We're not saying you need to have all this stuff to use in your travels, but it works for us.
Power management
Southwire SurgeGuard 34951 EMS
We
chose this over the other brands because of it's warranty for INSIDE
the coach if it should fail. Many others warranty their device, which is
great, but we wanted the extra protection. An EMS handles both power
surges AND dropouts. Sometimes when campsites have power issues a loss
of power can cause more damage to sensitive electronics than a surge
can. At about $350 this is cheap insurance for our RV.
Towing
Blue Ox for our 2105 Jeep Cherokee
We
started out towing a 2017 Mini Cooper convertible on an American Car
Dolly, which we loved, but the Mini Cooper began to cost a lot of money
to maintain when it got over 75k miles.
So we went with the tried and
true Jeep option, this time flat towing on all 4 wheels, making things
much easier for both of us to set up and disconnect. We went with the
whole Blue OX system for the tow bar and baseplate, opting for the
slightly heavier Avail tow bar, but I wanted the extra safety margin on
tow weight, even though we'd never come close to it's 10,000 limit.
RVI Trickle Charger
Our
Cherokee has the infamous "Death Wobble" recall installed which keeps
the power steering on while towing, which can drain the battery on a
long driving day. I added the RVI Trickle Charger to make sure that
draining the battery never happens.
Tire Management
TST (Truck Systems Technology) 507 Tire Pressure Management System
Ten
(10) sensors, 6 for the RV, and 4 for the Jeep Cherokee. All feed into a
full color monitor that sits on the doghouse between the driver and
passenger front seats. Takes about 15-20 minutes for a novice to program
low and high pressure thresholds on all 10 sensors, then it's just
screw them on and you're good to go. There is an option for flow-thru
sensors which allows you to check pressures without removing the
sensors, but we went with the standard ones. Comes with a repeater for
units that are long, but we have no problem with signal from any of
ours, so I didn't install it.
ViAir 450 RV Air Compressor
Tires
don't inflate themselves, and we needed something small enough to
store, but robust enough to produce the pressures needed for these big
truck tires. And you also never know when you'll need to inflate your
tires to the proper pressure, because nothing is more important than
proper tire pressure before heading down the road. Clips onto the RV (or
Jeep) battery, and has an air hose extension to handle the full length
of the RV all the way to the back of the Jeep when hooked up.
Leveling / Jacks
Snap Pads
We
had heard about these just before purchasing our 36LA, and had them
ready to install the day we picked our unit up. They help a little bit
in distributing weight on soft surfaces (keeping us from using boards a
lot of the time), but they really work at keeping the metal pad from
marring cement or paved sites.
Bubble Level App
Great
free app for iPhones and Android devices. Throw it on the floor as you
are leveling, and if your jacks are off a bit it will help you to center
that bubble easily.
Recreation
Montague Urban Folding Bikes
Camp
bikes are fine for many people, but we wanted something with a bit more
distance to them, but could still be stored in the basement bays of our
36LA. Montague makes a whole host of folding bikes, and the Urban model
was perfect for us. Tires that can handle pavement and rougher
surfaces, 21 speeds to give us some flexibility on short hills and long
straightaways. Remove the front wheel and seat, undo one clamp in the
center, and it folds in half and slides neatly in one of the center bays
of the motor home. A bit pricey than some other bikes, but well worth
it in our view.
Advanced Elements Lagoon2 Kayak
This
comes in handy when we want to spend some time on the water, whether a
lazy river, a lake or a small ocean inlet. It's a 2-person tandem
inflatable kayak that stores in a carry bag about 2 ½ feet by 2 feet by
one foot deep, and it's built strong. The bottom is a flexible PVC
material that protects from rocks and submerged trees, has multiple
chambers covered in heavy-duty ripstop material. We added a foot pump to
help inflate it,which allows us to be in the water within about 5
minutes from taking it out of the bag. Very stable, which is important
for Barbara. Again, a bit pricey at $650, but we didn't mind paying the
extra for the higher quality and durability.
Grilling / Propane Use
Weber Q 1200 Gas Grill
The
go-to gas grill for many RVers, and we're no different. Small,
lightweight, and easily stores in one of our basement bays, along with
Weber's folding stand for the Q. We pair it up with the . . .
Camco Propane Brass 4 Port Tee
Attaches
right between the valve on our propane tank and the regulator, and
allows us to connect right off of the tank to the Weber Q for easy
grilling using the supplied 12 foot hose. No little green bottles for
us! It also comes with a 5 foot hose to attach propane bottles to the
main tank so that you don't have to move the unit to fill the main tank.
About $70 on Amazon.
Water Filtration
Our
36LA already has a standard water filter coming into the system, but we
add the Camco heavy duty external filter at the campground spigot to
double filter the water we use. But we don't stop there:
Big Berkey Water Filtration System
Berkey
makes many sizes of water systems, from individual use to
disaster-relief sizes. We went with the Big Berkey. It sits in the sink
during travel days, and on the counter once we're set up at a campsite.
It filters about 2 gallons of water in about a half hour's time. This
way, our cooking and drinking water is as clean as it can be, because
it's the third time (and most effective method) our water is filtered
for our use. About $120 to replace the two filters in the Berkey, which
they say can go for a couple of years, but we do annually. We paid about
$275 for the unit itself.
Cooking / Kitchen
We
have the standard 3-burner propane cooktop and Sharp Carousel Microwave
/ Convection Oven that comes with our Tiffin Open Road, but we really
only use the propane when we are bookdocking. We added a couple of
things to make cooking easier.
NutriChef 2-Burner Induction Cooktop
If
you're going to be plugged into 50A service, let the campground pay for
your cooking. Thin enough to slide between our couch and recliner when
traveling, this just sits on top of our countertop once we get to a
campsite. A bit temperamental when trying to balance temperatures
between both burners (it sometimes has trouble giving you 260 degrees on
both, so it lowers one burner down to zero when you're not looking),
but otherwise it's really great for the money.
Magma 10-Piece Nesting Cookware
We
bought the stainless steel version of this product. Induction capable.
Contains 3 pans of various sizes with an associate cover that handles
all three sizes, a stock pot, 2 removable handles and a braising pan.
Stacks inside of itself into something less than a foot tall, which
makes it perfect for storing in one of the overhead bins inside.
Breville Fast / Slow Cooker
No,
unlike many RVers who do, we do not have an InstaPot. We do have
something better, however. Longer lasting than the average InstaPot,
with dual settings to slow cook something while we're traveling down the
road, or to whip something up quicker once we're parked for a while.
DeLonghi Toaster Oven
We
like redundancy and backup, and we also like things toasted. The
DeLonghi does both very well, so if the microwave is already in use as a
convection oven, we have the Delonghi to fall back on. We did not order
our motor home with the traditional oven, because we really wanted the
extra drawer space.
Miscellaneous
Genturi Exhaust System
To
be nice neighbors while boondocking, we carry a Genturi exhaust
diverter which quickly attaches to our generator's exhaust pipe. It
redirects the exhaust up and over the RV instead of dumping it in our
neighbors campsite, and quiets the noise a little bit as well. Stores in
three separate pieces, and packs away in a small-ish bag that stores in
the pass-through portion of my basement bay.
WeBoost Cell Phone Booster
Cell
signal in many areas out west and in remote areas like COE campgrounds
we enjoy can be spotty at best. Running this blog can be challenging, if
not downright impossible, without decent signal when there is no
campground WiFi available. In addition, being able to access critical
weather apps on our phones is necessary for our safety. We had this
added professionally in Red Bay by Nick Brewer, and you'd never know it
was added post-build. He's that good. Sometimes we get an extra bar on
our phones or tablets, but many times it's not a stronger signal, but a
higher quality one. We really see the difference in most areas,
especially in COE campgrounds.
Aukey Dash Cam
Too
many crazy drivers out there, and there is also a need to show footage
out our front window on occasion so you can experience in some small way
what kind of majestic views this country has to offer. The Aukey is
small, has a 170 degree view, and just installs to the bottom of our
windshield to stay out of the way.
Apple Play Device
This
can be used for many things, but our primary use is to mirror our iPad
that is running our GPS program up to our front TV for better sound and
easier viewing when going down the road. It's just as easy for me to
glance up as it is to glance down, so safety isn't an issue, and
everything is much more readable in large format.
CoPilot GPS
About
$29 per year for their subscription, and maps are updated regularly
over any internet connection. Settings for height, weight, length and
width are available to customize your profile, and you have a choice of
languages already loaded on the unit to make things interesting. Also
settings to avoid toll roads, and for shortest route by miles or by
time.
Lionheart 15' Collapsible Ladder
Comes
in very handy when doing things along the front, rear and sides of the
motor home, including the all-important washing and waxing. About 18"
wide, it holds more than 250 lbs and shrinks itself down to about 2 1/2
feet in height and stores easily in one of our pass-through bays.
NoCo Boost HD Jump Starter
I
had intended to buy this at the beginning of our full-time journey back
in September of 2019, but it kept getting put on the back burner. After
a 3-day drive without having to detach our previous Mini, we pulled
into a campground and attempted to back the Mini off of our tow dolly.
No go. Battery dead as a door nail. Something had been turned on by a
tie-down strap hitting a button inside, and it drained the battery for a
great deal of time. Took a friendly work camper and his truck to get us
going again. I bought the NoCo HD model so that I can also use it to
jump start the big motor home engine as well, if needed.
Upgrades
Safe-T-Steer
This
takes out virtually all the play on our Ford F-53 chassis steering
wheel. No longer does it feel like I'm wrestling with an angry snake
when driving. We added this before our first trip, and it has been
amazing! Keeps me centered, and protects us from veering off the road
into a ditch if we experience a front tire blowout.
Vroom Slide Systems
Our
bedroom slide was beginning to fail after just 2 years on the road, due
to the poor engineering on the Schwintek system that most RV
manufacturers use, and the fact that as full-timers, we take our slides
in and out much more frequently than most. Vroom is head and shoulders
better than Schwintek and we're confident that it will last for years to
come. Just compare the size of the Vroom gear on the right to the Schwintek gear on the left. That Vroom gear just can't slip!
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