What extras do you bring for your trip?

[Yorick1973]

Lord willing, we start our RV full-timing in a few months. See this link for our intro.

I've read up on many topics to prepare. One topic I can't find is this: Carrying Extras. For your RV trips, what do you carry extra of? For example, Do you bring an extra sewer hose in case yours rips during use or setup? An old hose can easily tear as it becomes brittle and weak. What about an extra water hose?

Space is precious in the RV especially with 4 of us traveling. So, I don't want to use up space unnecessarily. However, I also don't want to be too strict on what I bring.

So, what do you guys bring a spare for?

 

[Wemustrv]

Welcome from Ely, Iowa. We carry fuses, hose clamps, light bulbs and fairly complete set of tools. On a long trip we carry a spare tire for the coach in the bed of the toad. Many times on short trip <100 miles we do not pull the toad.

 

[Russellvh]

Been doing this for about 15 months. Different park at least twice monthly. We carry 3 sewer hoses and 4 different size fresh water hoses. We have actually needed to use all 3 sewer and two longest drinking hoses at some sites. My water bay and the sewer connection are middle unit.

Common is for 2 sewer hoses and one fresh. Have actually needed to use a power cord extension in 1 or 2 parks.

For me I use a lot of plastic tubs. Keep fresh and sewer items separate and hand vs power tools separate. When (frequently) I need to do some adjustments or repairs I can just grab a tub and I have what I need. Even have small containers in larger tubs for parts etc.

I am a bit compulsive but I hate to look for things when working. Repair time, setup time and break down time just delay my camping time. Works for me.

 

[Russellvh]

Oh yea. I forgot the park we are at has only 30amp power. We are 50amp. Be sure you have a power converter.

 

[Wemustrv]

Welcome from Ely, Iowa. We carry fuses, hose clamps, light bulbs and fairly complete set of tools. On a long trip we carry a spare tire for the coach in the bed of the toad. Many times on short trip <100 miles we do not pull the toad.

We also carry a spare power cord and a multi port hose adapter. This allows us to hook up to water and still have access to the water faucet if needed.

 

[Tusk]

A spare hitch safety pin is good to have. On my second trip (I've only done three so far) I unhitched and because the rear bumper of the truck is a nice shelf I put the hitch pin there..... and forgot about it. Later that night I went out for dinner. By Sunday (me... looks around...) no hitch pin!! Ugh!! Thankfully I was camping with my brother and he had a big cotter pin that did the job getting home. But having a spare (or 2) helps!
Speaking of cotter pins - If you use cotter pins on your weight distribution hitch, a few extras would help there too.
As mentioned above - Fuses - for the tow vehicle and trailer. Always good to have extras of those.
Water hose washers. A few extra fits easily in your tool bag/box.
Keys/FOBs! to your rig and/or truck.
Some folks bring an extra water filter. Sometimes they go Kaput during a camping trip.

I'm still learning myself and am constantly making notes.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

I offer up an exercise!!! To start I explain. To fultime implies live!!!
In a stick and brick, as you need something to complete a task, it's a run to the store, and the next time not!

The RV life is different.

Space is different!

So now on to the exercise!!!

Pack you kitchen, bathroom, and living room items, and store them in your extra rooms! You're moving right?
Don't seal the boxes! You will be digging in them before your finished.

Keep out the nessisary items. You know, bowls plates silver, pot and pan (as few as you can) dinette and chairs, sofa. The nessisary items including bed.

Live in those rooms!!!

Every time you need an item, before you retrieve it, ask yourself if you already have something out you can use in place of it. If not consider if you can do without!!! If you need it, dig it out and put it in your take pile.

Note:
You can't take much of what you have in an RV, just to many limitations. You will do this exercise sooner or later, so now will make it easier!!!

If you were provisioning a boat to cruise, spare parts are a big thing, but, you can find what you need to make it work in almost any town you travel through.

Getting yourself conditioned for the journey is more important than spare parts! You are downsizing not the other way around. When at the start date of your journey you may still be wondering where you will put the stuff in your take pile, and need to do some more reducing, those that do the best at this have less pain adjusting than rest!

Good luck!!!

P.S.
Those things your on the fence about, they make storage lockers for!!!

I could recommend extra hoses, or for that matter a table saw!!! But I won't. Conditioning yourself for the journey is most important!!!

 

[Tnedator]

Probably not a complete list, but:

• Spare fuses, electrical tape, duct tape, bulbs for bay lights
• Cummins: Spare fuel and water Seperator filters, power steering fluid. Serpentine belt and AC compressor belt.
• Oasis: Spare filter and service kit for Oasis. Spare Oasis pump. Boiler fluid.
• Spare water pump and negative block (can't remember what the block that the negative hooks to is called)
• Leveling blocks, spare water hose, four sewer hoses in assorted lengths and extra caps and screw in dump adapter.
• Drill, socket set, wrench set, assorted other tools/driver bits, multi-meter
• Compressor, a couple air pressure gauges (including one that can hook to air blowoff governor)
• extra pins for tow bar (toad end and coach/receiver end). Extra breakaway brake cable and pin/key to go in brake breakaway unit on toad.
• Spare tow bar (my old one, I threw in a bay.
• Extend a ladder, and folding A frame ladder
• Starlink and external cell antenna, either of which can be mounted on flag pole buddy setup.
• Those are probably the biggies, but I'm sure I'm forgetting a fair number of small things (like spray lubricant, etc.,) of things in my bays.

 

[bpaikman]

Been doing this for about 15 months. Different park at least twice monthly. We carry 3 sewer hoses and 4 different size fresh water hoses. We have actually needed to use all 3 sewer and two longest drinking hoses at some sites. My water bay and the sewer connection are middle unit.

Common is for 2 sewer hoses and one fresh. Have actually needed to use a power cord extension in 1 or 2 parks.

For me I use a lot of plastic tubs. Keep fresh and sewer items separate and hand vs power tools separate. When (frequently) I need to do some adjustments or repairs I can just grab a tub and I have what I need. Even have small containers in larger tubs for parts etc.

I am a bit compulsive but I hate to look for things when working. Repair time, setup time and break down time just delay my camping time. Works for me.

Not compulsive to me!

 

[Rich W.]

I bring a lot of stuff (including nearly everything @Tnedator listed) - spare filters for everything, lots of tools, spare parts and supplies as they accumulate or occur to me, also stuff I read about here. And I don’t even full-time!

But I also jettison stuff that I haven't used in a year or so unless its typical spares that I might need some day. My limit is space, not weight as I have nearly 5k lbs NCCC but only 35’ of coach, so I’m always looking at bulky stuff to leave home.

I do have an extra 35’ of 50amp cable (total 70’), and extra water hose in case hook-ups are too far away. I also have a bin for my sewer hose so I carry an extra length and occasionally use it to extend.

Indoor storage (more organized than it looks): bins for radios, flashlights, supplies, indoor parts, remotes, chargers and cables, indoor tools, and misc

Tools, chargers, kits, etc

Outside storage for small parts, maint items, supplies, etc

Serwer hose bin - very handy, holds a lot of hose, and keeps it out of the wet bay.

Thats the bulk of it other than chairs, BBQ, mats, and all the typical camping stuff. Overflow ends up in the back of the jeep.