RV Camping Accessories – 40 Must-Have Gadgets for RVers

1. RV-Specific GPS

When you’re in a motorhome or towing a trailer, you’re going to be much taller, longer and wider than the average vehicle on the road. That’s where an RV GPS comes in handy. You can input your specific RV’s dimensions, and the GPS will route you away from any roads that would be hazardous.

There are a lot of horror stories out there about Google Maps or other non-RV-specific software leading RVers on narrow, winding roads or under low bridges. This is because most mapping software assumes you’ll be driving a standard-sized vehicle like a car or truck.

When we traveled in a Class A motorhome, we wouldn’t have dreamed of going anywhere without our RV-specific GPS device. It was easy to use, convenient, and plugged right into the 12v cigarette lighter.

2. WiFi Booster & Repeater

This handy combo of a WiFi booster (also called an extender) and repeater means that we can park further away from a WiFi tower and still pick up a signal. This is great at RV parks, where the best sites are often at the edges or the back of the park, far away from the WiFi tower. It’s also useful if you’re traveling through town and want to use the WiFi at the local cafe to do some work.

We always recommend supporting these businesses by buying something if you use their WiFi, but it’s often nicer (and quieter) to get your food to go and work inside your own rig.

The setup we have is this WiFi desktop booster kit. Read our full post on how to Extend WiFi Range to learn more.

3. Cell Phone Signal Booster

This one probably sounds familiar. Similar to the WiFi booster, a cell booster will “boost” or amplify a signal – in this case, a cell signal. This can mean the difference between a signal so faint that it’s unusable, and the ability to run our online business while boondocking.

We use the WeBoost, which can amplify the signal from any carrier. It then broadcasts that signal inside your RV so you can use it as your source of internet. Since we work on the road, anything that provides connectivity is definitely on our list of must-have RV accessories. Read our post on Cell Boosters for RV to see if it’s the right fit for your needs.

4. Electrical Management System (EMS)

The electrical system in an RV isn’t made to withstand power drops and surges. That’s why an electrical management system (or EMS) is a must-have to protect your RV against damage.

You’ve probably heard about surge protectors, but those will do exactly what the name implies – nothing more. An EMS (like this one from Progressive Industries) protects against high and low voltage, accidentally plugging into a 220v outlet, reverse polarity, AC frequency and open neutral. Read our full review of the Progressive Industries Portable EMS.

An EMS will cost more up front than a surge protector, but trust me: they’re worth it. Your RV is a big investment and it’s probably your home, too. This is great insurance to have against campgrounds with overloaded or poorly installed electrical outlets.

6. Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)

A TPMS will monitor the pressure and temperature of your tires, and will beep to alert you if there’s a sudden change. This is especially important for anyone towing, but can be useful regardless of what kind of RV you own. It sounds strange, but you might not know you’ve blown a tire, so these units can save your rims and your RV from extensive damage.

7. Apps for RVing

We talk about Allstays as one of our must-have RV gadgets a lot, because it really is that useful. No matter what kind of RV travel you do, this app is perfect for planning your trips. You can figure out where you’ll stay and also find things like propane, dump stations and fresh water when you’re on the road. We probably wouldn’t be nearly as good at staying flexible without Allstays.

Another item from the list of must-have mobile app for RVers is GasBuddy. This free mobile app displays real-time gas prices to help us find the least expensive fuel in the United States and Canada. We plan out where we will stop for fuel based on what we find in GasBuddy. You can see prices not only where you are but also in your destination or places you’ll pass along the way. This was a lesson we learned early on when tracking costs of RVing and it continues to saves us money.

8. Two-Way Radio

A set of handheld radios are great for helping you and your traveling companions communicate while you’re backing the RV into a spot, or if you’re driving two separate vehicles in an area with patchy cell signal. We used these quite a bit when we were in a motorhome towing a vehicle. The radio we had came with NOAA weather channels built-in which was very useful during the tornado warning.

Garmin also has the InReach Mini, which is a smaller more compact version of the Explorere+ that connects to your mobile device for maps and aerial imagery. This option is great for backpackers, hikers and mountain bikers.

13. Basic Set of Tools

I wrote a whole article on the tools we carry in our RV. It’s easy to go overboard with tools – I did this myself when we first started out – but having some basic tools and knowing how to use them will always serve you well.

14. Portable Air Compressor

If you’re thinking, “I don’t need an air compressor. I’ll just use the one at the gas station,” think again! We learned early in our travels that the larger, load-bearing tires on RVs and trucks typically require a higher PSI than passenger vehicle tires. This means that most gas station air pumps aren’t able to fill them. We’ve even lost PSI by using one. That’s why we bought our VIAIR compressor and never looked back. Be sure that the one you get is rated for your tire size and PSI.

15. Camping Stove

Even though we live in a very small space, we consider our Coleman camp stove essential. It’s great to be able to cook outside on a nice day, and it keeps messy or strong-smelling foods like bacon or fish outside our tiny indoor kitchen. They also make an adapter, so we can connect our stove to our large propane tanks without having to carry those little green bottles around.

If you have more storage than we do, a Weber portable grill might be more up your alley. Either way, it’s good to have a way to cook outside.

18. Drinking Water Hose

When it’s time to fill up your RV’s fresh water tank, you will want to use a hose that is rated for drinking water. The Zero-G hose is especially good, since it is lightweight, stores easily, and doesn’t kink.

While we love our 25 foot water hose, they do make a 50 foot water hose for those RVers who need the additional length to reach some of those challenging RV fill stations.

19. Water Pressure Regulator

A water pressure regulator can prevent over-pressurized water from bursting the pipes in your RV. Don’t hook up your water hose to the city water connection without one. Check your RV to see if it has a built-in water pressure regulator before you buy one.

20. Outdoor Camping Mat

This is a nice-to-have in good weather, but becomes essential if rain turns your campsite into a pit of mud. An outdoor mat can also help keep dirt and debris on the ground where it belongs, rather than inside your RV.

21. Clear Sewer Dump Elbow

It sounds gross, but you want to be able to see what’s coming out of your tanks when you dump, and you’ll need a clear elbow to do this. For one thing, seeing what you’re dumping can help make sure you don’t have a backup or a blockage. You’ll also be able to see when you’ve flushed your tank sufficiently.

22. Hose Splitter

Hose splitters are handy because you can connect your water hose to the water spigot at a campsite and still rinse your muddy shoes off or fill a dog bowl outside. Make sure to get one that’s rated for drinking water.

23. Handheld Vacuum

We’ve found that we track a lot of dirt and others things into the RV when we’re camping. Add dogs into that mix and there are times we’ve vacuumed daily and having a good handheld vacuum can make this process a snap. Unfortunately, they no longer make the model we use, but this one is rated for dirt and dog hair and costs less than what we paid for ours.

24. Shower Shut-off Valve

If you spent even a night or two without RV hookups, you understand how important it is to conserve water. Showers use a lot of water, so we landed on the solution of just never showering when we dry camped …. Kidding, of course!

The shower head in our motorhome came with a “pause” switch, but it was difficult to use with soapy hands. So we installed a shower shut-off valve, which worked like a charm. Conserving water by taking “Navy showers” allows us to stay off grid longer, which for us is a great thing. This little piece of RV gear also ensures that the water stays hot since we aren’t shutting it fully off at the tap, so we don’t have to find that sweet spot of temperature every time.

25. Multi-cooker

Kait has been perfecting the art of using the Instant Pot multi-cooker for years, and now it’s such a staple of our RV kitchen that it’s hard to imagine how we’d eat without it. The great thing about a multi-cooker is that you can save space by having one cooking gadget with multiple features. It’s a rice cooker, slow cooker and so much more all in one.

26. Berkey Water Purifier

The Travel Berkey is another one of those gadgets that we can’t really imagine living without. With this water purifier, we can travel just about anywhere and be comfortable knowing that we can filter water for safe drinking.

We recommend using an inline water filter in addition to the Berkey, though. A RV water filter is one of the most iconic pieces of RV camping gear out there, and for good reason. While most of these don’t actually remove chemicals, bacteria and viruses the way the Berkey does, they do improve the taste of the water coming into your tap.

27. Scrubba Clothes Washing Bag

The Scrubba is a fantastic RV accessory to have when you need some fresh clothes, but don’t have access to a washing machine (or a pocket full of quarters). We’ve taken ours around the world and used it in RVs and hotel rooms alike.

While it doesn’t have the capacity to wash large loads, you can get a day’s worth of clothes in there at a time. This can help you avoid spending time at a laundromat while you’re traveling.

28. RV Holding Tank Treatment

When we had a traditional RV black tank in the Class A RV, we used Happy Camper holding tank treatment. The product has no chemical smell and eliminated black tank odor. There are many RV holding tank treatment options out there and you may want to test out a few to find one that works best for you.

29. Binoculars

For us, a huge part of RV travel is visiting National Parks and spending time in the wilderness. When we visited Yellowstone we learned how important it is to carry a good pair of binoculars with you, and added them to our list of the best gadgets for RV camping. We have the Vortex Viper HDs and love them. You never know what wildlife you may encounter when RVing.

30. Bear Spray

If you’re venturing into bear territory, it’s not just a good idea to carry bear spray with you. It can be a requirement! We have carried Counter Assault for years and thankfully haven’t needed to use it.

At the time of writing, you’re allowed to cross into Canada with Bear Spray, so long as it’s clearly labeled as such. Don’t try taking pepper spray or other self-defense sprays into Canada; they don’t allow them.

Motorhome-Specific RV Accessories

Whether you have a Class A, B, or C, you may need some items specific to motorhomes. Here’s our list.

31. Spare Tire Carrier

Most Class A motorhomes don’t come with a spare tire or a mount for one. We thought about getting a roof rack for the Jeep Wrangler to carry a spare, but didn’t love the idea of having to get a heavy RV tire from above head height if we needed to use it. Then we discovered the Roadmaster spare tire carrier. This hitch-mounted carrier works on almost every type of RV, with tire sizes ranging from 16” to 24.5”.

32. RV Level

This level from Camco was what we used to level our Class A. We liked the bright lights and ease of use. Sometimes using leveling blocks is unavoidable, but by keeping an eye on the lights we could sometimes find naturally level campsites just by driving around.

Towable-Specific RV Accessories

We’ve never had to tow an RV, so we got input from some friends who live full-time in travel trailers and fifth wheels to round out our list of RVing gadgets.

33. Weight Distribution Hitch

A weight distribution hitch can make all the difference when it comes to stability while towing. It takes the tongue weight of the trailer, which would normally rest on the very rear of the tow vehicle on one single point (the ball hitch) and distributes it more evenly onto both axles. This makes the tow vehicle and trailer more stable and helps prevent sway. The Equal-i-zer hitch comes highly recommended.

35. Backup Camera

Newer motorhomes will come pre-equipped with a backup camera, but for most towables, this is an extra. Having a good backup camera with a wide-angle view is useful not only for backing into a campsite, but also for changing lanes on the highway, since it allows you to see what’s happening near the bumper of your trailer or fifth wheel.

36. Electric Drill and Scissor Jack Adaptor

You’ll only bring your scissor jacks down by hand one time before, with raw and sweaty palms, you’ll look for a better way. Save yourself the trouble and start off with an adaptor for your electric drill. This inexpensive must-have RV gadget will make raising and lowering your manual jacks a breeze.

37. Torque Wrench

It’s a good idea to check the torque on your wheel lugs every so often. Carry a torque wrench with you so that you can inspect and tighten them as needed, especially if you go a long time between trips or have recently had your tires rotated.

38. Heavy-Duty Chocks

Particularly if you have a long or heavy trailer, invest in a high-quality set of heavy-duty rubber chocks. We haven’t towed, but we’re pretty sure that once you park a trailer, you don’t want it going anywhere.

39. X-Chocks

These can be both an added safety feature and a theft deterrent, if you get the kind that lock. X-Chocks sit between the wheels of trailers with a double axle, and help prevent any movement of the tires while you’re parked. They also help increase stability as you’re moving around in your trailer, or during high wind.

40. RV Hitch Lock

Hitch locks are said to keep the honest people honest, because a determined thief could bypass them. Still, to us it seems worth a small investment for some peace of mind.