Link: http://bit.ly/showerlanyard1
4) DeWalt Impact Drill
The DeWalt Impact Drill and you’ll want to get the correct adapter that matches your Stabilizer Jacks. It makes setting up so much faster and easier than hand cranking the Stabilizer Jacks into place. Cole researched and purchased a drill adapter that matches our stabilizer jacks. We have a DeWalt Impact drill that travels with us so we do not have crank down our manual stabilizer jacks. Simply put the adapter on the drill and use it to drop the stabilizer jacks. We also carry along chunks of wood to put under our jacks. We’ll discuss and show you those in another post. Dewalt Item Link: http://bit.ly/dwaltimpact1
5) Thermopop Thermometer
Proper temperature of meat insures safety, while making meat extra delicious. While researching meat thermometers we discovered Thermopop. We now own two – one for the camper and one for our home. And we’ve highly recommended and ordered them for friends and family. Item Link: http://bit.ly/Thermopop1
6) Memory Foam Mattress Topper
Campers usually do not have the most comfortable beds. An easy bed hack is to purchase a Mattress Topper. It’s hard to describe the incredible level of comfort you’ll get out of it! The one we currently have doesn’t quite fit the size of our camper mattress, so I recommend reading up on reviews or joining Facebook groups for your type of camper and asking the folks for specific recommendations. And be sure to measure your bed!
7) Magnetic Level
Magnetic level for leveling the camper, it’s compact and simple vs. screwing in levels that don’t always work correctly. You can get any type of level, but we appreciate that ours has a magnetic strip on it so it stays in place on the hitch when we’re setting up.
8) Rugs
A Doorstep rug to be placed outside the camper at the bottom of the steps. A real scratchy one that catches SO much dirt and sand. That’s our favorite rug.
For Interior rugs, we have a runner for our main living area but also a thick doormat to catch and extra bits of dirt on the entryway.
We also typically use a large area rug outside our camper to reduce the amount of dirt and it’s handy to sit on, in our chairs, under the awning when it rains. Nice to have a place that stays a little drier. And we do not have the indoor/outdoor carpet style; we have the reversible outdoor patio/RV camping mat, noted in the link following this paragraph. We’re often asked how we store our outdoor rug; we measured it after it was folded up and purchased an “under the bed” tote that fits it perfectly. We store it in our truck bed. Outdoor Rug Item Link: http://bit.ly/OutdoorRug2
9) Weber grill
The Weber is the perfect grill for camping. It’s compact and portable, travels easily in our truck bed (we use a bungee cord to secure it further in the truck bed), it can connect to our RV propane tanks or use 1 lb. tanks, and it can be set on a table (see next paragraph) or on the picnic table in your campsite. Weber Grill Item Link: http://bit.ly/WeberGrill1
10) Tables
These Lifetime Tables fold flat, are easy to set up, and have adjustable heights. Because they fold so flat they fit perfectly in our truck bed or in our outside storage compartment. Lifetime table item link: http://bit.ly/LifetimeTable1
11) Dolphin Pump
We use nearly everything in our camper; the toilet, the sinks, the shower…but we do not drink water from our camper faucets. We’ll brush our teeth, but we’re picky about our water. We have an RO faucet in our home for drinking water at home. When we’re traveling and camping we bring a Dolphin Pump and a 5 gallon Culligan water jug with us. It sits happily in a corner of our camper and is easy to use! If we’re traveling for more than a weekend, we’ll bring a secondary jug too. You can purchase a Dolphin Pump from your local Culligan store or on AmazonSmile. Dolphin Pump Item Link:
http://bit.ly/DolphinPump1
What are your favorite must-have products for camping?
Let us know your favorite must-haves in the comments! We enjoy learning about new products and ideas from fellow campers!
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