This list is not an exhaustive list, just a list of the things that I think are either essential to have, or at the very least an essential thing to consider. I didn’t add any of the “fun stuff” here, like chairs, outdoor cooking kits, or the litany of tiny kitchen tools we use occasionally since so much of that is up to personal preference.

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I found that I relaxed a lot more when I could monitor my tires and make sure they don’t blow, and make sure that if something does go wrong, I’m equipped to handle it. Most of my anxiety came from the tires (which, rightfully so, I’ve had 3 flat tires since hittin’ the road, and have called AAA 3 times as a result).

TireMinder – Monitors your camper tire pressure. For your peace of mind, get this. Hauling is stressful enough as it is.

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Air Suspension in truck – Helps smooth the ride quite a bit. Not required, but nice to have.

Flat Repair Kit – It’s never ideal to use one, but it’s often easier to plug a hole and get to a tire shop than to try and jack your 10,000 lb camper up.

AAA Membership – Do not leave the house without it. They’ve bailed me out 3 times so-far.

Spare Tire (for trailer and truck) – Duh.

DC-Powered air pump – You’d be surprised by how much time you spend putting air in stuff.

Rubber Mallet – Sometimes you have to hit your hitch handle to make it shut.

RV Trip Wizard – The GPS app we use. Allows you to specify your camper size, and will auto-route you based on your rig size so you don’t ever get stuck.

WD40 – Things get squeaky.

Nylon plate – Keeps your camper from groaning, helps with wear on your plate, all without using grease.

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Tripod Stabilizer – Makes a HUGE difference. As a side-benefit, it keeps kids from conking their head on the pin.

Slide Stabilizers – Supports your slides and helps stablize the rig.

Chocks – Keeps the camper from rolling away.

Lynx Levelers – Even with an auto-leveling system, you should level the camper as much as possible first.

3 6′ hoses – Easier to maintain several small lengths of hose than one single long one. Close each hose on itself by screwing one end into the other.

1 10′ hose – Just in-case you end up in a crazy situation where you need 28′ of hose (it happens sometimes!)

Pressure Regulator – Never trust your campground’s water pressure.

Water filter – Never trust your campground’s water quality.

Sewer Hose – Get one with pieces that disconnect so you can close the hose on itself.

Power Plug Surge Protector – Don’t skimp on this. Campground power amounts vary wildly. Protect your investment.

Adapters to step down to 30A hookup – You will inevitably end up needing to connect to a 30A hookup in your travels. Be ready for that.

Sewer Hose Stand – Ensures the water flows in the right direction. Required by law in some US states.

The key thing about winter in a camper is you want to make sure that you stay warm without needing to run the propane heater 24/7. Otherwise, you’ll be re-filling your (expensive) every week.

Space Heater – Generally keeps the camper warm without the furnace kicking on.

Heated hose – Keeps your outdoor hose from freezing up on really cold nights.

Water Bottles – Can be filled with hot water and used to keep you warm at night. Safer than an electric blanket, and can be used while boondocking.

Skirting – Keeps the camper from being so drafty in the winter.

We find that redundancy is key, here. We can usually enjoy 100MBPS download speeds, but this setup generally ensures we have at least 30MPBS anywhere we go.

Starlink – Our primary internet source these days.

AT&amp;T – On a business plan, used when on the road, and as a backup for when Starlink isn’t working

Nighthawk – Battery-powered internet router through AT&amp;T. Useful when on the road, or boondocking.

Cell Antenna – Can drastically improve cell signal. Less-important when cellular is the backup, but a worthwhile consideration all the same.

We don’t do as much as we used to, but still carry the specialized things that make this possible. Generally speaking, try to rely on propane for as much as you can. Your fridge, your oven, your heater – all can use propane. Water bottles work really well, and can be heated on a stovetop. Avoid the furnace as much as you can since the blower will kill your battery.

I recommend these things even if you don’t plan on boondocking – electricity and water at campgrounds is always shaky at-best, and after our week-long stint in Texas during the big freeze, I’ll never go without assuming I could lose power for a week at a time again.

Rhino Holding Tank – Used to dump the stuff when you don’t have a direct sewer hookup

Battery Banks – You can use BlueYeti, or whatever. We picked Jackery. Ideally you’d find something compatible with standard solar connections (something which Jackery is not). We have a 1000w and 250w and use both regularly. Make sure you get one with at least a 1000w inverter built-in.

Upgraded camper battery – Unless you got a new camper with a lithium battery, you’re probably rocking an awful battery. Consider replacing it with something that has more AH. Do your research, and make sure you get the proper battery for your camper.

Briefcase Solar Panel – To charge the batteries. We have a 100w that came with our Jackery, and a dedicated 200W panel to charge the camper battery. This isn’t enough to go forever, but you’d be surprised by how far it’ll go.

Take your own approach here, but we find that it’s good to use low-power things, preferably things that can be charged with batteries, or instead rely on either propane or campfire to heat. For coffee, we use AeroPress since it makes great coffee, is sturdy, and is not bulky.

Some of this has changed since I posted, but check <a href="https://casualweirdness.life/essays/how-we-selected-our-rv-cookware/">this post</a> and <a href="https://casualweirdness.life/essays/rv-kitchen-essentials">this post</a> for more context on our approach.

I’m being intentionally vague here since there’s so many ways to go about a kitchen, but these are, at least for us, our must haves. In-general, the challenge in the kitchen isn’t what you need – it’s what you don’t need, which Kate wrote up a good post <a href="https://casualweirdness.life/essays/how-to-downsize-a-family-of-4-for-full-time-rv-living/">on that here</a>.

Tea Kettle – For boiling water with, or without electricity.

AeroPress – It’s small, can be wall-mounted, and doesn’t break easily. Can make 2 cups with a single press.

Cast Iron skillets – Can be used on a stove top or outside. Get the biggest one that will fit in your oven, and at least 1 that’s smaller. <a href="https://casualweirdness.life/essays/how-to-care-for-cast-iron/">This post</a> shows how I take care of them.

Dutch Oven With Legs – Can be used both outside on a fire, or inside on the stove.

All bowls, cups, etc are always stack able, and we avoid glass since it breaks.

I have a full desk setup, but if you don’t have that luxury, my remote desk setup worked really well for a while. See <a href="https://casualweirdness.life/essays/my-rv-office-setup/">this post</a> for more info.

Roost Laptop Stand – Keeps your laptop at eye-level. Ergonomics and whatnot.

Keyboard – Because typing when your laptop is 6″ off the desk sucks.

Noise-Canceling Headphones – To drown out the sound of the lawn mower that’s perpetually running.

Earplugs (or even-better, a pair of Loops) – To drown out the kids when you’re working. Combine with the headphones, face the wall, and you may as well be on Mars.

Yeah, you’ll need tools on the road. Here’s the list of the tools I have in my toolbox at all times. All power tools use DC, and run on batteries. This covered the majority of the tools we needed while parked <a href="https://casualweirdness.life/tag/taos">in Taos</a>.

Drill – Literally everything in your camper is held together by screws. I have two.

Square drill bit set – Most screw heads use square bits on campers.

Phillips drill bit set – The ones that aren’t square? They’re phillips.

Multitool – I have this thing on my hip at all times, and use it 2-3 times a day. I use the Leatherman Wave+, and own two of them so when I have to send one in to sharpen I have the other one on me.

Bit extension – You’re going to find yourself needing to access screws in weird places. This makes a big difference.

Bit hose adapter – See statement above, but weirder.

Tool Bag – Get one that is small-enough to fit comfortably in your storage. It won’t hold everything, but it will at least hold all of the loose tools, bits, etc.

Needle-Nosed Pliers – I can’t even place when I need these, but I always do.

Regular Pliers – For when the needle nosed don’t work.

Scissors – For cutting things

Super Glue – For hotfixes in situations where you can’t replace something easily.

Utility Knife – Pick a reason. You’ll be glad you have it.

Tape measure – Too many uses to count.

Plumber’s Tape – You’ll need it eventually, and when you do, you’ll need it RIGHT NOW. Have it ready.

Scotch Tape – To cover up your rear window when you bust it out.

Socket Set &amp; Ratchet – For bolts.

Allen Wrench Set – So many things use these stupid things.

Drill Bit Set – Nothing crazy, just a basic set that goes up to 1″. General-purpose.

A List of Things We Use Regularly While Traveling Full-Time

Towing

Campsite Setup

Winter Prep

Internet

Boondocking

Kitchen

Office

Toolbox