Setting Up Your New Camper
Congrats, you have a new (or new to you) camper! Now you have to get all of the camper accessories and necessities sorted. I’m going to go over some of the things we absolutely cannot live without, and the things we think we shouldn’t have bought.
For the most part, all of these camper accessories can be bought on Amazon cheaper than in an RV store or dealership. We’ve found a few things at Walmart as well with comparable prices to amazon. The bigger the item the more expensive it is likely to be in store.
Basic Must Haves:
- white fresh water hose (10-20 ft)
- orange black tank flush hose
- black tank hoses and connections
- sewer hose support
- leveling blocks (we have 3 sets)
- water pressure regulator
- water filter
- power chords (20/30 or 50 AMP)
- surge protector
- electrical adaptors
- normal extension chords
- basic tool kit
- emergency road kit
- fuse kit
- hitch lock
Having a bin for all of your black tank hoses and accessories has saved us a lot of grief while traveling. We keep everything as tidy as we can but this bin is one thing you want to keep separate from your normal storage items.
You’ll want organization for your electrical chords as well. We keep our 20/30 and 50 AMP chords coiled in labeled bags we got on amazon. This is a major space saver in our small outdoor storage compartment. It’s also nice when you need to dig them out in the rain.
Convenient Things:
- labeled hose bags
- portable air compressor
- tire pressure monitoring system
- walkie talkies
- outdoor lights
- outdoor rug
- bug tent or awning
- scissor wheel stabilizers
Items I wish I Didn’t Get
All of the “extras” and gadgets. You don’t have space for it. Organization is the key to success when it comes to camping with limited space. Having a utensil drawer full to the brim of kitchen gadgets will just make everything that much harder. The same goes for your outdoor storage space. You don’t need to clutter your tool space with four different types of chairs and floaties.
Another mistake we made when buying camper accessories was not getting what we originally wanted the first go around. We made the “oh that’s too expensive” comment one too many times. It’s expensive because it works. Take that with a grain of salt though, I mean your tire pressure monitoring system and important items.
Another thing to note is when you buy leveling blocks, make sure you buy matching sets if you get multiple sets. We ended up with two sets of the Camco yellow square blocks, and some of the orange Lynx blocks, which is a pain when you need to stack more.
Everyone’s individual needs for camper accessories will differ, but the necessities will remain the same. The basic needs for electricity and water connections will be very similar between all types of RVs and trailers, so don’t worry about not being able to find what you need in a basic camping store if you forget something.