First Time RV Camping: My Essential Checklist

Jan 17

When I bought my camper, I researched everything to understand what I NEEDED (aside from the cute RV decor) to camp for the first time. Since I wasn’t sure how easy it would be to get packages, I bought everything I needed before I left. Now that I’ve been living full-time in my Micro Minnie for two weeks at a campground, here’s the list of everything I’ve used. If you’re anything like me, you’re going to buy all this from Amazon anyway, so I made this handy Amazon list for you! However, I will say I also found some of these items cheaper at Walmart.

MUST HAVES

A Drinking Water Hose - You want this to be food grade. Some people buy a heated hose if they’re in cold areas. I bought this Camco 25’ one and added a Camco water filter. I’ve been drinking the water, and it tastes just fine to me. I’m a former Brita girl!
Water Pressure Regulator - You’ll put this on the water spigot, connect your water filter to it, and then your hose to your filter. These ensure water isn’t rushing into your camper. From what I’ve learned, 40-60 psi is safe.
Water Filter - This is so easy to use to get clean, filtered water into your RV, as you’ll connect it to your hose and water pressure regulator. Once you set it up, you’re good to go.
Surge Protector - You’ll plug this in at the campground and then plug your cord from your camper into it and your camper. My Winnebago had a 30-amp electrical cord, so I got a 30-amp surge protector. These are super expensive, but I found mine on Amazon for roughly $50 with great reviews.
Level(s) - You can use your phone or buy a level to use inside your camper or use a stick-on one outside the camper to get your camper level. You’ll want to ensure it’s level side to side and front to back! For now, I use my phone!
Leveling Blocks - Additionally, you’ll need something like these leveling blocks to put under your tires to get level if you’re on a slope. I have two sets of these and may get a third, just in case. They’re super easy to stack and drive up on. I also use these level blocks to put under each stabilizer jack and hitch jack.
Wheel Chocks - There are a ton of options for styles of these. I made the mistake of trying to get the X chocks per recommendation as they feel much more sturdy, but if you have a tiny camper like me, you need to get small x chocks. For the time being, I am using these rubber chocks. I have four total, one for each of my tires.
Sewer Hose - This will be what you hook up to flush your black and gray water tanks. I found this Camco kit that comes with the hose, a funnel-type head, and caps for when you’re not using it. Don’t make the mistake I did, be sure to get an extender that makes your hose longer in case you’re far away from the sewage hole.
Sewer Hose Support - If you’re at a full hookup site and you will keep your sewer hose out and hooked up, I highly suggest getting supports like these that will allow the water you’re flushing to flow easily from your tank to the drainage hole. Don’t make the same mistake I did by not having this because you’ll be awkwardly picking up the hose trying to get it to drain properly.
Clean Out Hose - Another hose you’ll want to get and never mix up with your drinking hose is a clean-out hose that you can use to both flush out your black water tank by hooking it up to the camper and also cleaning out your sewer hose before you pack it up.
RV-Friendly Toilet Paper - For obvious reasons :) I picked a big pack of this fast-dissolve, biodegradable toilet paper with good reviews on Amazon. So far, no complaints!
Toilet Treatment - This acts as a deodorizer and helps to break down waste in your black tank. There are a ton of options and types of this. I’ve been using these Camco drop-ins in lavender.