1st Time Class A owner must have items?

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That shovel is a great idea, just added a folding one to my wishlist, it will be handy to carry in truck in the winter as well (snow).
 
Thank You to everyone for your advice, it's very helpful. :)
I can see I have a lot to think about. lol
We can't wait to go on our first RV excursion but that probably isn't going to happen until march or April.
Once again, thank you.
 
DutchmenSport said:
Everyone has different needs and everyone's camping style is different. No 2 families do it the same way. So, actually, the choice of how you outfit your camper is truly your own.

I do think the "must haves" though are,

1) blocks, wood, or Lego Blocks to go under the tires to help level the camper.

2) chocks for the wheels (always ... always .... always chock the wheels, even on completely flat surfaces.

3) electric cord for your camper (30 or 50 amp depending on your specific camper). Get enough cord that is equal or greater than the length of your camper. If you travel, you will eventually run into a campsite with weird position shore power hook-ups. You will.

4) sewer hoses. Again, enough that is equal to at least the length of your camper or more. Why? Same reason as #3 above.

5) water hoses. Again length, at least the length of your camper, if not more (same reason as #3 again).

Actually, those are the ONLY items you actually need plan on camping with hook-ups. If you plan on boom-docking, that will require a totally different set of items.

The following items are "need" items. These are items you should have. You "need" them, but they are not absolutely essential.

1) An EMS (Energy Management System) --- Progressive, Hughes Autofoamer, something like that (portable or hard wired).

2) Adapters for your shore power. Adapters so you can plug into 50 amp, 30 amp, 20/15 amp. Adapters that run both directions, that plug in so you can step up and so you can step down, from 50 amp down to 15/20, and step up from 15/20 to 50.

3) a variety of sewer hose connections. This will depend upon the logistic of your camper. If you have 2 discharge points you may need more hose so you can attach to both discharge pipes and connect them with a Y. Then you'll probably want the end that sticks into the hole in the ground sewer connection. You may need a donut and the type that is threaded for a tight connection.

4) If you are planning on camping with electric only and no sewer or water, you will need to figure out a way to transport water to your camper and how to transport your waste to the dump station. Water tanks and sewer totes.

If you've noticed, I focused on only 4 absolute essential items. Leveling your camper, power hook-up, water hook-up, and discharging your sewer waste.

Really, those are the absolute, "absolutes" you need to deal with. After that, EVERYTHING is a personal preference based on how you want to camp.

And oh ... in addition, I have 2 absolute musts. A potato peeler and a wine bottle cork screw opener!
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At the risk of sounding dumb, what shore power adapters do I need. I did a search and there are so many? Some are male, some are female, there's pigtails etc. lol
 
It will depend on what power your RV needs.
My MH is 30 amp. The adapter I use most is one of the puck type male 15 to 30, I mostly use it at home or to plug into an inverter. I do have a 50 (male) to 30 dogbone but have yet to need it.

Kevin
 
A number of sites on the internet have suggested packing lists. We used one as a starting point and have continued revising it over the years. We always check against it when leaving on a trip.
 
Bpd138 said:
At the risk of sounding dumb, what shore power adapters do I need. I did a search and there are so many? Some are male, some are female, there's pigtails etc. lol
Click to expand...
Your rig needs to be able to plug in to a 50 amp (4-pin), a 30 amp (3-pin) and a 20/15 amp (household style). Caution on the 3-pin, since the 240V dryer plugs are very similar and will damage your unit (not a problem on an RV park pedestal though).

So what you need is to adapt the male end of your cable to the female version of each of the others. Whether you stock up in advance or buy them as needed, sooner or later you'll need one or more of those adapters. Since yours seems to be a 30A unit, you'll want a 30 amp female to 50 amp male and a 30 amp female to a 20 amp male adapter. There are many styles, but these are the functional need.

Keep in mind that if you get to a place that doesn't have a proper 30 amp plug for you then you'll have to find a way to buy what you need (or you may luck into a loaner from someone), which means a trip to somewhere unless the park has them for sale (a few do).
 
I have a Gerber folding shovel under the seat in the truck, but have never had a need to use it.

Power adapters are a must have. I have a 30 amp trailer. Recently I stayed at a state park in Iowa that had a 20/30/50 pedestal. At usual, the 30 amp was the most used and my plug was quite loose in it. That will cause the plug to get hot and melt/burn. I got out my never before used 50 to 30 dogbone and plugged it into the rather tight 50 amp and then plugged my cord into that. You need the dogbones. You also need an extension cord or two, a 12 gauge and a 14 gauge, about 50 ft each. Great for powering a hotplate on the picnic table or other times you need power near the RV or pedestal.

Charles
 
I hav an Army entrenching tool . It’s small and compact. You should be able to Google it and find a source.
$15.00 at Harbor Freight
 
I originally thought this one was silly but we use it all the time..... Portable ice maker
Figuring out what you need and where you are going to put it is the fun stuff.

Dennis
 
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