I used Amazon to shop and compare prices, they have so many reviews which really helped me in choosing what products to buy and see who already tried them and what they did or didn't like about them. Also, pictures and reviews with videos really helps us too when choosing what will really save us money and help us be efficient.
My husband and I watched 3 straight months of RV videos on YouTube before starting our journey into this lifestyle full time, I watched what people used for their RV or traveling needs and what worked for them and how they found it. Most of the time it was on Amazon. I started to order everything I needed for this lifestyle off Amazon, it would arrive in one or two days, arrive at my doorstep regardless of my RV park or location and I could easily return it without a hassle at any location that has UPS, or Amazon drop boxes.
I found some of the useful and top items I've purchased for my RV on Amazon. Here is my list of what I felt like I have used the most, and had to have before I could comfortably live in the RV as my full-time home.
1. Camco 50 Amp RV Power Defender Voltage Protector/Monitor with Integrated Surge Protection, Designed with Easy to Use PowerGrip Handles: This is very important, as you already know we do not want to be without any power, storms around the United States can get very bad, and knock your power out including everything inside and outside of your RV that is hooked to a power source. This has saved our beautiful 50" Sony Bravia TV multiple times, we had to learn the hard way as our first tv we lost due to not having one of these at the start. Now, we have had no issues and the power does go out quite often in Texas with big storms. It is expensive to buy, but if you add up all the items hooked up to electricity it is saving you from losing in a storm, it's well worth it!
2. Happy Campers RV Holding Tank Treatment: Well, who wants to smell a bad situation anyway? That is the best part of this product, there is no smell after you use it! I have been buying this product since before I owned my RV, I had a stockpile of it just so I was assured that there were going to be "NO" foul smells in our tiny home! I think this is key to success when living small, especially when having guests over, friends, family, or just entertaining. Everyone has to use the bathroom, we are humans! But this right here is literally my only go-to for those stinky odors that can happen when you have a home on wheels. I use it every time I dump tanks, it literally takes one second to fill up the toilet and drop in a little scoop, and flush away all those fumes! I know it's a large container so I don't have to keep worrying about when I am going to run out. The best part is, that it's organic (so no harsh chemicals) and septic tank friendly and breaks down wastes within a few hours and you only need one scoop for a 40-gallon black tank.
3. Teknor Apex-4006-50 Zero-G 1/2" x 50': This is by far one of the best hoses I have ever owned. I have bought 4 of these! I have one for flushing out our Black tank, one for my garden/plants, one for rinsing off the RV and the sewer hoses, and one just for when we are at a site that needs a longer hose. The best part is, that they are easy to store, they are extremely flexible and they do not take up half the room that a regular hose takes up. I love the resilience of these hoses, and they are so lightweight, it makes it nice not to add extra weight for travel days and easy to put in our outdoor storage and not take up the room we need for other essentials. I also love the fact that I can use this same hose with my pressure washer and no issues at all! Great buy and must-have for RV life. I have been using them since I started almost 3 years ago and no problems!
4. Valterra Water Regulator, Lead-Free Brass Adjustable Water Regulator with Pressure Gauge for Camper, Trailer, RV Plumbing System: This baby right here, wow! I had bought one before and then another one, and then this one. I learned my lesson right before this one, I had too many without a gauge on them and so I was trusting that they were doing the job. Well one day in an RV park in South Carolina-my neighbor called us while we were out to the store and said " hey man, you got a big water leak outside your RV and water is going everywhere". Thankfully the RV community is so amazing, he called us and we hurried back to see, the regulator didn't do its job, it caused water to back up and break at the main spigot. I then bought this one last year and ever since we have been to 3 different locations and have had no issues. This is easy to hook up and the "Valterra" brand products are always a win in our book. It is easy to read once installed and helps to understand with lead-free brass design, that each water supply at different locations can be different and some are very low and some are far too high (hence last RV park). Now, no worrying about it, just check it every once in a while and make sure it's displaying that pretty perfect number you are needing to supply a proper amount of h20 for your family and its a rust-free, must-have for your list.
5. DampRid Hanging Bag Moisture Absorber for Closets, Pure Linen, 3 Pack, 16 oz. Each; Traps Excess Moisture for Fresher, Cleaner Air: Well, this one is probably one of my favorite items I've bought to save you thousands of dollars! I am not joking when it comes to these little small bags or containers. This was one thing that I found out when I was already a year into RV life and one day decided to renovate my master bedroom starting with the closet slide. I woke up and felt it was going to be a warm day, I opened the closet which was on a slide facing the sun, and it was like 100 degrees on the slide. I was going to start to take off closet doors to sand down and paint. When I took them off, the inside closet was so hot, I didn't know until I started to remove the factory molding on the slide and the exterior casing of the slide that there was moisture inside the closet. I am so lucky I figured it out soon enough not to have mold or severe water damage and any serious issues. I then looked and saw where the piece I was removing and getting rid of was all expanded and ruining the "fake wood" material because of the heat inside of the slide from the outdoor sun. I then bought these bad boys and ever since my closets don't sweat, stink, smell or get hot at all. Now I have bought them for all my slides and under my sink where washer/dryer line goes. Basically anywhere heat and moisture can land and create havoc on an RV. I keep them coming each couple months and the container ones can be reused, just dump and rinse out and buy the bag one, cut it open and pour into the container. I will not ever have any mold or similar issues with my slides—saving me tons of money if I did not get these when I had. I guess I have a bedroom renovation to thank for me finding out this, before it was too late. Worth every dollar!
Hopefully, some of my favorite must-haves for our tiny home RV can help you to save money and issues that can arise in this lifestyle. We usually have an easy peasy kind of day but every once in a while these items are our lifesavers and we will continue to be using for our travels. Until next time, thanks for reading and hope I can help someone with this information even seasoned or newbies, we can all use a good list of must haves for our fun and exciting life on the road and many more happy and safe travels to you and yours from ours! Have a great day and Camp Better until the next Destn8tion!
Destn8tion is a 2022 Brand Ambassador of Keystone RV Company. Follow their adventures while they travel in the Raptor 423 Toy Hauler.
