What is in your essential gear list?

[ArmyOfSquirrels]

What works and what doesn't? There's so many products for a noobie to chose from. I subscribe to the buy once cry once mindset so what is your essential gear you won't leave home without?

[debit]

Welcome to the forum. Some here will suggest that you practice a "campout" in your driveway and make a list based on your observations before you hit the gear store. Small tools in a small container have been very useful for me. Also, lots of blocks of wood (4" x 4") are used every time I set up the TT.
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Ram 2500 / Surveyor 251rks

[HangDiver]

Bottle opener, 1 1/16 deep socket (to switch out water heater anode rod) lighter, bungee cords, bottle opener, screw driver set, pliers, vice grips, open-end wrench set, bottle opener, 12V air compressor, 12V drill/driver, hiking gear, RV leveling blocks, bottle opener.....

[WanderMore]

First aid kit. Don’t buy one, build your own.

[catvet]

I second the tools lists.... Screwdriver with changeable tips, adjustable wrench, pliers with wire cutter, hammer or small hatchet, good knife, tape measure, assorted zip ties, bungee cords, and, of course, duct tape. Also good first aid kit for when you do those emergency repairs. We also carry an extra water fresh water hose and pressure regulator, extension cords, a spare usb rechaging cable for phones, mosquito repellents, fire starters (helpful when you cant find dry kindling), small bottle of bleach to disinfect whatever needs disinfection, flashlights, and extra holding tank chemicals....

[Kimber45]

The few times ive needed soemthing and didnt have it a friendly neighbor did.

[Wiscampsin]

I'll add spare fuses to the list.

[Skip12]

Be sure to have the tools to swap out a flat tire. Sometimes the lug nuts holding the spare are a differnt size than the rest so be sure to check for both.

[ppine]

Good woman
three dogs
Down sleeping bags
good chairs

[Chuck_S]

Don't try to do this all at once unless you're going to duplicate everything you have at home. We treat our Roo like a cottage and only bring food and clothes -- everything else is already there.

For the camper RV dealers sell a "starter set" of items I recommend. Usually includes a sewer hose, power adapter, etc. This will get you going and you can replace the pieces one at a time as needed as you find what works and what doesn't. That's for the camper.

Camper itself doesn't need bottle openers or phone chargers. If you have it at home and use it all the time you'll want a separate set in the camper.

Keep a little notebook and list what you want. Literally everything is available at Walmart and there's one of those in every county in North America. You'll need a couple of shopping carts.

-- Chuck

[ArmyOfSquirrels]

Originally Posted by Chuck_S

Don't try to do this all at once unless you're going to duplicate everything you have at home. We treat our Roo like a cottage and only bring food and clothes -- everything else is already there.

For the camper RV dealers sell a "starter set" of items I recommend. Usually includes a sewer hose, power adapter, etc. This will get you going and you can replace the pieces one at a time as needed as you find what works and what doesn't. That's for the camper.

Camper itself doesn't need bottle openers or phone chargers. If you have it at home and use it all the time you'll want a separate set in the camper.

Keep a little notebook and list what you want. Literally everything is available at Walmart and there's one of those in every county in North America. You'll need a couple of shopping carts.

-- Chuck

Thank you every one for the responses. I'm going to traveling cross country and living out of the rv and truck until we find a place to settle down and buy a home. We will start out with small trips locally to get familiar with the trailer and add to our forget me not list. The camper came with a bottle opener and I have one on my truck too.

[Old School Rob]

The lists and ideas of items are great, I would add cards and board games.

[Dobbs]

Lynx lock levelers with the matching chocks. One 10 count bag per axle. I am also very happy with my Beechline wedge style (AKA Anderson levelers) for the times you only need a small lift. Also don't forget the 50/30 or 30/20 or vise versa plug adapters.

[cboss]

Chainsaw. We've only needed it twice, but was glad we had it.
We now carry both a gas and electric one.

[Larry-NC]

Originally Posted by catvet

I second the tools lists.... Screwdriver with changeable tips, adjustable wrench, pliers with wire cutter, hammer or small hatchet, good knife, tape measure, assorted zip ties, bungee cords, and, of course, duct tape. Also good first aid kit for when you do those emergency repairs. We also carry an extra water fresh water hose and pressure regulator, extension cords, a spare usb rechaging cable for phones, mosquito repellents, fire starters (helpful when you cant find dry kindling), small bottle of bleach to disinfect whatever needs disinfection, flashlights, and extra holding tank chemicals....

Screwdriver with changeable tips including a #2 Robertson (square) tip. .

This is the first example I found. If you have one of those kits that holds the short bits, then look for short ones. You will find that most of the screws in your RV use this style. It seems to be an RV industry standard.

[krusti]

Most trailers come with a spare tire…..but few with the necessary jacks to lift the tire. I found out the hard way that the spare tire rim was different from the others and the closed lug nuts wouldn’t fit the spare. Just sayin pay attention to what you have. I’d recommend changing a tire at home so you can work out all the kinks.

[GFD47]

Originally Posted by krusti

Most trailers come with a spare tire…..but few with the necessary jacks to lift the tire. I found out the hard way that the spare tire rim was different from the others and the closed lug nuts wouldn’t fit the spare. Just sayin pay attention to what you have. I’d recommend changing a tire at home so you can work out all the kinks.

x2

[dvalley]

• medications and any necessary medical equipment.
• X chocks and legos
• level
• water pressure regulator
• power cord and adapter
• sewer hose and equipment including disposable gloves
• trash bags
• toolbag with assorted tools and cordless drill
• map and/or gps
• bungies
• axe, knife and scissors
• first aid kit including steri strips (learned this one the hard way after being attacked by a wild avocado)
• thumbtacks and awning tape
• grill and propane bottles
• dish soap and scrubbies
• at least two working pens and a pad of paper
• cell phones and chargers

[ArmyOfSquirrels]

Originally Posted by krusti

Most trailers come with a spare tire…..but few with the necessary jacks to lift the tire. I found out the hard way that the spare tire rim was different from the others and the closed lug nuts wouldn’t fit the spare. Just sayin pay attention to what you have. I’d recommend changing a tire at home so you can work out all the kinks.

Good tip. I have a hi-lift on the truck so I was gonna experiment with that. I have the stabilizer base for the hilift as well. The trailer came with a matching rim and tire full size spare so the lugs should work fine for both.

[lckeehne]

Originally Posted by dvalley

• medications and any necessary medical equipment.
• X chocks and legos
• level
• water pressure regulator
• power cord and adapter
• sewer hose and equipment including disposable gloves
• trash bags
• toolbag with assorted tools and cordless drill
• map and/or gps
• bungies
• axe, knife and scissors
• first aid kit including steri strips (learned this one the hard way after being attacked by a wild avocado)
• thumbtacks and awning tape
• grill and propane bottles
• dish soap and scrubbies
• at least two working pens and a pad of paper
• cell phones and chargers

I would strongly suggest a shovel if you are planning of having fire in woods!