15 Must-Haves for Full-Time RVing You Won’t Remember!

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When packing for full-time RV life, you have to think through every single item and make sure that it has a specific place within your RV. Here is a list of what we have found to be must-haves when embarking on your new adventurous life.

1. A safe with all your important papers

We have a fireproof safe that we keep all of our important documents in. Since we are full-timing we can’t store them somewhere “in the house,” like a lot of people do. We keep our passports, birth certificates, social security cards, titles for our vehicles, and anything else that we may need on the road. 

2. Folding table for outside and oversized camp chairs

We have a 4’ folding table that we absolutely love. It fits great in one of our under compartments and is easy to setup and tear down. It’s great for setting up food when outside.

Oversized camping chairs are also on our list of must-haves. Since they are oversized they are much more comfortable than normal camp chairs (we learned this the hard way).

Lime Green Garden Chair With Marron Jacket Next To White Table
Garden Chair
Lime Green Garden Chair In The Corner Of A Tent
Garden Chair

3. Screen tent for outdoors

If you hate bugs as much as I do, then a screen tent is worth the investment. We have a 9’ by 11’ screen tent that sets up in minutes and allows us to hang outside without the annoyance of the bugs.

Black And White See Through Tent
Screen Trent

4. Outdoor Recreation: bicycles, e-bikes, dirt bikes, and/or kayaks

Full-time RV living should be about being able to do what you love. My husband and I love to kayak, so we brought our kayaks with us. That way we can enjoy a hobby we’ve always loved, even while we’re on the road.

5. Five-Gallon gas can

You never know when there might be a time that you end up without gas in your tank. Bringing along a 5 gallon gas can with you just in case, can save you a lot of hassle if you’re ever in a situation without gas. They are also great to have to refill generators for when you are boon-docking for longer periods of time.

6. A quality axe

Campfires can be so much fun and having a quality axe to chop firewood and make kindling can make the process so much easier. If you have campfires as often as we do, investing in quality tools will help tremendously in the long run!

7. Heated blanket

Our best purchase going into fall and winter has been a heated blanket. The days may be in the 60s, but it can drop to the 30s overnight. Being able to turn on the blanket when we get in bed has kept us warm without having to run our heat for long periods of time.

8. Entertainment: Video games, board games, books, DVD player, etc.

Indoor entertainment plays a very important roll in RV living. Whether it’s too cold or rainy to go outside, it’s nice to have a way to stay entertained and have some fun. By bringing multiple different forms of indoor entertainment we find ourselves staying entertained no matter the weather.

9. Limited amounts of pots and pans 

An assortment of pots and pans is a necessity when living on the road full-time. Our advice is to slim down on the number of pots and pans you bring with you. They take up a lot of space and can easily make your cabinets feel cluttered. We recommend bringing your favorite pot, pan, and cast iron skillet. An RV kitchen is a lot smaller than a house’s and we find that one of each is more than enough.

10. Air fryer

Air fryers are all the rage these days, and we really enjoy having one in our RV. We opted to remove our oven and replace it with an air fryer, and we couldn’t be happier with that choice. From cooking chicken tenders to French fries to reheating last night’s dinner; the air fryer makes it taste so much better than our microwave!

Close Up View Of Black Power XL Air Fryer
Power XL Air Fryer Close Up
Black Power XL Air Fryer
Power XL Air Fryer

11. Plastic plates, bowls, and cups

An RV is not the place for Fine china. National Forrest and BLM roads are not known for being the softest, smoothest rides. Plastic plates, bowls, and cups won’t break even if they fall out of the cupboard. They also don’t make noise when driving down bumpy roads.

12. Outdoor fire pit grill

My husband would not be able to live without his fire pit grill. It folds down very slim and easily stands right over the fire. He is able to cook so many different meals over the fire and the smoky flavor is amazing.

13. Quality tools to fix anything and everything

A full wrench set, screwdriver set, 3/8” socket set is a must. A tire iron or 1/2” breaker bar with the correct size socket for your lug nuts, and jacks strong enough to lift your vehicle is the minimum we would carry. Even if you are not capable of working on your vehicle, someone at your campground or along the road may be able to help you if you have the tools. We had a flat tire on our tow vehicle very early into full-timing. Luckily, we had all the tools to replace the tire even on the side of a busy highway in Chicago. If we didn’t have the tools who knows how long we would have been stuck there.

Red Craftsman Tool Box
Craftsman Tool Box

14. Disposable gloves

The part no one likes to talk about: disposing of your waste. We’ve all seen the horrific scene in the movie “RV” starring Robbin Williams and although that scene is over the top, leaks and spills can happen when dumping your grey and black water tanks. Disposable gloves really help keep you clean especially when first hooking up your sewer hose. More importantly, they are useful when rinsing out your sewer hose.

15. Leveling jack boards

These are simple but they serve many purposes, pack more than you think you need. A leveling jack board is simply a board that you put under your jacks so you have a stable flat surface to level on. They can also be placed under your tires to bring one side of the RV up if you are in a dip. They can also be useful to help you out of the mud or sand if you find yourself stuck. A few simple 2”x12”x12” boards (at least 4-8) will work. We also pack 4x 2”x12”4’ board incase we get stuck we have a good surface to drive up on.

We hope that this list gave you some new ideas for items to bring along with you and even confirm some things you were already considering. When it comes to full-time RVing, it is truly up to you and your family to decide on the specifics of what you need. This list is a tool to use when going over what you’re already thinking of bringing, make sure you have the necessities. Enjoy your life on the road! 

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