Congratulations on becoming a motorhome owner! Or perhaps you’re just researching RV camping gear you’ll need once your purchase is finalized. In either case, you’ll need these motorhome must-haves for comfortable camping.
This gear guide will help you gather everything you need before your RV shakedown trip, from campsite setup essentials to useful technology that keeps you and your motorhome safe.
Key Takeaways
- Essential Motorhome Accessories: Key items include leveling blocks, wheel chocks, jack pads, fresh water and sewer accessories, electrical adapters, sunshades, patio mats, and RV covers to ensure a comfortable and safe camping experience.
- Convenience & Comfort Enhancements: Gadgets like a portable griddle, fire pit, power station, and wheel & tire accessories improve outdoor cooking, provide warmth, maintain power, and ensure tire safety while on the road.
- Personalization & Practicality: Items such as camping chairs, folding tables, and additional storage or towing accessories enhance the outdoor experience, making campsite setup more efficient and enjoyable.
Motorhome Must Have Accessories
Let’s begin with motorhome must-have accessories to help you set up camp on every trip.
Leveling Blocks & Wheel Chocks
Successful camping trips start with securing your motorhome when you arrive. While motorhomes are easier to set up than most towable RVs because you don’t need to disconnect from a tow vehicle–unless you’re using you’re dinghy towing—you’ll still need to level and set chocks for safety.
Some motorhome owners might argue that the ability to set the parking brake removes the need for wheel chocks, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. While some luxury motorhomes may have automatic stabilizing jacks or hydraulic leveling systems, stackable RV leveling blocks are still the easiest and most affordable way to level your motorhome in a campsite.
Additional Resources:
Jacks Pads or Blocks
For motorhomes with stabilizing jacks or leveling systems, the jack feet shouldn’t rest directly on the ground unless you’re camping on a paved pad. Even then, many motorhome owners use jack pads or blocks to protect the feet. These motorhome must-have accessories also reduce how far your jacks must extend to stabilize or level your motorhome, placing less stress on them and quickening the pace of your campsite setup procedure.
Fresh Water Accessories
Connecting to a campground water source or filling your fresh water tank isn’t complicated. However, campground water pressure can vary, requiring a pressure regulator to protect your plumbing lines. Water quality can also differ from source to source, making an RV water filter a must-have for a motorhome. Here are some additional RV fresh water accessories to add to your camping kit:
- Potable water hose(s)
- Heated potable water hose
- Water filtration system
- Water pressure regulator
- 90° entry connection fitting
- Water softener
- Blow out plug (for sanitizing and winterizing)
Additional Resources:
- How To Hook Up Water to Your RV
- What Is the Best RV Water Filtration System?
- Do You Need an RV Water Pressure Regulator?
Sewer Accessories
Emptying RV holding tanks safely requires the right RV sewer accessories. Plus, you’ll need certain motorhome must-haves to practice good holding tank and RV toilet maintenance. Not all of these are mandatory, but they’ll undoubtedly make using and caring for your RV waste systems safer and easier. Here’s a list of RV sewer accessories to consider adding to your motorhome:
- Sewer hose(s)
- 90° clear elbow connection
- Hose adapters and fittings
- Sewer hose support
- Black tank flush hose
- Portable waste tank
- Holding tank treatments
- Drain valve lubricant
- Toilet seal lubricant
Additional Resources:
- Where Can You Dump RV Waste?
- What Is an RV Tote Tank? And Do You Need One?
- How To Flush an RV Black Tank
Electrical Adapters
Many motorhomes come with a wired electrical cord that extends or retracts to plug into a campground power pedestal. If yours didn’t, you’ll need a cord rated for your RV’s required electrical service—30 amp vs 50 amp. You may also want an extension cord for the flexibility to reach power sources located further from where you can safely park your RV. Additionally, most motorhome owners keep various RV electrical adapters handy to use step up or down based on available service. You may also need an RV surge protector if your motorhome wasn’t manufactured with built-in surge protection.
Additional Resources:
- AC vs DC Power and Your RV’s Electrical System
- Should You Leave Your RV Plugged In All the Time?
- How To Choose an RV Surge Protector
Sunshade
Unlike most towable RVs, motorhomes have a large front windshield. Maintaining your privacy can be hard unless your RV has a manual or electric drop-down window shade. That’s more common on Class A motorhomes, but other motorhome owners will benefit from a sunshade for several reasons.
Privacy is the biggest one, but a windshield sunshade is a must-have for motorhomes because it adds insulation to keep the interior at your desired temperature. A motorhome window shade also reduces UV exposure to your dashboard, which can fade or crack with prolonged exposure.
Patio Mat
An RV patio mat helps create the perfect outdoor lounge area wherever you camp. While this motorhome must-have accessory allows you to create the visually appealing patio area you desire, it also has a more functional benefit—creating a clean surface to step in and out on. Not every campsite will have a well-manicured outdoor living area. So, using a patio reduces dirt getting tracked into your RV and creates a comfortable surface to step out onto, regardless of the campsite’s condition.
Camping Chairs
Sitting around the campfire. Setting up for a day at the beach. Grabbing an early spot for a concert or tailgating event. Relaxing and reading under your RV awning. There are many uses for a set of quality camping chairs. Choose from reclining camp chairs, rocker chairs, director’s chairs, and more. For couples, don’t forget to consider a double camp chair so you can cuddle up next to the campfire.
Folding Table
A picnic table is a common amenity at developed campgrounds. But what if you’re boondocking? Or what if you need additional counterspace for meal prep next to your RV’s outdoor kitchen? A folding camp table is a must-have motorhome accessory for cooking, eating, or simply keeping your campsite organized and providing an additional surface to set other essentials between uses.
RV Cover
An RV cover is a must-have accessory for motorhome owners, just like it is for all RVs. When you store your RV, covering it reduces UV exposure and minimizes the potential for damage from falling debris. It can also guard against water ingress, reducing the chances of leaks that can lead to expensive repairs.
There are specific RV cover designs for the various motorhome types, and you’ll need a cover that’s sized for your RV’s length, height, and width.
Additional Resources:
Dinghy Towing Accessories
For motorhomes with a rear tow hitch rated for hauling a secondary vehicle—sometimes known as a “toad” or a “dinghy”—you’ll need the correct vehicle towing accessories. Every setup is different, so you’ll likely need to consult a retail specialist to find the motorhome must-have towing accessories that are compatible with your specific motorhome and dinghy vehicle. However, here are some examples of the dinghy towing accessories you may need:
- Tow bars & brackets
- Tow braking system
- Wiring kit & safety cables
- Rock guard
- Tow dolly
Additional Resources:
Maintenance Fluids
Motorhome engine oil levels should be checked roughly every six months or 3,000 miles. Follow your RV manufacturer’s recommendations for oil type and service intervals. Carrying extra engine oil allows you to top off when you’re hundreds of miles from a service center. The same applies to windshield wiper fluids, engine coolant, hydraulic fluid (if your RV is equipped with hydraulic leveling jacks), and other important fluids. Stocking a backup is a smart idea for motorhome maintenance.
Additional Resources:
- Should You Change Your Motorhome’s Engine Oil If It Hasn’t Been Driven?
- RV Oil Change: Guide to When, Where, and How
Motorhome Must Have Gadgets
These motorhome must-have gadgets might not be essentials for all RVers, but they’ll certainly make your RV experience more enjoyable.
Portable Griddle
If you don’t have a motorhome RV with an outdoor kitchen, a portable griddle or grill is a motorhome must-have gadget. The ability to cook outside keeps your RV interior cooler and makes larger, more delicious meals much easier. For example, could you imagine preparing fresh-caught grilled fish with baked sweet potatoes and sauteed vegetables over a bed of rice on a two-burner RV cooktop?
That’s the kind of meal we like to prepare when we’re camping on the coast—griddle-cooked shrimp over goat cheese grits, anyone? But these meals aren’t possible without an outdoor cooking setup!
Additional Resources:
- Finding Your Best Blackstone Griddle
- The Best Blackstone Accessories
- Blackstone Griddle Reviews: 17” Griddle | 22” Griddle
Fire Pit
There are several reasons why a portable fire pit is a must-have motorhome gadget. If you’re camping anywhere with seasonal wildfire danger, you know that burn bans can restrict your ability to have a wood-burning fire. But most campgrounds will still allow propane fire pits during a burn ban—check with each campground for confirmation.
In addition, starting a portable fire pit is easier than starting a traditional campfire. We love the smell and crackle of a wood fire. However, when we arrive in camp late, forget wood, or don’t have the energy to start a regular fire, a portable fire pit is the best way to enjoy warmth and ambiance without the hassle or the lingering smell of campfire smoke on our clothes.
Additional Resources:
Power Station
Motorhomes are great for boondocking because many feature an onboard RV generator to power appliances and charge RV batteries. However, a portable power station is a must-have motorhome gadget that allows you to charge more sensitive electronics from a clean, secondary battery bank. These power stations help you maintain your RV battery charge and reduce generator usage, ultimately conserving fuel.
Additional Resources:
- How To Choose a Portable Power Station
- Best Portable Power Stations for Camping
- EcoFlow RIVER 2 Max Review
Wheel & Tire Gadgets
Adding the right RV wheel and tire accessories will help you with important maintenance tasks like checking tire pressure, adding or removing air to tires, and protecting the health of your tires while your RV is in storage. Some motorhomes are built with TPMS as a standard feature. Others include screw-on sensors to help you check tire pressure before and after each trip. If your motorhome doesn’t have either, here are a few motorhome must-have gadgets to consider adding:
- Tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS)
- Tire pressure gauge
- Tire inflator
- Air compressor
- Tire covers
Additional Resources:
- Guide to RV Tires
- Do You Need an RV Tire Pressure Monitoring System?
- How To Maintain RV Tires in Storage
Electrical Receptacle Tester
Most motorhomes come with ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) outlets. An electrical receptacle tester can be an invaluable RV gadget when certain outlets aren’t working inside your motorhome. It can help you test for issues like open ground, open neutral, and reverse polarity, giving you critical information to seek further troubleshooting assistance from a service center.
Additional Resources:
What Are Your Motorhome Must Haves?
We love hearing from experienced and new motorhome owners! What RV essentials, grilling accessories, or campsite equipment would you not want to live without? Tell us in the comments below.
Looking for guidance?
Imagine you could only pick 5 Motorhome Must Haves from the list below. Share your choices in ascending order (high to low priority) in the comments below!
- Leveling blocks
- Patio mat
- Camping chairs
- Blackstone griddle
- Hammock
- Cooler
- Portable fire pit
- Folding table
- Portable power station
- Tire pressure gauge
Are you looking for additional resources to help you equip your motorhome with the right camping gear?
- RV Essentials for Beginners
- Essential RV Camping Gear, According to Full-Time RVers
- Camco RV Products
- Lippert RV Products
- Must Have Campfire Accessories
