New To RVing? What You Need To Know For Starters!

So, you’ve just made one of the biggest investments of your life by purchasing an RV or camper. Whether your new rig is brand new or previously owned, every RV and camper owner will require various products to protect their investment, repair, replace, maintain and accessorize throughout the useful life of the motorhome or trailer. After years of conversations with our customers, we thought it best to recommend a list of essential products and friendly advice that new RVers will find informative and veteran RVers simply cannot live without.

The most important thing you can purchase to protect your investment is an RV cover from Hanna Trailer Supply. RV Covers deliver a variety of beneficial features, like: UV sun protection, dirt and dust protection, black streak protection and water resistance when your RV or camper is not in use. A variety of sizes for Class A RVs, Class C RVs, 5^th Wheel Trailers, Toy Hauler Trailers and pop-up campers are available from the leading manufacturers in the industry: Adco, Camco and Classic Accessories.  The important factor in choosing the correct size would be the length measurement from bumper to bumper, but you will need a bit of extra length if you have an extension ladder or other attachment that extends beyond the bumper.

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In addition, you will want to protect your RV tires from damaging UV rays and dry rot whenever your RV is parked outdoors. These covers are made of weather resistant vinyl and are classified by tire size and number of axles.

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When you’re ready for the road, the first thing you need to make sure you do not leave home without is a heavy duty sewer hose to connect your RV drain valve to an RV dump station to evacuate black water or gray water waste. We recommend the following sewer hoses for this purpose:

Camco Rhino Flex   Thetford Smart Drain

The following video provides an informative demonstration of the Rhino Flex by Camco.

When nature calls, your RV toilet and black water system are designed for this purpose. But it is important to note how to maintain this system with chemicals and biodegradable toilet paper designed for use in an RV or camping toilet. Choose from the following quick dissolving toilet papers to prevent clogs:

Thetford Single Ply   Thetford 2-Ply

In addition, you will need chemical treatments to help break down waste in the black water tank and prevent unpleasant odors. Thetford makes this process quick an easy with their line of convenient toss-in chemical packets:

Thetford Aqua-Kem Toss-ins   Thetford Eco-Smart Toss-ins

The other water system that requires regular maintenance is your RV or camper fresh water system. This system cleans and purifies the water supply for drinking and washing. In addition to winterization and de-winterization treatments, your freshwater filter may need to be checked and replaced during the active season when you are using your RV. Please check your owner’s manual for the correct replacement filter for your fresh water system. For better tasting water, we recommend:

Camco Taste Pure Water Filter

In the event that you need to replace the hoses in your freshwater system, there are a number of non-toxic drinking water hoses that will not contaminate the water in the lines or cause any foul odors. Here are a few of the best hoses in several lengths depending on your needs:

Camco TastePURE 25-foot   Camco TastePURE 50-foot   Camco TastePURE 75-foot

Another helpful piece of equipment for the freshwater system is a water pressure regulator. These come in two basic forms: standard or with gauge, and both help to maintain a constant flow pressure in the lines. You can find these easily on HannaRV.com:

Camco Standard Brass Regulator    Camco Brass Regulator With Gauge

The next area of necessity is to ensure that your RV or Camper has all the electrical cords and adapters to enable you to hook up to a power supply and/or use and protect your RV electronics and appliances. First, you will need an electric adapter cord to connect the RV to an outlet. We offer several adapters that can be used for this purpose:

15 amp/30 amp   30 amp/15 amp   50 amp/30 amp   30 amp/50 amp

Depending on your campground’s accommodations, there may be some distance between your RV and the power supply outlet.  In these situations, you will need a heavy duty extension cord to enable you to hook-up the RV or camper to electrical. Here are a few RV electrical extension cords in different lengths from Camco:

30 Amp/25-Feet   30 Amp/50-Feet   50 Amp/15-Feet

We also recommend surge protectors to prevent harmful power surges from damaging the electronic gadgets inside your RV or camper. There are a number of surge protectors made for the RV and camping market that will provide this protection:

30 Amp Economy   30 Amp Standard   50 Amp Standard   30 Amp Hardwire   50 Amp Hardwire

After you’ve taken care of the water and electrical systems, it is time to consider the air in your camper or RV. A simple upgrade to add to your RV would be an all-weather roof vent cover, which will allow you to keep the vent open and fresh air to flow in even in bad weather. We recommend MaxxAir roof vent covers for this purpose:

MaxxAir   MaxxAir II

Once you get where you’re going, you will need to make sure that you are parked on the most level ground available, but you will also need wheel chocks to secure and stabilize your RV or camper for optimal use. There are a variety of products that chock your wheels in different ways, but all basically perform the same function:

X-Chock   X-Chock Extended   Camco Standard Chocks   Camco Wheel Dock   Fastway One Step

If you’re parking your camper or trailer, an easy to use and important stabilizing part that we recommend is an automatic jack foot.

Fastway Flip For 2" Jack   Fastway Flip For 2-1/4" Jack

The following video provides an informative demonstration of the Fastway Flip Automatic Jack Foot.

Many seasoned RVers have commented to us over the years about the accessories and simple add-ons they have found to be essential to a quality RVing experience. Patio mats cover the ground outside your RV and help prevent dirt and mud from being tracked inside the RV. 

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And what would a patio area be without a comfortable set of portable camping chairs.  Relax in the great outdoors in a recliner or lounger.

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For a more fun and festive look for your camping patio area day or night, many RVers choose patio lights which reflect their personalities.

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To easily attach your patio lights to your awning, do not forget these handy hooks or clips:

Party Light Holder Awning Hooks   Klippy Klips Party Light Holders

There are a couple of other recommended items that are helpful in securing your awning. Don’t get caught by a surprise wing gust without an awning hold down strap:

Awning Hold Down Strap

And to stop the loud flapping noise made by your awning during windy conditions, we recommend these awning deflappers:

Camco Standard Awning Deflappers   Camco Extra Wide Awning Deflappers<

For many RVers, it is simply impossible to survive their luxury RVing experience without television.  There are several satellite dishes designed for RVs or campers which can provide DirecTV or Dish Network channels wherever your travel take you.  The following satellite dishes have been praised as the best portable dishes for RV camping and travel:

Tail Gater   Winegard Carry-out

Need help planning the best camping experience ever?  We recommend consulting a campground directory to find out all you need to know about the destination or campground facility where you choose to stay.  They provide information about the sites themselves and the surrounding communities.  Check out the following campground directory while you prepare for your next excursion:

Good Sam Camp Directory

And when you return from your travels, your dirty RV or camper could probably use a good bath before you park and cover it.  Thetford offers a number of environmentally friendly products that specialize in cleaning and protecting all areas of your recreational vehicle or trailer.  Visit the following product pages for a more detailed explanation of the benefits of each:

Black Streak Remover Rubber Roof Cleaner   Awning Cleaner   Wash & Wax

We hope that you found the preceding list to be informative and beneficial to the success of your future camping and travel experiences.  Stock up on supplies at HannaRV.com and enjoy your new RV or camper, fifth wheel or pop-up!